Chapter Twenty-Three: Ghost Grass

"Erjun!" My father's face was etched with anxiety as he hurried after him out into the yard.

Aunt Hui's face was stricken as well, her eyes red, her expression a tangle of distress and uncertainty.

"Father, what are you trying to do? You refuse to explain yourself, and when Granny Li comes to help, you insist on driving her away. Don't you realize that Erjun believes you killed his father? If he runs out and says anything, even if you want to explain, no one will believe you!"

She was so agitated she could only stomp her feet, utterly at a loss. My heart twisted painfully; I could see her inner torment written all over her face.

Aunt Hui had begun to suspect Liu the Undertaker too. Even if she didn't, his silence and his insistence on chasing away those who came to help only invited more suspicion. Everyone would think he was guilty—that he wanted to drive away anyone who might meddle.

"Grandfather... You were the one who oversaw Old Man Zhou's burial. You said that as long as he didn't return home before the seventh day, there would be no haunting."

"But Erjun and I found Old Man Zhou in the old house behind ours. The bloody bowl from his murder was there, too."

"There were even six bowls laid out—meant for the village chief's family."

"Did you know anything about this?"

"And in your room, Erjun and I found a silver bowl. If you were returning the deceased's belongings, how could you leave behind something so important?"

"Besides, the village chief's father had already become an evil spirit, yet you still delivered those things. Erjun told me similar stories—it's a ritual to feed ghosts, to make them fiercer, more malevolent."

All my fear and terror from these past days erupted in a surge of reckless courage—I blurted everything out in a rush.

"Grandfather, can you explain all this?"

I clenched my teeth, my gaze locked on Liu the Undertaker's face.

He suddenly fell silent.

My father's face went pale. "Erjun ran toward the village entrance," he said.

My fists tightened as well. If Wang Erjun got away, he'd surely find the old village secretary and tell him everything he knew.

A father's murder is a hatred that cannot coexist under the same sky. If it had been me, I couldn't have held back so long—I would have done everything to find the killer.

Liu the Undertaker had to give us an answer.

But my father didn't re-enter the yard. Instead, he stood by the gate, blocking the way.

Aunt Hui wept uncontrollably, swaying as she walked up to Liu the Undertaker, grabbing his arm and pleading, "Father, I beg you, have mercy on us. Life hasn't been easy for your daughter and grandson all these years. Now that I'm with Youzhi, he's even made his parents move out for our sake. Who knows how many times we've been gossiped about, how many times people have pointed at our backs. If you don't explain, if you really did this, how are we supposed to go on?"

She broke down, falling to her knees and knocking her head on the floor before Liu the Undertaker.

My father's anxiety was written all over his face as he shouted for Aunt Hui to get up.

I couldn't hold back either, and my voice shook with tears. "Aunt, please, don't do this. Father and I won't blame you."

Granny Li's usually plump, cheerful face was now somber. She didn't try to help Aunt Hui up, but looked at Liu the Undertaker instead, sighing. "If you really stole the longevity, we can't keep you, and even if the whole village comes, there's nothing we can do."

"But if you didn't do it, why make it so hard for your daughter, your grandson, and your son-in-law? Tell us the truth, and we'll face it together. What actually happened?"

Liu the Undertaker's brow remained furrowed.

Aunt Hui's sobs grew hoarse, her forehead streaked with blood.

"Please... Father... I beg you..."

She continued to kowtow, though her movements grew weaker.

Liu the Undertaker closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his brow had smoothed.

He didn't look at Aunt Hui, or at my father, or even at me. It was as if he hadn't heard a word I said, as if Aunt Hui's pleading was nothing to him.

"I've already said it before—I didn't do it, I didn't harm anyone. There are things you don't understand; explaining is useless. If you don't believe me, that's fine."

His tone was cold and detached. His gaze settled on Granny Li. Suddenly, he said, "You outsiders—if you don't leave now, you'll never get out."

With those words, Liu the Undertaker turned and walked into his own room.

Aunt Hui collapsed on the ground, her face awash with tears.

Granny Li frowned deeply, lost in thought.

I bit my lip hard. How could Liu the Undertaker treat Aunt Hui so indifferently? Was he really her father? He didn't even try to explain, just denied harming anyone, then tried to drive Granny Li away—threatening her, even.

I looked at Granny Li, bewildered.

She suddenly spoke. "Xie Yuan, go after Erjun. This is more complicated than it seems. We can't let him make a scene in the village just yet."

My expression shifted as I shook my head. "Granny, it's already been several minutes. If he went to the old village secretary, he's probably there by now."

Suddenly, Aunt Hui swayed as if faint, then collapsed onto the floor.

My father hurried to help her up.

Granny Li quickly pressed her wrist for a pulse.

A moment later, her expression changed. "Quick, get her inside!"

My father, anxious, helped Aunt Hui into the house.

My heart skipped a beat. When Aunt Wang fainted before, Granny Li didn't look worried at all. Was there something wrong with Aunt Hui's health?

Lost in thought, I saw Granny Li enter the room as well.

Aunt Hui lay on the bed, her face pale, her lips tinged with blue.

Granny Li took her pulse.

Her brow remained tight, her gaze growing more complex.

"Aunt... Is something wrong?" I asked.

Granny Li glanced at me. "Child, go boil a basin of hot water."

I hesitated, suddenly realizing she wanted to send me away.

"Aunt, Xie Yuan is grown now," my father said. "If something's wrong at home, he should know. He is the pillar of the family now."

His words gave me a sense of relief, but also a pang of sorrow.

He seemed so much older, his back hunched.

"I wasn't trying to send Xie Yuan away. We'll need hot water. You should also find something else," Granny Li said.

As she spoke, she seemed to glance at the wall beside her—on the other side was Liu the Undertaker's room.

A chill raced up my spine. There must be something wrong with Aunt Hui's health.

My father's face was confused. "What do you need?"

"Has she eaten or drunk anything unusual lately, besides regular meals?"

"And... how long has it been since her last period?"

My father froze, his voice quivering. "I don't think she's mentioned it at all this month... Aunt, are you saying...?"

"Don't ask about that yet. Has she had anything else?"

He nodded. "There's some herbal medicine in the kitchen. I'll get it."

He dragged me along. "Xie Yuan, hurry and boil some hot water for your aunt."

I felt uneasy. Was I mistaken? Maybe Aunt Hui's condition wasn't something malignant after all.

But Granny Li had asked about her period...

I wasn't married, but I knew what that meant.

My father pulled me into the kitchen, where a pot of water was already boiling on the stove.

In the countryside, it's common to keep a water pot over the fire for hot water at all times, even after the fire is out.

I quickly filled a basin to the brim.

My father rummaged through the cupboard and produced a blackened medicine jar and a packet of herbs.

Aunt Hui had always been in poor health and often drank herbal remedies.

Carrying the water, with my father holding the herbs, we returned to the room.

Granny Li soaked Aunt Hui's hand in the hot water, then took the herbs my father handed her.

The moment she saw them, her face changed. "Do you know what this is?"

My father's face paled. "No... I don't... What is it?"

"Who prescribed these?"

"Liu the Undertaker..." I whispered.

I knew all the herbs Aunt Hui took were from him. Yet, her health had never improved and she was always dizzy in sunlight.

Granny Li suddenly strode out and pushed open Liu the Undertaker's door.

But his room was empty—he had already vanished.

Granny Li's face was grim as she flung the herbs angrily onto the floor.

Her voice was hoarse: "How can a father be so cruel!"

"Aunt... Aunt, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the medicine?"

Scattered on the floor, I could see—besides a few black, bristly weeds that looked like foxtail, there were some vines and a kind of grass with a few white flowers. There was also a powder mixed in.

Granny Li was silent for a moment. "How long has she been taking these?"

"For years..." my father replied anxiously.

"Check her hand."

Granny Li returned to the room, lifted Aunt Hui's hand, and her expression darkened. She had us touch it as well.

My face changed. Aunt Hui's hand was cold as ice.

Her hands had always been cold—I thought it was just her poor health. But after soaking so long in hot water, how could they still be icy?

My father was panicked as well, his voice trembling. "Is the medicine the problem? Is she...?"

Granny Li sighed. "The herbs are the problem. Do you know what they are?"

"Bidens, graveyard tail, marigold—these are all weeds that grow on graves. Marigold only grows on the graves of children or women who died pregnant."

"Drinking this for years, a woman could hardly ever conceive or bear a child."

My father's face went deathly pale.

Fear knotted my heart. Liu the Undertaker gave Aunt Hui these herbs? Did he not want her to have children?

But when Granny Li took her pulse, she didn't say, yet I sensed Aunt Hui might actually be pregnant.

If she couldn't conceive, why had her period stopped?

And now Liu the Undertaker had fled—I grew more uneasy.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by Wang Erjun's loud voice: "There's a window at the back! Block it off immediately!"