Chapter One, Second Uncle

When I was very young, I lived in the countryside, growing up listening to the older generation tell various strange and bizarre ghost stories. At that time, I was afraid to go out after dark. However, as I gradually grew up and later went to school, I came to realize that these stories were told by the older generation, who had heard them from even older generations. In fact, they had never encountered any ghosts themselves. Eventually, I was firmly convinced by materialism, believing that there is no existence of ghosts in this world. Otherwise, why have I heard countless ghost stories yet never seen one? Even the people around me have never encountered ghosts. Gradually, I began to regard these tales merely as stories, and I even became a disseminator of them.

Listening to Brother Qi speak, I could only accompany him with a smile, as he rambled on about how old people are, and how we young ones are this and that. After a while, Brother Qi finally remembered what I had said at the beginning, pointed to the spirit altar and said: "Haizi, go, your second uncle—"

Seventh Brother is actually quite old, but there is nothing to be done; I have a higher generation, so according to the clan hierarchy, I must call him Seventh Brother. In fact, by age, I could also call him Seventh Elder, but this is just how it is. I remember when I was a child, playing with friends and getting into fights, I often heard adults say: "You little brats, you've gone and hit your Grandfather Hai again. Alright, Hai Zi, you should act like a grandfather and not argue with these little brats."

Later, my father made a fortune in business, and our family moved to the county town. My father's business thrived, and gradually our lives improved. However, my grandparents did not live to enjoy the blessings. My grandfather passed away when I was nine years old, and the following year, my grandmother also passed away. After we moved out, only one of my paternal uncles remained in our hometown, whom I referred to as Second Uncle.

I shook my head, took a couple of steps with the book, and casually glanced at the old lady lying on the spirit bed. At that moment, I felt a shiver run through me, as if something had lodged itself in my heart. No wonder Uncle Er had been so busy for such a long time; this old lady had died a truly tragic death. Her entire head looked like a smashed persimmon, and although her body was dressed in a burial garment, it was hard to tell. However, given the disproportionate angle of her head to her body, it seemed she was not in a much better state. I dare say that this old lady had died from a fall. Fortunately, she was no longer bleeding, and it wasn't the first scene of the incident; otherwise, the sight of red blood and white brain matter would have completely erased any sense of hunger I had. Just thinking about it made my stomach churn, and I dared not look any longer, quickly shifting my gaze to the side.

During the summer vacation of my sophomore year, when I returned home, I discovered that my parents had gone to the south for business. I came back, but I was the only one left at home. After staying for two days, I began to feel quite bored. Many of my former classmates and friends were unreachable, and those I could contact were either not at home, working, or busy with their businesses. I spent two aimless days alone, and in my frustration, I decided to return to my hometown in the countryside. At least it would be better than idling in the county town, and there I had many of my happiest childhood memories.

Hearing a sound, Uncle Er casually turned his head to take a glance and saw me standing there with a face full of grievance. Uncle Er was taken aback, quickly set down the work in his hands, and looked at me with a helpless expression: "Oh dear, look at how busy I've been, I've even forgotten about Haizi. Have you eaten yet?"

Uncle Er naturally noticed that my expression was somewhat unnatural. He wanted to reach out and pat me on the back, but then he remembered that he had just been handling the deceased and could only refrain from doing so. He called out to me, "Haizi, you must not have eaten yet. How about this: I can't go back either, as his family is timid. Tonight, I still need to help keep vigil. Since you are here, why not keep me company? You can go to the inner room and have something to eat; your brother Zhuzi and Fat Dog are having dinner in there."

This brings us to the matter of Second Uncle. Second Uncle is more than ten years older than my father. When we were young, our family's social standing was not good because my grandfather was a landlord, and my great-uncle was an officer in the Kuomintang. At that time, these were all targets of criticism. Fortunately, my grandfather was a member of the Red Army, so our family was much better off than Second Uncle's, although we were not particularly happy; at least we were not subjected to daily criticism. During that time, my grandfather had provisions, so he often helped Second Uncle's family. However, Second Uncle, due to his social standing, never found a wife and became a proud bachelor. In fact, this situation was quite common back then; there were many such cases, at least in our village, where there were more than ten such bachelors.

When we came out, the second uncle had already arranged the deceased, and the previous gruesome state was long gone. Everything that needed to be supplemented had been, and everything that needed to be repaired had been fixed. At least now, although it still looked somewhat unnatural, the head no longer resembled a persimmon, and it at least had some semblance of form. However, under the dim light, the old lady's pale face and her unclosing eyes still made one feel uneasy. Fortunately, there were others around, so I was not too scared. The mountain wind at night was slightly cool, causing the light to flicker. But at least the head no longer resembled a persimmon, and it at least had some semblance of form. However, under the dim light, the old lady's pale face and her unclosing eyes still made one feel uneasy. Fortunately, there were others around, so I was not too scared. The mountain wind at night was slightly cool, causing the light to flicker.

The old Yang family's home at the west end of the village is only a little over 200 meters away. As I spoke and thought about it, I soon arrived. However, upon reaching the entrance of the Yang family home, my mood could no longer remain cheerful. After all, someone had died in their family. Through the low fence, I could see that a spirit altar had already been set up. The altar was adorned with white flowers made of white cloth, which were strikingly visible even in the dark. Moreover, a few flower wreaths were sparsely placed at the entrance. In the dim light, I could see a wooden bed inside the altar, on which lay a corpse, though I could not make out the details from such a distance.

In the blink of an eye, many springs and autumns have passed. I have grown from that little child who used to sit bare-bottomed in front of the elders listening to stories into a young man in his twenties. Moreover, I have been admitted to university, specifically to a reputable institution in the province, which is enough to make my parents proud

However, I did not have much luck. After I had finally walked for two hours along the mountain path and returned to my childhood home, I had just settled down at my second uncle's house. Yet, before I could even take a sip of tea, a villager came and called my second uncle away, saying that the mother of Yang Ersheng from the old Yang family in the west of the village had passed away and that my second uncle needed to hurry over.

Then Seventh Brother was taken aback, clearly unable to connect the dots with the little brat from years ago. After pondering for a while, he suddenly realized and came over to pat my shoulder: "So it's Little Haizi from Third Uncle's family. I haven't seen you in years. In the blink of an eye, you've grown so much. Seeing you all reminds me that I'm getting old."

Every time I hear this sentence, I feel quite depressed, but I still have to express my gratitude and say a few words to Brother Qi before walking into the courtyard, heading straight for the spirit altar. Sure enough, I saw Uncle Er busy there, preparing the deceased. It seemed quite troublesome; otherwise, there would be no need to apply makeup to the dead. Generally, only those who have died tragically, and in a way that is hard to bear, would require makeup. No wonder Uncle Er has been busy until now and hasn't gone home; after all, he is the leading expert in this area for miles around.

After we had our fill of food and drink, Brother Zhuzi and Fat Dog pulled me to the spirit hall, as we had to keep vigil that night. This was a significant matter that could not be taken lightly; in the mountain village, the dead were always of utmost importance. However, I seemed to lack their courage, for even standing before the deceased, I still wore a calm expression.

In fact, it is not surprising that people notice me; it is just that I am standing outside the wall, peeking in, and I am a stranger. After all, I have been away from home for many years. However, I can still recognize this person, even though he no longer knows me. I took a few steps forward and smiled at the old man, whispering, "Seventh Brother, I am Xiao Haizi, from the Liu family. I came to find my second uncle."

As I reached the door, someone happened to come out, preparing to leave. Upon suddenly seeing a stranger like me, they were momentarily taken aback. However, the people in the mountain village are inherently simple and honest, so they took the initiative to come over and ask, "Child, who are you looking for?"

The mountain village under the moonlight is beautiful, with a winding gravel path leading to the west of the village. The village is particularly tranquil at night, occasionally interrupted by the chirping of crickets and the chorus of frogs from the pond in the west. Such scenery is no longer seen in the city, with scattered lights resembling stars in the night sky

Then, Uncle Er led me into the inner room. Naturally, I was reluctant to stay in the mourning shed for long, so I hurriedly followed him inside. There were two sturdy men in their thirties having a meal and drinking a bit of liquor. They were also invited by the old Yang family to keep vigil, being some of the bolder fellows in the village. Upon seeing me, they were quite pleased when Uncle Er mentioned my name, and they insisted on having a couple of drinks with me. Uncle Er merely smiled and turned to leave, as I was already grown up, and having a couple of drinks was not a big deal.

So when night fell, I laboriously prepared two dishes that Uncle Er loved to eat, and then I sat waiting for him to return. However, I waited until the moon rose above the willow branches without seeing any sign of him, which left me quite discouraged. I rarely cook, and eventually, I couldn't hold out any longer, so I decided to eat first. But after taking a bite of the dish I made, I immediately changed my mind and thought it would be better to wait for Uncle Er to come back to cook. The key issue was that I couldn't get in touch with him; at his age, he hardly used a mobile phone. With no other options, I could only go to Old Yang's house at the west end of the village to check.

Due to his unfavorable background, Second Uncle was often left to handle the dirty and laborious tasks that no one else wanted to do. For instance, when someone passed away, the responsibility of digging the grave fell upon him. Naturally, he frequently assisted in carrying the deceased for burial. After the Cultural Revolution, Second Uncle decided to specialize in this line of work, helping families with funeral arrangements. When the reform and opening-up period began, he seized the opportunity to engage in making wreaths, burial clothes, paper figures, and paper horses. Although he couldn't earn a lot of money at that time, life was still quite decent. The initial capital for my father's first venture was arranged by Second Uncle, which speaks to the bond we shared. I hold a great deal of respect for him. As he has no children of his own, he treats me, the only son of the old Liu family, as if I were his own child. This is why I chose to return to my hometown and spend time with Second Uncle, rather than staying at home feeling bored and aimless. I am very close to him, and it is far better to accompany him in his old age.