Chapter 1: I Can't Wear My Shroud

My name is Chen Yang. I dropped out of junior high school due to poor academic performance and then worked as a butcher for five years with my distant cousin.
During the Lunar New Year, I brought a pig's head home to celebrate the New Year.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but my grandfather died without any warning on the night I returned.
The people in the house blamed me, saying that I reeked of blood and shouldn't have come back during the New Year.
They said that my grandfather’s death had something to do with me, and that he was scared to death by the smell of blood on me.
My grandfather has four sons, and my father is the youngest, so he has basically no say in the family.
Faced with accusations from family members, my father could only explain patiently while my mother wiped away tears.
My second uncle and third uncle and their spouses implied that my father should bear all the funeral expenses.
In the end, it was my eldest uncle who stood up and suppressed my second and third uncles with a tiger roar.
Because of my grandfather's death, my family was busy. I wanted to go see him several times, but was stopped. I felt helpless and blamed myself, and at the same time, I had a deep sense of guilt.
My grandfather is old and has not been in good health in recent years. I have been slaughtering pigs for five years and the dogs in the village are so scared that they lie on the ground and tremble when they see me.
I also suspect that my grandfather’s death has something to do with me, and I still feel somewhat guilty.
Late at night, my father hurried in from outside. I was sitting in the main room and saw him sweating all over and looking anxious. I knew that something might have happened to him.

I asked him, "Dad, what's wrong?"
"Xiaoyang, something's wrong with your grandpa."
My father's words made my heart sink to the bottom of the sea.
Grandpa is dead, what could go wrong?
For some reason, my heart couldn't help but beat faster and faster, as if it was about to jump out of my body at any time.
"Your grandfather refused to wear his shroud."
My father's words were like a bolt from the blue to me.
Refusing to wear shroud?
How is that possible? You know, within a few hours after death, the body will become extremely stiff.
We also have a custom in our hometown. After an old person dies, people will use hot water to wipe the old person's body. On the one hand, it allows the old person to go on a clean journey, and on the other hand, hot water can be used to soften the old person's body, making it easier to put on new shrouds.
It sounds weird that grandpa now refuses to wear his new burial clothes.
"Yeah, he tried several times but he just wouldn't wear it. Xiaoyang, do you think your grandpa is reluctant to leave?"
My father looked at me with his eyes wide open, and I could see a hint of fear spreading in his round eyes.
Before I could answer, my second uncle and third uncle rushed into my house.
They pointed their hands at my nose and cursed, "Xiaoyang, you are responsible for your grandfather's affairs this time. Go and help your grandfather put on his burial clothes."
"Second brother, third brother, this matter has nothing to do with Xiaoyang..."
"Shut up, he's ignorant, don't you? He's full of murderous aura, and scared dad to death. Now if he doesn't go to serve dad, who will?"
I have been slaughtering pigs for five years and have become quite brave. Hearing them scolding my father like that, I felt a little uncomfortable.
Even though they were my elders, I couldn't help but say, "Stop yelling. I'll go if I want."
When I walked out, my mother pulled my sleeve. As the only son in the family, I knew how worried they were.
I shook my head and said, "It's okay, Mom."
I don't believe my grandfather could take his grandson's life.
When my second and third uncles saw that I had given in, they immediately looked happy.
I walked towards where my grandfather lived without any care.
My grandfather's four sons separated early, so no one lived with him. When my grandfather got older, they took turns to take care of him, one month each.
I arrived at my grandfather's room and the room was pitch black.
My second uncle and third uncle and their families lived far away from me.
My parents wanted to catch up.
My uncle was not at home. He was out contacting the funeral team and preparing for my grandfather's funeral.
I reached the door and took a deep breath. Although I was quite brave, I still felt a little scared.
With a creaky sound, the door opened. I raised my hand and touched the switch. After the light came on, my grandfather was lying straight on the bed, his shroud fell to the ground, and the room was a little messy.
It seems that my second uncle and his wife, who had just dressed grandpa in his shroud, were so scared that they ran away.

I picked up the shroud that had fallen to the ground and shook off the dust.
Then I walked towards the bed and pulled open the mosquito net. Immediately, I was so frightened by the scene in front of me that I took several steps back.
I saw that my grandfather's face was pale, his naked body was extremely stiff, and dark purple-red corpse spots were all over his body. It looked quite eerie and terrifying.
I held on for a breath and said, "Grandpa, your grandson Xiaoyang is here to dress you in your burial clothes. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me for being ignorant. If I had known that my return would bring you such bad consequences, I would not have come back even if you beat me to death."
After saying that, I knelt in front of my grandfather's window and kowtowed three times.
After standing up, I started to put the shroud on grandpa. I was clumsy and couldn't put it on for a long time.
And when I was dressing my grandfather in his shroud, I suddenly noticed that his toenails seemed very long and gray.
Under the dim yellow light, it looked a little scary.
My heart was pounding.
I was so scared that my forehead was covered with cold sweat, and my palms and soles were soaked with sweat.
I was extremely nervous, and at that moment, I really wanted to run away.
But thinking that I had not completed the task, I had to continue. I moved my eyes upwards and saw that my grandfather's fingernails had also become longer.
At that moment, I was devastated. This was the prelude to a resurrection.
I followed my distant cousin to work as a butcher, and heard a lot of weird and strange things.
Knowing that the situation is very bad, grandpa must be buried.
But if the shroud is not worn, my second uncle and the others will definitely not agree.
Finally, I came up with a crooked idea. I tore the shroud in several places and forced it on grandpa. My heart was pounding while I was doing this.
After I put on my clothes, I ran out quickly.
My second uncle and third uncle are all waiting for me outside.
When he saw me running out, he looked at me with a horrified face and asked me, "What happened?"
"It's done. You guys won't wear it, right? And you said that grandpa won't wear it. I think you're just too superstitious."
I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."
My second and third uncles ran into the house doubtfully to take a look. When they came out after looking, they looked happy and said that I had really dressed grandpa in his burial clothes.
Seeing that they believed me, I felt relieved and asked them to prepare the coffin so that grandpa could get into it first.
The second and third uncles agreed immediately.
After they left, I returned home. I felt very uneasy. I thought about this matter while taking a shower.
But just when I was halfway through my shower, there was a violent knock on the door.
"What? I'm taking a shower."
A sharp and panicked voice rang out: "Oh no, Xiaoyang, your grandfather has taken off his shroud again!"

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