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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 19: The Child Struck by Lightning
What seemed like an ordinary thunderstorm took a tragic turn when news spread that someone had been struck by lightning and died. It was strange; this family had three daughters, and after much difficulty, they finally had a son, only for him to be struck by lightning at the age of five.
This family lived in the countryside, where perspectives and understandings differ greatly from those in the city. It's not that rural people are foolish; they are simply honest. People in big cities have seen more and tend to be cunning and calculating. So, when a child dies in the countryside—especially one struck by lightning—rumors began to circulate.
Some speculated that the child had an unclear origin, perhaps having committed some wrongdoing in a past life, and thus deserved to be struck by lightning in this life. But he was a child born from his parents' deep concern and hopes. He had two older sisters; originally there were three, but the third sister seemed to have fallen ill suddenly and passed away, leading to his birth.
The child's name was Sanzi.
Their surname was also rare; they were known as the Bian family.
Old man Bian Cheng came crying to find Pang.
Pang didn’t dare to respond; he had just gone through an ordeal with the Dark Elf and felt uneasy. He was merely putting on a facade now. Not wanting to engage, he contacted Bian Cheng, who insisted I visit their home.
Qin Jian and I hurried to the Funeral Home, where we found Bian Cheng looking despondent. He had let himself go, with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard, his eyes red as if he had been crying. Most importantly, there was an air of misfortune surrounding him.
When Bian Cheng saw us get out of the car, he didn’t need Pang’s introduction; he approached us with a cigarette in hand. I noticed it was a Hongta Mountain brand. I’m not picky about cigarettes; I just need one when the moment calls for it. Right now, I didn’t want to smoke, so I casually tucked it behind my ear.
“What’s the big deal?” Bian Cheng glanced at the others, hesitating as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. I thought to myself, Damn it, what’s with this pretense?
Qin Jian sensed the situation and calmly said, “Lao Qi, you’re discussing matters we wouldn’t understand. Why don’t you go talk in the living room?”
“Exactly,” Bian Cheng nodded repeatedly, politely addressing me with “Brother Qi.”
I didn’t like such formalities and replied to Bian Cheng, “By age, you’re two circles older than me; just call me Lao Qi.”
“I wouldn’t dare; it’s better if I call you Brother Qi,” Bian Cheng insisted stubbornly. He was too set in his ways for me to argue further. It didn’t matter how he addressed me; I just felt uncomfortable hearing him call me Brother Qi and wasn’t inclined to respond warmly.
We entered the house and took our seats.
Pang and Qin Jian didn’t follow us inside. Peng Hai clumsily brought in tea cups filled with water and awkwardly smiled as he retreated. I had managed to train Peng Hai well; he was now obedient and attentive. Pang praised him endlessly, while Peng Yan also had to tone down his attitude towards this family and take Pang more seriously.
"We've lost San, sigh, he's gone, so let it be! But things at home aren't peaceful. With him gone, I can't help but trouble a few good people to assist me. It's nothing much, just a simple coffin; we have plenty of land, a corner will suffice. The plan is to bury him today without bothering anyone else. However, I didn't expect that the few I invited over for a meal would end up vomiting and having diarrhea."
"Did they eat something unclean?" I asked, not just to make conversation. I've been to rural areas before and seen the water in the drainage channels—bright blue but definitely not clean. Yet the villagers don't care; they wash their vegetables and clothes in those channels.
Bian Cheng replied, "If it were just unclean food, that would be fine. The key issue is that we all ate at the same table, and only our family had problems; the helpers are all fine."
"Is it a personal constitution issue?" I said kindly, not wanting to link their misfortune with the child struck by lightning in their family. I truly didn't want to add another sin to the innocent child's tragic fate.
Bian Cheng shook his head, dismissing my analysis. He sat up straight and said earnestly, "Brother Qi, I won't hide it from you. My child shouldn't have died; it's our wrongdoing that brought this retribution upon him. He died unwillingly and has been causing trouble since then. With things like this happening at home, I dare not bury him without consulting you first."
"Why didn't you come earlier? Let's go now," I suggested.
"That would be best; the child is still inside!"
"Alright, let's take a look." I stood up and walked outside, calling Qin Jian to join us. Bian Cheng rode his motorcycle ahead while Qin Jian and I followed slowly behind. Bian Cheng's home was far out in a mountain village near the western hills.
As Qin Jian put it, had he known the road would be this difficult, he wouldn't have driven here; it would have been better for all three of us to ride on that motorcycle together. The road was narrow enough for only one vehicle at a time. Fortunately, once we reached this area, motorcycles and electric scooters were everywhere; cars were a rare sight.
Perhaps everyone knows this road is hard to navigate and thus avoids coming here!
A straight path extended into the distance, blocked by a mountain that obscured any view of its end. After a bumpy ride, we finally arrived at Bian Cheng's home after two hours. His eldest and second daughters greeted us warmly with tea and chairs.
I noticed Bian Cheng's wife—she was quite voluptuous with broad shoulders and ample hips, especially her large breasts which had become targets of attraction for men. Bian Cheng's wife called me Brother Qi repeatedly, making me feel quite uncomfortable.
I declined the tea and refused to sit idly; instead, I entered the house where I saw a thin willow wood coffin without a lid. Inside lay a child with a pale face. As I looked at him, his eyes rolled back, revealing dull pupils as he gave me an eerie smile with his slightly parted lips exhaling wisps of black mist.
I stepped forward and gently closed Bian San's eyes. Turning to Bian Cheng, I said, "You need to wrap him in a red cloth and bring some rice." Bian Cheng called for his wife to prepare the rice while I took the bundle and recited an incantation three times around the child's mouth before solemnly wrapping it up. I instructed Bian Cheng to add other items that the child liked in life and then take a bowl of rice to pour out at the crossroads outside the village.
I noticed a chain around Bian Cheng's wife's neck with a heart-shaped pendant at its end; it looked quite valuable. As I observed it, Bian Cheng explained, "This belonged to San; his mother thought it was too precious to leave behind so she took it off to wear herself."
Hearing this from Bian Cheng made me smile as I said, "His belongings were his in life and remain his in death. You cannot take them for yourselves. Since you’ve given it to him, it belongs to him now. If you wish for peace in your lives moving forward, you should put this back on him and offer some money as closure; then everything will be well."
At first glance, Bian Cheng's wife seemed furious at my suggestion of taking away her chain but held back her anger. Under Bian Cheng's insistence, she reluctantly removed the chain and shoved it forcefully into her husband's hands.
I placed the chain around Bian San's neck and stuffed the sealing money into his mouth. Bian San's lips closed, and his eyes shut as well. Only then did Bian Cheng let out a sigh of relief.
Bian San was buried in the afternoon. A week later, Bian Cheng came to express his gratitude, and everything seemed fine. As he was leaving, I asked, "Your third sister isn't dead, right?"
Bian Cheng was taken aback and stammered, "Yes, how did you know, Brother Qi?"
"What's meant to be will always find a way; what's not meant to be cannot be forced. What is yours will always be yours; if it isn't, no matter how hard you try to hold on, it will slip away." I directed this at Bian Cheng. I had heard some things from Qin Jian about Bian Cheng abandoning his biological daughter in a desperate attempt to have a son. Now that daughter was being raised by relatives and would soon be starting school. With his son gone, Bian Cheng should have given up by now! Furthermore, his wife could no longer bear children; even with all the pressure in the world, she couldn't produce another child. So I hoped he would come to his senses and bring his daughter home for school.
Bian Cheng wasn't foolish; upon hearing my words, he understood: "Brother Qi, I'll go get her back right away."
"Good."
Bian Cheng handed me a large red envelope with both hands: "Brother Qi, this is what you deserve. I only ask that you don't ignore me in the future."
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