Her hands, stained with the scent of smoked wax from holding cigarette filters, were even more pungent with the habitual soaking in white vinegar for skincare.
Standing nearby one could smell it, and if brought close to the nostrils, that powerful scent might even awaken someone from a faint.
Liu Jinxia took a moment to assess and then asked, "Guiying, did you call for help?"
"I did, I did." Cui Guiying immediately brought over a bowl used for holding needles submerged in water and cried out in fright, "Ah!"
Not only had the needles inside the bowl rusted, but they were covered in red rust, spreading a halo around them at the bottom.
Upon seeing this, Li Juxiang quickly approached her mother to describe the scene.
After hearing the description, Liu Jinxia took a deep breath and said with a serious tone, "My dear, your child has been cursed."
"Ah?" Cui Guiying was frightened again and quickly pleaded, "Save him, please save him. My daughter's only child, I can't let anything happen to him while he's in my care."
With that, Cui Guiying took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and handed it to Liu Jinxia.
Liu Jinxia pushed it away and sighed.
"You smoke first, we'll compensate you the tip money later..."
Liu Jinxia cut off Cui Guiying's words: "I won't take anything from your family, can't take it, too hot to handle."
"But sister, don't say that, my child..."
Liu Jinxia turned to her own daughter with a bitter smile, "Did you hear that? It's the son of your Uncle Han's favorite young lady."
"It's Li Lan's son." Li Juxiang paused before adding, "Li Lan used to, she was very close to me."
Li Lan was Li Zhiyuan's mother.
Back then, villagers believed Liu Jinxia's family was jinxed, and parents cautioned their children not to play with Li Juxiang, hence her childhood was lonely. She couldn't run around and visit other kids like they did, for she would be met with scorn from the adults there.
Li Lan didn't care about that and often invited her to play together, a camaraderie that lasted until Li Lan went to college and left the village.
Liu Jinxia closed her eyes in silence.
Li Juxiang, looking at Li Zhiyuan, said to Cui Guiying, "This child is really good-looking, resembles Li Lan a lot."
Cui Guiying acknowledged and her attention remained fixated on Liu Jinxia, uncertain whether Liu Jinxia was truly refusing or just making excuses.
Li Juxiang continued, "Cui Cui mentioned the day before yesterday that she has a brother called Little Yuanhou who gave her chocolates and collected stones with her by the stream."
Li Juxiang was ostracized in her childhood, not to mention her daughter Li Cuicui now, who could only watch other children play together from a distance.
Cuicui didn't dare approach. If she did, the kids would say their parents forbid them from playing with her, and then they'd scatter.
Two days ago, Cuicui came home delighted, saying that a very handsome brother played with her all afternoon and gave her chocolate, despite the other children telling him not to play with her.
Liu Jinxia opened her eyes, looking helpless and heartbroken at her daughter, and then turned to Cui Guiying:
"Little sister, let's lay down the honest truth."
"Usually, out of twenty cases, fifteen're just nonsense, with me going through the motions to give folks some peace of mind.
Among the remaining five, four may seem like something, but in the end, it's nothing.
So, at most, there is just one that's messy, but it's not hard to clean up.
I won't take your money, firstly because your man genuinely helped my daughter and me, and I can't accept your money; secondly, the usual walking-through fee doesn't need to be taken for something ."
"But you, what about my child, sister, you must save him."
"I'll help him." Liu Jinxia smiled and said, "Get me some incense ash from the stove."
Local earthen stoves usually have several niches, with one typically at the back of the stove where the Stove God is affixed, and a small incense burner is placed in the niche.
Cui Guiying took down the incense burner and handed it to Liu Jinxia.
Liu Jinxia took a handful of incense ash and murmured incantations while holding it in her hand.
Though incomprehensible, she murmured for quite a while.
Liu Jinxia: "Cover him up well."
Before Cui Guiying could understand, Li Juxiang quickly covered Li Zhiyuan's mouth and nose with her hands.
Liu Jinxia smeared incense ash over the child's neck and shoulders, rubbing it as if applying prickly heat powder.
But gradually, a frightening scene unfolded, Cui Guiying covered her mouth in shock.
For she saw two purple marks appearing on her grandson's shoulders, looking strikingly like the imprints of two palms!
Liu Jinxia: "This is fierce... daughter, let's start."
Li Juxiang answered, went out to get some items from the tricycle, brought back an empty bowl and a writing brush, poured ink into the bowl, then pulled a red thread from her pocket, which looked like yarn for knitting, but on unraveling exuded a metallic smell, leaving red traces on Li Juxiang's palm.
Next, Li Juxiang tied one end of the thread to her wrist, and the other end to Li Zhiyuan's wrist, and stood back some distance.
Liu Jinxia dipped the brush in ink then started drawing circles on Li Zhiyuan's forehead constantly while continuing to murmur phrases.
At first, everything was normal, nothing happened.
But as Liu Jinxia spoke faster and moved her hands more quickly, the red thread began to tremble.