My grandfather hadn't gotten up yet, but upon hearing the village chief's voice, he opened the door and came out, carrying the bag he'd always carried when he went out on business, looking prepared.
The village chief didn't say anything, but pulled my grandfather out.
I followed him.
When we got out, I saw the entire village gathered on the roadside outside my house.
After a long chatter, I finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that several families in the village had lost their poultry the previous night, their blood drained. With Liu Degui's incident happening, everyone thought it was a zombie outbreak.
Someone else suggested that since the female corpse had taken a liking to me, why not marry her? That would resolve everything.
The person speaking was from the Wu family.
Old Dog Wu had sneaked into my house at some point and came out saying, "I just checked, and all the animals in Zhang San's house are fine." It was obvious that Shi'ao Mountain had recognized him as their family. If Zhang Tong wasn't sent to the mountains, no one in the village would be able to escape except his family. Last night, they killed livestock; tonight, they were likely to kill people.
Old Dog Wu's reputation was ruined, but he still had some prestige. With the Wu family's support, everyone was panicking, urging Grandpa to grant the corpse's wish.
I finally understood. They thought that because I had lifted the red veil from the corpse's face yesterday, she had fallen for me.
Only the groom could lift the red veil of a new bride, but that didn't mean she'd fallen for me.
Besides, the corpse was already dead. How could she possibly have fallen for me? Old Dog Wu's nonsense! Forcing me to marry a dead person is an attempt to kill me!
Grandpa's face shifted as he listened to everyone's words. He dragged me into several courtyards. The animals in the pen were indeed dead. Grandpa grabbed a large white goose and parted the feathers on its neck. There were two bloody holes in it, as if it had been s*ck*d by a zombie. There were black footprints at the gate. Grandpa dipped his hand in them, brought them to his nose, sniffed them, frowned, and muttered, "Not a zombie, but a ghost."
The people behind him were accusing me of something, but I heard it clearly.
Grandpa went back to Liu Degui's grave. The grave had been dug up, the coffin open, and only the female corpse remained inside, the hemp ropes binding her to death.
Old Dog Wu followed behind, jokingly saying, "See? The female corpse from Shi'ao Mountain despised Liu Degui, which is why he'd come back to life and killed the village beasts. Only if Zhang Tong complies with the female corpse will Liu Degui rest in peace."
Grandpa jumped into the grave, muttering to himself, "Once the corpse emerges, the soil will fill back, and the coffin will be filled."
I took a look. The coffin was clean, meaning Liu Degui's grave had been dug up from the outside."
Instigated by Wu Laogou, the villagers began to accuse Grandpa of wrongdoing, claiming he'd failed to do his job properly and damaged the village's livestock. And then, at night, Liu Degui would come out and harm them.
When Grandpa didn't say anything, I was furious and ready to retort, but he pulled me back, silencing me.
Grandpa found his footing in the grave, bent down, grasped the woman's hand, and with a single effort, pulled her out. As she landed, her feet touched the ground. Even after Grandpa let go, the body didn't fall back, but stood upright.
The voices of the people around him dimmed as they watched. Grandpa then said, "We, the Zhang family, will take responsibility for this, but Liu Degui's body must be recovered as soon as possible. Also, the livestock's deaths are very strange. I think someone is raising a ghost, sucking their blood and gathering their souls."
Grandpa turned to Wu Laogou and asked meaningfully, "Wu Laoxie, is that right?"
Seeing Grandpa looking at him, Wu Laogou said, somewhat guiltily, "Ghost? Where did this ghost come from?" Zhang San, stop talking nonsense.
Grandpa sneered and said, "No, that's the best. I hope the village is safe tonight." He ignored Wu Laogou and tapped the corpse's forehead with his hand, asking me to take her hand. I was so scared I refused. Grandpa glared at me and told me to hurry.
He usually loved me, but I was also most afraid of him. He glared at me and tremblingly took the corpse's hand.
Her hand was like ice, freezing my fingertips, but it was soft. Seeing me holding the corpse's hand, Grandpa took out a black cloth and covered the red veil. He suddenly withdrew the hand he had tapped on her forehead, scattered a handful of paper money toward the road, and with a sword-like gesture, pointed forward and shouted at me to go.
I took a step, and the corpse followed, her legs jerking, but she was indeed walking.
Wu Laogou was blocking the way. I saw a smug smile in his eyes and glared at him fiercely.
He was jealous of Grandpa. He must be plotting something bad. I walked a few steps with the corpse in my hand before Wu Laogou stepped aside and said sarcastically, "Third Master, goodbye."
Grandpa ignored him.
After we were a little further away, I asked Grandpa, "It's obvious that Wu Laogou did this, so why didn't you say it?"
Grandpa led the way, looking at me gently and saying, "There are some things you don't understand. If it really was Wu Laogou, then this would be much easier. The only thing to worry about is someone else behind this!"
I curled my lips, thinking that Grandpa was the most capable. Wu Laogou couldn't do it, and no one in the village would dare to use such means to harm me.
Grandpa smiled, then turned back, looking worried.
When I got home, my mother was cooking. Hearing the noise, she ran out with a spatula in hand. Seeing me dragging the corpse in, she dropped the spatula and asked in panic, "Grandpa, what are you doing?"
Grandpa didn't answer. He led the corpse into my room and helped her lie down. I hurriedly tried to pull my hand away, but her fingers suddenly closed, clinging tightly to me.
I burst into tears, terrified. Grandpa quickly grasped my shoulders and said to the corpse, "You and Tongtong were both being plotted against. Why bother making things difficult for us? Besides, you've already entered our home, and we're family from now on. There's no need to scare a child."
With that, the corpse's hand actually loosened.
Grandpa breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly led me out, locking the door.
That night, my father and grandfather were talking in the main room. The atmosphere was tense, and they wouldn't let me listen. I went to lie down on Grandpa's bed and fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, I suddenly felt very cold, as if a large block of ice was beside me, and the chill kept coming.
I woke up from the cold and reached out to feel Grandpa's presence. He wasn't in bed. I quickly opened my eyes.
The door was open, letting in a grayish light, illuminating a vague black figure beside the bed.
Who!
I quickly huddled in the corner of the bed and pulled the switch cord at the headboard, igniting the light.
Beside the bed, the corpse of the woman I'd brought back during the day stood stiffly, a black cloth still covering her head.
I called out for Grandpa and scrambled back under the covers, but no one came in after I called several times, seemingly no one was home. The corpse also showed no sign of pouncing on me.
After a while, I discreetly lifted the covers a little. She was standing stiffly, just as before, unmoved.
Over half an hour passed, and after I was sure she wouldn't hurt me, and the covers were becoming unbearable, I finally plucked up the courage to emerge, huddled in the corner, and stared at her.
After staring for so long, I began to feel sleepy again. Just as my eyelids grew heavy, I heard footsteps outside.
The sound was heavy, and each step felt like a powerful effort.
I scrambled to my feet, then retreated back to the corner of the bed, staring nervously at the door.
Grandpa and the others wouldn't walk like that. Besides, there was a foul odor coming from outside, as if something smelly was approaching.