Chapter 3, Farewell to the Ghost Eye

I turned my head and saw that there was indeed a ready-made brazier at my feet. Confused, I was surrounded by an old woman who lifted the brazier and placed it at the door. Suddenly, the sound of suona instruments filled the air, and the red flower palanquin was gradually lowered. Immediately after, the old woman asked me to kick the palanquin curtain. I was momentarily dazed, but was enveloped by the powerful festive atmosphere at that moment, and had no choice but to walk up to the flower palanquin. I slowly lifted the curtain, and inside was indeed a graceful bride dressed in a phoenix crown and colorful robes, but her head was covered with a red veil, making it impossible to see her features.

Grandfather, is that you? I thought... I realized it was Grandfather standing by the bed, and I slowly let out a sigh of relief. However, I noticed something was off with him at that moment; he was tightly gripping one hand with the other. Huh? Grandfather's hand...? It seemed to be injured? I hurriedly got out of bed to take a look, and indeed, Grandfather's hand was bleeding, and the wound was not shallow. I quickly asked, "Grandfather, how did your hand get hurt?"

I slightly parted my lips and smiled

What is evil? They are all dead! My grandfather has shed his skin for more than half a lifetime, with great courage. He knows what I am talking about; it is merely that there are too many legends about foxes, and he fears that it might provoke some sinister matters

"Don't think about it. My legs are not good. I didn't catch this fox, but when I picked it up, it was already dead. Fortunately, the fur is not too damaged, and I can still exchange the skin for a little money. While I'm not sleepy at the moment, you go boil some salt water, and I'll skin it right here. Tomorrow morning, I'll take it to town to exchange for money and buy some wine. You can also prepare those two wild chickens for a stew. We can have a drink together, haha!" Grandpa seems very satisfied with today's catch, and I have no objections because my heart is in turmoil at this moment. I have no idea how to explain my earlier encounter to Grandpa. I went back to boil some warm water and set it aside.

What? Hehe, are you still trying to test me, kid? The moment I saw it, I could tell it was a female, and just coming of age!" Grandpa chuckled softly, casually packed another bowl of tobacco, and started puffing away.

I inexplicably recalled that my grandfather was just skinning that fox, and suddenly felt that something was amiss. Why are there so many strange occurrences tonight

Ah! With a strange cry, I abruptly pushed the bride away, and at the same time, her red veil fell off. Her face, pale as paper, slowly came into my view. Of course, this was not the reason for my fear; what I truly feared were the bride's eerie eyes, those ghostly blue eyes.

Wiping away a cold sweat with a wave of my hand, I suddenly raised my head and was startled to find a figure standing at the foot of the bed, which made me scream in fright. However, I immediately heard my grandfather's voice: "What are you yelling about in the middle of the night?"

All white, with a petite body and a long, beautiful tail, is this... is this a fox

Those eyes are truly too similar!

Ah!

It seems that I have once again seen those ghostly eyes that I encountered in the graveyard

Although I try not to compare this fox with the pair of ghostly blue eyes I encountered earlier, for some reason, when I saw the fox's eyes, I always felt that it was not dead. It seemed to be staring at me, gazing at me in a haunting manner. The elders say that fox spirits are very cunning and possess a great deal of spirituality, and they are social creatures, some of which have lived for hundreds of years and can cultivate themselves into a form of essence. Thinking of this, I inexplicably shivered and hurriedly whispered in my grandfather's ear: "Grandpa, this creature doesn't have any evil nature, does it?"

The bride is getting out of the sedan chair!

"Grandfather, they all say this thing is cunning, how did you..." I really wanted to ask Grandfather how he caught this fox, especially since it was clearly already dead

Grandfather suddenly looked up at me in surprise and asked what that person had just said, as it seemed he had not heard clearly. I immediately repeated what that person had said to Grandfather. Grandfather nodded slightly and said, "Hmm, this person's manners are indeed quite thorough. He doesn't seem to be a rogue. Let him rest well; with such a serious injury, he won't be able to get out of bed for a few days."

Suddenly, I let out a strange cry, which prompted my grandfather to come out as well. I quickly retreated to my grandfather's side and pointed at the already lifeless fox, saying: "Grandfather, that, that..."

Awakened by the furious scolding of the white-haired old woman, I let out a startled cry and opened my eyes, only to find myself still lying on my grandfather's bed. It was then that I realized that everything that had just happened was merely a nightmare, yet the events that unfolded in that nightmare felt so real, so terrifying

"What is it, it's just a fox!" Grandfather shot me a glance.

Lying in bed, I initially tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. In the end, I had no choice but to deliberately avoid thinking about those terrifying scenes. Gradually, my eyelids began to droop, and the busy figure of my grandfather in the main room also became increasingly blurred

The term "crooked person" refers to those who are flawed and undesirable, essentially indicating individuals with malicious intent

Just coming of age, and being female, that resembles the bride I saw in my dreams...! ... I instantly dared not think further, hurriedly grasping my grandfather's wrist to stop him from proceeding, for I realized that these matters were not as simple as I initially thought

I hurriedly shook my head; what I wanted to express was not merely about the fox, but rather the eyes of that snow-white fox, those pair of deep blue eyes, which, despite being closed in death, remained so lively and so cold, gazing upwards, as if, as if they were staring at me!

Tonight, I can no longer sleep in my bed, as it must be given up for that person to sleep in. Therefore, I can only squeeze in with my grandfather. After tidying up a bit, I turned and walked out, watching my grandfather return with his catch. Those two plump wild chickens will surely be a dish on the table tomorrow, I thought happily. However, when my gaze wandered to another piece of game, I was unexpectedly startled!

You have killed our girl, you all must die! All must die! All must die...

Especially that "bride," her eyes were filled with unwillingness and anger, and carried a deep resentment, staring at me intently

I did not tell my grandfather that I had originally planned to go to Zhao Village in his place, and I did not know how to express it. It would be better to wait until my grandfather finishes his work before discussing it.

A delicate, pure white little hand gently rested upon my palm. At that moment, I suddenly felt a chill sweep over me, a chill that clearly emanated from that slender, tender little hand. The bride's hand was unexpectedly so cold; perhaps it was due to the nervousness of getting married

Without having much time to think, I quickly found some alcohol and cotton to clean my grandfather's wound, and carefully helped him bandage it. Afterwards, I heard my grandfather say that the fox skin was not skinned very smoothly; it not only cut his hand but also tore the skin pouch. Although it was just a small cut, it wouldn't be worth much when taken to sell tomorrow. A complete and undamaged skin would be worth much more.

Holding the bride's hand, I followed the arrangements of the old woman with white hair step by step. She instructed me to help the bride leap over the fire basin, and I complied without hesitation. When she asked me to carry the bride into the main room, I did not dare to delay and immediately lifted her onto my back. Strangely, as I weighed the bride on my back, I found her surprisingly light for a living person. This lightness was not ordinary; it felt as if I were carrying just a few insignificant pieces of clothing.

A melodious sound of the suona unexpectedly reached my ears, and I suddenly opened my eyes. Outside the door, I saw a joyful procession of wedding guests happily raising their suonas, bouncing and playing music as they approached our front door. Just when they were three feet away, I suddenly heard someone say that the bride was getting out of the sedan chair. What is going on? There are only my grandfather and me in our home; there is no one else getting married!

Who would have thought! After peeling for most of his life, he accidentally cut his own hand this time, and it hurts quite a bit. Er Gou, hurry and find some alcohol and cotton for me. Grandfather glanced down at his still bleeding hand, his brows furrowed tightly.

Everyone possesses a curious heart, and I could not help but slowly turn my head. At that moment, the red veil on the bride's head was gently lifted by the wind, and it was then that I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the bride's face

"New son-in-law, don't just stand there in a daze, quickly carry the fire basin. The bride will step over the fire basin, ensuring a prosperous year-round!" Suddenly, an elderly woman with white hair emerged beside the sedan chair, hurrying towards me with a cane. Upon hearing her words, I suddenly realized that the person involved in this marriage was actually me!

Suddenly, everyone present was staring at me with unfriendly expressions, as if a murderous aura was swirling among them, as if there were some deep-seated enmity between me and them

After finishing everything, I suddenly had a thought and asked my grandfather: "Grandpa, do you know whether that fox is male or female?"

Upon entering the inner room, I suddenly realized that there was something I had not mentioned to my grandfather. I reminded him that he was actually supposed to go to Zhao Village tonight to help the Zhao Liushun family with their posthumous wedding ceremony. My grandfather responded to me in a casual manner, roughly stating that in such stormy weather, everything should be postponed. At worst, they could choose another date for the ceremony in a few days. After all, having endured so many years of misfortune, what was the harm in waiting an extra day or two.

The bizarre events that occurred tonight are truly too strange and too chilling. I do not wish to think about them, nor do I dare to. As for my grandfather's skill in skinning, I am even less inclined to watch. Seeing the bloody flesh being separated gives me goosebumps all over, so I simply turned my head and went into the inner room to prepare for sleep