Chapter 4

Fortunately, my father was a junior, so it wasn’t considered a taboo, but to have a man kneel before him, how could Old Master Zhou feel at ease?

Zhou Er was already pulling my father, and even Old Lady Zhou had padded over, running up to pull my father and said, "Child, you can't do this."

"Uncle Zhou, my old man says that a man's knees are worth more than gold and should not kneel easily, but I really have no other choice," my father said, wiping away a tear. My mother also wiped her tears, clearly determined to beg Widow Zhou for help today.

"Sigh, I won't interfere, let my eldest daughter-in-law decide," Old Master Zhou sighed, called to Old Lady Zhou, and then the two of them turned and went into the bedroom.

In fact, this was Old Master Zhou helping my father. After all, Widow Zhou had lost her husband, and the Zhou family pitied her. How could they make her do this and that? That would be bullying a widow and her child. To speak to this extent, Old Master Zhou had done his best.

Moreover, the reason for this, besides my father's kneeling, was that he mentioned my deceased grandfather. When my grandfather was young, he and Old Master Zhou were close friends, and the reason for this was that my grandfather had once saved Old Master Zhou.

The village was full of snakes. One time, when Old Master Zhou was working in the fields, my grandfather happened to pass by and saw a moccasin (a type of venomous snake) about to attack him from behind. Generally, venomous snakes don't attack people unless someone steps on them or gets too close to their eggs.

At that moment, my grandfather didn't have time to warn Old Master Zhou, so he swung his hoe down. Old Master Zhou heard the noise, turned around, and saw my grandfather. Following my grandfather's gaze, he looked down and was instantly drenched in cold sweat. The moccasin, cut in half by the hoe, was still writhing on the ground, clearly not dead yet.

People in the mountains remember favors. When my father mentioned this, how could Old Master Zhou not feel embarrassed? So, he was willing to let the whole family take this risk.

Seeing that the old man had given in, Zhou Er didn't oppose it either. He just said, "Old Chen, get up first. Whatever happens, my sister-in-law will decide. Kneeling like this isn't a solution. I'll go out first."

After saying that, Zhou Er also left, leaving our family of three and Widow Zhou in the hall.

Kneeling any longer would have been a burden on Widow Zhou's good fortune. My mother, holding me, stood up and pulled my father, saying, "Old Chen, get up, you can't kneel anymore."

My father got up as instructed, wiping his tears with his sleeve. My mother, on the other hand, was much calmer. She looked at Widow Zhou and said, "Yuehong (Widow Zhou's name), we are both mothers. Look at my son, just over a month old, and he's been tormented like this. As a mother, it feels like my heart is being cut every day."

Mothers share a common bond. When my mother said this, Widow Zhou immediately felt a deep connection and quickly waved her hand, hiccuping, "Eh... Xiuyun... Eh... don't... Eh... say anymore... I actually... Eh... want to help... Eh... but I was just... Eh... too worried... Eh... tonight... Eh... I'll help you... once."

Hearing this, my parents were overjoyed. They didn't understand much about the ritual, but they desperately wanted Widow Zhou to 'perform the ritual' immediately. They believed that any supernatural power required a 'ritual.'

A few minutes later, my mother, holding me, was led into the west wing by Widow Zhou, while my father had to wait outside.

Widow Zhou's ritual had a rule: no men were allowed to enter the west wing. Any questions had to be asked by female relatives. Sometimes, even women were asked to leave after Widow Zhou took a quick look.

This was different from other ritualists.

Thus, my mother finally entered Widow Zhou's overly mysterious west wing.

As soon as she entered, my mother's first reaction was darkness—so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Then came the cold. It was winter, so the room being cold was normal, but this cold was different. It was a chilling cold that affected the mind, making the back of her neck prickle.

"Yuehong, why do I feel so uneasy? It's like something is watching me," my mother, who could only rely on Widow Zhou, clung to the hem of her dress and refused to move from the doorway.

Of course, the main reason was the darkness. My mother couldn't see anything.

"Don't be afraid... Eh... I'll light a lamp..." Widow Zhou said, still hiccuping.

My mother had no choice but to let go of Widow Zhou. Waiting in the oppressive darkness was unbearable, each second feeling like a year. The room made my mother so uncomfortable that she would have turned and left on any other day. She wasn't a brave person.

But for me, my mother was determined. With my father unable to enter, she firmly believed she was my only hope.

Fortunately, Widow Zhou was familiar with the room. After a while, the room finally had some light. Widow Zhou had lit an oil lamp.

The light from the oil lamp was very dim, but it was enough for my mother to see the room's layout. The room had no windows, and the walls were covered with thick black cloth, for reasons unknown.

The room's furnishings were very simple. The original furniture had probably been moved out, leaving only a bed, a table, and two stools.

On the table were some snacks, and on the floor was a brazier with some ashes. My mother knew that this was the result of burning paper money.

Next to the snacks was a withered radish with some incense marks.

The only thing that gave a sense of warmth was the bed, which was neatly made with a simple blue-flowered cover.

At that moment, Widow Zhou was sitting on a stool by the table, beckoning my mother to come over.

My mother took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and walked over, sitting on the only remaining stool opposite Widow Zhou.

"Eh... Xiuyun... Eh... whatever you see... Eh... today... Eh... you can't say... The only thing you can say... Eh... is what I tell you... Remember?"

My mother nodded quickly, afraid to say no. Villagers valued promises, and if not for what happened later, my mother would never have revealed what happened in the room.

Moreover, telling someone about it was a requirement of Widow Zhou, but that's another story.

After my mother agreed, Widow Zhou closed her eyes. My mother didn't know what she was doing and could only wait.

After a while, my mother saw Widow Zhou's expression change. She was smiling, a gentle, feminine smile. However, in the eerie environment and dim light, this smile made my mother's hair stand on end.

What was there to smile about? My mother thought that even if she were given ten egg-laying hens, she wouldn't be able to smile in such a place.

Then, Widow Zhou frowned, her eyes and brows showing surprise. She began to mumble in a strange tone, speaking so fast that my mother couldn't understand a word.

The most bizarre thing was that Widow Zhou kept her eyes closed and her head turned to one side since she started smiling.

My mother, a simple village woman, was already covered in goosebumps. It took a lot of courage for her to sit there and watch this strange scene.

Finally, Widow Zhou stopped mumbling, her expression relaxed. Then, her whole body trembled, and she turned her head, opening her eyes to look at my mother.

The moment she opened her eyes, my mother was stunned. She knew Widow Zhou well, but the person in front of her didn't seem like Widow Zhou.

It was familiar, yet unfamiliar. My mother couldn't explain why.

"Are you here to see what's wrong with your son?" Widow Zhou asked, not hiccuping anymore. Her speech was slow but clear, though the voice was strange. It was clearly Widow Zhou's voice, but it sounded like someone else was speaking.

My mother couldn't describe the feeling. If she had to, it was like someone else was speaking through Widow Zhou's mouth.

Moreover, Widow Zhou already knew she was there to see her son. But my mother didn't dare to question this. To her, anyone with 'powers' was a mysterious person who should be respected. Besides, her son's well-being was the most important. Hearing Widow Zhou's question, my mother quickly nodded.

"Bring your son over, let me take a look," Widow Zhou said in that strange tone.

My mother was relieved and quickly stood up, holding me to Widow Zhou, and unwrapped the swaddling.

At that moment, something strange happened. The moment Widow Zhou's eyes fell on my little face, she screamed, closed her eyes tightly, and shouted, "Take the baby away, take the baby away."

My mother was startled and her heart sank. If Widow Zhou reacted like this, what kind of evil had her son attracted?

But looking at Widow Zhou, who was trembling and pale, my mother didn't dare to hesitate. She quickly took me back to her original seat.

"Yuehong, what's wrong with my child?" my mother asked, worried.

"Take the baby out first, then come back in," Widow Zhou ignored my mother's question and repeatedly asked her to take me out. Then, she walked to the bed, squatted down, and seemed to be looking for something under it.

My mother, both worried and curious, didn't dare to hesitate. She responded and carried me out of the west wing.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw my father pacing in the courtyard, clearly anxious. Seeing my mother, he quickly approached, "Xiuyun, is our son okay?"

"No, I can't explain it now. Take the baby and chat with Zhou Er. Don't stand in the courtyard, you'll freeze the child. I need to go back in," my mother said hurriedly, eager to find out what was happening. She instructed my father and walked back to the west wing.

My father, holding me, wanted to ask more but ultimately said nothing, turned, and found Zhou Er.

Entering the west wing, my mother saw Widow Zhou burning paper money, muttering to herself. It seemed she had gone under the bed to get the paper money.

My mother sat back at the table. This time, Widow Zhou's words were no longer the strange mumbling, so my mother could understand what she was saying.

My mother couldn't remember the exact words, but the meaning was clear.

"I'm offering you some money. Take it and don't come back here. Don't cause trouble. We're all on the same path, and I have it harder..." In short, Widow Zhou kept repeating these words, and my mother felt more and more uneasy.

My mother wasn't stupid. These words were clearly meant for the spirits. How could Widow Zhou and the spirits be on the same path?

More terrifyingly, after Widow Zhou finished speaking, she started mumbling again in a language my mother couldn't understand. As soon as she finished, a gust of wind swept through the room, seventeen or eighteen times before stopping.

My mother had never seen such a scene. The room had thick curtains and no windows. Where did the wind come from?

Tears welled up in my mother's eyes. She was terrified but tried to hold back, determined not to be afraid for her child's sake.

When the wind finally stopped, Widow Zhou sat back on her stool and looked at my mother, saying mysteriously, "Just wait."