Go all out

Chapter 4: Old Lady Liu

I almost screamed—how could Uncle Zhang’s coffin have been dug up? I fought the urge to run away, gritted my teeth, and crept closer, shining my flashlight back and forth. In the darkness, I saw an old woman in a leather jacket, still digging at the grave with her withered hands. Her leather jacket was even stranger—it looked like crocodile skin, covered in patches of scales, which was incredibly unsettling. What startled me even more was that her black hair seemed to be moving on its own… When I shone the light on her, the old woman looked up. I could see her face clearly—it was very sharp, with a chin that looked sharp enough to kill someone. What sent chills down my spine even more was her wrinkled skin, which looked like someone suffering from ichthyosis—layered upon layer—making my legs go weak. “Grandma, what are you doing here…?” I asked, my voice trembling. Considering I’d just spotted such a bizarre old woman in a graveyard, I was already doing a pretty good job of keeping my composure. The old woman glanced at me and said in a somewhat shrill voice, “I’m hungry. Looking for something to eat…” After saying that, she continued to dig at Uncle Zhang’s grave with her withered hands, as if digging up someone’s grave in the middle of the night were perfectly normal to her. Hearing this, my legs started shaking uncontrollably. This was Uncle Zhang’s grave, after all—what on earth could there be to eat inside it?? I forced myself to stop trembling, pulled a small roll out of my backpack, and shakily held it out to her. “Grandma, here, have this. It’s delicious.” “What’s so good about this shriveled-up thing? Get it away from me. Don’t bother me, Old Liu.” The old woman waved her hand impatiently, and I hurriedly pulled my hand back. She continued digging at the grave with her hands, while I stood there at a loss. Uncle Zhang and I were, after all, from the same village—I just couldn’t bear to stand by and watch this strange old woman dig up his grave. Gritting my teeth, I continued, “Grandma…” “Don’t call me ‘Grandma’! If you must, call me Old Lady Liu!” The old woman had a fiery temper; she suddenly looked up and stared straight at me. Trapped by that gaze, the hairs on my body stood on end in defense, and I instinctively took a step back, my legs trembling even more violently. She stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and slowly walked toward me—no, not walked; she seemed to slither across the ground. I was completely baffled by her bizarre gait. “Not bad, not bad. You must be the child Gray Girl saved all those years ago, right?” The old woman stared at me for a moment, her voice softening slightly. “Huh?” I was startled. Could the “Gray Girl” she mentioned be the she-wolf who nursed me as a cub—my mother? If that’s the case, then this old woman must be… I felt my breathing quicken instantly. She told me to call her “Granny Liu,” so her surname must be Liu—which means she’s… Just as these thoughts were swirling through my mind, the old woman continued, “Come on, tell my fortune! See how many more years this old woman has left to live!” My face went pale with fear. No wonder she was scavenging for food in the graveyard—now that I knew she was a spirit creature, I felt like screaming. How could I possibly have the energy to tell her fortune? Besides, is a spirit’s fate even something I can predict? “Mrs. Liu, I…” I stammered, “You… you know my mom?” “Mom? …At least you know to call me ‘Mom’—you’ve got some decency left. What? Are you afraid this old woman will eat you?” A strange expression flashed across the old woman’s eerie face. Her withered cheeks twitched, revealing two large, yellow, pointed fangs at the corners of her mouth—an exceptionally terrifying sight. I shook my head awkwardly. If she really knew my mom, then she should spare me for my mom’s sake. “Let’s get started. Read my fortune,” the old woman urged. I had no choice but to steel myself and study Old Lady Liu’s features. “Um, do you mind if I shine the flashlight on you?” “I don’t mind. Why are you such a scaredy-cat, kid? Hurry up! This old woman is starving to death. If you drag this out any longer, I might just swallow you whole.” Old Lady Liu glared at me—that look made my whole body shiver—so I quickly shone the flashlight on her face and began analyzing her facial features according to everything my master had taught me about fortune-telling. She was so old, her face was covered in wrinkles, and her features were somewhat distorted. Since she’d just asked me how much longer she had to live, I had no choice but to focus on her “Palace of Illness and Misfortune” to make my judgment. In the eyes of us fortune-tellers, the entire face is divided into twelve palaces, encompassing the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, chin, forehead, and earlobes. The area between the eyes—the bridge of the nose—is where we assess a person’s lifespan. Old Lady Liu had a very large nose—even bigger than Brother Long’s. Although the bridge of her nose was deeply wrinkled, overall it was quite prominent, looking as if a large piece of bone had been implanted there, like in modern plastic surgery, which made it appear particularly strange and out of proportion. Moreover, her forehead—the “heavenly palace”—was bulging as if she’d had injections. On a human face, this kind of facial feature would make one look like an alien, but in the eyes of us fortune-tellers, this is the true mark of a long life. This differs from the analysis I gave my mother that night; these are two rare facial features indicative of longevity, suggesting that Old Lady Liu might even outlive my mother. However, her face was too pointed, her cheekbones were too high, and she had virtually no eyebrows—features typically associated with someone nearing death. But since she was a spirit, she should still have about ten years left to live. I thought for a moment, then said cautiously, “You should have about ten more years to live.” “Be more precise.” Old Lady Liu said in a shrill voice, and her eyes turned green with anger—as if I’d just cursed her to death. I took a few more glances at her Palace of Illness and Misfortune, then steeled myself and said, “Ten years!” “Are you certain?” Old Lady Liu’s emerald-green eyes fixed on me intently; she looked as if she were about to devour me whole. My scalp prickled, and I could only grit my teeth and nod. After a moment of silence, Old Lady Liu sighed. “That’s about what I expected…” Hearing this, I let out a sigh of relief. I thought Old Lady Liu would continue digging up the grave, but to my surprise, after glancing at me, she clasped her hands behind her back, hunched slightly, and began to slowly shuffle away into the distance, swaying as she went. “I’ll come back to see you in a month for another reading. I hope by then you can give this old woman some hope…” Old Lady Liu’s voice drifted through the darkness. I was puzzled. Hope? What hope could I possibly give her? “And you, kid—for your sake today, I’ll leave this man’s body intact… Remember, if you call Gray Girl ‘Mom,’ she’ll always be your mom. If you ever hurt her, then when you die, this old woman will dig up your grave and eat your flesh…” As she reached the end of her words, Old Lady Liu’s voice grew fainter and fainter. I stood frozen in place for a long time before I came to my senses. I glanced at Uncle Zhang’s grave and sighed. It took me over ten minutes to use my bare hands to rebury Uncle Zhang’s grave—after all, we were all from the same village. I continued walking up the mountain. By the middle of the night, I finally reached the large tree where my mom had been injured last time. I shouted a few times, “Mom, I’ve come to see you. Come out and meet me.” But there was no sound in response. I grew anxious and shouted again, “Mom, my master is coming to catch you. If you hear him, hide immediately.” Still, there was no sound in reply. I grew even more anxious. If my master came up the mountain tomorrow, he would definitely bring a gun. If my mom ran into him, she would surely be killed! How could I just stand by and watch my own mother die? I kept shouting until my voice was hoarse, but my mom still hadn’t shown up. Was she mad at me for refusing the things she gave me? I let out a bitter laugh. Glancing up, I saw that dawn was breaking. I had to hurry back. Even if my mom hadn’t heard me, since I’d come up here with my master today, I might be able to save her life at the critical moment. With that thought, I took off running toward home. When I got there, I made sure my master’s door was still closed before tiptoeing back to my room, taking a shower, changing my clothes, and heading out. I went out to buy breakfast, and when I returned, I happened to see my master coming out of his room. I handed him the breakfast. He glanced at me, took it, and said, “Are you ready?” “It’s ready,” I nodded. “All right, pack up. We’re heading up the mountain!” my master said. Hearing the same cold tone in my master’s voice, my heart sank. It seemed he’d already made up his mind to kill my mom!