As the group was talking, Wei Fuguo, the man who had brought Young Master Liu and his entourage over, suddenly spoke up. “Young Master, I should mention, your friend Tian Guoqiang came looking for you first thing this morning, saying it was urgent!”

Young Master Liu immediately broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this and hastily asked, “Did he say what it was about? Where is he now?”

Wei Fuguo replied, “He’s in the shed. Said he needs to speak with you there!”

Young Master Liu turned, looking anxiously toward Fan Debiao. Fan Debiao nodded once and said, “I’ll go back to the shed with you. I also need to find a vehicle and some men to get this Su Yougui to the hospital!” With that, he quickly arranged matters on the construction site, and together with Young Master Liu, Huang Shitou, and a few assisting workers, they headed back to the work camp area.

Tian Guoqiang was already standing at the entrance to the shed, pacing nervously. The moment he spotted Young Master Liu approaching from a distance, he immediately rushed over, but then his eyes fell upon the blackened corpse, causing his face to instantly drain of color. Young Master Liu, having no idea what emergency had struck his home, hastily pulled Tian Guoqiang aside and demanded an explanation. Tian Guoqiang squeezed his eye at him and mumbled, “Actually, it’s nothing too serious!”

Young Master Liu glared at him with bloodshot eyes and snapped, “Nothing serious? Then why run over here first thing in the morning? Hey, what’s that bicycle? Did you ride that here? Where did you get a bike?”

Back then, a bicycle was an absolute rarity. The few workers who weren't working that day gathered around the bike, touching it here and there, as if they were inspecting a Teletubby. People today don't even look at a Ferrari with such intensity.

Tian Guoqiang chuckled, “That belongs to Captain Fan, hehe!”

Young Master Liu urged him, “Hey, you youngster, you’re still green! Spit it out and make things clear!”

Tian Guoqiang explained, “It’s not our family having trouble; it’s Captain Yang who has an issue. He lent me this bike.”

Young Master Liu wondered aloud, “Why would he need to find me?”

Tian Guoqiang said, “He said he needs you to go back home!” Young Master Liu immediately panicked and cried, “That old dog wants to fight me again?”

Tian Guoqiang hurriedly added, “No, no! He also wrote a letter intended for the site leadership.” With that, he pulled a letter stamped with the Brigade seal from his chest. Young Master Liu took it and saw that it was a request for leave from the construction site leadership, explaining that there was a family matter requiring his presence and that this letter served as certification.

Fan Debiao took the letter to examine it. Unsure of the situation, but sensing the urgency given that Tian Guoqiang had ridden over so early, he told Young Master Liu, “You go back first. I’ll handle the paperwork for the leave when I return tonight. You head home now!” Young Master Liu profusely thanked him and walked toward the dike, pushing the bicycle with Tian Guoqiang.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Tian Guoqiang announced, “Young Master, I’ll give you a ride!” Young Master Liu was filled with envy, his eyes practically glowing. “You can ride a bike now? Truly remarkable, boy!”

As soon as he settled onto the bike, a wave of comfortable emotion brought tears to his eyes. Riding this advanced contraption felt genuinely wonderful; when would he ever own one? Having been up all night, sitting there now gave him a slight, dizzying sensation, almost making him drowsy.

Tian Guoqiang pulled two items from his pocket and handed them to Young Master Liu, turning them over in his hand. Young Master Liu took them and realized they were two salted duck eggs! This was the kind of food usually reserved only for serious illness. His eyes were already turning green with hunger. He took them, not even bothering to fully peel the shell off one, and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing as he asked, “Are these from our Yanzi? Haven’t you eaten one? Take one if you haven’t!”

Tian Guoqiang smiled, “Captain Yang Baosan gave them to me!”

Young Master Liu, mid-swallow, choked violently. “What? He gave them to you… Aiyo, my head is spinning! What exactly is going on at home? You still haven't explained it clearly!”

Tian Guoqiang grinned slyly and said, “Captain Yang is having bad luck. I heard there’s been quite a commotion at his place these past few days!”

Young Master Liu asked curiously, “What kind of commotion?”

Tian Guoqiang lowered his voice, speaking conspiratorially, “I heard… his house is haunted!”

Young Master Liu’s ears perked up. “Haunted? He’s the one who smashed every single mountain god temple and bodhisattva temple within hundreds of miles—a man more formidable than the immortals! What ghost dares bother his house?”

Tian Guoqiang sighed, “Young Master, you haven’t been around, but the whole brigade has felt a creepy gloom these past few days. At night, stepping outside sends chills down your spine! Not even the dogs dare venture out after dark!”

Young Master Liu was stunned. “I’ve been away for a few weeks. Can things at home really get this stirred up? Could it be that I was keeping those evil things in check while I was here?”

Upon returning home, Young Master Liu asked his mother, Wang Chunhua, and indeed, the production brigade had been in an uproar, with many people afraid to go out. Wang Chunhua then added with a smile, “Captain Yang was worried you might hold a grudge, so he brought seven eggs from our house!”

Young Master Liu was delighted. “Seven? Aiyo, that’s quite a lot. It’s a good month if we get to eat three ourselves!”

Wang Chunhua replied, “I’ve boiled them. Your father and I each ate one, and I sent two over to Xiao Yan. I figured you weren’t eating well at the site, so I had Guoqiang bring you three. Don't tell me you ate yourself sick!”

Young Master Liu jolted. “How many?”

Wang Chunhua answered, “Three!”

Young Master Liu roared with anger, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Tian Guoqiang, you little brat, get over here!”

Young Master Liu had worked hard all day yesterday, and seeing that Yang Baosan still hadn’t come to find him, he visited Ma Xiaoyan’s house for a while. Then, after washing his face and feet, he slept deeply, finally getting a solid rest.

He didn't know what time it was when Wang Chunhua came to wake him. Opening his eyes, he saw that the sky was completely dark. “That Captain Yang came by to look for you; he’s been waiting in the main hall for a while!”

Upon hearing this, Young Master Liu quickly pulled on his clothes and went out. Having a cadre wait for him—Young Master Liu truly didn't have the nerve for that!

“Aiyo, Captain Yang, I… I never know when I’m going to fall asleep. Aiya, I really didn't realize you’d arrived so early!” Young Master Liu plastered a smile on his face, feeling a secret surge of satisfaction. He thought to himself, So there’s a time when you actually have to ask me for help! The skills my master taught me are actually proving useful!

Yang Baosan was completely devoid of the fiery revolutionary zeal he had displayed previously. He looked noticeably thinner, and several strands of his hair had turned white. Seeing his state, Young Master Liu was genuinely startled. How severe must this haunting have been to reduce this staunch revolutionary to such a state?

When Yang Baosan saw Young Master Liu, he became emotional, as if greeting a long-lost relative. He grabbed Young Master Liu’s hand and pleaded, “Young Master, you absolutely must help me this time!” Young Master Liu repeatedly said, “Captain, you’re being too polite. A matter concerning the Captain is a matter for all of us team members, isn't it?”

Yang Baosan sat down with him and pulled out a cigarette with a mouthpiece, offering it to Young Master Liu, who accepted and began smoking it with great relish. Yang Baosan, his hand trembling, lit his own cigarette and began, “Young Master, you know I am a Party member!”

Young Master Liu thought internally, Why are you bringing this up now? This isn't a meeting! But he responded aloud, “Yes, you’re the model member of our brigade!”

Yang Baosan cleared his throat a few times, seeming unsure how to proceed, then added, “I didn’t say it was… was… that thing. You mustn't go around talking nonsense outside!” Young Master Liu could only smile wryly; this man was truly something.

Seeing Young Master Liu nod, Yang Baosan continued, “It’s just that my home seems strange these past few days; there are always noises. I sent my wife and children to my relatives’ place. I haven’t dared to stay at home these past two nights. I was hoping you could take a look and see if anything is wrong in the house!”

Young Master Liu adopted an air of complete attention. Yang Baosan adjusted his thoughts and began recounting the strange incident that had occurred over the last few days.

Three days prior was Yang Baosan’s birthday. Given the prevailing circumstances, he couldn't hold a banquet, but due to his status, he couldn’t let it pass unnoticed. He gathered a few sub-team leaders, cooked some meat and eggs at home that evening, and they shared a little wine. Two educated youths lived at his house: one named Wang Aihong, and the other, Zhu Huazhong. Young Master Liu knew both of them; they were masters of flattery, capable of conjuring praise out of thin air and then inflating it into grand adulation. Young Master Liu always thought they would have found their true calling had they become eunuchs in the old days. Now, pandering to a rural captain was frankly a waste of their talent.

Zhu Huazhong, having drunk a little too much, lost all sense of propriety. He started talking about writing an article for the county newspaper to praise Yang Baosan’s revolutionary approach to celebrating the Spring Festival, asserting that the holiday should be spent in labor to be truly meaningful. This excited Yang Baosan to no end; he kept handing Zhu Huazhong eggs from his own bowl. Wang Aihong, who couldn't hold her liquor, got dizzy after only a few cups and announced she was going to the water basin by the door to wash up before sleeping! The educated youths were very particular about hygiene; in the warm weather, the male youths bathed in the various household water basins daily. Yang Baosan was used to it.

So, Wang Aihong took her towel and staggered toward the water basin at the door. Those inside continued to eat heartily; with wine, meat, and eggs, it was a rare feast for cadres. The leader of the Third Team, thoroughly drunk, asked, “Why hasn’t that older woman come out to eat?”

The other sub-team leaders quickly shot him a warning look. Yang Baosan snorted in displeasure. Yang Baosan was notorious for his lack of filial piety; after building a new earthen house, he had kicked his elderly mother out to live in a small, dilapidated shack nearby, and he barely gave her adequate food. Bringing up his mother at this moment was certainly embarrassing Yang Baosan.

As the atmosphere grew awkward, a piercing wail erupted from Wang Aihong by the water basin outside, “Ah… Aiyo…” followed by a splash, sounding like someone struggling for life. This instantly sobered half the group. Yang Baosan’s wife, Liu Yuzhi, nervously grabbed an oil lamp to look, only to hear Wang Aihong scream again, “Ah… Ah… Huazhong! Quick!”

These cries startled the cadres to their feet. Yang Baosan urgently commanded, “Huazhong, hurry and get the flashlight to see! Maybe he ran into a snake!”

Zhu Huazhong was also shaken by Yang Baosan’s shouts and frantically rushed to the back room to find the flashlight. By then, Wang Aihong had climbed back, dripping wet, rolling and tumbling. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, which had slipped down, exposing half his backside.

Liu Yuzhi immediately shone the lamp over him. “Aiyo, did you hit a snake? Let me see if you were bitten!” Under the lamplight, Wang Aihong’s face was completely bloodless. He clutched his chest, sat down hard on the floor, and babbled incoherently, “Aiyo, Mother! Ghosts… ghosts are crying… ghosts are crying!”

Yang Baosan was furious. It was his birthday, and this fellow was screaming about ghosts, bringing such bad luck! He shouted, “Ghosts are crying? What are you wailing about? Speak clearly!”

Wang Aihong steadied himself, came inside, and seeing everyone present made him feel braver. He managed to say, “Aiyo, while I was bathing, I heard a ghost crying… it was terrifying!”

It turned out that as soon as he waded into the middle of the basin to wash, he heard a shriek from the west side of the woods behind Yang Baosan’s house: “Wuwah…” The sound was piercingly mournful, giving Wang Aihong goosebumps all over. He froze mid-water, unmoving. A moment later, a strange cry, “Waaaah,” came from the south side of the woods. This sound chilled Wang Aihong as if he had fallen into an ice hole. He panicked and scrambled back toward the bank. Just as he was about to reach the edge, he suddenly heard a sharp, short burst of laughter: “Hee…” The sound was so high-pitched that it absolutely could not have come from a human. This terrified Wang Aihong so much his legs cramped. He scrambled and crawled onto the bank.

Upon hearing this, Yang Baosan became indignant. “We are drinking wine here, and we didn’t hear a thing… Little Wang, if you educated youths are so superstitious, then we have failed in our usual education! This countryside is full of owls and night cats; how can you be so easily frightened by strange cries?”

As Yang Baosan was lecturing, a sound came unexpectedly from behind the house: “Wuwah…” The cry instantly stunned everyone. Liu Yuzhi, holding the lamp, trembled slightly. She murmured, “Aiyo, how miserably that night cat is crying…” Everyone felt a knot of fear in their stomachs. Although they claimed not to believe in spirits now, those raised in the countryside still held some measure of superstition.

Wang Aihong immediately moved next to Zhu Huazhong and said, “I told you, that’s the sound of…”

Before he could finish, another sound came from behind the house: “Hee… hee…” This laughter was three parts human and seven parts ghostly wail, immediately raising goosebumps across everyone’s skin. The lamp in Liu Yuzhi’s hand shook violently, causing the shadows of the people inside to sway erratically.

As the laughter faded, there was a sudden “Clang!” sound from the east side of the Yang house, startling Yang Baosan so badly that he immediately dove under the dining table. To his surprise, Wang Aihong, equally terrified, also dove under the table, resulting in two heads colliding with a loud “Aiyo!” Just as Liu Yuzhi and the sub-team leaders were about to scream for help, they heard the chickens Yang Baosan kept erupt in frantic clucking, followed by the sound of someone scaling the courtyard wall, and the frantic barking of their own dog.

Yang Baosan’s eyes suddenly flashed fiercely. “Aiyo, you sons of bitches! I knew something was up! Someone is trying to scare us with ghost tricks to steal my chickens!”

With that, he sprang up from under the table. He was now brimming with bravado. Grabbing a shovel, he burst out the door. The others snapped to attention; if they didn’t show their support for the Captain now, when would they? With a shout, they all grabbed whatever handy objects they could and charged out the door. Zhu Huazhong, brandishing a broom, was yelling like a banshee, possessing the fierce spirit of someone determined to recover the Captain’s chickens regardless of any wicked pursuer.

Driven by adrenaline and their loyalty to the Captain, the group ran like the wind. They spotted a figure running ahead and accelerated their pace. Within a few minutes, they intercepted the person. The sub-team leaders, driven by fury, first delivered a round of slaps, followed by a barrage of kicks. After beating him for a while, they dragged the man back to Yang Baosan’s house. Liu Yuzhi held the lamp up and exclaimed, “Aiyo! Isn’t this Lin Anxing from the Fourth Team?” The Fourth Team leader stepped forward and recognized him: “It is indeed Lin Anxing from our own team! And here I was complaining that people from my team aren't well-behaved!” The Fourth Team leader lost face and roared, “How dare you! You’re stealing Captain Yang’s chickens!”

In the rural areas around 1960, very few households kept chickens—partly because policy discouraged it, and partly due to lack of feed. Even relatively well-off families could only afford a few, primarily for eggs. Lin Anxing’s father had been an old Red Army soldier who died of illness a few years prior. Relying on his father’s name, Lin Anxing was lazy and idle, rarely showing up for work. Recently, his hunger had driven him to fixate on Yang Baosan’s chickens, dreaming of having them roasted nightly. Knowing there was a gathering at Yang’s house that night, he planned to sneak into the coop under the cover of the noise and snatch a chicken to cook and eat.

When Yang Baosan learned these few chickens almost disappeared, he was furious. He slapped Lin Anxing several more times, but remembering his father’s reputation, he refrained from using weapons. Yang Baosan pointed directly at his nose and spat, “You, Lin Anxing! You come to steal chickens, and then you imitate ghost cries? Do you take us all for fools?”

Lin Anxing’s mouth was swollen, but he insisted, “Aiya, I wasn’t imitating any ghost cries! In fact, if it weren't for that ghost crying, I would have escaped long ago!”

It turned out that Lin Anxing had snuck into Yang’s courtyard under the cover of darkness, hoping to find a chance to grab a chicken. But then he heard those strange ghost cries coming from several spots behind the house. He immediately grew fearful, especially the laughter, which nearly scared him into wetting himself. Then the commotion inside the house started. Gaining a sliver of courage, he stealthily pulled a hen from the coop. Chickens are blind at night and mostly asleep; as long as there wasn't a great disturbance, they wouldn’t wake up. He carefully climbed the wall, about to jump down, when he heard another sharp laugh, seemingly right by his ear. This time, his legs cramped, and he lost his balance on the wall, tumbling down. The chicken slipped from his grasp, causing the noise that alerted everyone.

Hearing this, Liu Yuzhi became even more unsettled. “So, that young master Liu from the brigade wasn’t just making things up when he talked about ghostly shrieks and terrifying laughter; maybe this is…”

Yang Baosan, agitated, cut her off impatiently. “What do you know, woman? Stop talking nonsense!” Just then, a trembling voice from outside the door said, “Son, you’ve stirred up trouble. That is a malignant sound!”

Everyone turned to see Yang Baosan’s elderly mother. Having heard the great commotion and the two bursts of laughter, the old woman sensed something was amiss and came over, leaning on her walking stick. Yang Baosan was even more displeased, thinking, I’m just trying to have a little drink, and all this happens! He snapped at his mother, “What are you running out here for? You’re old enough; go back to sleep!”

The sub-team leaders, sensing the tense atmosphere, took the opportunity to excuse themselves. The two educated youths, seeing that the family was now dealing with private matters, quickly said they were going to bed. The old mother stood stubbornly at the doorway and declared, “You scold me if you want, but I’ll say what needs saying! I’m not just looking out for you; I need to see my two grandsons too!”

Yang Baosan’s heart skipped a beat. He thought, Thank goodness the boys were sent to the relatives; those two timid children would have been terrified today! Seeing the family preoccupied, Lin Anxing seized the chance to beg for mercy. “Captain Yang, I was just careless for a moment. I swear I won’t do anything like this again!” Yang Baosan waved his hand dismissively. “Get out of here! If it weren’t for the great contributions your father made to the revolution, I’d send you to the police station today!” Lin Anxing thanked him profusely, scrambled to his feet, and scurried away shamefacedly.

Seeing his wife and mother still standing there, Yang Baosan erupted in anger. “Aren’t you two going to bed? Are you wasting kerosene? Why have so many lamps lit!”

The old mother sighed and said, “You drove Mr. Liu away again. If something truly happens, I wonder how you’ll manage!” With that, she leaned on her stick and returned to her dilapidated shack.