After Cui Cui stepped back, the old lady resumed her previous posture.
"Nanny Liu, I'll be leaving first then!"
Niu Fu's voice, full of vigour, emanated from inside, showing no signs of the hoarseness that had been there before.
He walked into the hall, his gaze sweeping over the two children who were still inside without any particular reaction, and headed towards the door.
"Grandfather..." Li Zhiyuan raised his hand towards the corner of the wall, that is, towards the washbasin on the shelf next to him, "Wash hands."
Cui Cui wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and said with a smile: "Grandfather, wash your hands before you leave, to dispel the bad luck."
After speaking, Cui Cui lowered her head and looked at her toes. Brother Yuanhou also thinks his home is filled with bad luck?
She was already accustomed to this and wouldn't normally see it as a big deal, but for some reason, she felt very sensitive today.
"Oh, okay, let's wash then."
Niu Fu retracted his foot from the threshold and walked towards the washbasin to wash his hands.
Li Zhiyuan felt the chill on his shoulders gradually fade away, his body feeling both relieved and a bit weak.
Niu Fu's back visibly began to hunch again.
Li Juxiang helped Liu Jinxia come out and said, "I'll walk you out."
"No need to be so polite, I'm leaving, see you."
After washing his hands, Niu Fu tried to reach for the cloth on the shelf to wipe them, but found it just out of reach. After shaking his hands, he clasped them behind his waist and sidestepped slowly over the threshold.
Li Juxiang looked puzzled, as if something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She went to the washbasin intending to change the water, but when she saw the contents of the basin, her expression froze:
The banana leaves in this washbasin had become extremely thin strips, so delicate and uniform that no one could have torn them by hand.
Most importantly, the water in the basin had turned black!
Li Juxiang quickly walked back to her mother's side and whispered to her.
Liu Jinxia looked at her daughter in shock, then turned to look outside.
By that time, Niu Fu had finally stepped over the threshold and was out on the courtyard;
Li Zhiyuan finally recovered from his moment of weakness. He approached Liu Jinxia, pointing at Niu Fu's retreating figure and told her:
"Nanny, he has something on his back..."
Liu Jinxia immediately covered the child's mouth with both hands.
The smell of these hands was so overwhelming that Li Zhiyuan's eyes stung with tears.
Outside, Niu Fu paused momentarily, half turning, his eyes gleaming meaningfully before he continued on his way.
Only after he had left the courtyard and walked a distance did Liu Jinxia release the hands covering the child's mouth.
Li Zhiyuan took several deep breaths before speaking: "Nanny, was there something on the grandfather's back?"
Liu Jinxia leaned her face close to Li Zhiyuan and asked in a lowered voice, "Little Yuanhou, did you see something?"
Li Zhiyuan shook his head.
He truly hadn't seen anything, it was just a feeling.
Liu Jinxia furrowed her brows and asked, "Little Yuanhou, did Sanjiang visit your home last night?"
"Nanny, I fell asleep, I don't know."
Liu Jinxia laughed and nodded her head, not pressing the question further, but said earnestly: "Little Yuanhou, remember what your granny tells you."
"Please tell me, granny."
"Some things, even if you see them, you must never show it in front of them. If they know you can see them, they might... cling to you."
Li Zhiyuan nodded vigorously: "Granny, I'll remember."
"Okay, go eat with Cui Cui."
Li Zhiyuan walked over to Cui Cui, who looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Cui Cui, let's go eat."
The little girl's face lighted up with a smile once more.
After the two children entered the kitchen, Liu Jinxia sat on a chair in the hall with a grave expression.
"Mom?" Li Juxiang held the washbasin in her hand, "Did Little Yuanhou really see something?"
"Sometimes, to see something, you don't necessarily need to use your eyes."
"We probably have to ask Sanjiang about that. Heaven knows what kind of tricks he has been playing with."
"Ah, I hope the child will be alright, I really like him."
"Oh." Liu Jinxia looked at her daughter with a smirk, "What, taken a liking, want to take him as your son-in-law?"
"Mom, stop joking, I couldn't possibly have such thoughts, he's the son of Lanhou."
This time, Liu Jinxia didn't chide her daughter for "undervaluing" herself but comforted her: "That girl Lanhou, she has been clever since she was a child, and her son is even more precocious. So, he's really not suitable to be a son-in-law."
Li Juxiang laughed at this, asking: "Mom, listen to yourself, talking nonsense, being smart is a fault now?"
"Girl, you don't understand.
Have you ever seen a child who was harassed by evil spirits and fell into a coma yesterday, and is today coming out hand in hand with others as if nothing happened?
Do you think he doesn't know about what happened at Big Beard's house, do you believe his words that he slept through last night knowing nothing?
Ha, just now, here, he saw the unclean again, and now he can sit down and continue to eat without a ripple.
This child is not just smart; he has quickly figured out what situation he is in and can adjust himself accordingly.
Even for such... ghostly matters,
It's just that he's still young now and has a child's tenderness;
When he's grown up, living with someone like him will be really quite boring, for with just one look, he can see right through you, and you'll have no secrets from him."