PCJ – Chapter 34 Water Ghost

At the entrance of Lan She Xi village where Zhang Jiaohua’s family resides is Lan She Xi River. To get home, Zhang Jiaohua’s family must pass over a bridge called Fengyu Bridge on Lan She Xi Reiver. This Fengyu Bridge is the favorite place for the village kids. Every afternoon, a bunch of kids play on the bridge. They strip off their clothes, jump from the bridge into the crystal-clear river below. Every kid who grows up by the creek knows how to swim, and there have been hardly any incidents of children drowning, not even once, from the production team to the household field allocation.

When Zhang Jiaohua’s family passed the Fengyu Bridge, his cousin Liu Xi was playing on it, clothes stripped off, body damp from the creek, having just jumped into the river and climbed up from the pier by the bridge. He was getting ready for another round of diving.

Kids from the same village leaped high, spreading their bodies in the air, extending their limbs, then splashed into the water, creating splashes as high as a yard. The kids’ scoring standard is different from diving; they compete to see who can make the biggest splash, the farthest. This is the true beauty of sports.

Liu Xi was about to show off his skills but was stopped by his aunt.

“Are you coming to play at Auntie’s house?” Liu Qiaoye asked her struggling nephew.

“No, my mom won’t let me go to your house. She won’t let me play with Brother Jiaohua either.” The little kid was very honest, always speaking his mind.

Liu Qiaoye let go, allowing her nephew to slip away from her hands. Liu Xi, after breaking free, crawled out from a hole formed by prying off a wooden board on the Fengyu Bridge, grabbed the railing with both hands, leaned forward, stood on the bridge, then suddenly pushed with his feet, let go with his hands, leaped high, shouting loudly: “Ah!” and splashed into the water. The water splashed high.

Liu Qiaoye shook her head, feeling quite frustrated. This trip back to her parents’ home made her feel very depressed. She softly said to her husband and son, “Let’s go back.”

Zhang Jiaohua held his puppy in his arms, his eyes fixed on Lan She Xi. Suddenly, a scene appeared in his eyes: a little kid struggling in the water, as if something was pulling him into the water.

“Ah!” Zhang Jiaohua exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Youping and his wife asked in unison.

Zhang Jiaohua took a closer look, realizing he had mistaken something. He scratched his head. “Nothing.”

After walking for a while, Liu Qiaoye asked her son again, “What did you see just now?”

“I, I saw someone being dragged into the water by something. That person was struggling desperately and sank into the water,” Zhang Jiaohua told the truth. Just now there were other people on the bridge, he was afraid of being talked about, now that there was no one else, Zhang Jiaohua told the truth.

Liu Qiaoye thought of her nephew and quickly asked, “Did you see who that person was?”

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “No. He had his back to me. Seemed to be about my age.”

“Sis, brother-in-law, please walk slower,” Liu Biao caught up, holding a bamboo basket with some stuff inside.

Zhang Jiaohua’s family stopped.

“Brother-in-law, sis, I’m really sorry. My wife doesn’t speak without thinking. Please don’t take offense. This stuff is what mom asked me to bring over. Don’t feel embarrassed to take some. You can’t go back empty-handed. Jiaohua, don’t listen to your aunt. Come over to your uncle’s place when you have time.” Liu Biao looked guilty. He knew the reason Zhang Jiaohua’s family hurried back was mainly because they had a hard time at his house.

Liu Qiaoye couldn’t care less about these things at this moment and hurriedly said to Liu Biao, “Just passed the Fengyu Bridge, saw Xizi playing on the bridge, quickly go and bring him back. You must bring him back.”

“The kids in our village play on the bridge every day, nothing to worry about. Xizi is very good at swimming. He grew up in the water,” Liu Biao said dismissively.

Liu Qiaoye got angry, “I told you to quickly go bring Xizi back, why are you talking so much? Hurry up and go bring him back! Listen to your sister. You must bring Xizi back! Go quickly!”

Liu Qiaoye was very anxious because she knew her son was different from other kids. But she didn’t say it out loud; she didn’t want others to know, but she had to remind her younger brother. Liu Qiaoye’s left eyelid kept twitching. She became more convinced that something might be wrong.

Although Zhang Youping didn’t quite believe it, seeing his wife so anxious, he quickly said, “Brother, listen to your sister, hurry up and go. Better safe than sorry.”

Seeing his sister and brother-in-law saying so, Liu Biao felt a bit helpless and hurried back.

Liu Biao ran all the way back to the Fengyu Bridge, panting, “Xizi, Xizi!”

Under the FenFengyugshui Bridge, several kids from the village were chasing each other in the water. Xizi was in the middle of the river, swimming happily. Hearing Liu Biao’s shout, he immediately waved to Liu Biao, “Dad, I’m here.”

“You little rascal, come up quickly! Go back with Dad!” Liu Biao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay.” Liu Xi didn’t understand why his dad was in such a hurry to take him home today. But he still started swimming towards the riverbank. At this moment, Liu Xi’s body suddenly sank.

“Dad! Someone is pulling me in the water!” Liu Xi exclaimed immediately, and soon Liu Xi couldn’t hold on and started sinking.

“Son!” Liu Biao’s face changed, his heart sinking: afraid they encountered a water ghost! He quickly threw the bamboo basket in his hand aside, didn’t even take off his clothes, and jumped directly into Lan She Xi.

The kids on the side saw the dangerous scene and were scared, running to the shore. The kids on the shore shouted loudly, “Come and save him! Xizi is being pulled by a water ghost!”

Luckily, Liu Biao arrived quickly, jumped from the bridge, and landed right beside his son. He immediately dived into the water and soon found the panicked Liu Xi, who was beginning to choke on water. He quickly hugged him and pulled him up.

But there was a huge pulling force on Liu Xi’s body, and Liu Biao couldn’t pull Liu Xi out of the water at once.

Lan She Xi Village is by the Lan She Xi River. Hearing the cries for help, several men from the village rushed out, and one of them picked up a bamboo pole from the yard.

Liu Biao desperately pulled Liu Xi up to the water’s surface. With a sudden force, father and son temporarily surfaced, gasping for air. Liu Xi felt a huge pulling force under his feet. Suddenly, both father and son were pulled back into the water.

Before Liu Biao could adjust his breath, he was pulled into the water again. “Not good! This thing’s strength is getting stronger and stronger.”

Liu Biao and his son slowly sank deeper into the water, seemingly about to plunge into a whirlpool.

Suddenly, a bamboo pole stretched out from the river surface. In despair, Liu Biao was touched by the bamboo pole, like a light in the darkness. Liu Biao grabbed the bamboo pole. A huge force came from the bamboo pole, pulling father and son out of the water again.

“Liu Biao, hold on tight! We’ll pull you up!” The villagers on the shore pulled the bamboo pole with all their strength.