"You're saying that." I glared at Fatty, as according to him, my father should have died, so if he didn't, that would be illogical?
Fatty realized his verbal mistake. In such a moment of great importance, he quickly tried to rectify, "Young man, don't rush to glare at me. I didn’t mean it like that. Let's not talk about anything else for now. Just think, when you were going to the ancestral hall that day, didn't you also think that your father might be in danger?"
Although I didn't understand what he meant, I nodded since it was indeed what I had thought at the time.
"That's right. Even if something had happened to him, you would feel distressed but not surprised. But if nothing happened to him, that's the strange part, isn't it?" Fatty continued persuasively.
With Fatty's explanation, not only could I not answer, but the policewoman also nodded with a furrowed brow.
"But he did have a problem. He used to sing at night, didn't he?" I reminded them, as this was considered the lingering effect from that night.
Fatty looked at me and said, "I hope the matter is that simple."
Having said that, he added, "But in any case, tonight, your father shouldn't attend. If possible, lock him in the house. This is the task I'm handing over to you today. Just handle this well."
I nodded, feeling indescribable. So far, my father was definitely unaware of the problem on his body. He had been unable to let go of the red coffin for too long, and now that the time had finally come to deal with it, how could I not let him go?
What reasons could I use to stop him?
After instructing me, Fatty issued the order for us to leave. He said he needed to rest and then blamed me for this situation. Although it was not the best time to deal with the red coffin, he had no choice but to act immediately to avoid any further mishaps, for the sake of my father's health and what I saw in the ancestral hall. We left Lin Sanshui’s house, and not far away, we heard Lin Sanshui loudly scolding, "You bunch of wimps! You always claim to fear nothing, but now you are afraid to even lift a coffin?"
"Uncle San, that coffin is really eerie. Even the Feng Shui master couldn't deal with it. Who dares to move it? Besides, look at all the recent incidents in our village. We don't want another Lin Er Egg case. My family is poor, and I can't afford to take such a risk," a younger man replied to Lin Sanshui.
"Damn it! If you had the courage of Er Egg, I'd take care of you for the rest of your life!" Lin Sanshui was furious.
"Uncle San, look for someone else to do this. Everyone knows about the extinguished eternal flame. Who dares to go there now?" The young man said before running off.
At that moment, we approached. Lin Sanshui looked somewhat dejected as he said, "Damn it, why didn't they handle such a small matter properly? Being the village head is really pointless."
"Uncle San, it's understandable that everyone is afraid. Nowadays, many people in authority don't take their responsibilities seriously. Don't let it bother you," I comforted him. In fact, I also sighed inwardly. In remote rural areas, such as Linjiang Village, the village head was like an emperor. People's decreasing fear of Lin Sanshui was primarily due to the fact that he was not as authoritarian as other village heads. Also, there was another seemingly unrelated reason.
He's a bachelor.
——One cannot understand the implications of being a bachelor unless they are in such an environment. Many elders still hold strong sentiments of valuing sons over daughters. Dying without leaving a male heir was considered the greatest tragedy in villages heavily influenced by feudalistic thinking. The decreasing respect for Lin Sanshui was mainly due to this reason.
However formidable Lin Sanshui may be, without an heir, what authority does he have to command us?
Lin Sanshui sighed and said, "Xiaofan, tell me. None of these kids want to go now, what should I do? Can't even handle such a small matter. What would Master Lin laugh at me for?"
"Go find Lin Er Egg in your village. He's so strong, why haven't you used him?" The policewoman interjected at this moment.
"I've thought about it, but after what happened to Er Egg, you don’t know how seriously his parents, and Bai Zhenzhu, are keeping him under control. They wouldn't agree to let him get involved in this matter," Lin Sanshui considered carefully.
I thought about it, and sure enough, Lin Er Dan's family must be feeling like they've been bitten by a snake. After ten years of avoiding the well rope, they've finally managed to save Er Dan. Would they still let him participate in this kind of thing?
When I hesitated, Lin San Shui suddenly clenched his teeth and said, "Let's go, I have a way. Let's find Er Dan."
When we arrived at Er Dan's house, Lin San Shui didn't say anything else, just one sentence: "Mr. Liu said he found a way to treat Er Dan's overeating. Now we need Er Dan to come with us to do something."
Er Dan's parents hesitated a bit. Initially, Er Dan's huge appetite was a disaster for this not so wealthy farming family, but because of Pang Zi, it turned into good fortune. Their biggest worry was that Er Dan would eat them out of house and home, but now that Pang Zi was in charge of his diet, and Er Dan was as strong as a bull, they were not so anxious about curing Er Dan's big eater disease.
If Pang Zi could continue to manage Er Dan's eating, and Er Dan's strength remained, this would be a huge blessing, wouldn't it?
Seeing Er Dan's parents hesitating, I thought it might be tricky. I was thinking, if we couldn't find anyone else, could just a few of us manage to lift that coffin? That red coffin was much smaller than the ordinary ones. When I first saw it, I thought it might be a baby in the coffin.
At this moment, Bai Zhenzhu came out leaning against the wall. Bai Zhenzhu had lost weight since Er Dan's accident. Seeing her again after many days, I was amazed. Was this woman really Bai Zhenzhu? Previously nearly 200 pounds, she now looked tall and slender, weighing no more than 140 pounds. The slimmed-down Bai Zhenzhu, though not exceedingly beautiful, was a woman who could be shown off. Compared to her previous image, she was completely different.
"Uncle San Shui, can you really cure Er Dan's overeating problem?" Bai Zhenzhu leaned against the wall and asked.
Lin San Shui had already told a lie, now he had to continue: "Of course, Mr. Liu is competent, don't you worry?"
"If Er Dan's overeating is cured, will he still be so strong?" Bai Zhenzhu asked eagerly, her face flushing slightly as she asked.
"He will, he will definitely be cured. When he eats less, his strength will gradually diminish," Lin San Shui hastily replied.
"Zhenzhu, what's wrong with Er Dan being so strong? Otherwise, who would do the farm work? Mom is thinking of you!" Er Dan's mother said.
Leaning against the wall, Bai Zhenzhu's eyes welled up. "Mom, I know that with Er Dan around, I don't have to work so hard in the fields. But I just can't take it anymore."
After hearing this, the policewoman couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lin San Shui and I also managed to stifle our laughter, the only tired ox is the one that died. Today we had witnessed it - Lin Er Dan was indeed formidable!
And so, we successfully persuaded Er Dan to come with us from his family's house. When Er Dan was with me, he was usually quite bold, because he said I, being a university student, had knowledge and knowledge was power; I was definitely stronger than Xu Lin and the others. We went to the ancestral hall. The so-called small coffin was only small in comparison to other large black lacquered coffins. But Er Dan lifted the peach wood frame and the coffin with one hand and carried it to the threshing ground, saying, "Is this it? Anything else to do?"
Lin San Shui patted the seemingly weak body of Er Dan and envied him. "Er Dan, this physique is really wasted in Lin's family."
After finishing up there, we returned home. During dinner, I told them that tonight we would deal with the red coffin. Just as I said this, my father, for the first time in a long time, put down his bowl enthusiastically and said to me, "We are going to do it tonight? Xiao Fan, go check if they need any help from our family."
"I asked, and Pang Zi said he would ask for my help when it's needed," I replied.
For the first time in a long time, my father's face lit up. He patted his thigh and said, "Xiao Fan, you don't know, before I felt ashamed to participate in anything related to Er Dan. But now, I am determined to go and see what's inside that coffin!"
My father was so excited.
Jiu Liang and I exchanged a glance, and we could see the helplessness in each other's eyes.
I have to find an excuse to stop my father from going tonight, to fulfill Pang Zi's instructions. I thought and thought, but still didn't know how to approach it. If my father were to find out about his own problem, that would be one thing, as he would have the sense to avoid it. The problem now was that he didn't know. If my fifty-year-old father found out that he would turn into a woman in the middle of the night, he, who was so concerned about his reputation, would probably go crazy or even contemplate suicide.
What to do? Jiu Liang and I pondered all afternoon, until dinner was finished, Lin San Shui announced something on the radio: tonight there would be an event at the threshing ground, but not everyone could participate. He called out a list of names. Ninety-nine people were needed for the event: fifty men and forty-nine women.
Lin San Shui would definitely struggle to come up with this money, so I guess Pang Zi would be paying for it. Hearing this announcement made me even more curious about Pang Zi. What kind of person was he to risk his life to perform a ritual, and even pay for it himself?
Strange things must have hidden reasons. I suddenly felt that maybe under Pang Zi's wretched appearance, there was no less secret than under Er Shu's.
Could it be that the so-called Yin-Yang Master means someone strange and uncanny?
When my father heard the announcement, he even put on a new outfit in a good mood, ready to witness the destruction of the red coffin.
I still hadn't found a way to stop him effectively. I needed to stop him without arousing his suspicion, and that was really difficult.
But just as my father was preparing to leave, my mother suddenly emerged from the room and grabbed his sleeve, shaking her head, seemingly trying to stop him from going out.
She held onto his arm, shaking her head, seemingly preventing him from leaving.
My mother had been a very transparent figure in my twenty-plus years of life. She was so quiet that I sometimes thought she was mute, and in my memory, she had never spoken to me. She quietly ate her dinner at the dining table and then returned to her room.
I had gotten used to ignoring her existence.
But this person suddenly appeared at this moment and grabbed my father's arm, trying to stop him from going out.
Her appearance relieved my immediate anxiety, but seeing her holding my father's arm and shaking her head, I suddenly felt a chill all over.
Strange things must have hidden reasons, indeed.
Why did my mother, who usually never left her room after dinner, react so strangely today? I suddenly remembered a sentence my father had said to me.
"Your mother is not foolish, she's smarter than anyone."
Could it be that my mother knew something?! My understanding of my mother, which had been dim for over twenty years, was now collapsing in the face of this eerie scene.