Chapter 1: The Strange Occurrence on Guardian Spirit Night

  Zhang Yi stayed at Yuanbaotou muttering to herself. "Alright, you two women cook dinner, I'll go into town for a stroll."

  I followed him into the kitchen, where my dad was already washing vegetables with his head down. I saw a new cigarette in his mouth, and his eyes never looked at me. From his solemn figure, I saw worry.

  But I didn't ask anything, washed my hands clean, and he skillfully cut the dishes I had washed and arranged them on a plate. Then I went to rinse the rice, doing each step with great proficiency.

  A child without a mother takes charge early, in the countryside, I could cook for my grandmother at the age of 10. In the city, when my dad took me to the supermarket to buy bento, about 80% were made by me. Some people might ask, where did Aunt Zhang go? Playing cards, of course! She was so engrossed that she often forgot about mealtime and came back late. Cooking became a rare occurrence. After I went to college, our home rarely had cooking fires lit. I almost forgot how long it's been since I last cooked with my dad!

  "Dad!" I finally couldn't help but softly call out in the midst of silence.

  My dad is washing pots with his head down, his face hanging down, hidden in the shadows. Since he returned to our hometown, I can feel that he has been like this, with a lot on his mind.

  He suddenly stopped what he was doing and said calmly: "Xiao Xian, what your Aunt Zhang told you is true. Your grandmother had arranged a marriage for you before she passed away."

  I seem to have guessed it too! So I asked: "Is it with that Shu An who brought me back?"

  My dad's eyes swept over my searching face, and he nodded slightly. "That night, I heard you shouting outside the house, and when your Aunt Zhang came out to look for you, you were already gone. The neighbors all heard that you were missing and helped search house by house. It wasn't until almost dawn that they brought you back from the mountain. Your Aunt Zhang didn't see it wrong, you had been unconscious for a long time. But Bao An told me he could save you. Any other father would not easily hand over your body to a stranger. If your grandmother hadn't entrusted something to me back then, I wouldn't have agreed."

  As soon as I heard my dad mention grandma's words, every cell in my body seemed to come alive, and I tilted my head to ask: "What did Grandma entrust you with?"

  "Your grandma said that if someone who can take her cane comes, let you go with him!"

  I was stunned, and it seemed like grandma had predicted what would happen in the future many years before she passed away.

  The one who can take Grandma's cane is, as Old Cao of the pawnshop said, that cane is not something ordinary people can get.

  Ke Shan said he was no ordinary person, and at that time his father did not stop him much, maybe he wanted to see if Ke Shan was that person?

  It's as if there is a mysterious force driving all of this to happen. I, who have died and come back to life, heard the story of the three tribes and the origin of the spiritual marriage. Now, I just want to work hard to become that ordinary third-year high school student again. It was at this moment that I finally understood my father's good intentions in wanting me to be an ordinary person.

  In the moment I was lost in thought, my dad spoke up again: "Your grandma isn't just any ordinary witch, all these years, although I've lived far away from her, I know that what your grandma says is always accurate. That Shi An has already told me honestly how he brought you back, sigh... I once wanted you to live a life like mine, but things have come to this point, and I no longer have the ability to change it!"

  "Dad, the way you're talking is like you're driving me away. You can't be serious about wanting me to follow that Bao An, can you?" I put down the dish I was about to cook and felt a wave of annoyance in my heart.