The author lived in the Keelung Mountains when he was a child. I believe readers who often travel to northern Taiwan must have heard of Nuandong Canyon.
I grew up in Nuannuan. As the name suggests, the weather there is warmer than other places in northern Taiwan. Just like Taipei's unique gray weather in winter, it feels cold and wet. Keelung is rich in coal mines. Although most of the mines have been closed now, coal mining was indeed the only industry that supported the development of Nuannuan town when I was a child, just like Jiufen started with mining… My grandfather was a miner, and every day when I was a child I saw him go down to the pit in fair white, and when he came out of the pit, he looked like a black man with toothpaste, showing his white teeth. Although the salary was good, the hardships involved were beyond the experience of outsiders. The scale of Nuannuan's mine was not The coal is large, and the quality of the coal is a bit oily. When digging, it will inevitably be covered with charcoal powder and black oil, which may not be washed off after leaving the pit. Grandpa went in and out of the mine day after day, year after year, until one day Year……
"Ah Gui, you're out of the trap! You've done almost everything today, and it's time to go home. The Chinese New Year is almost here." Qingzi said, "Yeah. That's it for today. Go out and get the money. I hope to get more this year. Have a good year." Agui replied… This winter has been particularly wet and cold, and it has not been good since a few weeks ago. It seems that this year is not going well.
I do this all year round, and I always hope that my family will be well, and I am almost 50. There are eight children to support at home, and Agui feels heavy on his shoulders just thinking about it. At this time, Qingzi’s cry came from far away:
"It's tight, Agui. It's New Year's Eve today. Let's go have a reunion dinner!" Qingzai shouted.
Qingzi is always so energetic. Thinking about how he was like this when he was young, ugh! It's nice to be young.
Qingzi and I hurriedly got into the car (this kind of car is specially used to transport coal dug out of the mine. The miners also use this car to go up and down the tunnel, so in the evening you can see the miners' full car. Come out!) Along the way, Qingzi kept talking and joking. In the atmosphere of laughter and Chinese New Year, everyone talked cheerfully. Everyone has been busy all year, why don’t we just try to have a good year?
correct! Qingzai, it’s time for you to take a wife. I looked back and saw that it was Ah Nan who was speaking. He and Qingzi are the youngest guys in the pit, and they are always fearless. I often violate some taboos in the pit, but I became more mature after marrying my wife the year before last.
"Marry! Why don't you marry? No one wants to marry poor miners like us." Qingzi said
"Yes! Marrying someone requires money! Where can I make money? It's cheaper to go to the teahouse and sit there." Tomio next to him continued talking, the car had already got out of the pit, and everyone staggered out of the car to get ready. I went to the office to collect the money. Some people chatted without saying a word, waiting for Qiu Zaishe to hand out the money. Although they were bored, everyone was excited at the thought that they would have a good year later. After waiting for a long time, everyone started to get a little impatient. Especially Qingzi, who was shouting loudly.Suddenly, Ah Man called out
"Oops! What a shame! I put the tools in the pit and forgot to take them."
Ah Qing: Why are you so forgetful? You are not a rookie who forgets things. Look at how much it costs to raise a ghost boy now. It is getting dark. You will lose weight for a year. "
"Then I'll go down to the pit and get it, otherwise it won't be worthwhile if I lose it for a year."
Indeed, celebrating the Chinese New Year will always bring bad luck, and everyone wants to have a good New Year. As is human nature, I still smoked my cigarette under the eaves and watched the raindrops under the eaves. well. God is not good at it.
"Agui! Let me borrow a cigarette for a smoke." Ah Nan's voice suddenly came to my ears.
Hey, didn't he go down to get tools? oops. Oops, you can't go into the pit alone, something will happen… Ah Nan.
oh. so close! As long as Ah Nan is by your side, everything will be fine. Ah Nan looked at me with a panicked look and quickly asked what was going on. Then I slowly told him that he must not go into the pit alone, even if it was two people, but he could not go into the pit alone. This unwritten rule is spread among miners. Although things will happen, no one knows what will happen. Just like you can't leave eating tools like tools in the pit, it will be unfortunate, but everyone abides by these "superstitions". I have only seen this once in so many years, but the experience that time made me can't help but shuddered.
Me: Hello! Man, why don’t you smoke?
Ah Man: It’s a shame! Qingzai said he wanted to help me get it from the pit, so…
As soon as I heard this, I got up quickly, gathered some friends who were waiting to be paid, and prepared to go down to the pit to find Qingzi. Everyone hurried to the entrance of the pit and called Qingzi loudly, hoping to hear his answer. Long time no reply. Just as they were preparing to go down into the pit, everyone heard the sound of the engine turning, and also heard Qingzi's answer: Found it! Ah Man! You won’t be weak for a year…
Just when Qingzi's voice stopped, he heard the sound of earth and rocks falling in the pit, followed by a scream, a shrill scream…
In the infirmary, Qingzai was moaning and groaning. A group of us surrounded him. Qingzai's injuries were quite serious and he had to be sent to the hospital.
Otherwise, he would die from excessive blood loss. Everyone was busy carrying Qingzi onto a stretcher, and several young and strong people were sent to the hospital in the town. Since I was the foreman, I had no choice but to ask Fuxiong to tell my family that I would go there. The hospital didn't have to wait for me to eat, and they also had to ask someone to notify Qingzi's family. well. The Chinese New Year is almost here, and something like this happens again. Just like back then…
~~~~~~~~
Ah Gui. Dead people. It’s coming! Tomio's horrified shouts came from outside the door.
I still remember the disaster that happened that year. It was the largest mine collapse in the history of this pit. It was also a few days before the Chinese New Year. Everyone was digging hard to have a good year. Because it was getting dark soon, Qiu Zaishe called someone to notify I went out to arrange things for the company. Unexpectedly, not long after we came out, the tunnel collapsed. It was truly a human tragedy, and I still feel frightened when I think about it.
Qiu Zaishe: Agui, you are the foreman. You handle it on site. I will go to town to notify the company of an incident and ask for support. I promised, and then gathered people who had not gone into the pit to rescue the workers who were buried in the pit. Many people died that year, and the company also lost a lot of money. The entire construction site was gloomy and miserable. It took a long time to recover. Some corpses After digging out the bloody buns, my chest felt tight and I felt like nauseating. I rushed around all night to notify his family members to pick up the body. Oh my God! During the Chinese New Year, what should I tell their parents, wives and children about their son? husband. My father is lying coldly waiting for them to claim him?
I worked all night and came home early in the morning. I sat alone, not daring to wake up my wife and children, and cried alone. .Oh my God…I am shaking. I am deeply afraid of the tragedy that happened today. I am afraid. I will never go into the pit again…don't go into the pit again…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Agui. Agui. It’s coming! Qingzi can’t do it!
Outside the operating room, Ah Man screamed in panic. It brought me back from the memory, that painful memory… We went straight to the operating table and looked at Qingzi who was only breathing, breathing weakly. His mouth opened slightly, as if he had something to say. We took off his oxygen mask and saw him struggling to say:
I want to go home, I want to go home. Ah Nan, I want…to give it away. I go home……
Ah Nan nodded helplessly, and then Qingzi kept pouring blood from his mouth, his whole body was in pain, and he died soon after. Tears kept flowing from Ah Nan's eyes, and he murmured that he wanted to send Qing Zai home.
No, let alone a post-mortem examination, even if there is no need for it, no workers will be willing to carry the corpse during the Chinese New Year! You should leave it alone and wait until the second and third grade of junior high school to take it back… the doctor insisted.
Ah Nan: But I promised to send him home.
Outside the morgue, the doctor Ah Nan was arguing. I pulled him away and told him that the doctor also had his difficulties, and that he would come back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to take Qing Zai back. Besides, there was someone watching here, so Qing Zai would… not. It's… I held back tears to comfort Ah Nan, hoping to persuade him to go home for a reunion dinner, but who could eat it? never mind!Ah Nan, let’s go… I patted his shoulder and slowly left the morgue… Before leaving, I looked back at Qingzi again and saw him lying flat on the board.
Covered with white cloth, I mentally recited: Qingzi. Farewell… Farewell… Qingzi…
On New Year's Eve, there is no lively atmosphere of celebrating the New Year. A simple memorial tablet hopes to welcome the ghost of Qing Tsai. Qing Tsai's home is next door to Ah Nan's house, about 30 minutes away from my home. The news has already spread to everyone in the neighborhood. There was no sound of firecrackers or congratulations to each other. Every household was mourning in silence because of Qingzi's death. I blew out a puff of smoke and looked out the window. My wife and children beside me were sleeping soundly… Phew. .The wind is so strong outside, and the weather is still so cold… Oh! Qingzi……
How can you bear to leave your old grandmother behind? Who will take care of him? I got up and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed outside the window and I saw a figure approaching from a distance without an umbrella. Oh my God! Isn't he cold? Alas! Why do you care so much? I have to go to the hospital to pick up Qingzi early tomorrow morning. I think there are still a lot of things to be busy with. I have lived to be 40 years old. I have never seen anything.
buckle. buckle. buckle! Qingzi, get up! The shouts of Ah Nan and Fu Xiong came from outside the house! I looked at the clock and saw that it was just after four o'clock. Why did I come so early? I remembered that I had just slept for a short time, so there was nothing I could do about it. I got up, put on my clothes and headed to the hospital. No one spoke on the way, as if Qingzi's death was still lingering in everyone's hearts… At this time, Fuxiong couldn't help but speak:
Ah man! If you have other options, just leave here. Being a miner is hard and dark. You can't see the sunrise or sunset. It's better for you Xiao Nian to go out and work hard than to stay here, like Qingzi. This is so eloquent…
Unexpectedly, Anan did not answer, and Fuxiong stopped asking for trouble…
What? It's gone. The dead person is lying there peacefully. He's gone… Have you looked for it?
Sorry! But it’s really missing, but we will find someone to help find it, don’t worry. .
Unexpectedly when we arrived at the hospital, Qing Tsai's body was missing. The hospital assistants had no choice but to say sorry. How could someone even steal a dead person? Ah Nan was so angry that he smashed it when he left. He took a chair and left with us angrily. When we returned to the village, we mobilized all the people to search for Qing Tsai’s body, but we could not find Qing Tsai’s body even after searching the whole village on the way to the hospital… The days are particularly short in winter, and it’s four o’clock in the afternoon. It was so dark that we couldn't see the road, so everyone gave up the search, said goodbye to Qingzi's elderly grandmother, and went home to rest. Only Ah Nan and I are left to help with the wake. Qing Tsai's grandmother was not in good health, and the bad news about Qing Tsai has worsened her condition. She is still lying in bed crying for Qing Tsai… which makes us even more worried. Adding to the sadness…
clang. clang. when. The bell rang twelve times. It was twelve o'clock. It was so fast. I asked Ah Nan to rest first, leaving me alone to keep vigil… There was a strong wind outside the window, so I got up to close the window, and suddenly I saw a shadow of a person outside the window flashing, and I saw someone coming from a distance…
But it disappeared in the blink of an eye…I thought I was dazzled. So he went back to continue warming himself by the fire and guarding Qingzi’s spiritual place…
Dongshi Keng is a small village with only a few households. It seems a bit too big to call it a village. In the early years before the roads were opened, it took an hour to get to the town. It was still relatively close. , especially Qingzi’s home which has to be walked for an extra 30 minutes. But how much does it cost to raise a ghost boy in the distance? You can’t tell a village in front of you or a store in the back. That's why Ah Nan moved in next door, otherwise it would be really scary. Thinking, thinking… There were footsteps outside the door. Although it was windy and drizzling outside the window, the footsteps in the dark night were particularly clear…
Getting closer and closer to the door, suddenly there was a knock on the door,…
buckle. Knock…knock…the sound was slow and heavy, as if it was going to knock into people's hearts. Fear surrounded me, making me afraid to open the door. However, the continuous knocking on the door woke up Ah Nan, and also woke me up. Qingzi’s grandmother…
Isn't it? Qingzai is back, hold tight, hold tight, open the door… Qingzai's grandmother urged me with her crutches.
I looked back at Ah Nan and saw the fear in his eyes. His begging look seemed to be telling me:
don't want. Don't open the door…
But the heavy knocks on the door seemed to be urging me… and Qingzi's grandmother was crying for me to open the door… I slowly moved to the door. I hesitated, but the force of the knock became stronger every time. It was heavy once, and it looked like the thin door panel was about to collapse… I was like a mouse in a cage. I closed my eyes. .quickly unlocked the latch and opened the door firmly.
bump……
It's Qingzai, yes, it's Qingzai who's back. With his blood-red eyes, his head smashed by a stone, and the blood stains all over his body, he looked at me and Ah Nan fiercely. My heartbeat seemed to accelerate to the limit. , I slowly backed away, and finally fell down on the chair, but where was Ah Nan? He was already stretched out on the bed in the hall.
Qingzi. Qingzi. Come back! Come on! Come to grandma. Look at the food I prepared for you in the kitchen, your favorite. As we were talking, Qingzai dragged his steps slowly and limped in. Both A and I knew that Qingzai had broken his leg and left hand in the mine. Looking at Qingzai’s footprints, they were mixed with blood, water and mud. …Looking at the blood-red thread lengthening, I knew Qingzi was coming step by step…
Come. Qingzi! Come and sit here. Grandma will get the food and heat it up before eating. After saying this, she walked towards the kitchen. Ah Nan and I were the only ones left in the whole hall. The atmosphere was extremely weird. I looked at Qingzi. I saw him sitting upright, staring straight ahead, covered in mud. There was no expression on his face, and there was blood and rainwater on his severed hand… The scene was so horrifying. At this moment, my heart was just begging that this was just a nightmare, but he was real, Qingzi, Qingzi. young. He was sitting there. Ah Nan? Ah Nan?I looked back at Ah Nan and saw that he was already lying upright on the bed, his face turned blue. I guess he was petrified.
……Come on. Come. Here comes the food. Qingzi. This is what grandma cooked especially for you. tight. tight…
Oh my God! How can a dead person eat?
Huh! Qingzai, why don’t you eat? Isn’t it delicious? oh. correct. Ah Gui. You come and eat too…
At this moment Qingzai looked back at me, that almost commanding look, so cold… My body involuntarily sat down in front of the round table, watching Qingzai's mother feeding Qingzai one bite at a time. What a disgusting picture that is…
He was still standing upright, opening and closing his mouth to eat rice, with his mouth full of rice grains. I was petrified. No one in his 40s has ever seen such a horrific scene. I wanted to move, but my limbs felt like they were tied. Watching them eat, his grandmother spoke as if Qingzi had never died. , then Qingzi turned around and smiled at me. His eyes were still blood red… The difference was that his split head was more obvious under the dim light… Wow. I want to scream… but I can't make a sound no matter how I scream…
Wow. Wow… I don’t know that after I shouted a thousand times in my heart, I fainted…
Hey… hey hey… Agui. Wake up… I found it. Qingzai's body was found… right outside the door.
How scary… In my blurred vision, I could only see a large group of people surrounding me. What's wrong? What happened? In my dizzy state, I saw Qingzi lying on the bed next to me. Oh my god…here it comes again…I yelled. Immediately he fainted again…
When I woke up, it was already two days later. I learned from Fuxiong’s mouth that Qingzi’s body was lying outside the house when he was found, and that Ah Nan and I were both unconscious in the house, and the food on the table was The food was messy as if someone had eaten it. When Ah Nan and I were rescued, it was what we just saw. So where is Qingzi now?
We were afraid that he would disappear again, so we asked Master to do the ritual and bury him…
Then… where is Qingzai's mother?
Yi. Yi… Yi hanged to death that night… Hanged to death…
~~~~~~~~~~
On New Year's Eve, after my grandfather told me this story, he walked silently back to the room alone, leaving only us petrified little ghosts, and the old clock on the wall came. Dang. Dang. Dang… the bells…
I counted and it struck twelve times…
Dang. Dang. Dang. Dang… Dang… Dang… Dang. Dang…dang…