Chapter 22 Sworn Brothers: Everyone present is a younger brother.
Deng Xia was still talking about this when she got home from work. "Everyone went back to check, and they all said it wasn't their child who went up the mountain. I don't know what's the point of hiding it. If you ask me, they should all be happy that they managed to escape death after angering the mountain god."
Zhong Ying, who had truly escaped death, could only offer an awkward but polite smile.
Deng Xia then noticed that her daughter's hair was wet and her clothes had been changed. She asked in surprise, "Why are you washing your hair and taking a bath in the middle of the afternoon?"
Zhong Ying couldn't tell the truth that she had fallen into the river, so she could only laugh it off, saying, "It's too hot. I'm covered in sweat every day. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I took a shower this afternoon when I had some free time."
"Mother, why are tigers on the mountain called 'Mountain Lord'?" Zhong Ying changed the subject, though she was genuinely curious.
“That’s no ordinary tiger on Ying Mountain. Someone saw it; it’s a white tiger!” Deng Xia said as she walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner. “Everyone says that this white tiger is an envoy sent to the human world by the Mountain Goddess. It’s in charge of all kinds of wild animals on the mountain. For decades, no wild animals like weasels have ever come down from the mountain to steal chickens raised by people. That’s why people respectfully call it ‘Mountain Lord.’”
Zhong Ying listened intently. So that's how it is. People fear the wild beasts on Ying Mountain and rarely go up the mountain; while the wild beasts on Ying Mountain never attack the villages at the foot of the mountain. The two have formed a strange harmonious coexistence of non-aggression.
Seeing her daughter follow her into the kitchen, Deng Xia immediately chased Zhong Ying out, "Didn't you just take a shower? Get out!"
Miao Suyun, carrying scallions picked from the private plot behind the house, walked to the kitchen door. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "Little sister, you can go out now. Don't get all sweaty again. I'll help you."
Zhong Ying had no choice but to leave the kitchen; the tiny room really couldn't accommodate three people.
As night fell and everyone was asleep, Zhong Ying, still fully dressed, squeezed into Hongtang's doghouse and dozed off against the big black dog. Her biological clock had been pushed back several notches by this era, and she really couldn't handle staying up all night like she did in modern times.
As soon as the red sugar twitched its nose, it immediately woke up alertly, suddenly standing up from its lying position, causing Zhong Ying, who was leaning against it, to stumble and also wake up with a start.
Li Linshi glanced at Li Changgui behind him, then walked to the door. Unusually, he behaved himself and did not force his way in. He simply stood outside and called to the person inside, "Zhong Ying."
Brown Sugar was about to bark when someone swiftly grabbed its mouth.
"Shh," Zhong Ying whispered to the big black dog, not wanting to wake her sleeping family members, "Don't bark, we're all family."
She paused for a moment, then changed her words, "It's all my own fault."
Seeing no response, Li Linshi assumed Zhong Ying was asleep and called out again, "Zhong Ying."
Above the door, a small square glass pane revealed glimpses of the outside world, with names being called out repeatedly. Even though Zhong Ying knew who was outside, the eerie scene, reminiscent of a horror movie, sent chills down her spine.
Seeing that Hongtang had quieted down, Zhong Ying slowly let go of her hand. She got up and walked towards the door, quickly rubbing her arms, and opened the door. "Don't call me anymore. It's scary to hear a ghost calling someone's name outside the door in the middle of the night, okay?"
Pressing down all the hair on her arms, Zhong Ying couldn't help but complain, "You've never been this polite before, you always just walk right in..."
Upon hearing this, Li Changgui's gaze immediately swept between his fourth cousin and Zhong Ying, as if two large characters—"adultery" and "affair"—slowly rose above their heads.
Li Linshi remained silent.
Zhong Ying wasn't looking for an explanation; she was just making a casual complaint. The important thing was the present. She asked, "Did you bring the things?"
Li Linshi nodded, then flipped his hands, revealing three small wine cups and a green glass bottle with a screw-on cap. He had secretly taken this from his own home; it was wine that his father, Li Ming, had bought for the New Year, and there was still a little over half a bottle left.
As soon as the lid is unscrewed, a strong aroma of alcohol wafts out. The small wine cup has a very small capacity, and you can only pour in a mouthful of wine.
Having never eaten pork but only seen pigs run, Zhong Ying had only ever seen sworn brotherhoods in TV dramas. The bright moonlight shone through the wide-open door and fell on her. Following her memory, she knelt on the open ground in the room, holding a wine cup.
Li Linshi and Li Changgui knelt on either side of her, holding wine cups just like her.
Brown Sugar lay quietly in the nest of the old cotton-padded jacket, watching Zhong Ying kneel down in the room. It couldn't see anything else, but it could smell a river scent and another somewhat unfamiliar smell.
"Heaven above, earth below," Zhong Ying thought, trying hard to suppress a laugh as she solemnly recited the swearing-in ceremony, "Today, the three of us are here to become sworn siblings, eldest sister Zhong Ying—"
It was Li Changgui who spoke up, letting out a puzzled "Huh?" and turning to look at Zhong Ying, "That's not right, according to age, shouldn't my fourth cousin be the oldest among the three of us?"
In Li Changgui's mind, his 22-year-old cousin was naturally the eldest, followed by 21-year-old Zhong Ying, and then himself, who was 19.
“Of course I’m the oldest,” Zhong Ying said. According to the age at the time of death, everyone present was a younger brother.
She freed one hand, spread her fingers, and gestured to Li Linshi, who knew the inside story well, indicating that she was five years older than him.
Even when they were inches apart, her eyes were so lively they seemed to speak volumes. Li Linshi lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
Li Changgui was once again incredulous when he saw his cousin tacitly agree to it.
No, brother? You? She raised her hand to slap you, and you didn't dare to say a word?
Li Changgui had nothing to say. Oh well, one was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit. Anyway, he was the youngest one.
"Big sister, Zhong Ying."
"Second in the line, Li Linshi."
"Third brother, Li Changgui."
“I do not ask to be born on the same day, in the same month, in the same year,” Zhong Ying paused, then slightly modified the next half of the sentence, “nor do I ask to die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year.”
Li Linshi and Li Changgui both looked at her at the same time.
Zhong Ying retorted confidently, "Why are you looking at me? You're all dead."
Her blunt truth left the two ghosts speechless for a moment.
Zhong Ying held up the small wine cup, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp. The crudely processed liquor had a domineering spiciness that made her hiss involuntarily.
Li Linshi's Adam's apple bobbed as he finished the wine in the cup in two gulps, then vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea, disappearing into the river.
As for Li Changgui, it was just like the saying goes: all the wine and meat passed through his intestines and ended up scattered on the rammed earth surface.
Zhong Ying looked at the small dark stain of wine on the ground and quickly comforted her, "It's okay, the thought is what counts."
Unlike her, Li Changgui felt uneasy, wondering, "Will this really work?"
Zhong Ying staggered to her feet, supporting herself on her knees. "Okay! Why not! Don't worry, I'll definitely let you go out and take a look at the school—"
After speaking with a lisp, Zhong Ying swayed, her legs went weak, and she took a step back, her knees hitting the edge of the wooden bed, and she fell headfirst onto the bed.
Li Changgui stood up, unable to suppress his envy, "It's so good to be a human, you can fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow."
Li Linshi also stood up. "Let's go."
Li Changgui responded, picked up the wine cup and bottle, turned around and walked out of the house.
Li Linshi grasped the doorknob, and just before the door closed, he looked up and his gaze fell on Zhong Ying lying on the bed. He then slowly closed the door.
Once the door was completely closed, the big black dog by the bed lowered its head, rested it on its paws, and closed its eyes.
The next morning, when Zhong Ying woke up, her temples were throbbing and her head was throbbing. She didn't expect that she would get drunk after just one cup. It couldn't be that her body was too weak, but rather that the wine brewed at this time was not pure.
The next step was to carve the memorial tablets.
Zhong Ying blew away the wood chips on the four wooden boards in one breath, clearly revealing the words "Memorial Tablet of My Sworn Brother Li Linshi".
"I spent a whole day and a half carving this memorial tablet in my room! Luckily, I'm not exactly a diligent person, and my parents let me be lazy and skip work, otherwise, where would I have found the time to do this?" Zhong Ying couldn't help but complain. "But your name has too many strokes, why don't you just call yourself Li Yiyi?"
This way she can carve twenty-one fewer strokes!
Li Changgui interjected, "That won't do! My eldest brother specifically consulted Auntie San, and she said that my brother's five elements are lacking water, so he needs a character related to 'water' to compensate for it."
When Zhong Ying looked at Li Lin expressionlessly, she was still holding the carving knife in her hand. "Then why don't you call yourself Li Yishui?"
This would only have twelve strokes, instead of the full thirty strokes for the three characters "李霖时".
“My eldest uncle’s cousins all have the character ‘Shi’ in their names,” Li Changgui said, counting on his fingers. “My eldest cousin is named Li Gangshi, and my second cousin is named Li Rongshi.”
Zhong Ying paused as she bent down to pick up another piece of wood. "Could it be that your eldest cousin is lacking the element of metal, and your second cousin is lacking the element of wood?"
“Yes.” Li Changgui nodded.
Zhong Ying couldn't help but look at Li Lin again, "Are you sure Auntie can really do divination? Your surname is Li, your eldest brother is metal, your second brother is wood..."
This is so reminiscent of that family with the same surname in mythology, who also seemed to have three sons and one daughter.
Li Linshi quickly understood the meaning behind her words, and at this moment, he was miraculously in sync with her thoughts. "...It should just be a coincidence."
"Tsk, the coincidence is a bit scary." Zhong Ying clicked her tongue. "Both of you had a third son who died. One of you was transformed into a lotus after death, while you were transformed into a river. It's almost like a prophecy."
Li Changgui didn't understand what the two were saying before, but he did understand the last word: "Actually, my father said the same thing."
Li Changgui glanced cautiously at Li Linshi, "After my fourth cousin died, I overheard my father saying something in private at home. He said that my eldest uncle had given me a bad name, that the character 'Lin' was too big and most people couldn't handle it, which is why my fourth cousin died in the Ganlin River. My father also said that it was a good thing he didn't use any fancy names when he named me..."
“Superstition.” Zhong Ying rolled her eyes. “My name is Ying, which means ‘Ying’ from Yingshan. Is the mountain not high enough? Or not heavy enough? I haven’t died in the mountains.”
Li Changgui's eyes widened. "Sister! Spit it out! How dare you say such a thing!"
Zhong Ying shrugged indifferently. People in the past were careful to avoid saying prophetic things, but modern people often say things like "Brother is so handsome, I'm going to die," "Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter," or "Fuck, I'm working overtime again, I want to die."
Li Linshi stood aside and observed coldly. The more he interacted with Zhong Ying, the more he could sense that there was a unique soul in this body. She did not believe in gods or ghosts but believed in herself. She dared to think and act. She was indeed not someone who grew up in this era.
It took Zhong Ying another day to finish carving Li Changgui's memorial tablet. His name had fewer strokes than his cousin's, but not by much. So Li Changgui also received a resentful question: "Why aren't you called Li Yiyi?"
"Attention, commune members! We're going to hand over our grain the day after tomorrow—get up early!" Li Ming went to a meeting at the commune in the afternoon, and as soon as he returned, he immediately went from street to street in the Tonggan production team to inform the people.
Deng Xia immediately rushed out of the kitchen, having heard even more clearly. Her face lit up with joy, "That's wonderful! Once we've handed over the grain tax, we can distribute it to each family!"
Zhong Ying was also overjoyed and looked at the two ghosts, "Great! We can 'hitch a ride' to the commune!"
Li Changgui was puzzled. "Sister, when we take the grain back to hand it over to the commune's grain depot, we're not going to walk there. Our production team's oxcart is also used to carry grain, so we definitely can't let you ride it."
Zhong Ying was too lazy to explain to him what "hitchhiking" meant. She just looked at Li Lin excitedly and said, "We'll go and see if you can get out right away. When it's time to hand over the grain, you can go to the commune with the others!"
Li Linshi nodded.
"Mom, I'm going to the river to wash clothes!" Zhong Ying covered the two memorial tablets under her clothes, grabbed a basin with a few clothes haphazardly stuffed inside, and ran out.
Deng Xia didn't even have time to stop her, and could only shout at her back, "It's almost time to eat!"
Zhong Ying didn't even turn her head. "I'll be back soon—"
Zhong Ni, who was washing clothes by the river, looked up and saw Zhong Ying, waving to her from afar.
Zhong Ying waved vigorously at her, but instead of walking to the riverbank, she continued walking forward.
"Isn't my cousin carrying a basin to wash clothes by the river?" Zhong Ni muttered to herself in confusion.
The female ghost floating behind her moved with her will, drifting slowly toward Zhong Ying.
“My dear niece,” Cao Fang caught up with Zhong Ying and asked curiously, “Have you already had the memorial tablets carved?”
"Yes!" Zhong Ying nodded heavily. "We're finally done! We'll go see if we can get out now. If we can, we can go to the commune on the day we pay our grain tax!"
Cao Fang was also tempted. If it really worked, could she ask her niece and Ni'er to put in a good word for her daughter, so she could take her memorial tablet with her and go out to see the world? Sixteen years had passed; she wondered how things had changed outside...
And so, Zhong Ying walked ahead alone, followed by three ghosts in a grand procession.
After passing the village boundary marker, Zhong Ying walked a few more steps before stopping, turning around with the washbasin in her arms, and saying to the two ghosts, Li Linshi and Li Changgui, "Can you try to get out?"
Li Changgui couldn't contain his excitement. Compared to the painful and hopeless days he spent in life, he now had something to strive for after death, and he even felt like he was alive again.
He immediately followed Zhong Ying's footsteps and walked outside, but just as he was about to pass the blue stone tablet, he couldn't take that step.
Li Linshi tried it, but it didn't work either.
Watching from the side, Cao Fang speculated, "Could it be that sworn brotherhood doesn't work? Or is it that only bowing to heaven and earth counts?"
Li Changgui looked at Zhong Ying expectantly, "Sister-in-law—"
Zhong Ying rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Could she back out now and quit?
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Author's Note: Li Changgui (calling her "sister" didn't work, so he immediately changed his address): Sister-in-law—
Zhong Ying: Stop yelling!
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