Zhang Dabiao's move was simple, as he didn't have many belongings. The combined possessions of the two of them fit into just two suitcases. After locking the main door, Zhang Sao, who was walking behind, secretly told me that she had been fed up with this village for a long time, always being called a barren hen behind her back. Now, she wouldn't have to listen to those rumors anymore.
I remained silent about this. Gossip and rumors in the countryside are the most hurtful. Many things are based on hearsay, but when they reach certain people's mouths, they take on a different flavor. I had experienced this deeply when my father fell into a coma and my mother ran away from home.
"Let the past be the past. Things will surely get better in the future."
Upon learning that Zhang Dabiao's entire family was leaving, the village chief was very generous. He used his connections to find a dilapidated van and drove the three of us, along with our two suitcases, to my village.
The departure was quite a spectacle. More than half of the village people came to see us off, mostly men. Besides those whose homes were disturbed by the White Sha, there were also many elderly people who could barely keep their eyes open.
"Biaozi, have you decided not to come back? Are you really abandoning this place?" an old man with freckles all over his face, whose neck was already buried in the yellow earth, grabbed Zhang Dabiao's hand and asked loudly.
Facing the elder, Zhang Dabiao's expression seemed a bit agitated. He held the old man's hand and said loudly in his ear, "I'm not abandoning this place. I'm taking my wife to the city to see a doctor, to find out why we haven't had any children after so many years!"
Whether the old man understood or not, he held Zhang Dabiao's hand, urging him to return, saying that fallen leaves should return to their roots, and that the villagers had wronged the old Zhang family. As for what he meant, I didn't quite understand. There must be something I didn't know about this.
Zhang Dabiao interrupted the old man from continuing and said that the past was the past, and there was no point in dwelling on it.
Sitting in the car, Zhang Sao seemed a bit excited, even thrilled. She kept asking me when I would buy a house in the city, if houses in the city were expensive, and if there were kindergartens and schools nearby.
In response, I said that houses needed to be seen in person, and one could buy any kind they liked as long as they were happy. Anyway, housing prices in small counties weren't high, and the money Zhang Dabiao earned from returning from the south was enough to buy several houses.
Compared to Zhang Sao's excitement, Zhang Dabiao seemed much more subdued. Except when Zhang Sao asked him about the location to buy a house, he remained silent, sitting in the back seat.
Seeing this, I could only move from the middle to the back as well. With a big smile on my face, I asked, "Brother Zhang, since you've moved, don't think too much about it. I'll show you something to change your mood."
Without waiting for his consent, I took out my phone and handed him the photo.
At first, Zhang Dabiao casually glanced at it. But after a look, he snatched the phone away.
"Where did you get this? This records cultivation techniques!" Zhang Dabiao said excitedly, holding the phone in one hand and grabbing my shoulder with the other, squeezing it so hard it hurt.
After a great deal of effort, I managed to break free from his grip, rubbed my shoulder, and said, "Where else could I have gotten it? Your grandfather gave it to me."
"My father?"
Upon hearing Uncle Zhang's name, Zhang Dabiao's face showed sadness, but more so a fierce desire for revenge. However, this expression vanished in an instant, and he then asked, "What did my father tell you?"
I shook my head and said, "Uncle Zhang didn't say anything. He just asked me to memorize what was on it and nothing else. Then he rushed out with the fox skin. Oh, right, you were outside at the time. What happened?"
I had always been curious. I could break free from the old fox's charm techniques. With Zhang Dabiao's strength, he shouldn't have been trapped by the charm techniques for so long, even with the help of the Yin Ironwood ruler.
"Nothing happened. My father broke free from the ghost vine and went on a rampage, slaughtering the fox pack. Then, due to the sunlight, his strength decreased, and the old fox ambushed him from behind and snatched the fox skin." Zhang Dabiao looked out the window and explained casually.
His explanation was nonchalant, but judging by the intensity of the scene at the time, it probably wasn't that simple. Since he didn't want to talk about it, I didn't press further. I directly changed the subject and asked if he recognized the characters on the fox skin.
Zhang Dabiao shook his head, saying he didn't recognize them. These were pictographs from the Shang Dynasty, and only experts could decipher their meaning. Looking at the black and white lines on the human-like figures, he was certain it was a cultivation technique.
When the car stopped at my doorstep, I felt a wave of dizziness. It wasn't motion sickness, but the scene before me made me feel as if I wasn't returning home, but to a slaughterhouse.
Sheep skeletons were strewn everywhere on both sides of the gate, their flesh completely eaten. If it were just that, it would be fine, but these sheep skeletons were standing upright on both sides of the door, with their heads facing outwards and tails inwards, like an army awaiting inspection, a truly spectacular sight.
"Little brother, your home's decoration is quite unique. What style is this? The Beast Cult?"
After leaving Willow Village, Zhang Sao seemed to have become younger, her mindset much more optimistic, as if the mountain weighing her down had been lifted. She even joked with me.
Zhang Dabiao chuckled, "This little loach is really mischievous. Fortunately, your house is in a secluded location, otherwise, if someone came at night, they'd be scared to death."
I gave an awkward grin, but my heart was filled with a desire to cry. Without even thinking, I could guess that Bai Ling'er and Huang San were behind this scene. I just didn't know what they were up to. Eating the sheep was one thing, but why would they stand the bones up in front of the door?
Just as I was about to open the door, Bai Ling'er appeared like a ghost, flashing before my eyes. Her small eyes were red, with two crystal-clear teardrops hanging on them.
"You're finally back! If you didn't come back, I would have starved to death, sob..."
Her crying caught me off guard. The scolding words I had intended to utter were all swallowed back. I quickly asked her what was wrong. Didn't I leave enough sheep for her to eat when I left? How could she be starving?
Bai Ling'er choked a few times and finally managed to stop crying. Then she said, "It's all Huang San, that darn guy. He moved his entire family here. Originally, there were enough sheep, but then his disciples and grandchildren arrived, and it wasn't enough. And that sheep seller keeps coming to the door demanding money, it's infuriating..."
From Bai Ling'er's words, I understood what had happened. The day after I left, Huang San brought his entire family to live in my house, ostensibly to help guard it against evil spirits.
As a result, with his family's arrival, the food and drink became insufficient. Initially, only Huang San and Bai Ling'er enjoyed the delicacies. But with Huang San's large family, one would take a small bite, another would taste it. Bai Ling'er didn't pay much attention at first, as I had told her there were enough sheep for her to eat as much as she wanted.
This led to the sheep herder, who originally delivered sheep once a day, delivering them twice a day. When the money I had left with the sheep herder ran out, the herder stopped delivering sheep. But this didn't stop Huang San. I don't know what means he used to impersonate me and buy sheep, until the sheep herder came to demand money.
Since I wasn't home and they had no money, they thought of the idea of using sheep bones to scare the sheep herder by standing them up in front of the door.
After listening to Bai Ling'er's explanation, my face turned almost green with anger. My master's reputation, and the good reputation I had built in the village for ten years, were all ruined by Huang San in an instant.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I kicked open the courtyard gate and roared, "Huang San, get out here! I'm going to skin you alive!"