After riding the tractor around our village for what felt like hours of fun, Zhao Laohei pulled over. We disembarked, still giggling from a joke Zhao Yuan had told us and walked towards a stall in the village.

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We walked past another ice cream stall and I glanced towards Master Liu, “You promised me two!” I sang at him with a grin on my face.

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Master Liu patted me on the head with a smile, “Nothing gets past you, does it?” He bought another ice cream for each of us children and then ordered two dishes at a small restaurant nearby. We ate our treats and waited for the food to be prepared at a small table outside. It was nearing late afternoon and the sun had begun to spread shadows towards the mountain.

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After the food was finished and we’d eaten our large meal, Zhao Laohei approached the clerk to pay. He reached for the money in his pocket, but hollered when he found it wasn’t there. He turned around with anger flashing in his eyes before spying Master Liu laughing hysterically. “You think I’d let you pay?”

 

With a swish of his wrist, Zhao Laohei’s money clip appeared in the master’s hand. “I told you, it’s my treat!” He tossed the money clip towards a dumbfounded Zhao Laohei. It bounced off his chest and landed in the dirt, while the old man began to barter with the restaurant clerk.

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“How did he do that?” Zhao Jie whispered to me. I just shook my head.

​

We sat at the small restaurant talking for quite some time. Master Liu handed Zhao Laohei fifty yuan during our conversation. “You know where to find them, I trust. They will prove useful for the village.” He smiled at Zhao Laohei.

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“What will be useful? What’s he getting?” I peppered questions at the master, while trying to pick chicken from my teeth.

Master Lui grimaced at my spittle landing on the table and replied, “Take it easy, boy. These aren’t your concerns. I will tell you if I ever need you to do something.”

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I was taken aback by his tone, he had been so jovial moments before and I remember thinking that his mood was dropping with the sunlight.

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Master Liu played naughts and crosses with us for the next hour, and then Zhao Laohei returned with a red plastic bag. We looked inside at once and found yellow paper, incense, and candles inside.

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“Those are used on the dead.” I thought, and so kept silent.

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“Let us walk back,” Master Liu announced, "Do you want to go anywhere?” He asked and didn’t wait for any of us to answer, “I shall lead you." The old man rose up with a younger man’s speed and began to trot down the road.

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I looked down the street and saw many strange, delicious things that we had never had before. Starting to ask for more treats, I remembered the ice cream and the meal. My mouth watered lightly, but I had enjoyed too much of his kindness to ask for more.

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Master Liu turned towards us from the street and said, "No where else? Ah, fine then." He looked at me in particular, “We are finished with our treats and errands. Soon we will have to go to the town.”

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Zhao Jie and Yuan nodded excitedly. I, however, remembered the accident in the hospital and immediately began to sweat cold beads. Memories of the hospital in town were more horrible than those in the village.

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We piled into the wagon again and Zhao Laohei turned it about, heading back to our village instead of the distant town. I sighed with relief, realizing we were heading home. It was about five o'clock when we got back to the village, but the summer was hot and we were so full from out lunch that we didn't dare play in the street. We all jumped out of the wagon together when it reached my home. The men went inside to speak with my parents, while we played in the yard.

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Zhao Yuan said she was not interested in playing our games, she took her usual charge of the situation. ”No, no, no. Your games are dumb and simple. Let’s play my game! It’s called ‘Grasping The Stones’,” She spoke each word in the title so dramatically that we could take a full breath between each. 

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Zhao Jie shrugged at me so we followed her lead. She was older. We’d never be able to beat her at our games.

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I looked towards the window and saw Master Liu, Zhao Laohei, and my parents speaking quite loudly in the spare room. I watched my mother walk out of the room very quickly and heard the door slam. I thought to ask Zhao Yuan if she knew what was going on, but Zhao Jie slapped my knee because it was my turn to grasp the stones.  

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Zhao Jie’s mother came to the door of my house and called her family to dinner. Zhao Laohei, Zhao Jie and Zhao Yuan said goodnight and began to walk home. My mother popped her head out of the door and politely invited them to eat with us. “Next time,” Zhao Laohei smiled and waved. She didn’t look too disappointed to see him go, but waved kindly at his wife and children.

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The dinner was wonderfully simple after the meat we’d had for lunch. My mom made scrambled tomatoes with eggs, braised eggplant, and pickles. There was no meat, yet Master Liu added an insane amount of spices to his food. My father and Master Liu drank over their meal and chatted about the day.

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Sun Yueying’s encounter had spread throughout our village by dinnertime. Many of the village women were gossiping at the end of the street a few houses down from us. I could see them out the kitchen window and practically hear their gasps and chatter. Master Liu followed my gaze and shook his head. “They’ll talk about ghosts for weeks without ever actually knowing what happened.” He told us.

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Sun Sheng's family had followed Master Liu’s instructions. They had told the nosier villagers that Sun Yueying was ill and it had nothing to do with ghosts.

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It wouldn’t do well to disrespect Uncle Sun’s memory and spur his spirit into anger. Sun Sheng's family had had their fill of tragedy.

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Master Liu left again after dinner, but he didn’t go to Xiao Chun’s house that night. He wandered in the village with a compass. I later found out that he would stop at the Village Head’s house for hours at a time before returning to the streets.

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People watched from within their windows and gossiped about the old master. Some said that Master Liu was looking for treasure in our village. They spun tales of a big tomb full of gold. Others whispered that Master Liu was hunting ghosts and would soon track down Xiao Chun’s mother. After all, she had run away...

​

The latter was more believable..

​

After two days, I overheard chatter between Zhao Laohei and Master Liu in the spare room. He’d never told me not to listen at the door, so I don’t think it was against the rules.

​

“I’ve made arrangements for Xiao Chun. A rich family on the outskirts of the neighboring village has agreed to let him supervise their grazing cattle in the morning. They will give him room and board, and teach him how to get by, despite his…intellect. They’ve had other farm hands of his stature before.”

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"Are they reliable?” Master Liu asked. “If Xiao Chun has a hard time with that family, the ferocious air around him won’t be expelled. There could be a drastic…”  

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Zhao Laohei cut him off, then blushed and bowed deeply, "Apologies, master. They should be reliable. They are not familiar with our village’s stories or Xiao Chun’s reputation. Nearby people said that the family treated another fool very well. Their previous farm hand was killed in a traffic accident though…” He trailed off, screwing his forehead into a knot as he considered what he’d just said.

Master Liu kept silent, probably thinking as well.

​

Zhao Laohei went on in a hurry, "If you are free tomorrow, I will drive you and Xiao Chun to them. We can have a look and if everything is okay, we can send Xiao Chun there. If not, we can find another family. All in all, this should relieve his mother’s spirit!” The man looked triumphant when he’d finished. He looked to the master for approval.

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Master Liu nodded slightly and said, "Okay. Did you find this foster family with the Village Head?"

​

Zhao Laohei agreed, "Village Head, yes”

​

Master Liu nodded again and began to speak, but apparently decided against it and ordered Zhao Laohei to return home. When the door opened it hit me in the forehead and I fell back on my butt. The old man gazed at me from his chair and asked, "Xiao Yong, do you want to go with us tomorrow?"

​

I shook my head quickly. "I’m going to pick leek flowers with Zhao Jie and Zhao Yuan."

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I had no desire to be around Xiao Chun. Although he had never caused me harm, he scared me to the bone. I thought back to him standing hunched over blood-covered hands, holding his mother’s severed head and grinning.

​

He was the ghost’s son, and I was terrified.

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Master Liu looked at me for a long time and said, "Don't worry too much lad. You’ll come with us."

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“I...”

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My brain reeled for excuses, but the master spoke eloquently, "Xiao Yong, you are part of this. If you want it to be over, I will need your help. I want you to get rid of his mother. You will come with us." Each time he said the word ‘you’, it became stronger until I heard it echoing in my mind.

​

I wanted to look around for help, but my eyes were locked onto his. I took a deep breath and thought of saving Sun Yueying. I could not refuse him.

​

Not waiting for my response, Master Liu walked past me to my parents. He told them of the next day’s plan. My parents didn't refuse him, they actually agreed with him right away. I listened from where I sat, waiting for my mother to protest, but it was my father who spoke up. He said, "Since this event is connected to Xiao Yong’s eyes, we will face it, although we don’t know why it is happening to our son. I think I should go with you tomorrow as well. I am a teacher in the village and I have many connections. I can probably get more information from them."

​

Master Liu considered my father’s words and agreed, far too quickly in my opinion. "Okay. Be warned though, Xiao Chun is a bit of a lunatic. I will not be able to take care of him on my own. Not to mention the rest of the children.

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“The rest of the children?” My father asked. “Do you mean Zhao Jie and Yuan? Are they connected to this too?”

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Master Liu must have agreed, I couldn’t see him from where I sat but I felt his head nod somehow.

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 "Yes, I expect we’ll find why she bothered these children after we get Xiao Chun settled and happy. Maybe it will calm his mother too.

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My dad nodded too. They’d made the decision for me. The next day I would be going with with Master Liu.

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