In 1995, 108 days after the winter solstice, it was Tomb-sweeping Day.
Duanjia Village, a small village nestled in the mountains along the Xiang-Quan boundary. Isolated from the outside world, it adheres to tradition and has a simple folkway. During this festive season, the atmosphere here is even more solemn than the rest of the world. However, in the midst of this lively Tomb-sweeping Day, a terrifying and bizarre incident occurred in this village.
In Duanjia Village, a family of three resided: the husband named Duan Lang, the wife named Mu Jiu, and their seven-year-old son named Duan Mu. The horrifying incident happened in their home.
In fact, they had been acting abnormally since the eve of Tomb-sweeping Day.
Throughout the village, households were burning paper money and hanging lanterns, but this family did not hang lanterns, nor did they burn incense and paper money. So what were they doing?
They were standing guard in front of the old master's room, completely focused on the calm figure lying on the master's bed, who was as thin as a stick.
Those unaware might be puzzled, not understanding the situation inside the house. But if the truth were known, it would be chilling.
Because the figure lying on the bed was no ordinary person.
In reality, the old master had already passed away seven days ago and had been buried.
At that time, the family shed many tears and were reluctant to see the old master go. Finally, they personally buried the old master's coffin in the earth.
For the past seven days, the old master's room had been closed because of his recent passing. But today, on Tomb-sweeping Day, the family remembered that incense and candles were still left in the old master's room. When they opened the door, to their astonishment, they saw the figure of the old master, who had clearly been laid to rest, lying on the bed at home.
This sight left the family dumbfounded, paralyzed in front of the door.
Amidst the drizzling rain of the Tomb-sweeping season, raindrops were rattling against the windows. It took a long time before the three of them suddenly came to their senses.
"Father, what's happening with our grandfather? Why won't he rest peacefully even after death?" Mu Jiu, startled, was already unconsciously choking up, with young Duan Mu holding onto her hand, his face pale.
Duan Lang had no time to answer Mu Jiu's question, as he too was trembling all over, though his voice remained somewhat composed. "Father, what are you trying to do? You've already passed away, so why are you causing trouble and coming back? If you have any unfulfilled wishes, you could simply appear in a dream, why come back on your own?"
This old master was actually very kind-hearted, especially towards his family, particularly fond of his well-behaved grandson, Duan Mu, always wanting to hold him in his arms. Moreover, the old master was very kind to the villagers and never held any grudges in the village.
However, the old master did not have a long life. Seven days ago, despite being perfectly fine, he suddenly started to talk nonsense at noon, saying that Duanjia Village was no longer inhabitable and urging the couple to quickly pack up and leave with their child.
Hearing this, the family thought the old master was just being muddled and did not take it seriously. But who would have thought that after muttering for a while, the old master's head tilted, foam came out of his mouth, and he unexpectedly passed away. The old master's haphazard death caught the family unprepared, and they were saddened for several days. However, with the old master's burial, everything seemed to have been settled. Yet today, on the old master's seventh day, this kind-hearted old master, throughout his life, would actually be so restless?
After all, they were family, so even though they were terrified, Duan Lang eventually trembled his way to the old master's bed and called out "Father," while reaching out to touch the old master's corpse.
The old man's body had stiffened and would not move. Duan Lang knelt down in front of the bed, his voice hoarse: "Dad, you've been a good person for half your life, enduring a lifetime of suffering. Why did you have to suffer in death? This will scare your grandson and daughter-in-law. I'm kneeling for you, isn't that enough?"
Hearing Duan Lang's words, Mu Jiu, trembling, walked into the room and knelt in front of the old man's bed, calling out "Dad" and "Grandpa".
They knelt like this for the entire night, not daring to move, afraid of any sudden changes in the old man's body.
Strangely, the old man's body showed no reaction throughout the night.
As morning began to break, it was officially Qingming Festival. The villagers would wake up especially early today to prepare to pay their respects to their ancestors by going up the mountain. Some graves were far away, so they had to leave early. At this moment, the village was already filled with the sound of dogs barking, and people were beginning to move around.
In the old man's room, Mu Jiu touched Duan Lang's arm and said, "Child's father, it's getting bright out. Go find some people from the village, let's send our father on his way."
"Alright, I'm going. I'll go now," Duan Lang said, kneeling before the old man's body once again. "Dad, I'm going to find someone to send you on your way. Don't worry. Let's go peacefully, and don't cause any more trouble. Please, dad, just wait. I'll be back soon."
Not long after, as the day fully dawned, a group of villagers arrived at their house with puzzled expressions. When they saw the old man's body, they were stunned. They found it hard to believe. Because when the old man was alive, he was so kind, and even the evildoers in the village did not stir trouble after death. So why was this kind old man causing trouble now?
Some even began to curse loudly, "This damned old man was a good person when he was alive, so why is he causing trouble in death, and not to others, but to his own children and grandchildren?"
Without extra words, the villagers brought a door panel and placed it on two chairs, covering it with a quilt, preparing to use it as a makeshift coffin to take the old man up the mountain. After breakfast, they were ready to set off. However, the body of the old man, which had been motionless all night, showed a new change.
The old man's body couldn't be lifted.
Typically, when a village has a funeral, the coffin bearers must be strong men. Because there is a saying that the coffin must not touch the ground from the time it is lifted until it is buried, as it would bring bad luck.
Now, four strong men firmly grabbed the old man's hands and feet, exerting all their strength, but the old man remained motionless on the bed.
Seeing this, the onlookers also felt a chill running down their spines. Something was not right with the body. Duan Lang panicked and knelt in front of the old man's bed once again, pleading, "Dad, what's happening? Didn't we agree that you will go peacefully?"
However, despite the pleas and the effort of the bearers, the old man's body remained unmoved. The bearers were in a panic, and eventually, they let go. The villagers knew that a troublesome corpse must not be touched casually, as it would bring misfortune or even cost someone their life.
But what was the matter with this body?
At this point, an old man appeared in the crowd, knowledgeable and experienced. When he saw the old man's body, he shook his head and sighed, "I always saw the old man as kind-hearted. He wouldn't cause trouble for no reason after death. Perhaps he truly had something in his heart that he couldn't let go of. If we don't take care of this matter, the old man won't leave this room today."
After saying this, the old man asked Duan Lang, "Think carefully, what else did the old man have on his mind?"
Duan Lang replied hesitantly, "My dad never had a good life, yet he was content and without desire. I never heard of anything he couldn't let go of. The only thing he might not have let go of is the words he didn't finish saying before he died."
"Right," Duan Lang suddenly recalled, and hurriedly ran into another room. After a while, he returned holding an old almanac.
He flipped through the almanac and said, "My dad was in a hurry when he died. He spat and then passed away without saying a word, but he kept pointing at this old almanac."
Although everyone in the village knew about the old man's death, what Duan Lang mentioned that day was not widely known. People listened with surprise, and eagerly looked at the old almanac in Duan Lang's hand.
"Let me see that," said the old man, taking the almanac and began flipping through it. In full view of everyone, the old man's face gradually turned grim. Suddenly, he stopped, and the almanac opened to a few pages.
The old man turned to the specific pages and pointed with his finger. On those pages, some words were circled in pen. Together, they read: village, us, flee, hardship, have.
These completely disordered words puzzled everyone. The old man prompted, "Try to rearrange the order of the words and see what you get."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into contemplation. Suddenly, as if a cold wind had blown through, the faces of all the people inside the room turned ashen white. Someone whispered, "Our village is in trouble, should we flee?"
And just as these words were being uttered, there was a loud bang, and the old man's corpse next to them actually sat up straight from the bed.
"Feigned death." A scream erupted in the room, and everyone dashed out of the house desperately.
Inside the house, only the Duan family of three remained. It was not that they didn't run, but all three were trembling so much that they couldn't move.
In fact, only familiar people can make one feel fearful about dead persons, and the more familiar they are, the more fearful. Who could be more familiar than a family of three? So, this time, they were truly scared stiff.
And at that moment, faintly but surely, the three felt that not only did the old man's body sit up, it had even stood up and was moving.
Because, the room was filled with the terrifying sound of footsteps. Suddenly, the old gentleman appeared before the three, with a pair of dead eyes that seemed like bronze bells, and a ghastly pale face covered with patches of decay.
However, the old gentleman did not lunge at them, but instead stretched out his hands and gestured in the air non-stop, as if trying to say something.
"Dad, what do you want to say?" Muju trembled in fear.
The old man's hand continued to gesture, and as Duan Lang heard the voice, he opened his eyes and saw that the old man was not lunging at them but was only gesturing constantly. He also asked, "Dad, what do you want to say?"
But the old man continued to gesture.
And at the moment when the old man continued to gesture, what the couple did not notice was that their seven-year-old son, Duan Mu, began to glow in his eyes, and actually started gesturing along with the old man. Suddenly he uttered a strange sentence.
"Ten years of calamity, five ghosts weep, graves open everywhere, people’s hearts broken."
When Duan Mu finished speaking this sentence, the couple suddenly let out a scream. Because, two lines of blood and tears actually flowed from the old man's face.
At this moment, the old man's hand stopped, he stiffened, and fell down completely like a plank. After a loud thud, he finally died.
Seeing this scene, the couple was completely stunned, and after a while, their attention was turned to Duan Mu: "Xiaomu, what were you just saying?"
Seven-year-old Duan Mu continued to look at his grandfather with a dazed look and replied, "Grandpa was writing just now."
"Writing?" The couple were not very educated, but their son was already in primary school and had learned quite a few characters from his grandfather since childhood.
Duan Mu ignored his parents and continued to stare at his grandfather's corpse, murmuring over and over, "Ten years of calamity, five ghosts weep, graves open everywhere. Ten years of calamity, five ghosts weep, graves open everywhere. Ten years..."