By the time I got home, it was already afternoon. The rain was still falling, a light drizzle, but enough to soak my clothes. I had no choice but to change into something dry.

　　As I looked around the empty house, a wave of unfamiliarity washed over me.

　　Through the window, I could see the jujube tree that Grandpa had planted in the yard. It swayed in the wind and rain, just like the turmoil in my heart.

　　Grandpa was gone, and I still couldn’t come to terms with it.

　　I stood there, staring blankly for a long while before finally deciding to make some porridge. I paired it with a yellow wheat bun and some pickles—just enough to keep me going—then started tidying up the house.

　　Even though not many people attended Grandpa’s funeral, Wang Chunsheng made sure it was done right. Everything that needed to be there was there. After all, when it comes to honoring the dead, you can’t be careless.

　　I got lost in cleaning, and before I knew it, evening had fallen. The rain was still coming down. I dragged a wooden chair to the doorway, leaned against the doorframe, and listened to the rain, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep.

　　There’s still some joss paper left in the house, but not much.

　　Thinking back, Liu Guoxing’s advice might not have been so far-fetched after all. Joss paper is made from the wood chips of Chinese scholar trees; it’s rough and very thin.

　　There’s an old saying that the Chinese scholar tree connects with the spirit world—otherwise, why would the character for "ghost" include the word for "Wood"? If you look at it that way, maybe his method might actually work.There’s just one thing I can’t wrap my head around—why did he say others couldn’t see it, but I could?

　　That night, I eventually drifted off, half-asleep, half-awake. When I opened my eyes again, it was already broad daylight, but the rain was still gently tapping against the windows.

　　I got up and was just about to move the wooden chair when I heard someone approaching. Looking out, I saw Wu Changgui, holding an umbrella in one hand and a bag in the other, trudging toward me in his rain boots.

　　“Grandpa Wu, what brings you here?” I quickly went out to greet him.

　　“Stay inside, Gouwa! It’s raining—don’t get soaked!” he called out.

　　So, we both headed back into the house.

　　“Why’d you come all this way in the rain, Grandpa Wu?”

　　As he closed his umbrella, he replied, “It’s nothing, just a light rain. Who knows how long it’ll keep up, though.”

　　He placed the umbrella by the door and then turned to look at me.

　　“Gouwa, don’t hold it against your old Grandpa Wu. My wife, well, she doesn’t always think before she speaks.”

　　I smiled, knowing he was talking about Grandma Wu.

　　“Don’t worry, Grandpa Wu. It’s all good—I promise!”

　　Only then did he smile back, setting the bag he brought on the table."Your Grandma Wu made you something to eat. Heat it up when you get home, then eat it."

　　"Okay."

　　He pulled out a stack of cash from his pocket and handed it to me.

　　"Gouwa, Grandpa Wu doesn't have much to offer you, but take this money. If it's not enough, come back to me."

　　I looked at the bills—there must have been thirty or forty yuan, about a month's wages for one person.

　　"I don't want it. Grandpa always said, 'Taking someone's money ties your hands, eating their food ties your mouth.' Don't worry, Grandpa Wu, I can take care of myself!" Without a second thought, I pushed the money back to him.

　　"You stubborn kid, just think of it as a loan from Grandpa Wu, alright? Hurry up and take it!" He tried to stuff the money into my pocket.

　　I stepped back and pushed it away again. "No, I said no, and I mean it!"

　　Seeing how determined I was, Wu Changgui sighed. He knew how stubborn I could be, so he didn't press the issue.

　　"You're really something... Alright, but if you ever run into trouble, you have to come find Grandpa Wu, got it?"

　　"Mm-hmm."

　　After Wu Changgui left, the rain gradually stopped, and I went back to tidying up the house.Even though Grandpa was gone, his house remained. I told myself I had to make the best of it. I still had the house and some land he left me. Even though I was young, I figured I could grow something to support myself.

　　On top of that, I’d recently taken on a new mentor, Liu Guoxing. If I could learn some skills from him, my future would be more secure.

　　My thoughts were straightforward—I didn’t have any other complicated plans.

　　The next day arrived quickly. I went out to buy paper and candles, preparing for Grandpa’s soul-returning night.

　　What struck me as odd was that everyone I passed no longer pointed at me or spoke unkindly. Instead, they were silent, and I could even sense a hint of fear in their eyes.

　　“What’s going on? Could they be frightened by those five Immortals?”

　　People had only ever heard of the five Immortals of the Northeast; no one had actually seen them, let alone watched them stand like humans. Their appearance seemed intended to clear a path for me, ensuring Grandpa’s burial went smoothly.

　　But I didn’t have time to ponder it. I had to focus on preparing for Grandpa’s soul-returning night, so I hurried home with the things I’d bought.

　　Before I knew it, the evening of the seventh day after Grandpa’s death had arrived.I spread the package paper out on the ground early, and as the sun began to set, I set it alight. I also lit two white candles facing west.

　　Kneeling on the ground, I used a wooden stick to stir the burning paper, watching as it gradually turned to ash and left a pile of gray fragments. Normally, these ashes would be discarded, but tonight they were essential.

　　Standing up, I glanced westward. The sun had already set, and darkness was falling. Next, I needed to scatter the ashes on the floor. Liu Guoxing had instructed me to spread a thin layer of ash—nothing too thick.

　　I grabbed an old aluminum basin, carefully transferred all the ashes into it, and then gently sprinkled them across the floor. After a few steps, I had covered the area by the door and the entrance with a generous layer of ashes.

　　I let out a sigh of relief, noticing I had started to sweat. Looking up, I saw that it was now dark.

　　Tonight was Grandpa’s soul-returning night.

　　As I sat in the room, I felt a mix of anxiety and hope. “Will I really be able to see Grandpa?”I whispered to myself, still unsure about Liu Guoxing’s words. This kind of thing was too mysterious, especially his remark, “Others cannot, but you can.” I was left confused, not fully grasping what he meant.

　　The little clock on the table ticked away, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep with my head resting on the desk. I woke to a faint sound and, groggily rubbing my eyes, saw that it was already past midnight. Instantly, I was alert. Midnight was when Grandpa was supposed to arrive!

　　I quickly got up and scanned the room. Everything was calm and there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Was Grandpa still on his way, or had he already arrived and I just couldn’t see him?

　　Uncertain, I continued to wait. As the minutes passed and midnight came and went, there was still no sign of anything. I leaned against the doorframe and looked outside. The night was eerily quiet, with the moonlight casting a bright, clear glow on the ground.

　　“Could Liu Guoxing be a fraud?” I wondered, starting to doubt him and considering going back inside.

　　Just then, I heard a faint crackling sound. It was so subtle that it would have gone unnoticed in any other setting but the stillness of the night.

　　I looked up quickly, but everything still seemed normal. Was I imagining things?

　　Sighing, I lowered my head, only to see something astonishing. Footprints had appeared in the ashes!

　　The crackling noise was coming from those very footprints. I realized it was the sound of someone walking through the ashes!

　　I jumped to my feet, following the footprints to the door. Grandpa had indeed arrived at the entrance!

　　“Grandpa!” I cried, rushing into his arms.

　　Grandpa, startled that I could see him, asked, “Gouwa, you can see me?”