Chapter 36: Seeing Grandfather Again

"Yes... that's right!" I subconsciously glanced at Huang Ying, who had been staring at me the entire time.

"Good. There is an opportunity now; come back tomorrow."

"Oh!"

Grandfather hung up the phone. I held the receiver, unsure whether to feel happy or sad. If I kept this from Huang Ying, the opportunity might vanish, allowing me to stay with her. Yet, never having been a ghost, one can never truly grasp the loneliness of that existence. In Huang Ying's world, there is only me. My own life is filled with so many people, and even I feel lonely at times, let alone her.

"Huang Ying, do you miss Grandfather?" I turned to ask her.

Huang Ying was stunned for a few seconds before nodding.

"Alright, we're heading back to the countryside tomorrow!"

Though she did not know the reason, she readily agreed. I finished my meal as quickly as possible, didn't even bother to wipe my mouth, and dashed into her room to grab a mask and a hat before bolting back out.

"Huang Ying, come here!" I called to her.

With a face full of confusion, she walked toward me. As soon as she was close, I took the hat and placed it on her head, then pulled the mask over her face. Throughout it all, she didn't say a word, letting me do as I pleased. Once done, I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her toward the door.

"Let's go, let's go have some fun!"

Regardless of whether this opportunity would succeed, I wanted to treat every moment as if it were our last together.

"Where are we going?" Huang Ying followed behind me, jogging to keep up.

"Anywhere!"

When we passed the cinema, I bypassed it entirely; it was too much of a waste of time. I dragged her to an amusement park and, ignoring her fearful expression, buckled her into the roller coaster. She looked at me in bewilderment; I was being too crazy today.

I looked into her eyes and kissed her, pressing my hands against the hat on her head. Though the kiss landed on her mask, I didn't pull away. With her eyes blinking just inches from mine, I kissed her even more intensely. Huang Ying didn't blush; she was simply stunned, letting me kiss her like a wooden statue, not moving an inch.

It wasn't until the roller coaster started moving that I finally pulled away. This time, she didn't close her eyes, remaining dazed until the end. As the ride stopped, I said, "Come on, I'm taking you somewhere else!"

"Don't sleep tonight!" I told her.

"Mm," she nodded, looking visibly happy.

The night was long, but it never felt long enough. We stayed inseparable the entire time, but time flew by; in the blink of an eye, the night was gone.

***

With dark circles under my eyes, I called my homeroom teacher, but he wouldn't grant me leave. I had no choice but to call the principal and ask for time off, with the excuse that I "needed to go catch ghosts." The principal agreed to my request quite happily!

In the car, I didn't make Huang Ying go into the small box; the sky was still gray, and no one could see clearly. The car heading to my grandfather's was an unlicensed taxi that only dared to run at this hour. The driver drove slowly, and Huang Ying and I were happy to enjoy the leisure.

"Huang Ying, are you tired? How about you lean on my shoulder?" I teased.

Huang Ying hesitated for a moment, then actually leaned in. I felt a rush of joy and couldn't stop smiling for a long time!

In the car, we sat very close. I had never really thought about her reincarnation before, but now that the day had arrived, it felt surreal. Fortunately, Grandfather only called it an "opportunity," not a guarantee. An opportunity implied the chances were slim, and I truly didn't want her to leave.

Leaning on my shoulder, Huang Ying fell asleep before long; yesterday was likely the craziest day she had ever had. Now, I felt that no matter how much time there was, it was too short. The few hours of the journey passed in a flash.

"We're here!" I tapped her shoulder. She opened her sleepy eyes, pouting as she looked out the window. If the driver hadn't been there, I certainly would have kissed her again. There was still a mountain path to walk to reach Grandfather's house. As we entered the trail, I told her to take off her mask and hat; most of the people there had met her, and they didn't fear ghosts the way city folk did.

The path was narrow, with me in front and Huang Ying behind. After walking for over half an hour, we finally reached the village. It was exactly as it had always been—barren and desolate. It was only past eight in the morning, and the villagers had already gone to work in the fields before the sun could get too hot.

We passed several villagers working with their heads down. Some didn't notice us, but those who did greeted us; having lived there for two months, they were well-acquainted with Huang Ying. Some even joked that if she were human, they would have her as their daughter-in-law. My only response was a silent smile. *Your son is so brutish, is he worthy of Huang Ying?*

We met an old man carrying pig manure. When he saw us, he grinned and said, "You're back? Haven't seen you two in a while, it's felt strange!"

Huang Ying and I smiled at him. Only in this place was she not treated like a ghost; the elderly and the young are the purest souls in the world.

Grandfather’s house was at the very end of the village. Huang Ying loved this place. I used to dislike it, but now, because she liked it, I did too.

As we reached his house, we saw Grandfather sitting in front of Grandmother's grave, smoking. We approached silently. He glanced at us briefly before turning his gaze back to the grave.

"Kneel and kowtow to your grandmother."

It was the right thing to do, so I knelt without hesitation. Huang Ying stood there, unsure whether to kneel or not.

Grandfather put away his pipe and said with his withered lips, "You kneel too. She's your grandmother as well."

"Oh..." Huang Ying nodded and knelt down.

I glanced at her and chuckled secretly. My grandmother was her grandmother, too. Didn't that mean she belonged to my family? You really are my own grandfather!

"Let's go inside," Grandfather said, tucking his pipe into his waistband before walking toward the house. I was used to his attitude; he was just a man with a cold exterior and a warm heart. Huang Ying and I followed.

I plucked a blade of foxtail grass and chewed on it, not having felt this relaxed in a long time. "Huang Ying, wait!" I called out.

She turned around, and the grass in my mouth brushed across her face. She pouted, gave me an annoyed look, and hurried to catch up with Grandfather.

Grandfather loved cleanliness but hated tidying up. When Grandmother was alive, she kept the house spotless, but now, though the surfaces looked clean, the interior was chaotic. My heart ached slightly; he couldn't cook or clean, and I wondered how he had managed all this time.

"Sit," he said, pulling two chairs from under a square table. They were covered in dust. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a rag, and wiped them clean.

Grandfather looked at us and said, "It's been a long time since anyone sat here; it's gotten dusty." He then pulled out his pipe and began to smoke. Since Grandmother died, this was his only hobby, though I never understood why he stared at one spot while smoking.

"You go to the tea plantation later," he said after a while, looking outside. The "tea plantation" wasn't a garden, but a place name on the other side of the mountain, slightly more populated than here.

"Why go there?" I asked. Huang Ying also looked at him with confusion; having lived here for a hundred years, she knew the place like the back of her hand.

Grandfather puffed on his pipe and said, "There's a ghost haunting the place recently. Go take a look."

"Huh? Why me?" I didn't understand. Grandfather was so powerful; he didn't need to go into the city, surely he could handle a local haunting?

"I have things to do."

He left it at that and ordered Huang Ying to go cook. He was so casual, treating her as if she were part of the family. Huang Ying happily went to the kitchen. I prepared to follow, but Grandfather gave me a look that told me to sit down.

Once she was out of earshot, he said, "There's a pond at the tea plantation. A few old women were washing clothes there a few days ago, and they vanished."

I wasn't surprised; the world was full of strange things. But I didn't know why he had to send Huang Ying away to tell me this.

"The opportunity for Huang Ying's reincarnation is there. Go check it out."

Grandfather always spoke in half-sentences, as if saying more would cost him too much energy.

"What opportunity?" I asked.

"You'll know when you get there." He went back to his smoking. If he weren't my grandfather, I would have punched him; it was maddening how he never finished his thoughts.

"After finding this opportunity, can Huang Ying be reincarnated?" This was the only thing I cared about. She was a part of my life now; I couldn't go on without her.

"No," he said flatly. He didn't explain, and I knew asking further would be futile. I'd just have to squeeze the truth out of him eventually.

But to me, this was good news. I admitted I was selfish, but everyone in the world is; I had no need to act holier-than-thou. I had planned to just go through the motions, but if Heaven truly intended for her to leave, it would happen regardless of whether I found this opportunity. Since finding it wouldn't lead to her immediate reincarnation, I could search for it with all my might.

Perhaps this "opportunity" was a method of reincarnation that could never be completed, or something else entirely. Grandfather just sat there smoking, not even glancing at me. I was curious how he had developed such a personality—"eccentric" was the only word for it.

"Grandfather, after this is over, why don't you come to the city with me?" I summoned the courage to ask. If he agreed, my world would be at peace; no ghosts, big or small, would matter, and Huang Ying would never be bullied again. It would be a fairy-tale ending.

But I knew that asking this might trigger a storm; the risk was akin to slapping a giant in the face.