Uncle Ding, full name Ding Sen, was the village’s police officer a few years ago. One day, he got seriously hurt when he was in the middle of pursuing a gangster so he resigned afterwards. Currently, he just stayed idly at home and grew flowers and took his pet birds on walks. His days were spent very leisurely.
Yi Xun stopped in front of a house with a front yard that was spread full of flowers. He hesitated for a while, then stepped forward and knocked on the door: “Uncle Ding, are you home?”
“Who is it ah?” From behind the door, a serious man’s voice sounded.
“It’s me, Yi Xun.”
“Yi Xun ah.” Uncle Ding opened the door and invited Yi Xun to go inside: “This youngster, how did you find the time to come here?”
“As a matter of fact, I came specially for you, Uncle Ding.”
“You still have a heart.” Uncle Ding and Yi Xun sat facing each other. Filling a cup with tea he continued: “Have a taste, I just brewed this scented tea.”
Yi Xun expressed his thanks, took the cup and had a sip. Then he praised: “Good tea. Uncle Ding, your ability is really awesome!”
“Ha ha ha! Just like Liu Shang, that fellow, you can speak sweetly. How have you been these few years living in the city? Must be tired, right?”
“A bit, after all, the world outside is not as fancy as one would imagine, not the kind that I like.”
“Then you have to strive harder. If you don’t want to be changed by the world, you have to reach to a great height, one that others can’t easily reach. Otherwise, you would be transformed by the world and turned into that annoying kind of person you despised. In the end, people are powerless to change the world.” Done speaking, Uncle Ding’s mood was somewhat low.
“Thank you for Uncle Ding’s advice. I understand.”
“But you also don’t be too worried, anyway we and other people are not the same. We still have the protection and care of the mountain god.” Uncle Ding suddenly spoke up: “One doesn’t visit a temple without a cause1, so say, why did you come to see me?”
Yi Xun touched his nose: “I heard people say, Uncle Ding, you were the one who was in charge of Ling’s case. I want to know what actually happened that year. I wish that Uncle Ding can tell me.”
In that year, why did a huge fire suddenly start behind the mountain?
Why were Ling and him, the two of them, behind the mountain?
Why did Ling……. die?
Uncle Ding’s hands that were lifting the tea cup paused. Only after a long while did he speak: “Was it Liu Shang, that brat, who told you?”
“En……. It looks like I can’t conceal anything from you, Uncle Ding.”
Peng2!
Uncle Ding heavily placed the teacup onto the table, and in a loud noise he said: “I already knew, that brat is unable to do anything right3!”
“Uncle Ding, calm down, take a deep breath.”
Uncle Ding couldn’t take out his anger on Liu Shang. After a while, he calmed down, looked at Yi Xun and said: “At that time, it was concealed from you for your own good. But now that you have grown up, if you really want to know, I can tell you about it.”
“At that time, although I was the one in charge of the case, there wasn’t much that I understood from the case either. Liu Shang, he must have told you, right? We found you at the altar on the mountain.”
“But, Xiao Xun ah, compared to us, perhaps you should be the one with the clearest understanding on the cause of Ling’s death. From the beginning until the end of the ghost festival 10 years ago, you were always together with him.”
“Wait a minute, Uncle Ding, you said that Ling died at the ghost festival ten years ago?!” Yi Xun asked.
“Correct, is there any problem?”
Logic told him that it was obviously impossible. However inside his subconscious mind, still floated their village century old legend.
“When bell on the hilltop rings, the dead may once again come to earth.”
1: 无事不登三宝殿– lit. one doesn’t visit a temple without a cause, idiom meaning to visit sb with an ulterior motive (esp. to ask for sth), having a hidden agenda.
2: The sound of an object placed heavily on another object.
3: 成事不足败事有余 – lit. unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything, meaning that one is unable to do anything righ, but can always cause damage .
Uncle Ding, full name Ding Sen, was the village’s police officer a few years ago. One day, he got seriously hurt when he was in the middle of pursuing a gangster so he resigned afterwards. Currently, he just stayed idly at home and grew flowers and took his pet birds on walks. His days were spent very leisurely.
Yi Xun stopped in front of a house with a front yard that was spread full of flowers. He hesitated for a while, then stepped forward and knocked on the door: “Uncle Ding, are you home?”
“Who is it ah?” From behind the door, a serious man’s voice sounded.
“It’s me, Yi Xun.”
“Yi Xun ah.” Uncle Ding opened the door and invited Yi Xun to go inside: “This youngster, how did you find the time to come here?”
“As a matter of fact, I came specially for you, Uncle Ding.”
“You still have a heart.” Uncle Ding and Yi Xun sat facing each other. Filling a cup with tea he continued: “Have a taste, I just brewed this scented tea.”
Yi Xun expressed his thanks, took the cup and had a sip. Then he praised: “Good tea. Uncle Ding, your ability is really awesome!”
“Ha ha ha! Just like Liu Shang, that fellow, you can speak sweetly. How have you been these few years living in the city? Must be tired, right?”
“A bit, after all, the world outside is not as fancy as one would imagine, not the kind that I like.”
“Then you have to strive harder. If you don’t want to be changed by the world, you have to reach to a great height, one that others can’t easily reach. Otherwise, you would be transformed by the world and turned into that annoying kind of person you despised. In the end, people are powerless to change the world.” Done speaking, Uncle Ding’s mood was somewhat low.
“Thank you for Uncle Ding’s advice. I understand.”
“But you also don’t be too worried, anyway we and other people are not the same. We still have the protection and care of the mountain god.” Uncle Ding suddenly spoke up: “One doesn’t visit a temple without a cause1, so say, why did you come to see me?”
Yi Xun touched his nose: “I heard people say, Uncle Ding, you were the one who was in charge of Ling’s case. I want to know what actually happened that year. I wish that Uncle Ding can tell me.”
In that year, why did a huge fire suddenly start behind the mountain?
Why were Ling and him, the two of them, behind the mountain?
Why did Ling……. die?
Uncle Ding’s hands that were lifting the tea cup paused. Only after a long while did he speak: “Was it Liu Shang, that brat, who told you?”
“En……. It looks like I can’t conceal anything from you, Uncle Ding.”
Peng2!
Uncle Ding heavily placed the teacup onto the table, and in a loud noise he said: “I already knew, that brat is unable to do anything right3!”
“Uncle Ding, calm down, take a deep breath.”
Uncle Ding couldn’t take out his anger on Liu Shang. After a while, he calmed down, looked at Yi Xun and said: “At that time, it was concealed from you for your own good. But now that you have grown up, if you really want to know, I can tell you about it.”
“At that time, although I was the one in charge of the case, there wasn’t much that I understood from the case either. Liu Shang, he must have told you, right? We found you at the altar on the mountain.”
“But, Xiao Xun ah, compared to us, perhaps you should be the one with the clearest understanding on the cause of Ling’s death. From the beginning until the end of the ghost festival 10 years ago, you were always together with him.”
“Wait a minute, Uncle Ding, you said that Ling died at the ghost festival ten years ago?!” Yi Xun asked.
“Correct, is there any problem?”
Logic told him that it was obviously impossible. However inside his subconscious mind, still floated their village century old legend.
“When bell on the hilltop rings, the dead may once again come to earth.”
1: 无事不登三宝殿– lit. one doesn’t visit a temple without a cause, idiom meaning to visit sb with an ulterior motive (esp. to ask for sth), having a hidden agenda.
2: The sound of an object placed heavily on another object.
3: 成事不足败事有余 – lit. unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything, meaning that one is unable to do anything righ, but can always cause damage .
