IBGSW Chapter 59
To Goutou Village
By the time Wu Dajing finished, Zhao Fusheng was about eighty percent sure that Wu Liren's family had met with some accident.
The village was small, with just over a hundred people, and the Village Chief Wu Liren's household accounted for more than a fifth of the village's population. A family this size could not leave without being seen, no matter how lightly they traveled. They hadn't gone out at night, and no one had seen them in daytime.
"They should have been at home, yet the Wu family vanished into thin air—"
The room was quiet, with only Zhao Fusheng tapping the rolled scroll in her hand against the table, a steady rhythm. In that rhythmic tapping her voice sounded steady, calm, and methodical, quite unlike the forceful, reckless, bold, and rather impulsive image she sometimes showed.
Fan Bisi was a little distracted. He thought of the extraordinary qualities Zhao Fusheng had shown in calmly suppressing the Zhao couple, forcing him to divert the disaster eastward, burning down Paperman Zhang's house, and handling the Beggars' Alley ghost case, and set them against the Zhao Fusheng before him. He wondered: what kind of person is Zhao Fusheng, really?
While he was lost in thought, he heard Zhao Fusheng say: "I'll assume the doors and windows were barred from inside, and that before Wu Dajing and the others broke in, the doors and windows of Wu Liren's house were intact. In that case, dozens of Wus vanishing without a trace is clearly not normal."
There was indeed something eerie here. Combining that with the way her own and everyone's memories had been interfered with earlier, she was seven or eight parts sure:
"This case has no malignant ghost, but it's full of an uncanny air everywhere. It may well involve a ghost." She gripped the scroll.
"In that case, I have nothing else on lately, so I may as well go to Goutou Village in Wu'an Town."
She turned to Fan Bisi, "Call Zhang Chuanshi, have him pack some luggage and come with me."
She was decisive, and as soon as she said she would go, there was no dragging of feet. Magistrate Pang and the others hadn't expected to persuade her to take another ghost case at once and had braced themselves to go away empty-handed. They hadn't expected that the moment they raised the topic, Zhao Fusheng would agree. The gentry looked both surprised and delighted, seemed to find it hard to believe, and were tinged with a trace of hesitation.
"My lord, y-you really are going?"
"Yes," Zhao Fusheng nodded. Magistrate Pang and the others looked at one another and hesitation showed on their faces. She smiled without a word, seeing through the thoughts of the group at a glance.
After she'd promised to take ghost cases that day, these people hadn't trusted her. Bringing Wu Dajing today probably wasn't really to have the case handled, but to probe her attitude. Once she agreed to take the case, Magistrate Pang and the others, having some assurance, would probably be loath to let her go.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished, the group was quiet a moment, and then a gentry member leaning on a cane spoke first.
"My lord—we think this matter isn't urgent."
With someone speaking up first, Magistrate Pang relaxed and chimed in.
"Yes," he said. "There's certainly something strange about this affair, but whether it's human or ghost at work is still unclear."
He clapped his palms together crosswise and looked regretful.
"It's all my fault for not investigating beforehand. How about leaving it to me: I'll first send runners to Goutou Village to investigate Wu Liren's family's disappearance, and once we determine ghosts are involved, you can step in?"
He spoke in lofty terms, and the others nodded. Fan Bisi's face was cold, as if he hadn't heard them. These people were notables of Wan'an County, but Zhao Fusheng had shown extraordinary ability, and she was the soul and leading figure of Wan'an County now. If she didn't want to go to Goutou Village, they couldn't persuade her. If she did want to go, they could wear out their lips for nothing.
Wu Dajing looked anxious, listening to the bigwigs persuade one after another. His backside seemed itchy beyond measure, perhaps because the new clothes had been left at the bottom of a chest too long and had lice, or because they were scratchy on his body. Though it wasn't elegant to scratch in front of everyone, he couldn't help it, so he secretly put a hand behind his back, grabbed his clothes, and rubbed his back hard a couple of times. The coarse cloth chafed his skin hotly, and only then did he get relief and feel much better.
While Wu Dajing was scratching his back, Fan Wujiu had gone out on orders and called Zhang Chuanshi. Since learning that he would accompany Zhao Fusheng on the next ghost case, the old man had been trembling and living in a daze. When he heard that Magistrate Pang had led a group of gentry to the bureau that day, he was both afraid and angry, and cursed all the way over, cursing Magistrate Pang and the others to pieces in his heart.
But when he stood at the door and heard Magistrate Pang and the others trying to dissuade her, he was secretly delighted, his bent back straightened considerably, and he was about to speak when he heard Zhao Fusheng say: "No need."
She said in a low voice: "I already have a lead on this case."
"A lead?" The elderly gentry member who had spoken first looked blank, "What lead?"
Wu Dajing had spoken incoherently. The case was plainly Wu Liren's family going missing, yet he had first talked about Wu Datong going out to work and getting rich, then mentioned Wu Liren's many sons, and finally veered to two villagers quarreling, with no sense of order or priority.
"Lord Zhao—" the gentry member drew out his words.
"Your willingness to take on ghost assignments for Wan'an County is a blessing for the county, but this commoner speaks in a muddle, with no logic at all. In my view, Lord Zhao should stay in Wan'an County and wait and see—"
"Yes, yes," Magistrate Pang and the others chorused.
Zhang Chuanshi, sneaking in among the crowd, joined in softly: "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Zhao Fusheng frowned.
"I've decided to go to Goutou Village in Wu'an Town."
Magistrate Pang said: "Lord Zhao has already cleared the Beggars' Alley calamity and used the ghost's power."
"Twice..." Zhang Chuanshi said faintly.
The group's faces tightened, and Magistrate Pang earnestly urged: "Lord Zhao should take care of her health and not let the ghost drain her soul—"
Amused by them, Zhao Fusheng said deliberately: "You mean I shouldn't take ghost cases anymore?"
How could that be?! The group was at a loss for words, and only Zhang Chuanshi was secretly delighted.
"...Even if you take ghost cases again, don't be in a hurry. Rest for some more time," the gentry said again.
"Stop talking!" Zhao Fusheng's face darkened and she slapped the table and stood: "I said I've decided to go to Goutou Village. I'm not discussing it with you, I'm informing you."
Her attitude was forceful, and one gentry member couldn't help voicing disappointment: "If you go, what will we do in Wan'an County's city?"
"Do what you always do," Zhao Fusheng said coolly. "I protect Wan'an County, I maintain the safety of a whole county, I'm not your private guard."
Zhao Fusheng found she'd been too polite. Her earlier amiable manner had been mutual respect, but these people were pushing their luck and had begun to take a mile when given an inch. When she put on a stern face, the others remembered that she controlled a ghost and dared not speak.
"Wu Dajing stays here, the rest of you go back. Brother Fan, pack some travel gear for me. Zhang Chuanshi, get the carriage ready—"
Hearing himself named, Zhang Chuanshi's face turned white and he wanted to speak, but Fan Bisi seized him and hauled him out: "Old Zhang, get moving."
"I don't want to go—I don't want to go—Lord Zhao, spare me—spare—ooh—" It seemed someone clapped a hand over his mouth, and after a couple of squeaks there was no more sound.
Seeing Zhao Fusheng's darkened face, the others dared not provoke her further and left uneasily, one after another.
The side chamber soon emptied, leaving only Wu Dajing prostrate on the floor. Zhao Fusheng sat back down and her eyes fell on the scroll in her hand.
This ghost case might involve strange forces. Something was wrong with Wu Datong's youngest son. People's memory of "him" seemed blurred, and even if they heard of him one moment, they'd soon forget. Even she, who controlled a ghost, was affected by this force.
Thinking this, her scalp itched slightly again, and she scratched twice and felt better. She turned her mind back to Wu Datong's "son." If even she would forget certain things, she needed a medium to "remind" her at all times. At times like these, "people" affected by strange forces were the most unreliable. Only objects were true.
Her eyes fell on the scroll. A small scab was tucked inside, which she had torn off when she thought of Wu Datong's son. Through this one connection, she wouldn't forget Wu Datong's "son"!
Thinking this, she put the scroll away and tucked it into her other sleeve.
......
She didn't know what Fan Bisi and Zhang Chuanshi had said, but when Zhao Fusheng came out, the old man had hitched the carriage as she'd told him and was waiting for her. A simple pack had been readied. This ghost case might take an unknown length of time, but going by how long the Beggars' Alley case took to resolve, Fan Bisi had prepared three days of dry rations and a set of her toiletries.
"I'm leaving the bureau's affairs to you. If there are ghost cases, gather clues and find the relevant people, and wait until I come back."
She instructed Fan Bisi calmly.
Fan Wujiu beside him wanted to speak but didn't dare under his brother's warning glance. When Zhao Fusheng had finished, she had nothing more to say. She signaled Wu Dajing to board and point the way, climbed into the carriage herself, and Zhang Chuanshi shook the reins and shouted, and the horse lifted its hooves and pulled the carriage forward.
Once the carriage left the bureau gate, Fan Wujiu, who'd held it in for a long time, asked: "Brother, what do you think of Fusheng—"
"Don't think too much. Do your own job," Fan Bisi cut him off. "I think it doesn't matter whether she lives or dies, just look at the final result," he said calmly.
Fan Wujiu thought about it and agreed it made sense.
Meanwhile the carriage sped along, and Zhao Fusheng asked Wu Dajing: "How far is Goutou Village from here?"
"My lord," Wu Dajing, his thin body huddled in a corner, hurried to rouse himself and answer when asked. "On foot it's not near. Three days ago I went into town to report the case, and the master in town brought me into the city by ox cart—"
Here a hint of pride showed: "I figure it took five or six hours to get to the city. On foot, I reckon at least a day and a night."
"As for how far the journey is..."
He looked embarrassed: "...I don't know."
Then he glanced carefully at Zhao Fusheng's face, saw she wasn't angry, and added: "From town back to the village it's quicker on foot, two double-hours (about four hours)1 is enough."
Zhao Fusheng nodded. She mentally sorted through the clues again. Wu Dajing didn't dare speak.
After a long while she suddenly asked: "You mentioned that Wu Liren's family had held a funeral not long ago."
Hearing her speak suddenly, Wu Dajing raised his head quickly, and Zhao Fusheng asked him: "Who died?"
He reached his left arm around to his right armpit and scratched twice.
"Not long ago, my old pal passed away."
He wasn't satisfied with scratching and, imperceptibly, rubbed his back twice against the carriage wall. Zhang Chuanshi tilted his head and, out of the corner of his eye, caught it, a look of disgust on his face.
"Be specific," Zhao Fusheng ordered.
"Yes," Wu Dajing said, nodding repeatedly.
"Not long ago—" He saw Zhao Fusheng's brow furrow imperceptibly and hurried to correct himself:
"More than half a month ago..."
"Exactly how long?" Zhao Fusheng cut him off.
Wu Dajing's forehead broke into a sweat. After thinking hard for some time, he suddenly seemed to remember, and his eyes lit up.
"It was the twenty-first of the seventh month2."
Today was the seventeenth of the eighth month, so twenty-seven days had passed.
"On the twenty-first, Wu Datong died," he said, letting out a long breath after confirming the date.
Zhang Chuanshi, driving, had his ears pricked listening to the conversation, and now couldn't help chiming in.
"You two are from the same village and grew up together, you must have been close. How come you can't even remember his death day clearly?"
Zhang Chuanshi couldn't stand the old man and spoke with spiteful disgust. He had not wanted to go on this ghost case at all. Though Zhao Fusheng had named him earlier, he'd thought of delaying as long as possible to seek a thread of survival. But Wu Dajing's sudden appearance to report the case had upset his plan, so naturally he hated the old man to the bone. He dared not resent Zhao Fusheng, so he took it out on Wu Dajing with sarcasm.
Faced with a "big shot" of the bureau, Wu Dajing didn't dare get angry and said with a conciliatory smile:
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm old and my memory is not what it used to be."
Zhao Fusheng ignored the exchange, and her thoughts went to Wu Dajing's poor memory. Zhang Chuanshi had spoken out of spite, but he had hit a point: Wu Dajing's memory had gone wrong again. The old man was a village elder, and at his age he was already considered long-lived and held considerable prestige in the village, which was why he was chosen to report the case to town.
He didn't seem senile and could still talk with people once in the bureau. Though he did ramble when he told the case, he still said what needed saying, and at least Zhao Fusheng had pulled a lot of useful information from his words. In other words, Wu Dajing was not yet senile, but when he spoke of two matters, his memory got mixed up, as if his consciousness had been interfered with.
One was Wu Datong's son. The other was Wu Datong's death. In fact, Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised that Wu Datong had only just died.
This case in Goutou Village appeared on the surface to be Wu Liren's family going missing, but everywhere it showed Wu Datong's shadow.
Wu Datong married late—Wu Datong had two sons—went to the city and made a fortune—came home in glory—took concubines for Wu Liren and had children—installed his son as Village Chief.
That was Wu Datong's life as told by Wu Dajing.
