Chronicles of the Swine-Gelder: Chapter One, The Present Era 01

"Oink! Oink-oink!" A series of squeals, as if a pig were being slaughtered, echoed throughout the village.

"Is Tianpeng screaming again?" Old Man Li groaned, tossing restlessly in his blankets.

"It’s probably your precious little sister giving Tianpeng another massage!" Auntie Wang, Old Li’s wife, had been jolted awake as well.

"Since when is she my sister? There are plenty of Lis in the world, yet I don't see Li Ka-shing coming around to visit me!"

"Li Ka-shing! At your age, still dreaming of being a billionaire’s heir? Have you no shame?" Auntie Wang kicked Old Li in the back. "I think you’re just pining for your sister, aren't you?"

"Ouch! What are you doing? Why bring up Widow Li just because a pig is squealing? She’s been a widow for decades, have some mercy in that mouth of yours!"

"Oh! Getting protective now, are we? Have you been pining for her for a decade too? With your pathetic equipment, you're no better than that pig—you think she’d ever look at you?"

"Are you even being reasonable? It’s just a pig squealing, why are you making such a scene? Always looking for trouble!"

Auntie Wang, unable to contain her rage, threw off the quilt, and the two began to wrestle in bed.

***

"Is something wrong at the pigpen?" Village Secretary Liu suddenly sat upright in his bed.

"That pig squeals every single day. Are you just thinking about your old flame?" his wife snapped.

"Don't play the saint, stop pretending at home. I know exactly what goes on in this village, and I know exactly who the village tramps are!"

"I'm not arguing with you. This sound is different—something isn't right. I have to go check. If something happens, do you think I can keep my position as secretary?!"

Without waiting, Secretary Liu threw on his padded jacket. He didn't even have time for trousers, rushing toward the village's only pigpen with his tattered long johns flapping in the wind.

Just as he stepped out, he realized his son, Liu Xiucai, was stealthily following him. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that pig, Dad. It sounded wrong, so I knew there must be something strange at the pen. I’m just following to protect you, right?"

"Which time have you ever protected me? How many times have I told you to stay away from trouble? Do you remember the mess you caused before? Do you have any idea how much shame you brought upon me?"

Liu Xiucai, thin as a rail, hunched his shoulders against the cold, frozen in place. Secretary Liu looked back at his son. "Get home! Have you forgotten the teachings—do not look at what is improper, do not approach what is improper! All that schooling for nothing! Get out of here!"

Liu Xiucai stood dazed, as if haunted by painful memories, then lowered his head and slunk back home.

Rushing as fast as he could, Secretary Liu finally reached the pigpen. The sight before him left the secretary paralyzed with shock: a severed hand was gripping the boar’s testicles with terrifying force. The fingernails were split, the fingers embedded deep into the flesh, the hand clamped like a tiger-headed vice.

The boar continued to howl. The secretary was stunned; he had never seen such a thing. When he looked up and saw the front door of Widow Li’s house standing wide open, a sense of foreboding, colder and more piercing than the winter wind, crawled from his feet up to his head.

Secretary Liu pulled his padded jacket tighter. He examined the hand carefully, then traced the trail of blood leading away into the distance. He let out a long sigh. Whether he understood the full truth or was simply gripped by lingering fear, he hesitated at the thought of entering Widow Li’s house. Instead, he swept his gaze across the flickering, dim lights of the village, turned sharply, and headed toward the secretary’s office at the village entrance.

The office held the village’s only loudspeaker and telephone, as well as the duty officer of the local militia. Secretary Liu knew that before the town police arrived, he had to secure the pigpen and call an emergency meeting of the entire village.

As he walked, Secretary Liu’s mind raced, his thoughts drifting back to the winter of the previous year...