It was almost eight, and A-Zheng's house really was the only one in the village still brightly lit.
None of the four had brought a flashlight. They walked along the village paths by moonlight, but the moon wasn't very bright either, making it hard to see.
"Should I go home and get a flashlight?" Xiao Xiao asked hesitantly.
"What's there to be scared of? It's not like there are ghosts," Ye Yaodong said matter-of-factly.
"Can you not bring up ghosts at night? It's not midnight yet, but there isn't a single light anywhere. Doesn't it give you the creeps?"
Fatty rubbed his arms, which had instantly broken out in goosebumps. His eyes kept straying toward the branches swaying in the wind around them. The shadows they cast on the ground seemed rather frightening.
Xiao Xiao grew nervous too. "Fuck... can you stop talking about it? There was nothing wrong, but you're making it sound really scary."
"You're nuts. A grown man like you, scared of ghosts!"
"Who says men can't be scared of ghosts? Ah!"
His scream gave everyone such a fright that they jumped too. Just as they were about to scream, they saw and heard him frantically gesturing for them to keep quiet.
"Shh, shh, shh..."
Their cries suddenly stuck in their throats, leaving them in an uncomfortable limbo. They could only stretch their necks and swallow the screams about to burst out.
Ye Yaodong rubbed his neck and lowered his voice. "Fuck, you damn fatty! What the hell are you screaming for?"
Xiao Xiao and A-Guang angrily berated Fatty in hushed voices too.
"You can scare someone to death like that! A ghost hasn't fucking scared me to death, but you nearly did..."
"Are you asking for a beating?"
Surrounded by their menacing stares, Fatty hurriedly explained,