Chapter 24: The Change in the Qin Family

  When I arrived at Liu Dajie's house, I asked her if she really saw Qin Shu catch a yellow-skinned cat with a gold coin in its mouth. Liu Dajie said she saw it with her own eyes, and that the yellow-skinned cat was as big as an ordinary cat. I was puzzled - since Qin Shu had caught a yellow-skinned cat, why did he deny it in front of me?

  I want to understand this matter for two reasons. Firstly, I want to confirm whether Huang Pizi really has a gold coin in his mouth and whether it is the same kind that I picked up at the door. Secondly, I want to remind Qin Shu, last time he only brought back the dead Huang Pizi and caused so much trouble, if he kills Huang Pizi again and takes the gold coin, I'm afraid disaster will strike, so I must advise him not to provoke Huang Pizi again.

  At this time, I heard Wu Lele calling me from behind. Liu Dasa smiled and said: "Your wife is here again." I was speechless, now everyone in the village knows that Wu Lele is my "wife", I'm afraid even jumping into the Yellow River can't wash it clean, so I didn't explain to Liu Dasa, walked out of her house, and asked Wu Lele what she wanted.

  Wu Lele's face was clouded with a hint of gloom, looking very displeased, and said in a light tone that she had come to tell me something. Seeing that her complexion wasn't right, and it being afternoon, I wondered what good thing could bring her to find me? So my heart inexplicably skipped a beat, asking her what was up, Wu Lele asked back if the tuition fees were settled or not.

  A few days ago, Wu Lele came to my house from time to time. She knew about my situation and seemed quite concerned about me. I told her that the tuition fees had been settled, and Wu Lele asked me where I found the money. I said that heaven sent an angel to deliver the money to me. Wu Lele smiled slightly and didn't ask further.

  I said you came just to ask me about this? I thought you were coming to borrow money from me. Wu Lele handed me a large envelope, and when I took it, I felt like I had seen it before. Upon closer inspection, it was an exclusive envelope from XX University, and the admission notice I received also came from XX University. I thought she had taken my notice away, but surprisingly, the recipient on the envelope was Wu Lele.

  "How did you also receive a notice from this university?" I was surprised.

  Wu Lele smiled and said: "I don't know either, when I received it, I saw that we were from the same university and was startled."

  Is Wu Lele's filled volunteer form the same as mine?

  "This is perhaps fate," Wu Lele stretched out his hand and clenched his fist, saying: "You can't escape the Five Finger Mountain!"

  Speechless.

  We agreed to attend university on the same day.

  After arriving at my home, my mother asked Wu Lele to stay for dinner, but she didn't agree, so I sent her back.

  After sending Wu Lele back home, it was already getting dark when I returned.

  There are two roads at the entrance of our village, one leading to the town and the other to Wu Village and Li Family Village. As I rode my motorcycle up to the village entrance on the road to Wu Village, I saw Qin Shu and Qin Aunt walking slowly in the direction of the town from afar, with that fierce and ferocious black hunting dog that had followed Qin Shu for five years behind them.

  It's so late, where are Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin going? I wanted to ask them, but they quickly disappeared into the night.

  It's a bit strange now. I clearly saw them walking slowly, how did they suddenly speed up? Moreover, it seems that they didn't hold the child, where did the child go?

  Back home, my mother had already cooked dinner. At the dinner table, she mentioned my father again, saying that he had been out for so long without returning or even a phone call to let us know if everything was okay. I comforted her with a few words, but deep down, I also felt a sense of foreboding.

  Suddenly, "Bang!" A gunshot rang out, startling even our cat, which stared wide-eyed. I asked who was shooting, and Mother said it must be Uncle Qin - his family was the only one in the village with a gun, and that sound was definitely gunfire.

  What was Qin Shu doing at home with a gun?

  In just a few minutes, another burst of firecrackers crackled to life. I went outside and saw a wisp of smoke rising from somewhere in the lower courtyard. I was surprised - who would be setting off firecrackers at this hour? Was someone celebrating a birthday or having a baby? It seemed to be coming from Old Man Qin's house.

  I was really curious, just thinking of going to take a look, and suddenly Big Black rushed over like a mad cow, panting heavily. I asked him what was wrong, and he gasped: "Crazy! Crazy!" I asked him who was crazy, and Big Black said: "Qin Uncle has gone crazy! Qin Aunt is dead, how terrifying!"

  My heart sank, and I asked where Uncle Qin was now. Dahei said he was at home. I was half-believing and half-doubting. I clearly saw Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin, and their hunting dog walking out of the village, so how could they be back home? It's only been a short while!

  "Go and have a look!" I and Dahei simultaneously ran towards Qin Shu's house.

  From a distance, I saw many people coming to Qin Shu's house, all of whom were villagers with solemn faces.

  Outside Qin Shu's house, there were several bloodstains, the blood was fresh, some red and some black. Not far from the door lay a dog, its whole body covered in blood. I walked over to take a look and it turned out to be Qin Shu's hunting dog, which had already died.

  As I walked into the house, I saw several women in the room, all speaking in hushed tones and looking shocked. Liu Aunt was holding Qin Uncle's child, who seemed to have been frightened or didn't like strangers, or was hungry, and was wailing loudly in Liu Aunt's arms. On the bed lay a person, and as I walked over to take a look, I was so startled that I almost cried out - it was actually Qin Aunt!

  I was shocked because I saw Qin Aunt's eyes were wide open, clearly dead without closing her eyes, and her neck was full of blood. Upon closer inspection, there was actually a fist-sized blood hole!

  "What's going on?" I asked.

  The women immediately started talking loudly and disorderly, they spoke one after another, it was very chaotic, but I finally understood what they were saying.

  It started with the sudden madness of Qin Shu's hunting dog, which inexplicably bit into Qin Shu's neck and tore off a piece of flesh. As a result, fresh blood spurted out like a fountain, shooting straight up, and before Qin Shu could even let out a scream, she fell to the ground, dead as can be.

  Qin Shu was enraged, his anger burning like a fire. He grabbed his hunting horn and fired it at the hunting dog, which ran around in circles at the door before falling to the ground dead. Qin Shu rushed to see Aunt Qin, but found that she had already died. Overcome with grief, he set off firecrackers.

  The neighbors came upon hearing the noise, and were shocked. Before they could comfort Qin Shu, he suddenly burst out laughing loudly, hugged a pillar and crashed into it violently. Everyone rushed to hold him down, tied him up with ropes and pushed him into the house.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Suddenly a loud noise came from another room, we were all startled and ran over to take a look. We saw that Qin Shu was tied up with ropes on the bed, jumping up and down, causing the bed to shake violently. Several men were unable to hold him down.

  "What's to be done?" Liu Da Shu said with a bitter face: "One of the adults is dead, and the other has gone mad. How can this child grow up?"

  Everyone was also in an uproar.

  Just as Uncle Qin was about to roll off the bed, I hurried over to help. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at me with wide eyes, motionless. His eyes were wide open, filled with bloodshot veins, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his face ashen, and his lips trembling uncontrollably. I was shocked to the extreme, this sight was too terrifying, just like the kind of suffering that comes from being tortured by severe punishment but unable to make a sound.

  "Little... little knife!" Qin Shu suddenly shouted.

  I was taken aback and hastily replied: "It's me, Qin Shu, what do you want to say to me?"

  Everyone stared at us in surprise. At this time, Qin Shu didn't even recognize himself, so why did he still recognize me?

  Qin Shu stared at me, laboriously and word by word, saying: "I... want... to... tell... you... a... secret!"

  "What secret?" I asked hastily: "What secret?"

  Qin Shu said in a low voice: "Come over here."

  I was stunned again, why did he call me over at this time? What does he want to do? Looking at him like that, he's obviously a dangerous person. If I get closer, will he bite my neck like his hunting dog bit Qin Auntie?

  Everyone looked at me and sweated for me too.

  I hesitated for five or six seconds and carefully leaned in towards him.

  Qin Shu was lying in the middle of the bed, I leaned my body inward, not daring to lean too much, and stopped when I was half a meter away from him. Qin Shu raised his head, panting heavily, and suddenly a wave of hot air hit me. I wanted to straighten up, but felt embarrassed, so I stiffened my body and asked Qin Shu what he wanted to say. Qin Shu kept trying to lift his head, finally whispering in my ear: "By your side... there is something... that's not human... Ah!" Before he finished speaking, Qin Shu let out a startled cry, his head suddenly fell down, and his eyes widened as his soul left his body.