Ghosts Dining

When Zhou Yang reached the gate of his house, he happened to see Zhou Laogou and his two sons walking over along the narrow path. The three of them carried farm tools on their shoulders, not speaking to one another, all maintaining complete silence. Zhou Yang waited by the entrance until the three drew near, greeting Zhou Laogou, "Father, it's Zhou Yang. Back from the fields?" At first, Zhou Laogou looked at Zhou Yang with a touch of scrutiny and confusion, as if unable to recall who this person was. Once Zhou Yang gave his name, it was as though Zhou Laogou suddenly came to his senses. The bewildered expression faded from his face in an instant, and squeezing out a faint smile, he nodded in response. "Mm." With that, he shouldered his hoe and walked through the gatehouse. Within the Zhou family, the master of the house, Zhou Laogou, actually displayed lower emotional intelligence and wit compared to Huang Shaodiao. Most of the time, he merely chimed in with Huang Shaodiao, possessing no mind of his own. Naturally, that was only the impression Zhou Yang derived from Zhou Laogou's various behaviors. What the actual situation inside was, or which ghost among them was truly the most terrifying and held the highest status in this household, was far from something that could be judged by the level of emotional intellect these ghosts displayed. Baigou followed close behind Zhou Laogou, glanced silently at Zhou Yang, and turned to enter the house as well. Judging by his expression, Zhou Yang could not be certain whether Huang Shaodiao had mentioned this morning's matter to him or told him to keep a closer eye on Zhou Yang and take care of him. Heigou was somewhat more talkative. Casting Zhou Yang a teasing look, he spoke up, "Third Brother, you're eating with everyone at the big table tonight, aren't you?" "That's right." Zhou Yang nodded. "Is Second Brother not eating with us?" Hearing this counter-question, Zhou Heigou lowered his eyelids, a sinister expression surfacing on his face. "In this house, who constitutes 'us' with you? "Third Brother?" Leaving behind those words, Zhou Heigou strode away. Zhou Yang paused where he stood, watching Zhou Heigou's receding back as a string of thoughts flashed through his mind. He had previously suspected that Zhou Heigou might be a living person. Even if the other man truly was alive, he still fell into the category of extreme danger for Zhou Yang—like Afu, he might command some undisclosed means that allowed him to move like a fish in water within Guancun. If so, why was Zhou Heigou so determined to stay in Guancun? Was it to obtain an 'official status' under Great Zhao here? Could living people hold office in the Great Zhao dynasty as well? *Did Zhou Heigou regard me as his competitor for that reason, bearing malice toward me and attempting multiple times to guide the Zhou family ghosts into exposing my status as a living person?* *Once my living status is uncovered, certain death awaits!* *His intentions are sinister; I cannot fail to be on guard.* *Yet thieves can plot for a thousand days, but how can anyone guard against a thief for a thousand days? Mere vigilance is not enough. I must find a way to nip this danger in the bud—that would be best...* Zhou Yang's eyes flickered. Even if he were to fight Zhou Heigou, he could never confront him head-on. First, he did not know Zhou Heigou's background or what methods the man wielded, and he could not even be entirely certain whether he was human or ghost. Second, Guancun itself held too many variables and teemed with perils. Making a move against Zhou Heigou anywhere in Guancun would very likely disturb the local ghosts. If that happened, not only would the attempt fail, but it would also bring far greater danger upon Zhou Yang. He could only carefully probe Zhou Heigou's background and wait for the right moment to nip this threat in the cradle. If he could eliminate the danger without getting his own hands dirty, that would be ideal. Heigou could exploit Zhou Yang's identity as a living person and direct the Zhou family ghosts to harm him. Zhou Yang could just as easily draw a gourd after the ladle and copy the scheme. It was only that Heigou's methods were too crude. If Zhou Yang were to do the same, he would need to plan meticulously. With these thoughts, Zhou Yang stepped through the doorway. He went first to the woodshed and called out to Huang Shaodiao, "Mother, I'm back!" Inside the woodshed, Huang Shaodiao sat before a chopping block, her bloated belly pressed against its edge. The rusted cleaver in her hand hacked at bones, meat, and internal organs upon the board, sending bloody froth flying everywhere. Hearing him, she turned toward the door. Seeing Yang'er standing there, a smile brimmed with love instantly spread across her face. "Ah, Yang'er is back?" A mouthful of yellow teeth streaked with threads of blood was revealed as her two red lips parted, offering a greeting to Yang'er. Zhou Yang reached behind his head to rub the goosebumps on the nape of his neck. Rather than leaving the woodshed, he stepped over the threshold and walked up to Huang Shaodiao. "Is there any chore I can help with? "Mother, let me bring out the dishes and bowls for you!" With none of the Zhou family around right now to curry favor with Huang Shaodiao, it was the perfect chance for Zhou Yang to slip in. He had resolved to stoke the hearth fire with Huang Shaodiao often from now on. Regardless of whether it would be needed or effective, he would do so first—shaking the tree three times whether there were dates or not. "Truly my good boy!" The blade-like glint in Huang Shaodiao's eyes nearly melted into two streams of liquid ready to spill from their sockets. She chuckled as the loose fat on her face trembled. Pointing casually at several earthenware bowls on a small side table, she instructed, "Take these dishes to the big table, and in a moment scoop out the rice from the woodstove pot as well." "All right, I'll do it right away!" Zhou Yang agreed crisply. Picking up two earthenware bowls from the grease-stained small table, he headed toward the main hall. The large table where the Zhou family gathered to eat stood in the main hall. When he set several bowls onto the table, Zhou Heigou caught on as well. Jostling past him, Heigou squeezed into the woodshed, begged for chores from Huang Shaodiao, and busied himself with attentive diligence. Before long, the Zhou family's dinner was ready. Everyone gathered around the long table in the main hall. Zhou Yang sat at the end of the long table, with Zhou Heigou to his left and Zhou Baigou to his right. Before him sat a bowl of rice. Though Zhou Yang had scooped the glistening white rice from the woodstove pot with his own hands, it did not give off the slightest warmth. When Zhou Yang had earlier pinched a grain from the rim and tasted it, the rice had even been undercooked. Earthenware bowls and clay basins were laid out across the long table. The earthenware bowls held bloody minced meat and clots of blood, while the clay basins contained grease that was white with a yellowish tinge. The meals of the people in Guancun mostly consisted of this undercooked rice and assorted parts from pigs, cattle, and sheep, accompanied by a bowl of grease. Novelty was hard to come by. This undercooked rice, along with the pork, beef, and mutton, were practically staple offerings on altar tables for the deceased. Zhou Yang's daily meals in Guancun were no different from eating dead person's food. "Eat." Seeing that everyone was seated upright and proper before the dining table, Zhou Laogou nodded. He stuck his chopsticks into the bowl of undercooked rice before him, shoveling the grains into his pitch-black mouth one mouthful after another. Zhou Yang could hardly see him make any chewing or swallowing motions. Once the food was flicked into his mouth by the chopsticks, it slipped down his throat into his belly as if encountering no obstruction whatsoever. From the moment Zhou Laogou began eating until he finished, the bowl resting on the table never moved an inch; he did not even lift the bowl to shift it in the slightest. Every member of the Zhou family ate in the exact same manner as Zhou Laogou. Watching them all bow their heads in unison to shovel down rice, a chilling dread crept up the nape of Zhou Yang's neck. He had originally intended to lift his bowl to eat, but now he mimicked the ghosts by keeping his head down and shoveling rice with his chopsticks, not daring to shift the porcelain bowl by a single fraction. He recalled that when he was young, he used to leave his bowl on the table and stretch his neck forward to eat, refusing to lift it. As a result, the elders of his family had scolded him soundly, saying that only dead people ate that way. Now, Zhou Yang was truly witnessing a group of ghosts eating. It was identical to what the elders had said!