Chapter 115: A Visit from Chen Shitou

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Early the next morning, I had just woken up and was brushing my teeth when someone suddenly knocked on the door. I walked over and opened it, only to be stunned to see Chen Shitou standing there—he had been missing for a long time.

Because of what happened in childhood, I never wanted to see Chen Shitou, and now, knowing so much more, I felt an even stronger aversion to him. I took the toothbrush out of my mouth and looked at him, asking, “What do you want?”

“Yezi, I have something I want to discuss with you,” Chen Shitou said timidly. He always spoke to people in the village this way, timid and hesitant, which earned him some pity. But having seen his true nature, I had no desire to talk to him any further.

“I’m not interested in talking to you. Also, don’t let Chen Dongfang find any evidence that could incriminate your third grandfather. Otherwise, you’ll die a miserable death.” I glared at him and was about to close the door.

Unexpectedly, just as I was shutting it, Chen Shitou stuck his hand in the doorframe. I immediately caught his hand in the crack, and it looked painful even to me. I shouted, “Take your hand away and leave! I already know what you’re up to! Stop pretending!”

“Can you just listen to me for a moment, Yezi?” Chen Shitou pleaded outside.

“I’m not interested,” I replied.

Seeing my resolute attitude, Chen Shitou sighed and left. I stood at the door for a long while. Though I didn’t listen to him, I felt some regret—but no remorse. It wasn’t that I refused to listen; I simply didn’t want to hear another lie. It seemed everyone involved was lying about this matter. Even now, I didn’t know who to trust. Every time I chose to believe someone, I found out they were lying.

I was just a small player who couldn’t change the situation; I couldn’t bear so much deceit and treachery.

Because Chen Shitou’s visit had put me in a bad mood, and my mother, upset about my grandfather’s situation, had lost her appetite and didn’t even get up to make breakfast, I, after washing up, made a simple breakfast and then went to the village committee to find Fatty. Given the current situation, there were only two people I truly trusted—my eldest brother and Fatty. But because my eldest brother had such a temper, only when I was with Fatty did I feel at ease.

When I arrived at the village committee, Fatty was munching on a steamed bun with some pickles. As soon as he saw me, he threw down his chopsticks and swore, “Thief King, look at what Fatty’s been eating every day because of you! I’ve lost a whole circle of weight recently. What do you think I’m after?”

“You should lose some weight anyway,” I teased.

Fatty stood up, stretching his waist. “Coming to see Fatty so early? What’s up?”

“Chen Shitou came looking for me, said he had something to say,” I told him.

Fatty was shocked. “What? That guy came looking for you? What did he say?”

“I didn’t meet him. If I’m not mistaken, that guy was just trying to fool me. I didn’t meet him. But if I don’t meet him, I worry he might tell me something, and that makes me uneasy.” I sat down.

“Then how about we go find him and ask now?” Fatty suggested.

“No, if I didn’t meet him just now, and then I go looking for him again, won’t I lose face?” I waved my hand.

“If you don’t go, that’s fine too. If Fatty’s guess is right, you just need to open your front door and sit in the yard. He’ll come looking for you again. Try it and see.” Fatty said.

“Are you that sure?” I looked at Fatty.

“Of course. If he has something to say, he won’t rest until he says it. Tonight is the full moon night. If he doesn’t say it now, he won’t get another chance.” Fatty said.

I thought about it. The way things were, I didn’t want to see him when he first came, but now that he was gone, I wanted to hear what he had to say. Wasn’t that just pathetic? So I stood up. “Alright, Fatty, let’s go. You hide inside and listen to what he says.”

We went back home. Han Xue had already left for school. Following Fatty’s advice, I opened the front door and sat in the yard. As Fatty predicted, it wasn’t long before Chen Shitou really came.

I pretended to glare at him. “What are you doing here again?”

“Yezi, there are some things I want to make clear to you,” Chen Shitou said.

I replied impatiently, “Say it quickly.”

Chen Shitou pulled over a small stool and sat beside me. Seeing the door was still open, he stood and closed it, then said, “Yezi, what happened in childhood was something I hid from you. The reason I took you to cut open the fool’s corpse wasn’t because the fool was grateful to you, but because only you could suppress what was inside the fool’s belly.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“The child inside the fool’s belly was the River God’s! If the fool had given birth to that child, the River God would have been reborn! But Chen Zhuzi and your third grandfather stopped it, ruining everything! Tonight, on the full moon night, I plan to sacrifice the girl I bought recently. Once she gives birth to the River God’s child, the River God can be reborn through the child, and that will bring me a great opportunity!” Chen Shitou explained.

He didn’t realize that we had already seen through these claims. Still pretending ignorance, I asked, “Why tell me about your great opportunity? What does it have to do with me?”

“How could it not be related? Yezi, to be honest, I know half the secrets of the Chen family patriarch’s lineage, so I know your origins! You are the child your father, Ye Tianhua, brought back from outside, just born using your mother’s womb! Your father’s death is connected to you! He wanted to get something from the Twelve Ghost Caves, angering a group of people who then forced your grandfather to kill your father!” Chen Shitou said.

What he said matched what Chen Dongfang had told me. The two would never have conspired together, so this indirectly proved neither of them was lying on this matter. However, Chen Dongfang never mentioned whether it was one person or a group who forced my grandfather to kill my father.

“How do you know?” I asked Chen Shitou.

“I saw it with my own eyes! Those people came riding on clouds! Your grandfather and father were no match for them. You must have learned some things by now. I won’t hide anything: those people are from the Ghost Path. It seems your father and grandfather were also part of it. But your father did something to betray them, so he died. If you can convince your eldest brother to help me, I only want the River God to be reborn. I don’t want anything from the Twelve Ghost Caves—that belongs to you! Your father was someone who dealt with great matters. He would rather die than let you be harmed, which shows how important you are. Once you get what’s in the Twelve Ghost Caves, you’ll realize your extraordinary nature. As for me, I just want wealth and status. Is that too much to ask?” Chen Shitou looked at me pleadingly.

According to Chen Shitou, the Ghost Path was a sect, and both my father and grandfather belonged to it. This was somewhat different from what Fatty told me, who said the Ghost Path was powerful but had very few successors. But from Chen Shitou’s words, there seemed to be many, even capable of riding clouds and mist—powers of immortals, perhaps.

After pondering this, I looked at Chen Shitou and said, “Chen Shitou, I actually know you’re a feng shui master with profound skills. With your abilities, it wouldn’t be hard to make a living. Why sell yourself to the River God like this? Is it worth it?”

Chen Shitou gave a bitter smile. “I’ve cast my own fortune—I’m destined to be a beggar for three lifetimes! I’m not afraid of poverty, but I can’t let my children suffer in poverty, and then their children after them. So I have to take a chance.”

“If you had just relied on your own skills to find a wife and raise your children well, you might have turned your life around by now!” I said. Sometimes I felt he was cunning, but hearing his words, I also felt he was pitiful.

“Yezi, you don’t understand fate. Once tonight passes and the River God is reborn, I will have everything!” Chen Shitou said.

I waved my hand and said, “You can leave now. I’ll tell my eldest brother and Fatty what you said.”

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