Last Bus of Route 13 - Chapter 166 - A Ghost Clings to the Window
I shouted in panic, and the old man, who had just gone to the kitchen to eat, hurriedly turned back when he heard me yelling.
I pointed at the Tai Sui in the basin and said:
“It moved!”
The old man was so frightened that his face turned pale. He lowered his voice and asked:
“It really moved?”
I looked down again at the Tai Sui soaking in Baijiu in the basin, which was as calm as ever. After thinking for a while, I said awkwardly:
“I think so, it moved, right?”
The old man got anxious, stomped his foot, and said:
“Don’t just ‘think so’! Whether it moved or not is a big deal. If the Tai Sui moved, it means it’s not drunk, and that will surely bring unrest to the household-something bad will happen!”
Seeing how serious the old man was made me even more confused. I did see it move just now, but now it looked as calm as ever. I started to doubt if I’d seen it wrong.
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was listening on the side, scared out of her wits, and hurriedly asked the old man if there was any way to resolve it.
The old man shook his head.
“Tai Sui is a fierce god. Even when building houses, you have to avoid it. If it’s in the north or south, you have to build east-west; if it’s in the east or west, you have to build north-south. I was planning to get it drunk tonight and bury it back, then move it tomorrow and continue construction, but now it looks like that won’t work!”
When the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law heard “fierce god,” she said in panic:
“Then I won’t build the house! There’s only the two of us left in this family. Uncle Guo, you have to think of something!”
The old man waved his hand, signaling the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law to calm down, and sat on the edge of the kang, thinking for a while.
“How about this: tonight, the Tai Sui should still be buried, but you two shouldn’t stay at home-go live somewhere else for now!”
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law quickly nodded in agreement when she heard this, and after lunch, she hurried off to find a place to stay!
She originally wanted to stay at a neighbor’s house with her child, but as soon as people heard it was because of Tai Sui, they were all too scared to take them in.
The old man wanted to let the mother and daughter move into his house, but his daughter-in-law had the final say at home. After discussing with her for a long time, she still wouldn’t agree to let the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law move in.
It just so happened that I was living alone at the old village chief’s house. Seeing that no one dared to take in the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law, I suggested she and her child move into the old village chief’s house.
I meant well, but the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was afraid because someone had died in the village chief’s house, and also worried that a widow living alone would attract gossip. After thinking it over, she finally gritted her teeth and agreed when there was no other way.
I helped her and her child move all their bedding and daily necessities over. Afraid they’d be scared, I stayed in the west room of the village chief’s house and let them have the east room.
Once everything was settled, we waited for nightfall.
When I had nothing to do, I used my mobile phone to search on Baidu. This Tai Sui, commonly called Flesh Ganoderma, is a complex of slime molds. It’s neither plant nor animal, and there’s even a saying that eating Tai Sui can prolong life! Legend has it that the elixir of immortality Qin Shi Huang sought was this very thing!
I felt a little relieved, but seeing the old man and the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law so panicked, I didn’t dare mention a word!
When it was completely dark, the old man went out to look around. After making sure there were no strange noises outside, he told me to go bury the Tai Sui.
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was scared, so I carried the big basin weighing dozens of jin by myself to the pit we’d dug during the day.
At the pit, I followed the old man’s instructions, kowtowed three times to it, then slowly took the Tai Sui out of the basin and put it back in the pit to bury it.
After all this tossing about, I was left panting for breath!
Once the Tai Sui was buried, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was about to speak when the old man nervously waved his hand. We followed behind him, sneaking out of the yard like thieves. Only after we were out did the old man relax and say slowly:
“The Tai Sui has just been buried. You can’t talk at that moment-if you wake it up, it’ll be trouble!”
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law nodded.
“Uncle Guo, so it’s all done now? Do I need to offer any fruit or pork head on the first or fifteenth?”
The old man frowned and said:
“Don’t offer anything. I told you, Tai Sui is a fierce god-who offers to a fierce god? Just leave it alone for now. Stay at the old village chief’s house, and don’t come back yet. Wait and see after some time!”
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law agreed repeatedly, and after the old man gave a few more instructions, he turned and went home.
It was clear the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was still on edge, her nerves taut the whole time. Back at the old village chief’s house, seeing it was late, I comforted her a bit and then went to my room to sleep.
Since there was scientific evidence about Tai Sui, I didn’t take it to heart. After all the digging and burying at her house that day, I was exhausted. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I felt sleepy and soon fell asleep.
The night was quiet, the moon bright, not a breeze stirring!
I was sleeping soundly when suddenly I heard a knocking sound at the window. Half-awake, I looked up and saw a woman in red clothes knocking on my window. When she saw me look up, she smiled and waved for me to come out. I couldn’t see her face. Just as I was about to get up and go out, I suddenly woke up!
It was a dream!
I hadn’t had a nightmare in a long time, and this one was like a horror movie-pretty scary!
I sat up, gasping for breath, glanced at my mobile phone-it was already past one in the morning.
I steadied myself and had just lain down and pulled up the covers.
Suddenly, there was a crisp ” thud thud thud!” knocking sound!
The sound was coming right from the window above my head. I jerked my head up and saw that, sure enough, there was a woman in red clothes standing outside the window. I was so scared my hair stood on end, cursed out loud, and shot up from the bed!
Looking more closely, the moonlight outside the window was bright and clear, and there was no woman in red clothes at all!
I let out a cold breath. Was I out of my mind tonight?
First, I thought the Tai Sui moved at the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law’s house, and now I thought there was a female ghost knocking on the window.
Didn’t the 15th day of the lunar month just pass this month? Why am I still seeing things?
I didn’t dare to sleep anymore. I turned on the lights in the room and lit a cigarette.
By the time I finished the cigarette, it was already past two o’clock. I took a deep breath, turned off the lights, and quietly went to sleep.
After dawn, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law knocked on the door to call me for breakfast.
Yawning, I got out of bed, sat down, and had just bitten into a steamed bun when her son suddenly said:
“Older brother, did you see a sister standing outside last night?”
The boy’s sudden words scared me so much that the bun got stuck in my throat!
Seeing this, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law quickly poured me a glass of water. I coughed for a while and only managed to swallow the bun after taking a big gulp of water.
I straightened my back, rested for a moment, and stared at the boy, asking:
“What woman? What was she wearing? What did she look like?”
The boy looked honest, not like someone who would lie, and said:
“I just know she was wearing red clothes. I couldn’t see her face clearly!”
Red clothes!!
Suddenly, I recalled last night’s nightmare and the woman I saw outside the window after waking up!
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law saw me frown and scolded her son:
“Don’t talk nonsense! Where did a woman in red clothes come from? Kids shouldn’t say such things!”
The boy put down his chopsticks and said:
“Mom, I really saw her. I wasn’t asleep yet at that time. I saw a sister in red clothes walk over from the west room and even lean on our window to look inside!”
When the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law heard her son say this, her chopsticks fell to the floor with a “clack!” and she scolded in panic:
“Shut up! You had a nightmare, don’t talk nonsense!”
After being scolded, the boy felt wronged and stopped talking, picking up his chopsticks to eat again.
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law and I exchanged a glance, both feeling complicated!!
There was no point in eating breakfast anymore.
After taking a symbolic bite or two of the steamed bun, I went back to my room.
After tidying up the kitchen, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law knocked on the door and came in to find me. I saw her face was pale, obviously frightened by what the boy had said earlier.
She sat down, wringing her hands together, and after a while, uneasily said:
“Do you believe what the child said at the table just now?”
I knew she was timid, but I didn’t want to lie to her either. I sighed and replied:
“I believe it!”
Hearing this, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law panicked.
“You believe it? Could it be the child was just seeing things?”
“Sister, I don’t want to lie to you either. Last night, I also saw that woman in red clothes. She was leaning on my window too!”
As soon as I said this, Sister shot up from her seat!
“What?… What? There really was a woman at the window? In the middle of the night, and wearing red clothes-doesn’t that mean she’s a fierce ghost? Oh no, could it be the Tai Sui has come for us?”
Tai Sui?!
If the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten that we buried the Tai Sui last night.
But the Tai Sui turning into a female ghost? That sounds a bit far-fetched!
“Sister, don’t panic yet. Maybe it was some young wife from the village who got drunk and went to the wrong house!”
The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law pursed her lips and said:
“That’s impossible. Do you think our village is like your city, with nightlife and all that? The young wives here are all well-behaved. There’s absolutely no way anyone would go out at night!”
Seeing how firm she was, I couldn’t persuade her any further. I just told her not to worry and to wait and see what happens tonight.
Still uneasy, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law insisted it was the Tai Sui coming back, and hurried off to find Old Man Guo from yesterday for help.
Maybe I kicked off the covers and caught a chill from not sleeping well last night, but I came down with a cold.
I didn’t go anywhere all day, just lay in bed with a muddled head.
After returning from seeking advice, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law made me some ginger soup to drink and told me that Old Man Guo also thought it was the Tai Sui coming back. He told her to smear some chicken blood on her forehead and put a kitchen knife and a pair of scissors under her pillow when she slept.
After dinner, the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law smeared chicken blood all over her and her son’s faces, and then came to my room to smear it on mine too.
But since there was only one kitchen knife and one pair of scissors, both were placed under her and her son’s pillows.
Night fell, and the world outside gradually quieted down.
Even after sleeping all day, I didn’t feel any better. Now, I suddenly felt feverish-I seemed to have a fever!
My head was muddled, drifting in and out of sleep!
Tossing and turning like this until the latter half of the night, my head ached so badly it felt like it would split, and I was terribly groggy.
I don’t know what happened, but suddenly I lost all sleepiness and felt uncomfortable all over.
It wasn’t the discomfort from the cold.
It felt like… like someone was staring at me the whole time.
Suddenly, I remembered what happened last night and slowly lifted my heavy head to look at the window.
One look, and I nearly fainted!!!
A woman with a pale face, dressed in blood-red clothes, was leaning on my window, staring straight at me!!
