Chapter 4 She Is Dead

• The old lady's shrill scream of agony had me stunned for a moment.
• Grandpa is back?
• Before I could gather my wits about me, the wailing abruptly ceased. The old lady froze at the side of the coffin, her face locked in a contorted mask of pain. The eerie green light that once shone in her eyes had also dimmed to an insipid dullness.
• “Stop daydreaming and come out already!”
• This is... Grandpa's voice?
• With utmost caution, I got up from the coffin and poked my head out for a look.
• Sure enough, it was my grandfather. At that moment, he stood behind the old lady, his expression solemn.
• The door of the burial clothing shop was wide open and looked wrecked. It was as if it had been violently smashed open by something.
• “Grandpa!” I crawled out of the coffin with limp limbs, still in a state of shock.
• My grandfather didn't pay any attention to me, his gaze fixed intensely on the old lady's back.
• It wasn't until then that I noticed several black nails protruding from the old lady's back, their material indiscernible. One was lodged in the back of her neck, another in her tailbone, and the remaining few beneath her ribs on both sides.
• He used this method to paralyze the old lady? Why does it feel so mystical?
• Before I even opened my mouth to ask about it, my grandfather picked up the old lady as if she weighed nothing and placed her into the coffin.
• Subsequently, with a swift flip of his hand, a black nail over half a foot long appeared in his palm. He plunged it right into the old lady's chest.
• The old lady's body abruptly shuddered, and the dim light in her eyes gradually faded before extinguishing entirely.
• She's dead?
• Although she was very peculiar, my heart couldn't help racing after I had witnessed my grandfather kill her right before my eyes.
• Also, Grandpa's movements seemed way too proficient, no?
• At that moment, my grandfather gave me a sense of unfamiliarity, very much odd.
• Subsequently, he took a palm-sized bronze mirror out of his pocket and placed it face down on the old lady's forehead. Then, he gently closed the lid of the coffin.
• After doing all that, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at me, his voice gentle as he asked, “You must have suffered a scare, yes?”
• I stared blankly at my grandfather, nodding absentmindedly.
• There were many questions in my mind. But for a moment, I didn't know where to start.
• “In truth, I hadn't strayed far these past few days. I had been hiding nearby, simply waiting for this old lady!”
• My grandfather let out a soft sigh, his gaze on me heavy with unspoken thoughts. He continued softly, “After all these years in hiding, I never thought she would still find me in the end. I know you have many questions, but there are certain things I can't disclose to you just yet...”
• At that point, he paused, seemingly somewhat hesitant. With his eyes on me, he said gently, “Once the fifteenth of the seventh month of the lunar calendar has passed, I'll tell you some things... about your parents!”
• Upon hearing that, I was taken aback for a moment. I instinctively blurted out, “Didn't they pass away in a car accident?”
• My grandfather's expression seemed a bit off, his mouth twitching at the corners. He didn't respond to my question.
• I stared blankly at him, a wave of emotions rearing up within me at that moment.
• I was no fool. Seeing him act in such a manner, I immediately understood that my parents' death was definitely not the result of something as simple as a car accident.
• Ever since I was young, I depended on my grandfather, having never met my parents. Even at home, there were no photos of them. I only learned about their fatal car accident from my grandfather. Judging by the look of things presently, he kept many things from my knowledge.
• “My parents had something to do with this old lady?”
• From his words just now, I vaguely picked up on something unusual.
• “Yeah.” My grandfather nodded. Glancing at the black coffin, he said softly, “It's very complicated and can't be explained in a short time. I had intended to keep you in the dark forever so you could live an ordinary life. But it now seems that I was a bit too naive! After the fifteenth of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, we'll move houses. At that time, I will tell you some things—”
• “Why do we have to wait until after the fifteenth of the seventh month of the lunar calendar? Can't you tell me now?” I interrupted my grandfather anxiously.
• My grandfather threw me a long look, the light in his eyes unfathomable. In a murmur, he said, “Stop asking. You'll understand when the time comes.”
• While saying that, he waved a hand, dismissing me to go upstairs and sleep. It was clear that he didn't want to speak any further.
• Upon returning to my room upstairs, I tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding me for a long time. My mind was filled with the image of the old lady's green eyes.
• Her eyes radiated a mysterious green glow, while her blood was putrid and black. Would the average person possess such characteristics? Also, Grandpa's methods were beyond peculiar! Finally, there's the matter of my parents.
• I had no recollection of them whatsoever, but after hearing my grandfather's words that night, a wave of longing, which was hidden deep within me, surged forward.
• In the next few days, my grandfather always went out from dawn to dusk. I had no idea what he was so busy with. He warned me to stay away from the black coffin.
• At first, I thought the old lady was already dead. Given the sweltering weather, her dead body would soon decay and emit a foul odor if it were not disposed of promptly.
• However, my grandfather assured me that she wasn't dead but merely suppressed for the time being. He urged me not to worry too much and to keep my distance from the coffin.
• During these few days, I remained on pins and needles. Before I knew it, the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar had quietly arrived.
• The fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar was known locally as the Hungry Ghost Festival. There are many taboos associated with the day. By eight or nine in the evening, the streets were essentially deserted.
• That night, my grandfather meticulously cleaned the burial clothing shop from top to bottom. He set up a large round table and draped a black cloth over it.
• On the round table, two thick white candles were lit, and in the very center was a small incense altar with three thick incense sticks. Wisps of blue smoke rose into the air.
• Additionally, he prepared a jar of rice wine and a few empty bowls, arranged neatly on the round table to face the direction of the shop's entrance.
• I wasn't sure exactly what he was up to either. He didn't offer any explanations to me, merely telling me to sit by the round table.
• The shop door was wide open. Above the doorway, my grandfather had hung a small black wind chime. Afterward, he collected quite a bit of incense ash and evenly sprinkled it in front of the shop door meticulously.
• After doing all that, he joined me and sat down by the large round table. He poured himself a bowl of rice wine and downed it in one go.
• “If you want to be the granddaughter-in-law of the Meyer family, we shall see if you've got what it takes!”
• My grandfather stared in the direction of the shop's entrance. Belching, he continued with his eyes blazing, “I shall see what kind of ghost marriage Ghost Hag arranged. Just because I've been hiding for many years, it doesn't mean I'll allow myself to be easy prey...”
• He muttered to himself, downing gulp after gulp of rice wine, his gaze never leaving the shop door.
• I plastered myself to his side, my heart racing. My intuition told me that something exciting was going to happen that night.