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墨書 Inktalez
The two Paper Men suddenly came to life.
They tilted their heads, curiously surveying their surroundings.
"Brother, is that you?"
I looked at the two Paper Men with excitement.
"I have so much to say to you."
I couldn't help but feel my eyes welling up, tears streaming down my face.
"Gangzi."
The Paper Man with my brother's name waved at me.
"Brother!"
I called out in excitement.
I reached out my hand, wanting to hug him.
But I was afraid of damaging the Paper Man.
"Gangzi, you and Grandpa must take good care of each other from now on," my brother said with a smile.
"Yes, I will. I will take good care of Grandpa," I nodded vigorously.
"Gangzi, don't cry. Your sister-in-law is here too," he said softly, pointing to the other Paper Man beside him.
"Sister-in-law?"
It seemed that the girl really was my brother's girlfriend.
Grandpa took a pomelo leaf, dipped it in some water, and wiped it over my eyes.
"Gangzi, don't be afraid," my brother comforted me gently.
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage, and opened my eyes.
At that moment, in my vision, the two Paper Men had transformed into the likenesses of my brother and sister-in-law.
"Brother, sister-in-law, what exactly is going on?"
My brother finally recounted the whole story to us.
Back in high school, he did something truly remarkable. At that time, there was a girl in our town who was quite beautiful and also performed well academically. However, her parents favored sons over daughters and had no intention of allowing her to continue her education. Instead, they planned to marry her off to a man in his forties for a bride price, hoping to use that money to find a wife for their son.
Naturally, the girl was unwilling, but her parents came to the school every day, trying to forcefully take her away. She knelt in front of the school building, crying until her voice was hoarse, yet no one intervened. It was my brother who couldn't stand it any longer; he kicked the two elderly people down and shouted at them.
"Have you lost your humanity? This is your own daughter!"
"Don't you fear the consequences of your actions?"
"Get out of here!"
"If you dare come back to this school, I'll make sure you regret it!"
My brother stood in front of the girl, pointing at her parents and scolding them. They were intimidated by him and could only leave in shame. The incident caused quite a stir, even attracting the attention of the city's Education Bureau. Our family had to pay some compensation, and my brother received a reprimand from the entire school. However, the outcome was that all expenses for the girl were waived, allowing her to focus on her studies.
Later on, she got accepted into her dream university, and my brother won her affection. Their love story is quite dramatic. While my brother was in college working part-time jobs, his girlfriend was a campus beauty with many admirers around her. Yet my brother managed to win her over with his charm and sweet words.
Those years were the happiest for both of them. They attended classes during the day and worked part-time together at night. After graduation and once they had settled down, they prepared to get married.
But they never expected to encounter such misfortune.
"My girlfriend is locked up at home by her mother, not allowing us to meet."
"And she said if I don't come up with five hundred thousand, she'll sell my girlfriend off to the mountains as a bride price."
"I had no choice but to sneak her away, but I never expected..."
My brother sighed.
"It's not your fault."
I gently comforted him.
"Gangzi, your brother isn't as fragile as you think."
My sister-in-law walked over and ruffled my hair.
"That night, I was actually planning to elope with your brother by the reservoir."
"But halfway there, your brother suddenly grabbed me and pushed me toward the water."
"I was confused at the time; why would he do that? Did he not like me anymore?"
"Later, your brother shook his head at me, and I understood—he was being controlled by something."
"That's when I noticed a tuft of hair on the back of his head."
"I realized then that someone had put a curse on him."
"Sure enough, your brother turned around and jumped into the reservoir. I grabbed his hand, trying to pull him back up."
"But unexpectedly, his strength was too great; not only did I fail to hold him back, but he dragged me down with him."
"Since I can't swim, your brother held onto me tightly, fearing I would drown."
"But as he struggled more, that tuft of hair grew longer and eventually wrapped around his feet completely."
"We both drowned in the reservoir like that."
As my sister-in-law spoke, her eyes were already red.
"Don't cry; we still have a chance."
My brother reached out and wiped away the tears from her eyes.
"Gangzi, our time is running out; we need to go now."
"You must take good care of yourself from now on, okay?"
My sister-in-law held my hand, looking at me with tenderness.
"Where are you going?" I asked, puzzled.
"They carry too much resentment; they must take revenge," Grandpa sighed.
"But my brother and the others..." I hesitated.
"In the realm of Yin and Yang, they should not continue to exist," Grandpa said softly.
"Gangzi, listen to Grandpa. After we leave, take care of yourselves," my brother said gently.
"Let's go, Gangzi. We'll see your brother and sister-in-law off for the last time," Grandpa glanced at me and spoke quietly.
"Okay." I nodded and followed Grandpa to the Altar.
"Zhou Tian, Liu Li, I send you on your way." Grandpa lit two candles and placed them in front of my brother and sister-in-law.
My brother and sister-in-law bowed to Grandpa.
"Dust to dust, earth to earth; may the living have long lives, and the dead rest in peace."
"Zhou Tian, Liu Li, may you travel well." Grandpa took out two Paper Men and positioned my brother and sister-in-law on top of them.
My brother and sister-in-law waved at me, slowly transforming into the shape of Paper Men.
"Go now." Grandpa chanted a spell and gently tapped my brother and sister-in-law's foreheads.
With a whoosh, the two Paper Men stood upright and quickly ran off into the distance.
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