Chapter 15 - Thousand Souls (Part II)

Liu Iron Mouth paused here, asking Liu Baodong to pass him a cup of water. After taking a sip, he continued, “Great rewards bring out brave men. Many people, lured by the money-even those who knew nothing about the job-joined the fray, resulting in numerous lives lost. Eventually, although the issue stirred much public attention, too many had died for anyone to dare continue.

One day, a middle-aged man approached Commissioner Huang, who was in charge of the matter, claiming he could resolve it. However, he had conditions: first, he would take complete control, with no interference from anyone else. Second, he would procure all the materials for the project himself. Third, all residents within a five-mile radius must relocate, with the government covering all subsequent aid and compensation-no forced demolitions. Fourth, he wanted half of his fee upfront.

These demands put Commissioner Huang in a difficult position. As he hesitated, an advisor at his side offered a suggestion to the officials: ‘Agree to his terms. We could publicize this issue extensively, ensuring both the higher-ups and the public are well aware. This would not only demonstrate your tireless efforts on behalf of the leadership but relocating the residents would also highlight your paternal care for the people. Whether you succeed or fail, you could either gain accolades and benefit from the recognition or use this man as a scapegoat if needed, still earning a reputation for your benevolence. It’s a win-win situation.’ After a moment’s thought, he added, ‘The decision is yours to make.’

Already overwhelmed by pressure, Commissioner Huang, upon hearing the advisor’s words, made up his mind and agreed. What neither Commissioner Huang nor the advisor anticipated was that the middle-aged man had overheard every word.”

Commissioner Huang dispatched personnel the very next day to go door-to-door within a five-mile radius to discuss the matter, which surprised the officials as the relocation of the residents did not prove too difficult.

Firstly, the area around the grand theater was scarcely populated, primarily with shops, and the fire at the theater had already destroyed many of them. Secondly, the situation had already caused widespread panic, and most residents had already moved. The ones who remained were those who wanted to leave but lacked the means. The government provided enough money and provisions for these people to sustain themselves in the future, so they happily moved.

However, some shop owners tried to hike up prices and refused to leave. They were promptly detained by the patrol officers and subjected to severe interrogation methods, including the tiger bench and chili water. By the next day, they obediently handed over their property deeds and relocated.

Once the middle-aged man saw that the issue was resolved, he began organizing the construction work. He approached Commissioner Huang and said, “To erect this Stele, it is essential to use military personnel. Warriors possess a strong martial aura, and the more battles a veteran has fought, the stronger their presence to ward off evil spirits.” Seeing Commissioner Huang deep in thought, he added, “Alternatively, we could use convicts. They carry a malevolent aura, especially those who have committed heinous crimes, though their effect is slightly less potent than that of warriors.”

Commissioner Huang did not have the authority to mobilize military personnel, and while using convicts was challenging, it was still feasible with additional guards assigned. Once a decision was made, there was no turning back. Commissioner Huang resolutely transferred the control of the convicts to the middle-aged man, albeit requiring thrice daily roll calls.

The middle-aged man did not put the convicts to work immediately. Instead, he first had them bathe in water boiled with glutinous rice and mugwort, issued each of them a Talisman, and tied red strings dyed with Cinnabar on their hands and feet.

After these preparations, he had a large amount of mugwort brought in to cover the original site of the grand theater completely. He then measured and marked an area the size of a house directly opposite the original location of the theater. The majority of the convicts were then directed to start digging around the marked edges according to the blueprint, keeping the excavated soil for later use.

Three days later, the middle-aged man checked the dryness of the mugwort placed on the ground and ordered it to be set on fire. Surprisingly, when the fire was extinguished and everyone returned to the site, the previously pervasive smell of char was gone.

The middle-aged man had people collect as much dust from the ground as possible. He then approached Commissioner Huang to request the assistance of seven veterans who had seen combat and bloodshed. Although Commissioner Huang had no authority over the military, he was able to lend some veterans, asking the middle-aged man to wait for their arrival.

Soon, seven veterans arrived, and the middle-aged man handed each one a water-fire sticks. He instructed them to first strike the burnt ground with the black end of the stick, and then hit it again with the red end. Each veteran was promised a yuan for their efforts, which ensured they executed their task meticulously.

Once they completed their task, the middle-aged man positioned the veterans around the perimeter of the ruins and distributed tools to the remaining convicts to dig a pit seven meters deep. For every meter dug, the veterans would strike the ground seven times with both ends of their water-fire sticks, and the excavated soil was transported to a pre-marked location.

Two days later, the site of the ruins had turned into a deep hole. The middle-aged man then purchased a large amount of Joss paper ingots, joss paper, candles, and other ceremonial items, throwing them all into the pit and setting them alight. As the ceremonial items burned, a cold breeze seemed to funnel into the pit. The middle-aged man then brought mugwort ash to the edge of the pit. As he watched the flames, a small whirlwind formed, carrying the flames upwards. Suddenly, he threw the mugwort ash into the pit, and the whirlwind, now heavy with ash, struggled before being suppressed further by more ash.

Upon seeing the wind subdued, the middle-aged man instructed the veterans to shout “Strike!” and threw their water-fire sticks into the pit, extinguishing the fire. The pit was then continuously filled with fresh soil being brought in. As the original pit grew larger, more soil was added, gradually forming a large mound.

When the mound reached the desired size, the middle-aged man halted the soil transportation. He had people follow blueprints to construct roads on the mound, mixing incense ash with the mud for tree planting. At the site sized for a house, he built a pavilion using the soil excavated from beneath the ruins. Coincidentally, a moat was located fifty meters from the pit, prompting the middle-aged man to have a channel dug to divert water, turning the pit into a man-made lake.

Once all the construction was nearly complete, a stone mason was brought in to carve a stele out of white marble, which was placed atop the mound. The names of all the victims and the workers who died tragically were engraved on the side facing the sunrise.

After handling all the affairs, the middle-aged man asked all the patrol officers and some of the convicts to leave and instructed them not to come near until before noon. He only left those who were digging through the ruins about 500 meters away from the mound, telling them to come up as soon as it was light.

That night, the middle-aged man was alone on the mound. At midnight, everyone heard thunder coming from the direction of the mound, yet the sky was studded with stars, with only a dark cloud above the mound. Strangely, this cloud was not in the sky but hovering over what was the stele, as if something was pulling and continuously changing its shape, trying to escape, and the thunder came from that cloud. In the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the cloud was pulled into the stele.

The next morning, the convicts mustered the courage to go up to the mound, but the middle-aged man was nowhere to be found, and the white marble stele had turned pitch black.

Under the stele, people found two letters and a package. The first letter read, “Not a single grass or tree shall be disturbed, violators will be condemned by heaven.” The second letter contained just four words: “Flee at once.” Upon opening the package, it was found to be full of money.

The convicts, left behind by the middle-aged man, some of whom were wrongfully imprisoned, after reading the two letters and setting aside the first, bowed to the stele, divided the money among themselves, and scattered in escape.

The patrol officers who had left, upon seeing the scene from the previous night, obediently waited until the afternoon to return. But all they found was a letter on the ground.

Nearly a thousand people died because of this event, and later, this place was called Thousand Souls Garden, and the stele was named the Thousand Souls Stele. Liu Iron Mouth paused here to take a sip of water.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Shaoxian asked Liu Iron Mouth, “Who was that middle-aged man, and how do you know all this in such detail?”

“It’s not that I know the details, it’s that your grandpa told me in detail,” Liu Iron Mouth replied.

“My grandpa? What does this have to do with my grandpa?” Chen Shaoxian was somewhat confused.

Liu Iron Mouth chuckled, “That middle-aged man, he was your great-granduncle.”

“Our family actually had such an impressive person, and the old man never mentioned it to me, what a shame.” Chen Shaoxian thought excitedly, then suddenly remembered something and said to Liu Iron Mouth, “By the way, Grandpa Liu, since my grandfather told you all this, did he ever mention if any of those people my great-granduncle saved became successful later on?”

Liu Iron Mouth glanced at Chen Shaoxian disdainfully: “What are you plotting?”

“What else can I be plotting? A drop of water should be returned with a gushing spring, let alone saving a life. If we find them… hehehe…” Chen Shaoxian said with a sleazy grin.

“Then you go find them. I don’t know, and even if I did, do you think you could really find them?” Liu Iron Mouth said with a smirk.

“I can, I’d find them no matter where they are,” Chen Shaoxian said, nodding firmly.

Liu Iron Mouth smirked and asked, “Let me ask you something then, how old is your grandfather this year?”

“Seventy-five,” Chen Shaoxian replied without hesitation.

“Oh, seventy-five.” Liu Iron Mouth drew out the sound and then continued, “Do you know how old your grandfather was the year this incident happened?” Without waiting for Chen Shaoxian to speak, he continued, “You couldn’t possibly know. I’ll tell you, that year your great-granduncle was only eighteen years old, and your grandfather didn’t even know where he was hiding.”

Chen Shaoxian counted on his fingers, then hung his head in a dejected manner. The other three burst out laughing at his expression.

Liu Baodong, laughing, patted Chen Shaoxian on the shoulder and said to Liu Iron Mouth, “What happened later?”

Chen Shaoxian also looked up, curious.

Liu Iron Mouth, having laughed enough, continued, “Later, there was a war, and this place was occupied. The descendant of Qiandao became a military officer and, to honor his father, changed the name of Thousand Souls Garden to Qiandao Garden. It stayed that way until after the liberation when the ‘Destroy the Four Olds¹‘ campaign began. A group of Red Guards came with hammers and shovels to knock down the Thousand Souls Stele, but no one dared to stop them.

As they were pushing the stele, an accident occurred. The Red Guard wielding the hammer swung it, and the head flew off, striking the leader of the Red Guards on the head, killing him instantly.

Later, some people refused to believe it was cursed, but every attempt ended either in death or injury, so the stele remained. Someone suggested a name change might work, and so ‘island’ was changed to ‘bird’, and that’s how we now have Qianniao Garden.”

After hearing Liu Iron Mouth’s story, Chen Shaoxian slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Let’s go, let’s head to Qianniao Garden.”

Footnote:

1. Destroy the Four Olds(破四旧): “Destroy the Four Olds” was a campaign during China’s Cultural Revolution aimed at eradicating old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas to modernize society.