Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Living Funeral
We quickly entered Old Zhang's house, where he had his wife, the Witch, prepare some food for us. Old Zhang proudly said, "Don't be fooled by your aunt's age; she may not be as beautiful as before, but back in the day, your father and I were rivals, and I couldn't win against her."
The Old Lady shyly replied, "At my age, what are you bragging about? But Chen, you really look a lot like your father; you could almost be twins."
Old Zhang retorted, "Just because other fathers and sons look like twins doesn't mean we do. Have you lost your mind?"
The Old Lady chuckled and said, "I don't know; I'm going to get dinner ready."
We gathered around a square table and began chatting. Old Zhang was very happy to see me. He reminisced about our past together, although he didn't realize that those stories were more about my life after parting ways with Zhang Xun.
I listened to the old man talk. He said, "Back when we were mining at Black Duck Mountain, we were all strong and capable workers. But later on, your father left without saying goodbye. I looked for him afterward but couldn't find him. Seeing you here today brings back many memories."
I called out to Uncle Zhang, "We're planning to go to Black Duck Mountain this time."
Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's expression changed, and he asked me, "What are you going to do at Black Duck Mountain?" His tone shifted to one of concern. I asked him, "Uncle Zhang, did something happen there later on?"
He replied, "Yes! Something did happen. You'd better not go there; Black Duck Mountain is now closed off for reforestation and mining is prohibited."
From what Old Zhang said, it was clear there were deeper issues at play. However, he seemed reluctant to share more. I had no real impression of him; I could only listen to his stories about mining since I had no memories of that time.
Old Zhang took a deep breath, his wrinkles gathering as if he were lost in thought about the past. Time had certainly aged him; he looked much older while Zhang Xun and the rest of us had hardly changed.
Nian Chen asked me, "Uncle Zhang, did anything else happen at Black Duck Mountain?"
Old Zhang responded, "Girl, is he treating you well? If not, just tell your dad; Old Chen has a fiery temper and will definitely give him a beating."
Nian Chen assured him, "Uncle Zhang, don't worry; I will. Please tell us the story of Black Duck Mountain."
Unable to resist Nian Chen's pleading, Uncle Zhang began: "Let’s say I'm telling a story. And after hearing my tale, you must promise not to go to Black Duck Mountain; do you understand?"
Nian Chen replied eagerly, "Okay, Uncle Zhang."
Old Zhang started his story: "In 198X, I was just in my twenties back then. It was during that time that Black Duck Mountain was discovered to be a mine rich in resources. Everyone rushed up the mountain to mine it. Your father appeared around that time too; he looked like someone who had fled from somewhere else—lost and disheveled. Eventually, your father and I teamed up to mine together. The entire Black Duck Mountain was nearly hollowed out due to our efforts. Just when everyone was excited about the mining prospects, a tragic incident occurred—a cave-in happened because we were mining recklessly without any safety measures in place. At first, people thought losing one person wasn’t a big deal. But then things got even worse; almost all the mines collapsed."
Because many people had died, and I almost became one of them, if it weren't for Your Father pulling me out just in time, I might not be here now. At that moment, Your Father seemed almost supernatural, as if he had foreseen that the mine we were digging would collapse. Just as I took a step outside, the mine immediately caved in, and I was so scared that I lost my senses. Even now, thinking back on it sends chills down my spine.
Later on, too many people died, and the government forbade us from mining. However, they later sent a team into the mountains to explore for minerals, but they never came back. Everyone started saying it was the wrath of the mountain god. At first, I thought they had a point; after all, they had dug up the mountain so recklessly that there wasn't a single good spot left on their bodies. Anyone would be angry.
But later on, it turned out that Your Father was not the mountain god; rather, someone was causing trouble. So who should we believe—Your Father or them?
I shook my head, indicating that I didn't know.
Old Zhang said, "You know what? I actually think that if the collapse of Black Duck Mountain was man-made, I really wouldn't believe it. If it were someone else saying this, I'd definitely consider them insane. But since it's Your Father saying it, I believe him. I trust Your Father because he saved me back then. After this incident happened, Your Father disappeared without a trace. Ever since then, I thought I'd never see him again. But now that I've seen Old Chen instead of him today, it seems like my connection with Your Father isn't over yet."
Old Zhang then started to laugh.
I gathered the gist of it; it seemed like these were all Old Zhang knew.
After we finished talking, the dishes were almost ready. Old Zhang's Witch sat down, and we all began to eat together. Perhaps Old Zhang was in a good mood today because he drank a few more cups than usual but was stopped by his Witch. Watching these two made me suddenly feel that this kind of life was truly happy.
Nian Chen served me some food and said, "Nian, you should eat something."
I responded with a hum.
Zhang Xun only took two or three bites before stopping. After we finished our meal and prepared to leave, Old Zhang insisted on keeping us there and forbade us from going to Black Duck Mountain. It seemed that Old Zhang really considered us good friends.
Of course, I wanted to check out Black Duck Mountain, but Old Zhang kept trying to persuade me to stay. It made it hard for me to refuse, so I agreed to stay for a few days. Until evening came, he continued reminiscing about those aged stories from the past—stories I had little interest in hearing. However, Nian Chen seemed very interested in my past.
Old Zhang shared whatever he could recall while she listened intently like a diligent child.
Time flew by until night fell. Zhang Xun asked me when we would go. I replied that we should wait until they were asleep!
Zhang Xun nodded without saying much. He could have been raised by Jiang Changsheng but was different from others—he was an independent thinker with his own ideas.
That night, Old Zhang arranged a room for Zhang Xun and another for Nian Chen and me—all with brand new sheets. Old Zhang told us to get a good night's sleep and hoped we could soon give Old Chen a grandchild.
Nian Chen giggled at this while I responded affirmatively. After Old Zhang closed the door behind him, he reminded us to sleep early.
I sat on the bed, and Nian Chen suddenly seemed a bit nervous. "Fei, um, what are we going to do later?" he asked.
I replied, "We'll wait until they fall asleep and then head up the mountain."
Nian Chen responded with an "oh," and there were no more words exchanged. After about an hour, someone knocked on the window outside. Not wanting to delay, I called for Nian Chen, and we set off. We quietly left the place, and aside from the door, Old Zhang and his wife remained asleep.
Since both Nian Chen and Zhang Xun had been to Black Duck Mountain before, we didn’t need to ask for directions; we simply headed straight there.
Walking through the town's streets, there were hardly any people around. Aside from a few streetlights, there was nothing else. On the way, Zhang Xun mentioned that when we had gone to Black Duck Mountain before, mining wasn’t as popular yet, so your mining activities must have started later.
Nian Chen said, "I looked for you back then, Fei, but found no trace. How did you end up coming back to mine?"
I fell silent for a few seconds before replying, "Maybe my return wasn’t really about mining; perhaps it was for something else."
"Something else?" Nian Chen asked. "What else? Did you remember something?" I shook my head. "No. But I feel like when I came back later, it must have been because of some new discovery—perhaps related to secrets on the path of yin and yang."
What exactly that was, I couldn’t recall.
We continued down the road, and I asked Zhang Xun, "What were we originally going to do when we went to Black Duck Mountain together?"
Comment 0 Comment Count