Chapter 2, The Transformed Child in the Coffin

Grandmother disapproved and occasionally scolded my mother, saying that she was only making a fuss because she lacked a man. Hearing these words made me very angry, but I could not say anything and could only keep it bottled up inside.

They toiled for an entire day, and I also knelt by my mother's grave for a whole day; it was my father who carried me back home and laid me on the bed that day

When I entered the room and turned on the light, I saw a woman dressed in a bright red robe in front of the bed

Zhang Duan and my father also followed, and their expressions became the same

The daughter was slightly knocked off balance by the shoulder pole, and then she staggered as she stepped forward and rushed out the door

Grandmother quickly responded, and Zhang Duan Gong set down a medicine box he had been carrying. He walked to Grandfather's bedside, pried open Grandfather's eyes to take a look, and then took out some red powder from his bag, mixed it with water, and applied it to Grandfather's face

Zhang Duan Gong left without saying much at all

After my mother passed away, my grandmother immediately shut all the doors and windows tightly, and she wouldn't allow me to continue sleeping. She pulled me to my grandfather's bedside and said, "Your unfortunate mother might come back tonight; we will wait here for your father and Zhang Duangong."

Grandfather, upon hearing Grandmother's words, was filled with anger and said while tapping his smoking pipe: "You should stop it, after all, we owe her an apology. Now that things have calmed down, you should burn incense and pray for forgiveness. Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"

Grandmother watched anxiously from the side, and only after Zhang Duan Gong finished his work did she walk over and ask urgently: "Zhang Duan Gong, is there still hope for Xiao Wazi's grandfather?"

Things did not go as hoped; nearly a year has passed since this incident. In the evening, after finishing his farm work, my grandfather returned from the fields. Upon entering the house, he glanced up at the place where my mother used to hang things, and then he rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

Father sat on the ground, not daring to look at the baby in the coffin, wondering what the crying was all about. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, which were covered in mud, and sobbed, saying: "Such a sin, such retribution"

After speaking, he stood up and walked to the side of the coffin, then froze, making sounds of "ah ah" as if he were struggling to breathe

At that time, I was thinking, if my mother were to return for revenge, she would never harm my grandfather; he has done everything he could.

Zhang Duan Gong feigned a deep sigh, shaking his head in silence. My grandmother then said, "Zhang Duan Gong, just speak plainly; we can all handle it."

The rural areas are filled with simple farmers; how could such things happen there

Zhang Duan Gong said beside him: "Humans have their own way, and ghosts have theirs. The deceased should not entangle the living any further. Since you have no fate, I will help you arrange a good marriage. From now on, whatever happens depends on your own fortune. If you continue to entangle, then heaven will not tolerate you, and the earth will not accept you."

Zhang Duan Gong sighed and, after putting away the items he had previously taken out into the medicine box, said: "What ghosts fear the most is fire. There are no other methods available now; the only solution is to dig up her body and burn it completely, leaving nothing behind"

Grandfather has been burning incense and paper for Mother for over six months. Unless the weather is particularly bad, Grandfather will definitely go to Mother's grave.

Originally, my father did not want the villagers to know about this matter, but with only him, Zhang Duangong, and grandmother, it was impossible to get the coffin out, so they had no choice but to ask the villagers for help

Father sat by the bed, reaching out to touch my head, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. He said to me, "Your mother is good at everything, except for ... ... "

I was so frightened that I shouted, and my grandmother immediately rushed in with a carrying pole. Upon seeing my mother, she was also greatly startled, but still protected me behind her, raising the pole and striking towards my mother, cursing: "You short-lived wretch, we've given you everything, why are you still bothering us? I will beat you to death."

In the end, when there was no other option, Father once again summoned Zhang Duangong. Upon arriving at Grandfather's bedside, Zhang Duangong pried open Grandfather's eyes to take a look, and was so frightened that he immediately got up to leave, saying: "This is not an illness, but rather a case of being possessed. It is likely that Chen Xiao's mother has come to cause trouble again; he must have angered her. I can no longer intervene in this matter; you all must fend for yourselves."

When the results came in, I called some able-bodied people from the village, and they all arrived at my doorstep to stop my father and grandmother, saying: "This is unacceptable, this is a form of desecration, and it will bring retribution. Even if you do not think of yourselves, you must consider the children. You must not disturb the ground at all."

The inscription reads: The child has done no wrong, let the child go.

Grandmother was startled earlier, but now she has calmed down and stood up with a hoe: "If it burns down, then there will be nothing left."

However, after they arranged a ghost marriage for my mother, she truly never appeared again. Gradually, my grandparents let go of this matter. My grandmother said, "This woman is just cheap; it's not that she wanted a child, she just wanted a man. Look, now that they have found her a man, isn't she quiet?"

I stared at Grandpa on the bed and then asked Grandma: "Mother, did you kill him? Grandpa has always been burning incense and paper for my mother. Why doesn't my mother harm you, but instead harms my grandpa?"

Grandmother was so upset by my words that she cried. She picked up the broom beside her and started hitting me, scolding me as she cried, "Do you dare to say such things again?"

We have consistently practiced burial here. The most brutal punishment in ancient times was undoubtedly beheading. Although both are forms of capital punishment, hanging is considered much lighter than beheading, as there is a belief here in preserving the whole body after death. A body that is not whole cannot be reincarnated, and cremating a body is equivalent to reducing it to ashes.

Grandfather, almost every day, would go to buy some incense and spirit money, and whenever he had time, he would go to my mother's grave to burn them for her. No matter what Grandma said about my mother, Grandfather would never speak a word against her.

My father spoke to me for several hours, helping me plan my future life, and he only left after I fell asleep.

Father and grandmother unanimously agreed, and Zhang Duangong had nothing to say. That noon, taking advantage of the sun at its peak, several people took their hoes and went to the mother's grave.

It was not until the early morning of the next day that Father brought Zhang Duan Gong into the house. As soon as they entered, Zhang Duan Gong said: "Last night, the road was blocked by something unclean, and it was not until this morning that the road was cleared. Has Xiao Wa Zi's mother returned again?"

That evening, Father carried a large bag of gifts to Zhang Duan Gong's house, pleading with him to help save someone. Grandmother and I stayed in the house watching over Grandfather, keeping vigil until midnight. When Grandmother saw that I was tired, she told me to go back to the room and get some sleep

No one in the village was able to help, but seeing Grandpa on the bed, Father felt utterly helpless and directly took the hoe to the cemetery, followed by Grandma and Zhang Duan Gong.

Zhang Duan Gong said: "Then I will speak frankly, this matter can be resolved, it just depends on whether you can be resolute in your decision."

So Grandma and Dad hesitated at that moment, while Zhang Duangong was not in a hurry. He packed his things and walked outside, saying: "Come find me once you have made your decision"

In the past, when I was disobedient, my grandparents would discipline me and ask if I dared to make the same mistake again. To avoid being punished, I would respond that I did not dare. However, this time I remained silent. My grandmother cried as she hit me, and I cried while enduring the beating. It was only when my grandmother grew tired that she stopped.

Zhang Duan Gong bent down to pick up the baby from the coffin. As soon as he touched the baby, it began to cry uncontrollably. However, after he held the baby up, several characters also appeared on the coffin board where the baby was born.

I then stepped forward, standing beside the coffin to take a glance inside. There was neither my mother nor the man they had placed in there to marry my mother posthumously; only a chubby, fair-skinned infant lay in the coffin, curiously observing this novel world.

Father and grandmother invited many barefoot doctors from the neighborhood to examine grandfather. Each doctor provided different results, and the opinions varied greatly. Despite the fact that the medicine bottles at home could fill a bucket, grandfather showed no signs of improvement

I recognize this piece of clothing; it was the one they made my mother wear during the ghost marriage ceremony. She was standing sideways in front of the bed, and it was only when I entered the room that she turned around to look at me

The three individuals managed to excavate a coffin weighing over one thousand pounds. By evening, they opened the coffin with a loud bang, and at the moment it was opened, a sound resembling a baby's cry unexpectedly emanated from within.

Father said firmly: "There is nothing too harsh to do, as long as it can prevent her from harming our family again, it doesn't matter how it is done"

Startled, both my father and grandmother leaned back and sat down on the ground, while I stood by, dazed and confused, watching everything unfold.

Before leaving, my father gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, as long as this matter can be resolved, I will agree to burn her."