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墨書 Inktalez
Unknowingly, I returned home after a few months had passed. During that time, I had chatted a few times on the phone with the Fat Ma.
This Fat Ma had surprisingly bought himself a Mobile Phone and was acting quite affluent.
I joked over the phone, "Next time you go out, if you run into Zongzi or something, you can use it as a brick."
But the Fat Ma resolutely replied, "Even if I had to smash it with my head, I wouldn't part with my Mobile Phone. He truly treats it like a treasure."
Later, I heard that the Fat Ma often showed off, and his Mobile Phone caught the attention of thieves. In less than ten days, it was stolen. The Fat Ma called me to complain, sounding as if he were wronged like Dou E.
I scolded him, "You country bumpkin, what's a little money to you?" As soon as I finished speaking, there was a sudden silence on the other end; he must have hung up. Just as I set the phone down, it rang again after about a minute.
I answered the call.
"I've packed everything up. I'm going to visit the old man tomorrow."
Before I could respond, the Fat Ma hung up again. I sighed and redialed to clarify his plans before I could relax.
In the afternoon, my grandfather went out visiting neighbors, and I lay back in his rocking chair to rest.
Suddenly, I noticed someone standing outside the gate.
At first, I didn't pay much attention, thinking they were just passing by. After a few minutes had passed and the person still hadn't left, I got up from the rocking chair and walked over.
I called through the door, "May I ask who you're looking for?"
"Is Sun Liangtu living here?"
I was somewhat surprised. The girl standing outside seemed a bit shy. She wore a sun hat that covered most of her face, and with her head lowered, I couldn't see her features clearly.
"That's me."
Suddenly, she lifted her head, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. "It's me."
When I finally saw her face, it felt as if my brain had stopped functioning. Her slightly tilted bangs framed a delicate face, and she wore a knee-length skirt.
Hills? I could hardly believe my eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and invited Hills inside. After closing the gate to the yard, I noticed she was still standing outside, so I led her into the house and gestured for her to find a seat.
"I'll make you a cup of tea," I said as I hurried to the kitchen. When I returned with the tea cup, Hills was looking around. As soon as she saw me, she quickly averted her gaze.
A smile crept onto her lips, tinged with a hint of youthful innocence.
I shook my head again to regain my composure. I wasn't sure if the Hills in front of me was real. I set the tea cup down.
Hills sat there in silence, not saying anything. I didn't know what to say either, and we spent several minutes like that until I finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Did you come to see me for something?"
Hills lifted the teacup with both hands, took a sip, and set it down before saying, "I was passing by and thought I would come see you."
I felt a twinge of suspicion about how she knew I lived here, but I didn’t voice it.
Hills seemed to sense my doubt and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person."
After hearing that, I felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t know what to say.
"I found this place through my grandfather," she continued. I still wasn’t sure how to respond.
Suddenly, she burst into laughter. "You're just like you were back when you were sent down to the countryside." I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.
My grandfather was exonerated last year and has since returned to his official position, which is how I found you through him.
I nodded thoughtfully.
I hadn’t expected her grandfather to be an official; it seemed he held quite a significant position.
After that, there was another moment of silence, but when she began talking about the years spent during the time of being sent down to the countryside, we found common ground. For the rest of our time together, we chatted about that topic, sometimes laughing and sometimes feeling a bit sad. The emotions accumulated and settled during that special era are not something ordinary people can easily understand.
Before we knew it, evening had arrived.
My grandfather had returned from his stroll outside. When he saw a girl in the house, he couldn’t stop smiling. He had always worried that I wouldn’t find someone, so seeing Hills here brought him great joy.
Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
After a brief exchange with Grandfather, Hills stood up to take her leave. However, Grandfather insisted that it was too late for her to go back. He shot me a look that clearly conveyed his intent: if I tried to stop him, he would break my legs.
With both of us urging her, Hills finally agreed to stay.
The night sky was filled with stars, and Hills had taken off her sun hat, revealing her long, dark hair. Her face still looked youthful, just as it had in the past; time seemed reluctant to leave any marks on her delicate and beautiful features.
After dinner, she chatted with Grandfather, and they seemed to get along very well. It had been a long time since I had seen Grandfather smile so joyfully.
I sat nearby, listening to their conversation.
As the night grew late, I led Hills to the guest room for her to rest.
When I came out, Grandfather grabbed me and gave me a good talking-to, insisting that I must conquer this mountain. I forced a smile and agreed. Seeing this old man with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles so spirited made it hard for me to refuse him.
That night, I slept heavily.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Hills said her goodbyes. I walked her to the door.
Watching her retreating figure, I felt something was off; there was an indescribable feeling gnawing at me.
Another day passed in a blur. I went to the train station to pick up Fat Ma. As soon as he got off the train, I rushed over to help him with his luggage and brought him back home.
That evening, after some persuasion, Grandfather took us to a restaurant to welcome Fat Ma. Once we arrived at the restaurant, Fat Ma affectionately called Grandfather "Old Man." He then summoned the waiter and ordered several bottles of fine liquor, claiming he wanted to have a drink with Grandfather. Not one to back down due to age, Grandfather readily joined Fat Ma in drinking contests.
I scolded Fat Ma for his behavior, and only then did he realize what was happening.
But Grandfather, caught up in the moment, couldn't put down his drink and insisted on not stopping until he was drunk. Finally, Fat Ma said, "Old man, you love telling stories. Why don't you share one with us?"
Grandfather set down his cup without a word and began to tell a story.
I felt relieved; storytelling was certainly better than drinking. Whenever it came to telling stories, Grandfather became animated, his focus sharpening.
He raised his hand, pausing in the air for a few seconds as if gathering his thoughts. After a moment, he spoke, "Disturbing the Plates. Do you know what that means?"
Both Fat Ma and I shook our heads simultaneously.
Grandfather quieted down, waiting for our reaction. We looked at him with eager anticipation.
"Once upon a time in Nanning—have you ever been to Nanning?" We shook our heads again, and Grandfather chuckled with satisfaction.
"Nanning is in Guangxi, right on the border with Vietnam."
There was once a remarkable person from Guangxi. This individual was extraordinary; he had an uncanny ability to predict outcomes. Most importantly, this fellow could Disturb the Plates—meaning he had a skillful craft that could handle both good and bad situations, but the key was that he could control the scene.
I listened intently, knowing that Grandfather was about to tell a ghost story, but this particular tale had never been shared with me before.
Fat Ma's eyes widened in anticipation as he awaited Grandfather's next words.
Grandfather took a sip from his cup, popped some food into his mouth, and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes as if he were sizing us up. However, we were too engrossed to notice.
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