Volume 1, Chapter 45: Sister Qiuyue

Aunt Hua’s house also consisted of three rooms, a classic rural layout with a kitchen in the middle and bedrooms on both sides.

Aunt Hua’s family was not well-off, but the place was spotless. The heated brick bed mat was partially mended with adhesive tape, and the head of the bed was slightly discolored. There was no television; instead, a plug-in radio sat at the foot of the bed.

What we called floor leather was used for the bed mat in those parts. It wasn't very expensive, but judging by Aunt Hua’s, it hadn't been replaced in five or six years.

Looking around the rest of the room, there were two flip-lid cabinets adorned with paper-cut red flowers. Daily necessities and an old-fashioned mirror rested on top of the cabinets. In front of the mirror were two bottles of facial cream—one large, one small. The large one was Friendship Snow vanishing cream, and the small one was Ten Thousand Purples and Redder Reds, accompanied by a tube of hand grease nearby.

(Hahaha, the term "hand grease" is something I haven’t heard in many years; it refers to that small, caramel-sized hand cream.)

There wasn’t much inside the room, but it was very tidy.

Master Ma unceremoniously lay down on the brick bed, leaving Aunt Hua looking slightly awkward.

At that moment, a young woman lifted the curtain and walked in.

She glanced at me, then looked at Master Ma, and smiled. "Grandpa Ma is here."

The girl had the quintessential look of the girl next door—around fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a school uniform with a high ponytail, fair-skinned with large eyes that would crinkle into crescents whenever she smiled.

Her features weren't like the cookie-cutter influencer faces of today. How should I put it? She possessed the delicate, charming air of a gentle neighbor.

Master Ma grunted in acknowledgment, fished a stack of money out of his pants pocket, and said, "Here, take this. Grandpa gave it to you. Study hard."

Aunt Hua tried to stop him. "Why are you giving her money again? The last batch hasn't been spent yet."

"It's for the child, not for you."

The girl didn't accept it, echoing that her previous money was still unspent.

Master Ma insisted, "Take it because I told you to. Once you graduate and start making money, you can buy Grandpa Ma a drink."

When Aunt Hua still refused to let her take it, Master Ma clicked his tongue, glared at Aunt Hua, and forcefully shoved the cash into the girl’s hand. It looked like nineteen hundred-yuan bills plus a hundred yuan in smaller notes.

The girl handed the money to Aunt Hua, who placed it right beside Master Ma. Master Ma clicked his tongue again. "Just take it when you're told to. Once the kid starts working, what's a tiny bit of cash like this?"

Now I finally understood: no apprentice could ever compare to a woman in a man's heart. All my daily efforts of burning firewood and cooking meals were for nothing. Even if I, Xu, were to become a high-ranking demon minion, in Master Ma's eyes, I still wouldn't hold a candle to a woman.

Master Ma glanced at me and ordered, "Xuzhi, call her sister."

"I won't."

"Damn it, disobeying orders, are you?"

Master Ma clicked his tongue, and I immediately chimed in, "Hello, Sister."

"Come on, come into my room."

At that moment, I truly regretted bringing old Master Ma over. But judging by the money he had just pulled out, even if I hadn't escorted him, he probably would have limped over on his own.

Aunt Hua was undeniably a good person. The moment old Master Ma’s head hit the pillow, he fell asleep. Aunt Hua transferred the water boiling on the stove into a basin and used a wet towel to wipe Master Ma's feet.

Even I was envious. If I could ever find a wife like this, how wonderful would that be?

I knew when to make myself scarce. With Master Ma sleeping and Aunt Hua wiping his feet, it wasn't appropriate for me to linger there.

---

It was just that "Aunt Hua" and "Grandpa Ma" didn't quite sound like a matching set of titles.

Following the girl into her room, I was greeted by a wave of fragrance—pure and intoxicating.

Her room was equally immaculate and remarkably simple: a cabinet, a sewing machine repurposed as a desk, a brick bed, and nothing else.

The sewing machine was covered in books and test papers, as if she had been studying.

With just the two of us inside, the atmosphere grew a bit awkward.

"What's your name?"

"Xuzhi."

"My mom’s name is Chunhua, and I'm called Qiuyue."

"Sister Qiuyue."

Qiuyue pulled out a small notebook and asked, "Do you know how much money that was from Grandpa Ma?"

"Should be two thousand."

Qiuyue picked up a pen and jotted it down. "I record every single sum. When I start making money, I'll definitely repay Grandpa Ma."

To myself, I thought, *Repay him with what? Your Grandpa Ma is practically turning into your Grandpa-Dad.*

"What grade are you in?"

My face instantly flushed.

"Hmm? What grade, and which school?"

"I... I've never been to school."

Qiuyue looked at me in disbelief. Her gaze was complex, a mixture of doubt and pity.

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"I'm older than you, I'm sixteen."

I did a quick calculation in my head: a wife three years older can hold a golden brick.

At worst, we could keep our respective forms of address in the future—she would call him Grandpa-Dad, while I would call him Master and Father-in-law. They could live their lives, and we could live ours. Living in the opposite room wouldn't be bad at all.

"Didn't your winter vacation start?"

"It did."

"Then why are you still wearing your school uniform?"

The moment the question left my mouth, I regretted it, because Qiuyue blushed. Embarrassed, she mumbled, "My clothes were washed and haven't dried yet, so I'm wearing the uniform for a couple of days."

After thinking for a moment, I fished out all the wealth I had on me—one hundred and twenty-seven yuan I had saved over a month—and said in a low voice, "Master Ma told me to give this to you. Keep it to buy yourself some clothes."

---

"I don't want it."

"You have to take it. If you don't, Master Ma will beat me. Just consider it a favor to help me out."

Looking back on that period now, it was truly like the song: that cup of damn love wine would make even King Yama drunk if he drank it.

Qiuyue refused to accept it, so I placed the money on the sewing machine and changed the subject. "Are you going to high school?"

"Normal school."

"That's great then, you'll have a guaranteed job."

(Let me explain: back in the early 2000s, some smart children in the rural Northeast didn't go to high school. After junior high, they would test into secondary specialized normal schools, and upon graduation, job placement was guaranteed, allowing them to become teachers directly. Wait, that's not right! What I, Xu, am writing is a supernatural story, why does it sound like a historical fiction piece? No, I need to rein it in.)

Qiuyue looked at the hundred-yuan bill, lowering her voice. "You should keep this money for yourself. I've heard about you; you aren't rich either."

"No way, Master said I must buy you clothes. If I come back next time and you aren't wearing new clothes, Master will chew me out for failing the task."

Qiuyue smiled. Her smile was so sweet it melted my heart.

Night fell, and Master Ma showed no signs of waking up.

Feeling protective of my master and not wanting him to travel home in the dark, I went to wake him.

Aunt Hua, who was cooking dinner, called out, "Don't wake him. Let him sleep. Don't head back now that it's dark."

I thought about it, and that wouldn't do. Master Ma had slept for the better part of the day; he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. And once someone can't sleep, what do they do? Naturally, they do things that would make the heavens frown.

Besides, I was a light sleeper. If Master Ma and Aunt Hua shared a room, and Qiuyue and I shared another, any noises at night would make things terribly awkward.

Feigning difficulty, I said, "We still have things to take care of back home."

"What could possibly be important? Just sleep here for the night. You and your master can take this room, and I'll go sleep in the girl's room."

That statement thoroughly cemented my desire to go home. Since I'd be sleeping on the same brick bed with an old bachelor either way, I might as well go home and sleep.

I paused and said, "Aunt Hua, I can't. I made a promise to someone else, so I have to go back."

Aunt Hua wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Alright then, eat dinner before you go."

I woke Master Ma up, and it took him quite a while in a daze to understand what was happening.

Aunt Hua was a good cook; her free-range chicken stewed with mushrooms smelled divine.

However, since I frequently worked funerals with Master Ma and was used to good food and drink, I only ate rice soaked in the soup, and even gave the chicken drumstick Aunt Hua put in my bowl to Sister Qiuyue.

(Sigh, thinking about it brings sadness. Back in the day, I, Xu, was also a kind-hearted, good kid. How did I end up like this? Even my aesthetic changed—I used to like the girl next door, and now, damn it, I just love eyeing technicians in short skirts and high heels carrying briefcases.)