It is said that people are the chopping board, and I am the fish to be chopped. Whoever has weapons in their hands has the right to speak. Human life is as worthless as a blade of grass, this is something that people in our current era can hardly imagine.

  My grandmother was so scared after hearing that, her trembling hands didnt know where to put them, and she could only hold the chopsticks and whisper to my grandfather: "What if Huzi finds out that Xiao Guozi has been beaten to death? Will we still have a way to live?"

  Grandpa had a few drinks and his face turned red, clearly he was getting hot. He took off his cotton-padded jacket and threw it onto the kang, comforting my grandma: "Dont worry, I and Old Qiaotou and Four Cornered Child threw him into the snowy pit on the back mountain. Tomorrow morning, the wild wolves and dogs will definitely eat him clean. If Hu Zi finds out, hell think this good-for-nothing was eaten by wolves before even making it down the mountain. Besides, theres no evidence, who can he go to? Lets hide the grain tomorrow. Nothing will happen, dont worry. Give me another bowl of rice."

  Looking at grandfathers calmness, my grandmother also felt a lot more at ease in her heart, but she was still afraid, and this precious fine grain couldnt be eaten well. After eating, Grandfather lay down on the kang and fell fast asleep after a day of exhaustion. My grandmother washed the bowls and chopsticks neatly and lay down on the kang, unable to fall asleep. Her mind was all about Hu Zis affairs, what if it was exposed? It wasnt until around 10 oclock at night that she entered a daze-like dreamland.

  But what happened next was even more unexpected for my grandmother.

  In the middle of the night, my grandmother woke up and went to the outhouse in a daze. As soon as she squatted down, she heard faint crying sounds, like many people wailing away. She was startled awake. Who could be crying in the courtyard at this late hour? Just as she pulled up her pants and was about to peek through the window to see what was going on, someone suddenly patted her from behind. The sudden fright made my grandmother forget to shout, and she turned around.

  All I saw was an old woman with a mourning dress and a white cloth on her head, kneeling behind my grandmother. The old woman had a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, and in the dim light of night, her face looked as pale as a sheet of paper. But her lips were red and moist. She grasped my grandmothers skirt and wept, saying: "My grandson is so unfortunate! Dont you see my eldest grandson?"

  Ah!! My grandmother finally screamed out, she broke free from the old womans hand and ran into the inner room, desperately shaking my grandfather awake. My grandfather was sleeping soundly, he scolded: "What are you yelling about? Are you calling for a funeral?" My grandmother hastily told him what she had just seen, my grandfather heard that there were people outside and hurriedly got up to put on his clothes, grabbing the poker from beside the bed and rushing out. But when he shone the kerosene lamp, there was no one in the outer room. My angry grandfather turned around and scolded my grandmother: "Are you sick? Did you sleepwalk?" My grandmother was still shaken, she just shook her head desperately. Seeing that my grandmother was really scared, my grandfather comforted her: "Its okay, you were just dreaming. Dont think nonsense, go back to bed."

  My grandmother was about to speak, when the sound of sobbing came out again. At this time, my grandfathers face turned iron blue, and it was clear that he had also heard it. The two of them looked at each other, but neither of them spoke. My grandfather plucked up his courage and looked out the window. This look was not good, and it really scared my grandparents to death.

  Only in the dark courtyard were twenty or so people kneeling, all dressed in white clothes, wearing mourning attire and pointed white hats. The wailing sounds came from their mouths. After crying for a while, they kowtowed towards the direction of the back mountain, then continued to cry. In the middle of the night, the courtyard suddenly appeared with so many people as if mourning, this scene was simply heart-wrenching to the extreme.

  My grandfather and grandmother are now frightened, they have never seen such a scene! Originally, the ghost story was just a folk rumor, it was peoples pastime after dinner or a trick used by parents to coax their children to sleep. But what I saw with my own eyes today suddenly scared my grandparents out of their wits.

  Fortunately, my grandfather quickly came to his senses and immediately pulled my grandmother into the inner room. He closed all the curtains and lit the candles that had been prepared for the New Year. The faint light made people feel a little safer. Grandfather held the poker and looked at Grandma, who was already crying with fear, but she didnt dare make a sound, hugging the quilt tightly on the kang. For safetys sake, Grandpa didnt dare to go out rashly. He just whispered to Grandma, "Wait till dawn, lets see what happens."

  Fortunately, the crying stopped at around 4 or 5 oclock in the morning. I didnt sleep all night, and my grandfather plucked up his courage to take a peek out of the window, only to see that there was no one in the courtyard! After a while, it started to get light. My grandfather mustered up his courage to go into the courtyard, but found that the gate was tightly closed, as if no one had entered. The big yellow dog in the courtyard was lying stiffly dead, its internal organs removed, and the blood mixed with snow had frozen solid.

  Grandpa returned to the house and said to Grandma on the kang: "Dont go out today, just stay at home honestly. Ill make a trip to Nianzi Mountain."

  "My grandma trembled and asked him: Did we bump into something?"

  Grandpa didnt say a word, at more than 7 oclock he heated up the leftover millet rice from last night and ate some with grandma in a hurry, then carried a bag of highland barley and a jar of self-brewed white wine that was over ten years old out the door.

  The so-called "冲着啥" is a Northeastern dialect, which means offending the gods and spirits. In modern language, its generally referred to as seeing ghosts. The scientific explanation is that some people who suddenly experience hallucinations, illusions, or hearing symptoms often occur after experiencing a strange event or scene. Some places also call this phenomenon "撞邪".

  But the world is vast, and theres nothing strange that doesnt exist. There are many things that we havent experienced personally, and stories passed down through hearsay often have an ambiguous ending. But my grandfather and grandmothers story indirectly affected my entire life - this is a story for another time, let me tell it slowly later.

  Grandma is really scared now. But she also has to work, so when she went out to sweep the snow, she asked Old Qiaos wife and Si Pengzis daughter-in-law if they heard anything last night. However, their answers were all "nothing". Si Pengzis daughter-in-law asked Grandma what was wrong, and Grandma told them everything that happened last night. After hearing this, these old ladies freaked out, one saying it was a ghost, another saying it was a fairy. This made Grandma even more tense. They asked where Grandpa went. Grandma told them that Grandpa got up early to invite someone from Mozi Mountain.

  Boluo Mountain, located in the northwest of Qiqihar City, is a remnant of the Greater Khingan Mountains. The most famous legend about this place is the mysterious Snake Cave Mountain legend. It tells that during the early years of Guangxu, a large snake emerged from a cave at the top of Snake Cave Mountain, stretched its head to drink water in the Yalu River, and its tail was still inside the cave, showing how enormous it was. At that time, Russian people building the Middle East Railway saw this giant snake blocking the railway, causing trains to be unable to pass through. They used cannons to blast it. The snake got angry, splashed stones with its body, killing several people, and then returned to the cave again. Since then, it has never appeared again. However, local villagers regarded the snake as a divine spirit and worshiped it every year.

  It is said that in those years, a capable person named Liu Shuqing appeared at the foot of Gaizi Mountain. Others called him Mr. Liu, and this gentleman was in the business of dealing with the dead. He opened a coffin shop in a village under Snake Cave Mountain, which was the only one within ten miles. The Liu family had a traditional skill that had been passed down through generations, and it was said that their ancestors had picked up a heavenly book in the snake cave of Snake Cave Mountain, so the old Liu family had been able to calculate and predict fortunes for generations. By the time of Mr. Lius generation, he was exceptionally skilled. He specialized in selecting auspicious days for funerals and breaking curses for poor people in nearby villages, and whoever had a red or white happy event would find him to set the date accurately. Moreover, he was also proficient in the art of driving out demons and calming ghosts. This was famous in that area at the time, and even the bandit Hu Zi feared him somewhat. Furthermore, he was willing to help others and often provided free services to poor people in nearby villages to alleviate their worries and difficulties.

  There is a Mr. Liu, but he has only one problem, that is, his temper is very bad. If he doesnt like you, no matter how much you beg him, he wont help you. Moreover, he loves wine extremely, and its basically impossible for him to be happy without wine. Its said that he often gets drunk from daytime to evening, and even when going out to help people look at houses, he always carries a wine gourd with him. Someone saw him drinking alone once, but he set up two wine bowls, and was muttering to himself. Later on, everyone found out that after drinking, he could "communicate with ghosts", so he got another nickname, called "Drunkard Liu". This title doesnt have any derogatory meaning, but rather describes the fact that after getting drunk, he can interact with ghosts.

  My grandfather rushed to the roller mountain this time just to invite Mr. Liu, and it was Mr. Liu who helped find a burial site after my great-grandfather passed away a few years ago. Moreover, he and my grandfather had a good rapport, both loved drinking wine. After several bowls of wine at the dinner table, Mr. Liu saw that my grandfathers capacity for wine was not inferior to his, and they were all generous people, so they called each other brothers. And later, they didnt lose contact, and when it came to festivals, the two families would visit each other.

  My grandfather arrived at the west end of the village and borrowed a donkey cart from Old Bao. He loaded the things onto the cart and hurriedly drove it to Tui Zi Mountain. Due to the previous dirt road and snow, the donkey cart moved very slowly. It took almost half a day to arrive at Mr. Lius home. Mrs. Liu was hanging clothes outside and saw my grandfather driving the cart from afar. She quickly went forward to greet him. Since the two families were familiar with each other, she didnt stand on ceremony and said: "Little Cui, why did you come so early this year? Have you eaten? Come in quickly, wheres your younger sister?"

  Grandfather carried the sorghum and white wine into the house, turned around and urgently said to Mr. Lius wife: "Sister-in-law, save me! Where is my brother?" Mrs. Liu saw that my usually cheerful grandfather was in this state today, and without thinking, she knew something had really happened. So she poured a bowl of tea for my grandfather and asked him to sit down first. When she saw that my uncle had calmed down a bit, she said: "Whats wrong with Little Cui? What happened? You can tell me slowly. That scoundrel brother of yours got drunk again yesterday and is now lying in the back room."