Chapter 50: The Wanderer Guards the Living
On New Year's Eve, the Lin family drove out in two cars, and the whole family, young and old, accompanied Zhang Ma to the police station to report the case.
Lin Zhuyue held his phone and sent the general situation to the group.
"Why are you still in the mood to play with your phone?"
Luo Tong saw that Lin Zhuyue was completely focused on her phone and felt very dissatisfied. She said,
"Can you not check the atmosphere?"
Lin Zhuyue sat on the chair and said:
"I'm seeking professional advice."
Luo Tong reached out to grab Lin Zhuyue's phone:
"You're just a high school student, what kind of professionals can you possibly know? Don't tell anyone about your family's affairs."
Lin Zhuyue raised her head, her usually gentle almond-shaped eyes now shone with a cold, clear light. Her eyes seemed to say she was clear-headed and hadn't acted recklessly. They also seemed to be a warning: Don't speak to her like that again. Even though she was younger, she deserved a certain amount of respect.
Luo Tong was a little frightened by such a look.
Lin Zhuyue ignored her and continued to look down at his phone.
Lin Zhuyue: [The police said the matter still needs to be investigated, and if they find any negative results, they'll need to contact the informant. They told Zhang Ma not to rush to transfer the money to prevent her from being scammed. However, they can gather the money first and leave it with my mother for safekeeping.]
Wen Miyan: [But you think Xiaokai is dead, right?]
Ye Yangjia: [What circumstances would cause fate to disappear?]
Shi Can: [Kindness connects the soul. Even if the body dies, it doesn't disappear immediately. In cases like the one you described where Kindness gradually disappears, it's likely that the body has been dead for some time, and the soul is drifting and dissipating.]
Shi Chan: [Wait a moment, I'll make a call.]
About five minutes later, Shi Can created a discussion group. In addition to the four people in the original small group, there was also Gong Yongyuan.
Gong Yongyuan: [@Lin Zhuyue, do you know Zhang Kai's birth date and time? If you don't know, ask. It would be more accurate if you have his birth date and time.]
The Lin family had an elderly relative who lived in a temple. When the elder relative was still alive, the family would drive to the temple every Lunar New Year to visit. Zhang's mother would go along, donate some incense money, and write down Zhang Kai's birthdate and address in a notebook, hoping for the gods' blessing.
Zhang Kai is one year older than Lin Zhuyue, and their birthdays are on the same day according to the Gregorian calendar, so Lin Zhuyue is deeply impressed by Zhang Kai's birthday.
Lin Zhuyue used a calculator to convert Zhang Kai's solar calendar birthday into the lunar calendar, took a screenshot and sent it to the group.
Gong Yongyuan: [Wait a moment.]
Gong Yongyuan disappeared for a full forty minutes.
Shi Can had said that whenever Gong Yongyuan properly drew divinations, he would bathe and burn incense, a very particular practice. However, perhaps it was precisely because of this reverence for the gods that Gong Yongyuan's divinations were so accurate.
Forty minutes later, Gong Yongyuan sent two photos in the group.
The first photo shows an incense burner with three incense sticks. Two of them are burning short, while the remaining one is much longer. This phenomenon is called "three long and two short".
The saying "three long and two short" comes from ancient funeral customs. It is said that before the coffin lid is closed, there are only five wooden boards, and the length of the five boards is three long and two short. Therefore, three long and two short means death and misfortune.
The second photo is a fortune stick with the 40th lot written on it. There is also a piece of paper next to it with the fortune message on it:
The 40th lot means dying in a foreign land, a very bad lot.
Lin Zhuyue closed his eyes unable to bear it.
The police station took a statement from Zhang Ma and gave her a receipt of the case, saying that they would investigate the situation and would only file a case after confirming that it was true. They asked Zhang Ma to go home and wait.
If Zhang Kai continues to contact Zhang's mother, call the police station immediately. Be careful when chatting and do not reveal that you have already called the police.
Everyone returned to the Lin family villa from the police station.
Lin Lang asked everyone to check the balance in their pocket money bank card to ensure that they could take out 600,000 yuan at any time during the New Year period.
Lin Zhuyue went upstairs and leaned against the window, feeling a little melancholy.
Everyone worked hard to bring Zhang Kai back, but she alone knew that all these efforts were in vain. Zhang Kai, this young man of only nineteen, had already died. He would never return to Zhang Ma's side.
Lin Zhuyue wanted to tell the story, but didn't know how to start.
How would she explain that she was a spiritualist?
How can I make Zhang Ma believe that Zhang Kai is dead?
Lin Zhuyue drank a sip of the longan and rock sugar water on the windowsill.
Why is the world so cruel? How can someone who can make such delicious, sweet longan soup have such a bitter life?
There are fireworks outside.
Lin Zhuyue had no interest in watching and was unable to sleep because of the noise.
In the second half of the night, she simply stayed awake. She put on some clothes, grabbed some snacks, and climbed up to the attic terrace to enjoy the night breeze. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but after being in the night breeze for a long time, she no longer felt sleepy and became more energetic.
Lin Zhuyue lay on the railing of the terrace. She took out her cell phone and called Shi Can in a very wicked way.
The call was connected quickly.
"Hello."
Shi Can's voice, which was particularly hoarse due to sleepiness, came out from the microphone. He said,
"Happy New Year, Sweeper."
Lin Zhuyue said gloomily:
"Happy New Year, didn't you set up Do Not Disturb?"
"It's set up, but to make it easier for you to wish me a happy new year, I've added your number to the whitelist."
Shi Chan sat up from the bed and said,
"But you're not calling to wish me a happy new year, are you?"
Shi Can knows Lin Zhuyue quite well.
His partner would never call him in the middle of the night unless it was something urgent.
Lin Zhuyue took two steps back and sat down on a chair on the terrace. She put the phone to her ear, lowered her head, and asked:
"Should I tell Aunt Zhang that Zhang Kai is dead?"
Shi Can was silent for a long time.
Lin Zhuyue thought he had hung up the phone: "Hello?"
"Student Sweeper, you weren't spinning around on the floor while sweeping and made yourself dizzy, were you?"
Shi Can's voice was much clearer than when he first answered the phone. He said,
"You can't save Zhang Kai, but you can still save Zhang Ma."
Shi Can picked up the health pot on the bedside and poured water.
"From your description, it seems Zhang Kai is extremely important to Zhang Ma. And as for Zhang Ma, judging by the fact that she almost stole the hairpin, she seems to be capable of doing something foolish to save her son."
Shi Can said to Lin Zhuyue,
"Do you think that if you put the money in your mother's hands, Zhang Ma won't be able to spend the money to redeem Zhang Kai? Online lending is quite developed now, and you can get money at any time. If Zhang Ma is too worried about her son's safety, it's not impossible that she secretly transferred the money without the police's knowledge."
"She's already lost her child. If she were to owe another 600,000 yuan in online loans, she'd lose everything and her life would be ruined."
"Save her now before she does anything stupid."
Shi Can picked up the water cup and said,
"Telling the truth may be cruel, but in my opinion, allowing someone to fall into the abyss without knowing what's going on is truly cruel. Mrs. Zhang's life hasn't reached its worst point yet. If she still wants a child, she can still have IVF."
Shi Can's spiritual weapon is a sword, so he is also like a sword, with the style of cutting through the Gordian knot.
After talking about Zhang Ma, Shi Can brought the topic back to daily life and asked patiently:
"How's your time at home?"
Lin Zhuyue pursed her lips and said honestly:
"To be honest, I'm not very happy."
Shi Can touched the baguette lying in the bed and said:
"Then come back soon. I'll book a plane ticket for you. Baguette misses you so much. He goes to your room every day and sits on your bed in a daze."
"good."
After Lin Zhuyue hung up the phone, she tiptoed downstairs and pushed open the door of Lin Lang's room. She walked in quietly, squatted beside the bed, and reached out to push Lin Lang.
Lin Zhuyue called out: "Mom, Mom——"
Lin Lang's sleep was light, and she was soon awakened by Lin Zhuyue. She opened her eyes, looked at her daughter squatting beside the bed, and asked:
"What's wrong? You want to sleep together?"
"No, it's about Aunt Zhang."
Lin Zhuyue said to Lin Lang,
"Mom, I need your help."
Lin Lang and Lin Zhuyue looked at each other. Seeing Lin Zhuyue's serious expression, she sighed, got up, changed her clothes, and after a simple wash, she and Lin Zhuyue quietly walked out of the Lin family's gate, drove the car parked outside the gate, and headed towards her own house.
Lin Lang's own villa is not close to the Lin family. It requires crossing half of Yuancheng, and driving back and forth is a very tiring thing.
It was four in the morning when they got home.
Lin Zhuyue dragged his suitcase out of the cloakroom, opened it, and took out the travel bag inside.
When she was packing her luggage from Tiancheng, she didn't know whether it was due to psychological reasons or inspiration, but she always felt uneasy, so she brought the basic preparation tool kit with her. Unexpectedly, it really came in handy.
"Want a midnight snack?"
Lin Lang opened the refrigerator and said,
"I'll cook something to eat and we can leave after we finish eating."
Lin Zhuyue wanted to say "eat", but when she heard that Lin Lang wanted to cook it himself, she quickly shook her head like a rattle and said:
"If I eat now, I won't be able to eat breakfast. If I don't eat well on the first meal of the New Year, my grandparents will be angry again."
No matter how much maternal love is contained, it cannot change the fact that Lin Lang is the chosen master of dark cuisine. Even if Lin Zhuyue jumps from here, she will not eat a single bite of Lin Lang's cooking.
Lin Lang closed the refrigerator door dejectedly: "Okay then."
At dawn, they returned to the Lin family's old house.
Aunt Zhang got up early and was cleaning the living room with a floor scrubber. When she saw Lin Lang coming back, she quickly greeted him:
"Alang, Xiaoyue, why did you go out? Hey, Xiaoyue, why are you carrying such a big bag? Come, let me help you carry it."
"Need not."
Lin Zhuyue transferred the bag to her other hand. She raised her head, looked at Zhang Ma earnestly, and said,
"Auntie Zhang, can you come over here for a moment?"
Aunt Zhang was a little flustered.
She didn't quite understand why Lin Zhuyue was looking for her. Could it be that her attempt to steal Lin Zhuyue's hairpin last night made Lin Zhuyue feel uncomfortable? Although there were reasons for it, she was indeed wrong in this matter.
But she can't lose this job now...
"Let's talk about Brother Xiaokai."
Lin Zhuyue carried her travel bag and said,
"I want you to meet him..."
Aunt Zhang didn't quite understand what Lin Zhuyue said, but Lin Zhuyue's tone and expression were very sincere, and the matter concerned Xiaokai, whom she cared about the most. So, although she was a little confused, Aunt Zhang turned off the floor washing machine and followed Lin Zhuyue to the courtyard.
Lin Zhuyue put her travel bag on the ground. She took out the bottle of dew that had been offered, and then took out two willow leaves. She dipped the leaves in the dew and handed them to Zhang Ma and Lin Lang.
Lin Zhuyue said, "Wipe your eyes."
Mother Zhang did as she was told.
Lin Zhuyue took out the spool of kite string from her travel bag, and used cinnabar as ink to draw nine pieces of talisman paper.
She used a wooden stick to draw a circle on the ground, and placed eight of the talisman papers on the circle according to the eight directions of the Bagua.
Lin Lang and Zhang Ma opened their eyes wide in surprise.
They didn’t know if it was an illusion, but they actually saw that the place where Lin Zhuyue drew with the wooden stick was emitting a faint golden glow.
Lin Zhuyue stuck the last piece of talisman paper on the spool of kite string. On this talisman paper, Zhang Kai's name and eight characters were written.
Lin Zhuyue handed the spool of thread to Zhang Ma, took the alcohol cotton and the blood collection pen, pricked Zhang Ma's finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and smeared the blood on the yellow talisman paper.
Lin Zhuyue asked Zhang Ma to stand in the circle she had drawn.
She clapped her hands and closed her eyes:
"A loving mother's hands sew the clothes for her wandering son. With the eight-sided talismans as her clothes, and the eight-sided gods helping her, may the wandering son return home soon."
The spool of thread in Aunt Zhang's hand began to glow, and the golden flame devoured the talisman paper. When the talisman paper was burned out, the spool began to turn with a "whoosh" sound, and the glowing thread stretched out into the distance at an extremely fast speed, looking for the lost wanderer.
Cold sweat broke out on Lin Zhuyue's forehead, and her spiritual power was being rapidly consumed.
This is a soul-calling spell.
The one who provided the spell was Shi Can. Shi Can said that it would be difficult to call back Zhang Kai's soul, but Lin Zhuyue had infinite possibilities. Her huge spiritual power base might be able to trigger a miracle.
The line on the spool is rapidly decreasing.
Lin Zhuyue prayed that the spool could hold on. If the thread ran out, she would really be at her wit's end.
Just when there was only one coil of thread left, the spool stopped turning.
The eight pieces of talisman paper were burned by the spiritual fire, turning into scattered spots of light, then quickly returning. When they condensed again, a nearly transparent figure appeared before Zhang Ma.
He was a clean-looking boy with a shaved head and a thin figure. Shockingly, he had a small, but deep, wound on his forehead, which was probably the cause of his death.
Zhang Ma recognized the boy immediately: "Xiao Kai?"
"Mother……"
Zhang Kai showed a joyful expression, but soon, he couldn't help sobbing and said in a tearful voice,
"Mom, I'm back, I'm back."
Mother Zhang reached out to hug the boy in front of her, but her outstretched hand actually passed through Zhang Kai's body.
Lin Zhuyue couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she pulled Lin Lang back into the house, leaving the little time left to Zhang Ma and Zhang Kai.
Lin Lang looked out the window at the courtyard and said:
"It's amazing that you can do such a thing."
Lin Zhuyue asked, "Hasn't Dad ever demonstrated such strength?"
"He's still very reserved."
Lin Lang said to Lin Zhuyue,
"Although he always talks to animals, he has never drawn talismans or used any magic in front of me."
Lin Zhuyue asked again:
"Will Mom think I'm weird?"
"I think you're amazing."
Lin Lang took Lin Zhuyue's hand and said,
"You possess powers I don't possess, and you do amazing things I can't accomplish. Although I still want to send you to study in England, I don't think it's particularly difficult for you to accept becoming a spiritual master."
About half an hour later, Zhang Kai's soul dissipated.
The edge on Zhang Ma's body also disappeared, leaving only a faint trace.
Having lost her only child, Zhang was devastated. She went back to her room and cried for a long time, not even coming downstairs after breakfast.
Lin Zhuyue brought up a cup of longan tea.
"Auntie Zhang, I cooked it myself."
Lin Zhuyue put the cup on the table and said,
"It's probably not as good as what you cook. Try it."
"Xiaoyue."
Aunt Zhang burst into tears and said,
"Thank you, Auntie, I'm sorry..."
"Auntie Zhang, do you remember when I was very little, you took me to the mall and I wanted a set of clothes, so you bought it for me yourself, over 1,400 yuan. After you bought it, you asked me not to tell my grandparents, saying they wouldn't think it was weird that I had an extra set of clothes."
Lin Zhuyue held Zhang Ma's hand and said,
"Fourteen thousand was not a small sum at that time. I always remember that you were very kind to me, so after this incident happened, I always wanted to help you."
"Auntie Zhang, it's a pity that Brother Xiaokai passed away, but I hope you can live a good life. Otherwise, he will be very sad too."
Lin Zhuyue and Zhang Ma talked for a while.
She carefully instructed Aunt Zhang not to tell Grandpa and Grandma about this. She would contact the police later with the spiritual master's house. However, Zhang Kai's remains would probably not be recovered, so a cenotaph would be built.
On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Zhuyue was supposed to stay overnight at the Lin family's old house. But Lin Lang suddenly grabbed Lin Zhuyue and drove her home.
It was only when the car arrived at the door of her house that Lin Zhuyue saw Shi Can.
The handsome young man leaned lazily against the wall of her house, with a suitcase lying at his feet. When he saw Lin Lang's car stop, he calmly greeted Lin Zhuyue who opened the back door.
Lin Zhuyue asked: "Why did you come to Yuancheng?"
Shi Can's family has a house in this community, but it is the Chinese New Year period now, and the workers who maintain the house are on holiday. His father's assistant has also returned to his hometown and is not in Yuancheng, so he cannot enter the house.
"Come play with your dog."
Shi Chan lifted up the suitcase and said,
"Speaking of which, this New Year is really sad. I only have cats to keep me company. I feel so lonely as the snow."
Lin Lang got out of the car and asked:
"Isn't it sad to fly to Yuancheng?"
Lin Lang didn't believe Shi Can was here to play with a dog. Who would fly from the south to the north on Chinese New Year's Day just to play with a dog? This kid clearly had ulterior motives. The last time he saw him, he felt that he was not normal.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Lin Zhuyue opened the door and asked,
"I'll cook you some noodles with pea tips. Do you want some?"
"Forget about your poor craftsmanship."
Shi Can pulled the suitcase and followed Lin Zhuyue.
"You find the ingredients, and I'll cook for you and Auntie."
Lin Lang said, "...you two don't have to cook. I've already ordered food from the restaurant. Just wait and eat."
Lin Lang doesn't like Shi Can very much.
Too strong a personality.
But she knew that Shi Can was very good to Lin Zhuyue. She also did a background check on Shi Can. His family background was not ordinary. If he was not a spiritual master, this should be her criterion for choosing a son-in-law.
Shi Can entered Lin Zhuyue's house and changed into disposable slippers.
Lin Zhuyue went upstairs and let the Samoyed out of the kennel.
Lin Zhuyue's dog's social compulsion is even worse than a baguette. As soon as it made eye contact with Shican, it rushed over and pounced on Shican, almost making Shican fall down while he was taking off his down jacket.
"This dog needs training."
Lin Lang drove the Samoyed away and said,
"Though pouncing on people is a sign of affection, pouncing on children and the elderly is not good. Xiao Yi and Lao Bao usually pamper him too much, and he is a bit lawless."
Although Shican's purpose of coming to Yuancheng was not to play with dogs, he took out several packets of freeze-dried food from the baguette cabinet and put them in his suitcase. After a while, the Samoyed was drooling with greed.
Shican is very strong. He can play tug-of-war with the Samoyed, and he can also pick up the Samoyed and hold it in his arms like a child.
Lin Zhuyue sat in the living room. She turned on the electric kettle and started boiling water to make tea.
The tea tray was made of golden nanmu wood, a toy Bao Jiayou had brought back last year. The gentian pattern on it was beautiful, a golden yellow that almost blinded the eyes. Lin Lang always wanted to replace it, but since they didn't drink tea much at home, the shaking made it uncomfortable every time he sat on it.
Lin Zhuyue asked Shi Can for his opinion:
"I want Tieguanyin or Zhengshan Xiaozhong?"
"You can soak in something that won't affect your sleep."
Shi Can hugged the Samoyed and said,
"I don't want to stay awake until dawn. If I can't sleep tonight, I'll wake you up and keep you company."
"By the way, what's your dog's name?"
Lin Zhuyue was silent for a moment and said, "Dog." Shi Can: "Huh?"
"Originally, I wanted to call it Naibei, but everyone usually calls it Gou, so it only recognizes the name 'Gou'."
Lin Lang took out the barley tea and asked,
"There was no response when I called Naibei."
Shi Can raised his hand to support his forehead.
Lin Lang took out a red envelope from his bag and handed it to Shi Can:
"Here, New Year's money."
Shi Can didn't know whether he should accept it or not.
Lin Lang advised, "Take it. In our family, the New Year's money has always been a share for everyone. It's not a lot of money for you. You might even spend it on a meal."
"Mom, mom, mom—"
Lin Zhuyue dragged Lin Lang away and whispered,
"My mother gave me over 80,000 yuan. The most you have in this bag is 10,000 yuan, right? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"Why do I give you so much?"
Lin Lang frowned and said,
"Lin Zhuyue, you can't accept money from others, understand?"
Lin Zhuyue felt that he had died unjustly and said:
"I know. I can't refuse it. WeChat rejected it and it was transferred to Alipay. I will think of other ways to return it later."
The dinner order was delivered promptly.
Lin Lang went out to get it.
Shican was very happy holding the bulging red envelope.
Lin Zhuyue asked: "Why are you so easily satisfied?"
"Your mother is willing to give me New Year's money, which proves that she doesn't hate me that much, right?"
Shi Can put the red envelope into his pocket and said,
"I will keep it well."
Lin Zhuyue couldn't understand what was so good about collecting it.
"If you still want to receive it, then come every year. Although our family's New Year's money is not much, it is indeed a share for everyone who sees it. As long as you come, I guarantee that I will give it to you every year."
Lin Zhuyue placed the brewed tea in front of Shican.
Shi Chan grabbed her finger and asked:
“Can I really come here every year?”
Lin Zhuyue: "..."
"The wound on my hand seems to be almost healed."
Shi Can kneaded her palm and asked,
"Does it still hurt? Is the ointment not enough? I brought some with me when I came from Tiancheng."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
