Real Unexplained Supernatural Events in Chinese Folklore: Part Nine

Story One:

This is a story about the Kitchen God, and it happened in the house next to ours.

Our neighbors across the street were an elderly couple with two daughters. The older daughter had recently given birth to a baby girl and was staying at her parents' house during her postpartum recovery.

The elderly couple doted on their granddaughter, especially the old man, who cherished her like a precious gem. It was a cold winter, and the baby's clothes, particularly her cotton pants and jackets, would get wet very quickly due to her frequent urination. The old man decided to speed up the drying process by placing these soiled items on the stove.

After about a month, the baby celebrated her first month, but the old man suddenly fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. The doctors couldn't find any specific cause for his illness, and he remained hospitalized. It wasn't until my mom and Aunt Wang went to visit him that things took an interesting turn. Aunt Wang casually asked about the family and the baby. Eventually, the conversation led to the old man drying the baby's soiled clothes on the stove.

Aunt Wang told them that the old man had offended the Kitchen God by placing impure items on the stove. In response, the old lady hurried back home and lit a clear oil lamp on the stove. She repeatedly apologized to the Kitchen God for their actions. Not long after this ritual, the old man miraculously recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

The Kitchen God, also known as Zao Jun, is considered a celestial deity in Chinese folk belief. Every year around Chinese New Year, he returns to heaven to report on the family's good and bad deeds. Offending the Kitchen God can lead to severe consequences. Therefore, it's advised not to place impure items on the stove, and many families offer oil lamps, incense, and other offerings to appease the Kitchen God.

Story Two:

Now, let's talk about an incident that happened to one of my rural relatives while he was irrigating his fields late at night.

This relative of mine is a paternal uncle of mine. During my summer vacations, I used to spend a few days at his place, playing with my younger female cousin. This particular incident occurred during the summer of my fifth-grade year when our village experienced a daytime power outage for electrical maintenance. Consequently, villagers had to irrigate their fields at night.

On that night, it was my uncle's turn to irrigate his fields, but he was alone because my aunt, who was usually with him, had been teased by him for being afraid and opted not to accompany him. My uncle was known for his bravery, and his taunt had a sarcastic tone: "It's dark out there, why would a woman like you go? If you encounter ghosts, I won't help you!" My aunt, timid by nature, responded with a nervous giggle but remained silent.

We were all sound asleep when suddenly, we heard frantic knocking on the front door. The knocking grew increasingly urgent, waking my cousin, my aunt, and me. Trembling with fear, my aunt and I hesitated before opening the door, only to find my uncle stumbling in, his face pale as a ghost. We were all terrified.

"What happened?" my aunt asked.

"Ghosts... ghosts... I saw ghosts," my uncle stammered.

We gathered around him, and he started to recount the terrifying experience. While he was in the middle of irrigating his fields, he suddenly felt someone tugging at the iron shovel he had slung over his shoulder. He turned around, but there was no one there. He took a few more steps and felt the tugging again, stronger this time. Despite the complete absence of any other people around, he could distinctly feel the force pulling on the shovel.

This experience frightened him so much that he immediately dropped the shovel and ran back home. He was so terrified that he couldn't move for a while.

My uncle remained unwell for several days after that incident, but a blind elderly man from our village, known for his abilities to see and communicate with spirits, eventually helped him recover. Since then, my uncle has become particularly fearful of the supernatural.