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墨書 Inktalez
"Hey, Fei, your grandfather's grave has been dug up, and the coffin is missing."
"What!" I was stunned, holding my phone.
"You need to hurry back home, quickly!"
With that, my dad hung up.
I put down my phone, feeling dazed. My grandfather was just an ordinary old farmer; who would be bored enough to dig up his grave? Were they just looking for trouble?
However, from the tone of my dad's voice, it seemed urgent.
I didn't have time to think too much. I grabbed my phone and booked the earliest train ticket to Tengyuan County in Shandong Province on a travel website. After a quick pack-up, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and left the dormitory.
My name is Song Fei, and I'm a sophomore at Jiangsu Donghai University.
I am actually an orphan, raised by my grandfather. I had known this for a long time.
In this world, the only person who truly cared for me was my grandfather. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was ten. My adoptive parents were kind to me at first, but that same year, my mother became pregnant again and gave birth to a chubby baby boy.
After that, I felt like I could no longer experience any parental love; all their attention shifted to my younger brother.
But I understood; after all, I wasn't their biological child.
On the train, there weren't many people. I found a window seat and felt a bit unsettled. To be honest, I wasn't very eager to go home; it felt awkward with my parents. After the college entrance exams, my dad wanted me to start working. In his eyes, I should be like the other kids in the village—working early to earn money.
I refused.
Later, the college acceptance letter arrived, but my dad secretly burned it.
I refused to compromise. My academic performance was decent, and I didn't want to spend my life as a laborer, only able to do hard work, eventually having to return to that remote and impoverished Shantai Village when I grew old.
I went to Donghai University myself, reapplied for the acceptance letter, and pleaded with the school officials to help me secure a student loan. I truly wanted to never return to Shantai Village again.
However, today was about my grandfather's grave, so I had to go back.
"Benefactor!"
A childish voice rang in my ear.
I looked up and saw a monk, around eight or nine years old, sitting across from me. He wore a gray robe and had a large string of prayer beads around his neck that hung down to his knees.
The monk looked quite adorable, with nine incense burns on his head that made him seem amusing.
I said, "Hey, monk, are you here to beg for alms?"
The monk's expression was serious as he struggled to sit properly on his seat and looked at me. "Benefactor, I'm not just here for simple alms. I see that your brow is dark and your complexion has a grayish-red anger; you are destined for bloodshed on this journey, and your life is in peril."
I was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. I reached out and touched the monk's bald head. "Wow, you're quite something; is this how you trick people?"
The monk pushed my hand away and said, "Monks do not speak falsehoods. Benefactor, you must not joke with your life."
I replied, "Alright then, how can I resolve this?"
The monk replied earnestly, "Resolving it is simple; you just need... well, I can tell you, but benefactor, could you... could you buy me three packs of Spicy Strips?"
"What?" I was stunned for a moment before laughing helplessly. The request of this con artist was so simple. It was nothing like those scammers from Taiwan; they weren't just telecom fraudsters—they were practically committing murder through telecom means! Not only did they ruin families financially but also forced the old men and women to borrow money! Those bastards were truly despicable.
Just as the attendant pushed the cart over, I bought five packs of Spicy Strips and handed them to the monk. I said, "Spicy Strips aren't exactly good for you; after eating them, you won't grow any taller."
The monk was delighted and immediately tore open a pack, chewing enthusiastically. He said, "Benefactor, you're lucky to have met me. On this journey, you are facing a calamity that cannot be avoided. But it's simple to evade it: just don't go to the place you're headed."
I was at a loss for words. "Who taught you these tricks? You might fool your kindergarten friends, but how did you think you could fool me? Your judgment is lacking."
As he stuffed more Spicy Strips into his mouth, the monk replied seriously, "Benefactor, my monastic name is Abstaining from Lust. I never speak idly. I see that you are in danger and out of compassion, I tell you this. Remember, the path is clear; revealing secrets can lead to punishment... Oh dear, my stomach... Damn it, revealing secrets has given me a stomachache... Benefactor, don't leave! I need to use the restroom first... Indeed, a master should not meddle too much..." The monk muttered as he hurried toward the restroom. The large prayer beads swung back and forth, nearly tripping him several times.
I sat there laughing; it was obvious he had overeaten the Spicy Strips and was now suffering from a stomachache. Are con artists this adorable nowadays?
At that moment, the train arrived at Tengyuan County station.
I grabbed my bag and got off the train. My home is in Shantai Village, quite far from the train station and rather remote. I needed to take a car to town first, then a tricycle taxi to the mountain pass, and finally walk half an hour along the mountain road to reach my village.
As I rushed along the road, it was nearly dark by the time I reached the village entrance.
At the entrance stood the village head's house, draped in white cloth with mourning banners on either side and surrounded by flower wreaths.
I found it strange; had someone from the Village Head's House died? There were four people living there, no elderly folks among them—who could have passed away?
I didn't dwell on it and hurried back home.
Inside my house, my mother was changing my younger brother's clothes. Upon seeing me return, she didn't show any joy but simply said, "Fei, come here and change your clothes; we're going to the Village Head's House for dinner."
"What happened to my grandfather's grave?" I wasn't interested in going for dinner.
My mother dressed my brother in a red jacket and replied, "Your grandfather's grave is as it is; it's been dug up quite a bit. The soil has dried out completely, and the coffin is gone. Now put on this outfit."
Seeing my mother's attitude made me a bit angry. I rushed back home intending to tend to my grandfather's grave because after someone passes away, their grave becomes their home—it must be treated with utmost care. Yet my mother seemed completely unconcerned.
"Mom, I'm going to the Mountain to see my grandfather." I set down my backpack and was about to leave.
"What are you doing?" My dad walked in from the doorway, placing a basket on the ground. He said to me, "It's almost dark. Where do you think you're going? Change your clothes and come eat with us. Lian has died; she was your classmate, and you need to go pay your respects."
"Lian is dead?" I frowned and looked at my dad. "Dad, why did you call me back so urgently? What's going on?"
My dad tossed me a red coat. "Your grandfather's grave was vandalized a few days ago. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to the forest to see it. Today is Lian's funeral, so we should go to the Village Head's House to mourn and eat together."
I stared at the red coat in my hands, utterly speechless. "Dad, are you out of your mind? We're going to pay our respects; why do I have to wear a Red Coat?!"
My parents were very insistent; it was the custom in our Village that unmarried girls must wear a Red Coat when attending funerals.
I was surprised I didn't know this rule, but I couldn't argue with my parents. I put on the bright red coat and walked with them and my younger brother toward the Village Head's House.
The Village Head's House belonged to the wealthiest family in Shantai Village; it was the only building in the village.
The village head was named Hao Dafu. I heard he became wealthy by secretly leasing the forest behind the village to Wenzhou merchants for furniture production, but I didn't know the details.
Hao Dafu's daughter was named Lian, and she was indeed my classmate from Junior High. I had a clear impression of her; she was fair-skinned and beautiful, unlike other kids in the village—she looked like someone from the city. She was Rich and Beautiful.
I never expected Lian would die.
When I arrived at the Village Head's House, a chubby man wearing a white hat approached me. He ran over and shook my hand enthusiastically. "Ah, Song Fei! It's so great that you could make it back."
This chubby man was Hao Dafu, our village head.
To be honest, I found it quite puzzling. I was just a young person who barely spent any time in the village each year; I wasn't familiar with Hao Dafu at all. We only exchanged greetings as "Uncle Hao," nothing more. I never expected him to be so warm towards me.
Hao Dafu pulled me into the house.
In the center of the room was a black and white photo of Lian, her long hair styled in big waves, looking beautiful.
By the time of the funeral, Lian had already been buried, so I couldn't see her body. I cried a few times while looking at her photo.
Hao Dafu led me to sit at the front row, along with my parents and several others, including Hao Dafu's family and elders from his household. A whole table of people gathered there for the feast.
In our culture, we also hold a banquet for the deceased, known as Tofu Soup. During the meal, performers from a theater troupe sang in the courtyard. If an elderly person who was eighty-eight years old passed away, it would be called Joyful Mourning in our community, where the performers would even dance in elaborate costumes, and all the old men in the village would gather to celebrate.
Lian's passing was certainly not Joyful Mourning, so they sang some sorrowful songs and played a few segments of the Great Compassion Mantra to conclude the ceremony.
I sat at the edge of the table while Hao Dafu kept pouring drinks for me, which puzzled me. I didn't want to drink anymore, but my parents encouraged me to have a bit more. My tolerance for alcohol was low, and soon enough, I started feeling dizzy.
"Fei, Fei!" My dad nudged me.
I struggled to lift my head, my tongue heavy. "Dad, what... is it?"
Everything around me seemed hazy.
"Fei, why don't you go take a nap? Your eyes are red," my dad suggested.
I nodded; I was indeed drunk and could barely walk on my own.
My dad supported me but didn’t take me home. Instead, he helped me into a large bed in the Village Head's House and told me to sleep.
The bed was very comfortable; it must have been new and was a Sealy mattress.
I drifted off into a hazy sleep.
I don't know when it happened.
My mouth felt extremely dry, and my throat seemed like it was about to smoke. The key issue was that my bladder was very full, and I needed to urinate.
I rubbed my eyes and climbed up.
The room was very dark.
I fumbled around for a moment and suddenly pressed against something cold, like a picture frame.
"Who put this picture frame on my bed?" I muttered as I picked it up to take a look.
Inside the frame was clearly a black-and-white photo, and the person in the photo was Lian, smiling at me.
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