Chapter Ten: She Arrives

When a girl you’ve admired for a long time sends you a message at night saying she’s scared, your first instinct is to see it as an opportunity. That's exactly how I felt—my heart leapt with joy, and I immediately replied, “Should I come over?”

After sending the message, Han Xue didn’t respond. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. My secret delight slowly turned into unease. I wanted to slap myself—maybe my reply was too forward? Would she think I was a creep and never talk to me again?

Just as I was debating whether to send another message to explain myself, my phone finally buzzed. Han Xue replied, with a single word: “Okay.”

I nearly jumped for joy. Wrapping myself in a mat and a thin blanket, I rushed to the school. When I arrived, Han Xue had just finished her shower, sitting at the dormitory door with a flashlight. When she saw me, she blushed slightly and said, “I’ve already lit mosquito coils in the classroom next door. Leave early in the morning; it won’t look good if anyone sees you.”

With that, she snatched my bedding and slipped into the classroom, which was right next to her dorm. She arranged my bed and came out, unable to meet my eyes, her voice barely audible, “Rest early. Good night.” Then she fled back to her dorm and closed the door behind her.

From the moment I arrived, Han Xue hadn’t given me a chance to say a word. Entering the classroom, I felt the warmth from her careful preparations. Lying on the bed made from a few desks, with mosquito coils burning by my side, and knowing the girl I liked was just on the other side of the wall—it felt almost too beautiful to be real.

I lit a cigarette, and since Han Xue wasn’t speaking, I felt awkward and couldn’t find words either. After a long silence, Han Xue called out, “Yezi, are you asleep?”

“Not yet. Why aren’t you sleeping?” I replied.

“I can’t sleep. Let me ask you something—is Fool a good person?” Han Xue asked.

“Yes. The last look she gave me before she died proves it. I read an article once—it said that when someone is dying, if they grab the last straw, they’ll never let go. But she let go so she wouldn’t implicate me. Sometimes I think, maybe Fool wasn’t foolish at all—it was the people at that time who were foolish,” I said.

“Mm,” Han Xue replied.

Her question at that moment showed she was still frightened by what happened last night. I reassured her, “Don’t worry, the master has taken care of it. Even if he hadn’t, nothing would happen as long as I’m here.”

“Thank you. Get some sleep,” Han Xue said.

“Alright,” I replied.

There was no way I could fall asleep in this situation. I tossed and turned until deep into the night, finally drifting into a restless sleep. I don’t know how long I’d been out when, in my dream, I heard the intense sound of wind chimes, followed by Han Xue calling my name. I thought it was a dream, but I woke instantly. The wind chimes outside were still ringing, and Han Xue was shouting my name.

“I’m here. What’s wrong?” I scrambled up and called out.

“She’s back—outside the window!” Han Xue cried, almost sobbing.

I stood up, slid on my slippers, and opened the classroom door. In the moonlight, I saw a woman dressed all in white standing beneath Han Xue’s window. Her hair was jet black and hung down to her waist. Just by her hair, she looked exactly like Fool as I remembered her.

“Fool!” I shouted.

My mind went blank, my body trembling uncontrollably, but the panic-stricken Han Xue inside gave me the courage not to retreat. I took deep breaths.

The woman turned around, and I saw her face—pale, the same face that had been etched in my memory for twenty years. It was Fool’s face.

She looked at me, that deathly white face breaking into a smile—the same exact smile as before.

“What are you doing here for her? Go, leave now!” I yelled at her.

Fool stared at me, but obediently turned and walked slowly toward the edge of the school.

I waited until Fool’s shadow vanished before I wanted to collapse to the ground, but I knew Han Xue needed me more. I rushed to her door and pushed—it was locked from inside. Before I could call for her to open up, she already had, and then she flung herself into my arms, holding me tight, nearly squeezing the breath out of me.

I patted her back, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, it’s over. She’s gone, gone.”

At that moment, I was bare-chested and Han Xue wore only a nightgown. The inevitable body contact let me feel her softness like warm jade, but I had not a single stray thought. Han Xue’s terror took more than ten minutes to subside. Finally, she gently pulled away, noticed how close we’d been, and blushed, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I saw that master lead a snake out from Fool’s grave, but how could this happen again?” I said.

Han Xue tensed at the mention of Fool, “Nowadays, scammers have all sorts of tricks. Let’s not talk about it.”

After that, awkwardness fell between us again. With two people alone in the middle of the night, dressed like that, I said, “Go back to sleep. I’ll keep watch at the door.”

Han Xue nodded and went inside. Neither of us slept a wink all night. I smoked outside while Han Xue chatted with me from inside, on and off.

When dawn broke, I said goodbye to Han Xue and left the school. If the villagers saw me leaving, it would be terrible for her reputation. After leaving, I nearly reached home but at the last moment turned around. After thinking all night, I decided to go to Sanlitun again. That master from the Tai Chi Temple had to be a fraud—Fool’s problem wasn’t solved. I needed to find my eldest brother once more.

When I arrived at his house, he was already up, practicing on a wooden dummy in the yard. Seeing me, he wiped his sweat with a towel and asked, “What’s wrong? That dead Fool woman came for that girl again?”

“You knew?” I asked, honestly a bit annoyed. If he knew, why didn’t he help earlier? Fool left when I told her to, but what if something really happened?

“I heard about how that master ‘caught the ghost.’ It was obvious he was a fake—the snake was his own,” my brother said.

“But you said an expert was handling it, so why is he a fake?” I pressed.

He walked into the house, saying as he went, “I never said he was the expert.”

That made me angrier. “So who’s the expert? Can’t you just tell me? And you know I like that girl—can’t you help?”

He paused, turned to look at me, his voice soft, “Are you blaming me?”

Seeing the coldness and challenge in his eyes, I suddenly felt a surge of sadness. Since we’d reconnected as brothers, it had never really been about his abilities or reputation, nor the money he brought home. I was simply happy to have gained an elder brother. But his gaze made it clear that we could not be as close as other brothers—the twenty-year gap had created an unavoidable distance.

“Fine, just pretend I never said anything,” I said, turning to leave.

“Stop,” my brother called from behind.

I stopped, my eyes stinging, “What is it?”

“Have some porridge before you go,” he said. He didn’t give me a chance to refuse, heading straight into the kitchen. Soon, he brought out two steaming bowls of eight-treasure porridge, clearly just cooked.

“Sit,” he commanded.

In the end, I sat down. I realized how childish I’d been just now, but I still ignored him, sipping the porridge slowly.

Once I’d finished, my resentment had faded—his porridge really was delicious—but I still pretended to be angry, “Anything else? If not, I’m leaving.”

“Have you noticed that the way you’re talking now is no different from a woman pouting at a man?” my brother said slowly, looking at me.

His words and calm expression made me burst out laughing, unable to stop, tears nearly streaming down my face. Finally, I gave him a light slap, curled my fingers into a flower and winked, “Oh, you rascal, you saw right through me!”

“Get out!” My brother glared, torn between laughter and exasperation.

I dropped the act and said, “I know you’re smarter and have your own reasons for everything. I won’t force you to intervene, but at least give me a hint who I should ask for help. Last night, I saw Fool standing outside that girl’s door.”

“Go find Fool’s corpse retriever,” my brother said softly.

“Uncle Zhuzi? Him?” I exclaimed in shock.

My brother looked at me, “After Fool died, she was swept into the Twelve Ghost Caverns. Do you understand now?”

I stared, wide-eyed, in disbelief.