Chapter 2, Stepmother

What the stepmother said next surprised me even more: "At the hour of the full moon, use old vinegar to kill the old corpse. It seems you are not an accomplice of the old corpse."

To confront the old corpse, one must be well-fed and well-drunk; perhaps this is the last dinner of my life

A millennia-old corpse must surely possess a wealth of experience and profound insights into life; any slight revelation would undoubtedly be perceived by it, thus I must exercise utmost caution and prudence

The stepmother said: "This is an ancient method to exterminate corpses. The thousand-year-old corpse sheds its skin during the hour of the rat on the night of the full moon, and it is only effective within these two hours. I have dealt with corpses for decades and know some protective measures."

In the moment I tilted my head back, I felt a sudden itch in my throat, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of my father's unusual gaze, which held a hint of mockery

I am certainly happy, I just do not know when the old corpse will come out, I am waiting

Under the moonlight of the hour of the rat, a lonely woman lets out a long sigh, seemingly filled with endless sorrow; that is the figure of the stepmother

The fifteenth moon is bright and cool, its light like water, clearly discernible as it spreads across the courtyard

"The marks on the calendar on the wall were written by you, weren't they?" The stepmother stared at my face

I excused myself to use the restroom, returned to the room, closed the door securely, leaned close to the door to listen for any sound, took out the talisman, burned it, poured the ashes into my stepmother's tea, stirred it with my finger, and completed the action swiftly in one go

The moonlight is like water, and the surroundings are enveloped in silence. My face feels prickly and itchy, so I cannot help but stick out my tongue and start licking.

My mind is blank, in a state of confusion. Is the stepmother not the old corpse? Who exactly is the old corpse?

My mood is unusually heavy, and I can no longer forget the momentary gaze of my father just now. It seems he is aware of many things, as if he knows my determination to take action, and it seems he is even more aware that I cannot possibly compete with my stepmother. It seems... it seems he has already been subdued by her. Oh, my poor father

You have arrived, I have been waiting for you for a long time she said softly without turning her head

It turns out that the talisman truly cannot withstand the ancient corpse from a thousand years ago, and cannot be forced out. It seems that only a complete destruction will suffice. ... I slowly drew my pistol from my waist, aiming it at her face ...

It's done; she must have guessed my intentions. Are her words a threat or a plea?

The ancient corpse indeed has many tricks up its sleeve, I almost fell for it, forgive me, Father... I pulled the trigger, but there was no gunshot, only a sound of "squeak," as a wave of old vinegar mixed with sourness hit my stepmother's face

***

Old corpse, I will not let you succeed. Tomorrow I will have my wife and children move back to her family home. I am a single man and I am going all out.

"By the way, I brewed some tea. This is a fine Tieguanyin sent by a student from Fujian, as a gesture of respect for the elders. Please have a taste first." I tried my best to appear as natural as possible.

When my stepmother returned home from work at six o'clock, I had already prepared a lavish feast. The whole family gathered around the dining table; my elderly father was very happy, witnessing the harmony of the family in his later years, with a kind mother-in-law and a filial daughter-in-law, he even shed two drops of tears. Upon seeing this, my stepmother took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of my father's eyes

I quietly approached, my right hand resting on the pistol filled with Shanxi aged vinegar

"You are acting quite strangely today, just like those family members. Every time I finish preparing a corpse, they always seem unfamiliar, and I can tell at a glance. You are just as unfamiliar today." The stepmother slowly turned around, her face pale and her gaze intense.

At 11 o'clock, everyone returned to their rooms. I can wait no longer; the hour of the Rat has arrived, and the old corpse is about to shed its skin. I must act decisively.

In the midst of my confusion, my stepmother swiftly approached, snatched the gun from my hand, and aimed it directly at my face

At the hour of the full moon, Shanxi aged vinegar can kill the molting old corpse. Child, I am sorry. Before the words had finished, she had already fired, and a stream of black liquid rushed towards me. I instinctively dodged, but it was too late; my entire face and mouth were covered in Shanxi aged vinegar.

Indeed, it is a millennia-old corpse, calm and composed, anticipating the enemy's moves in advance

"Do not pretend any longer, just shoot. No matter how well you treat the old corpse, death is inevitable." She closed her eyes

I returned to my room and took out my son's plastic water gun, which was already filled with Shanxi aged vinegar, and tucked it into the small of my back. Looking back at my wife and child, who were sound asleep, I silently thought: Farewell, perhaps one day in the future, you will be proud of me.

I thought the mark on the wall was written by you, but I was mistaken. Since neither of us wrote it, then who did? I cannot figure it out

I straightened my chest and walked out the door without looking back, only feeling that my legs were a bit weak

Dinner is finished, I am waiting

The quantity must be sufficient to force out the old corpse, I think. As for what to do next after the old corpse emerges, I forgot to think about it

Mission accomplished! I didn't expect the elimination of the old corpse to go so smoothly, haha

After a while, I heard my stepmother softly say: "So, you are not an old corpse"

On the pale face, dark brown aged vinegar flowed, appearing strange and terrifying under the moonlight. The millennia-old corpse not only showed no fear of the Shanxi aged vinegar, but she was also licking and consuming it. My mental defenses were on the verge of collapse

I cleared my throat and awkwardly said, "Did you guess that I was coming?"

The stepmother laughed, a laugh that was quite tragic, and she sighed: "Alas, I should have known that you were also an old corpse"

"Good vinegar, quite sour," said the stepmother, her tongue licking the vinegar from the corner of her mouth

"No, I only saw it yesterday," I replied

It seems that you are very happy today, the stepmother said to me with a smile

***

After my wife finished tidying up the kitchen, I was still waiting

The father nodded in approval, while the stepmother was beaming with joy. The two elders did not need to say much; they clinked their glasses together, and with a hearty "glug glug," most of the drink was already consumed.

Since the outbreak of SARS, our family has developed the habit of using our own tea cups, and my stepmother has her own designated cup, which is an award trophy for advanced workers in the civil affairs system. Although it has become old, she has always been reluctant to part with it

I apologize, but in order to preserve the tranquility of our family life, I had no choice but to act this way. I gritted my teeth and said, at this moment, my legs were no longer weak.

What? I did not understand her words

I recall that poor old woman who met a tragic end, the paths of humans and ghosts are indeed different. Father, please forgive me, I had no choice but to uphold justice and eliminate the old corpse

The television series "Dae Jang Geum" has ended, and I am still waiting

"What did you put in the tea? I have been having diarrhea," she said淡淡地.

I smiled awkwardly, did not respond, and simply drank it all in one go

I raised my glass and said, "Today I received a bonus, so I prepared some food and drinks to honor my parents. Dad, thank you for raising me since I was little. I have no way to repay you, so as a disobedient child, I will first drink in respect." I tilted my head and drank it all in one go, nearly shedding tears.

The stepmother raised a glass of wine, her expression ambiguous as she cast a glance at me, then fixed her gaze on her 13-year-old son, saying meaningfully: "Tonight is another full moon night. Since I came to this family, I have been deeply moved by the human affection within this home. I hope everyone can join hands and walk through the final journey of life in happiness forever. May every full moon night be a night of peace. Will you promise me that?"

It seems that you are not afraid either; neither of us is afraid of Shanxi aged vinegar. However, how do you know that aged vinegar can kill a corpse? I asked tentatively

It is an old corpse

I feel a deep sorrow in my heart, almost on the verge of giving up; how can I bear to take action against it