It meant she hadn’t planned to turn against him, which the deputy director had somewhat appreciated.
He blamed himself for a long time. He felt he couldn’t face Suo Ke. How could he not think of turning the situation around? People might only have done half of something that wasn’t worth mentioning, yet you resent him. Even now, you still haven’t figured things out. This burden constantly pressed him to feel uneasy, otherwise he wouldn’t have stopped that day because of his inner guilt.
In the afternoon, he came to Xiaoshanpu, holding two bottles of liquor, first placing a drink at the tombstones of Suo Ke and Zhu Bei, filling them up. Then he poured a drink for himself. Just like that time when they ate dinner together, there were no special words on Suo Ke’s tombstone except the birth and death dates, while Zhu Bei’s tombstone was inscribed: “Reunited Forever”.
His photo nestled on the tombstone, making people feel sad. Their expressions still showed no particular emotion. If Zhu Bei looked somewhat familiar, then Suo Ke seemed almost like a college model. After finishing the drink, he placed the empty bottle on the ground in front of Suo Ke’s tombstone. Then he drank another one with Zhu Bei.
Jia De refilled the three wine cups: “Zhu Bei, you were listening on the side. I can’t make it up to Suo Ke. Brother, I’ve been restless. I really wasn’t myself. You know I’ve never hurt anyone, my temper is rarely triggered. What can I do? I truly regret it. Zhu Bei, tell me how I can make amends. You all treated me well, but that day you pushed me away, letting me suffer. You think anyone is more qualified to live than me? I’m truly miserable.”
Neither Suo Ke nor Zhu Bei responded. He sat looking at the southern stream. Summer sat between two tombstones, trying to stretch his legs to prop up the tombstones, as if holding onto two brothers’ shoulders.
Okay, now the three brothers are observing the same scenery. Looking far into the misty water.
Wish I could come to the world lightly, body like a feather, inner clarity, pure and without vomiting.
Green grass, towering mountains, this bright and beautiful world.
Jia De gently tapped the tombstone: “Old Zhou was double-crossed yesterday, this news I haven’t confirmed. Actually, whether Old Zhou is truly caught or pitiful, I think he’s a good person. But this isn’t what I’m calculating. Whether you like it or not, everything will eventually be settled. This place you occupy is really good, this cemetery still has second and third phases, the best water location I see is right here. In the future, we three will gather here, and I want to be in the middle.”
The two bottles of liquor weren’t much, barely moistening their throats. Summer sat down, an incredibly blue sky above. He covered his head with both hands, extremely fortunate.
“Tonight I’ll sleep here. Suo Ke will come protect me at night, best if black and white spirits also come. I’ll follow you, arrive at the ghost realm, whatever you want. Zhu Bei will also come, I’ll let you sleep. I really can’t bear your appearance. How can appearance be mentioned? Heaven and earth spirits, Suo Ke’s appearance. Seems wrong, like being caught and used. I’ll ask about Ah Ze later. But even if you’re a ghost, you can’t scare people. Zhu Bei, why do you want me to be a woman? Oh, I know, female ghosts are usually more powerful than male ghosts. You believe you’re male, so are there female ghosts blaming you? Tomorrow I’ll ask Zhang Zhiren to burn paper money for you. You’re so kind-hearted. I’m afraid you’ll be blamed as a ghost. You should follow me, I’ll protect you. People always fear others. How am I still a man? Okay, from now on, you must follow me, don’t run away. Otherwise, I won’t bring liquor for you to drink.”
Liquor filled his stomach, with a gentle breeze, the fragrance of green onions in the courtyard. Clouds danced in the sky, from white to orange-red, then from crimson to deep blue, stretching into the western sky, slowly dimming the world’s light. Summer fell asleep.
The night was deep, the mountain extremely cold, but not harsh. Summer took a cold shower, filling the mountain night with moonlight. A male figure stood in the moonlight. Summer looked up happily, glimpsing a seemingly elderly man – definitely not Suo Ke or Zhu Bei, wearing a black and white cap, this old man’s gaze fixed.
The old man stood motionless in front of the grave, his left hand holding a clay pot and his right hand holding a cloth bag, with a hoe on the ground. This summer, he sat up straight, recognizing the village head.
The village head raised the cloth bag in his hand and said, “This is our clan’s land. Our clan’s tradition should be rooted here, so let him bring it to the ancestral shrine. The clay pot should also be buried.”
The memory of the clan’s history seemed to be gradually recovering, so he had the mood to think about these garlic skins. However, for the village head, this was very important. The village head was standing on the edge of the grave, muttering, “They have an unhappy relationship, and I’m calling for a complete break in their family ties. I’ll tie a white thread and a pair of scissors. Holding one end, the other end is on the grave. I’ll cut the white thread in the middle, which means breaking the family ties. Then the man can remarry, and the woman can remarry. The woman and the village head had a good relationship. She didn’t want to leave. If the village head didn’t want to be with her, he would find another, and she wouldn’t mind.”
He dug out a small grave, and the village head put the cloth bag in the clay pot, carefully placing it in the grave, and then covered it with soil.
The shaman felt uneasy, thinking about the previous problem: “How can we appease?”
“Call the spirits in many ways. We have 81 spirit-calling methods. There are 32 large spirits and 92 small spirits on a person. As long as one spirit is injured or leaves, the person will suffer, and in serious cases, they will die. To cure the illness, we must call the spirits. I’ll only call the village head’s female spirit, calling the mother spirit like this – today is an auspicious day, I’ll call the spirits. Spirit, come back! Beloved spirit, hide in the mountain cave, hide by the river bank, hide in the tree grass, attach to the cattle and horses. Head spirit return to the head, tooth spirit return to the teeth, eye spirit return to the eyes, skin spirit return to the body, foot spirit must not wander. 32 spirits return today, 92 spirits return today! All spirits, today gather, parents will give you the thread. Scatter! Spirits have returned!”
After the village head finished, the shaman was also exhausted, but he did not stand up, holding the hoe, taking a breath, “If you can’t call, only the living can call back, that’s for treating illness.”
The shaman sat cross-legged, like a child sitting. After death, if the family has a heart, they can hire various ritual masters to do some heavy rituals, using transmission to take the deceased to the underworld. No one knows if they can benefit, but the living can find comfort.
The village head said, “The village head has been without a mother since childhood. His mother died early. You haven’t married yet because you haven’t remembered the little girl, right? I haven’t remarried because I haven’t remembered the village head’s mother. When she died, she was young, always thinking of her. She was a theater troupe actress, not a group performer, but a professional, even participating in the national theater performance in Beijing! Her body was very slender, with long hands and long legs, like a fish, like a bird, jumping very beautifully. We wore that costume, red feet, and every time I saw her, I would think of her. Now the village head can comfort her; she should be very proud. This summer, do you think there’s another world after death?”
