Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Grandfather turned off the light after speaking. I closed my eyes, preparing to fall asleep. In a half-dream state, I heard the sound of sheep eating; it was loud, as if it were right inside the house.
I opened my eyes and followed the sound, only to see Grandma kneeling on the floor, her face buried in the slop bucket, eating what was inside. The noise she made was identical to that of sheep feeding.
I was so frightened that my soul felt detached from my body. Just as I was about to scream, Grandma turned to look at me. Her eyes glowed with a green light, unlike any human eyes.
I let out a loud "Ah!"
This startled Grandfather awake, and he turned on the light. At the same moment, Grandma collapsed onto the floor as if regaining her senses. Realizing she had been eating from the slop bucket, she began to gag, trying to force herself to vomit but unable to do so.
Grandfather asked me, "Xiao Qi, what happened?"
I replied, "Grandma was drinking from the slop bucket."
Grandma shot me a glare and said, "Nonsense! I was just sleepwalking."
Grandma had a history of sleepwalking when she was younger, but she hadn't done so in decades.
Grandfather patted my shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid; it's fine."
Grandma got up from the floor, her belly noticeably larger; she had consumed the entire bucket of slop.
Rubbing her stomach in pain, she said, "What am I going to do? I can't throw it up."
Grandfather said, "I'll go get some sesame oil."
With that, he went to the storage room.
Only Grandma and I remained in the room. Suddenly, Grandma leaned closer to me and squinted her eyes menacingly. "What else did you see?" she asked.
I instinctively looked at Grandma's shadow and saw a creature with a sheep's head and a human body speaking to me.
I was terrified and about to run when Grandma grabbed my shoulder tightly. She stared at me intently, repeating, "What else did you see?"
Just as I was about to scream again, Grandfather's voice came from outside: "Old woman, I've brought the sesame oil."
Hearing Grandfather's voice made Grandma release her grip.
I hurriedly ran behind Grandfather and clutched his clothes tightly. Grandfather looked puzzled and said, "Xiao Qi, why are you on the floor? It's too cold down there; come up onto the bed."
After saying this, he handed the sesame oil to Grandma and said, "Old woman, drink this sesame oil; it will help you throw up the slop in your stomach."
Grandma glanced at the sesame oil in her hand and muttered to herself, "Such good sesame oil wasted like this."
Grandma took just a small sip of the sesame oil and set the bottle down on the table.
Grandfather said, "Old woman, that little sip won't do you any good. You need to drink more."
Grandma shook her head. "No more, it's too wasteful."
After saying this, she climbed onto the bed. I instinctively glanced at Grandma's shadow; it was human-shaped, not the monstrous figure of a goat-headed creature. Could I have been mistaken?
Just as I was feeling confused, Grandfather turned off the light.
I was afraid of Grandma and didn't dare to sleep beside her, so I ran over to sleep next to Grandfather. Soon, both Grandfather and Grandma fell asleep, snoring softly, which finally allowed me to close my eyes and drift off.
The next morning, I was awakened by Grandma's cries. She was clutching her stomach, her face covered in cold sweat, and her belly was still swollen, seemingly larger than it had been the day before.
Grandfather said, "Old woman, let's go to the hospital in town."
Grandma frowned and replied, "Who goes to the hospital during a festival? It's bad luck."
Grandfather sighed and said, "Old woman, at a time like this, we can't worry about luck. Let's just go see a doctor."
With that, Grandfather went out to prepare the mule cart.
Grandma struggled to climb into the cart while holding her stomach.
Grandfather said to me, "Xiao Qi, stay home and watch the house. Don't go anywhere. Your grandma and I will be back in the afternoon."
I nodded in agreement. "Got it."
After Grandfather and Grandma left, I was alone in the yard.
It was a festive day, and every family was bustling with activity. I played with firecrackers in the yard and then went out to play with the other children in the village.
By afternoon, when I returned home, smoke was rising from other houses as they began cooking for the festival, but my house still had no food prepared; Grandfather and Grandma had not yet returned.
I felt a bit hungry and remembered there was half a piece of sheep's head meat in the pantry. That half piece of meat had been bought by Grandma from town for the festival feast.
I ran to the pantry and cut off a small slice of sheep's head meat with a knife. Just a tiny piece; Grandfather and Grandma probably wouldn't notice.
Holding that small piece of meat, I rushed into the house, reluctant to eat it all at once. Instead, I nibbled on it slowly, savoring each bite.
The lamb head was truly delicious, and soon, I had devoured it all, yet I still felt hungry. My stomach rumbled, but I dared not eat more of the lamb head; that was meant for festive occasions.
I sat idly in the yard, lost in thought, when suddenly the door swung open. Two young people entered the yard, a man and a woman. The woman was Aunt, and the man appeared to be her boyfriend. He was dressed stylishly, sporting eye-catching leather shoes, and his belly was slightly protruding, as if he were expecting a child.
Comment 0 Comment Count