Chapter 1: The Strange Occurrence on Guard Spirit Night

  I knew from the start that this aunt was not a thrifty person, she wouldn't even let my 70-year-old grandmother rest!

  I really don't know how my dad has endured all these years, not wanting to hear her roar again. I took a few steps forward and asked my dad in a low voice: "Dad, did you take out this cane?"

  He held the nearly extinguished cigarette butt between his fingers, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed as if trying to recall. "I don't remember, is this your grandmother's peach wood cane?"

  I nodded, and unexpectedly, Zhang's aunt took two steps forward, snatched the cane away, and held it in her hand to examine it carefully. "Wow, I didn't expect that your family would have such a thing. Looking at its workmanship, it should be an antique, right?"

  I reached out to take it, she moved pretty quickly and dodged past me.

  "This is your grandmother's thing, that is our family's thing. I don't believe this walking stick also has your name on it to inherit? Let me take a look."

  That was grandma's keepsake, seeing her holding it in her hand made me really uncomfortable, I pretended to go grab it, my dad stood up and pulled me back, his eyes signaling me to let her have it.

  Now I can only stare blankly as Aunt Zhang takes the cane and goes out, I dare to bet that she must be going to the pawnshop in town to ask how much it's worth!

  As soon as the gate closed, I helplessly asked my dad: "Has Zhang Yi started gambling again?"

  My dad went to the city to make a living when he was in his teens. Those years, he worked hard and had good luck, earning some money, buying two houses and a storefront in the city, running a supermarket, and living a pretty comfortable life. But later, after marrying Zhang's aunt, who is nine years younger than my dad, she is only 40 this year, she likes to play cards, starting with small bets, but later became more and more out of control, and eventually lost one of the houses in gambling, because of this, my dad quarreled with her about divorce, and her family members came to our supermarket to cause trouble.

  Alas, Father still holds onto old feelings, and instead of divorcing her, he only made her promise to never gamble again!

  It was fine for the first two years, but later I saw her playing cards with my grandma and mom in our neighborhood several times when I went back home. My dad said it's useless and didn't bother to intervene!

  She's so interested in our old house today, and she even snatched my grandmother's cane. She must be short of money for mahjong again! There are several mahjong tea houses in this town, with her temperament, how can she possibly live a stable life for these few days?!

  "This guy is so addicted to playing cards that even the King of Hell can't drag him back, how could he possibly not play?" My dad was fuming with anger and could only light another cigarette.

  "Dad, do you love her?"

  He didn't expect me to ask him so bluntly, looked up and scanned my face, then lowered his head again, and reluctantly said: "We officials have a short life span, otherwise how could I be following your grandmother's surname? If it wasn't for your grandmother saving me back then, I would have gone down with your mother. Do you think Aunt Zhang could have been with me all these years without incident? Your grandmother said she was a rare solitary evil star fate, only lacking in descendants' blessings. I'm already so old, just wanting to have someone to accompany me in my old age!"

  What is meant by "lonely evil spirits" is that this person's fate is hard, the evil energy is heavy, and even small ghosts and demons cannot get close to him. These aunts have also told me about it before, but I always thought my dad didn't believe in this stuff. Now it seems that isn't the case.

  "What happened back then? Did my mom really die from a difficult labor because of giving birth to me?"

  He puffed out a mouthful of smoke and sighed, but didn't answer me.

  I actually knew it would be like this.

  I didn't mind the dirty place, I sat down beside him with a plop, propping my chin on my hand, and after a long time, I finally spoke up: "Dad, something strange happened after you called me that night."

  My dad was smoking and staring at the wall surrounding our house.

  "When you came back, Grandma was..."

  "Xiao Xian, no matter what you've seen, keep it in your heart. This world is vast and there are many unexplainable powers at work, but I only hope that you can be an ordinary person and live an ordinary life from now on."

  Just listening to what my dad said, I roughly guessed why he wanted to leave his hometown and settle in the city when he was only in his teens. He wanted to be an ordinary person and live an ordinary life.

  We fell silent again for a long time, and I remembered the way Wang's wife asked me today. I wondered and asked: "Why did Wang's wife ask me to save her little Bei today?"

  My dad heard this and angrily threw his cigarette butt on the ground.