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Once, during a time when Li Nan was feeling particularly reflective, he heard a fortune teller say something. When night falls and someone calls your name from behind, you must never respond and absolutely cannot look back. Because the person calling your name might be a ghost!
At that moment, Li Nan stood in front of the Ruyi Rouge shop, facing a worker inside who was responsible for various tasks. The worker smiled at him, and he returned the polite smile. But just then, he heard someone softly calling his name from behind.
"Li Nan! Li Nan!"
Li Nan instinctively wanted to respond, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he closed it again. He remembered that the voice sounded very much like that of Honghua, his wife whom he had divorced over a year ago. Her resentful and sorrowful gaze at the time of her death was etched in his mind.
He turned around, and there was only an old donkey cart behind him. The cold evening wind lifted the worn curtain of the cart, revealing his mother lying inside, curled up tightly with water continuously dripping from her body.
Li Nan felt a twinge of fear because he clearly remembered that just before leaving home, he had helped his mother change her clothes. So where did all this water come from?
"Li Nan! Li Nan!"
The voice continued to call him. Li Nan cautiously tilted his head and glanced past the cart towards the street behind him. Perhaps due to the onset of winter, it was already darkening, and there were no people on the street. The nearby shops had all closed for the night, with only the lanterns in front swaying gently in the wind. The once bustling entrance now resembled closed mouths.
Li Nan couldn't help but shiver; his peripheral vision caught something above him. He seemed to have never seen such strange colors—the dark clouds hung low in the sky, creating a feeling of heaviness in his heart. There was also a peculiar smell in the air; he took a deep breath through his nose and realized it was the scent of burnt paper.
Furrowing his brow, Li Nan asked his father-in-law Li An, who was standing nearby: "Uncle Li, did you hear any sounds just now? And did you smell something strange?"
"Sounds? Yes!" Uncle Li pointed at the donkey: "This donkey has been braying non-stop. It's old and doesn't want to work anymore. And my cart is old too; it always creaks and groans. But your mother is asleep; it shouldn't disturb her."
"Not that sound—someone was calling my name."
"Calling your name?" Uncle Li tilted his ear to listen carefully: "I don't hear anything! Are you worried about your mother too much and imagining things?"
"Is it just my imagination?" Li Nan rubbed his ears: "What about that smell? Uncle Li, do you smell burnt paper?"
"The smell of burning paper? It seems like there is a hint of it. But that's not surprising; I heard that on the street over there, there's a coffin shop and a paper offerings store. At night, with fewer people on the street and the cold wind blowing, it's not strange for the smell to drift over."
Li Nan nodded, but the next moment, a chill rushed toward him. He shrank his neck, feeling something wrap around his feet. Looking down, he saw several unburned joss papers that had somehow floated over and landed right in front of his feet.
Li Nan quickly lifted his foot, but the joss papers seemed to stick to him, no matter how hard he tried to shake them off. With no other choice, he squatted down and began to brush away the joss papers. Out of the corner of his eye, something seemed to catch his attention as he glanced past the side of a donkey cart toward the distant street. In the hazy moonlight, he thought he saw a girl holding a red flower standing there, and she looked somewhat familiar.
He rubbed his eyes uncertainly, but they felt as if they were being scorched by fire, causing him instant pain. Li Nan let out a low cry and fell to the ground in agony. Nearby, Li An's father and his partner Li Mao heard the sound and rushed over.
"Li Nan, what's wrong?"
"Yes, young man, what happened to you?"
"It hurts! My eye hurts!" Li Nan grimaced in pain.
"Eye pain? How could your eye suddenly hurt like this? If you don't mind, may I take a look?" Li Mao casually produced a lantern and brought it closer to Li Nan. His right eye was red and swollen, as if it had just been burned.
"It seems like this young man's eye has been stung by something. But don't worry; we have excellent medicine at our Rouge shop. We'll apply it later, and it will be fine soon." Li Mao glanced at the joss papers on the ground and discreetly kicked them aside.
"But I just rubbed my eyes with my hand; how could I have been stung?" Li Nan tried to open his eyes but saw nothing but red.
"I just noticed that Li Xiu Xian seemed to have touched those joss papers on the ground."
"That's right; I did touch them."
"Making joss paper is simple enough, but some materials used in them can irritate the eyes. Of course, common people wouldn't experience much trouble—at most, their eyes would feel a bit dry. You must be among those who are more sensitive; combined with the fact that these joss papers show signs of having been burned and carry some negative energy, that's why it's so severe."
"Truly worthy of being a partner at Ruyi Rouge, my brother knows quite a bit," said Li An's father, and then asked, "As for my son An, I owe it all to you, brother. Although he is not as clever as he used to be, he can now take care of himself. After a while, I will find him a suitable match, and then I can rest easy. I came in a hurry tonight; I will come by another day to express my gratitude."
"You are too kind!" replied Li Mao, returning the courtesy. "As long as there is nothing wrong with Young Master Li An, that is the best news."
Li Nan opened one eye and carefully looked at Li Mao. He suddenly remembered that this was the person who had driven the carriage to take Si Niang to Li An's Family. So he covered his eyes and said, "I am Li Nan, a classmate and friend of Uncle Li's Li An."
"So it is Li Xiu Xian and Li Mao, sharing the same surname as the young master," Li Mao replied, opening the door of the Rouge shop and inviting everyone inside.
Li Nan, covering his eyes, looked awkwardly at the carriage and said, "I came here tonight with Uncle Li without prior notice to seek medical help. My mother has suddenly fallen ill and is currently lying in the carriage, unable to move. I also heard from Uncle Li that your shopkeeper is skilled in treating such difficult ailments, which is why I came. Please inform the shopkeeper so that she does not blame me later."
"Li Xiu Xian is overthinking. Anyone who comes to our Rouge shop, whether to buy Rouge or seek treatment, is considered an esteemed guest. You are not the first nor will you be the last to come here for a consultation at this hour. If convenient, please carry your mother inside with you. As you can see, my entrance is not wide, and there is limited space in the courtyard, so the donkey cart likely cannot fit."
Using the light above his head, Li Nan looked around the courtyard; it was indeed quite small. Gathering his courage, he returned to the carriage and lifted his mother onto his back. As soon as he did, he felt as if a heavy iceberg was pressing down on him—not only was it heavy, but it was also cold, chilling him to the bone. Moreover, the moisture from his mother quickly soaked through his clothes and dripped onto the ground.
"Strange, it hasn't rained tonight, and my carriage was dry before; why is Madam Li drenched?" Li An's father specifically checked his horse; apart from where Li Nan's Mother had been lying, everything else was dry.
Li Mao smiled while holding up a lantern: "There are many strange things in this world that cannot be explained by common sense."
Li An's father nodded as he recalled his son Li An's peculiar illness. He glanced at the entrance of the Rouge shop and then at Li Nan's Mother, who was sleeping on her son's back. After thinking for a moment, he took his leave.
Li Mao nodded but did not insist on keeping him; he simply led Li Nan and his mother into the courtyard.
With Li Mao leading with the lantern in front, Li Nan followed behind with his mother on his back. Due to her weight, he bent low under her burden; with only one eye left open, he could only look at the ground. The flickering shadows of the lantern swayed in the cold wind. In that light and shadow, Li Nan was surprised to discover that there seemed to be another person sitting on his mother's back.
Because it was just a reflection, he could not see that person's face clearly but could vaguely make out that it was a slender woman.
A chill ran through Li Nan. He stopped in his tracks and forced himself to turn his head to look at what was on his back.
Because he was tilting his head, the first thing he saw was Mother's half-asleep face, and beyond that, it was too unclear to see. Li Nan let out a slight sigh of relief, just about to lift his foot when he heard a gentle voice coming from behind him.
“Husband! What are you looking for?”
Li Nan's legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, causing Mother on his back to tumble down heavily as well.
“Oh my Li Xiu Xian, what happened to you?” Li Mao hurried over to help him up. “The road is slippery in the dark, and you were carrying your old Mother. How could you be so careless? Of course, it’s also because the lantern is dim, making it hard for you to see the path.”
Li Nan opened his eyes in terror, feeling a pair of hands slowly climbing up his back. The chill traveled from his tailbone all the way up, finally stopping at his neck, while Mother, who should have been on his back, was now lying aside.
Li Nan thought in fear, if the hands behind him were not Mother's, then whose could they be?
“Husband! Are you looking for me?”
The soft yet slightly cool voice of Safflower slipped into Li Nan's ears. He stiffened and dared not turn around or move, feeling a soft tongue gently glide across his neck, followed by a breath against his skin.
“Husband! Have you really forgotten me?”
One of Safflower's hands tenderly grasped Li Nan's neck. Then came Safflower's head; like a soft snake, she wrapped around from his back to the front. Her smile was both familiar and strange to him. Her gaze met his directly, with her lips slightly curling up as she said, “Husband, will you come down and keep Safflower company?”
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