Chapter 4, The Twitched Corpse of the Old Scholar

The creaking sound of the nails being driven in and the thudding from within the coffin resonated like a drum, striking heavily at the hearts of everyone present. It left their faces pale and their hearts racing.

Grandfather pulled my hand and walked quickly, his large hand gripping me painfully. I looked up at Grandfather, whose expression was not very pleasant, and I did not dare to speak, following him all the way home. After arriving in the village, everyone scattered to their homes, and Grandfather called the family of the deceased and the young man who had been near the coffin to our house. I was playing in the yard when I saw Grandfather and the others walking mysteriously into the house, and it was quite a while before they came out. Their expressions were somewhat unusual when they left my home. I was playing in the yard when I saw Grandfather and the others walking mysteriously into the house, and it was quite a while before they came out. Their expressions were somewhat unusual when they left my home

It was April, and the light spring rain began to fall. The group, having left in a hurry, did not bring any umbrellas, but fortunately, the rain was not heavy. Our custom is to carry the body to the grave site for casket sealing and nailing, as a sign of respect for the deceased. The old scholar's body was placed on a large wooden board, and four strong men quickly carried it towards the cemetery, fearing that the rain would disturb the tranquility of the deceased.

Since the black cat has run away and the rain is falling heavily, let us hastily seal the coffin so that Brother Li can rest in peace. Grandfather said this while placing the coffin lid on. The sound of nails being driven in echoed. After sealing it with earth and erecting a grave marker, the villagers hurriedly returned home

As two years passed, I was already over five years old, still thin and short in stature, but I had developed excellent calligraphy skills under my mother's guidance. I could recite classics like the Hundred Family Surnames and the Thousand Character Classic fluently. I discovered that I had an exceptional memory and was particularly sensitive to words; I had even memorized a small portion of the Twenty-Four Histories. The villagers praised me as a child prodigy. My grandfather was all smiles, openly stating that the Zhang family was about to produce a high-ranking official. In the same year, a world-shocking event occurred: Japan announced its unconditional surrender. My grandfather was all smiles, openly stating that the Zhang family was about to produce a high-ranking official. In the same year, a world-shocking event occurred: Japan announced its unconditional surrender. The little devils who had plagued our Chinese land for a full eight years were finally driven away, and we no longer had to worry about them invading our village. Upon hearing this news, the village celebrated for three whole days; the adults drank strong liquor, and the children played wildly.

As the nails were finished and preparations were made to seal the grave, a faint "thud thud thud" echoed in the silent cemetery, reminiscent of the sound made when a coffin is being nailed shut. The crowd hurriedly searched for the source of the sound, ultimately turning their faces with a strange expression towards the coffin. The sound was coming from inside the coffin.

When Grandfather pried open the last nail, everyone present held their breath deeply. I noticed that several young men holding sticks with my father had their hands trembling slightly. Grandfather bent down and struggled to lift the coffin lid, and a shadow suddenly leaped out from the coffin, darting into the distance. Everyone was startled by the sudden change and instinctively shrank back. Their gazes were fixed on the shadow, trying to discern what it was.

Grandfather released my hand and walked to the front of the crowd, saying: "Li Nian, courtesy name Youjian. A scholar in the 23rd year of the Guangxu era. He lived to the age of 73, dedicating his life to diligent study and self-discipline, educating and nurturing others. Half of the villagers were his students." He continued for several hundred words, then raised his voice: "The deceased has passed, separated by the realms of yin and yang. Do not dwell on the living; the time has come to seal the coffin and proceed with the burial." After Grandfather finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind arose, and the rain intensified. The family hurriedly placed the body into the coffin. As the coffin lid slowly closed, just before it was completely shut, I distinctly noticed the old scholar's fingers twitch slightly. I was greatly alarmed and quickly looked at Grandfather, but his expression, along with those of the others, showed no signs of unusualness. He again proclaimed loudly: "The deceased has passed, separated by the realms of yin and yang. Do not dwell on the living; the time has come to seal the coffin and proceed with the burial." After Grandfather's words, a sudden gust of wind arose, and the rain intensified. The family hurriedly placed the body into the coffin. As the coffin lid slowly closed, just before it was completely shut, I distinctly noticed the old scholar's fingers twitch slightly. I was greatly alarmed and quickly looked at Grandfather, but his expression, along with those of the others, showed no signs of unusualness, as if they had not seen the eerie scene that had just occurred.

Before long, we arrived at the cemetery. The deceased's family had already dug a deep pit in the ground, where a cypress wood coffin was placed. It is said that this burial site was personally chosen by the old scholar during his lifetime. Four men laid the wooden boards on the ground, and the family hurriedly stepped forward to wipe the rainwater off the deceased's face with a cloth. The rainwater trickled down from the eye sockets, as if the old scholar were crying, which gave me goosebumps. The corpse was dressed in a black satin jacket, a dark red robe, wearing a melon-shaped cap, and black cloth shoes on his feet, with white trousers tucked into the legs, resembling a wealthy gentleman from the town.

After the mother responded softly, she continued to lower her head and eat. It seemed that apart from matters concerning our family, nothing happening outside could capture her attention, always maintaining a gentle demeanor. After hearing this, the father silently got up to clean the hunting rifle. After finishing the meal, grandfather stood in the courtyard, looking up at the moon, and sighed: "With the outside world in turmoil and such strange occurrences in the village, it truly is a chaotic time filled with demons and evils, and the village is about to descend into chaos."

After my mother became a private tutor, my status among my peers finally began to improve, and no one bullied me as recklessly as before. The villagers also stopped whispering behind my and my mother's backs. Life was thriving. My mother had excellent calligraphy skills, and I found her writing on the sandy ground to be exceptionally beautiful. To teach me how to write with a brush, my father specifically went to the town to buy a purple wolf hair brush. My mother wrote in a graceful regular script, as gentle and warm as jade. During those years, every New Year, people would come to our house with red paper asking for couplets, and my mother would write from the morning of New Year's Eve until midnight, ensuring that everyone could paste the couplets on their doors by the morning of the first day of the new year. Her reputation in the village grew increasingly favorable, and my status among my peers rose accordingly.

From that day on, my mother, in addition to taking care of me and managing the household, had a new task: educating and teaching children. The parents of those children would bring wild game and eggs, which I benefited from. My grandfather had always been concerned about my frail health, and every few days he would have me eat those nourishing foods. In my childhood, I was the envy of the entire village, having eggs to eat every day and a beautiful, knowledgeable mother. To this day, I take great pride in that.

I tried to calm myself, but the image of a corpse's fingers twitching kept flashing through my mind. I was deeply enveloped in fear and quickly ran to my grandfather, seeking comfort. The sound of "thud, thud, thud" echoed as people nailed the last few nails into the coffin. Once the nails were secured and the earth was sealed, the burial would be complete. Everyone let out a long sigh of relief, as enduring the downpour was certainly not a pleasant experience.

The shadow ran off into the distance and stopped, turning back to glance at the crowd, rainwater flowing down its fur to the ground. "Ah, it turns out to be a black cat. Look at how scared you all are; can it really rise from the dead?" the lazy man Chen San shouted loudly, completely ignoring the disdainful looks from the crowd.

The sound of "dong dong, dong dong" echoed continuously, and everyone's faces turned pale. I buried my head deep in my grandfather's embrace, too afraid to come out. The crowd erupted in chaos, with women's screams and children's cries intertwining, making the graveyard even more eerie. From time to time, shouts of "zombie" emerged from the crowd, sending chills down people's spines

On that day, strange occurrences took place in the graveyard, but the villagers soon forgot about it after some casual conversations following their meal. After all, in chaotic times, survival is of utmost importance; the vastness of heaven and earth pales in comparison to a full stomach. Days passed, and after the old scholar's death, the village's small private school ceased operations, leaving the children without a place to learn to write their names. The old scholar's collection of books was sold off cheaply by his family, and my grandfather used a few silver coins to have my mother purchase them for my studies. My mother taught me to read and write every day, and the son of the Lu family, who was a few months older than me, also came to my house to learn characters with my mother. The old scholar's collection of books was sold off cheaply by his family, and my grandfather used a few silver coins to have my mother purchase them for my studies. My mother taught me to read and write every day, and the son of the Lu family, who was a few months older than me, also came to my house to learn characters with my mother.

After some time, many villagers approached my grandfather, hoping to have their children learn under their mother's name. After all, it would not do for the children to grow up unable to even write their names. The villagers pooled some money and brought it to our home. My grandfather was relatively open-minded; after consulting my mother, he agreed to this arrangement. However, he did not accept money from the neighbors but instead suggested that they bring over any leftover game from hunting or home-produced eggs, as everyone was not well-off.

The old scholar's family hurried to the coffin to check on the body. Everyone was puzzled by the black cat trapped inside the coffin. "The sound we heard earlier must have come from the black cat bumping against the coffin lid; it was just a false alarm. Let's quickly seal the coffin and proceed with the burial of Scholar Li," the grandfather instructed the crowd.

During dinner, my father asked my grandfather what had happened during the day that seemed so mysterious. My grandfather stood up from the table, looked around, and lowered his voice: "Li Xiucai was scratched on the face by a black cat, and the blood flowed down his face, bright red as if it were alive, with the corners of his mouth pulled up as if he were smiling at us. Don't you think that's eerie? When we were sealing the books, we all saw a layer of fine white hair growing on his face. I remember when I was young, the elders said that when a corpse grows white hair, it signifies a white ghost, and it is about to turn into a zombie! Today, I advised those who saw it not to speak of it, lest it cause panic. I hope nothing comes of this. In any case, these days, take a hunting rifle when you go out, and try to keep Huwa and his mother from leaving the house."

Grandfather said loudly: "Everyone, do not panic. Men stand in front, women and children move to the back. Dachun, take the stick and let me see what is going on." Grandfather pushed me to the back and, along with my father and several well-built men, walked to the front of the coffin, using a rope to pull it out. Grandfather held a ram's horn hammer to drive in the nails, while my father and the others stood guard with sticks, all appearing highly vigilant.

This year, a strange incident occurred in the village, causing great unease among the villagers. At midnight, every household closed their doors, and few dared to venture out at night. Nearby villages were also aware of the situation. The first to discover the unusual event was Widow Wang from the east end of the village. When she got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, she found the yard filled with a foul smell of blood, with feathers scattered all over the ground. Her pet rooster lay on the ground, having been devoured almost entirely, its bloodied remains were horrifying. This scene frightened away her urge to relieve herself, and her piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the night in the village.

Everyone appeared calm on the surface, yet there was a sense of unease within. According to folklore, black cats are associated with the yin, and there are many tales of black cats jumping onto corpses, causing the dead to rise. Li Xiucai's family, fearing that a black cat might disturb the shroud of the deceased in the coffin, rushed over to adjust the shroud. They found that the shroud was not wrinkled, and Li Xiucai lay alone in the coffin, yet a streak of blood appeared on his face. The grandfather, witnessing this scene, hurriedly gestured to the family members to refrain from speaking out of turn. They found that the shroud was not wrinkled, and Li Xiucai lay alone in the coffin, yet a streak of blood appeared on his face. The grandfather, witnessing this scene, hurriedly gestured to the family members to refrain from speaking out of turn