Xie Lingyu nodded. Looking at the bronze jar, I said, “This doesn’t seem like something from your Ghost Sect. Maybe Old Worm Five not only wants the five insects but also this bronze jar.”
What Xie Lingyu said wasn’t impossible.
I took Little Rascal out the door, drove the Wuling van back to the rental apartment. The place was on the fourth floor, in the fourth unit. Because the floor and number were considered unlucky, I saved quite a bit on rent.
I never paid much attention to it before, but today, as I returned, a chilling wind swept past. Little Rascal barked frantically for a moment, and soon the eerie feeling vanished.
I thought to myself that some wandering spirits might have come here.
I opened the door, went into my room, and took out the bronze jar from the corner. It was still there. The ancient inscriptions on it were indeed strange, and when shaken, it sounded like there was some liquid inside.
Why did Grandpa give it to me? And why did he insist I shouldn’t open it unless absolutely necessary?
I decided to carry it with me. Tomorrow, I’d make time to visit the university and ask a professor specializing in ancient scripts to see if they could decipher the inscriptions.
Worried Xie Lingyu might be uneasy at the shop, I drove the Wuling back to the White Dream Flower Shop with the jar.
I asked her, “Is there something wrong with where we live? It feels a bit eerie.”
Xie Lingyu laughed. “Oh, you noticed? I thought you hadn’t picked up on it. But don’t worry, I’m here. Tomorrow, I’ll make a talisman to gather those wandering spirits.”
I felt a bit embarrassed for overreacting. Xie Lingyu was an enigma—deep and unfathomable. Most female ghosts in this world were filled with resentment, but Xie Lingyu was different. There probably wasn’t another ghost like her—one who could trim flowers in ghost form, sleep inside a jade ruler, and still be so pure and adorable.
Xie Lingyu clapped her hands cheerfully. “Oh, right! We just got our first order. While you were gone, a student called to order a bouquet of red roses. You’ll deliver it tomorrow.”
I took the slip with the address—coincidentally, it was at my university. Since I was already planning to visit a professor about the jar’s inscriptions, this worked out perfectly. I noted down the phone number.
Xie Lingyu was overjoyed that her flower shop had made a sale on its first day. She worked late into the night. By midnight, Little Rascal was curled up on the floor, fast asleep. Surprisingly, Miss He the kitten was sleeping on top of him. Somehow, the cat and dog had become friends.
My main task for now was studying, reviewing the mysteries of feng shui from the *Book of Changes*. I sat in the shop, reading.
Suddenly, Miss He poked her head up and meowed twice.
The door creaked open. “Do you sell flowers?”
Xie Lingyu paused her work and smiled. “What kind would you like? We have roses, lilies, carnations…”
I looked up. It was an eight-year-old boy. “I want to buy a flower for my mom. Tomorrow’s her birthday. I want to surprise her.” The boy’s eyes were dark, and he had entered without a sound. Little Rascal instinctively stood up and barked at him.
Afraid the boy might be frightened, I pulled Little Rascal back and scolded him until he quieted down.
Xie Lingyu smiled. “For your mom? A carnation would be perfect—it symbolizes love and remembrance.”
The boy nodded, chose a carnation, and unclenched his tiny fist to place a small black stone in Xie Lingyu’s palm.
I stared wide-eyed at her.
But Xie Lingyu simply said, “What a sweet boy. This is perfect. Be careful on your way home, and don’t forget to give your mom her surprise.” She even pinched his cheek affectionately.
The boy smiled, took the flower, and left. Once he was gone, I asked Xie Lingyu, “That was a black stone he gave you.”
She pocketed it mysteriously. “I know.”
Realizing there was more to it, I didn’t press further.
At 12:15, I urged everyone to call it a night. Xie Lingyu grinned. “Aside from those five toads, today was a good day—two sales! Let’s keep it up tomorrow.”
As I pulled down the shop’s metal shutters, my face twitched. *One sale. What two?*
Miss He and Little Rascal were already sound asleep. Xie Lingyu and I each carried one back to the Wuling and drove to the apartment.
On the way, my phone rang. It was Shen Yihu. Xie Lingyu put it on speaker for me. He apologized for missing the shop’s opening, saying something had come up.
I said, “No worries. But can you look into Old Worm Five for me? He sent me five venomous toads today, and he might have control over Huang Shi too. Officer Shen, I have to tell you—Huang Shi’s memories don’t just have my scent. Yours is in there too.”
“Damn it!” Shen Yihu cursed, asked for details about Old Worm Five, then grumbled about how anyone still wearing a bamboo hat these days had to be insane. He said if Old Worm Five and Huang Shi showed up, they’d be easy to spot and told me to wait for his update.
When we reached the apartment complex, the guards at the gate didn’t recognize me. They were annoyed that I was coming back so late in a beat-up van with a cat and dog in tow. They checked my ID before letting me in.
As I drove off, one muttered, “That idiot rented Unit 4, fourth floor, Room 4.” The rest of his words were lost to the wind.
Little Rascal and Miss He jumped out of the van and trotted ahead. I shushed them to avoid disturbing the neighbors. The complex was eerily quiet, save for a few apartments where lights were still on and the clatter of mahjong tiles could be heard.
Suddenly, a furious shout rang out: “Stop slamming that damn red dragon tile! Some of us are trying to sleep!”
I’d never thought much about the place before, but tonight, it felt unnerving. Still, Xie Lingyu had said there was nothing to fear, so I pushed the worry aside.
*If the sky falls, the tall will hold it up. If ghosts come, the ghost girl will handle them. What’s there to be afraid of?*
We made it back to the apartment without incident. The only sound was Miss He’s occasional meow.
I took a shower first, then tried to give Little Rascal one. He resisted fiercely—probably used to rolling in the mud back in White Water Village, the concept of bathing was alien to him. Miss He, on the other hand, loved it.
After wrestling Little Rascal into the tub, he howled like his innocence had been stolen.
At 3 AM, I woke up needing to pee. From outside came a rapid hammering sound—*clang, clang, clang…*
*Is someone nailing themselves to the wall?*
Remembering Xie Lingyu’s words, I grabbed Little Rascal and opened the door to investigate.
Nothing. Not even a bird. I went back to bed, much to Little Rascal’s annoyance—I’d interrupted his dream date with the neighbor’s white dog. Drool had pooled into a small river on the floor.
The next morning, I studied at home while Xie Lingyu occasionally checked on my progress.
In the afternoon, I drove the Wuling to the flower shop, picked up the bouquet, and carried the bronze jar with me. After telling Little Rascal to stay put, I headed to the university to visit Professor Yao Baobao and deliver the flowers—a bouquet of eighteen red roses, likely for some guy trying to woo a girl. The delivery deadline was 8 PM.
At the university gate, a guard stopped me. “No entry without a pass.”
I grinned. “Big bro, I’m just here to collect scrap paper. I’ll be out soon. Honestly, I graduated from here.”
The guard sighed. “From student to scrap collector… and you still dare to come back? Fine, go ahead.”
The barrier lifted. As I drove up the slope to the faculty building, I spotted Professor Yao surrounded by giggling female students. “Professor Yao, tell me, will I have any romance this year?”
Yao Baobao held a girl’s delicate hand, pressing firmly. “Your romantic prospects are blocked. Probably nothing this year.”
I burst out laughing. “Professor, how about checking my romantic luck too? Don’t just favor the ladies.”
Yao waved them off. “Class dismissed. Xiao Qi, what brings you here?”
Our acquaintance was a funny one. Once, at a restaurant, he’d forgotten his wallet, and I covered his bill. Unlike most professors, Yao was down-to-earth, always up for a game of ping-pong, and famously popular with female students.
The gatekeeper yelled, “Scrap collector! Open your van! Why’d you close the door?”
I sighed. “Hold on, Professor. Gotta check this out.”
To my surprise, someone actually had scrap to sell.
After weighing it (250 kg at 0.6 yuan per kg, totaling 150 yuan), I returned to Yao with the bronze jar.
He examined it under a magnifying glass. “Dragon and phoenix script… This is valuable. As for what it says, I can’t tell right away. Might be coded language from some ancient sect.”
After a while, he suddenly asked, “You’re not dabbling in illegal antiquities, are you?”
I laughed. “Professor, come on. I’m just a scrap collector.”
He smirked. “Every profession has its masters. Keep at it.”
He copied the inscriptions onto paper, promising to study them further.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, “Are you in the mystic arts now?”
I couldn’t hide it. Yao had studied the *Book of Changes* deeply and had his own eccentric methods. I admitted I’d taken over Grandpa’s line of work.
Yao fell silent, as if unsure how to respond. Finally, he said, “Go on with your work. I’ll let you know if I decipher anything—or if I can’t.”
It was a dismissal.
Disappointed, I turned to leave.
“By the way,” Yao suddenly called after me, “you and Ji Qianqian broke up, didn’t you?”
I nodded. Didn’t even stay for lunch.
Back at the gate, the guard said, “I already weighed it—250 kg. Want to check?”
I handed over 150 yuan. “Six mao per kilo.”
Driving off campus, I called the flower recipient. “Hello, this is your flower delivery.”
Night was falling. The campus scenery, though I was still in it, felt distant now.
*Ji Qianqian… Who was that again?*
I’d already forgotten.
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