Chapter 3, Family disgrace should not be made public

Grandmother finished speaking and left with the hoe

My father stubbornly refused to listen, and my grandmother immediately asked me to go summon the other elders in the village

She stands in front of the bed, holding the baby in her arms, and is breastfeeding.

Father did not resist, wiped away his snot and tears, and pointed to the bed saying: "That child calls him father, looks just like him, the family is unfortunate, it does not matter that I have lost face, how will you let Xiao boy live on in the future"

Grandmother is unwilling to take care of the baby because she is angry with the child's father; that day, she didn't even cook.

Holding the baby, I approached grandfather. Just as I reached grandfather's side, the baby suddenly stammered and said: "Dad"

Father and grandmother do not quite understand. Father said: "This child seems to be very close to Chen Xiao's grandfather"

That night, they placed the baby on the inner side of my bed, and I lay beside it

I agree.

Afterwards, my father took me into my grandfather's room to see him. Worried about leaving me alone in the main hall, he brought me along. When my grandmother saw my father, she was filled with anger and turned her face away, refusing to speak to him

This matter cannot be clearly explained in just a few words. Currently, it is unsafe for the baby to be with anyone. After much discussion, they decided to let the baby temporarily sleep with me

However, by midnight, my nightmare began again

Running in the Sichuan-Chongqing region signifies the meaning of escape

However, the baby in the father's arms suddenly broke into a grin upon seeing his grandfather, smiling innocently and naively, stretching out his tender white arms, as if he intended to burrow into his grandfather's embrace

I naturally cannot fall asleep, lying on my side and looking at the baby, who also smiles at me with a wide grin upon seeing me

Father also shouted: "I have no such father, to engage with my own daughter-in-law, and even give birth to such a wretched offspring"

Father truthfully told them: "The child of Xiao's mother was lying in the coffin, and we brought him back."

This statement left the villagers stunned, and most of them said nothing, hurriedly sending their own children home, unwilling even to look at my family's affairs, as they believed it would bring them bad luck

Father scrutinized the man but could not recall who he was. However, since others had already asked, he responded: "Karma and retribution, this child born from the ghost marriage of Chen Xiao's mother, is likely a reincarnated being."

One hand was pulling me, while the other hand was holding a baby as it rushed into the room like the wind, and then with a bang, the door was shut, urgently prompting me to bolt the door.

Soon, a villager will come up and ask: "Whose child is this?"

The man ultimately allowed Zhang Cui to take the child inside, and after feeding the child, she returned the child to the father

From his home to my home, one will pass by a chestnut tree with a trunk as thick as three embraces. However, this chestnut tree has been infested by pests and has not borne any chestnuts for many years. While carrying a baby and passing by here, a man approached from the opposite direction

The villagers are simple and honest. After looking at me for a while, he said earnestly: "Big brother, we are all from the same village, it is not that we are stingy. If it were Xiao Wa asking for milk, I would not hesitate to give it. However, this child comes from an unknown background, who knows if he is human or not? I have my own elderly and children to care for, so please do not put me in a difficult position."

Zhang Duan-gong stared at the words on the coffin board and unexpectedly cried, touching the baby's forehead, saying: "I have read the teachings of sages and raised the next generation, yet in the end, I have committed such a despicable act, worse than that of pigs and dogs. The cycle of cause and effect is inescapable, and retribution is certain. This matter originated from you, and it must also end with you. A child cannot be without a mother; I cannot be too ruthless. I entrust this child to you, and do not come looking for me again. No matter what, I will not intervene in this matter any further."

But as soon as I entered the house, I was driven out by my grandmother. Seeing that the baby was becoming increasingly restless, my father had no choice but to shout at me: "Xiao Wazi, go collect thirty eggs and come with me"

I handed him the egg and, following what my father had told me before, said: "Please, save my brother"

Because they believe that my mother would not harm me, it is only safe when it is placed with me

After thanking Zhang Cui and the others, Dionuo should have returned to the house holding the child

That night, I was particularly bold, running through the houses in the village alone in the dark, calling for Second Grandpa, Little Grandpa, and others. They asked me what was wrong, and I said: "Dad wants to hit Grandpa, you all hurry and save Grandpa."

I immediately went into the house to collect the thirty eggs I had saved earlier, placed them in a basket, and went out with my father.

Just as we were about to enter the house, I said to my father: "Father, the shoes that person was wearing are exactly the same as the ones Mother wears"

Great-uncle and the others went to the bedside to take a look, and after they finished, they murmured. However, Great-uncle said: "You look like your father, your child also looks like your father, have you lost your mind?"

Grandma stomped her foot: "What has that crazy woman done to our family? This child is not yours and hers; if you want to be this green turtle, I can't be bothered to care about you anymore"

Grandmother desperately blocked father, shouting: "Are you crazy? That is your father."

The father stared blankly while holding the baby, and the grandmother also gazed at the baby for a long time. Then she reached out to snatch the baby away, cursing and saying: "How can the dead give birth to the living? This child is nothing but a product of the dead; hurry up and put it in a coffin to be buried"

Later I learned that the shoes worn by that man are called toad shoes

After my father closed the doors and windows, he told me that no matter who knocks on the door at night, I should not open it

Old Grandpa Yao, with a pipe in his mouth, said: "This child is a disaster to keep; how can a child this young be able to speak? Tomorrow, we must take him to the temple; he absolutely cannot be kept here."

Father glared at the man in anger, pulled me aside, and was unwilling to speak to him any longer, walking into the room with a flashlight in hand

However, when the baby is hungry, it will cry; relying solely on sugar water is ineffective. By evening, the baby is crying quite fiercely, and the father carries the baby into the house to ask the grandmother for milk

My father listened to the baby's words, his entire body trembled as he bent down, holding the baby, to compare the baby's face with that of my grandfather

After the comparison, the father went mad, violently throwing the baby onto the bed, and then turned around to grab the broom from beside the house to strike Grandpa Wang.

The man exclaimed, "Nonsense! Where is the transformation? This chubby little one is clearly a child. Are you afraid that I will abduct him? This child's features resemble yours; he is undoubtedly your own. Are you hiding a woman outside?"

Father said: "Not my child, besides him, who else could possibly give birth to such a child"

Father held the baby and caressed him for a while before allowing me to take home the tools they had brought earlier

Father and some elders from the Chen family are conversing in the main hall

At that time, I was still young, yet I could understand his predicament. However, my father was still unwilling to give up; he knelt before him with a thud, his voice choked with tears, saying: "In my life, I have only knelt before my parents and Chen Xiao's mother. I truly have no other options left. The child has done no wrong; if he does not nurse soon, he will starve to death."

Uncle Er and the others didn't even light their torches, they just ran straight to my house. As soon as Uncle Er entered the room, he grabbed my father, who was squatting by the bed and crying, and without saying a word, he slapped him several times. After the beating, he scolded, "You bastard, are you awake yet? If you're not awake, I'll make you jump with both feet."

However, what I could not understand at that time was that this baby actually called my grandfather "dad"

At that time, I knew nothing and only felt that this baby was much cuter and more fun than the small dogs and cats in the village, so I went up and gave him a little kiss on the face

I waved the flashlight around, and the man smiled at us; I had never seen him before

Zhang Duan Gong handed the baby to my father, unwilling to linger for even a second in front of this empty coffin, and turned to leave

The father disregarded their remarks and carried the child into the house

The villagers all knew that my father and the others had gone to dig up my mother's grave. Although they were reluctant to engage in such a heinous act, they were nonetheless eager to witness this unusual event, and many villagers were waiting in front of their houses for our return

Father used to heed Grandmother's words, but this time he pushed her away, his brows furrowed: "Do not commit acts that harm heaven and reason any longer, the child is innocent"

This baby appears to be only a few months old, yet can speak

Father took me to another household in the village

In this household, there is a young woman named Zhang Cui. Her own child has just been weaned. The father enters the room holding a baby, and Zhang Cui's husband immediately understands what the father intends to do. He gestures for Zhang Cui to go inside and says to the father, "There is no extra milk, you should leave quickly."

Although I was young at that time, I could still understand the strangeness of the situation

Grandmother said: "This child is nothing but a transformed being, you must be enchanted by him, quickly put down the broom for me."

However, the man walked straight to our side, stopped next to my father, looked at the baby in his arms, reached out to touch the baby's face, and then smiled and said: "Has Chen Xiao's mother given birth again?"

I also put down the eggs, and my father expressed his gratitude towards Zhang Cui and the others. When leaving, the man said: "Do not come again in the future; find a way to solve it yourselves. If you really cannot think of a solution, just send him to the temple."

Upon hearing my words, my father immediately froze, shouting, "Run quickly"

I stared at my mother, and she stared back at me. After a long while, she squeezed out a word: "Run!"

Grandmother is watching grandfather in the room, while father goes into the kitchen to prepare sugar water for the baby to drink

Only the dead wear those kinds of shoes in our place

Those who are usually close to my family also shake their heads and sigh, saying: "What kind of sin has been committed to deserve such retribution"

However, when they saw their father returning with a baby in his arms, they were all stunned

I was only confused for a short while, and when I opened my eyes, I saw my mother again