Nine Dragons Pulling The Coffin

I, Xie Lan, am twenty-seven years old this year, born in a small mountain village called Baiwu Village on the banks of the Yellow River. I have an older brother, a year older than me, who is already married. My family was poor. Ten years ago, my father made my brother and me choose between home and school. Back then, I was ambitious, insisting on changing my destiny through knowledge, secretly mocking my brother for being unambitious. What's so great about rural women? A real man should strive for success and wealth. Later, my destiny was indeed changed by knowledge. When I was a child, a fortune teller said I had peach blossom eyes and silkworm eyebrows, and that I would be popular and become a father by twenty. Now I'm twenty-seven and still single, drifting in Guangdong, lost to contact with others, too ashamed to even go home for the New Year. A true example of how knowledge changes destiny. This year, my dad specifically called to remind me to come home for the Spring Festival. Looking at the few thousand yuan I'd painstakingly saved in my bank account, I sighed deeply. My parents are getting old; even if I'm ashamed, I should go back and visit them. I arrived home on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. The very next day, Liu Hechou from the next village came knocking on my door, looking rather timid. This wasn't the first time Liu Hechou had come looking for me. He'd been eyeing me since high school, and he'd come again after I graduated from a third-rate university. Our area is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, at the confluence of a suspended river. There are often buoys floating downstream. Liu Hechou is a legendary fisherman. Fish-fishing can definitely make you rich. The starting price for a commoner is five thousand yuan, and for wealthy city dwellers, it can be tens of thousands. Although dowries are high in rural areas now, if I worked for Liu Hechou for a few years, I wouldn't have to worry about not having money to get married—provided, of course, that someone was willing to marry me. No decent girl would want to snuggle into the arms of a swindler; she's destined to be alone forever. Seeing Liu Hechou made me furious. A few years ago, I wouldn't have even let him in the door, but now I'm poor and short-sighted, my mind is only on making a quick buck. So I asked him, "Aren't there people in the surrounding area who want to make a living as a swindler? Why are you always bothering me and arguing with me?" "Being a swindler is a job bestowed by the Yellow River King; not just anyone can do it. You were born on the ninth day of the first lunar month, a day of the Dragon, and the old almanac says 'Nine Dragons Governing the Waters,' you were born to be a swindler." "Get lost! You're the one destined to be a swindler! Your whole family is destined to be swindlers!" I cursed angrily. Liu Hechou chuckled after I cursed him, not angry at all. Actually, there's a saying about "Nine Dragons Governing the Waters." It's said that too many dragons mean no rain, and people with this kind of fate will never suffer from floods. Not only am I a person of the "Nine Dragons Governing the Waters" (a term referring to a group of powerful figures who exploit others), but I'm also a rare case of "pure fate," born with a natural aversion to such things. I'm actually qualified to make a living as a "laborer," but who cares about such a job? I didn't care before, but now I desperately need to earn money. Seeing my parents' graying hair, and thinking about how I'm all grown up and still penniless and adrift, they probably can't even hold their heads up high in the village. Local girls are reluctant to marry "laborers," but if I really had money, I could easily quit and do something else. Would I have trouble finding someone to marry? Liu Hechou saw my interest and poured me a few more cups of wine. Under a bit of alcohol, I settled on the matter, saying I'd go see him after the New Year. Laboring is a taboo profession. My mother was initially reluctant and asked my father to persuade me, but he looked for a long time without saying a word. I don't blame him for this. During the years I worked in Guangzhou, I always harbored a resentment. I earned more and spent more, and my actions never hurt my father's feelings. In his eyes, even if I went fishing with Liu Hechou, it would be much better than working in Guangzhou. After celebrating the Lunar New Year at home, I braved the biting wind and trudged through the snow to the Yellow River embankment. The Yellow River has flood seasons throughout the year. At this time, the ice jam floods had passed, and the peach blossom floods were still far off. Standing on the embankment, gazing at the Yellow River, its winding course resembled a sinewy eel. Fishing people doesn't live with ordinary people. Liu Hechou built a small farmhouse on the embankment, where he lived year-round except for returning to his old house for the Lunar New Year. I got up late, and by the time I arrived at Liu Hechou's place, it was already noon. From afar, I saw a figure standing outside Liu Hechou's tin gate. As I got closer, I saw a young man dressed in red. I don't know how long I stood outside the door; my clothes were covered in tiny snowflakes. The person was strikingly beautiful, with a delicate nose, a pretty mouth, and exquisite features. I had never seen anyone so beautiful before, and I was momentarily stunned. I was looking, and they were looking at me too. They didn't try to hide it at all, staring at me with such fiery intensity. Our eyes met, and I was the first to give in. "Are you here to see Liu Hechou?" I asked awkwardly. The person shook their head, their captivating eyes still fixed on me. I couldn't stand the stare any longer, so I started banging on the door. "Hey, you've finally arrived! Come on in and warm up," Liu Hechou greeted warmly as the door opened. I was a little confused. I wasn't alone outside; why wasn't Liu Hechou greeting the other person? But when I turned around, there was no one there. "Uncle Liu, did you see someone? They were standing right behind me." I exclaimed in surprise, quickly asking Liu Hechou. "Someone? There's no one here. Xie Lan, are you out of your mind thinking about someone?" Liu Hechou didn't seem to be faking it. Had I just imagined it? I started looking down for the girl's footprints. The snow hadn't melted; the footprints should still be there. However, to my surprise, there was nothing outside the door except for the fresh tracks from my leather boots. "What are you thinking about?" Liu Hechou urged, seeing I hadn't come in yet. "No, Uncle Liu, I really did see a red figure standing at your door." "Xie Lan, don't scare your uncle. You can eat, but you can't talk. It's noon now, the time when evil spirits are strongest." Liu Hechou said, glaring. There are two times of day when ghosts are most likely to appear: midnight and noon. Everyone knows that the Qi (vital energy) is strongest at midnight (11 PM - 1 AM), and while noon is also the peak of Qi, it's actually the time of day with the strongest Qi due to its extreme vitality. In our area, there's a saying that you shouldn't go out at noon, to avoid attracting evil spirits. Liu Hechou's words made me suspicious, but I didn't dwell on it too much. I smiled and followed Liu Hechou into the house. Since I dared to take this job, I was prepared to attract something unsavory. Anyway, my birth chart is strong enough that if I break any taboos, Liu Hechou will be the one to suffer first, not me. Liu Hechou's courtyard had three rooms: a large room that also served as the kitchen, a storage room, and a bedroom. At this moment, a tin stove was burning in the large room, warming a pot of local sorghum liquor. On the table were roasted meats, cured fish, dried tofu, and peanuts. I hadn't eaten breakfast, so now it was time. Looking at the table full of delicious food, my appetite grew, and I began to eat and drink with relish. While eating and drinking, Liu Hechou told me about the rules and taboos of retrieving dead bodies. I originally thought retrieving bodies mostly tested one's courage and appetite, because the timid wouldn't dare to do it, and those with weak stomachs would easily vomit. After listening to Liu Hechou, I realized this job wasn't easy; it was a life-threatening profession. There are many kinds of bones in the Yellow River, the most common being floating bones. After a person dies, they will float to the surface within three to five days, men usually face down, and men face up. This is a natural law, shaped according to male anatomy. If you encounter a man face up or face down, you mustn't retrieve him; this is considered an omen of misfortune. This omen is because the resentment within hasn't dissipated. If you accidentally retrieve such a body, you'll suffer the injustice of the ghost and be haunted by its vengeful spirit. Besides floating bones, there's also a type that stands upright in the Yellow River. Standing upright in the water, occasionally with its head showing. These are mostly possessed, meaning they've been targeted by the river or water spirits. Those who rescue people usually don't try to rescue those that are upright, unless they are highly skilled and capable of defeating them. "Xie Lan, don't be afraid. I've been doing this for twenty years. I've seen almost everything in the Yellow River except for the Yellow River Goddess. I've killed countless water monkeys." Seeing my serious expression, Liu Hechou, fearing I'd back out, quickly patted his chest and gave me a guarantee, unaware that I immediately perked up at the mention of the Yellow River Goddess. In middle school, there was a text about Ximen Bao, about the River God's wedding. The so-called Yellow River Goddess was a part of the River God's wedding. In the old society, people usually offered live sheep and cattle as sacrifices to worship the Yellow River King, but the most terrifying sacrifice was a live human. Unmarried young women were chosen, they had to be beautiful, have good figures, and be able to sing folk songs. They were wrapped in red silk, coated with tung oil, and sunk to the bottom of the river. Although the Yellow River Goddess was also a ghost, she was a rare and beautiful one. Dying unmarried and filled with regret, most folk tales about the Yellow River Goddess involve men. "Uncle Liu, is the Yellow River Goddess still in the Yellow River?" I asked. "The world has changed. The Yellow River King may not exist anymore, but the Yellow River Goddess was a living person sacrificed, dying unjustly, beyond the reach of Heaven. She should still be there." "What are the customs surrounding the Yellow River Goddess? What if we encounter her?" "Don't worry, we won't encounter her. My Bai family has been fishing for four generations and we've never seen the Yellow River Goddess." "There are always exceptions. What if we do encounter her?" I pressed on, unwilling to give up. "Hehe, if you really do encounter her, it's easy. Just marry her, even if it shortens your lifespan by a few years. She can do anything for you except bear your children. You'll have endless good fortune." Liu Hechou grinned, spouting nonsense.