Liandan’s husband had died before he even married into the Chen family.

What he married was a memorial tablet.

Liandan was forced to sleep every night holding that cold memorial tablet. After a long time, his warm body even made the tablet turn warm.

***

At the east end of Kaoshan Village, there was a temple, very effective for praying for children.

The Chen family’s old woman wanted Liandan to give her a grandson, so she sent him to stay at that monk temple for a few days to pray for blessings.

When Liandan went to burn incense in the temple, he overheard the head monk telling the old woman that his dead husband could return at night to consummate the marriage with him.

He was scared to death and naturally did not want to go.

But the old woman beat him half to death. Asking his parents for help did not work either.

Liandan had no one to rely on, so he had no choice but to go.

On the night he moved into the temple, in complete darkness, Liandan’s face turned pale when he saw the door that had been locked push open. A white shadow floated in front of him, the smell of blood and rot rushing toward him.

Liandan’s eyes filled with tears from fear. His lips trembled open but no sound came out. He only mouthed the words: “Husband.”

The white shadow lowered its head and looked at him for a while. Fingers cold like dried bones touched Liandan’s fragile neck and tore open his clothes.

That night, Liandan clenched his teeth and endured it.

A month later, Liandan was indeed pregnant.

The old woman of the Chen family was overjoyed. She treated him especially well, no longer beat or scolded him, and even made him good food.

But Liandan himself was not happy at all. Instead, he was fearful all day and anxious.

Only he knew that his husband had already turned into a vicious ghost.

That night, the temple had been full of blood and severed limbs, like hell itself.

The monks had been slaughtered like livestock, none left alive.

After he gave birth to a big fat grandson, the old woman of the Chen family was overjoyed. When she went out to show off, she tripped on the threshold and fell, bedridden and unable to get up.

A doctor passing through the village came to take a look and prescribed some medicine.

Liandan asked when his mother-in-law would get better. That young doctor, who had a delicate face but a tall build, stared at him with eagle-like eyes for a long time. After Liandan started to feel uneasy, the doctor shifted his gaze to the baby in Liandan’s arms, stared with unusual focus, and spoke coldly and slowly: “She will not get better.”

The next day, the old woman’s son came back to life and returned home.