The Dead Zone: Maya Stela - C44

I was already beginning to get dry, although when I said that I was not paying attention to the braid. But this kind of waiting is even more headache-inducing, and I’d rather finish it early and leave early.

Then I got a message — it was from Ike. Let me go to Shaanxi and find someone.

In his text message, he specifically wanted me to go alone, but he didn’t know what he was planning. Out of trust for my friends (fart) and obedience to the organization (fart), I still took the bus to Shaanxi for the sake of the ticket that had already been reimbursed.

In the middle of the journey, there were two reversed carriages. Both of them changed beds when they were in the middle of the night. He wondered if they were feeling sleepy when they bought the tickets.

In Shaanxi, there is a very Shaanxi flavor.

When I got off the train station, there was a strong Shaanxi smell.

It’s not the first time I’ve been here in Shaanxi. Those who studied history all knew that this was an ancient city with a long history. One of my most important birthplaces of Great China is here. I am going down to the Xi’an railway station now, and this land is also the common ground of the imperial capital since ancient times. There are seventy-nine known imperial tombs left behind, called the Eastern Pyramid.

I called a taxi and read the address to him. He said with a hearty smile, “Young one, your friend lives in the suburbs?”

My rented master’s surname was Xing, and he was very talkative along the way. He talked nonstop and introduced me to the scenery of Shaanxi Province.

I pulled out a few bills and handed them over, smiling as he told me to call him if I couldn’t get a car. After the car drove away, he frowned at the scene before him.

The house in front of him was huge, and it looked like the people inside were living a good life. It was a garden house with a European style.

I hesitated, then strode forward.

The dog lay on the ground, glanced at me, and then lazily collapsed back, not barking. I gave him a rare look. His body was covered in shiny black fur, while the rest of his feet were covered in mottled yellow hair. Apart from that, there was nothing different about his body; there was a red rope tied around his neck and a wooden signboard hidden within his long fur.

I pressed the old-fashioned doorbell and it was already covered in dust. A voice said, “Little bastard, come in.”

Puppy… The corner of my mouth twitched. This was the tone Shaanxi used to address the younger generation. From the sound of it, it sounded like the voice of an old man, so calling him this was also very amiable.

I pushed open the iron door and went in. He tried to open the door, only to find a concrete wall behind him.

“Hahaha …” A hearty laughter came from above my head. I raised my head and saw that it was indeed an old man with a head full of white hair and a face full of old spots. He was smiling amiably.

Suddenly, something struck me. He stuck his cane out the window and knocked on the windowsill. “It’s over there.” He snorted and withdrew his body.

It was now 9: 25 A.M., and this direction was completely out of the sun’s reach. It was on the other side of the horizon from where the sun had risen.

I was a little scared. Logically speaking, the difference between entering and exiting a building without the opposite direction was only the difference in price. However, for a house with a garden, the direction of the door and the courtyard didn’t match, even intentionally creating a fake door to trick people.

As I walked in, the smell of an old man greeted me. I couldn’t tell what it smelled like, but I knew it must be an old man who lived here.

I looked around the room. There was no window and no light. The shadow of the house made the sunlight disappear from the entrance. A burst of laughter came from upstairs: “Little bastard, come up!”

I scratched my head and went up.

Three sides of the sky were facing the sun, and an old man was sitting in front of a windowless stage. His cane was placed to his right side, and he was holding a cup of tea in his right hand. He took a sip and said, “Oh, you’re here.”

“Hello.” I nodded a little nervously, and he opened his mouth to let me sit down.

“The reason why I came here this time …” I wanted to hand him my phone, but he said, “I know what you’re here for. The thing you want is in the cupboard on the left. ”

I heaved a sigh of relief. The old man smiled and said, “I also know one more thing. Do you want to know?” I cupped my hands and let him speak. Although he didn’t want to know, he was an old man after all, and he still had to respect them.

He smiled as he took another sip of tea. “You’re about to die.”

It took me several seconds to digest the meaning of those short words. I stood up sullenly. “Honorable Elder, the prerequisite is that you can’t be too lecherous.”

“What do you mean? I respect you …” “What are you doing here?” He wasn’t in a hurry. He patted his leg, indicating me to sit back down. “You little bastard, why aren’t you listening to me?” I can’t understand your words! ” I went straight back.

He was not in a hurry and was happily sipping his tea. I abruptly stood up and said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll be leaving first.” Do you know Song Quan Qing? ”

Song Quan Qing? Old Song?

“You are his father?”

“Haha.” The old man raised his head again and laughed loudly, “No no …. “Being his father at my age is a bit too old.” Grandfather? ”

He sipped his tea and said, “You youngsters just like to be impatient …” Sit down, you’re too tall. I can’t see your face. ”

I thought about it and sat back down.

“However, it is not wrong for you to say that he is my son.” The elder turned the teacup in his hand, “I saved him from the stomach of a dead person, so his life is mine. It’s not a problem to say that he is my son.”

“A dead man’s stomach …?”

He closed his eyes and said, “Go deeper into the mountains. There is a family whose surnames are Li. Their son and daughter-in-law are all dead. Only two old men are left, and their grandchildren have already prepared coffins for themselves. Every day at night, I would just sleep in there, thinking that even if I die in the middle of the night, my wife wouldn’t have to make a move in the morning. ”

Sleeping in a coffin?

“I told you.” Smiling, he leaned over and waved me to sit beside him.

At the end of 1947, the year of the founding of New China, at the end of October, He Shaoshan led a man into the mountains from outside, even in front of everyone. He also respectfully called out “Brother Song.”

The person the 20 year old youth called brother was an old man with a head and beard that were completely white. He was very diligent. Every morning, when the others were carrying their hoes and going to work in the fields, this old man had already happily returned.

This old man was old, but his temper was extremely good-natured. He was all smiles and learned when he saw anyone. Sometimes, she would even bring back a bunch of tickets from the outside for He Shaoshan to use as food fees, which made the villagers jealous. That ticket was clean enough when she went out to buy food.

In 1989, She Shaoshan had also aged, and the old man whom he called big brother had long since disappeared. October was the due date for his grandson’s delivery. His daughter-in-law’s delivery day was painful to the point that the sky went dark. After more than ten hours of not seeing any results, he and his wife and son were as anxious as ants on a pan. They were worried about their daughter-in-law who was willing to marry into such a remote village, and even more so about their grandson. Seventy elderly people forcefully opened their mouths to the point that a string of sparks appeared on their lips.

At midnight, her daughter-in-law did not seem well at all. Everyone in the village had already gone to bed, and only the She Family’s lights were still on.

Under the burning lights, the figure of a person carrying a bag appeared on his house’s wall. She Shaoshan raised her head to look and kneeled down as she called out for her brother.

That night, his daughter-in-law died. His son suddenly went crazy and crashed into a wall and died.

His grandson was alive, and he was taken away by Grandpa Qian to see the world, but he never came back.

I drew back the corners of my mouth and thought to myself, This story you’ve told me is not the least bit fascinating.

The old man took a sip of tea and said, “People in the village say that it was because before his grandson was born, his daughter-in-law used too much strength. No one knew that the stomach underneath the white cloth that the daughter-in-law had worn before she was buried had been dug up. The dripping blood is not from the dystocia, but from the stomach. ”

I felt a bit disgusted as he continued to say: “Actually, when that old brother of He Shaoshan arrived, his daughter-in-law was already dead. His brother recognized the dead man at a glance. But the one in the belly is still alive, so he took the child out from the dead woman’s belly and named her “Su Ming”.

The old man looked at me with wide eyes and said, “That’s right …” I am the one who dug him up, Song Quan Qing should have called him Su Qing. ”

“Then you …” “Me?” He smirked and suddenly became quick-witted, his eyebrows almost flying up to the sky, “Are you asking me why I’m still alive? After all, according to this story, I’m already over 90 years old, right? ”

I nodded and looked at him blankly.

“Do you know my name?” His expression returned to kindness. I shook my head. He suddenly opened his mouth and grinned, “You can call me Song Quan Qing, or you can call me Old Song.”

F * ck me.

I was startled because he said he looked like Old Song’s smile. It was really Old Song’s smile. The two of them looked completely different, but the words he said and the expression on his face were the same.

“I am his master, Song Quan Qing, the 34th generation Corpse Mastermind of Shaanxi Province.” he said loudly.

“Your name is the same as your master’s and disciple’s?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “You are very smart. Previously when I went there, it was also because my Master asked me to do it before long, so I saved his grandson and left a foundation for his good friend She’s family. In fact, I’m only forty-seven this year. ”

“But you look like …” I don’t know how to phrase it. He raised his eyebrows and laughed. “You just finished praising your little bastard for being smart and now you’re turning stupid, aren’t you?”

“How old does your friend look, twenty-nine years old?” He sipped his tea and said, “What do you think? To drive a Gu worm for his own use, what right did he have? Why are you stronger than others? The reason was to pay the price. Equivalent exchange, such as accelerating the consumption of physical functions… Right, give me that Gu worm box. ” He waved his hand.

I took out the box. I’ve been carrying this since I knew I was coming to Shaanxi, and now it’s returned to its rightful owner.

“I want you to do me a favor,” he said, stroking the box and looking up at me. I want you to accompany me. Those two old men have never seen their own grandson, so I want you to help him. ”

“…” “Alright.” I hesitated, then agreed.

The old man stood up and said, “Go and bring the items over. We will set off tonight.” “At night?” “Why?” He said, “To be honest, we are used to moving around at night. After all, chasing corpses …” He swallowed the rest of his words. “You’re a big boy, you can’t stay up all night.”

I let out an “oh” and opened the lid to reveal a small box. I didn’t have the mood to open it, so I stuffed it into my backpack.

“Let’s go.” He said, “When we get there, just call me Master, okay?” “Alright.”

The elderly didn’t have computers or internet, but they also had television. I was too embarrassed to take out my cell phone, so I just stayed with him to watch the news broadcast, occasionally listening to him lament a few words.

When the sky gradually darkened, we set off. After a day of starvation, this old man didn’t even need to eat. It was as if he could spend his days drinking tea.

The village was on the hill, but the hill was not close. I followed behind him with a cloth bag on my shoulder. Inside, there was a small cotton bed, it was cut very thin, and also preserved very well. Pure cotton was naturally different, this was the cotton bag that “Song Quan Qing” was born with.