My grandfather then told Mrs. Liu the whole story. After hearing it, she was also very surprised. After all, living with a drunkard like Liu for so long, she had some understanding of these kinds of things.
My grandfather sighed and said, "This time it's really strange. My older brother hasn't even woken up yet. I'm worried that tonight... Big Sister, what do you think? Sigh, what a calamity." After saying this, he lowered his head and rubbed his hands anxiously.
Mrs. Liu understood the seriousness of the situation. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I have an idea!" Then, she stood up and said to my grandfather, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. That dead ghost doesn't even know when he'll stop drinking. You're just coming from the carriage, right? Why don't you take him to the Zhu Family's Corner? That should work."
My grandfather quickly shook his head and said, "That won't do! It's freezing outside. What if my older brother freezes to death?!"
Hearing this, Mrs. Liu laughed. While pulling out Liu's cotton jacket, she said, "Don't worry, trust me. I don't know him? How many times has he drunk too much outside and slept out in the cold? He won't freeze to death." Although she said this, when my grandfather saw her pulling out several other cotton jackets and then a blanket, he knew she was only doing this out of kindness, not wanting to see me and my wife suffer misfortune. He was deeply grateful and couldn't express his gratitude enough. Without thinking, he kneeled in front of Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu quickly helped him up and said, "Xiao Cui, what are you doing? Don't do this. If you keep acting like this, I'll get mad!"
My grandfather stood up, wiped his tears, and said to Mrs. Liu, "Sister, thank you. I won't say more, I..."
The two of them went to the back room, where Mr. Liu was still fast asleep on the bed, snoring loudly. Mrs. Liu turned to my grandfather and said, "Look at your brother. He's good at divination, but now that his own brother is in trouble, he's still sleeping like a dead pig. He deserves to freeze!" After saying this, they helped Liu get dressed. Once they were done, my grandfather spread cotton quilts on the donkey cart, then carefully wrapped Liu, who was still asleep, in layers of clothing and settled him on the cart. Mrs. Liu then went inside, packed some things, and put a box on the cart. This box contained items that Mr. Liu would need. She then reminded my grandfather to be careful and watched him leave.
Later, my grandfather found out that the box not only contained Mr. Liu's ghost-hunting tools but also a bag of rice and a jar of liquor that he had given to her family. It turned out that Mrs. Liu had secretly placed them back, knowing that my grandfather's family wasn't wealthy. Many years later, when my grandfather told me this story, he was still grateful and told me that one should be as kind-hearted as Mr. Liu and his wife.
As we mentioned before, my grandmother was anxiously waiting for my grandfather's return. As the sky darkened, there was still no sign of him. Thinking about whether the spirits would come again, my grandmother was filled with fear, but she didn't dare to leave the house. According to the elders, if you encounter something unclean, it's best to stay at home, because it means you're in a bad luck period, and if you go outside, you could attract more misfortune.
After waiting and waiting, she finally fell into a daze and unknowingly fell asleep. In her dream, she saw the old lady in mourning clothes with a white hat, sitting at the end of the bed, coldly staring at her. My grandmother wanted to call out but couldn't make a sound. The old lady spoke in a strange tone, saying, "Don't think you can find someone. I'm not afraid of you. The grudge of my grandson must be avenged." After saying this, she got off the bed and slipped out the window.
My grandmother woke up terrified, drenched in cold sweat. As she was still in a state of shock, she heard the sound of the donkey cart and my grandfather's voice calling, "Wife, come out and help!" When my grandmother heard my grandfather's return, she immediately felt reassured. She quickly threw on a cotton jacket and went outside, where she saw my grandfather and the still unconscious Mr. Liu.
In a hurry, my grandmother helped my grandfather carry the drunk Mr. Liu inside and settled him on the bed. Then she went back outside to gather the things from the donkey cart. Once everything was in order, she returned the cart to Old Bao's place. On her way back, she had the eerie feeling that someone was following her, but whenever she turned around, there was no one there. This feeling of being followed is something that many people have experienced. You're walking somewhere and feel like someone's behind you, but when you look back, there's nothing, which is really unsettling. My grandmother quickly ran back home, out of breath by the time she arrived.
She sat on the bed, watching my grandfather as he covered Mr. Liu with a blanket. Mr. Liu was indeed something—despite the freezing cold, he was sleeping soundly on the donkey cart, with a rosy complexion. My grandmother asked my grandfather what had happened to Liu, and he explained, "He got drunk and hasn't woken up yet. Your sister-in-law was worried about us, so she had me bring him back."
Suddenly, my grandmother thought of something and told my grandfather about the dream she had just had. After listening, my grandfather said, "Her grandson... Could it be that blind wanderer? What should we do?" Both of them were at a loss. Luckily, they had brought a wise person back now, so they didn't feel as afraid. My grandfather asked my grandmother to take out the two pounds of white flour she had prepared for the New Year and steam some flower rolls. When Mr. Liu woke up, they could have them to eat. Then, my grandfather went to the warehouse and took out some sauerkraut and frozen meat. The two of them started preparing.
The food was ready, but Mr. Liu still hadn't woken up. My grandfather hadn't eaten since the morning, so my grandmother reheated some sorghum rice, and they ate a little before it got dark.
As soon as nightfall came, both of them were on edge again, unsure whether the spirits would return. They hoped they wouldn't, but sometimes things don't go as planned. Just after one or two in the morning, the crying sound once again drifted into the courtyard.
When they heard the cry, my grandfather and grandmother felt a surge of unease, as if their minds were in turmoil and they were on the verge of losing control. My grandmother, half-dazed, reached for the scissors on the bed. Just then, Mr. Liu, who had been sleeping soundly, turned over in his sleep and shouted, "What's all this noise?! Don't you see I'm trying to sleep? Go away!"
My grandfather and grandmother were jolted awake. It's true, that shout was quite effective—the crying stopped immediately. My grandmother quickly threw the scissors aside, feeling a rush of relief. At this point, Mr. Liu muttered in his sleep, "Damn it, this is so annoying. I'll stick this thing upside down on the north window. I'll let it make noise, and I'll deal with it tomorrow." After saying this, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his bed and fell back asleep.
My grandfather took the paper from him and saw that it was a "Fu" character used during the New Year celebrations. My grandfather immediately followed Mr. Liu's suggestion and taped the "Fu" character to the north window. After doing this, there was indeed peace for the rest of the night.
As for why Mr. Liu insisted on putting the "Fu" character on the north window, when I was younger, I didn't understand. It wasn't until I grew older and recalled this story that I did some research. According to Mengliang Lu, it's recorded that "Families of all ranks, both official and common, should sweep the courtyard, remove the dirt, clean the gates, replace the door gods, hang up Zhong Kui, nail up the peach wood talismans, paste spring couplets, and worship ancestors." The "spring couplets" mentioned in the text refer to the "Fu" character written on red paper.
The "Fu" character now means "happiness," but in the past, it referred to "good fortune" or "luck." Moreover, this "Fu" character is a homophone for "Fu" meaning to subdue or conquer, which could have been linked to the idea of subduing evil spirits. This is just my personal guess, though, as many ancient folk practices have been lost over time.
At dawn the next day, Mr. Liu finally woke up.
My grandmother quickly got water for him to wash his face and reheated the food. Mr. Liu dressed, climbed down from the bed, and put on his cotton shoes. He cupped his hands in front of my grandfather, smiling and saying, "Brother, I'm embarrassed you had to see me drunk. Thanks for taking care of me." My grandfather quickly responded, "Liu, don't say that. I'm the one who should be embarrassed. I brought you home before you woke up."
Mr. Liu sat back
down on the bed and laughed heartily. "It's nothing. Actually, I heard everything. That woman, Fen Lian (Mrs. Liu), really helped me. The reason I married her is because she's got a kind heart. Don't blame me, it's just that I was too drunk to wake up at the time."
Just then, the meal was ready. My grandmother set a small table on the bed with flower rolls, sauerkraut, and braised pork. A bottle of sorghum liquor was placed in a large bowl of hot water to warm up. After she had everything set up, they were already eating and drinking. My grandmother sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to Mr. Liu explain why he had gotten so drunk.
It turned out that Mr. Liu had been helping someone choose a grave site. After it was properly arranged, the family invited him to drink. After half a jin of alcohol, seeing it was getting late, Mr. Liu said his goodbyes and started heading home. On the way, he ran into Old Wang, a familiar acquaintance. However, Old Wang had died two years earlier. Since Mr. Liu was in the business of divination, he was curious. Why would someone who had already reincarnated appear? He approached Old Wang to ask.
It turned out that Old Wang, having done many good deeds in life, became a ghost assistant after death. He helped collect souls for the underworld. Because there was a funeral in the village, he had followed, taking a break from his duties to see his son and grandson. It was rare to meet a ghost assistant, and even rarer to encounter an old friend.
According to the rules, anyone who eats food from the underworld is considered cursed, with a fate of five shortcomings (widowed, childless, poor, lonely, or disabled). The three missing elements refer to "money, life, and power." Mr. Liu knew his fate was at risk, but he wasn't sure when it would be his turn. Only those truly skilled in Sanqing Shu (a divination text) could predict their fate. Mr. Liu only knew a few divination techniques from his family's teachings and some charms he had picked up by chance. Fearing something would happen and leave his family unprepared, he decided to try and learn how much time he had left from the ghost assistant.