Chapter 23: Family Comes Calling (Part 1)
In the endless Qianshan Mountains, amidst the towering and perilous peaks and ravines, the renowned and bustling Lingfu Temple was situated. Every year during the first lunar month, countless people would trek here. The green smoke from the incense would curl upwards, like a cluster of green clouds.
The monks of Lingfu Temple would all go into seclusion for cultivation at the end of the month, and the main gate would be closed. But Cui Jingkong, familiar with the paths, entered from the back of the mountain.
A young novice monk who was sweeping the floor thought he was a pilgrim who had wandered in by mistake. He foolishly stopped him and asked him to come back another day, but was pulled back by the collar by a passing senior monk.
The senior monk, with a kind face, clasped his hands together. The two seemed to know each other. “Benefactor, please go to the Baohua Hall. The head monk is waiting for you there.”
Cui Jingkong gave a slight acknowledgment and walked on. Only then did the senior monk pat the novice monk’s bald head. “You’ve got some nerve, daring to provoke just anyone!”
The novice monk was puzzled. “Master, but we are in seclusion today and not receiving pilgrims.”
“Cui Jingkong is no pilgrim…” he sighed. “He was very close to being tonsured and becoming a monk…”
The Baohua Hall was solemn and dignified. The statues of the gods and buddhas were either glaring angrily or meditating with their eyes closed. At the feet of their massive figures, a figure draped in a kasaya was dwarfed, as insignificant as a speck of dust.
This was a very young head monk, looking no more than twenty years old. His features were still youthful, but his brow was heavy with a world-weariness that belied his age. He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat with his eyes closed, striking a wooden fish rhythmically.
Cui Jingkong stood before the Buddha statue. He neither knelt and kowtowed as usual, nor did he offer any prayers. He simply looked up at the gods and buddhas that had been deeply carved into his mind for countless days and nights.
He had thought then, and still thought now, that every time he knelt on the prayer mat and pretended, he was sneering inwardly. If there were truly gods and buddhas in the heavens, why did they never look after the calamities of the mortal world?
The sound of the wooden fish faltered. Hong Hui’s eyes were still closed, but he seemed to know his actions like the back of his hand. He spoke, “Why do you not bow today?”
Cui Jingkong said faintly, “Why should I bow?”
The two of them knew very well that the power of the amber prayer beads would only weaken slightly when they were near a Buddhist holy land. The stronger Cui Jingkong’s connection to Buddhism, the more the beads would temporarily retract their power, making him feel a little better.
If Cui Jingkong was a beast that devoured people, the prayer beads were a cage that constantly tightened, eventually cutting into his flesh and blood, barely restraining him with pain.
But today, he was unusually defiant, as if he had completely abandoned this one and only concern. Hong Hui secretly thought that this was not good and only asked him, “Who did you meet?”
Cui Jingkong rolled up the sleeve of his left hand, revealing the blood-stained amber prayer beads. “Someone… who can suppress the beads.”
His tone was calm, but at this moment, it was filled with malice. “What should I do? Hong Hui, it can’t hold me anymore.”
“Impossible,” Hong Hui suddenly opened his eyes. He said word by word, “The Grandmaster cast this curse with his life’s merits. No one in this life can break it, unless… the other person is not of this world.”
Cui Jingkong was not at all frightened by the speculation that his widowed sister-in-law was some kind of immortal or demon. He turned around and just sneered contemptuously.
The sound of the wooden fish gradually became fragmented and out of tune. Hong Hui put down the mallet and rolled the prayer beads in his hand one by one. He suddenly spoke, “Have your feelings been awakened?”
Seeing Cui Jingkong’s figure pause, he nodded. “So that’s how it is. You are the reincarnation of an unlucky star, descended to the mortal world to undergo a trial. You should have been stillborn, but your mother gave her life to save you. You should have been a simpleton, but your father gave his life to save you. You should have gone on a killing spree, but the Grandmaster gave his life to save you. You should have been heartless and unfeeling, but who is it this time to save you?”
The meaning in his words was self-evident. A fierce expression covered Cui Jingkong’s handsome face, and he finally bared his fangs:
“Faxuan saved me? He clearly insulted and bullied me, coveting the fame of converting an unlucky star. First, he made me change my name and become a monk, then he turned on me, saying my nature was hard to change. Jingkong, Jingkong, he cursed my desires as filthy, so they had to be purified. He hated my strong fate and heavy soul, so they had to be emptied. Every word was a curse against me.”
“But she is different—she will not die.” His voice lowered, and he mumbled something in his throat. “She has helped me a lot. I will not kill her.”
Hong Hui looked at him sideways. Seeing his faint smile, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really in love?”
“Perhaps not.” Cui Jingkong’s expression was hesitant. There was no feeling of a missed beat or a racing heart in his chest right now.
But just the memory of his widowed sister-in-law’s dark hair and fair face under the dim yellow oil lamp a few days ago made him feel as if his body and mind were trapped in a fine, resilient net, unable to extricate himself as easily as before.
After he left, Hong Hui picked up the mallet again. The sound of the wooden fish echoed in the spacious hall. He sighed. Even someone as cold and emotionless as Cui Jingkong could not escape the allure of worldly tenderness and was willing to fall into the mortal world.
***
Cui Jingkong’s good mood from his return from Lingfu Temple did not last long, because when he returned to the brick house in the west of the village, Feng Yuzhen was gone again.
Unlike before, the tables and chairs in the house were overturned. In Feng Yuzhen’s side room, the clothes and bedding had been rummaged through, and all the clothes were thrown messily on the floor, as if a thief had broken in and looted the place.
He searched everywhere, from the stream to the forest. His sleeves were soaked with the night dew, but he couldn’t find her. Finally, alone, he knocked on the door of the Qian family across the river.
Qian Cuifeng opened the door and saw the tall young man standing at the entrance. He asked in a deep voice, “Auntie, have you seen my sister-in-law today? She hasn’t come home yet.”
She answered honestly, “No, I haven’t. Zhen’niang is missing? Did she go to visit relatives and not tell you? Oh, now that you mention it, I did see two men acting suspiciously in this area this morning.”
It all adds up.
He now knew that Feng Yuzhen had been abducted by them.
Qian Cuifeng thought, It must be the dark and windy night, otherwise how could she have been mistaken—
This scholar, Cui Er, whose nature was as cold as burning white jade, his usually calm face had suddenly become sinister and fierce, as if he were possessed by a demon, exuding a ghostly aura?
***
When they had burst in during the day, Feng Yuzhen was in the yard, hanging clothes to dry, the fence wide open and unguarded.
“You damn girl, you really made me look for you!”
The coarse voice grated on her eardrums. Feng Yuzhen quickly turned around and came face to face with Mr. Feng, who was cursing and lunging at her.
“Third Sister, you’ve gotten quite capable, haven’t you? Leading me and Father on a wild goose chase.”
Her fifth brother, Feng Zhaofeng, followed closely behind, a malicious smile on his face. He was holding a thick hemp rope used for tying pigs. The two of them closed in on her, not letting her retreat into the house.
“Father, Fifth Brother, you…”
Feng Yuzhen didn’t know how these two had found her. It was clear they had investigated thoroughly and had come while Cui Jingkong was away. She panicked instinctively, turned, and ran, shouting “Help!” as she darted through the backyard and into the forest.
“Damn it, you dare to run! Fifth, catch her for me!”
Feng Yuzhen gritted her teeth and ran back and forth in the forest, trying to shake off the person behind her. She knew that her father had come to catch her and marry her off. If she were caught, she would be doomed.
But her lame leg was giving out. A sharp pain shot through her bones, and her leg grew heavy. The strong and sturdy Feng Zhao quickly closed the distance in three or four steps. He reached out and grabbed—Feng Yuzhen’s hair bun, pulling it back.
“Let go of me!” Feng Yuzhen’s scalp was pulled tight and hurt. She couldn’t run anymore. She covered her head and desperately beat his arm.
“Finally caught you, Third Sister. It wasn’t easy.” Feng Zhao twisted her arms behind her back, tied them with one end of the rope, and stuffed a cloth gag into her mouth to prevent her from shouting.
He held the other end of the rope in front, dragging Feng Yuzhen behind him. Feng Zhao was nonchalant, his tone light. “What are you running for, Third Sister? I’m still waiting for Zhang Zhu to send the money.”
Who was Zhang Zhu? He was a famous figure in their village. Not only did he have shifty eyes, but he was also a pervert who loved to peep at others.
Therefore, although he had two acres of poor land, he still couldn’t find a wife and had to buy one from a human trafficker. He would beat the woman he bought. The neighbors had all seen her bruised and swollen. Later, after she gave birth, he beat her even more viciously. Finally, one night, while he was asleep, the woman had run away with the child.
My parents are really going to push me into such a fiery pit! Feng Yuzhen felt as if she had been thrown into an ice cave, and she shivered all over.
“Hurry, hurry! This damn girl is really holding things up. Don’t let anyone see!”
The two of them hadn’t run far when Mr. Feng, looking nervous, was waiting on the south side of the brick house. A donkey cart was parked beside him. Feng Zhaofeng dragged the struggling Feng Yuzhen over. One held her down while the other tied her legs with a rope.
Looking around and seeing no one, Mr. Feng quickly opened a sack and covered the whimpering Feng Yuzhen’s head with it.
They worked together to lift the sacked Feng Yuzhen onto the cart and covered her with a half-man-high pile of hay, concealing her figure well.
Feng Yuzhen’s hands and feet were tied, and she was weighed down by who knows how many pounds of hay. In the darkness, she could barely breathe. She closed her eyes, on the verge of suffocation, not knowing what kind of hell this cart would take her to.
“We have to thank that Old Fourth Cui for telling us a few days ago. If it weren’t for him, we would have been fooled by that old woman Liu Guilan again.”
“That’s easy. In a few months, I’ll invite Fourth Uncle Cui to my banquet and toast him a few more times.”
The faint sound of the two men’s conversation came from the front. Feng Yuzhen smiled bitterly. She regretted it deeply. After a few months, she had forgotten the potential threat from her family. It had been First Aunt who had been protecting her all along, not letting the Cui family slip up.
Unfortunately, she had just offended the main residence. Sure enough, Fourth Uncle Cui was the first to jump out and inform on her. The tables had turned, and now it was her turn to suffer the consequences.
After an unknown amount of time, the swaying donkey cart slowly came to a stop. She heard a gentle female voice, “You brought her back?” It was her mother.
Feng Yuzhen was secretly carried off the cart, avoiding people. The sack was removed, but it wasn’t much brighter. She looked around. This place was both familiar and strange. Only then did she remember that this was her family’s cellar.
Three people stood around her. From left to right, her mother, her father, and her fifth brother, Feng Zhao.
Mother Feng was stout and sturdy, a strong woman. Her face was grim as she looked coldly at her third daughter, who was sitting on the ground with her hands and feet tied:
“Third Daughter, no matter what, you shouldn’t have teamed up with outsiders to deceive us. Your husband has been gone for almost half a year. Your father and I have found a good marriage for you. Zhang Zhu’s family has a lot of land. You, a widow, and he, a widower, are a perfect match. It’s the order of your parents and the words of the matchmaker. It’s better to do it sooner rather than later. You’ll be married tomorrow morning.”
She made a muffled sound, her eyes pleading. Mother Feng bent down and took the gag out of her mouth. Seeing that her hands were tied behind her back in an uncomfortable position, she untied the rope on her hands.
Feng Yuzhen swallowed in her dry throat. Her voice was small but firm. “I won’t marry him.”
“You won’t marry him?” Mr. Feng rolled up his sleeves, his face becoming ferocious. “You ate and drank for free for over a decade. You’ve been gone for a year and you’re rebelling against me? I’ll beat you to death, you ungrateful wolf!”
He took two steps forward and suddenly raised his large hand to slap her.
Feng Yuzhen closed her eyes tightly in fear, but she still wouldn’t give in, repeating over and over again in a trembling voice that she wouldn’t marry him.
Mother Feng then raised her hand and pressed down on Mr. Feng’s arm, trying to smooth things over. “Alright, if you ruin her face, how will Third Daughter see people tomorrow?”
At this moment, Feng Zhao, who had been standing on the side with a blade of grass in his mouth, also pretended to persuade her. “Third Sister, what’s the use of being stubborn with Father and Mother? Zhang Zhu’s family has so much land. You’ll be living a life of leisure if you marry him. Father and Mother are doing this for your own good.”
For her own good?
His face was shameless. Feng Yuzhen turned her head away, a wave of indescribable disgust welling up in her.
The three of them took turns playing good cop and bad cop, their act well-rehearsed, all to persuade her so they could sell her for a good price. The more Feng Yuzhen listened, the colder her heart grew.
Seeing that her usually weak-willed third daughter had unexpectedly become a tough nut to crack, Mother Feng beckoned the two men to go out, so she could have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter.
“Third Daughter, don’t look down on this marriage. Zhang Zhu is a hardworking man. Those rumors in the village are old and unreliable.”
“If he’s really as good a match as you say, then how would it be my turn?” She had always been the one to pick up the leftovers.
Feng Yuzhen smiled sadly, her eyes uncontrollably reddening. “Mother, have you never seen my suffering?”
Mother Feng paused, then said coldly, “Suffering? Which woman hasn’t suffered! Men are cold stones. You just have to slowly warm him up after you marry him. Third Daughter, you should find another man to be your support.”
“What kind of support? A support that will beat me to death?”
Feng Yuzhen couldn’t hold it in any longer. Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks, and she begged her, “Daughter has never asked for anything, never wanted anything. I only beg you not to push me to my death. I won’t be able to survive if I marry him…”
Her silent, tearful plea shook Mother Feng. After all, this was her own flesh and blood, whom she had carried for ten months. Her heart softened, and she reached out to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
But suddenly, she vaguely heard Feng Zhao’s voice from outside. This was the little son she had finally had after giving birth to four daughters, after so much hardship.
She remembered that he was getting married in less than two months, but they still didn’t have the money to build a new house. They were counting on the money from Feng Yuzhen’s marriage. Her heart became as hard as iron again.
“Third Daughter, think about your brother! He’s not married yet, and the family doesn’t have enough money. You… you should be more considerate of him!” At the end, she guiltily turned her head away, not looking at her daughter on the ground.
“Then why has no one ever been considerate of me?” Feng Yuzhen’s tears flowed freely, falling to the ground, her voice almost a cry of blood. “Mother, I am also your flesh and blood. I beg you to let me go, give me a way to live. I will give you all the money I earn…”
She reached out and hugged the other’s calf, her tears streaming down to her knees. “Mother, I can’t live like this anymore.”
Mother Feng was silent for a moment, her lips trembling as they opened and closed twice. She pulled her leg away and left, almost as if she were fleeing. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to tie her hands in front of her.
Feng Yuzhen knew that she was determined to do this. She sat alone, her eyes red. She sniffled and thought, What should I do now?
Probably only her brother-in-law, who lived with her, would notice she was missing. That indifferent face leaped to her mind, along with the absurd, foolish words from before. Feng Yuzhen quickly extinguished that glimmer of hope: she didn’t dare to think, and she couldn’t think.
She quickly avoided the thought and wondered if anyone else would come to save her. Ze’ge’er was gone, First Aunt was far away and probably didn’t even know, and her other sisters were all married far away. No one could come to save her.
Thinking about it, there was no one she could rely on. A fierce thought arose in her heart. If she really had to jump into this fiery pit, she might as well just smash her head against the wall here.
But, why should she?
She had been cautious and had walked on thin ice in both her lives. Why could anyone just trample her into the mud? Why was she always beaten black and blue by the whims of fate, and treated with such contempt?
She curled up in a corner, as motionless as a stone statue.
After an unknown period of painful and long waiting, the darkness in the cellar was like a physical weight on her thin shoulders. Until a faint glimmer of light shot in from the door, and Mother Feng came in with a lamp to bring her dinner.
She lowered her head and untied her hands, not looking at her. “Hurry up and eat. We have to leave early tomorrow morning.”
Feng Yuzhen’s hands were numb from being tied in one position for so long. She shook them vigorously before taking the bowl with trembling hands. She had barely drunk half of it when her clumsy hands brought it to her lips, and with a moment of weakness, the bowl fell to the ground with a “clatter” and shattered.
Mother Feng sighed, thinking she was just being resentful. Feng Yuzhen lowered her head and gathered the scattered pieces on the ground, her calm demeanor almost unchanged from when she was a girl.
Mother Feng felt guilty and comforted her, “Third Daughter, Zhang Zhu promised us, he said he doesn’t hit women anymore. A man who knows how to change is a good man. He knows now that if he hits a woman, she will run away. This time, he won’t dare to do it again after marrying you.”
Feng Yuzhen nodded silently, as if she had completely given up and accepted her fate.
But Mother Feng felt even more guilty. She tied her hands again, swept the pieces into a dustpan, and quickly carried it out. She didn’t notice that one piece was missing from the dustpan—a piece with two sharp points, hidden in Feng Yuzhen’s sleeve.
She didn’t dare to sleep a wink, afraid that they would take advantage of her while she was asleep. Early in the morning, the wooden door creaked open, and Feng Yuzhen instantly woke up.
“Zhen’niang, come on, change into your wedding dress. The bridal sedan is waiting at the door. This was all prepared by the Zhang family.”
The bright red wedding dress Mother Feng brought was embroidered with a pair of lifelike mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined. The silk was smooth and light. Feng Yuzhen had never worn such fine material before. Her heart was sour, and she found it ridiculous.
Her face was made up, a yellow flower was pasted on her forehead, and rouge was applied. Only then were the ropes on her hands and feet untied. She turned her back to her mother and changed into the wedding dress.
As soon as she left the cellar, Feng Yuzhen knew something was wrong. She had planned to escape on the way, but unexpectedly, there were four strong sedan bearers, all powerful men. Her jaw tightened, and her heart sank.
The swaying bridal sedan landed, and a man wearing a similar patterned outfit to hers lifted the curtain. He looked only a little younger than her father. He grinned, revealing yellowed, sparse teeth.
Zhang Zhu immediately rushed to hold her hand. Feng Yuzhen suppressed her fear and subconsciously tried to pull away from his sweaty hand. But with the strong men still following, she was afraid of ruining everything, so she endured his touch with disgust.
Fortunately, he was also quite perfunctory about this marriage, which had a clear price tag. He only had her step over a brazier. They didn’t even bow to the heavens and earth. He hastily sent her into the room, saying that he would wait for the guests to arrive and would be back after drinking.
Before leaving, Zhang Zhu had wanted to steal a kiss. Feng Yuzhen stiffly pushed him away, lowering her eyes and pretending to be shy. Zhang Zhu didn’t think much of it, just thinking she was reserved.
As soon as he left, Feng Yuzhen immediately stood up and looked around, wanting to escape during this gap. But the windows and doors were all firmly shut from the outside, as if this had been expected.
Fearing that Zhang Zhu would return, and she wouldn’t be able to refuse him this time, Feng Yuzhen anxiously picked up a stool and repeatedly slammed it against the door, but it was no use.
Suddenly, a series of forceful and rapid footsteps came from the corridor, from far to near. Feng Yuzhen immediately stepped back, away from the door. She stood by the bed, pointing the sharp edge of the shard at the door, clutching her only support tightly in her hand.
The door was thrown open with a bang from the outside. Her vigilant and even resolute eyes met the heaving chest and unsteady breath of the young man outside the door.
The hastily arrived Cui Jingkong walked step by step towards the stunned widowed sister-in-law. He stood before her, his gaze obscure as he stared at the bright red wedding dress she was wearing.
Something hot seemed to be swimming in his dark eyes. He called out softly, “Sister-in-law.”
Feng Yuzhen’s eyes reddened at this call. For the first time, she took the initiative to reach out, stand on her tiptoes with a sob, and wrap her arms around the young man’s neck.
And Cui Jingkong bent down, his palm firmly pressed against his widowed sister-in-law’s slender back, holding her tight.
It was strange, he was a little puzzled again. He was already so close to her, but why did he still feel it wasn’t enough? He wanted to press her even tighter, to simply knead her into his embrace, until they were together day and night, never apart.