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墨書 Inktalez
The road conditions were not great, and Zhao Wenya shook off her memories as the car swayed.
She felt an odd sensation behind her and turned to see Dong Dong staring intently ahead, his eyes dark and bright.
"Be a good boy, sit tight, and buckle your seatbelt," Zhao Wenya coaxed him.
Dong Dong ignored her, continuing to gaze at the bumpy road while muttering to himself, "Sister said her fingers hurt."
Liu Yuan Kui had many siblings, all of whom were doing quite well. Two years ago, they built the first three-story house in the village.
Living with the elderly matriarch were the eldest brother and his wife; he was the village secretary and often busy with work, leaving the elder sister to keep the old lady company.
By the time they arrived home, night had already fallen.
The eldest couple had just returned from a funeral and were surprised by the visit of Liu Yuan Kui's family of three.
Liu Yuan Kui simply offered an explanation: "Dong Dong was a bit shaken by what happened to his sister, so I brought him back to the old home for a few days."
The elderly lady was in her room, sitting cross-legged on the bed, leaning against a large pearwood trunk. Just before Liu Yuan Kui's family arrived, her eldest son had informed her of Liu Yan's passing.
She instructed Dong Dong to take off his shoes and get on the bed, then tightly grasped her grandson's hand. A look of sorrow began to cloud her aged face.
"What did I tell you? Ignoring the advice of elders leads to trouble. If you had just stayed home that night until eight o'clock, nothing would have happened," she glanced at Zhao Wenya, who felt this remark was directed at her.
"Mom, that's just superstition," Liu Yuan Kui interjected.
"Superstition?" The elderly lady suddenly grew angry and slapped the large trunk behind her. "Your father specifically asked about Finger Bone before he died."
This statement made Liu Yuan Kui's heart skip a beat; he knew well about his father's inquiries regarding Finger Bone.
The Liu Family had a long-standing tradition of predicting fortunes and misfortunes, relying on the accumulated Finger Bone stored in a chest.
After each woman passed away, regardless of her age, a segment from the middle of her index finger would be taken from the Finger Bone.
Liu Yuan Kui stood before the pearwood chest, watching his mother’s hands, marked with age spots, rummaging through the pile of medicinal herbs.
After soaking various herbs and exposing them to the autumn sun for an entire month, remnants of red cinnabar still lingered beneath the old lady's nails, glinting eerily in the moonlight.
Then, using a special tool, she would carefully pierce through to create a small opening about half a centimeter in diameter, meticulously smoothing the edges.
Liu Yuan Kui recalled witnessing this scene as a child: his grandfather slowly filing down the Finger Bone, wood shavings falling softly onto the bluestone slab. A note written by their ancestors would be rolled up and inserted into the hole of the Finger Bone, sealing both ends with wax. At that moment, his grandmother was using beeswax to seal the bottle’s mouth, the flame flickering against her sagging chin, casting dancing shadows.
Finally, they would wrap the Finger Bone in donkey skin.
The donkey skin crackled in the fire pit, and Liu Yuan Kui's fingers unconsciously rubbed against the hem of his clothes.
As a child, he had once asked his grandfather, "Why do we wrap the Finger Bone in donkey skin?"
His grandfather's pipe glowed dimly in the night, "Here, eating donkey meat is said to be akin to eating ghost meat; if you dream of a donkey, it means you've dreamt of a ghost."
Liu Yuan Kui watched as his mother placed the wrapped Finger Bone back into the chest and suddenly recalled the day of Liu Yan's funeral when the white banners in the mourning hall fluttered in the wind, resembling cracks in donkey skin.
He fell silent, knowing that his mother would soon ask him for something—the Finger Bone belonging to Liu Yan.
He remembered that he had called the police at that time; Liu Yan's body had been electrocuted into a charred mass, lying starkly on the rain-soaked street—a shocking sight.
He crouched down as rain mixed with tears flowed into his collar.
Liu Yuan Kui fought against his inner fear and lifted his daughter’s lifeless body.
When the hospital returned the body, Liu Yuan Kui discovered that Liu Yan's middle finger was missing.
A doctor responsible for the autopsy adjusted his glasses and said, "The body arrived without the middle finger. It likely got lost in the chaos; after all, the deceased's body was severely carbonized."
Liu Yuan Kui couldn't bear to listen any longer; his pain was beyond measure.
From that moment on, he carried a heavy burden, unsure of how to explain it to his mother.
Sure enough, the old lady spoke up, "Where is Yan Zi's Finger Bone? Don't tell me you've completely forgotten our Liu Family's customs."
Liu Yuan Kui swallowed hard, about to respond when Dong Dong, who had been quietly nestled in his grandmother's arms, suddenly turned to look at him.
"I know where my sister's Finger Bone is," Dong Dong said.
Zhao Wenya, who had been lost in thought nearby, immediately widened her eyes and scolded her son softly, "Dong Dong, don't say such things!"
"I'm not saying anything wrong! I'm really not!" Dong Dong's childish temper flared up; feeling misunderstood by his mother made him feel very aggrieved.
The old lady hugged Dong Dong from behind, her bony fingers gripping his shoulder like a chicken's claw. "Good child, do you really know where your sister's Finger Bone is?"
Dong Dong nodded through his tears.
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