A Lovely Girl Turning into a Rat

The broad-leaved epiphyllum was quietly flowering in front of the grave of an unknown people. Before dawn, the flowers withered away. Happiness was just as transient as the broad-leaved epiphyllum. After a brief moment of beauty, it was a boundless darkness.

Ci lay huddled up in the bed, with no idea of what would happen next.

In a trance, she seemed to see Nima. Gradually, she fell asleep and met her beloved man in the dream.

Ci was still alive. She was wriggling on the bed with difficulty.

Yang Zhen gave Ci a glass of water and a bowl of uncooked rice every day. Sometimes Ci received a piece of bad meat. “Keep her alive. It’s not fun if she dies.” Ji Jing said before going out.

Her whole body was wrapped in the mole furs which began to contract and squeeze her flesh and bones. Ci felt suffocated as her throat constricted. She gasped for air, opened her mouth and tried to say something, but finally she could only let out a shrill cry. Her eyes became smaller. She tried hard to open her eyes wide and saw the water and food in front of her. Then she struggled to crawl towards the food and ate it. Her body was gradually deformed into an oval shape, just like a dark gray female mole. She had sharp teeth but no tail.

San stood at the gate of Nima Mansion in the capital, exhausted, gasping for breath. Nima, who was enjoying human meat dipped in soy sauce, said to his men, “Go and bring me a tureen of soup. I want to drink some soup after eating meat.”

Sam took out the letter from an inside pocket and handed it to Nima who took and read it carefully. Then he smiled, “Ci always likes to write some flowery sentences. But I like her style. Hahahaha…” He swallowed a mouthful of soup and continued, “Now you can go back and tell her that I will return home in a few days.”

San started the journey back towards Tange Town. Everywhere a scene of devastation met the eye along the way. There were so many hungry people and evil people in the world. Some of the hungry people ate the evil people, and some of the evil people killed the hungry people.

It was late autumn and many people were lying dead on the road with their eyes open wide, lifeless and soundless. Their desiccated bodies were covered with dead leaves.

When San arrived at Autumn Wind Teahouse, he looked pathetic. The earlobe of his left ear had been bitten off and eaten by a refugee. Fortunately, it was nothing serious.

After an afternoon nap, Ju Juxian sat lazily in the chair and asked Yang Zhen, “Master will be back soon. What about that woman? Has our experiment succeeded?”

“Don’t worry, it is approaching success.” Yang Zhen nodded.

Ji Jing slowly walked towards them and said in a low voice, “It’s certainly a successful experiment. I think she would rather die than live like this. In the future, regardless of who the so-called ‘Fourth Madam’ is, we can make her ‘disappear’ like this.”

Ci sniffed at herself and caught a whiff of moles. She crawled to the door and tried to get out, but it was locked.

Then she heard footsteps outside.

Yang Zhen came to Ci’s room with food at this time every day.

Ten days later, Ci could smoothly crawl on limbs and relieve herself. She was able to see clearly what was in front of her. Sometimes, she scratched her abdomen with her claws. She could no longer stand like people. She thought of herself as a rat.

Sometimes Yang Zhen stabbed at Ci’s sole with the hairpin. The pointed end raked Ci’s skin and she squeaked like a rat. Yang Zhen smiled and grabbed at Ci’s ear which was covered with black fur. “Don’t worry. You will soon meet Master again.”

On the way back, Nima heard some townsmen gossiping that Fourth Madam of Nima Mansion had a love affair stealthily with a servant and they eloped a couple of days ago.

Yang Zhen greeted Nima with tears. “Master, I’m sorry. If you need to vent, you can kill me.”

Ji Jing was kneeling on the floor in the inner room with a surprisingly big belly.

Ju Juxian looked at Nima expressionlessly and said, “You are back. Since it has happened, you have to face up to it.”

Yang Zhen manufactured a false story to hide the facts. After listening to her, Nima went to Ci’s bedroom. On the table was the lute, and the wardrobe was empty. ‘The lute is still there, but you are no longer by my side. I finally understand the meaning of your letter,” he thought.

“Where are they now? When did they leave?” he asked.

Yang Zhen cried, “I found out about their adulterous relationship several days ago. But I didn’t expect them to elope so soon. I have sent people to search for them. But by now, there’s no news about their whereabouts.”

Nima seemed to have aged in the space of one afternoon.

He dreamed about Ci at night. In his dream, she was running wild with Liao Yong on a hill. Finally, they stopped at an old thatched cottage. The young man ran a hand through her unkempt hair and kissed her…

Ji Jing gave birth to a son. The new born baby was bright-eyed and had good features. A month later, Nima held a banquet for his son. The news of Ci’s elopement was a severe blow to this middle-aged man’s pride. But gradually, his sadness was watered down by the birth of his son. When he was unable to sleep, he went to Ci’s bedroom and lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the lute. ‘In the eyes of women, I can’t seem to compare with those young men.”

Nima was satisfied with Ji Jing’s child-bearing capacity. He named his son Nidazu. At night, he was pleased with Yang Zhen’s performance in bed.

Ci’s movements were becoming nimbler. She had a rapacious appetite. When she was hungry, she bit off a large piece of the wood at the foot of the bed, chewed and swallowed it to fill her empty stomach.

Yangzhen walked in with a chain in her hands, and then slipped it about Ci’s neck and pulled her out with all her strength.

It was snowing outside. The woman’s footprints and the big rat’s paw prints presented an interesting scene in the snow. The passersby were all surprised and exclaimed, “Wow, what a big rat!”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Nima looked at Yang Zhen in surprise and asked, “How did you get such a large rat?”

Yang Zhen gave an obsequious smile and answered, “Today a hunter went into the mountains to hunt and caught this rat. I bought it for 18 ounces of silver.” She handed the chain to Nima and continued, “Master, this large rat is different from other rats. It’s said to be an excellent tonic. Its flesh can help you prolong your life.”

“Bring it to the kitchen and cook it.” Nima waved his hand and continued, “Remember to invite Juxian and Ji Jing to have dinner with us. Tonight we can taste it together.”

Hearing this, Ci, who lay on her stomach at his feet, began to squeak and roll on the ground.

Nima kicked Ci aside and said, “All right, now I don’t want to eat it. Just keep it as a pet.”

Yang Zhen was stunned. “Master, why did you suddenly change your mind? Its flesh is very nutritious.”

Nima said, “This rat is a rarity. It’s a pity to eat it.”

Ci looked up at Nima with despair. She could hear him clearly, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make him understand what she was saying because she had completely lost the power of speech.