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墨書 Inktalez
Because Hu Ruoyun is still a special contributor to the Story Collection, he often seeks inspiration for his writing from his dormitory classmates, just like Pu Songling did when he wrote Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
Cui Shuiwang, hailing from the land of Bashu, seems to be in even worse financial condition than Hu Ruoyun was before. Every morning, they go to the cafeteria together, and Hu Ruoyun always notices that Cui Shuiwang only has a steamed bun and a bowl of soup, refusing even the cheapest green bean sprouts that cost six cents. Hu Ruoyun offers him some of his own dishes, which Cui Shuiwang accepts but only takes a symbolic bite.
Even the poor have their pride and dignity.
At noon, Cui Shuiwang orders two liang of rice and a serving of either Spicy Tofu or Yellow Bean Sprouts stir-fried noodles. The reason for choosing these two dishes is that they are relatively inexpensive, but perhaps also as a way to comfort his homesickness with Spicy Tofu.
National Day falls on a Friday this year, giving them three days off when combined with Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday evening, with plenty of time left, Jie Bing pulls along the eldest Zhao Jinpu and the second Miao Shujie to play a non-gambling game of Fight the Landlord with playing cards. Meanwhile, Hu Ruoyun asks Cui Shuiwang to share folk tales from their hometown.
Cui Shuiwang leans over from the upper bunk and begins to recount a strange incident that happened to his uncle's childhood friend:
His uncle's friend was a carpenter who, in the late 1980s, was among the first to buy an electric tool set as it became trendy. However, he wasn't skilled at using it and accidentally severed three fingers while trying to operate an electric planer! At that time, rural areas had no motor vehicles at all—let alone motorcycles—and seeing his friend's hand bleeding profusely sent his family into a panic.
A Barefoot Doctor hurriedly grabbed some gauze and bandages to perform a simple dressing on the wound. Neighbors came to help as well, creating a makeshift stretcher to carry the wounded man. A group of over ten people took turns carrying him for more than forty li along mountain roads, which took over two hours.
His uncle said that one arm of his friend was completely soaked in blood by the time they reached the hospital, where he had already lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss. The doctors urgently disinfected and bandaged the wound; back then, there were no microsurgery techniques or finger reattachment methods available, so three fingers were deemed lost.
After blood transfusions and fluid replenishment, although the doctors said he was out of danger, his friend remained unconscious for three consecutive days! His family was frantic, calling out his name at his bedside every day until finally on the fourth day, he slowly regained consciousness.
When he woke up, he seemed utterly exhausted. He recounted having had an incredibly long dream where he wandered around an unfamiliar marketplace. The sun shone brightly but didn’t feel hot; both sides of the street were lined with vendors selling various foods: rice noodle soup, dan dan noodles, tofu pudding, cold noodles, spicy chicken skewers, and sweet glutinous rice cakes. The vendors eagerly urged him to try their food and drink without asking for payment.
Starving and wanting to eat and drink yet feeling guilty for not having any money in his pocket, he also found it strange that all these vendors were people from his village who had passed away years ago… He pondered what this could mean.
After wandering around the marketplace for what felt like ages and nearly collapsing from hunger while reaching for a bowl of dan dan noodles—his chopsticks almost bringing it to his mouth—he suddenly heard someone calling his name. Turning around in response caused everything around him to vanish as if swept away by the wind. In a daze, he found himself awake again.
The elder explained that during those three days, his friend had been "Traveling the Yin Realm." The marketplace he saw was actually a scene from the underworld; had he eaten or drunk anything there, he would never have awakened again—hence the saying "eating food from the underworld makes one a resident of the underworld."
As Cui Shuiwang finished this story, Jie Bing's expression darkened slightly but he said nothing further.
Next, Cui Shuiwang shared another legend that took place in the 1980s. That spring, an Old Madam Li passed away at 73 years old without any illness. Her son Li Zongping was saddened but could only arrange her funeral.
According to village customs, after dressing her in funeral clothes at home for three days of mourning before burial—a task most people find unbearable—Li Zongping managed to keep vigil for two days. On the third day, feeling exhausted and knowing there was much work ahead for tomorrow's burial preparations, he decided to rest early that night. After checking on the mourning hall and finding everything in order, he returned to his room intending to take a break while discussing funeral arrangements with his wife. After confirming there were no oversights, they prepared to sleep.
Just then, they suddenly heard footsteps outside in the yard followed by a loud thud—a sound coming from outside. Li Zongping thought someone had arrived; when he opened the door to check, what he saw sent chills down his spine.
The sound came from their kitchen, where a figure stood by the stove. He recognized that silhouette all too well; it was his mother, who had passed away two days ago.
As he reached the kitchen door, the word "Mother" almost escaped his lips but he swallowed it back, unable to step forward. He stood frozen for a long moment until his mother broke the eerie silence: "Zongping, I'm back! I'm hungry; quickly, get me something to eat."
His wife hurriedly heated up a few steamed buns and prepared a couple of dishes. Li Zongping noticed that after eating several buns, his mother’s breath became steady and her complexion rosy. It seemed she truly had come back to life. After finishing a large bowl of meat, she appeared almost fully restored and began recounting her bizarre experiences over the past two days.
It turned out that after her death, she fell into an endless darkness, as if she had lost consciousness while sleeping. When she regained awareness, she found herself shackled by iron chains, following a tall, thin figure whose face she could not see. It felt as though her mind was being controlled; she could only follow him in a daze through thick fog where nothing was visible. They walked for what felt like an eternity.
Eventually, amidst the fog, an Ox Cart gradually came into view. As they approached, she saw several people being pulled along on that cart, and before she knew it, she was placed onto the same Ox Cart by that shadowy figure.
Strangely enough, one of the people on the cart was someone she recognized—Old Song from the neighboring village. Once she sat down, the Ox Cart creaked and slowly moved through the mist in eerie silence. There seemed to be a faint glow in the fog, barely perceptible. At that moment, Li Zongping's mother realized that she had indeed died and was now walking along the road to the underworld.
After a long journey, the two tall shadows suddenly stopped. They murmured among themselves until one exclaimed: "Oh no, we've got the wrong person."
The other quickly replied: "Hurry and send her back! Otherwise, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we return."
Before Li Zongping's mother could grasp what they meant, one of them grabbed her shoulder and roughly pushed her off the cart. She felt herself being flung far away as they ignored her and gradually disappeared into the mist with the Ox Cart.
Just as she was left bewildered, a wave of dizziness hit her; it felt as if her body were being sucked into a whirlpool. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back home, lying on a wooden board dressed in funeral garments. Upon seeing her memorial tablet before her, everything clicked into place.
Li Zongping observed his mother closely and wondered whether her near-death experience had changed her personality or if something else was at play; she seemed different from before.
After hearing what the old lady had to say, he exchanged glances with his wife; they both felt this matter was too surreal to believe yet here was his mother alive and well before them.
Noticing their confusion about her extraordinary experience, his mother remarked playfully: "What? Isn’t it good that I’m alive again?" Upon hearing this, they quickly waved their hands in denial and hurriedly changed her out of the funeral garments while dismantling the mourning hall overnight to spare her any discomfort.
However, after everything she'd been through, his mother seemed remarkably open-minded about it all and even joked that the funeral clothes looked quite nice on her.
Behind the curtain, Hu Ruoyun and an animated Cui Shuigen did not notice Jie Bing's expression.
Just then, Jie Bing slammed down a tablet in frustration: "Enough with this nonsense! Stop talking about ghosts; it's ruining my mood!" Her expression and actions left no doubt that she wasn't joking at all.
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