Real Unexplained Paranormal Events in Chinese Folklore - Part 4

In the past, not all farmers owned land. To feed themselves, they had to work as laborers on the land of wealthy landowners, a tough and grueling job often referred to as "kanghuo." This was a difficult life, with no days off, and it usually took a whole year's work to earn some grain for their own families. At the end of the year, landowners would host a good meal for their laborers, paying them their annual wages or grain. The laborers would then return home for the New Year festivities and come back to work in the fields in the spring.

This story is about a group of laborers who were working on a landowner's fields some distance away from their homes. That year, they had a good harvest, and the landowner treated them to a dinner of dumplings with some alcohol. Each laborer received their wages (back then, people were generally honest and paid their laborers), and they were all very happy. Originally, they planned to leave for home the next morning, but with the excitement of not having seen their wives for a year and the alcohol they had consumed, they impulsively decided to return home that very night. The journey was long, several dozen miles, and would take them through a route known to be dangerous due to the ongoing war. The landowner advised against it, warning them of the dangers, but the young men ignored his counsel and insisted on leaving.

As they journeyed on, they were met with snowfall not long after they started walking. Driven by their determination and the effects of the alcohol, they continued through the snow. However, the night grew colder, and their strength waned. They were all dressed in thin cotton clothes, as warm clothing like fur coats or down jackets were not available back then. The cold became unbearable, but being young, they pushed on.

As they approached their village, it was already late at night, and their energy was nearly depleted. At that time, one of them noticed a faint light at the foot of a hill ahead. They went closer and discovered a group of people huddled around a fire. Excitedly, they approached the fire, hoping to warm themselves. However, when they reached the fire, they noticed something strange.

The people gathered around the fire seemed different. They were unusually silent, with their heads lowered as if in deep concentration on something. The laborers didn't think too much of it; they were just eager to warm up and sat down around the fire.

One of the laborers was older and had experienced more in life. As he sat down, he noticed that something was amiss. The faces of the people around the fire looked strange, and the fire didn't seem to emit any warmth. The more they tried to warm themselves, the colder they felt. Perhaps due to his clarity of mind, the older man stood up, pulled a few of his companions aside, and said, "We're almost home. Let's hurry on." However, the others refused to listen and insisted on staying by the fire for a while longer.

The older man had no choice but to leave them behind and return home alone to seek help. By the time he reached home, it was already dawn. He quickly gathered some villagers and went back to the spot where they had left their companions. What they found was a heartbreaking scene. Several of the laborers had frozen to death, sprawled in various positions on the ground. There was no sign of a fire, just a field of white bones.

Some elderly villagers believed that those people they encountered were malicious spirits. In the middle of the night, they had ignited ghostly fires, luring the living to absorb their body heat.