C3

"It's over." There was only one thought in my head. I looked at my uncle and wanted to run away, but my hands and feet were sore and couldn't move at all. His hands were like pincers as they tightly grabbed onto my shoulders.

"Uncle … Uncle …" I called out. But uncle just looked at me fixedly, as if he didn't know me.

I was startled by the sound and broke out in a cold sweat. With the mountain breeze blowing again, his mind became much clearer. I turned around and saw the old village chief standing behind me.

My legs were so weak that they were practically dragged back by the old elder.

In the distance, we could see the village, dark in the night. I don't know why, but I always think of the burial mound on the hill.

When the old village chief saw the village, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He said to me in a low voice, "Today is your foster-grandpa's grand day. The village may not be peaceful. Let's calm down and not run around. Don't speak carelessly about anything you encounter. There are some things, the more you talk about it, the more it will pester you, understand? "

I nodded and said I knew.

I followed the village head into the village. On the way home, the village head told me that my clan uncle had yet to find him. As for Hu Dali, after looking around the village, he went to eat, he had never left the village before.

When I heard this, I began to mutter to myself. I clearly saw Uncle Clan and Hu Dali outside the village. Am I dreaming? Was the black air that my uncle breathed out real or an illusion?

As soon as I thought of that, I heard a rattle. It did come from my body.

My head spun and I almost fell to the ground.

The village chief obviously heard it too. He stopped walking and turned around to glance at me with a strange expression.

I stammered, "The village... Village Head, what's wrong? "

The village chief replied, "It's fine, your laughter just now was similar to your foster-grandpa."

The Village Chief spoke in a very casual tone, but I was even more scared. "I just saw my clan uncle …" I said to the Village Head.

The old village chief glared at me. "Don't talk nonsense."

I was stunned for a moment before I understood what he meant. The understatement he made earlier was all an act. He was acting because he was afraid of getting entangled with something.

The old village chief wouldn't let me speak, so I followed him back nervously. On the way, I laughed two or three more times. Now I understood that the gurgling sound had indeed come from my throat.

The village chief must have heard my voice, but he pretended not to hear me and did not react at all. But I noticed that his face was growing paler.

The old Village Head heaved a sigh of relief after entering my house. The lights were on in the house, and a few of the watchmen were cutting paper money. Although the awning in the middle of the courtyard was quite frightening, it still gave off a bit of a living aura when compared to the outside of the village.

I saw Hu Dali squatting on the ground, holding a big bowl in his hands, eating until it fell apart. I asked Hu Dali: "Didn't Clan Uncle find it?"

Hu Dali swallowed the rice in his mouth and said to me, "I didn't find it. I've searched through all the villages. I opened everything but the coffin. "

He was in a muddle because of his mental handicap, but I was frightened by it. His eyes couldn't help but look at the coffin.

Now, the foster-grandpa was lying on the spirit bed, and had not entered the coffin. This coffin just happened to fit a person …

There are too many unorthodox things happening tonight. I feel more and more that my uncle might really be in the coffin.

Somehow, I got up and walked over to the coffin.

It was a three-inch coffin, painted black, and my hand felt the coolness of it.

Startled, the old village chief grabbed me and asked me what I wanted to do.

I said find uncle. He had searched every inch of the place, and only the coffin was left.

The village chief was so angry that he directly stomped his feet. He scolded me for being stupid, saying that opening a coffin in front of a dead person was too unlucky. If the foster-grandpa were to cause a ruckus, everyone in the courtyard would be at a disadvantage.

The old village chief saw that I was walking around the coffin and was unwilling to give up. He sighed and said, "Child, you are too loyal. Sooner or later, you will suffer a loss here."

I smiled at him in a way that was uglier than crying. "If my foster-grandpa wasn't loyal, I would have died on the side of the road twenty years ago."

It was probably due to this sentence that moved the Village Head. He waved his hand at the others. "You may leave first."

The watchers retreated.

He squatted down to burn two pieces of paper and mumbled something incomprehensible.

Having done this, he stood up and said to me, "On the ninth day of the new year, when you opened the coffin, look at the Soul Lamp. If the lamp is extinguished, it means that the dead do not agree, then you must not open the coffin. Even if your uncle is lying in the coffin, don't move. At that time, even if we can't save him, we'll just be throwing our lives in your face. It's not worth it. "

The Soul Lamp was the oil lamp that was lit in front of the spiritual bed, meaning to light up the soul of the foster-grandpa, so that he would not be unable to find his way home.

I looked at the oil lamp, hesitated for a moment, then nodded my head in agreement.

The old village chief nodded at me and hurriedly left the courtyard.

Now there's only Hu Dali and I in the courtyard. I asked him, "Why don't you go out?"

Hu Dali chuckled: "You're afraid, I'm not afraid."

It was a random statement, but I understood it. He meant that if I opened the coffin in front of the dead, I might be afraid that he would stay and give me courage.

I was a little touched and sighed in my heart. Energetic intelligence is a bit lacking, but very loyal.

I told Hu Dali to stand a little further away, then placed his hand on the coffin lid.

My heart was beating rapidly. After all, I was going to open the coffin. Who knew what kind of strange things would happen? I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and gave it a hard shake.

With a creak, the coffin opened up a crack. Suddenly, there was a whirlwind in the yard and with a crash, the bowl of rice in front of the coffin fell.

Startled, I let go and slammed the lid back on the coffin.

I nervously looked at the Soul Lamp. Luckily, it was still lit.

Hu Dali walked over and asked me: "Is there anyone inside?"

I fearfully wiped off my cold sweat as I shook my head and said, "I didn't see it clearly. I have to see it again."

I muttered in my heart: "foster-grandpa, you were kind when you were alive. Even if you died, you wouldn't harm anyone. I trust you."

Then I lifted the lid. This time the wind was calm, and I put my eyes to the coffin and looked through the crack. It was dark inside, and I couldn't see anything. I could only feel a cold wind coming from the crevices of the coffin.

The cold wind was bone-piercing, making people shiver.

I said to Hu Dali, "Light it up."

Hu Dali agreed and took the Soul Lamp from his. I was startled. "How did you do that?"

Hu Dali scratched his head: "Didn't you want to see the light? Then I'll put it back. "

I shook my head. "Forget it, I've already picked it up. Let's just use it."

The light of the Soul Lamp was originally bright yellow, but as it neared the coffin, it immediately turned green. The flame shrunk to the size of a mung bean, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, and it could be extinguished at any time.

Hu Dali looked at me nervously. "Ninth day, your foster-grandpa doesn't agree."

I was scared and anxious, and my forehead was covered in sweat.

foster-grandpa doesn't agree, what should I do? Give up just like that? If the clan uncle was really in that coffin, then he deserved to die in there?

I heavily stomped my feet and said towards the spirit bed, "foster-grandpa, I was unable to save you after going to Golden Toad Temple. If you're angry, come at me. I don't blame you. This has nothing to do with Uncle, just let him go. "

Then I jerked the lid back.

At the same time, the light of the Soul Lamp flared up to a height of more than a foot. I looked at it from within the firelight. The coffin was empty. There was no one inside.

I was at a loss. "Where is he? It's not in the coffin? "

I looked at the Soul Lamp. It had returned to normal. I closed the lid of the coffin and carried the Soul Lamp back to the spirit bed and placed it beside foster-grandpa's corpse. Then he knelt down and kowtowed three times.

"Sigh …" I heard a long sigh.

My hair stood on end.

When I was young, I did something wrong. foster-grandpa rarely hit me, but he would sigh like this. I still remember the look of disappointment on his face.

Now I heard that familiar sigh again.

I anxiously looked towards foster-grandpa, only to realize that the black paper that was stuck on his face had floated up before slowly falling down and covering his face again.

That feeling... It was as if he had just blown the dark paper up.

I asked Hu Dali in a low voice: "Just now … Is there a wind? " My voice was hoarse with tension.

Hu Dali said with certainty: "I do."

I breathed a sigh of relief. There was a wind.

Who knew that he would immediately explain, "Didn't you see your foster-grandpa's paper blow up? There must be wind. "

Just as he finished his sentence, I heard a thump... Dong … Dong. A loud sound rang out. The voice was right in front of me, within a meter.

I suddenly realized that someone was knocking on the bed board, knocking on the bed board.

When I looked at foster-grandpa who was lying on the ground, all of my hairs immediately stood up.