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墨書 Inktalez
I quietly approached the window and looked outside, only to see a creature with the head of a goat and the body of a man entering my yard. The Flower Goat was tall, with two deep scars on its neck.
Grandma wore a broad smile as she invited the Flower Goat to sit down for a meal. The Flower Goat took a seat on the stool, its eyes darting around as if assessing the people in the yard. It spoke, "Lin Lao Ba, you are not being fair; you are too greedy."
Grandma poured wine for the Flower Goat, her face still beaming with smiles. "Yang Ye, it’s all my fault. I apologize to you. Please, have mercy and spare my whole family."
The Flower Goat glanced at the wine in its cup, squinting as it said, "Lin Lao Ba, is this cup of wine your way of making amends? You really don’t take me, the Flower Goat, seriously!"
With that, the Flower Goat smashed the wine cup on the ground. Seeing that the Flower Goat was about to get angry, Grandma quickly pulled out some silver ornaments from her pocket and presented them to the Flower Goat. "Yang Ye, I return these silver ornaments to you. Please spare my family."
The Flower Goat snorted coldly, not even looking at the silver ornaments. It replied irritably, "Lin Lao Ba, I won’t make things difficult for you. Just build me a temple and offer incense for a hundred years, and I won’t pursue this matter any further."
Grandma was stunned for a few seconds, anger flashing in her eyes as she said, "You’re not even a deity! How can you expect my family to worship you for a hundred years? That’s too much!"
No sooner had Grandma finished speaking than the Flower Goat suddenly let out a sinister laugh. It said ominously, "If you won’t build me a temple, then I want your life."
As soon as those words left its mouth, Grandma sprang up suddenly, stuffing the silver ornaments into her pocket before shouting towards the storage room, "Wen He, act quickly!"
Aunt rushed out from the storage room with a kitchen knife in hand, running while shouting, "I’ll chop you up, Yang Jing!"
Grandma overturned the table and grabbed an axe from the ground to strike at the Flower Goat. The Flower Goat remained seated on the stool without even attempting to dodge.
Aunt ran behind the Flower Goat and swung her knife at its neck. With a sharp "crack," the Flower Goat's head fell to the ground.
Aunt held up the severed head triumphantly and laughed, "Mom! Dad! I’ve killed the Flower Goat!"
But just as Aunt finished speaking, I heard a loud thud; a body collapsed on the ground—clearly Grandma's body—while Aunt shockingly held Grandma's head in her hands.
The Flower Goat sat on its stool laughing sinisterly.
Aunt was so frightened that she collapsed onto the ground in shock.
Grandfather shielded Aunt behind him and shouted at the Flower Goat, "Don't come any closer."
The Flower Goat seemed not to hear Grandfather's words and continued advancing toward Aunt. Being half-goat and half-man made it already terrifying; now its goat head looked even more grotesque as it roared at Grandfather, "If it weren't for you, I would never have been reincarnated as a goat in this life."
As soon as those words were spoken, it lunged at Grandfather and Aunt.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of bells ringing—not far away—just outside the door.
Hearing the sound of the bell, the Flower Goat immediately panicked and ran out of the yard, crashing into our storage room. After the Flower Goat escaped, a person entered our yard—it was the filthy old woman who had come that day.
Seeing the dirty old woman, Grandfather was so excited that his hands trembled. He took a silver ornament from Grandma's pocket and stuffed it into the old woman's hands, saying, "Fairy, please take this silver ornament. We won't take on the task of collecting the dead."
The filthy old woman accepted the silver ornament and sighed, saying, "Old man, I am not a fairy; I am just a beggar. This Yang Jing is indeed powerful; it will come knocking at your door."
Grandfather was stunned for a few seconds and then knelt before the filthy old woman, pleading, "Fairy, please think of a way to drive away that Yang Jing so we can live in peace."
The old woman showed a troubled expression and hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "Old man, as the saying goes, 'spending money can avert disaster.'"
Grandfather asked again, "How much do we need to spend?"
The filthy old woman held up five fingers and said, "Three days later, place this money at your door, and naturally, some celestial beings will come to collect it. Then that Yang Jing won't dare to come around. When the celestial beings come to collect the money, you must not peek."
After saying this, the filthy old woman walked out of the yard without looking back. Grandfather collapsed onto the ground, crying as he said, "What a calamity! All my savings for half a lifetime have to be taken out."
Aunt moved closer to Grandfather and cried, "Dad, forget about the money; our lives are more important."
Grandfather nodded as if resigned to his fate. "It can only be this way." He then said, "Wen He, your mother died under unnatural circumstances and cannot be buried in the ancestral grave. Quickly go to the storage room and get some white cloth to wrap your mother's body for cremation."
Aunt hurriedly got up and went to the storage room to retrieve white cloth to wrap Grandma's body. The ground was covered in blood, and the air was thick with a metallic scent.
Grandfather threw a torch onto the dry wood, which immediately ignited and began burning Grandma's body. I saw Grandma's body move as if struggling.
The fire crackled loudly.
I said, "Grandfather, look! The white cloth is moving."
Grandfather patted my head and said, "You are mistaken; your grandmother is already dead."
It wasn't until early the next morning that the fire finally extinguished. After burning all night long, only a few bones remained of Grandma's body. Aunt picked up Grandma's bones and placed them on the white cloth. She then used a hammer to crush the remaining bones before finally putting them into a jar.
Grandfather sold all the valuable items in the house and even dug up a wooden box from the yard. Inside the box were gold and silver jewelry, along with some cash.
With red-rimmed eyes, Grandfather said, "Wen He, our family has saved these treasures over generations, and they were meant to be passed down to you. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to part with them to avert disaster."
Aunt replied, "Dad, as long as we can send that Yang Jing away, it doesn't matter how much it costs."
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Grandfather placed all the valuables at the door and turned off all the lights in the house, waiting for the celestial beings to collect the offerings.
I heard some noise outside in the yard and wanted to take a look, but Grandfather pulled me back, forbidding me from looking out.
The next morning, Grandfather hurried to the door only to find that the money and valuables had vanished. A bell appeared on the door, exactly like the dirty old bell that hung from the old woman.
Grandfather knelt on the ground and bowed several times toward the bell, murmuring, "The fairy has manifested, the fairy has manifested."
Uncle Li passed by and laughed, saying, "Old man, why are you bowing to a sheep bell?"
"Sheep bell?" Grandfather replied.
Uncle Li explained with a chuckle, "My brother raises sheep and hangs bells around their necks to prevent them from getting lost. I can't be mistaken."
Grandfather was stunned for a few seconds before responding, "This is not a sheep bell. You have long hair but short knowledge; just go on your way."
Uncle Li's smile froze on his face; he muttered a few words under his breath before leaving.
After Uncle Li departed, Grandfather took another careful look at the bell and said, "Fairy, please do not hold it against me."
From that day on, Grandfather would pray to the bell every day, and Yang Jing never appeared in our home again.
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