Chapter 5

The old man who had been squatting slowly rose to his feet. Once he stood straight, Li Juxiang suddenly felt that his back did not seem as hunched as before.

"Hey?"

The old man patted his own waist as well. Granny Liu really is something. We haven't even properly spoken yet, but just stepping into her house has made my body feel so much lighter.

He did not linger and headed straight inside.

"Cui Hou, take Little Yuanhou and finish your meal."

After giving the instruction, she followed them into the inner room. Liu Jinxia's eyesight was poor, so Li Juxiang needed to stay beside her and help keep records while they discussed business.

"Brother Yuanhou, shall we go finish eating?"

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan answered. Although the discomfort in his body had yet to fade, he still tried to take a step forward.

As his foot came down, Li Zhuiyuan felt the cool sensation repeatedly brushing over his head slow in rhythm, while the feeling of an ice cube pressed against his left cheek gradually faded.

But when he took his second step, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized the chill had not vanished. The coldness returned to his left cheek, while it felt as though a block of ice had been pressed against his right shoulder.

By the time he took his third step, the coldness on his left cheek vanished again and shifted to his left shoulder, while his right shoulder remained cold.

Li Zhuiyuan took a fourth step. Before his foot even landed, the coldness in both shoulders suddenly intensified.

"Whew..."

Li Zhuiyuan shuddered and drew a deep breath, slowly pulling his foot back. The coldness in his shoulders returned to its previous level.

He could not see anything, yet he could picture it: an old woman had been half-squatting before him. Her right hand rested on his left cheek, and her left hand stroked his head as she said:

"This child is so well-behaved."

When he started walking forward, the old woman changed position too. Both her hands gradually slipped onto his shoulders. It was the movement of someone bracing herself to stand.

If he kept walking forward, she would climb onto him with the motion.

She—

Wanted him to carry her on his back!

The shaded room on the first floor was Liu Jinxia's office.

The room was large, yet it felt extremely cramped once one entered.

Wooden crates had been piled up all around, forcibly swallowing seventy or eighty percent of the space. They were filled with every kind of ritual implement, scripture, and statue.

If a few crates were opened, one could see Lord Lao with an arm around Buddha's shoulders, or Guanyin Bodhisattva with Jesus on a cross beneath her instead of an attendant boy.

In her early years, Liu Jinxia had once carried dreams of her own. Answering the call of the new era, she had wanted to draw upon the strengths of every school and forge a path unique to herself.

Unfortunately, the backward market in and around Shinan Town could not accept such fashionable things.

Liu Jinxia could only resign herself to it and return to the traditional image of a blind old fortune-telling woman.

Thus, the only useful things in this room were a black-lacquered wooden table, a few stools, and two white candles.

"Hiss..."

Liu Jinxia wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. The candle smoke stung them badly. It seemed she would have to get rid of the candles in the future as well.

At that moment, the old man seated opposite her finished his account. His gaze toward Liu Jinxia was full of respect.

After coming here, not only had his hunchback eased considerably, but his mind was no longer muddled either. Even his speech had become much smoother.

The old man's surname was Niu, and his name was Niu Fu. He was from neighboring Shigang Town. He had come today to arrange a Memorial Birthday for his late mother.

Yesterday, his younger brother, Niu Rui, had come here for the same matter. Liu Jinxia had only gone to Li Weihan's home after receiving him.

The old Niu family had three siblings: two brothers and a younger sister. Their father had died early, and their mother had raised all three of them alone as a widow.

Now, they were all over fifty and had become grandparents themselves.

Half a year ago, their mother passed away.

But ever since the funeral, troubles had not stopped in the households of the three Niu siblings. Either one person fell ill, or another met with an accident.

At first, none of them paid much attention to it. But the incidents grew more frequent and more serious.

Not long ago, Niu Rui's son had fallen into a ditch while riding home from work, breaking several ribs. Had a passerby not discovered him in time, he would nearly have lost his life. Niu Fu's hunchback had also worsened to an outrageous degree. Even the seventy- or eighty-year-old hunchbacks in his village were not as bent as him. Half a year ago, he had not been hunched at all.

On top of that, the Three Siblings occasionally dreamed of their mother. They suspected her attachment had not faded, so they planned to hold a Memorial Birthday for her, burn a Blood Scripture, drive away the evil aura, and pray for peace.

However, the two brothers now had a disagreement. Niu Rui, the younger brother, wanted to hold the Memorial Birthday at his own home, but Niu Fu, the elder brother, refused and insisted it had to be held at his house.

Outsiders might think the brothers were quite filial. Holding a Memorial Birthday was such a troublesome, exhausting affair, yet they were arguing over it. Were they not competing to show devotion to their mother?

Liu Jinxia clearly did not believe that. Her eyesight was getting worse and worse, but her heart was becoming clearer by the day.

Among the people she received, ones like Li Weihan were rare. Most had done something they should not have. As the old saying went in reverse, those with guilty consciences always feared ghosts knocking at their doors.

Still, Liu Jinxia would not press to the bottom of things. She merely said lightly:

"Don't tell me your younger sister wants to hold one too?"

"Mm, she does."

Liu Jinxia raised her brows.

According to current village customs, once a daughter married out, she became a guest. It was enough for her to find time to visit her natal home a few times each year and bring her husband back during the New Year to keep up appearances.

If her parents fell ill, and she could attend them at their bedside for a while and see them off in their final days, then she would already be considered a filial daughter praised by neighbors and relatives alike.

Since daughters did not receive a share of the family property, they only needed to show their faces and contribute a little labor toward caring for their parents and arranging their funerals. They did not need to pay.

Yet the Niu family's third daughter actually wanted to hold a Memorial Birthday for her mother as well... It was plainly against the rules. No matter how filial she was, this was not how one showed it. If there had been only sisters in the family and no sons, it would have been another matter. But she had two older brothers.

Liu Jinxia lowered her eyelids and said:

"That is easy enough. Since all of you want to compete to be the host family, then all of you can be the host family. Borrow a patch of land on your village's communal grounds, set up three offering tables, prepare three birthday gifts, and burn three Blood Scriptures."

Niu Fu froze for a moment and asked, "Th-that can be done?"

Liu Jinxia nodded. "Of course. Hold it together in one place, so your mother will not have to divide her attention. Your younger brother, Niu Rui, already gave me the birth dates and eight characters of everyone in his household yesterday. Give me yours today, then notify your sister to bring hers over in the next couple of days so I can prepare the ritual introduction for you."

One matter normally meant one payment. Now one matter meant three payments. Liu Jinxia stood to profit.

Niu Fu hesitated, but in the end nodded. "Then we'll do it that way. I'll go back and tell them. We'll hold it together."

"Mm. Once all the eight characters have been brought over, I'll set a specific date for you."

"Make it quick," Niu Fu urged. "It needs to be soon."

"I understand." Liu Jinxia nodded to show that he need not worry, then rose to see him out.

Niu Fu had just lifted his backside from the stool when he seemed to recall something. He sat back down and said, "There's one more thing. For the Memorial Birthday, we need to ask Granny Liu to preside over the ritual."

Zhai Shi was simply a ritual service. As for Ritual Presiding, it meant inviting someone with the right connections to hold the line and prevent little ghosts from causing trouble.

As for how exactly one explained "having the right connections," that was entirely up to one's own interpretation. If there was truly nobody else, even a pig butcher could do it.

Because Li Sanjiang's family ran a paper crafting business, whenever he delivered paper offerings to a household, he was assumed to preside over the ritual for them as well. Not only did he get a free banquet meal, but he also received a red-envelope fee from the host family.

But that sort of "assumed" arrangement had low costs, and the red-envelope fee was meager. If they formally opened their mouths and said "invite," that was a different price entirely.

Niu Fu immediately added, "The red-envelope fee is easy to discuss, Granny Liu. We... all three of our families will pay."

"Is that so..." Liu Jinxia felt uneasy for no reason.

"Also, please ask Uncle Sanjiang from your village as well. We want to invite him too."

Liu Jinxia swallowed. Rather than agreeing immediately, she said:

"I'll speak to Sanjiang Hou, but I don't know whether he has time. Give me the eight characters first, and I'll calculate a date for you. This cannot be delayed."

"Alright, alright, alright."

Next, Niu Fu took a cloth bundle from his pocket and unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing a stack of worn-edged Da Tuanjie notes inside.

He licked his fingertips and began counting the money.

Liu Jinxia accepted the first payment but pushed away the second. "As for Ritual Presiding, wait until I've discussed it with Sanjiang Hou. Then I'll talk to you about it."

"This..." Niu Fu was clearly unwilling. "How about we settle it first?"

Liu Jinxia said firmly, "Before the matter is settled, there's no hurry to settle the money. Those are the rules."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Granny Liu. I won't go to see Uncle Sanjiang myself. I'll wait for your word."

"Mm."

Niu Fu opened the door himself and walked out.

Li Juxiang went to support her mother and asked in confusion, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Completing this job would be worth an entire season's income. Li Juxiang did not understand why her money-loving mother was hesitating this time. It did not look as though she were playing hard to get in order to raise the price either.

Liu Jinxia said quietly, "They're all farming families, not people of great wealth or status. For them to be so easy to talk to and so quick to pay, there can only be one reason."

"What reason?"

"Spending money to avert disaster."

"Mom, you mean...?"

"Xianghou, tell me, where in this world is there a mother who, after she has passed on, still wants to bring calamity upon her own children?"

"That's true."

"What is even harder to understand is this: how many sons and daughters, when their lives become unsettled, would suspect that their mother underground is tormenting them?

Unless they had done something worse than beasts."

"Mom, then what about this job?"

"Forget it. Let's find Sanjiang Hou and talk it over first. If he thinks we can go, then we'll earn every last bit of this money. Sigh, they really are offering too much."

"What if Uncle Sanjiang says he won't go? Can you bear to let it go?"

"What meaning is there in earning money you won't live to spend?"

"That's true. Uncle Sanjiang's abilities are reliable. With him there, we can feel at ease too."

"His abilities..." Liu Jinxia frowned, seeming to find them difficult to assess. But she still said with certainty, "With him there, we can indeed rest easy."

"Brother Yuanhou?"

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan remain motionless for so long, Cui Cui reached over to take his hand.

The instant they touched, Li Zhuiyuan felt the chill on his left shoulder disappear. At the same time, he caught Cui Cui shivering, her hand trembling as she held his.

"Cui Cui, step back!"

"Mm?"

"Get away from me!"

Although she did not know why, Cui Cui obediently let go of his hand and retreated several steps.

"Cui Cui, stand there. Don't move. Don't come near me."

"Mm..."

Brother Yuanhou's sudden attitude reminded Cui Cui of all the times she had been disliked. A mist of tears rose in her eyes, and her little nose sniffled.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, had the feeling that when Cui Cui touched him, the old woman who had originally placed both hands on his shoulders removed one hand and reached for Cui Cui.

Only after Cui Cui stepped back did the old woman return to her previous position.

"Granny Liu, I'll be heading off first!"

Niu Fu's robust voice came from inside, without the slightest trace of its earlier hoarseness.

He walked into the main hall and swept his gaze over the two children still there. Without any reaction, he headed for the door.

"Grandpa..." Li Zhuiyuan raised a hand and pointed toward the washbasin on the rack beside him in the corner. "Wash your hands."

Cui Cui wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand and said with a smile, "Grandpa, wash your hands before you go out. It'll get rid of the bad luck."

After saying that, Cui Cui lowered her head and looked at her toes. Did Brother Yuanhou also think her family was unlucky?

She had long since grown used to it and normally would not think much of it. Yet for some reason, she was especially sensitive today.

"Oh, alright. Then I'll wash."

Niu Fu pulled back the foot he had stepped over the Door Threshold with and walked to the washbasin to wash his hands.

As he washed,

Li Zhuiyuan felt the chill on both shoulders gradually fade. His body relaxed, though he also felt somewhat weak.

Niu Fu's back, meanwhile, visibly began to hunch over again.

Li Juxiang came out while supporting Liu Jinxia and said, "I'll see you out."

"No need to be so polite. I'm off, see you around."

After washing his hands, Niu Fu wanted to grab the cloth on the rack to dry them, but found it was a little out of reach. He could only shake his hands, then place both hands behind his lower back and slowly step sideways over the Door Threshold.

Li Juxiang's eyes filled with confusion. Something seemed wrong, but she could not say what.

She walked over to the washbasin, intending to change the water. But the moment she saw what was inside, the expression on her face froze:

The banana leaves in the basin had somehow become extremely thin strips. Even if someone had deliberately torn them by hand, it would have been impossible to tear them so finely and evenly.

Most importantly, the water in the basin had turned black!

Li Juxiang immediately hurried over to her mother, lowered her head, and quietly told her.

Liu Jinxia stared at her daughter in shock, then looked outside.

At that moment, Niu Fu had finally managed to step over the Door Threshold and reach the open yard.

Li Zhuiyuan had also finally recovered from his weakness. He walked up to Liu Jinxia, pointed at Niu Fu's retreating figure, and said to her:

"Grandma, on his back..."

"Quiet!"

Liu Jinxia immediately covered the child's mouth with both hands.

The smell on those hands was so overpowering that Li Zhuiyuan's eyes stung badly enough to water.

Outside, Niu Fu paused. He turned halfway around and cast a meaningful glance over, then continued walking away.

Only after he had left the yard and gone far away did Liu Jinxia release the hand covering the child's mouth.

"Child, now tell me."

Li Zhuiyuan took several deep breaths before speaking. "Grandma, was that Grandpa carrying something on his back?"

Liu Jinxia brought her face close to Li Zhuiyuan's and lowered her voice. "Little Yuanhou, did you see something?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

He truly had not seen anything. He had only felt it.

Liu Jinxia frowned and asked, "Little Yuanhou, Sanjiang Hou went to your home last night, didn't he?"

"Grandma, I was asleep. I don't know."

"Hehe."

Liu Jinxia smiled and nodded. She did not continue questioning him, only said earnestly, "Little Yuanhou, remember something Grandma tells you."

"Tell me, Grandma."

"There are some things that, even if you see them, you must never show it in front of them. If it knows you can see it, it might... latch onto you."

Was that why?

Li Zhuiyuan nodded hard. "Grandma, I'll remember."

"All right, go eat with Little Cui Hou."

"Okay, Grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Cui Cui, who looked at him in confusion.

"Cui Cui, come on. Let's eat."

"Okay, hehe."

A smile appeared on the little girl's face again.

After the two children went into the kitchen, Liu Jinxia sat in a chair in the main hall, her expression grave.

"Mom?" Li Juxiang still held the washbasin in her hands. "That Little Yuanhou child... he really saw it?"

"Sometimes, to see something, you don't necessarily have to use your eyes."

"How could that be?"

"You'd probably have to ask Sanjiang Hou. Heaven knows what methods he used to mess around."

"Sigh, I just hope the child will be all right. I really do like him."

"Oh?" Liu Jinxia looked at her daughter with a half-smile. "What, taken a liking to him? Want to take him in as a son-in-law?"

"Mom, don't joke like that. I could never have that kind of thought. He's Lanhou's son."

For once, Liu Jinxia did not scold her daughter for "degrading herself." Instead, she consoled her, "That girl Lanhou was sharp-minded from childhood. Her son is even more precocious. So he really isn't suitable as a son-in-law."

Li Juxiang laughed despite herself. "Mom, listen to yourself. What nonsense are you talking about? Is being smart somehow a bad thing now?"

"Girl, you don't understand."

Have you ever seen any child who was haunted by something filthy yesterday and fell unconscious, then came out today holding hands and playing as if nothing had happened?

Do you think he knows what happened at Big Beard's home? Do you believe him when he says he slept through last night and knew nothing?

Heh, just now, he saw something unclean again right here, yet he could sit down and continue eating peacefully.

That child isn't merely smart. He can quickly figure out exactly what situation he's in, and he can adjust himself on his own.

Even when it comes to something like... seeing ghosts.

It's only because he's still young that he has a little of that childish innocence.

Once he grows up, living with someone like that would be really boring. He only needs to look at you once to see straight through you. You'd have no secrets in front of him at all.

You wouldn't even be able to act cute or throw a tantrum with him, because he stands above you. He'd lower his head and look down on you from every angle.

Cold as ice. No human warmth."

"Mom, how can you say that about a child? I think Little Yuanhou is very nice. He's polite and well-behaved."

"That's because he treats everyone that way. Just like his mother when she was young."

"Mom..."

"Right. Didn't his mother get divorced too?"

"You..." Li Juxiang grew angry.

Liu Jinxia was still not satisfied. She exhaled smoke and continued, "People like that mother and son are only suited to partners with no sense of self at all, whose eyes are full of nothing but them."

"Mom, I'd better go find Elder Uncle Sanjiang."

"Go on, go on." Liu Jinxia waved her hand. "If that Sanjiang Hou drags his feet, ask him whether, if Hanhou's most beloved grandson gets hurt, he still expects Hanhou to care for him in old age and bury him when he dies."

Li Juxiang quickly poured out the dirty water from the basin, mounted her tricycle, and set off. She truly did not want to hear her mother talk about this anymore.

Liu Jinxia snuffed out her cigarette, yawned, and slowly headed toward the kitchen.

The two children had already finished eating. Liu Jinxia saw her usually pampered granddaughter, who never did housework, voluntarily scrambling to clear the dishes and wipe the table.

She kept saying, "Brother Yuanhou, put that down. I do this work every day."

It made Liu Jinxia laugh.

Perhaps because it concerned who would care for him in old age and bury him, Li Sanjiang did not dawdle at all this time. He came over early on Li Juxiang's tricycle.

After Liu Jinxia had Li Juxiang take the two children upstairs to watch television, she led Li Sanjiang into her office.

"Whoa, Blind Liu, you've got this place packed tight." Li Sanjiang patted the tall stacks of wooden crates around them. "Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd just brought in a shipment from Guangdong and were preparing to switch to wholesale."

"I don't have time to trade nonsense with you."

Liu Jinxia told him everything that had happened today, including the Niu family's Memorial Birthday.

Li Sanjiang's eyes widened. "How could Little Yuanhou see it?"

Liu Jinxia took a deep breath and clenched her fists. In the end, she forcibly suppressed her anger and shot back, "You're asking me?"

Li Sanjiang took out cigarettes, tossed one to Liu Jinxia, and held one beneath his nose as he sniffed it and thought.

Liu Jinxia picked up the cigarette and tapped the filter against the tabletop. "What good deed did you do last night?"

"A virtuous deed."

"You..." Liu Jinxia licked her lips. "Big Beard and his father floated in the Fish Pond today. Did you bring that Death Collapse over there?"

Li Sanjiang said nothing.

"How did you bring it there?" Liu Jinxia continued probing. Then, as though she had thought of a terrifying possibility, her voice rose as she cursed, "You old bastard, don't tell me you had Little Yuanhou lure the corpse?"

"Ahem..." Li Sanjiang cleared his throat. "Blind Liu, lend me a light."

Liu Jinxia hurled the matchbox directly at him. "You really did it!"

"Scratch..."

Li Sanjiang looked away and began smoking.

Liu Jinxia got out of her chair, went around the desk, and walked up to Li Sanjiang. Her spittle sprayed directly onto the old man's face.

"The living walk the road of the living, and the dead walk the road of the dead. By making Little Yuanhou lure a corpse, you made that child walk the road of the dead and pick up ghostly aura. Do you know that? You may already have turned him into someone who can Yin Walk!"

"Yin Walking?" Li Sanjiang froze, then laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Hahaha, bullshit! How could he Yin Walk after just one little thing like that?"

"Heh... hehehe." Blind Liu gave a cold laugh.

Li Sanjiang became anxious instead and sprang to his feet. "If Yin Walking were so easy, then after Blind Liu had been in this line of work for decades, she wouldn't still be pulling this con artist routine!"

Yin Walking was called "feeling blind" or "descending to the gods" in some places. It referred to the ability to travel from the world of the living to the underworld. Put simply, it meant being able to see things not belonging to the living world.

People came to spirit mediums like Blind Liu because they sought the image such people created—that they could commune with gods and ghosts. Yet ninety-nine percent of people like them lacked that ability. Blind Liu herself certainly did not have it.

Liu Jinxia steadied her breathing and said, "That child is smart. He notices details."

At that, Li Sanjiang swallowed. The image from last night suddenly surfaced in his mind: Little Yuanhou pointing at the river and saying, "Shouldn't we wait for her?"

Smack!

Li Sanjiang fell back into his chair, his expression uncertain. He suddenly realized that Liu Jinxia might be right.

"His father and mother are both in Beijing. He has a Beijing household registration. He's smart, and he can handle studying or anything else with ease. A bright future is practically guaranteed for him, yet you went and pulled this on him.

"Never mind how constantly seeing filthy things might affect his daily life. Just look at you, all alone, who even has to pick out a dependable Hanhou in advance to care for you in old age and bury you.

"As for me, heh, don't even mention it.

"Anyone who gets involved in this path will end up touched by one of the Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies to some degree. You're committing a sin. Was there water in your brain when you did it?"

Li Sanjiang did not retort. His brows furrowed into a deep crease.

Seeing this, Liu Jinxia stopped mocking him and instead comforted him. "Luckily, the child's condition isn't serious yet. From what I can tell, he can only vaguely sense some filthy things. He can't truly Yin Walk yet. It can still be salvaged. We can still pull him back."

Determination appeared in Li Sanjiang's eyes. "Then I'll cut it off for him!"

"How?"

"I'll go speak with Hanhou. Have him send Little Yuanhou away from home to stay with me for a while. I'll perform a Living Fasting Rite for him."

Liu Jinxia opened her mouth. "A Living Fasting Rite?"

Normally, there was no such thing as a Living Fasting Rite. Performing rites for the dead at funerals was meant to keep filthy things from causing Hauntings, while performing one for the living meant transferring that person's misfortune onto yourself. No one was willing to do that.

As for "leaving home," it meant temporarily cutting oneself off from one's family and severing karmic ties. After some time, one could still return to secular life.

In remote areas of the country and in Southeast Asia, there was still a tradition of sending children from the family to live in temples for a time before bringing them home to resume their lives. In inland regions, having children acknowledge godfathers and godmothers was a simplified version of this custom.

Li Sanjiang looked at Liu Jinxia and asked, "Do you think it'll work?"

Liu Jinxia nodded. "If you're willing to pay that kind of price, then it'll definitely work."

She had entered this line of work halfway through life and had mostly learned by groping her way forward. But in her early years, it was not as if she had never considered learning some real skills from Li Sanjiang.

The reason it never happened was because she discovered that Li Sanjiang was somewhat unreliable.

If you said he had no ability, he always managed to bring out some trick whenever something happened. But if you said he was capable, he often made a complete mess of things, just like this time.

But there was one thing Liu Jinxia was certain of: this old man possessed an indescribable quality.

When she had first married into the family, she had heard her father-in-law say that Li Sanjiang had been conscripted three times during the Republic of China. The others taken with him had all vanished without a trace, but Li Sanjiang had somehow slipped back every time with all his limbs intact.

He clearly made his living doing taboo work, yet he had remained free of illness and disaster. Calling him alone and without family was even a stretch, because unlike her, he had never married. He had always lived an exceptionally comfortable and carefree life.

There were countless reasons why he should have died long ago, yet he was long-lived, rosy-cheeked, and full of energy. Liu Jinxia was a full generation younger than him, but she felt that she would most likely go before he did.

For a Living Fasting Rite, in which one took on another living person's misfortune, the prerequisite was whether one had the fortune to bear it. Without question, Li Sanjiang truly did—not only did he have it, he had more than enough.

Li Sanjiang stood, tossed his cigarette butt to the floor, and crushed it beneath his shoe. As he prepared to leave, Liu Jinxia called out to him again.

"Say, Uncle Sanjiang."

"Hmm?"

"Uncle Sanjiang, I was too concerned about the child just now, so my tone was a little harsh. Sorry about that."

Li Sanjiang glanced at Liu Jinxia. "What do you want?"

Liu Jinxia smiled ingratiatingly. "Since you're already planning to do this, performing rites for one child is doing rites, and performing them for two children is only a little extra work, right? I could send my Little Cui Hou to your home too, so she can keep Little Yuanhou company. What do you think?"

"Sure enough, you're full of crap."

Li Sanjiang walked out without looking back. He was performing rites for Little Yuanhou because, first, he bore responsibility for this matter, and second, because of Hanhou's care for him in old age and burial after death.

He had lived freely all his life. Suffering a little loss in his old age to secure that was no loss at all. It was far more worthwhile than those old people who spent half their lives toiling for their children.

But if he performed rites for Blind Liu's family, Li Sanjiang felt that if he dared do it today, he would have to prepare to drop dead tomorrow.

"Little Yuanhou, come on. Great Grandfather will take you home!"

"Coming, Great Grandfather."

Li Sanjiang took Li Zhuiyuan's hand and left Liu Jinxia's home. On the way, he asked, "Little Yuanhou, Great Grandfather wants to discuss something with you."

"Great Grandfather, go ahead."

"There are lots of children at your home now, and it's crowded when you sleep. Great Grandfather's place has plenty of room, and living alone is lonely. How about you come stay at Great Grandfather's Home for a while and keep Great Grandfather company?"

"Great Grandfather..."

"Hmm?"

"Did something happen to me?"

"Uh..." Li Sanjiang finally felt today that a child being too smart was not necessarily a good thing. "Don't worry, Little Yuanhou. Great Grandfather will help you solve whatever is happening to you. Don't be afraid."

"It's all right, Great Grandfather. I can get used to it."

"Quick, spit that out! That's not something you should get used to!"

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo."

When Li Sanjiang brought Li Zhuiyuan back, Yingzi was playing Rubber Band with her two younger sisters in the yard.

Two long benches stood four meters apart, placed crosswise at either end, with the rubber band looped around their legs.

"Little bouncy ball, banana pear, Malan blooms twenty-one. Two-five-six, two-five-seven, two-eight-two-nine-thirty-one..."

"Yinghou, are your Grandparents back?" Li Sanjiang called out.

"Oh! Great Grandfather, Yuanzi." Yingzi and the others spotted them. "Grandfather and Grandma just got back."

"Good."

Li Sanjiang let go of Li Zhuiyuan's hand and went inside, where he saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying.

The elderly couple thought Li Sanjiang had come over because of the "testimony," so they hurriedly gave him a full report on their own initiative.

After hearing them out, Li Sanjiang nodded and reassured them. "All right, Big Beard's family matter is settled like this. There shouldn't be any more entanglements."

Li Weihan asked worriedly, "Uncle, has Little Yellow Oriole already been dealt with by you?"

Li Sanjiang's eyelids twitched. Dealt with? How was he supposed to deal with her? Run to the bottom of Big Beard's Fish Pond with a shovel, dig around, then shout and ask whether she was still there?

Logically speaking, a newly dead Death Collapse should not have been so vicious. The fact that she could even come ashore and chase them home was already absurd enough.

But whether Little Yellow Oriole had dissipated after taking revenge, or was still hiding in the Fish Pond and watching Big Beard's old home as an evil presence, Li Sanjiang had no intention of looking further into it.

"She won't come looking for your family again. Remember the date. Make another offering for her next year, just as a gesture."

"Okay, Uncle. We'll remember."

"Mm. But there's another matter I need to tell you about."

Li Sanjiang explained the problem with Li Zhuiyuan, though he hid his own mistake in handling things. There was nothing else to it—he had to save a little face.

Cui Guiying's lips turned pale again in fright. "Good heavens, why isn't this over yet?"

Li Weihan was much calmer. He told his wife, "The most dangerous hurdle has already passed. This isn't much now. Doesn't Uncle have a way? We'll do as Uncle says. Go pack some clothes and luggage for Little Yuanhou."

Li Sanjiang waved his hand. "He's staying at my place, not going to prison. You can come visit. Just bring his things over yourselves tomorrow. It won't be too long, half a month at most. I'll take the chance to raise a child too and enjoy being a grandfather, haha."

Li Sanjiang's relaxed tone soothed Cui Guiying considerably. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Then we really have to trouble Uncle Sanjiang."

"Ah, don't say that. We're family, family. All right, set up a table, light a pair of candles, pour three bowls of Yellow Wine, and we'll go through the formalities for the Leaving-Home Rite."

The Leaving-Home Rite was very simple. A table bearing candles was set out in the yard, and Li Sanjiang muttered under his breath while leading Li Zhuiyuan around the table three times.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan was made to lift the three bowls of Yellow Wine in turn. He scattered one bowl toward the sky, poured one over himself, and splashed the last bowl toward the family members standing inside the doorway.

The most important rule was that while the rite was underway, Li Weihan, Cui Guiying, and all the brothers and sisters could only stand behind the Door Threshold. They could not come out or make any sound to disturb it.

The rite was complete.

"All right, Hanhou, see you tomorrow." Li Sanjiang waved. "I'll take the child home first."

With that, Li Sanjiang carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back and headed out of the yard.

On Li Sanjiang's back, Li Zhuiyuan twisted around and kept smiling as he waved goodbye to his family, as though he were merely visiting relatives.

Inside the Door Threshold, Li Weihan had an arm around Cui Guiying's shoulders, his gaze fixed on him. Pan Zi, Lei Zi, Huzi, Shitou, and the others had been told to stay quiet, but they all covered their mouths while squeezing out from beside Grandfather and Grandma to peek at him.

Just then, the sun was setting, and warm orange light spilled over everything, casting a soft halo across all that lay within sight.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt dazed. He vaguely sensed that this scene would remain forever in the depths of his heart, often resurfacing in his memories in the future.

It was like turning over that...

Old, yellowed photograph.