Chapter Nine, Past Events

Only the comrade surnamed Zhang, who initially looked at the wailing child with some astonishment, soon had that astonished expression turn strange. It was as if he had just won the lottery years later. Finally, someone could no longer bear the oppressive emotions and shouted loudly at the child's mother: "Take care of your child from Lin Hu's family; his grandfather is the one he cursed to death! What nonsense are you still spouting? Do you intend to curse the entire village to death?"

Fortunately, the instructor did not leave in the evening and also slept in the courtyard. Just as things were about to descend into chaos, the instructor pulled out his belt and pointed at the two opposing groups. With a few words, he managed to restore order: "Is this not over yet? Who else wants to keep babbling? I will arrange for them to live somewhere else! If they don't want to stay at home, do they wish to live in a shed? I will make it happen!"

Thus, a total of five ghosts appeared, all of which were eventually taken away by the uncles using their bags. Then, these uncles began to erase the drawings they had made earlier. Just as they had erased half of them, another ghost emerged and encountered the uncles, leading to a fight. The uncles were numerous, and it took a considerable effort for them to finally capture that ghost

With the instructor present, no one dared to cause trouble anymore. However, no one could sleep; everyone leaned against one another, engaging in aimless chatter. They continued this until dawn, and only when they realized that no one had encountered any issues did they finally relax their anxious hearts. However, those who had gone to exterminate the parasites had not yet returned, leaving them unaware of the situation outside, whether the pests had been eradicated or not, and no one dared to recklessly return home.

Except for Comrades * Tu * and Zhang and a few others, no one else could understand this sentence. At this moment, the expression on Comrade Zhang's face had become extremely unpleasant; he said nothing and immediately left the courtyard, with the young man surnamed Xiao coldly following behind him. The crowd, unaware of what had happened, stood in a daze for a moment before gathering around the chubby young man surnamed Gao to inquire.

The official Ximen smiled and said, "I actually want to say, the problem is that I need to know as well? Regarding this matter, I only learned about it later when I dealt with other incidents and spoke with the villagers at that time. I asked our Director Qiu, and he confirmed that it was indeed a ghostly figure at night; beyond that, Director Qiu could not provide any further details."

What happened later remains unknown to anyone; all that is known is that for a considerable period thereafter, it became a military restricted zone, only reopening nearly twenty years later. When the original villagers returned, there was not a single intact house to be seen; it had turned into a wasteland of rubble.

When the ghosts came out again, they were directly attacked. In the beginning, we had the upper hand for a few rounds. By the last few rounds, several uncles had been badly beaten by the ghosts, lying motionless on the ground, uncertain whether they were alive or dead. It was still those two uncles with the surnames Gao and Xiao who fought desperately to drive away the last ghost.

"Another two have passed this year..." Sun Pangzi's eyes turned as he said, "The one with the surname Gao is Director Gao, and the one with the surname Xiao is Xiao Sandai. He has been dead for almost a year now. Who is the other one? The one with the surname Zhang?"

Just as these villagers were being arranged to board the vehicle and prepare to leave, they saw five individuals descending from two jeeps parked outside the village and near the library. The leader, who appeared to be of a similar age to Comrade Zhang, was carrying a large wooden box and they all walked towards the interior of the village.

This chubby fellow is quite easy to talk to. He said with a smile, "The work of eliminating the parasites last night went very smoothly, and we have basically eradicated the parasites in the village. However, towards the end, the medication ran out, and now Section Chief Zhang has taken Comrade Xiao to the county town to purchase more medication. I kindly ask everyone to wait a little longer; it should be completed in a few more hours."

In that era, let alone such a small mountain village, even in large cities, there were hardly a few who were not afraid of the authorities. At that moment, everyone hung their heads in silence, and the little child also woke up, not knowing what had happened, staring wide-eyed in terror at the group of uncles, aunts, and older relatives across from him. Unintentionally, he also caught sight of a pair of smiling eyes looking at him.

Comrade Zhang reappeared, his face ashen, and said to everyone: "I have some unfortunate news to share. After the extermination of the parasites yesterday, there was a slight deviation. We have discovered signs of drug resistance in the parasites, and we cannot guarantee that the medication from last night was effective. The higher authorities have issued instructions to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the general public, and we must organize an immediate evacuation. Please do not take anything with you; once you reach a safe location, the government will provide compensation to everyone." The higher authorities have issued instructions to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the general public, and we must organize an immediate evacuation. Please do not take anything with you; once you reach a safe location, the government will provide compensation to everyone.

Wang Erlengzi, what the hell are you talking about! Comrade Zhang has already said that his grandfather died from a parasite he contracted from wwwhetushu.comcom, and it was you who cursed your grandfather to death! Your whole family is cursed by you! The child's father could no longer hold back, jumping up and pointing at the man's nose, shouting. At that moment, the courtyard immediately split into two factions based on proximity and thickness, and they began to hurl insults at each other. The village chief had just died, and no one could control the situation for a while. Just as the shouting was about to escalate into a physical fight, another deity made an appearance. The courtyard immediately split into two factions based on proximity and thickness, and they began to hurl insults at each other. The village chief had just died, and no one could control the situation for a while. Just as the shouting was about to escalate into a physical fight, another deity made an appearance.

In the stillness of the deep night, the sudden cry of the child startled everyone present. Those who were awake got up, and even those who were asleep were awakened by the wailing, losing all desire to continue sleeping. It was August, and the moon in the sky was obscured by thin clouds, with the moonlight intermittently casting its glow over the scene, making it even more eerie.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the child, causing the child's mother to feel a bit frightened as well. She tried several times to cover the child's mouth, but hesitated and could not bring herself to do it. She could only keep repeating: "The child had a nightmare... The child had a nightmare..."

The instructor could still hold on, but the crowd was becoming increasingly desperate due to hunger, making it difficult for him to maintain control. Just as it seemed that the villagers were about to rush into the courtyard, Comrade Zhang finally appeared. However, this time he was not alone; he was followed by thirty to forty individuals dressed in blue work uniforms, and behind them were several hundred soldiers of the People's Liberation Army clad in green military uniforms.

After Ximen Lian finished speaking, Fatty Sun smacked his lips and looked at him, saying: "My good sir, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but your ghost story is quite lacking in coherence. In the end, you didn't explain what the night-walking ghost is all about, how it was resolved back then, and how it has resurfaced now. You haven't said a single word about it."

It was already past noon, yet Comrade Zhang had not returned. Since last night, everyone had hardly eaten anything, and by this time, hunger had driven them to the brink of irrationality. Some had already begun to shout about going out to find something to eat, especially since Comrade Gao had mentioned that the parasites had almost been eradicated, so they couldn't believe that they would be so unfortunate.

After he finished speaking, there were already people behind him arranging for everyone to evacuate. Some still hoped to go home to get a few things, but they were closely monitored by the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army, and before they could leave, they were sternly called back. By the time everyone was guided to the village entrance, they discovered that several large military vehicles had already been parked there, indicating that arrangements had long been made, making it impossible not to leave.

Until the sky brightened, around eight o'clock, there was finally some movement outside the courtyard. The two younger individuals entered the courtyard. Their expressions were quite good; the one with the surname Xiao walked directly in front of Comrade Zhang, let out a sigh of relief, and said: "Your information is incorrect; last night was not the fifth day, but the thirteenth day..."

At this point, Sun Pangzi's expression changed; after a strange smile, he continued, "No, there is still one more, that child whose father’s surname is Lin, he is Lin Feng..."

After the person asking the question listened to the child's words, he found the child's mother and said: "Take your child to the county hospital when you have time, it's a pity that such a small child has this illness..." The child's mother was perplexed and did not understand what had happened

The thinner uncle seemed to feel uneasy and began to arrange for someone to repaint the previously erased picture. This time, before the painting was finished, a ghost appeared again. After a prolonged struggle with the uncles, the fat uncle stabbed it to death with a small knife. Later, those uncles stopped painting. They ran to the vehicle at the village entrance and brought back small handguns and large sticks

However, the child is too young and does not express himself very well. Moreover, since it was all a dream, he has now forgotten about half of it. After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to say this: "At first, those uncles divided into several groups and drew on the ground in the village. Then they buried a few things underground. When it got dark, the uncles all hid away, and by midnight, the ghost that had eaten my grandfather came out. It walked to the place where the uncles were drawing and could not move. The uncles came out and captured it in a bag. Not long after, another ghost appeared, and it also walked to the place where the uncles were drawing and could not move, so it was also captured in a bag and taken away. When it got dark, the uncles all hid away, and by midnight, the ghost that had eaten my grandfather came out. It walked to the place where the uncles were drawing and could not move. The uncles came out and captured it in a bag. Not long after, another ghost appeared, and it also walked to the place where the uncles were drawing and could not move, so it was also captured in a bag and taken away.

At this point, Ximen Liandong paused for a moment, looking at Sun Pangzi with a half-smile and said, "Originally, there were three people who survived that incident, but unfortunately, two more have passed away this year, leaving only Director Gao. Do you think I can go and ask him?"

With the presence of the stout man, everyone was hesitant to venture out and instead lingered here. However, there was a silver lining; taking advantage of the distraction, I approached the child who had a nightmare last night and coaxed him into sharing what he dreamt about.