Chapter 1: Grandmother and the Golden Silkworm Gu

This place used to be a muddy road, but in 2004, it was opened to traffic. I hired a van to go there. The journey was undoubtedly bumpy, and after more than half an hour, we finally arrived at Dunzhai. Before entering the village, I saw the enormous old locust tree in the center of the village, the drum tower, the grain drying yard, and the temple at the end of the path.

Mother took my luggage and informed me that grandmother was not here and had returned to Dunzhai

Mother said: "Mom, Lu Zuo has come to see you!"

For example, regarding the poison of Gu, some say it is feudal superstition. Well, even if it is feudal superstition, before I turned twenty-two, like many who have received modern education, I was a materialist and did not believe that there were ghosts, zombies, or other bizarre and strange entities in this world

Grandmother's spirit has suddenly improved significantly; she can actually get out of bed now. She directed my uncle to dig up a small clay jar in an empty space behind the house, with a thick oiled paper that was previously used for making umbrellas covering the mouth of the jar. Along with the jar, a wooden box was unearthed, inside which was a thick, yellowed thread-bound book.

My mother said to me, "I can no longer recognize people." She shook her head and sighed

August 20, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar I said

She said she would rather die in Dunzhai, the land where she had lived for eighty-six years, where the well water is sweet, the rice is fragrant, and even the wind carries the scent of rapeseed flowers

Grandmother is still reciting the indistinct Miao language, murmuring softly; I have not learned it, so I cannot understand.

My hometown is located in the southwest, in an area inhabited by ethnic minorities, bordered to the east by Xiangxi, and serves as the gateway to the Wanshan Mountains

I saw my grandmother once again, and at that time her life had already entered its final moments

She walked away peacefully. Before leaving, she held my hand and told me many things. She said that the food she gave me yesterday was called golden silkworm poison, which is the king of poisons and can prolong life and strengthen the body, with many other uses. However, because it had been in the poison box for too long, it became toxic. On the first and fifteenth of every month, at midnight, the toxins would cause excruciating pain. To detoxify, one must find the hat grass of the short mule to consume. However, because it had been in the poison box for too long, it became toxic. On the first and fifteenth of every month, at midnight, the toxins would cause excruciating pain. To detoxify, one must find the hat grass of the short mule to consume

A few years ago, my uncle struck gold and became wealthy, moving to the city.

In old China, especially in remote areas, many people were uneducated. The holders and disseminators of knowledge were often religious figures, such as those from Taoism, Buddhism, Shamanism, and various indigenous religions of minority ethnic groups. These individuals served as the propagators of religion—my grandmother was a shaman in a Miao village

I was born on August 20, 1986, which coincided with the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar

No one came to pick me up, so I returned home by myself. The last time I went home was in early 2005, when I had just escaped from a pyramid scheme in Hefei. In the blink of an eye, two years have passed. I have also transitioned from being empty-handed at that time to having a modest fortune now.

Miaojiang witchcraft incorporates various elements of magic, traditional Chinese medicine, and shamanism, containing both commendable aspects and some that are truly astonishing. The most criticized practice is the consumption of talisman water—where ink, made from a mixture of chicken blood, cinnabar, rice soup, and other substances, is haphazardly scribbled on specially prepared yellow paper, which is then burned, and the remaining ash is dissolved in water for drinking

Grandmother pushed aside her daughter who was supporting her and, trembling, made her way to the low tea table where the clay jars were placed. She mumbled in the Miao language, her hands shaking and waving in the air. This continued for about ten minutes, after which she suddenly lifted the oil paper.

Grandmother refuses to leave and stays alone in the Miao village called Dunzhai. She has always been in good spirits, and with the help of the villagers, there is no need for concern. Unexpectedly, she has fallen ill, and it turns out to be stomach cancer, which is indeed a terminal illness

I held her hand, which felt like a chicken's claw, and she showed no reaction at all. After a while, she glanced at me and then fell asleep again

Many people gathered in the old house; apart from my aunt who is far away in Karamay, Xinjiang, most of the relatives have returned. I saw my second aunt, my uncle, and several cousins, along with others. My grandmother was lying in the dimly lit bedroom, and when I walked in, I caught a whiff of mildew. A pang of sadness struck me; my grandmother is a person who values cleanliness, but after all, she is also elderly.

Although there are many legends in my hometown, my grandmother is indeed a practitioner of sorcery

I stayed in Dunzhai for two days, during which my grandmother remained in a state of confusion and did not regain consciousness. Several relatives were discussing whether to send her to the city hospital for treatment, but they could never reach a consensus. My uncle suggested that we should respect my grandmother's wishes and not keep moving her around—his family is not well-off, and they have already spent a lot of money on her illness.

Certainly, these are all folk legends and do not necessarily have to be believed. However, this day is not only the Ghost Festival in popular culture, but also the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism, as well as the Ullambana Festival in Buddhism. Its uniqueness does have a certain rationale behind it

Suddenly, my grandmother's eyes brightened, and then she began to cough loudly, as if there was phlegm in her chest. I helped her pat her back, and after a few minutes, she finally coughed up a thick black phlegm. Then she raised her head and said: "Master, you have finally arrived"

My mother informed me that my grandmother is suffering from cancer, specifically late-stage gastric cancer, and it is likely untreatable

"Are you Lu Zuo?" My grandmother, with her old eyes dimmed, lay in bed looking at me. I nodded, and she asked again, "When were you born?" My mother interjected, saying, "A Zuo was born in '86, he is 21 now." My grandmother shook her head with difficulty and asked, "When were you born... what month?"

China has four ghost festivals: March 3, Qingming Festival, July 15, and October 1. Both Qingming Festival and October 1 are occasions for tomb sweeping and ancestor worship, expressing reverence for ancestors and loved ones, and are festivals for mourning. March 3 is popular in the Jianghuai and Jiangnan regions, and it is said that ghosts appear on this day. However, July 15 (in some places, July 14) is the day when the six paths open, the ghost gate opens, and wandering souls and wild ghosts roam, marking the peak of yin energy.

In the yellowed bedding lies an elderly woman in the twilight of her years, her hair snow-white, her skin resembling the aged bark of a pine tree, with a face marked by dark yellow age spots. Her eyes are vacant, and her crooked mouth still holds some drool, her mind completely unclear. This is my grandmother, an old woman on the brink of death

During my most impoverished times, I survived on only two steamed buns over the course of three days; at my wealthiest, I owned two apartments and a small car in the urban area of Dongguan

I started school early, graduating from high school at the age of sixteen, which is one to two years younger than the average age of my classmates. This is not due to my precocity, but rather because in remote areas, there are fewer elementary school students, and the age of enrollment is not taken too seriously. This also led to my confusion during the college entrance examination, resulting in my failure to pass, and I entered society at an early age

My grandmother also told me that this golden silkworm poison is alive, and if I cannot subdue it within a year, I will undoubtedly die—"If you do not enjoy the life of the golden silkworm poison, then come down and keep me company." In addition to the golden silkworm poison, my grandmother also left me a handwritten copy of a book called "The Twelve Methods of Suppressing Mountains."

The silkworm pupa transformed into a golden thread, and amidst the astonished exclamations of those around, it suddenly burrowed into my mouth

I carried some gifts while following my mother into the village. The path was muddy, the weather dry, and dust was rising. People kept greeting my mother, who responded with a furrowed brow, burdened with worries.

A chill ran down my throat, and I felt something flowing down the esophagus into my stomach

Upon receiving the news, I immediately returned home after partnering with someone to open a jewelry store in Dongguan

At that moment, my cousin, who was taking care of my grandmother, ran into the main room and said that my grandmother had regained consciousness and called for us to come over

In my impression, my grandmother is a frail, small, and bookish old lady, who rarely smiles. Her nose is hooked like an eagle's, her mouth is toothless, and her face is somewhat sunken on one side. She is over eighty years old and has lived her entire life in the Miao village, specializing in fortune-telling, healing, exorcising spirits, and feng shui. The villagers from ten miles around still hold her in high regard.

The silkworm pupa is plump and fleshy, approximately the size of an adult's thumb. Its eyes have degenerated into black dots, and its fat body is equipped with dozens of legs, along with two pairs of wings that are as soft as paper. I stared at the black dots on its head, feeling no sense of cuteness in its plumpness; instead, I sensed an eerie glow emanating from them.

This is a profession, as well as a habit

Grandmother passed away on the day after she woke up

Suddenly, she pointed her finger at me

The next morning, I went to Dunzhai with my mother

There are many stories worth telling here, but I would like to first recount an event that marked a turning point in my life

Those who stay in one place or a small circle for a long time have no stories to tell. However, those who have wandered and drifted in foreign lands for an extended period, experiencing the myriad facets of life, will have many stories: such as the romantic encounters that the public finds delightful, the darker sides of society, various anecdotes about extraordinary individuals, and so on. ... The nature of it all is Dongguan.

In terms of geography, our area can actually be considered a part of the cultural and folk influence sphere of Xiangxi.

At the end of August 2007, my grandmother fell seriously ill

They are usually farmers who dig for food in the soil, unable to achieve anything significant, but when it comes to robbery, they become the little demons of the King of Hell

Then a foul odor surged in my esophagus, and I suddenly felt difficulty in breathing, as if my lung lobes were being eroded. It seemed that a piece was missing from my heart, while another organ had inexplicably formed within my body. As this foul odor churned, an overwhelming sense of nausea seized all my thoughts, and inexplicably, I felt a tingling in my scalp before losing consciousness.

When the sleeper train arrived at the county town, it was already 7 PM. In this remote county, there were no buses, and the last minibus between the town and the county city usually departed at 5:30 PM. In a state of anxiety, I found a dilapidated taxi and bargained with the driver, finally arriving in my hometown two hours later.

At that time, I already had my own private car, a blue Passat. However, due to my unfamiliarity with the road conditions, I opted to take a long-distance sleeper bus directly to our county town. At that moment, I did not anticipate that I would embark on a completely different life path than before

I started working in 2002. People like us are like floating duckweed, drifting everywhere. Over the course of 7 years, I have been to many places, including Yiwu in Zhejiang, and Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen in Guangdong. I have worked as a factory laborer, a team leader, and an assistant supervisor. I have also sold fruits at street stalls, worked as a chef in a Western-style pizza restaurant, and spent some time as a rebar worker on construction sites. I have been an insurance salesperson and sold furniture. In 2005, I was deceived by a fellow townsman and went to Hefei to participate in a pyramid scheme for a month.

My mother has two younger sisters and a younger brother; she is the eldest. My grandfather passed away early, during the "Four Olds" campaign. My grandmother was not very skilled at managing household affairs, so my mother, as the eldest daughter, always had to work harder. Later, my two aunts got married one after another, and my younger uncle grew up, which allowed my mother to move to the town with my father to start a small business.

Inside it was dark, and after a while, a golden-yellow pupa crawled out

When discussing Xiangxi, some may think of Mr. Shen Congwen's Phoenix Ancient Town from "Border Town," others may consider Huaihua, a transportation hub connecting the north and south, and of course, some may also think of the corpse transportation, poison, and bandits associated with Xiangxi.

For instance, regarding bandits, comrades who have read "The Record of the Anti-Bandit Campaign in Xiangxi" may be able to imagine our situation: impoverished mountains, treacherous waters, and troublesome locals. Of course, the main issues are the high mountains and perilous roads, poor transportation, and a large population with limited land, resulting in extreme poverty. Before liberation, many mountain dwellers in our area would spend their days in the fields wielding hoes and sickles to tend to the land and livestock, and at night, after sharpening their knives, they would go out to rob.