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Soon, the Spring Festival arrived. Second Uncle went to the mainland, while another Second Uncle returned to Hong Kong a few days ago. On New Year's Eve, Grandpa personally made dumplings, claiming they were Thai-style, but they didn't taste very good. I forced myself to eat a few and then excused myself to watch the Spring Festival Gala to escape the dinner table.
That year, the song of Auspicious Three Treasures echoed across the land. Xiao Cui's performance made countless people laugh.
On the Sixth Day of the Lunar New Year, I returned to the mainland. The reason I chose this day was that Grandpa still held onto the superstitions of the older generation of Mainland Chinese: on days three, six, and nine, it's good to go out; on days two, four, and eight, it's good to return home.
I was confused by him; going out? The mainland is my home...
Clearly, Grandpa, who had lived abroad for decades, had already considered Thailand his home. The mainland was just part of his past.
Back at home, I didn't dare mention the unexpected events in Thailand to Grandma and only shared the good things. When she learned that Grandpa's dumplings were so bad they could make one's head explode, Grandma laughed and said, "He’s just clumsy; being an old man, how could he do this kind of work? Before your dad was born, he spent all his time either leading troops into battle or finding people to play cards and drink. He couldn't even chop wood."
Seeing Grandma's nostalgic expression, I asked her, "Don't you really want to reconcile with Grandpa?"
Grandma shook her head and said, "If God wants us to be together, we will naturally be together. If we are meant to be apart, then we will be forever separated; we cannot go against God's will."
I was a bit speechless; Grandma had believed in Christianity her whole life and was quite devout. It seemed there was little hope for them until God brought them back together.
A few days before returning to school, I received a call from an unfamiliar number; it was Zheng Xuezhang, someone I hadn't been in touch with for a long time.
I almost forgot about him and said on the phone, "Why haven't you been coming to school lately? Guo Senior asked me about you before."
Zheng Xuezhang replied somewhat smugly, "What's the point of going to school? Isn't it just to find a good job and make money? Now I've got plenty of money; why would I bother with school?"
I immediately understood what he meant and couldn't help but ask, "Did you and your dad gamble again? Didn't you say after that last time you'd never touch it again?"
Zheng Xuezhang sounded a bit embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly. "I just couldn't help it; money is a good thing—who would complain about having too little?"
I didn't bother asking how much he had won during this time and simply said, "Don't forget about paying back your debts. Also, in a few days it'll be three months. Soon Ajan Master will reclaim Spirit Child; you guys better not gamble again. If you lose this time, I'm not getting involved."
"Don't worry; we always pay back our debts—never less," Zheng Xuezhang said. "By the way, speaking of which, I wanted to ask you if there are any taboos when reclaiming Spirit Child? I mean, is there anything that might hinder Ajan Master from reclaiming Spirit Child?"
"You asking this for what?" I was a bit suspicious.
Zheng Xuezhang said, "Isn't it what you mentioned? If we don't ask, there might be trouble. I'm worried about it. My dad said it's best to give you a call and ask if there are any taboos, so we don't make a mistake and end up not being able to retrieve Ajan."
"I see. Well, I really can't figure it out. Wait a moment, I'll make a call to check."
Zheng Xuezhang's words made sense; many taboos regarding raising spirit children might be trivial matters. Some people unknowingly violate them without realizing it. His concern was reasonable, so I immediately called Second Uncle to inquire about the matter.
After thinking for a moment, Second Uncle replied, "There's not much taboo, just be careful not to cover the Wealth-Inviting Spirit Child Ghost with anything red, and definitely don't let it touch blood. If that happens, its spiritual power will increase, which could affect Ajan Master retrieving it."
This was a common taboo and not particularly special. I relayed the answer to Zheng Xuezhang, who thanked me happily and said he would treat me to a meal when he had the chance. I replied, "Forget about treating me to a meal. If you really stop coming to school, don't say it's because of me; otherwise, everyone will be carrying Spirit Children to make money instead of attending classes, and the principal would hate me."
Zheng Xuezhang laughed heartily. We chatted casually for a few more moments before hanging up.
I didn't think much of this matter since it was already the last few days; retrieving the spirit child was Ajan Master's responsibility and had little to do with me.
A few days later, school officially started.
I saw Liang Xi and Hu Xiaoyi; they looked at me strangely. Once we entered the dormitory, there wasn't much conversation. The three of us stared at the empty bed of our leader, feeling somewhat downcast. I placed my luggage down and set the Ling Gui Tu Pai Ying I brought back from Thailand on the table, arranged the offerings, and recited a few verses of merit scriptures. Liang Xi and Hu Xiaoyi's faces turned somewhat grim upon seeing this. They hadn't expected me to bring this item over, and it seemed like I had already started raising it.
I didn't like this distant and unfamiliar atmosphere, so instead of explaining myself, I went to the Business Department to find Guo Senior to ask how things were progressing with Senior Sister.
However, when I got there, I found out that Guo Senior hadn't reported to school; he didn't know what illness he had but fainted halfway here and was now receiving treatment in the hospital.
I felt a slight shock and instinctively thought of the Love Binding Charm. Guo Senior being hospitalized couldn't possibly be related to the Amulet, could it?
After asking a few of his roommates and figuring out which hospital he was in, I returned to the dormitory and asked Liang Xi to help me cover for my absence when the teacher called roll. Before he could ask anything, I dashed out. When I arrived at the hospital ward, Guo Senior had already woken up.
His parents and teacher were inside; just as the doctor finished explaining his condition and walked out, I quickly stopped him and asked what illness Guo Senior had. The doctor said, "It's nothing serious—just malnutrition and weakness that caused him to faint. He'll be fine after resting for a few days."
After saying that, he left. I vaguely heard him muttering something like, "Today's students are really something else; they don't take care of their health at all. They're so young yet already have severe kidney deficiency..."
After a while, Guo Senior's parents escorted the teacher out while chatting as they walked toward the elevator. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped into the room where Guo Senior was leaning against his blanket drinking water. He looked surprised and delighted upon seeing me. To be honest, when I first saw him then, I genuinely wondered if I had walked into the wrong room.
Before the holiday, Guo Senior was still a strong young man, nearly as robust as Zhang Qichao. But in just twenty days, he had lost so much weight that he looked emaciated, with sunken eyes and slightly bluish lips. I was taken aback and said, "Did you start using drugs? How did you lose so much weight!"
"How could I possibly get into that?" Guo Senior shook his head, smiling a bit awkwardly, then quietly said, "I might have overdone it recently and worn my body down."
How many times would one have to do that in a month to lose this much weight? Seeing his face filled with happiness yet a bit embarrassed, I said, "You need to control yourself with all this late-night revelry; you can't do it every day. Life is long ahead. By the way, I heard Senior Sister has been visiting you in the hospital? Why hasn't she come by?"
Guo Senior shook his head and said, "I didn't tell her. It's not a big deal anyway; I just needed a couple of days of rest before being discharged."
At that moment, his parents returned, so we couldn't discuss the topic any further. After greeting the two elders, I reminded Guo Senior to take care of himself before heading back to school. When I got to the dormitory, Hu Xiaoyi was curled up in bed under the covers as if sleeping. Liang Xi sighed when he saw me looking that way and said, "He was just staring at the boss's bed and started crying."
As he spoke, Liang Xi's eyes also turned red. I felt a bit frustrated; what was going on? As soon as I returned, everyone was in tears.
"Seeing how much you all miss the boss, should I ask Ajan Master to summon his spirit back so he can hang out with you every day?" I suggested.
Liang Xi was taken aback, and then Hu Xiaoyi suddenly threw off the covers and shouted, "No!"
I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Hu Xiaoyi tossed a pillow at me and said, "Only you can laugh about this; you have no conscience!"
I caught the pillow and casually tossed it onto Liang Xi's blanket, saying, "It's not about whether to laugh or cry; living through tears or laughter is still living. The boss's situation was an accident that none of us wanted, but we can't keep dwelling on it. If you really care, when his hundredth day comes around, we can burn some paper money for him."
Liang Xi nodded in agreement and said, "I think that's a good idea; after all, we lived together for six months. However, during the hundredth day, we'll be busy with our studies. It might be better to wait until next year's anniversary instead."
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