The two turned their gaze toward the mist, and sure enough, some lights were drawing closer and growing brighter. The glow seemed almost blinding, forcing them to shield their eyes with their hands.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao shouted, “Ghost!”
“What’s wrong now? Why are you making such a fuss?”
Startled, Village Chief Tian quickly removed his hands from his face. His heart nearly leapt into his throat when he saw a trembling shadow standing before him. The figure was stooped and hunched, its back arched high like a small hill. In its hand was a yellowish paper lantern. Strangely, the wick inside the lamp emitted a faint green glow, illuminating half of the figure’s face while leaving the other half in darkness. It was as if the face had been split down the middle—half green, half black. Wrinkled and shriveled skin covered the face. If it had cried or screamed, it would surely have frightened anyone to death, one by one, pair by pair.
Before Village Chief Tian could ask who the figure was, a voice full of indignation rang out from ahead, “Little brat, you’re the ghost!”
“You really don’t know good intentions when you see them, Liu Dashao! We came all this way out of goodwill to find you, and you go and call us ghosts!” The voice was shrill and thin, yet lacked strength, clearly belonging to an elderly person—most likely an old woman.
“Who is that up ahead? How does she know your name?” Village Chief Tian glanced at Liu Dashao, who shrugged helplessly, as if saying, “You’re asking me? Who should I ask?”
Could she be someone they knew? Just as the thought surfaced in Village Chief Tian’s mind, it was quickly dismissed. After all, the terrifying encounter they had just experienced was still fresh in his memory.
As the figure approached with small, quick steps, grumbling remarks drifted toward them on the wind. The two grew increasingly perplexed.
“Hey…” Village Chief Tian poked Liu Dashao in the armpit.
“Hey… hey…” When Liu Dashao ignored him, he poked him again.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to annoy me now?” Liu Dashao grabbed his arm.
“No, no, you misunderstood. I just meant that this person approaching seems suspicious. Shouldn’t you go ask if she’s human or a ghost?” Village Chief Tian said cautiously.
“Oh, fine, fine,” Liu Dashao nodded, but as he prepared to move, a thought struck him. “Hey, Village Chief, you’re being pretty unfair here, aren’t you? If I go ask if she’s a ghost or not, wouldn’t that be practically suicide?”
“Suicide? Come on!” Village Chief Tian chuckled nervously. “You know I’m a coward. Whenever I see anything ghostly, I can’t help but tremble. Show me some mercy. It won’t cost you any flesh or blood. Afterward, I’ll even give you some ‘Big Reunion’ pastries to calm your nerves.”
“Oh, Big Reunion pastries? Are you finally willing to hand them over? Just a moment ago you were stingy enough to make me beg for a cigarette!” Liu Dashao sneered.
“Hehe… here, they’re all yours,” Village Chief Tian pretended to reach into his coat.
“Pfft, even if you gave me ten packs, I still wouldn’t do it,” Liu Dashao rolled his eyes dismissively.
“Then… then what should we do?” Village Chief Tian panicked.
“You go!” Liu Dashao smirked, clearly enjoying the other’s discomfort.
“No way, no way…” Village Chief Tian shook his head like a drum.
“Well then, you have no choice!” Liu Dashao gave him a shove on the back, pushing him forward. Off balance, Village Chief Tian stumbled and took a few more steps. Just as he lifted his head, he collided directly with the lantern-carrying figure.
“Ah! My goodness! Ghost!” In an instant, Village Chief Tian’s scream echoed across the graveyard, startling several crows that had just settled down with their mates. They flapped into the sky, cawing frantically, while the female crows screeched angrily from below, wings akimbo, cursing in bird language: “Shameless bastards, come down here!”
“Ouch…” The figure let out a pained groan after the collision, sitting down hard on the ground. The paper lantern rolled away, and the wick touched the paper wrapped around the bamboo frame, igniting it instantly. Within moments, the lantern was completely consumed by flames.
“Who is that? Can’t you see where you’re going? Is it you, Liu’s little brat?” The figure rubbed her bottom, grumbling. But under the faint moonlight, she could see that the person who had bumped into her was clearly not a child—the silhouette suggested an adult. “You… you’re Village Chief Tian?”
Hearing her voice, Village Chief Tian, still in the dark, let out a surprised “Huh?” Then he asked, “You’re not a ghost?”
The figure couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the question. “Look at you, scared of your own shadow. I’m Old Lady Fan!”
“Ah! Old Lady Fan!” Village Chief Tian jumped nearly three feet high. “How come you’re here?”
Old Lady Fan adjusted her sleeves and, with her bound feet wobbling, finally managed to stand up. “You should watch where you’re going! You even burned my lantern!”
Village Chief Tian looked at the charred remains of the lantern on the ground and felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry, I accidentally bumped into you. It’s all that kid’s fault!” He glared angrily at Liu Dashao.
“Old Lady Fan, is that really you?” Liu Dashao approached, eyes wide, examining her carefully.
“Hehe, who else could it be?” Old Lady Fan chuckled.
“Great! You came just in time,” Liu Dashao said, his earlier fear dissipating quickly.
“Why were you walking so slowly?” Old Lady Fan stamped out the small patch of grass that had caught fire from the lantern. If left burning, it might have spread across the entire mountain in a few hours.
“You’re telling me! We’ve been stuck here almost the whole night,” Liu Dashao whined pitifully.
Old Lady Fan raised a bony hand and made a few calculations in the air, as if understanding something. “Ah, I see. You must have encountered a ‘ghost wall’—a spirit blocking your path.”
Liu Dashao nodded eagerly. “Exactly, Old Lady Fan! This place is terrible. Surely you have a way to get us out?”
Old Lady Fan smiled knowingly. “Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come alone.”
Liu Dashao rushed forward, grabbing her hand. “Please, Old Lady Fan, save us!”
Old Lady Fan gave him a cold stare and said, “Hmph. I was going to save you, but now I’ve changed my mind. Who told you to call me a ghost? Do ghosts look this good? A grown man afraid of ghosts? How cowardly!”
Liu Dashao panicked. “Dear Old Lady Fan, I was wrong, okay? Please forgive me.”
“Actually, it was our mistake. We were so scared tonight that we mistook you for a ghost. Besides, you’re way prettier than any female ghost—hundreds, even thousands of times prettier! Like a movie star!”
Few people can resist flattery. Hearing Liu Dashao’s compliment, Old Lady Fan smiled and said, “Alright, since you admitted your mistake, I’ll forgive you this once.”
“Actually, I guessed something was wrong when you hadn’t returned by evening. I rushed to Lingguan Temple and saw the mountain path had collapsed. At first I thought you had fallen, but after searching for a while, I saw nothing. I figured the collapse must have happened after you passed. So I guessed you took the graveyard path to return. I climbed up from the other side of the mountain, nearly breaking this old body. When I saw the fog thickening, I knew for sure you were here. And indeed, here you are,” Old Lady Fan explained, panting slightly and with a flushed face, clearly exhausted from her journey up and down the mountain.
“Now that you’re both safe, I’m relieved. Oh, Liu Dashao, did you complete the task I assigned you?”
“Oh yes, yes!” Liu Dashao quickly pulled out three delicate paper cranes and handed them to Old Lady Fan. “But they didn’t fly like you said they would.”
“Probably because the negative energy here is too strong. These small spirits can’t even move,” Old Lady Fan said grimly.
“Alright, let’s go back.”
“But what about the fog? You won’t be able to tell east from west once you step in,” Liu Dashao worried.
“Hehe, no problem. Watch me,” Old Lady Fan said, taking off her prayer beads. She clasped her hands together and began chanting something incomprehensible to the two men.
Village Chief Tian poked Liu Dashao. “Nephew, what is she saying? Can you understand her?”
Liu Dashao whispered back, “Who knows!”
After a long while, Old Lady Fan shouted, “Open!” She opened her eyes and said, “Don’t stand there. The fog has cleared. Let’s go.”
The two looked around in astonishment. Just minutes ago, the fog was impenetrable, but now it was beginning to dissipate. Moonlight shone through, revealing the path ahead.
The two men looked towards the direction of the mist and indeed, some light was getting closer and brighter. The light seemed so glaring that they had to shield their eyes with their hands.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao shouted, “Ghost!”
“What’s wrong again? Why is it always so noisy?”
Village Chief Tian quickly removed his hand from his eyes and was startled. Why? Because in front of him appeared a trembling figure, hunched with a high back, resembling a small hill, holding a yellowish oil-paper lantern. For some reason, the faint green light from the lantern illuminated only half of the face, leaving the other half in darkness. Thus, it seemed as if the face was split down the middle, green on the left and black on the right, with wrinkled skin. If it were to wail a couple of times, it could probably scare someone to death.
Before Village Chief Tian could ask who it was, an angry voice came from ahead, “You little brat, you’re the ghost!”
“Truly, the dog bites Lu Dongbin, not knowing a good heart. Liu Dashao, I came here with good intentions to find you, and you call me a ghost.” The voice was high-pitched and thin, not very strong, clearly the tone of an elderly person, likely an old woman.
“Who is it ahead? How does she know your name?” Village Chief Tian looked at Liu Dashao, who shrugged as if to say, “You ask me, who should I ask?”
Could it be someone they know? Village Chief Tian’s thought was quickly suppressed, as the ghostly encounter was still fresh in his mind.
As the figure approached with small steps, the intermittent scolding words drifted in the wind, making the two men increasingly curious.
“Hey…” Village Chief Tian poked Liu Dashao’s armpit.
“Hey… hey…” Seeing that Liu Dashao didn’t respond, he poked again.
“What’s wrong? Are you addicted to this?” Liu Dashao grabbed his arm.
“No, you misunderstood. I mean, this person’s arrival is strange. Shouldn’t you go and ask if it’s a person or a ghost?” Village Chief Tian said tactfully.
“Oh, okay, okay.” Liu Dashao nodded, but as he was about to move, he felt something was off: “Hey, Village Chief, aren’t you being a bit unfair? Asking if it’s a person or a ghost, isn’t that like sending me to my death?”
“How is that sending you to your death?” Village Chief Tian smiled bitterly: “You know I’m timid, I can’t help but freak out when I see ghostly things. Be considerate, go and ask, it won’t cost you a piece of flesh, and I’ll treat you to a big reunion to calm your nerves.”
“Hey, a big reunion? You’re willing to spend now? Weren’t you stingy over a cigarette earlier?” Liu Dashao sneered.
“Hey… I’ll give it all to you.” Village Chief Tian pretended to reach into his pocket.
“Cut it out, even if you give me ten packs, I won’t do it.” Liu Dashao remained unmoved, giving him a white look.
“Then, what should we do?” Village Chief Tian panicked.
“You go?” Liu Dashao smirked, enjoying his discomfort.
“No, no…” Village Chief Tian shook his head like a rattle drum. “Not going is not an option!” Liu Dashao pushed him forward, causing Village Chief Tian to stumble a few steps. Unfortunately, as he looked up, he bumped into the lantern-holding figure.
“Oh my god! Ghost!…” Instantly, Village Chief Tian’s hoarse voice echoed throughout the graveyard, scaring a few crows that were about to mate into flying up into the sky, cawing and not daring to come down. The female crows, angry, shouted in bird language: Shameless, come down!
“Ouch…” The figure seemed to have been hurt by Village Chief Tian’s collision, sitting down on the ground, wailing twice. The oil-paper lantern in her hand rolled to the ground, and as the wick touched the paper wrapped around the bamboo frame, it immediately caught fire, burning the lantern to ashes in no time.
“Who is it? So careless, is it the Liu family brat!” The figure rubbed her buttocks, complaining. However, by the faint moonlight, she could see that the person who bumped into her was clearly not a child, at least the body outline suggested an adult: “You… are you Village Chief Tian?”
Hearing this, Village Chief Tian in the darkness also exclaimed: “You’re not a ghost?” This made the figure both laugh and cry: “Look at you, scared of wolves in front and tigers behind. I’m Granny Fan!”
“Ah? Granny Fan!” Village Chief Tian jumped three feet high: “Why are you here?”
Granny Fan straightened her sleeves, her three-inch golden lotus feet wobbled, and she finally managed to stand up: “Walking without paying attention, you burned my lantern.”
Village Chief Tian looked at the remains of the burned lantern on the ground and felt a bit abrupt: “Sorry, I accidentally bumped into you, it’s all that kid’s fault!” After saying that, he glared fiercely at Liu Dashao.
“Granny Fan, is it really you?” Liu Dashao stepped forward, opening his eyes wide, looking left and right.
“Haha, who else could it be but me!” Granny Fan said with a smile.
“Great, you came just in time.” Liu Dashao, seeing it was indeed Granny Fan, now felt seven parts of fear gone, leaving only one, feeling quite secure.
“Why are you walking so slowly?” Granny Fan lifted her foot to extinguish a small patch of grass ignited by the lantern, speaking to Liu Dashao. If a spark remained, who knows, in a few hours, it might set the entire mountain ablaze!
“Exactly, we’ve been trapped here for almost a whole night.” Liu Dashao said pitifully.
Granny Fan, with a withered hand, made some calculations in the air, as if understanding something, said: “Oh, I see you must have encountered a ghost wall.”
Liu Dashao repeatedly said: “Yes, Granny, you’re absolutely right, this place is too cursed, you must have a way to get us out, right?” After saying that, he cast a pleading look at Granny Fan.
Granny Fan’s old wrinkled mouth smiled, confidently saying: “Of course, there is a way. If there were no way, I wouldn’t dare come here alone.”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao quickly stepped forward, grabbing Granny Fan’s hand, excitedly saying: “Granny, you must save us!”
Granny Fan gave Liu Dashao a white look, sneering: “Hmph, I wanted to save you just now, but now I’ve changed my mind. Who told you to call me a ghost as soon as we met. Do ghosts look as good as me? A grown man afraid of ghosts, so timid.”
Liu Dashao, hearing this, became anxious, pleading: “My dear Granny, I was wrong, okay? I’ll apologize to you right now.”
“We were indeed wrong earlier, tonight we were scared by ghosts, in a moment of panic, our eyes were blurred, so we mistook you for a ghost. Besides, you look much better than a female ghost, a hundred, a thousand times better! Just like a movie star.”
There are few people in the world who don’t like to hear compliments. Granny Fan, hearing Liu Dashao praise her beauty, covered her mouth and smiled at him: “Alright then, since you’ve admitted your mistake, I’ll forgive you this time.”
“Actually, I’ll tell you, in the evening when I saw you hadn’t returned after so long, I guessed something must have gone wrong. I hurried to the Lingguan Temple, saw the mountain path had collapsed, thought you might have fallen, but after looking for a while, didn’t see anything. I guessed it must have collapsed after you went down the mountain, and seeing no way out, you must have taken the path through the graveyard back. So I went down the mountain again, climbed up from the other side, my old bones are about to fall apart, and before I got here, I saw the thick fog, so I was even more sure you were here. When I arrived, I really saw you here, seems I found the right way.” Granny Fan narrated. From her breathless speech and flushed face, it was clear she wasn’t lying. This seventy or eighty-year-old woman, going up and down the mountain, had been through quite a lot.
“Well, since you two are safe and sound, I can rest easy. By the way, Liu’s big child, did you do what I asked you to?” Granny Fan asked.
“Oh, it’s done, it’s done.” Liu Dashao understood, quickly took out the three delicate paper cranes from his pocket, handed them to Granny Fan: “But they didn’t fly as you said they would.” Liu Dashao honestly said.
“Probably the evil aura here is too strong! The little souls are completely restrained and can’t move.” Granny Fan said with a gloomy face.
“Alright, let’s go back now!”
“But, what about this white fog? If you don’t believe me, go in and see, you can’t find your way out.” Liu Dashao anxiously said.
“Haha, it’s okay, watch me.” Granny Fan said, took off the string of prayer beads from her hand, clasped her hands together, and muttered something to the sky. Liu Dashao and the other couldn’t understand what she was saying.
Village Chief Tian poked Liu Dashao’s armpit, whispered to him: “Nephew, what is this woman saying, do you understand?”
Liu Dashao also whispered back: “Who knows!”
After a while, they heard Granny Fan stop and shout: “Open!” Then she opened her eyes and said to the two: “Don’t just stand there, the fog has dispersed, we can go now.”
The two looked around in surprise, the previously impenetrable fog layer had started to disperse bit by bit, even the moon in the sky shone on the ground, the road vaguely visible.
Liu Dashao and Village Chief Tian were amazed. Liu Dashao quickly asked Granny Fan: “Granny, are you a deity? Can you teach me these skills?”
Granny Fan smiled: “No, no. I just learned a few tricks from an old Taoist priest before, these skills are just the basics, far from the real masters.”
Village Chief Tian also couldn’t contain his strong curiosity, so he asked Granny Fan: “Granny Fan, why were we trapped here and couldn’t get out, and how did that fog form? Even stranger, the moon in the sky was also covered by clouds.”
“I say, Village Chief, you ask me so many questions at once, how should I answer you?” Granny Fan, hearing the Village Chief who had always been against her, now calling her a deity, naturally smiled like a peach, almost squeezing out water. After a moment of thought, she said: “The reason you were trapped here is because you encountered a road-blocking ghost, commonly known as a ghost wall.”
The two exclaimed in unison: “We really encountered a road-blocking ghost?”
Granny Fan nodded: “Yes, those road-blocking ghosts cast a spell on you two strangers, making you unable to distinguish the road, so no matter how you walked, you couldn’t get out, just circling in place.”
Village Chief Tian frowned: “But what about that fog? We suddenly saw a lot of fog.”
Granny Fan said: “As for that fog, it’s also easy to explain. You see, this graveyard is in the middle of a forest, where no one has been for a long time, so it formed a kind of miasma and smoke, mixed with the yin energy from the graves, creating the fog. As for why the moon suddenly disappeared, that’s just a coincidence, but it all started from these days!”
The two asked in unison: “It started from these days?”
Granny Fan smiled: “We still have a way to go back, let’s talk as we walk.”
“Alright!” Liu Dashao nodded.
After walking a few dozen steps, Granny Fan started the conversation: “You two are really bold, daring to walk at night during this period, and choosing the graveyard path. Do you know what period this is?”
Village Chief Tian said: “It’s November 15th!”
Granny Fan shook her head: “You only got half of it right.”
Liu Dashao suddenly blurted out: “The moon is overhead!”
Granny Fan said: “That’s right.”
Village Chief Tian also suddenly realized: “The moon is overhead on the 15th, how could I not have thought of it? Isn’t this the time when our ancestors come down from the mountains?”
Granny Fan nodded and said: “Yes, July 15th is the major ghost festival, and this period is the minor ghost festival, the time when the ghost gate opens. You two are really bold, daring to take this remote path at such a time. This graveyard is the closest place to the ghost gate, also the place with the heaviest yin energy, so you encountered ghosts.”
Village Chief Tian nodded and said: “I said why those ghostly figures were always following us, couldn’t shake them off.”
Liu Dashao asked Granny Fan: “Granny, what about those figures always following us, are they real ghosts?”
Granny Fan said: “Yes, those are wandering ghosts. Do you know what wandering ghosts are? They are ghosts who haven’t reincarnated or don’t have tombstones, and during the ghost gate opening, they can’t return home, homeless wandering ghosts can only roam around the graveyard. During the period when the moon is overhead, the underworld can’t accommodate ghosts, no matter what kind of ghost you are, you will be driven out of the ghost gate and sent to the human world to reunite with your relatives. You two are quite lucky to have encountered road-blocking ghosts.”
“Lucky?” Liu Dashao loudly said: “What kind of luck is this? It’s bad luck, if we weren’t caught by ghosts, it would be a miracle.”
Granny Fan also said: “Road-blocking ghosts are usually those who like to play pranks, they like to tease the living, making you stay with them for a night. Road-blocking ghosts generally don’t harm people, because during this time, ghosts who harm people will be sent to the eighteenth layer of hell by the Yin-Yang judges, never to be reincarnated. So the best way to deal with such things is to sit and wait for the rooster to crow at dawn.”
“Oh, no wonder no ghosts came to take our lives.”
“Yes.” Village Chief Tian also said: “If we had known, we would have just sat and waited, wouldn’t have tried to imitate the rooster’s crow.” After saying that, he smiled at Liu Dashao.
Granny Fan also smiled: “You even tried to imitate the rooster’s crow? That’s an old method, if you’re caught by a road-blocking ghost, even peeing won’t help. Very few people can stay calm, generally, in a person’s lifetime, the chance to encounter a road-blocking ghost is very rare, almost none, by the time you understand, you can’t encounter it anymore, so you two are really lucky!”
In the latter half of November, every household must offer meals, and bow three times a day, with incense morning and night.
The so-called offering meals is when the host family sets a table of food and wine during the three meals of the day, inviting the ancestors from two generations above who have passed away to come down from the mountain to eat at their home, to bless the descendants with peace and prosperity.
Although life in the countryside was tough at that time, during this half month, the meals on the table were quite rich, almost like during the New Year. If not done well, the ancestors would be unhappy.
Actually, it’s quite similar to ancestor worship, just a ritual. Only ancestor worship is done in front of the ancestors’ graves, while offering meals is done at home.
There was a year when a family, while offering meals, heard some noise in the room where the meals were offered, so they gently opened the door to take a look. This look was startling, they saw their deceased ancestors sitting at the table, eating and drinking with laughter. When they came to the table to talk to the ancestors, the figures disappeared, the laughter and talking stopped abruptly, leaving only a table of steaming food, untouched. The host regretted deeply, annoyed at his impulsiveness that scared the ancestors away.
Actually, offering meals is just a formality, how could ancestors come back to eat? It’s just a custom passed down from generation to generation by the older generation, since the older generation did it, this generation follows suit.
During the offering meals, the host family would say to the table of food: “Ancestors, eat and drink well! Although our family is not very wealthy, we still cannot mistreat you.” After saying that, they would leave the room and instruct the children not to approach the table, so as not to disturb the ancestors’ meal. After about half an incense stick’s time, the host family would enter the room to clean the table. Because during this time, the ancestors have already eaten and drunk their fill, the host family can only eat their own meal after offering the meals, showing respect to the ancestors.
Due to weather factors, the offering meals cannot be left until the next day, so the host family eats them the same night after offering, and starts anew the next day.
The silver moonlight sprinkled on the ground, everywhere there were the mournful cries of crickets. The unique fragrance of the night filled the air, weaving a soft net that covered all the scenery. Everything the eyes touched was covered by this soft net, not as real as in the daytime, everything had a vague, illusory color, each hiding its details, keeping its secrets. At this moment, the white clouds were heavy, the starry sky seemed exceptionally high and far, and Xiushui Village was immersed in a dreamlike tranquility.
Old Lady Fan laughed. “No, no. I just learned a few tricks from a Taoist priest long ago. These are just superficial techniques, far from the real masters.”
Village Chief Tian couldn’t contain his curiosity. “Old Lady Immortal, why couldn’t we leave this place? Where did the fog come from? And why was the moon suddenly covered by clouds?”
“Village Chief, you’re asking too many questions at once!” Old Lady Fan smiled, clearly pleased at being called “Immortal.” She paused briefly before explaining, “You were trapped because you encountered a ‘ghost wall’—a spirit blocking your path.”
The two exclaimed together, “So we really did encounter a ghost wall?”
Old Lady Fan nodded. “These spirits cast illusions on you two strangers, making it impossible for you to find your way. No matter how you walked, you just kept going in circles.”
Village Chief Tian frowned. “But what about the fog? We saw it appear suddenly.”
Old Lady Fan explained, “That’s easy to explain. This graveyard is surrounded by forest. No one has passed through for a long time, creating a kind of toxic mist. Combined with the graveyard’s yin energy, it formed the fog. The moon disappearing was just a coincidence, but it’s related to this time of year!”
The two asked in unison, “Related to this time of year?”
Old Lady Fan smiled. “We still have a long way to go. Let’s talk as we walk.”
“Alright!” Liu Dashao nodded.
After walking dozens of steps, Old Lady Fan began, “You two really have guts walking at night during this time of year, especially through a graveyard. Do you even know what time of year this is?”
Village Chief Tian answered, “November fifteenth!”
Old Lady Fan shook her head. “You’re only half right.”
Liu Dashao blurted out, “Full moon!”
“Exactly,” Old Lady Fan said.
Village Chief Tian suddenly understood. “The full moon on the fifteenth! How could I forget? Isn’t that the time when ancestors come down from the mountains?”
Old Lady Fan nodded. “Yes, July fifteenth is the Ghost Festival, and this period is the lesser Ghost Festival—the time when the gates of hell open. You two really have guts taking a detour and choosing this remote path. This graveyard is the closest place to the gates of hell, the most yin-filled place, so of course you encountered ghosts.”
Village Chief Tian nodded. “That explains why those ghostly shadows kept following us, never leaving.”
Liu Dashao asked, “Old Lady Fan, what were those shadows following us? Were they real ghosts?”
Old Lady Fan said, “Yes, they were wandering souls—ghosts without a home or tombstones. During the Ghost Festival, they can’t return home, so they wander the graveyard. During the Full Moon period, the underworld doesn’t accept ghosts, so they’re sent to the human world to reunite with their loved ones. You two were actually quite lucky to encounter only a ghost wall.”
“Lucky?” Liu Dashao exclaimed. “What kind of luck is that? This is terrible! I consider myself lucky just not being taken by a ghost.”
Old Lady Fan continued, “Ghost walls are usually playful spirits who like to play tricks on strangers, making them stay for the night. Normally, they don’t harm people because any ghost that harms someone during this time will be sent to the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reborn. The best way to deal with this is to sit and wait for dawn and the sound of roosters.”
“Oh, that explains why no ghosts came after us.”
“Yes,” Village Chief Tian added. “If we had known that earlier, we wouldn’t have tried imitating roosters.” He smiled at Liu Dashao.
Old Lady Fan chuckled. “You even imitated roosters? That’s an old trick. Even urinating won’t help when you’re caught by a ghost wall. Very few people can stay calm. Most people rarely encounter ghost walls in their lifetime, and by the time they understand, they’ve already missed their chance. So you two are quite lucky!”
During the second half of November, every household offers food to their ancestors, performing three bows each day and burning incense morning and evening.
Offering food means setting a table with meals and wine during the three daily meals, inviting the spirits of ancestors from the mountains to come home and eat, blessing their descendants with peace and prosperity.
Although life was hard in the countryside back then, the meals during this period were quite rich, almost like during the New Year. If done poorly, the ancestors would be displeased.
Actually, it’s quite similar to ancestor worship, just a ritual. The difference is that ancestor worship is done at the ancestors’ graves, while offering food is done at home.
Once, a family heard some noise coming from the room where they had set the food. They quietly opened the door and peeked inside. To their shock, they saw their deceased ancestors sitting at the table, chatting and laughing. When they approached to speak with them, the figures vanished, along with the sounds of laughter and conversation, leaving only a steaming table of untouched food. The family regretted their impatience, feeling they had scared away their ancestors.
In reality, offering food is just a symbolic gesture. No ancestors actually return to eat. It’s just a tradition passed down through generations. Since the elders did it, the younger generation followed suit.
During the offering, the host would say to the table of food, “Dear ancestors, please eat and drink well! Although we aren’t wealthy, we won’t let you go hungry.” Then they would leave the room, instructing the children not to approach the table to avoid disturbing the ancestors. About half an incense stick’s time later, the host would return to clear the table, as by then the ancestors would have finished their meal. Only after offering food to the ancestors could the family eat their own meal, showing respect for their ancestors.
Due to weather factors, the food couldn’t be left until the next day. After offering it that night, the family would eat it themselves, then prepare fresh food the next day.
Silver moonlight bathed the ground, and the mournful chirping of crickets filled the air. The unique fragrance of the night wove through the air like a soft net, enveloping everything in sight. Every object, every blade of grass, every tree, seemed less real than in daylight, cloaked in a hazy, dreamlike quality. Each concealed its details, guarding its secrets. Under the heavy clouds and distant stars, Xiushui Village lay immersed in a tranquil, dreamlike serenity.
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