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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, I asked my mother about the gift Grandpa had left for me. At first, she couldn't recall, but after Dad reminded her, she said, "It seems Grandpa did mention leaving a gift for you to be given on your 25th birthday, but I don't know what it is. He just said it in passing, and you see, I can't remember either."
"Did he mention anything about a bank or something like that?"
"Bank?" Mom pondered for a moment. "He seemed to say that someone would call me or something. At that time, I thought since Dad was around, I didn’t need to remember anything. Who would have thought that now—"
Seeing her eyes redden again, I quickly comforted her, "Mom, don’t think too much about it. Grandpa wouldn’t want to see us like this from up there. Death is the end of a life; those who remain should live better so that those who have left can rest easy, right? So we should live happily every day. Grandpa would be very pleased."
Although I said that, I still cried when I turned away. Among all my elders, my relationship with Grandpa was the closest. He always protected me whenever I made mistakes and was the only one who patiently listened to my endless chatter. Now that he had suddenly left us, I felt powerless as his granddaughter to protect him. That sense of regret was deeply buried in my heart.
"Don't think too much," Jun Chong said as he held me close, affectionately stroking my hair. "Just take this time to rest and don’t think about anything else."
"But what about the safe?" Letting Jun Chong wipe away my tears, I mumbled, "Do we really have to wait for the bank to call Mom? That’s more than a year away! Or maybe we could try to find Grandpa's spirit? During the seventh day after his passing."
Jun Chong was silent for a moment. "Zombies dissipate; they usually vanish along with their spirits." He looked at me with difficulty. "So the chances are slim, but I can try to look for him. Since your grandpa knew about Ghost Marriage, he must be worried about you; perhaps some lingering thoughts remain. Leave this matter to me!"
I nodded, knowing that Jun Chong's words were mostly meant to comfort me and give me hope. I didn’t say much more; the next few days were dedicated to Grandpa's funeral. Although there was no body, we still erected a ceremonial mound for him.
As I took one last look at Grandpa's portrait at the cemetery, I wiped my tears away and said, "Grandpa, from now on I'll be strong and endure more things. So please don’t worry too much about Ghost Marriage; everything will develop positively, and I will surely live a long life."
At that moment, I just wanted to give myself a hopeful belief. Little did I know that many things afterward would distance me from those four words, but I would still walk forward bravely—for Jun Chong, for myself, and for the baby in my womb.
"It's going to be traffic on the way back; if anyone needs to use the restroom, hurry up."
Uncle called out from over there. Since we had rented a large vehicle for the trip, we were all going back together. Mom asked if I wanted to go; I shook my head and leaned against the car window in a daze.
This cemetery had only been developed a few years ago; it was lush and green with an excellent environment. Because of its good location, many people had come early to reserve plots.
Uncle had also reserved one early because he saw that Grandpa was getting older. Unexpectedly, less than six months later, Grandpa passed away. He felt very guilty; Uncle, who was usually very proper and composed, had red eyes from crying and kept saying he had cursed Grandpa's death.
I stared blankly at the grass, when suddenly I noticed a white figure rustling in the bushes by the fence. Two triangular ears twitched, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
Out of nowhere, a fierce large dog charged towards the White Little Thing. The little creature tried to escape, but it seemed to have injured its hind leg and was limping. The big dog, taking advantage of its weakness, closed in on it, pawing at the small thing.
Since it was just a Grass Dog, no one paid attention. I had always liked puppies but had never owned one. So when I saw that big dog bullying the injured puppy, I rushed out of the car, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it at the large dog.
The big dog had been fierce at first, but when its owner arrived, it slinked away with its tail between its legs. Before leaving, it barked a few times at the little creature hidden in the grass.
Once the big dog was gone, I stepped through the fence and approached the white little thing. It turned out to be a puppy.
It was trembling all over, crouched on the ground with its triangular ears perked up. Its front paws were on the ground while its body arched backward, making soft whimpering sounds as if it were on guard yet powerless.
I noticed its pure white fur was even whiter than that of a Shiba Inu. It was Little, with round black eyes and a tiny round nose. Its fur was fluffy, resembling that of a Silver Fox Dog.
There were red stains on the fur of its hind leg, indicating it might really be hurt. I reached out my hand and smiled gently, saying, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. You're injured; let me help you bandage it."
The little creature backed away as it looked at me. I continued, "I promise I'm not a bad person. Your leg is seriously hurt and needs immediate attention. I just want to help you."
Seeing that the little one still regarded me with suspicion, I sighed helplessly and stood up to find out who its owner was. Such a pure-furred puppy must belong to someone; surely its owner would be worried sick.
"Wait here; I'll go find your owner," I said with a slight smile as I grasped the fence to step out. However, in my distraction, I accidentally scraped my hand on a bamboo stalk above me, causing blood to trickle down from the cut. I quickly bit my lip to stop the bleeding.
The little creature sniffed the air and took a few steps forward, extending its tongue to lick away the drop of blood that had fallen onto the grass. Instantly, its dark pupils sparkled with red for a moment before disappearing.
Suddenly feeling something unusual at my feet, I looked down to see it pressed closely against my leg, its front paw resting on my calf. Its shiny black eyes were fixed on me, glimmering with hope.
"Do you want to trust me?"
"Whimper." It made a gurgling sound, but stayed close to me. I felt a surge of joy and crouched down to pick it up. It offered no resistance, instead snuggling into my embrace, its wet tongue licking the injured spot on my hand.
"I'll take care of your wound first."
I carried it outside, where my mother was calling for me. I ran over and said, "Mom, I found a puppy. It's hurt. Can I go bandage it up first?"
"You found it? What if someone lost it? I think you should take it to the gatekeeper and let him see if anyone is looking for a dog."
"But its injury—"
"The gatekeeper will help take care of it." My mother waved her hand, glancing at her watch, urging me, "Time's running out. We have things to do. Hurry back."
"Fine!" I pouted but reluctantly took the little creature to the gatekeeper. Before I even entered, I saw that fierce big dog from earlier. Upon seeing me, it started barking wildly again.
"What's all this barking about? Keep it up and I'll eat you!" The gatekeeper shouted as he came out, but the big dog continued to bark incessantly. The uncle stroked his chin and said, "That's strange; it usually doesn't bark like this. Could there be something evil around?"
"Uncle," I called sweetly as I walked over, "I found a dog, and I'm not sure if someone lost it. Can you help me ask the people at Mountain if anyone is missing a dog? Also, it's hurt; can you help treat it here?"
The uncle smiled slightly at me. "I don't think I've seen anyone bring a dog to the tomb-sweeping ceremony! Here’s what we’ll do: you can leave it with me for now and give me your phone number. I'll take care of its wound, and if no one comes to claim it, I'll call you so you can take it to Pet Center."
Hearing this made me instantly happy; if no one wanted it, I could adopt it. As I thought this through, I handed the little creature over to the uncle, but it clung tightly to my clothes, its big watery eyes looking pitiful.
"Oh, this little thing seems attached to you; it's fond of your warmth."
"Little puppy, you need to go with the uncle for now. If your owner really doesn't want you anymore, I'll adopt you! So please be good, okay?"
I wasn't sure if the little one truly understood me, but after a moment of hesitation, it relaxed its grip and was taken by the uncle. The big dog at the entrance let out a low growl as the little one turned its head to look at it. Suddenly, the big dog whimpered and began trembling, shrinking back against the wall and lying still.
Seeing that the big dog seemed worried made me ask, "Uncle, your dog—won't it hurt him, right?"
"Don't worry, see? It's behaving now."
"Thank you, Uncle."
After saying goodbye to the puppy, we made our way back to the city center. My parents and Uncle still had some matters to discuss and wouldn't be back for a while, so I headed home first. As soon as I walked in, I noticed Jun Chong was back too. "Jun Chong, where did you go today?"
I spread my arms and rushed over, but Jun Chong held a hand against my forehead, stopping me from getting closer. His handsome face frowned slightly. "Where did you go today? You smell like fox musk."
"I don't smell!" I sniffed myself; the strongest scent on me was the smoke from incense. "I just went to the cemetery."
"It smells terrible. Go take a shower first."
"Hmph, are you disgusted by me?" I pouted, feeling unhappy. "You think I smell bad."
Without saying another word, Jun Chong flicked my forehead. "What nonsense are you talking about? You have a yin energy about you. After coming back from the cemetery, it's best to wash up; otherwise, if you bring something back with you, it could harm your parents."
"With you around, what is there to be afraid of?" Even though I said that, I obediently went back to my room to grab some clothes before heading to the bathroom. "No peeking!"
"Then let's shower together," Jun Chong said seriously. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a ribbon and tied up his long hair. Then with one swift motion, he removed his large black robe, leaving only a pair of black briefs.
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