Zhang Ren was half-convinced by what Chu Zhou said, but he still felt something was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
His instincts warned him of danger, so he stayed close to Chu Zhou.
By the small river at the front of the village, a few women were washing clothes.
They chatted and laughed as they beat the laundry with wooden sticks. Not far from the shore, a few elderly people sat on stones, basking in the sun.
When the old folks saw Chu Zhou, they brightened with delight. Even from a distance, they waved at him.
As he walked over, one of the elders squinted at Chu Zhou for a while, then patted his arm approvingly. “Good kid, still as handsome as when you were little.”
Another elder nearby chimed in, “Your mother is blessed. The Gods will surely watch over your family.”
Hearing these vague words again, Zhang Ren felt uneasy.
He stepped forward, blocking Chu Zhou behind him. “Elder, what do you mean by that?”
One of the elders was startled by Zhang Ren’s appearance, but seeing he was an outsider, his expression immediately turned unfriendly. “This is our village’s business. Outsiders shouldn’t meddle.”
Zhang Ren wanted to say more, but Chu Zhou tugged his sleeve, so he could only hold his tongue.
“We’re Chu Zhou’s friends, just accompanying him home for a visit,” Qu Yanning said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
He was good-looking and polite, so the elder’s expression softened. “You’re all decent, the Village Chief already mentioned you.”
Qu Yanning chatted casually, “We’ve been here for almost two days, but we haven’t seen anyone else in the village around Zhou Zhou’s age. It’s hard to even find someone to chat with.”
At this, the old man smiled, his wrinkled face full of longing. “They’re all serving the Gods now.”
“Serving the Gods?”
The old man grinned proudly, his cloudy eyes sweeping over him. “You outsiders, the Gods won’t bless you. Otherwise, with your looks, the Gods would surely like you.”
“…” Qu Yanning forced a couple of dry laughs. “R-Really?”
They chatted a bit more, but whenever the topic turned to the Gods, the villagers’ expressions became reverent, and they refused to say anything more to outsiders.
Realizing they wouldn’t get any useful information, the group decided to leave.
Just as they were about to head back, they saw several villagers carrying two coffins out. The coffins weren’t even covered, just left wide open.
The four middle-aged men carrying the coffins set them down heavily on the ground and shouted, “Old Six’s family, your Old Six is missing!”
“What? He was still upstairs last night!” One of the women by the river ran over, eyes wide with alarm.
The coffin bearer replied impatiently, “He’s gone, you’d better go home and check.”
Not believing it, the woman hurried home with her wooden basin.
The lead man spoke to the approaching Village Chief, “We can’t find Old Six. Should we ask the Shen Po to perform the rites for these two first?”
The old Village Chief, hands behind his back, walked to the side. “Go invite the Shen Po.”
The villagers quickly formed a circle, watching the two coffins from a distance. The atmosphere was tense, and no one spoke.
It wasn’t until the Village Chief led a middle-aged woman in black over that the villagers respectfully greeted her, “Shen Po.”
The Shen Po nodded, her face grave. She circled the coffins twice, then asked, “Where’s the other one?”
The coffin bearer replied that Old Six was missing and his family was still searching.
The Shen Po’s expression darkened, but she waved her hand. “Let’s begin.” Judging by their calm expressions, this clearly wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
The coffin bearer replied respectfully and retreated behind the Village Chief.
The Shen Po slowly circled the two coffins, chanting under her breath.
Qu Yanning watched intently, and suddenly noticed thick black Qi rising from both the Shen Po and the coffins.
He froze, staring hard, but the vision vanished.
The Shen Po continued chanting as she walked, circling the coffins several times. Then she stopped at the head of the coffins and took out two Mianju.
The masks were made of wood, painted entirely black, with red eyes and lips. Strange patterns were carved all over them.
With a low shout, the Shen Po swiftly pressed the masks onto the faces of the two dead villagers.
“Close the lids!” the Shen Po commanded in a hoarse, heavy voice.
The coffin bearers quickly stepped up, slamming the lids shut.
Then they took out thick, long nails and hammered them tightly into all four corners of each coffin, binding them securely with rough hemp rope.
The Village Chief knocked on the coffins. “Are they nailed tight?”
The men nodded repeatedly. “We’ve done it right, don’t worry.”
The Village Chief waved his hand, telling them to carry the coffins to the back and bury them.
The men carried the coffins past Qu Yanning and the others. As they passed, Qu Yanning seemed to catch a faint, unpleasant odor.
The group headed toward the back of the village, scattering to their respective tasks as if nothing unusual had happened.
A sense of strangeness lingered in the air. Qu Yanning couldn’t help but glance at Xie Qi. Xie Qi patted his head. “Let’s talk when we get home.”
When they returned to the house, no one was there— Zhuang Meng seemed to have gone out.
Zhang Ren couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked directly, “Chu Zhou, you—”
Chu Zhou lowered his eyes, his lashes trembling. “Aren’t all remote, backward mountain villages like this?”
His tone immediately softened, and he offered a gentle smile. “We’re friends. If you’re in trouble, we’ll help.”
Chu Zhou’s face looked a bit pale. He bit his lip and spoke softly, “What trouble could I have? My mother is here, my home is here, I’ll be fine.”
Zhang Ren wanted to ask more, but seeing Chu Zhou’s expression, he couldn’t bear to push further. He changed the topic, trying to sound more relaxed. “How long are we staying here? Auntie isn’t feeling well— when we get back to Shen City, we can take her to the hospital for a check-up. The medical facilities here are too backward.”
Chu Zhou hesitated, then looked at him. “There’s something I haven’t had the chance to tell you…”
He pinched his fingers, speaking quietly. “I plan to stay in the village to keep my mother company. You guys can play here for a while, and when you get bored, you can head back.”
Zhang Ren grew anxious. “You want us to leave you here alone?”
Qu Yanning also objected. “We all came together. Of course, we’ll leave together too.”
Chu Zhou just shook his head with a smile. “My home is here. I’m just staying a bit longer— you don’t have to make such a fuss.”
Zhang Ren was at a loss for words. On the surface, what Chu Zhou said seemed perfectly reasonable.
But the village was filled with oddities, and Zhang Ren trusted his instincts— this place was definitely not normal.
@All the best stories can be found on Jinjiang Literature City.
“Are you all here?” Zhuang Meng pushed the door open, smiling when she saw everyone inside.
She carried a vegetable basket with a big cabbage and a few eggs inside. “I picked some veggies from the field out back and traded for a few eggs. We can have stewed eggs for dinner.”
Chu Zhou took the basket from her and placed it in the kitchen, then urged her to sit and rest.
The mood at the table was somber. Zhuang Meng smoothed her hair and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Did you have a fight?”
Zhang Ren shook his head, smiling. “No, Zhou Zhou just wants to send us home, but we haven’t had enough fun yet. How could we bear to leave?”
“This child…” Zhuang Meng laughed. “I told him, just stay a couple of days and that’s enough. You all can play for a couple of days, and then leave together.”
Zhang Ren agreed, then asked, “Aren’t you going with us, Auntie? The hospitals in Shen City are better— you could get a proper check-up.”
“Ah…” Zhuang Meng shook her head gently. “I’ve spent most of my life in this village. I can’t leave anymore.”
Zhang Ren thought she just couldn’t bear to part with her home, so he didn’t press the matter.
At dinnertime, the Village Chief led a group of villagers, carrying boxes tied with red ribbons, to Chu Zhou’s house in a lively procession.
Qu Yanning curiously peered out the door.
The villagers brought in the ribboned boxes and opened them. Inside were cloth, bowls, and porcelain. Another uncovered basket was filled with pork and vegetables.
The Village Chief spoke, “Zhuang Meng, now that Chu Zhou is back, we’ve discussed it and decided to hold the Qingdian the day after tomorrow. These are gifts from the villagers for your family. Everything is ready— just remember to bring Chu Zhou to the celebration.”
Zhuang Meng smiled and replied, “Zhou Zhou just came back, isn’t it a bit rushed to hold the Qingdian?”
The Village Chief laughed, saying she knew how things were in the village— the sooner the Qingdian, the better.
“Alright,” Zhuang Meng agreed. “I’ll bring Zhou Zhou over the day after tomorrow.”
Only then did the Village Chief leave, smiling so widely his face was full of wrinkles.
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