The Return of the Soul

Chapter 9

I said, "Sister, it's so pitiful that you lost your parents at such a young age. How have you managed all these years?"

She gave a cold, desolate smile and said, "That's how it will be."

I said apologetically, "Sister, I didn't know these things at the beginning of the trip and said some things I shouldn't have. Please don't take it to heart."

Leng Qingqing said, "Sister, please stop apologizing. If I held a grudge, why would I have invited you here?"

Luo Yi, who had been listening to our conversation, interjected, "Miss Leng, it seems we'll be staying here for a while. We'll inevitably have to bother you often. It's getting late, and Miss Leng must be tired, so we'll take our leave and head back to my place to see how things go before making further plans."

I also felt it wasn't appropriate for the three of us ghosts to stay overnight at their place, so I said, "Okay, then we'll be going now. Sister, you should get some rest too. We'll talk again later."

She stood up coldly to see us off, reverting to her usual aloof demeanor. She opened the door for us and said, "Then we won't see you off. Goodbye."

The three of us left through the main gate, and after a few steps we looked back. Only a dim yellow light shone through the windows of the house, and the whole house was as quiet as a haunted house.

I've only been back for one night, and it's already been so exciting and wonderful. I've witnessed a world I never imagined I could see before. There are all sorts of strange ghosts, lingering spirits, and people who can see ghosts. People often use "like a lifetime ago" to describe a past experience, but now we are truly looking back at our past life from another world. The sense of loss and pain is truly overwhelming.

We remained silent as we followed Luo Yi to the front of his villa, number one. The entrance was blocked off by two crossed white strips of paper. The court notices, printed in bold black characters on the white strips, seemed to be mourning the loss of this house.

Like Taoist priests passing through walls, we entered the superstar's house. By the light of a streetlamp outside, I surveyed this mansion, which the tabloids claimed was decorated for a million dollars. The superstar's living room was lavishly decorated, with wainscoting made of African rosewood. It's a pity that Southeast Asian rosewood was completely bought up by Chinese buyers as early as the Qing Dynasty; otherwise, there would be no need for African rosewood. A set of Rococo-style leather sofas, imported from Italy, and the lighting fixtures were also imported crystal chandeliers. The coffee table was supported by two carved wooden elephants, which were carved from Vietnamese ebony.

What defines a luxury mansion? It's about spending money like crazy. But that's not the most eye-catching part. The striking feature that made me aware of Luo Yi's mansion was the fireplace on the north wall. The fireplace in Luo Yi's living room is over 150 years old; it was brought back from the film crew of the movie "Gone with the Clouds," which had salvaged it from an old Western-style house in Shanghai. This news caused quite a stir at the time. Some said he was extravagant and dissolute, some said he was damaging cultural relics, some said he had good taste, and some said he had good vision. In short, those who liked him thought everything he did was good, while those who disliked him thought everything he did was wrong.

Luo Yi returned to his old home, his expression shifting rapidly. I couldn't guess what he was thinking, but he was definitely unhappy. He wandered around looking at things, then sat on the leather sofa, lost in thought. Being sensible, I didn't want to upset him, so I pulled my mother-in-law down to sit and whispered in her ear, "This is his home now. He lives alone. Do you think it's alright here? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

My mother-in-law whispered in my ear, "It's the same for me wherever I am."

Good, that's how she should be content with her lot. If she had been like that earlier, she wouldn't have turned into a waiting-for-husband stone. But if she didn't have someone to whom she could entrust her emotions, she wouldn't be so obedient, giving me a living example of the "three obediences and four virtues," the husband being the head of the household. She looked at Luo Yi with a completely satisfied expression, a look that made me envious. Love is everything in a woman's life. Those traditional, kind women don't necessarily need their men to reciprocate with much love; they just need to see him and stay by his side. Such women are rare in today's world; we can only see them in the past. They are like the benchmarks standing on the mountaintop, symbols of an ancient and beautiful emotion. Women have waiting-for-husband stones, men have the "tail-shaped pillar" (a symbol of longing and perseverance); both men and women have had such a simple and persistent past.

Everyone possesses something worthy of respect: the old woman, Leng Qingqing, Luo Yi, the woman in the wedding dress, Little Ma, and those persistent souls in the Ghost Realm who are relentlessly searching. I suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the profound question of life. If one must pay the price of life to unlock its secrets, then perhaps it is worthwhile.

Luo Yi snapped out of her reverie and said, "I'll take you to the guest rooms. Didn't you say my room is very big, enough for one person? Come on then."

My mother-in-law and I followed him upstairs to the second floor. There was a small open-plan living room and three bedrooms. I let my mother-in-law choose one first, and then I took the one next to hers. I asked, "Brother, where do you live?"

Luo Yi said, "I live on the third floor." Then he went up to the third floor. Wow, one person living on three floors, what a waste of resources! If I had money, I'd get a villa like that too.

I lay down on the bed in the guest room. How long had it been since I'd slept in a proper bed? The experience of this night had left me excited and disoriented, in a state of heightened arousal. Despite being exhausted, I couldn't sleep, and the events of the past few weeks flashed before my eyes like a movie. My life of the past twenty-odd years certainly couldn't compare to the excitement of my death.

I finally drifted off to sleep by morning, and as I closed my eyes, the scent of four o'clocks and white jasmine filled my dreams. You know, four o'clocks and white jasmine are not the same thing. Although four o'clocks do have white flowers and their name includes "jasmine," they are completely different from white jasmine. The only similarity is that they both bloom on summer nights, and their fragrance intensifies as the night deepens. White jasmine flowers can be strung together and worn around the neck or wrist as necklaces or bracelets, while four o'clock flowers can have their stamens stretched out and used as earrings.

There are so many games to play on a summer night: picking flowers to wear, catching fireflies, swimming, telling ghost stories. But did you know, a gentle breeze whispers of ghosts?

Once again, I saw that cursive script before my eyes: "A pillow of gentle breeze, I've heard of ghosts." Who could have written such intriguing words, and then so solemnly framed it, mounted it on silk, and hung it on the wall? These two lines must have been a joke, a private matter of personal taste. Wasn't the person worried about having guests see them? My interest in the calligraphy grew stronger. Seeing the vermilion seal in the lower right corner, I leaned closer to examine it. This time, I was lying in bed, so I wouldn't nod and break my neck, interrupting my dream-seeking journey. I leaned closer and saw clearly the small vermilion characters; engraved in small seal script were the two characters "Summer Night."

"Summer Night"? Is it the name of the person who wrote the calligraphy, a pseudonym, or just a seal?

Just as I was about to take a closer look to see if there were any signatures or closings, I heard a buzzing voice. At first, I was quite happy, thinking that the person from my dream was about to appear, but the voice was so clear that it was right next to my ear. I suddenly woke up and clearly heard someone say, "Find a cleaning company to clean the house so that it will be convenient for clients to view the property."

I jolted awake, completely waking up.

To make it easier for clients to view the property? I see, it's people from the court and the bank. They've probably investigated Luo Yi's assets and started making their move.

Hmph, is there such a good thing in the world? We three ghosts live here; would we let anyone else move in? The newcomers might have parents, grandparents, in-laws, two children, a dog, a cat, a caged hamster, and a tank of fish. Everything about them is a source of mental anguish; once they move in, we'll never have a peaceful day. Some ghosts like noise; those are mischievous and troublesome ghosts. We three, however, prefer peace and quiet; we are lonely and solitary ghosts—good ghosts.

Getting people out of a house—isn't that a ghost's specialty? I rubbed my hands together, ready to make a big splash.

Wait, I can't move anything, and I can't let anyone hear me. How am I supposed to get rid of them? Thinking this, I felt discouraged. Because of this, I forgot most of what I saw in my dream. I hurriedly went next door to comfort my mother-in-law, telling her to stay put, and said I was going upstairs to find Luo Yi. As soon as I stepped out, I saw Luo Yi coming downstairs. He nodded at me, and I asked, "Brother, what should we do?"

Luo Yi's face was terribly pale, as if shrouded in a thick fog of misfortune. He led the way downstairs, and I followed closely behind him. There were three people standing downstairs. One of them was holding a book and reading from it, listing things like the number of sofas, coffee tables, and paintings—clearly taking inventory of the assets in the house.

What does it mean to bully someone? This is what it means to bully someone. What does it mean to be unlucky? This is what it means to be unlucky.

We two unlucky souls could only watch helplessly as the debt collector wreaked havoc in Luo Yi's house, and there was nothing we could do.

A group of middle-aged women arrived shortly after, each one thick-waisted and burly, wearing small red caps and striped aprons, carrying boxes of cleaning supplies, striding in with an air of superiority. They started the vacuum cleaners, swung the feather dusters, unfurled the scouring pads, and grabbed the cleaning spray, shooing us from one corner to another, making us feel like rats in the street, our eyes darting around, unable to find a single spot they wouldn't miss.

We had nowhere to hide, nowhere to avoid it, when suddenly we heard the old lady upstairs scream. I rushed up to see what was happening and found her standing on the windowsill, clutching her head in fright. The cleaning lady was diligently vacuuming the bed where the old lady was sleeping. I went over, grabbed her, pulled her down from the windowsill, and led her to the third floor. They hadn't reached the third floor yet; it was temporarily safe. I asked, "What happened? Were you scared?"

The mother-in-law, still shaken, said, "I was lying in bed when I saw that demon trying to shovel me with a crescent shovel. Just as I was about to dodge, I felt like I was going to be sucked into the crescent shovel. What kind of strange weapon is that? It's so powerful! It can not only shovel, but also suck me in."

Damn it, so vacuum cleaners can also catch ghosts. I patted her on the back and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, just stay with me." Looking at Luo Yi who followed me up, I said, "Brother, this won't work, we need to think of something."

Luo Yi gritted his teeth and said with a livid face, "Well, I'll go find Brother Ma tonight."

I glanced at him, and with a soft "ooh," I fainted. Before I passed out, I vaguely thought, "So this is what a blue-faced, fanged ghost is like."

Photo Magic

In the Victorian era, occasional fainting spells were a symbol of nobility for women. Their waists and breasts were compressed by corsets and bodices, making them appear flat and slender. Their lung capacity was insufficient, leading to inadequate oxygen intake and fainting spells. Of course, it's possible some women deliberately fainted to feign a slim waist, appear delicate, or attract men's attention. But I was different. Due to a congenital heart condition, I would faint after strenuous exercise, causing me considerable trouble in life. However, things have been much better since my death. I haven't had a fainting spell since, and this is the first time I've had one since becoming a ghost.

I slowly woke up to find Luo Yi's bluish face and my mother-in-law's pale face before me. They were both looking at me with great concern. Seeing that I was awake, my mother-in-law patted her chest, and Luo Yi said, "Why did you faint?"

I couldn't very well say that I was frightened by your face, so I could only say weakly, "I don't know, could it be a relapse of an old illness?"

Luo Yi said irritably, "He's already dead, how could his old illness relapse?"

His mother-in-law rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't forget, she's pregnant, so of course she gets tired easily."

Men are just careless and insensitive; it's women who know how to feel heartache. I held my mother-in-law's hand and said with utmost sorrow, "Sister, my life is so bitter." If I had tears, I would have cried down the Great Wall and flooded Jinshan Temple long ago.

My mother-in-law stroked the back of my hand and said, "Daughter, this is fate." She was saddened with me.

Luo Yi was about to lose his temper after being teased by the two of us women. He stormed out of the room, and I slowly sat up and looked around the room.

This is an audiovisual room, filled with a huge pile of gleaming audiovisual equipment and thousands of CDs. Thick double-layered curtains are drawn, making the room dark. Beneath me is a waterbed. Yes, a waterbed. For a time, waterbeds were incredibly popular; sellers touted them as unparalleled, warm in winter and cool in summer, offering health benefits, relaxation, and more, all at exorbitant prices. I once saw one in a shopping mall, lay down on it to try it out, rocked back and forth, and thought it was really nice. I thought to myself, someday I'll get one and sleep on it. But it turns out I won't actually get to sleep on one until today.

Why put a waterbed in the home theater? What a waste. Two sofas would be enough. Or...? I didn't dare think any further, quickly stopping myself. Looking at the DVDs on the wall, I realized Luo Yi was actually quite diligent, watching DVDs in his spare time to learn and improve his acting. Lying on a waterbed watching movies—isn't this the life I've always wanted? Luo Yi really knows how to enjoy life.

Just as we were about to go over and see what kind of videos he had, we heard the older women coming up to the third floor. My mother-in-law and I quickly left and went down to the first floor, where it had already been cleaned. The three debt collectors were sitting on three leather sofas, talking about something. Luo Yi was sitting next to the man with the book, tilting his head and looking at the contents of his book.

Luo Yi sat there, looking completely normal, not at all like a ghost, yet I found it amusing. A human and a ghost sharing a room, sitting in the same chair, and even reading the same document. Hearing me laugh, Luo Yi asked, "Feeling better?"

I said, "I'm much better now, I'm fine. What are you looking at? What's written on it?"

Luo Yi said, “They not only recorded how much stuff was in the house, but also gave an estimate for each item. The sofa was less than half the original price, the fireplace had increased by 20%, and the coffee table had doubled in price. Apparently, the price of wood had risen quite a bit this year.” He spoke without any emotion, but I could clearly see resentment in his eyes.

I chuckled and changed the subject, saying, "Brother, then we have a business goal for our company: we'll specialize in importing top-quality timber and then selling it to furniture factories. Every piece of precious timber we cut down is one less available; we can't let others gain the upper hand."

Luo Yi smirked, indicating he understood my joke, but didn't respond. The three men were also chatting about gas and grain prices, how SUVs were no longer viable due to the high cost, and the odd-even license plate restrictions, suggesting they should buy two cars—truly bizarre ideas. Luo Yi seemed to agree, and I noticed he almost chimed in several times, opening his mouth but then closing it again.

In the past, this was probably something he often said, right? Now, all he can do is listen. Compared to what my mother-in-law and I said earlier, it's normal that he feels bored. I feel sorry for him once again.

The three were chatting happily when someone got up and went to get a bottle of wine. The three of them actually clinked glasses, praising the house's grandeur while gossiping about the owner and envying his popularity with women. This infuriated Luo Yi. Out of respect for Luo Yi, I won't repeat those unreliable stories.

In short, after listening to their words, Luo Yi became even more determined to become a master of the underworld like Little Ma, possessing superpowers and able to do whatever he wanted. Alas, this is how people embark on a path of no return. Who is born to be a gangster? They're just envious of others' lavish lifestyles. But most people only see the thief eating meat, not the thief getting beaten. If there were devils waiting to buy souls, they wouldn't need advertising; everyone would line up eagerly, afraid of being left out.

After the older women finished cleaning, the three men left, locked the door, and the house became quiet again, except for the sound of the refrigerator whirring. The auction house representative said that on such a hot day, it would be so welcoming for clients to come in with a glass of ice water. The two men nodded, saying he was very thoughtful; people who care so much about their clients are rare. I rolled my eyes. To me, he was clearly thinking of himself, so that next time he stepped in from outside, there would be ice water to drink.

They hadn't drawn the living room curtains when they left, and the setting sun shone through the west-facing window, refracting the sunlight into the room, making it sparkle brilliantly. I was just about to say that this was my first day back in the human world when I felt like my whole body was about to split open. Luo Yi and her mother-in-law also had expressions of extreme pain on their faces.

Luo Yi woke up with a start, pointed to a window that was so clean it looked like there was nothing there, and said, "Oh no, the sun."

We stared, our faces pale, at the spotless living room. From the floor to the windows, from the tabletop to the walls, everything gleamed, as if polished with Pledge. Pledge's advertising is good, and Pledge products are good too—the waxy finish keeps everything looking brand new.

And they are all deadly weapons that kill souls without drawing blood.

And we are about to be annihilated by such intense light.

Before the first ray of light pierced through a grove of trees and hurt our eyes like a sword, we were already screaming in pain, as if we were passing through a black river once again, with light and shadow slowly tearing at our souls.

Pale shadows, we huddled together and hurriedly fled back to our original room, shrinking under the thick curtains, trembling with fear, sleeping soundly during the day.

I had almost forgotten how helpless it is to be a ghost.

But it's not that I forgot; it's that I never even considered it. How could I have thought of this when I was a human? How could I have thought of this before I returned to the human world? There's no sun there. I was having so much fun last night that I didn't even think about it. If Luo Yi's house hadn't been built deep in the woods, surrounded by thick, dense trees that blocked most of the sunlight, the three of us would probably be nothing but steam by now.

Lying in the dimly lit room, I was still gripped by lingering fear. If I hadn't run so fast, I don't know what would have become of me. I suddenly remembered the movie *The Visit to the Vampire*. Near the end, the woman, holding the precocious little girl, was at the bottom of a deep well, when a beam of sunlight shattered them into pieces. The cement-like face and body, the dust after the hammer blow, played in slow motion, repeating before my eyes again and again. That movie could easily be considered a horror film.

I don't know how they both adjusted their mindset; at that moment, I only cared about myself. I hugged my body, curled up in a sleeping position like a baby. Was I only safe when I returned to the womb?

Living or dying, it's all the same torment.

The Danish prince and Bill both famously said, "To be or not to be, that is the question." This same question perplexes me today. If I choose to live on Earth, destruction is inevitable. My heart is so heavy, my thoughts so numerous, a thousand threads swirling in my mind. Before the sun can slay me with its lightsaber, I'll be strangled by my own thoughts.

I started counting sheep slowly. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... Why did it have to be sheep? Why not cows, horses, dogs, or cats? Whatever I counted, self-hypnosis was still somewhat effective. After counting to over a hundred sheep for what felt like the umpteenth time, I finally fell asleep.

The fragrance of jasmine grew stronger in my sleep, and I gradually calmed down in this fragrance, stopped dreaming, and slept soundly for a long time.

The fragrance after I woke up became a memory, leaving me somewhat melancholy. I lingered in bed for a while longer, turned over, and felt like I was still a whole soul. I got up and wandered around for a bit, still quite agile, which confirmed that I was still perfectly fine.

Concerned about my mother-in-law, who was innocently dragged into this mess by us, I was so focused on healing my own injuries that I didn't even check on her. Thankfully, when she saw me, she immediately asked, "Are you alright? Are you feeling better?"

I felt embarrassed and quickly said, "It's alright, it's alright. Luckily we dodged quickly. For our safety, the most important thing right now is to learn some practical skills so we can start working as soon as possible. At least we need to know how to draw the curtains, and secondly, how to throw a cup at someone." I had this idea in the afternoon when the three of them were drinking Luo Yi's wine.

My mother-in-law laughed at what I said, and the two of us went to the living room to wait for Luo Yiguang. Sitting in the living room, looking at the west-facing window that had almost killed us, the sun had long since set, and the streetlights were on. Judging by this, it must be after eight or nine o'clock. Perfect, the night is still young, just in time for ghosts to roam.

A little while later, Luo Yi came down, his complexion having recovered about 70-80%. I remembered how we had shared joys and sorrows in the Ghost Realm, overcoming countless hardships together, only to encounter such a devastating disaster on our first day back in the human world. In a moment of impulse, I choked back tears and rushed forward to hug him, calling out, "Big Brother, Big Brother." I wanted to cry. I couldn't cry in front of my mother-in-law; she needed me to comfort her. I could only cry in front of my brother.

My older brother is truly amazing. He put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, we've overcome another hurdle. We'll get through all the trials and tribulations." He then wrapped his arm around my mother-in-law as well, and the three of us felt like we had escaped a disaster. Then he said, "Let's go. We have to find Brother Ma no matter what, otherwise, we'll just be left with nothing but the pain of being beaten."

A gentle breeze whispers of you

The three of us went out and first checked on Leng Qingqing. Her house was dark; she probably hadn't returned, or maybe she was avoiding us. Who could stand drinking with a ghost every night? But without her, how were we going to get into town? Walk? Or hitch a ride? The latter seemed more likely, so we wandered around the Roman Gardens, looking for someone who wanted to go into town. We actually spotted someone! The person was on their cell phone, loudly saying, "At Fisherman's Wharf? Okay, I'm coming right now. Wait for me. Order your food, I'll be there soon." We exchanged a smile, secretly praising Little Ma's resourcefulness—the restaurant was so popular, someone was going all that way to eat there.

We followed behind him, about to get into the car, when suddenly we heard barking. A small, snow-white poodle with a beautifully trimmed coat and a pink bow on its head rushed towards us like an arrow. My mother-in-law and I screamed in fright and hid behind the man. Luo Yi raised his foot to kick it, but of course, he was powerless. The cute little white dog seemed to have a pair of incredibly perceptive eyes, barking fiercely at us without actually stopping. We hid behind the man, trembling with fear.

Once again, I'm speechless, questioning the heavens. A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs; a phoenix with its feathers plucked is worse than a chicken. To be a ghost is such a miserable thing; a vacuum cleaner can suck you up, sunlight can kill you, and even a small dog can bully you. There is no more tragic thing in the world than this.

Annoyed by the little white dog's barking, the man, like Luo Yi, kicked it, followed by a painful cry as the dog bit his calf. He shook his leg frantically, trying to shake off the stubborn dog, yelling and cursing, "Whose dog is this? Whose dog is this? Is it a stray?"

Before the barking stopped, a middle-aged woman rushed out, holding a rope, and shouted, "Baby, let go! Be good, baby, or Mommy will get angry! Baby!" She grabbed the leash, put it around the dog's neck, and pulled hard. The man screamed in agony as his calf was covered in blood and gore, and he turned pale with pain.

The woman screamed in fright, pointed at the little white dog, and scolded, "Bad baby, who taught you to bite? Eating unclean things will make your stomach upset. Have you forgotten what I taught you before?" The little white dog, scolded by its owner, let out a pitiful "woof," lay down, put its paws over its eyes, and lowered its head to admit its mistake.

The man flew into a rage, grabbed the woman, and said, "Your dog bit someone, and you're saying it's unclean and will give you diarrhea? Am I unclean? Has your stray dog been vaccinated against rabies? Come on, let's go to the police station, I'm going to report this. Ouch, it hurts so much, my god, take me to the hospital first."

The woman said menacingly, "How dare you say my baby is a stray dog? My baby is of pure blood, I have a certificate. You're slandering my baby's reputation, I'll sue you for defamation."

The two started arguing, attracting a crowd of onlookers. We withdrew from the fray, dejected. We'd been having a great ride, like a private car, but who knew I'd run into this mess? We had no choice but to find another way.

Once we left the Roman Gardens, we were on the main road. A bus was driving by, and after looking at the route, I said, "Let's take this one. The 911 bus goes to City Square, and then we can transfer to the 13 bus at the same stop to get to Fisherman's Wharf. We don't even have to walk."

Luo Yi glanced at me with grief and indignation, and I burst into laughter. Nothing could be more helpless, more sorrowful, more infuriating, or more laughable as this today.

I tried to make a joke of it and asked, "Brother, how long has it been since you last rode a bus?" I helped my mother-in-law sit down on a bench under the bus shelter. At this time, no one else was out, and the shelter was empty. "Haven't you ridden a bus since you were 20?"

Luo Yi ignored my teasing and sat down, staring blankly at the cars passing by. After a short while, the 911 bus stopped in front of us, and some people got off. I quickly helped my mother-in-law onto the bus, and even though Luo Yi was unhappy, she had no choice but to follow.

The bus wasn't crowded; it was past rush hour, and there were empty seats. I let my mother-in-law sit down and explained how the bus worked. She listened intently, saying it was a great idea. I nodded in agreement, then glanced up and saw a man standing by a seat in front of me. A female student with a ponytail, who looked no more than fifteen, was sitting there, while the man looked to be in his thirties. I wondered why he wasn't sitting; there was an empty chair right behind him. These days, it's common for adult men to fight with the elderly, women, and children for seats; it was strange that he didn't sit down when he had a seat. Thinking about this, I couldn't help but take another look.

What I saw almost made me explode with rage. That pervert had his genitals pressed tightly against the girl's arms and shoulders, seeking pleasure with the car's bumps! The girl was engrossed in reading on an MP4 player, not even looking up. When she noticed something touching her, she simply moved aside, but the pervert rubbed even closer. I was furious. Without thinking, I jumped up and slapped him across the face.

"Smack!"

The slap was deafeningly loud. The sleazy man, caught off guard and slapped out of nowhere, was terrified, looking around in confusion. Overjoyed, I pressed my advantage and delivered another slap, which also made a crisp "smack" sound.

I succeeded; I gained the ability. It turns out all energy originates from within. The sayings like "a cornered dog will jump over a wall," "a duck will climb a shelf," and "a rabbit will bite when cornered" are all true. Even with a tiger chasing you, anyone can climb Mount Everest. When people are desperate and angry, they are capable of anything and can unleash their full potential.