Wei Junyong continued,

"The Wangs had barely left when my dad blew up. 'Why are you agreeing to jobs for me? I told you, I'm done.'

"My grandpa walked out with his hands behind his back. 'You made this mess, you clean it up. I didn't want you marrying that woman, but you had to bring her home. And you broke the Wangs' legs.'

'You owe them, you have to pay them back. Better sooner than later, or who knows what might happen?'

"My dad shouted at my grandpa's back, 'You're sending me to my death!'

"My grandpa didn't even turn around. 'None of the old Weis die peacefully.'

"My dad plopped down on the kang, not saying a word, until he dug a bundle out of our cellar that night, slung it over his shoulder, and left. He even touched my head before he went.

"My dad was gone for over half a month. When he came back, his head was wrapped in black cloth, showing nothing but his eyes.

'Dad—'

"I went to hug him, but he jumped back like he'd been burned. 'I'm sick, it's contagious, stay away from me. I'm going to see your grandpa. Remember, if your grandpa doesn't let you in, don't come to see me.'

"Before I could say anything, my dad pushed open the door and ran to my grandpa's. I chased after him as hard as I could, but couldn't catch up. When I got to my grandpa's door, I saw him come out of the house with a knife. 'Don't come in, just stand there.'

"I'd never seen my grandpa look so scary. I was too scared to move.

"My grandpa ran to the side of the house and reached into a hole in the wall. After a moment, he pulled out a colorful snake, the biggest snake I'd ever seen.

"My grandpa grabbed the snake by the head. Its mouth was open so wide it was touching his thumb, and its fangs were sticking out like hooks. The snake's body was wrapped tightly around his arm, making his clothes bulge.

"My grandpa didn't seem to feel any pain. He rushed into the house, and when he got to my dad, he raised the knife and cut off the snake's head.

"The snake's head flew off and bit the corner of the table with a snap. Its fangs sank into the wood and wouldn't let go.

"My grandpa didn't seem to notice. He stuffed the snake's body straight into my dad's mouth. My dad was gulping down snake blood, and the snake's tail was still twitching on my grandpa's arm. After a long time, it finally went limp.

"After my dad drank the blood, he seemed exhausted and fell back on the kang. I didn't know if he was asleep or not.

"My grandpa wiped the blood off his hands and came out. 'Don't come in the house for the next few days. And don't sneak peeks. You hear me?'

'I hear you!' I said, but I was really worried about my dad, so I kept sneaking looks into the house when I brought him food.

"Those days, my dad was screaming in the house like he was dying. Sometimes he screamed for someone to pay for his life, sometimes he sat up and cursed, and most of the time he was just screaming in agony, shouting that it hurt.

"I didn't know where it hurt. I wanted to go in and see him, but suddenly my dad sat up on the kang and stared at the empty space in the room, cursing violently. It was like there was someone there. His eyes were terrifying.

'Dad—' I called out, trying to be brave. His eyes immediately snapped to me. His sockets were sunken in, like his eyes had been gouged out. His eye sockets were blue, and I couldn't see any white in his eyes.

'Get out—' My dad's voice was so shrill it made my skin crawl.

"Before I could say anything, my grandpa grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out. 'Go home, don't hang around here.'

"I still wanted to go in and see him, but my grandpa wouldn't let me. I reluctantly went home.

"Not long after I got home, my grandpa suddenly ran over. He tied me up in the house while I wasn't paying attention, grabbed a stick, and went out. I saw him heading towards his own house.

"Not long after, I heard my dad screaming. It didn't even sound like a human voice, it gave me goosebumps all over. My dad screamed for a long time before he went silent.

"The next morning, my grandpa brought a coffin into the yard. According to the old customs, when someone dies, you have to leave the body out for a day to purify it before you can put it in the coffin.

"But when my grandpa came back, he nailed the coffin shut. He didn't let anyone see, and he wouldn't let me burn paper money or keep vigil. He kept watch over the coffin by himself.

"That night, as my grandpa kept vigil, I vaguely saw my dad come back, his head covered in blood. There was a stick mark on his skull, like someone had smashed his head open. The blood was running down his chest.

"My first thought was, could that be what my dad's body looked like in the coffin? My dad, he...

"My dad didn't care what I was thinking. He told me: Just stay with your grandpa from now on! But, you have to remember, if you ever see your grandpa with a stick, run away as fast as you can. He's going to kill you with that stick."