It was dark.
At the crossroads, dimly lit, there were several people kneeling on the ground.
Candles were lit, bonfires started.
If it were an ordinary day, this would definitely be stopped by the city management, but tonight was different.
Tomorrow was Ghost Festival. In Lushan City, paper money was burnt for ancestors on the eve, usually at busy crossroads. The roadsides were already blackened by heaps of ash.
There was a man standing not far away, holding a bucket of water, in case the paper did not burn completely and caused a fire.
It was Xiao Qi's first time joining her Auntie in the city to burn paper money at the crossroads. Back in the village, adults usually did not let children participate. Gu Mu Village had fewer people, so they could just burn paper at the riverbend.
Xiao Qi knelt on newspapers, watching as the paper money was slowly consumed by the flames, the "hundred millions" characters on it disappearing one by one.
She did not have much impressions of her grandfather, but still followed local traditions with her Auntie, muttering blessings in her heart for her grandfather to have money to spend and live in comfort underground.
Her Auntie was burning paper for Xiao Qi’s maternal great grandparents.
After the blessings, Xiao Qi concentrated on burning the paper money, because her Auntie said she was not allowed to go out at night. She had gone jogging in the afternoon, so today’s exercise was enough. But at this moment, the sincere blessing that cost lifespan emerged in her thoughts again — what exactly did it mean?
Xiao Qi asked the system, but it ignored her, seemingly a mechanical system, a bit like Apple's Siri, without any EQ.
She thought about how she used to casually say, I wish to trade two or five years of my lifespan, praying to gain the favor to become a super pretty, not super smart girl. Of course, she felt she was just joking, not for real. Making wishes wasn’t real, and she didn’t even know clearly what she wanted.
Moreover, there were no real wishes, nor gods and spirits.
Yet now she had actually received a sincere blessing that cost lifespan. Was it like her childhood casual wishes?
It shouldn’t be. If it was a casual wish, it would not have been granted to her.
But when she thought about it, it still felt unbelievable.
In fact, what she gave wasn’t much either. She looked up the person who added her, Liu Anquan who was just discharged from hospital.
He should know that she donated the money.
Xiao Qi neither accepted nor rejected his friend request, she just left it.
She just thought, don’t casually make wishes from now on.
Also don’t easily owe favors or anything that needs repayment, and the price is often higher. It’s still best to rely on one’s own efforts.
Anyway, having obtained a sincere blessing, what Xiao Qi thought about at this moment were these irrelevant things.
She checked the sincere blessing — it could be used once, when she felt necessary.
"Done burning? Still dazing out, you’ll burn the newspapers too." Her Auntie gently patted her shoulder.
She got up, her legs numb. She threw the newspapers they knelt on into the fire, watching as the fire burnt out, then went back with her Auntie.
The hospital was still very lively, no changes due to the upcoming Ghost Festival.
But the basement level was somewhat quiet today, because other than the caretaker dormitories, there was also the morgue down there.
The morgue was partitioned off, not connected to this area, but right next to it.
Her Auntie still had to work tonight during Ghost Festival. She didn’t want to accept night duty originally, but some unfinished matters made it hard to quit halfway. Then an old employer got hospitalized again and still wanted her to care for him — an old granny, paying money readily, loving cleanliness, not troublesome, so Su Simei continued working.
Since her Auntie forbade going out, Xiao Qi practiced writing, transcribing books, reviewed Japanese, studied the last five lessons of New Concept English Book 4, scheduling her time neatly just like in school, forty minutes one class, ten minutes break, lie down and rest, then continue studying.
She discovered that partitioning time made it feel abundant, hard to waste.
Moreover, it was much more efficient. But when she was reviewing Japanese, the door knocked loudly.
"Who is it?"
"Xiao Qi sister, it's me!"
Hearing the voice, it turned out to be next door’s Lin Qingqing, sounding very panicked. Xiao Qi got up and opened the door.
Lin Qingqing rushed in the moment the door opened.
She had just gone upstairs to pee earlier and heard someone died, scaring her badly. She ran all the way, getting more fearful as she ran, feeling like her own panting echoed louder and louder.
But she didn’t dare knock on her mum’s door — her mum had to get up at 3am to light the stove, knead dough and make pancakes. Knocking now would get herself beaten to death.
Her dad was also not home, probably out drinking again. Her brother would be home in the past, but recently he kept disappearing mysteriously, saying he was out working and earning money. He brought back a bit and her parents stopped bothering about him. She used to share a room with her brother, partitioned by a curtain. She didn’t feel scared then, but for some reason, today she was terrified.
Anyway she was afraid to stay in her room, so she came looking for Sister Xiao Qi. Seeing lights in Xiao Qi’s room, their relationship wasn’t actually that close. Just exchanged some words. But now, Lin Qingqing didn’t care.
"Xiao Qi sister, I'm a bit frightened. Let me accompany you here, it's fine if you do homework or read books. I’ll just listen to music, won’t disturb you."
Su Xiaoqi was studying hard just now, also forgetting about Ghost Festival. While learning, she felt righteous, impervious to evil influences. But seeing the little girl, she couldn't ignore her and leave her aside. It was time for a break anyway.
"Let me cut some fruits for you."
The wards had lots of fruits gifted by patients. Her Auntie's place always had excess. Lin Qingqing’s dad was probably a male caretaker, not so acquainted with patients, hence fewer gifted fruits. Xiao Qi swiftly cut an apple pear fruit platter with grapes.
Entering, Lin Qingqing smelled a faint floral fragrance with apple — very comfortable. Her first visit left her eyeing Sister Xiao Qi's room decoration longingly. Unfortunately she didn’t know how to decorate likewise. She wanted her brother to do one for her, but her brother was never home recently.
Lin Qingqing ate the fruits without reservations, admiring the room again, even feeling the wallpaper.
Xiao Qi smiled. "I'm free this Friday. I can help paste wallpaper for you. Just go select one you like, but best lighter colors — makes the room look brighter and bigger."
Hearing Sister Xiao Qi willing to help, Lin Qingqing immediately cheered up, also forgetting her earlier fear.
She came hugging a stack of books, pretending to read together. But she actually disliked reading, grades average. Even less interested during holidays. Soon she took out the novel <The Female Supporting Role Wants a Comeback> tucked in her books — rented from the school gate book rental. Despite having novels on her mobile, school strictly monitored phones. So she still habitually rented books, otherwise her mum would scold her for always being on her phone. But her mum doesn't interfere with reading books.
Glancing once, Xiao Qi knew what she was up to. She did similarly in the past. Hadn’t rented books for some time already. Rental books were separate storylines, some templates, some unique. Felt really satisfied from finishing them, emotionally invested in the plotlines. Hard concentrating in class, dying to know what happens next.
But after reading loads and loads, looking back she somehow didn’t have much impression strangely. Just deeply addictive, Xiao Qi once felt the best life was spending the afternoon without worries or cares, with sunshine, snacks, a novel, reading till the end of time.
Lin Qingqing started reading her novel, no longer disturbing Xiao Qi.
But earlier she texted her brother about her fear, asking where he was. He didn’t reply then. Only now replied with a video — looked very noisy and crowded. Thankfully she had earphones on.
Not even a word of comfort. Lin Qingqing didn't feel like replying either, just took a video showing Xiao Qi studying and herself reading a novel, sending it to him.
Lin Min and his friends were at a noisy KTV, singing, drinking, smoking, dazzlingly disorderly. If ghosts appeared, they'd probably be frightened away.
Feeling his phone vibrate, he was slightly worried about his sister too, so he stepped out.
She opened her phone and saw her sister had replied to her on WeChat.
Sitting under the bright lights was an upright figure.
Next to the vase, pure white carnations quietly bloomed.
On the table was a thick stack of books, and on the wall hung a schedule.
Everything seemed peaceful and quiet.
Just then, a woman helped another woman hurriedly walk past him, and he heard the sound of retching, the air foul.
He froze for a moment, replying: Go to bed early, don't bother others.
Then he turned off his phone.
He reentered the KTV private room and pushed the door open.
"Come now, be joyful, we have ample time after all,
Come now, love, we have ample foolishness after all,
Come now, wander, we have ample directions after all,
Come now, pretend, we have ample scenery after all,
It itches..."
Standing center stage in a black, off-the-shoulder dress and high heels, the woman sang earnestly. Seeing him enter, she waved at him, a too-sweet smile on her face, as cloying as overripe wine.
