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墨書 Inktalez
I responded and got out of bed, realizing that I hadn't slept well last night.
After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I saw the offerings my mom had prepared: two Paper Effigies, one male and one female. Even though it was broad daylight, they still looked a bit eerie.
Aside from those, there were some Yuanbao Candles. My dad wasn't much of a talker; he was the type who did more work than spoke.
Early in the morning, we set off toward my grandmother's grave.
I had specifically brought along the Wooden Box. On the way, I asked my mom, "Last night, I saw Soybean."
Upon hearing me mention Soybean, my mom's expression changed slightly. She said, "Don't say such things; today is the seventh day since Grandma passed."
I thought to myself that I wasn't saying anything out of line; I was just mentioning Soybean. However, seeing my mom's displeased expression and considering the significance of the day, I decided not to press further.
I speculated whether there had been a quarrel between my mom and Third Uncle's family.
As we walked along, people in the village greeted me warmly since I was one of the few college students around. My grandmother's grave was only about a mile or two from where we lived.
By the time we arrived, the sun had just begun to rise.
I placed the Wooden Box down and bowed three times at Grandma's grave.
My mom set the two Paper Effigies beside her grave. Grandma hadn't had a tombstone erected yet; according to custom, that could only happen after a year.
My mom started burning Joss Paper while my dad cleared away the weeds that had just begun to grow on the grave.
Standing by Grandma's grave, I suddenly felt a wave of sadness. I had always believed that when people died, they turned to dust. But after meeting Wang Wei and the old lady, I began to believe that there were indeed spirits in this world.
I wondered if Grandma's soul was still here with us. In my heart, I prayed, "Grandma, if you are here, please come see me tonight."
"Come on, Saning, burn those two Paper Effigies and let them serve your grandmother."
I complied, placing the two Paper Effigies beside the grave and lighting them with a lighter. After the Paper Effigies were burned, my phone suddenly rang. I answered it, and once again, I heard the woman's voice on the other end.
Hearing her voice again, I was no longer as excited as before.
All I could hear was her saying, "Please offer a stick of incense for my grandmother."
Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion; she knew about my grandmother's existence. I asked her how she knew.
Instead of answering directly, she warned me, "No matter what sounds you hear tonight, do not go outside." Then the call ended.
I stared blankly at my phone screen, wondering how she seemed to know my every move. Was she monitoring me with a satellite? Or had she tracked my phone?
Of course, there was another possibility—she was a ghost… The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
As the Paper Effigies burned, the smoke made me cough a few times.
Once everything was settled, my father suddenly gave me a deep look. He was usually quiet and reserved but was especially kind to my grandmother.
At that moment, his gaze seemed to hide something.
I called out to him, and he walked over, addressing me as Saning. Then he said, "Don't walk with your eyes closed."
I immediately retorted, "I'm not walking with my eyes closed!"
My father fell silent and lit a cigarette. I was curious about why he suddenly said something so strange to me; he usually didn't joke around. But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't figure out what he meant.
On the way home, I asked him again, but he remained tight-lipped and changed the subject to something unrelated.
My dad unexpectedly asked me how my love life was going.
For a moment, I was speechless. What love life could I possibly have? But after thinking it over, I figured he was probably urging me to find a girlfriend.
I ended up saying a few words to him, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Then my mom chimed in, telling me not to listen to my dad's nonsense. She advised me to focus on my work first and prioritize my career over family.
When I got home, my mom urged me to buy a ticket for the next morning to go back to the office.
But my dad wanted me to stay for a few more days.
Honestly, I wanted to stay too, mainly because my foot was injured. For the past couple of days, I had been enduring the pain, so I was walking with a bit of a limp.
However, my mom seemed oblivious to it. Even if my dad noticed, he wouldn't say anything. I didn't want to bring it up either; no one wants their parents worrying about them when they're out there struggling. I usually only shared good news.
In truth, I didn't want to go back to the office right now. After being hit by a car, I had plenty of vacation days left. So I decided to heed my dad's advice.
On the second night at home, I recalled the voice of that woman on the phone telling me not to go outside no matter what I heard tonight.
And then there was my dad's warning about not closing my eyes while walking.
I thought carefully about those two statements; they didn’t seem related at first. But then I dismissed that idea because there was no way my dad could be connected to that woman.
I was utterly perplexed.
I picked up my phone and started playing games. By now, I had gotten used to receiving one or two strange calls from that woman without any warning.
As night fell, around nine o'clock, I went to bed. This was the routine my job had instilled in me.
After falling asleep, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw my grandmother. She called out to me, "Ning'er," and gently patted my head, saying, "Grandma has come to see you."
I called out to her in the dream.
Grandma continued, "Ning'er, bring Ke'er to see me tonight."
I was a bit confused by what Grandma said. The scene in the dream quickly shifted, and suddenly I saw Soybean. In the dream, Soybean was calling for my brother, saying, "Brother, I've run out of money. Can you give me some more to spend?"
Just as I was about to take out some money for Soybean, he added, "Brother, you already have a wife. Why don't you help me find one too?"
I thought to myself how mischievous he was for his age. I was just about to reach out and tap Soybean on the head when I suddenly heard a loud knocking sound.
My family lives in a flat-roofed house.
In my hazy state, I felt the knocking sound growing louder and louder until it startled me awake.
This dream left my head spinning. Who was Ke'er that Grandma mentioned? And why did I dream about Soybean?
The first thing I did upon waking was check my phone.
It was already 11:59 PM. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed that the knocking sound persisted. Following the noise, I realized someone was tapping on my window.
I wondered who could be knocking on my glass at this hour and shouted, "Who is it?"
But there was no response outside the window; the knocking continued. With no other choice, I got out of bed and pulled back the curtains. As soon as I opened them, light flooded in and revealed a face.
Seeing that face surprised me. I exclaimed, "Soybean! What are you doing here? It's late at night; you shouldn't be wandering around. Third Uncle will worry; hurry back home."
Soybean pressed his face against the glass, his front teeth visible as he opened his mouth to speak, but through the glass, I couldn't hear him clearly.
I shouted through the glass, "Soybean, hurry up and go home."
Soybean shouted back through the glass, and finally, I opened the window. I urged Soybean to go back. But suddenly, Soybean looked at me with a pitiful expression and said, "Brother, my grandpa hit me, and I don't want to go home right now."
Seeing Soybean looking so miserable, it seemed he had indeed been scolded by Third Uncle. It was late at night, and he had run out in a fit of temper.
I spoke sternly to Soybean, "You little rascal, hurry back home, or I'll have to give you a beating for Third Uncle."
Soybean replied, "Brother, come out for a moment; I have a secret to tell you."
I usually had a good relationship with Soybean. It worried me that he was out wandering alone at this hour.
Just as I was about to step outside, I recalled the warning from the woman on the phone—she told me not to go out no matter what I heard. I hesitated.
After all, this woman had never deceived me; last time she warned me to avoid that old lady, and it turned out to be true.
What could this be about?
I looked at Soybean for a few seconds and then remembered what my dad used to say: keep your eyes open while walking.
"Soybean, if you have a secret, come in and tell me. You can stay here tonight."
But Soybean shook his head and said, "Brother, if you don't come out, you'll never have the chance to know this secret."
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