Chapter 002: Someone is Behind You
Zhang Lianyi shuddered and suddenly became angry: "What are you shouting about, you filthy woman?! Go back inside, go back inside!"
As for the head of the household, although his ideas were commendable, he was ultimately limited by his physical strength. With all the family members having left, he felt somewhat dispirited, and amidst his intermittent work, he was unaware that night had already fallen. Just as he was thinking of digging a few more times before wrapping up for the day, he suddenly felt a 'clang' from the pickaxe in his hand, as if it had struck something hard, sending a jolt through his hand and causing the pickaxe to bounce up, nearly hitting his foot. At this moment, he truly felt a bit annoyed, wondering why he was so unlucky. In such a desolate and overgrown plot of land, he actually managed to dig up a stone! Forget it, it was getting dark, and he had no idea how big the stone was; it would be better to deal with it tomorrow.
The Zhang family also understands that for such a prolonged endeavor, no matter how warm-hearted the villagers are, it is impossible for them to continue assisting indefinitely. Therefore, despite gradually receiving less help, they still hold gratitude towards the villagers. However, the progress of the brick-making has undoubtedly slowed down.
He stood there in a daze for quite a while, his mind racing as he desperately searched his memory for information related to ghosts and monsters. After some time had passed, he finally fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a box of matches, then took out the dry tobacco that he had originally prepared for the villagers who might come to help, awkwardly lit it, and began to smoke, coughing three times with each puff
On that afternoon, after the Zhang family had finished their lunch and taken a short rest, they all went to the earthworks to begin their labor. However, the prolonged toil had truly worn out the women and children at home. When the head of the family, Zhang Lianyi, saw this, he felt a pang of compassion and decided to let them return home to rest while he alone used a shovel and pickaxe to dig and water the soil, preparing the clay for the next day
The stars at the edge of the sky seemed to suddenly leap out, not the usual bright white, but rather a faint red, sorrowful and tragic, evoking an inexplicable sense of sadness and a hint of fear. The night breeze no longer carried the gentle warmth characteristic of this season; it was slightly cool, not harsh, yet it seemed to seep into the body bit by bit. Zhang Lianyi shivered, and a bizarre image suddenly flashed through his mind: a pale cheek was staring up at him with hollow eyes, accompanied by a chilling 'creaking' sound. A pair of bony hands were reaching out from the ground, grasping at his ankles
In fact, the Zhang family is not particularly worried about this matter. Because they have a solid foundation and good relationships, they not only do not face the situation of having no one to help, but also do not have to worry like most of their less fortunate neighbors about the source of the large amounts of food needed when many people come to help with the work. However, there is one thing that they are extremely concerned about: that is the adobe bricks needed for building the house
The unsolicited help from the workers left the Zhang family feeling immensely grateful. While the family diligently prepared fine food and drinks to serve them, they also earnestly learned the technique of mud brick making. It must be said that the Zhang family is indeed clever; within just three to five days, they had nearly mastered the technique. However, physical strength is not something that can be developed overnight, which is why their progress was somewhat slow. Yet, the task of making mud bricks cannot be completed in just three to five days. Generally speaking, for the five main rooms and the auxiliary rooms, it would take at least three to five months to produce the necessary bricks. Although rural people do not have the same nine-to-five schedule as city dwellers, there are still various scattered farm tasks to attend to. As the young workers noticed that the Zhang family had nearly learned the technique, they gradually began to come less frequently, or even stopped coming altogether.
In that era, it was almost unheard of for rural areas to afford the use of blue bricks for construction, as it was an extremely luxurious building material. Houses built with blue bricks were mostly owned by officials, wealthy merchants, or large landowners. The ancestral home of the Zhang family was constructed with blue bricks, but now times have changed, and the glory has faded. Not to mention that their family can no longer afford such extravagance, even if they could, they would not dare to be so ostentatious.
However, for the Zhang family, preparing a sufficient quantity of earth blocks to construct a residence is an extremely arduous task. Firstly, it is a physically demanding job; the members of their family have previously lived a life of comfort in the village. Who among them has ever experienced the toil of sweating profusely under the scorching sun or in the biting cold, digging and transporting soil? Secondly, it is a skilled task that requires a certain level of expertise. One must select the right soil site, as there are many types of soil; if the selection is poor, the earth blocks cannot be formed. It is essential to understand the methods and procedures for making earth blocks; if the technique is not correct, the blocks will fall apart upon demolding. Thirdly, one must master the timing and conditions for forming the blocks, as well as know how to stack the finished blocks for drying. Fourthly, one must be able to read the weather, whether by observing lunar halos, celestial phenomena, morning glow, evening mist, or wind direction. In any case, one must be able to grasp the weather changes over a period; otherwise, if the blocks are left out after demolding, a sudden rain can ruin all the hard work of several days. None of these skills are possessed by any member of the Zhang family.
Zhang Lianyi let out a sigh of relief, pushed open the door, and saw his wife standing at the entrance, staring at him in a daze: "Why are you smoking? And... why does it seem like there's someone at the front door? Who is it?"
This shock was truly extraordinary. Zhang Lianyi instinctively jumped up, took a few quick steps forward, and when he turned back to look at the ground, he found the grass still as it was, with no signs of anything unusual. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly, thinking that perhaps he had just been too tired lately. If it really became unbearable, he would take a day off tomorrow. Little did he know, just as this thought crossed his mind, an unfamiliar voice unexpectedly echoed uncontrollably in his head: "Hmm! So tired! Take a break! Take a break!"
The first owner of the haunted house was surnamed Zhang, and originally, they were one of the more prosperous families in the village. However, due to the impact of the policy of 'seizing land from the rich and distributing it to the poor,' their ancestral home was confiscated and became the office of the village committee. Nevertheless, this family was generally well-regarded, having no notable misdeeds of being unkind to the poor or bullying others, and thus enjoyed a good reputation in the village. Although their land and residence were confiscated, the villagers, both young and old, kindly left them with most of their remaining assets. For this reason, the Zhang family felt grateful towards the villagers and the newly established government. In contrast, other wealthy families in the village not only struggled to protect their property but some even lost their lives for various reasons. Therefore, it can be said that the villagers were quite benevolent, and the Zhang family considered themselves relatively fortunate.
At this moment, Zhang Lianyi truly felt a sense of dread, thinking to himself, isn't this seeing a ghost? Unexpectedly, just as this thought crossed his mind, that unfamiliar voice echoed in his head again: "Hmm! Seeing a ghost! Seeing a ghost!"
Fortunately, the simplicity and kindness of the farmers ultimately provided significant assistance to this family. Just when the family was at a loss, several young people from the village took the initiative to visit them: they brought molds and wooden mallets for shaping the clay, and they had also selected a suitable clay site for them—just northeast of their homestead, not far away, about fifty meters or so, there was a patch of clay hills overgrown with wild grass, uneven and pockmarked, but the soil quality was very suitable for shaping the clay.
Thinking of this, he packed up his tools and prepared to leave. However, at that moment, he began to feel as if someone was watching him from somewhere, and the atmosphere around him suddenly became a bit eerie. He felt a bit uneasy, so he mustered his courage, spat on the ground, shook his head vigorously, and turned to leave.
He spoke while pushing the woman off balance, entered the room, and closed the door. No matter how his wife and children questioned him, he remained silent with a grim expression.
The ancestral home was lost, and a large family surely needs a place to live, right? Fortunately, at that time, the Zhang family still had the funds to build a modest rural residence. During that period, the village officials, under pressure from policies, were also urging the Zhang family to vacate their house and relocate as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Zhang family was in a state of despair, and in their haste, they could not afford to be selective (in fact, at that time, they had no right to be selective at all). They designated a plot of land at the very edge of the northeastern corner of the village and began construction.
Unable to control the fear within any longer, Zhang Lianyi dropped the tools in his hands and ran home in a panic
A faint sigh echoed in my ears, and the surrounding air instantly returned to normal. Lowering my head, I noticed that the strange shadow in the water's reflection had also vanished
As he pushed open the door to his home and saw the light streaming from the living room, Zhang Lianyi finally let out a sigh of relief. The women in the house were virtuous; even before he returned home, she had already prepared water for him to wash his face at the door. Zhang Lianyi, suppressing the unease in his heart, walked to the door and was just about to reach for the basin when he suddenly noticed in the reflection of the water that there was faintly another shadow behind his head! At that moment, his scalp felt as if it were about to explode!
In those days, unlike now, there were no specialized contracting teams for building houses. This was especially true for rural areas, where the construction of houses largely relied on the builder's personal connections within the village, with fellow villagers voluntarily coming to offer their assistance.