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墨書 Inktalez
"Hey, Fei, your grandfather's grave has been dug up, and the coffin is missing."
"What!" I held my phone, a bit stunned.
"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?
But from the tone of my dad's voice, it seemed urgent.
I didn't have time to think much. I grabbed my phone and booked the earliest train ticket to Tengyuan County in Shandong Province on the 106 website. After a quick tidy-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 was actually an orphan, adopted 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 good 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 no parental love anymore; all their attention shifted to my younger brother.
However, I could understand it; after all, I wasn't their biological child.
The train wasn't crowded at this time, so I found a window seat and felt a bit restless. To be honest, I wasn't keen on going home mainly because I felt distant from 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 had 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, toiling away only to end up back in that remote and impoverished Shantai Village when I grew old.
I went to Donghai University myself, got a replacement 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, now that it involved my grandfather's grave, I had to go back.
"Benefactor!"
A childish voice rang in my ears.
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, which hung down to his knees.
The monk looked quite adorable, with nine incense burns on his head that made him seem amusing.
I said, "Oh, 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. 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. "You’re quite something, aren’t you? 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 answered 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 little 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 schemes. Not only did they ruin families financially but also forced the elderly 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 heartily. He said, "Benefactor, you're lucky to have met me. On this trip, 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 could fool your kindergarten friends with this nonsense, but how did you think it would work on 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. You must understand that revealing secrets can lead to punishment... Oh no, my stomach... Damn it, revealing secrets makes my stomach hurt... Benefactor, don't leave! I need to use the restroom first... Truly, a master should not meddle in others' affairs..." The monk mumbled as he rushed toward the restroom. The large prayer beads swung back and forth, nearly tripping him several times.
I sat there laughing; clearly, he had overeaten the Spicy Strips and was suffering from a stomachache. Are con artists really this amusing these days?
At that moment, the train arrived at Tengyuan County station.
I shouldered my bag and got off the train. My home is in Shantai Village, quite far from the station and rather remote. I needed to take a car to the town first, then a tricycle taxi to the mountain pass, and finally walk half an hour along a mountain path to reach our village.
As I hurried along the road, it was nearly dark by the time I reached the village entrance.
At the village entrance stood the village head's house, with white cloth hanging at the door and mourning banners posted on either side adorned with wreaths.
I found it strange—had someone from the Village Head's House passed away? There were four people in total there; no elderly folks lived there either, so I had no idea who had died.
I didn’t dwell on it and rushed back home.
Inside my house, my mother was changing my younger brother's clothes. Upon seeing me return, she didn’t show much joy but simply said, "Fei, come over 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 has been dug up quite a bit. The soil has dried out completely, and the coffin is gone. Here, put on this outfit."
Seeing my mother's attitude made me a bit angry. I had rushed back specifically to tend to my grandfather's grave because after someone passes away, their grave becomes their home—it must not be neglected. But judging by my mother's demeanor, she 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 floor. 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?"
My dad tossed me a red jacket. "Your grandfather's grave was desecrated a few days ago. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to the forest to take a look. Today is Lian's funeral, so we should go to the Village Head's House to mourn together and have a meal."
I stared at the red jacket 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 village's custom 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 jacket and walked with them and my younger brother toward the Village Head's House.
The Village Head's House belonged to the richest 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; she and I were indeed classmates from Junior High. I had a vivid 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 that Lian had died.
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, saying, "Ah, Song Fei! It's so good 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 hair styled in big waves, looking very 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 in the front row, along with my parents and several others, including his family and elders from his household. A whole table of people was there for the banquet.
In our culture, we also hold banquets for the deceased, called 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 considered Joyful Mourning, and the performers would even dance in elaborate costumes, drawing all the old men from the village to join in the festivities.
Lian's funeral 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 me drinks, 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; soon enough, I felt dizzy.
"Fei, Fei!" my dad nudged me.
I struggled to lift my head and slurred, "Dad, what... is it?"
Everything around me seemed hazy.
My dad said, "Fei, why don't you go take a nap? Your eyes are red."
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 Simmons 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 full, and I needed to urinate.
I rubbed my eyes and got 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 a black-and-white photo, and the person in the photo was Lian, smiling at me.
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