Scholar Fang's ancestors had once been wealthy.
But by his generation, he had repeatedly failed to pass the provincial examination.
He was over forty and still only a scholar, though fortunately his family was fairly well-off.
They owned more than twenty mu of fertile irrigated farmland, enough to keep the whole family fed and clothed without worry.
Li Ping'an sat in the Fang family's ancestral home and sampled the tea.
Scholar Fang chatted about this and that for a while before finally getting to the point.
"Brother Li... do you... do you know that your house is haunted?"
Li Ping'an nodded. "I know."
Scholar Fang seemed to have expected this. "Whenever anyone moved in before, within a few days there would be such an uproar that chickens flew and dogs leaped, and they would eventually move out.
"These past few days, I've noticed that your home has been peaceful.
"And seeing your extraordinary bearing, Brother Li, I imagine you must be no ordinary man."
Li Ping'an smiled faintly. "Brother Fang, please speak plainly."
"...Well, there is something I would like to ask of you.
"Something strange has happened to me recently."
"What sort of strange thing?"
Scholar Fang deliberately lowered his voice. "At night, there's always a pounding at my front gate.
"The first time it happened, I thought someone had come on urgent business.
"But when I opened the gate, there was nothing outside.
"So I didn't pay much attention to it.
"But a few days later, the pounding came again.
"At first, I thought someone's children were playing tricks.
"But on second thought, something seemed a little wrong, though I still didn't take it too seriously.
"Then, after another few days, the knocking grew more frequent.
"At first, it came from the outermost gate of my home.
"Then