2 Terrible Baptism

  I was worried, but my dad sniffled, wiped his nose and said: "What's the big deal? It's just about having money that people choose a date. When I married your mom, who cared about what day it was?"

  Actually, I don't believe in those ghostly spirits either. The Ghost Festival is just a day to let future generations know the importance of gratitude and repaying their ancestors. Without thinking much, I went inside, wanting to spend more time with my mom.

  On the day of the burial, my dad didn't even let me go, he himself stayed at home and only allowed my uncles to carry me out, I cried and shouted but it was no use, my dad locked me in the house like that.

  Time really flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's already the 13th. As soon as it got dark, my house became lively. Old Lady Liu brought many people over, saying they came to pick up the bride. I took a look at the time - 7 o'clock in the evening to pick up the bride? At that time, I just thought they came early because of the long distance.

  It wasn't until Old Lady Liu and another eerie-looking old woman entered my room that I felt something was off. Old Lady Liu was holding a red wedding dress, the kind with embroidered flowers on red satin that people used to wear in ancient times! The other eerie-looking old woman was holding a ball of red yarn-like stuff.

  "Come on, little brother, it's time to take a bath and change into your festive clothes." As soon as Old Lady Liu finished speaking, someone brought in a bathtub and put it down, then people started pouring hot water into it nonstop from outside. Before long, the room was filled with steam.

  I somewhat impatiently asked: "What's good about washing it, can't we just change into a new one?" After saying that, I wanted to take the wedding dress from Liu's grandmother.

  Grandma Liu, however, blocked my way and said, "No, rules can't be broken." After that, she put the festive clothes on my bed, pulled me over, stripped me naked, and dragged me into the bathtub.

  That gloomy old woman took out some strange black threads from somewhere and put them into the water, that icy thing almost made me scream, I endured for a long time before I didn't shout out loud. The old woman glared at me with her eyes, then started waving something that looked like a broom in the air, muttering to herself.

  The first time I got married, of course, I didn't know what this custom was. As for that old lady, I didn't dare ask her much. Her icy and gloomy face made me feel like I'd have nightmares if I looked at it too long! I curled up in the water, feeling very bitter, but unable to express it. The only people who could talk to me were all buried under the cold earth...

  Whoa! The water around me splashed up, before I could react, something emerged from the water, gliding past my feet, cold and thin, until a small snake head poked out of the water, raised its head, and spat a bloody letter at me. My entire body's blood froze instantly!

  Shouting, I suddenly got up and wanted to go out, but was pressed down by a pair of icy hands on my shoulders, giving me the chills. I didn't know what happened to my body, anyway, I just couldn't move suddenly. Standing in the water, snakes were swimming around my feet, occasionally touching me, every time that cold feeling came, I couldn't help but shiver.

  I was pressed back into the water, and Liu's wife covered me with a lid, trapping my body completely in the bathtub!

  "Let me go! Let me out!" I bellowed, even forgetting to cry, my hands wanting to push open the lid, but the icy touches in the bucket made me lose strength, not daring to move, all I could do was shout.

  The result shows that my roar was useless, they didn't pay attention to me. The only thing worth celebrating is that they fished me out while I was still alive. In the end, I even forgot how to put on the wedding dress until the old lady put a red cloth on my head, and then I burst into tears.

  However, I cried again and no one paid attention to me. Nor did I know who pulled my hand up with a sudden force until she let go, and then I saw that there was a red string tied around my middle finger, which looked like the one held by that gloomy old lady when she entered the room.

  "Isn't it about time?" asked Mrs. Liu.

  "Hmm, it's just the right time to go out!" The voice was unfamiliar, but there were only three people in this house, one of me, one Liu Bao Bao, and then there was only that gloomy old woman left. The voice was very aged, but it was sharp and not quite normal, listening to it made one's skin crawl.

  "The bride is leaving!" Liu's wife shouted, and I heard my room door open. She supported me as we walked slowly, the wedding dress was a bit big and not very fitting, several times almost tripping on the hem and falling down.

  As I was leaving, my middle finger suddenly tightened, as if someone had pulled it. I thought it might be that eerie old woman, but didn't think much of it and followed Liu's wife out the door. Just then, a shrill voice shouted: "The groom is leading the way home!"