“Village Chief Zhao, Village Chief Zhao, something terrible has happened, truly terrible…” Old Bai the Scabby ran up to the door of Village Chief Zhao’s house, shouting.

“Are you trying to wake the dead?” Village Chief Zhao poked his head out, groggy and clearly reluctant. He pushed the window sash with one hand and said, “What is all this commotion so early in the morning?”

Old Bai the Scabby leaned against the doorpost outside Village Chief Zhao’s gate, panting heavily. He must have been exhausted. After taking two deep breaths, he managed to say, “V-Village Chief Zhao, something’s happened?”

“What’s wrong, Scabby?” Village Chief Zhao pulled back the curtain, flung a garment over his shoulder, and looked at the anxious man. Seeing Bai Er’s distress, the Village Chief guessed something bad had occurred: Surely those disruptive educated youth haven't come back to the village again? While buttoning his shirt, he asked, “The educated youth are back?”

“No,” Old Bai the Scabby shouted through the gap in the door. “Someone’s dead!”

Hearing this, Village Chief Zhao slowed his movements; the tension in his nerves eased considerably. “Just one person dead? Why the fuss? I thought the educated youth were back.”

“The body is by the mountain edge near the village entrance,” Old Bai the Scabby gestured vaguely. “The face is horrifying, like a ghost.”

“What?” Village Chief Zhao hastily pulled up his trousers, his shadow moving to the edge of the kang. His hand swept down, retrieving a shoe from the floor. He strained, kicking his foot into the shoe…

“Old man, you’re going out?” the old woman mumbled, turning over in bed.

“Yes? Didn’t you hear Bai Er’s shouting? Something’s happened in the village. I’ll be right back!”

“Wear more clothes; it’s chilly on a cloudy day. Watch out for your rheumatism.”

“I know,” Village Chief Zhao muttered softly as he walked out of the inner room. “That woman, always so nagging.”

With a creak, the door opened, and Village Chief Zhao stepped out. A blast of cold air hit him, making him shudder. He let out another long breath and yawned, clearly sleep-deprived. The sky was a pale, hazy white. He remembered glancing at the grandfather clock in the inner room just before leaving—it was barely past four.

“You’re finally out, Chief. I’ve been waiting ages,” Old Bai the Scabby said anxiously, watching him.

“I know!” Village Chief Zhao took his keys and opened the heavy front door. With a crisp snap, the lock was undone. He pulled hard, and the wooden door scraped across the ground with a screech, leaving a fresh mark on existing scratches before swinging open…

“Who died?” Village Chief Zhao stepped out and yanked the door shut behind him.

“Judging by the build, it looks like Sister-in-law Hu,” Old Bai the Scabby replied.

“Sister-in-law Hu,” Village Chief Zhao repeated. “How did she die?”

“Don’t know?” Old Bai the Scabby shook his head.

“Let’s go look.” Village Chief Zhao quickened his pace.

Old Bai the Scabby nodded and hurried ahead of the Village Chief…

Zhao took only two steps before stopping abruptly, shouting toward his own window, “The main gate isn't locked! I’ll be right back.”

Old Bai the Scabby led Village Chief Zhao toward the mountain edge outside the village, moving swiftly…

“Are we there yet?” Village Chief Zhao asked.

“Almost!” Old Bai the Scabby pointed ahead. “It’s right there.”

Village Chief Zhao followed his gaze and spotted a dark lump lying in the distance.

“Is that it?” the Chief asked.

“Yes, right there,” Old Bai the Scabby confirmed.

Soon, the dark shape of the corpse came fully into Village Chief Zhao’s view. He was startled by the sight. Other than the figure’s overall stature suggesting it was Sister-in-law Hu, nothing else was recognizable. The face, hands, and body were blackened, as if they had crawled out of a bonfire.

“How did you find her?” Village Chief Zhao asked Old Bai the Scabby.

“It rained hard half the night. I was worried about the crops flooding, so I came early to check the drainage ditches. When I got here, I saw the dark shape. It wasn’t light yet, and when I got closer, I realized it was a dead body. I was terrified,” Old Bai the Scabby said, looking at the corpse.

Village Chief Zhao looked up toward Old Bai the Scabby’s fields not far away. “So, how are your fields? Are they flooded?”

“I don’t know,” Old Bai the Scabby said, glancing between the Chief and the corpse. “The moment I saw the body, I ran back to tell you.”

“Oh,” Village Chief Zhao grunted, walking up beside Old Bai the Scabby. “Go on, notify everyone!”

Old Bai the Scabby nodded, gave a brief “Mm,” and ran back toward the village…

Clang, clang, clang. The sound of the village gong could be heard from afar—an urgent summons. Every villager knew that sound meant trouble. The last few times they’d heard it, bandits had attacked. This time, as soon as the gong rang, everyone rushed out quickly.

The mist was beginning to dissipate, and the sky was turning white. Wisps of white clouds appeared in the eastern sky. Before long, a glow of red light shone through the clouds, growing brighter and brighter, reflecting a harsh glare: first pale red, then deep red, then brilliant crimson… The entire east was ablaze. In the blink of an eye, the sun revealed half its face.

Old Bai the Scabby soon returned with the villagers trailing behind him.

“Scabby, what happened?” an older villager asked.

“I thought the bandits were attacking again,” a tall man remarked.

“Someone’s dead,” Old Bai the Scabby whispered.

“Who?” another villager asked.

“You’ll know when we get there,” Old Bai the Scabby replied.

“It’s just one person dead?”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Dragging people out this early.”

…

The crowd murmured, tossing comments back and forth, generally displeased. Within a few minutes, they reached Village Chief Zhao. The moment they saw the corpse, everyone’s eyes went wide.

“Who did this?”

“May they be struck down!”

“This really looks like Sister-in-law Hu?”

“It is her…”

“Kind of looks like her…”

“Absolutely inhuman!”

The crowd began to buzz around the body…

“Hey, hey, hey!” Village Chief Zhao waved his hands, signaling for silence, and shouted, “Stop arguing for a moment, listen to me!”

As soon as the Chief spoke, the crowd gradually quieted down, the background noise fading until silence fell.

“Fellow villagers, please listen to me first!” Seeing that no one was speaking, Village Chief Zhao moved closer to the crowd and said, “I have called everyone here today for just three matters.”

Village Chief Zhao looked at them solemnly, an expression meant to project his authority. He cleared his throat, coughed twice, and continued, “The first matter is to take Sister-in-law Hu’s body back. No matter what, Sister-in-law Hu was a benefactor to this village. You all must remember that when the devils came sweeping through, it was her husband, Da Liu, who notified everyone, and we all escaped death. But Da Liu was killed by the Japanese soldiers. We must remember this bloody fact. Just as we remember the well-digger when we drink the water, we must remember them!” He paused again, clearing his throat. “The second matter,” he continued, “is to find the murderer. We must find this pervert. As for the last matter, it’s a bit difficult!” Village Chief Zhao frowned slightly, speaking slowly, “It concerns the two children Sister-in-law Hu left behind, Xiao Ping and Xiao Hua. What are your thoughts?”

“My family has five children already?”

“Mine has four.”

“My family can barely afford to eat now.”

…

“Alright, alright, alright,” Village Chief Zhao spoke loudly. “Stop arguing! How about this? Everyone go back and think about it!”

“I will raise them,” a voice called out from the crowd.

Everyone turned to see where the voice came from…

“Scabby, you’re something else!”

“Scabby, you’ve got real loyalty!”

“You’re a true man!”

The crowd gathered around, patting Old Bai the Scabby’s shoulders.

“Quiet down,” the Chief made the gesture for silence again, speaking very loudly. “Since no one else has a solution, we will proceed according to Scabby’s offer—he will look after them for now!”

Under the Chief’s direction, the villagers used coarse linen to carry Sister-in-law Hu’s body back into the village.

The body was laid out before the old ancestral hall, which primarily housed the Earth God. Every year on the second day of the second lunar month, the entire village would gather there, offering rich sacrifices, burning incense for blessings, kneeling in sincere prayer, asking the Earth God to ensure good harvests and abundant grain. Since the Earth God governed the surrounding fertile land, the dead must also rest in peace beneath the earth. Thus, Widow Hu’s body was temporarily placed before the Earth Temple. This area was an open space, used not only for normal sacrificial rites but also as the village meeting place and the site for threshing grain after the autumn harvest.

According to the village elders, Sister-in-law Hu had died an unnatural death, and her body must remain before the Earth Temple for a full day. The Earth God, possessing limitless power, would suppress the resentment lingering on her. It was believed that anyone who died violently carried a massive breath of grievance in their mouth. If this evil breath was not suppressed, it could endanger the fragile people nearby, causing disaster to repeat itself. Therefore, the Village Chief agreed to let her remain at the Earth Temple overnight; they would carry her home the next day so as not to affect her surviving family.

After laying down Sister-in-law Hu, Old Immortal Zhang walked three circles around the corpse, muttering indistinctly. At this point, someone nearby brought out a wooden altar table with an incense burner placed upon it. Old Immortal Zhang stopped, walked solemnly to the table, picked up three sticks of incense, bowed deeply three times, and placed the incense in the burner. He then walked into the crowd and whispered a few words into Village Chief Zhao’s ear.

“Villagers, you’ve worked hard,” the Chief said, stepping out from the crowd. “We’ll stop here for today. Be back here tomorrow at six o’clock.”

“We have to come back?”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“See what happens tomorrow!”

The crowd dispersed instantly, walking away while muttering amongst themselves…

The weather turned overcast again; the sun that had briefly appeared was soon swallowed by dark clouds, casting a gloomy pall. As the black clouds rolled in, the wind followed. From the Earth Temple, Old Bai the Scabby hurried to Sister-in-law Hu’s house. Her home was on the eastern side of the village, while the Earth Temple stood in the center. Old Bai the Scabby’s house was in the west.

Old Bai the Scabby reached Sister-in-law Hu’s front door, which was closed. He casually pushed it open and called out, “Girl, Xiao Hua…”

“Who is it?” The window squeaked open, and a seven or eight-year-old girl poked her head out, yawning.

“It’s me, your Uncle Scabby,” Old Bai the Scabby said, not entering, but walking to the window.

“Uncle Scabby, so early?” The little girl knelt at the windowsill, looked back into the room, and called out, “Mom? Mom? Uncle Gouzi is here.”

There was no response from inside. The little girl turned back to the window. “My mom isn’t here; maybe she went to the fields.”

At that moment, the bedding shifted, and a small boy stuck his head out from under the covers…

“Xiao Hua, come here,” Old Bai the Scabby waved toward the boy lying under the quilt.

“I’m not playing with you!” Xiao Hua pulled the quilt over his head.

“Girl, are you hungry?” Old Bai the Scabby gently patted the top of the little girl’s head.

The little girl nodded with an “Mm.” “My mom hasn’t come back yet. But it is about time to cook.” Saying this, the girl hopped off the kang with a thump. She was immediately blocked from view by the edge of the bed platform, clearly busy putting on her shoes. Old Bai the Scabby stepped away from the windowsill, walked directly to the door, and pulled it open, entering the house.

The little girl emerged from the inner room, picked up a bundle of dry firewood from the lean-to shed, brought it back inside, and placed it in the gap beside the stove—a space specifically reserved for firewood. Then, the girl lifted the lid of the large pot and began scrubbing the inside with a brush—hua, hua, hua. She then used the brush to dump the dirty water into the stove pit, next scooping water from the large jar with a gourd ladle into the pot. She covered the pot with the lid…

“Why don’t you like playing with me?” Old Bai the Scabby lifted Xiao Hua’s quilt with his hand.

“I just don’t like it,” Xiao Hua pulled the quilt back over his head.

“Fine, don’t then.” Old Bai the Scabby stood up from the edge of the kang and walked out into the outer room…

“Uncle Scabby, it’s smoky in here. You should sit in the inner room!” The little girl twisted sideways, looking up slightly, before returning to her original position, facing the stove opening. She blew hard into the stove, but the fire wouldn't catch. Smoke billowed outwards, and the little girl was frequently choked by the backdraft, coughing ke, ke, ke.

“Let me do it,” Old Bai the Scabby said, patting the little girl’s shoulder.

“Uncle Scabby, no need, I do this often,” the girl peered out.

“Girl, this isn't right.” Old Bai the Scabby took her hand and immediately pulled her up. He set her aside. “These branches are too thick. How long will it take you to blow them to life like that?” Saying this, Old Bai the Scabby stepped outside to the wood shed. He squatted down, raked his hand along the bottom, and gathered a handful of very fine twigs. He walked back into the outer room, placed the fine kindling at the stove opening, piled the thicker branches on top, and pulled a box of ‘foreign matches’ from his pocket. He struck one against the grinding stone—Chirala—and a small flame flared before his eyes. Old Bai the Scabby held the lit match tilted toward the kindling. Pa, pa, pa, the twigs snapped, and the firewood caught fire…

In a short while, the water in the pot began to rumble—hua, hua, hua—the water boiled. The little girl opened the pot lid. She took a basin filled with pre-mixed cornmeal and approached the large pot. She pinched off a piece of the cornmeal, rolling it between her hands until it formed a ball. The girl opened her hands and threw it out forcefully. With a sharp pa, the ball of cornmeal stuck firmly to the side of the pot, transforming instantly from a sphere into a flat disc. She repeated the action—one, two, three… Soon the entire inner surface of the pot was covered. The little girl sealed the lid tightly and waited until the water in the pot was nearly evaporated before opening it. She scraped the cornmeal cakes stuck to the sides with a spatula. These were the Dabingzi, one side scorched golden brown, the other fragrant and crispy—the Huga bu. The little girl placed the Dabingzi on a drying rack, fished out two salted vegetables from the jar, rinsed them quickly in the gourd ladle, sliced them twice on the vegetable block, and the meal was ready.

“I’m going to the fields to call Mom for dinner,” the little girl said, running out…

“Girl, come back,” Old Bai the Scabby ran out and grabbed her hand.

“Uncle Gouzi, I’m going to find Mom!” The little girl shook off Old Bai the Scabby’s hand.

“Girl, don’t go. Your mother isn’t in the fields,” Old Bai the Scabby said, pulling her hand toward the house.

“You’re lying,” the girl insisted, tugging her hand. “You adults only lie to children.”

“It’s true. Your mother asked me to watch you two,” Old Bai the Scabby said.

“Where is my mom?” the girl asked.

“Your mother has something to attend to today and can’t come back,” Old Bai the Scabby said, looking at the sensible little girl, tears welling in his eyes, which he fiercely suppressed. “Girl, hurry up and eat with your little brother.”

“Little brother, time to eat.” The little girl carried the drying rack into the inner room.

Dabingzi, salted vegetables, and chopsticks were all laid out on the edge of the kang…

Xiao Hua finally crawled out of the bedding. He reached for a smaller Dabingzi and squeezed it hard between his two hands, separating the thick layer of Huga bu from the bread. Xiao Hua bit into the Huga bu, then shoved the scorched, hard Dabingzi into his sister’s hand…

“Uncle Scabby, you eat too!”

Old Bai the Scabby looked at the siblings and shook his head. “Uncle has already eaten.”

“Sister, where is Mom? I miss Mom,” Xiao Hua said.

“Little brother, be good,” the girl said, looking at Xiao Hua. “Uncle said Mom has something to do today and will be back tomorrow.”

“Girl, let me ask you,” Old Bai the Scabby sat down beside her and continued, “If, hypothetically, your mother never comes back, would you be willing to come live with Uncle?”

The little girl looked at Old Bai the Scabby with sharp eyes. She didn’t speak, as if sensing something profound, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks…

Village Chief Zhao sat under the oil lamp, his large eye bags drooping into his mouth. He took a hard pull on his pipe; the tobacco briefly glowed bright before dimming again. He pursed his lips, letting a thick cloud of smoke escape.

“Old man, smoke less,” the old woman said.

“Aren’t I worried?” the Chief replied, jamming the pipe back into his mouth.

“Worried? What good does smoking do?” The old woman rolled her eyes. “Smoke less, or you’ll be coughing so hard you can’t sleep.”

“What do you know, you old woman?” The Chief turned to look at her. “You have a long tongue but short insight.”

“Fine, fine, fine. You know everything,” the old woman continued stitching the sole of a shoe. “I won’t bother managing you.”