Chapter 79: Chen Qingshan's Secret

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Chen Qingshan woke up drenched in cold sweat, sitting up in his dream, timidly saying to the woman, “Maybe I’ve just been too tired lately.”

The woman said nothing, only nestling gently in Chen Qingshan’s arms, appearing thoughtful and considerate. Had he not known her true identity as the corpse woman, Chen Qingshan might have been moved; but knowing what she was, it’s no wonder a young man like him could not muster any passion.

He retrieved the earring from beneath his pillow, nervously cupping the woman’s face, and said, “You’re so beautiful. I’d like to give you this earring.”

He tried to put it on her. The woman glanced at him, neither smiling nor refusing. As he fastened the earring, she looked at Chen Qingshan and said, “You know who I am now. I won’t come to see you again. Consider this earring a gift from me.”

With that, she tore off the earring and tossed it back to him, dressed, and vanished in a flash. Once she was gone, Chen Qingshan felt a strange emptiness, realizing he had grown attached to the woman who had tangled with him for so many nights.

When Chen Qingshan awoke, the earring was still in his hand. He hurried to find Uncle Zhuzi. As soon as Uncle Zhuzi saw the earring, he said, “You haven’t been paid yet—how did you afford this? Did you buy it for Xiaoqi?”

Xiaoqi was Chen Qingshan’s wife. Her full name was Wu Cai, her nickname was Xiaoqi.

“Stop pretending, will you, brother!” Chen Qingshan said.

“What did I say last night while drinking?!” Uncle Zhuzi scratched his head.

Now Chen Qingshan was truly speechless. He understood at last: only when Uncle Zhuzi was drunk did he become a master; sober, he was just a construction worker. Chen Qingshan struggled through another day of work, then dragged Uncle Zhuzi out for drinks that evening. After a few rounds, he gauged that Uncle Zhuzi was drunk and asked, “Do you remember now?”

“I remember,” Uncle Zhuzi burped.

“That woman left the earring. Does that mean she won’t let me go?” Chen Qingshan asked.

“If she won’t let you go, isn’t that even better? The woman’s pretty, you got lucky,” Uncle Zhuzi replied.

“Enough! What should I do?” Chen Qingshan pressed.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s fine. Even ghosts have principles. Since she gave you the earring, keep it. It means the woman has her own code. Think of yourself as a seller—the earring is the payment,” Uncle Zhuzi said.

“Really, nothing to worry about?” Chen Qingshan asked.

“Really, nothing. Qingshan, let’s work a few more days and then head home, or find another site,” Uncle Zhuzi suggested.

“Why? Aren’t things going well?” Chen Qingshan asked.

“With that woman ghost around, the foreman died, but her belongings haven’t been settled yet—something’s bound to happen. Best not to stay,” Uncle Zhuzi said.

This time, Chen Qingshan decided to heed Uncle Zhuzi’s advice. Within a few days, the two switched job sites. Less than a month later, because the new site was shoddy—with substandard cement and steel—the seven-story building collapsed, bankrupting the boss. The workers who’d spent half a year there lost their wages, now roaming the streets with signs demanding pay. When they met Chen Qingshan and Uncle Zhuzi, everyone said the two were lucky.

“So your Uncle Zhuzi—he’s the best at acting. Too bad he’s not on TV! He only becomes a master when drunk; I really believed that before, but now I see he was just pretending!” Chen Qingshan finally said.

I wanted to laugh at Chen Qingshan’s words, but couldn’t. They reminded me of Uncle Zhuzi. Back then, he was an optimistic, humorous man, which was clear from Chen Qingshan’s stories. He worked construction to pay my tuition. Thinking of this, I sank into deep self-reproach. Since my older brother returned, Uncle Zhuzi had changed, sighing every day. If only I’d listened to him sooner, or been more alert, he wouldn’t have suffered so much. Now, his fate was uncertain in Tang Renjie’s hands.

I looked at Chen Qingshan and said, “Well, at least you’re okay now. Is that all? If so, I’ll go find Fatty.”

Chen Qingshan grabbed me, his face reddening, and said, “It’s not okay at all! Yezi, since Uncle wants to talk today, let’s lay it all out. I never treated you as an outsider. Uncle’s biggest secret—I’ll tell you now! Since that woman, I haven’t been able to… you know?”

Though I still wore the hat of a virgin, as an experienced homebody, I knew exactly what he meant. In shock, I looked at Chen Qingshan and asked, “Really? How could you be… unable?”

“That night scared me so badly, it caused problems. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but when I got home, I realized I couldn’t. I saw plenty of doctors—Chinese and Western—none found anything wrong, said it was psychological. But whatever the cause, the fact is, I can’t. Since then, your aunt suspects me, thinks I’ve been fooling around outside. You know what kind of man I am—would I do that? Then, damn it, she found the earring. I said I bought it for her, she said it was some woman’s keepsake left for me. ‘If you bought earrings, wouldn’t there be a pair?’ If a woman gets unreasonable, nothing you say matters. So you see, I might look normal outside, but I’m a wreck inside—a wreck, you understand?” As he spoke, Chen Qingshan began to cry.

“Didn’t you explain to Aunt?” I asked, surprised that the usually decisive Chen Qingshan had such a sad story. I really felt for him.

“How could I? Would she believe me? I only tell you; who else would believe it? ‘A ghost woman drained me, so now I can’t?’” Chen Qingshan said.

I opened my mouth, unsure what to say. But this only made me more determined to help Chen Qingshan escape this ordeal. He was a decent man, already suffering enough; I couldn’t let him take more risks.

I tried to comfort him, urging him not to dwell on it, promising to accompany him to see a psychologist. Since it was a psychological issue, he should see the right specialist. As I spoke, Chen Qingshan, like his Uncle Zhuzi, soon fell asleep on the table.

I draped a coat over him, stood up, and as I left, saw his wife just stepping out of the house, her eyes red. Unsure what to say, I managed, “Auntie, Uncle’s a straightforward man—maybe he has his own troubles. Please try to understand him.”

At my words, Aunt Xiaoqi’s face flushed, and she scolded, “He’s shameless, saying everything to outsiders!”

I felt very awkward—after all, this was a matter between husband and wife, not something a young man like me should meddle in. So I said, “I have things to do, I’ll be going now!”

——

Leaving Chen Qingshan’s house, I went straight to Fatty. Smelling the alcohol on me, Fatty asked, “Why are you drinking in broad daylight?”

“I was talking with Chen Qingshan. He wouldn’t tell me so much if he weren’t drunk. Fatty, you’re sharp—turns out the village chief really was hiding something,” I said.

Then I told Fatty about the weasel incident Chen Qingshan mentioned. As for the later parts, which concerned a man’s dignity and pride, I didn’t elaborate.

After hearing it, Fatty asked, “Chen Tianfang? Chen Dongfang’s grandfather?”

“I think so,” I replied. The Chen clan’s main line truly had many secrets. Chen Tianfang had made an agreement with a weasel?

“Call Chen Dongfang, tell him what happened, and ask about the weasel. A weasel that walks and talks like a human—must be a spirit. This is getting lively,” Fatty said.

I nodded, immediately phoned Chen Qingshan, and told him about it. Then I asked, “Uncle, Chen Tianfang—isn’t that Great-Grandfather’s name? Did he have dealings with a weasel?”

Chen Dongfang pondered for a moment, then said, “Yes, that was before Liberation.”

“Can you tell me about it?” I asked.

Chen Dongfang replied, “It’s nothing, really. The elderly in the village probably know a bit. That was during a famine; the villagers were dirt poor, and the New Year was approaching. No money for holiday goods. Suddenly, weasels appeared in the village. People trapped them, ate the meat, sold the pelts. In winter, weasel pelts were valuable, could be exchanged for nearly a pound of meat. One villager caught a weasel whose fur was yellow and white, clearly quite old.”

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