Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

A-Ling herself also felt that she was worthless, and she was so helpless because she was tricked into cleaning the toilet.The day of the spirit-exorcism competition is approaching day by day, and A-Ling stays at home all day with nothing to do.Fortunately, the parents were busy preparing for the banquet. They had to decide on the menu and prepare the dishes. The two went to work vigorously, but they didn't realize that Ah Ling was always depressed.As the days passed, Ah Ling didn't even want to think about Wei Sheng and being cheated by him.The ghosts may have seen Ah Ling's face, and they all hid themselves from showing up.

Then, it was the day of the exorcism competition between Asada and Shirako. It was a fine day and the sun was shining brightly.The banquet was agreed to start in the evening, and everyone in the boathouse started preparations early in the morning, and everyone was extremely busy. After noon, the funeral agency came, and they put up a curtain on the two tatami rooms on the second floor reserved by Asada House and Shirako House.The two families probably also felt that the decoration in black and white was too exaggerated, so the curtains were light blue and white respectively.The room felt instantly cooler.The stove with incense sticks is placed on the multi-treasure shelf in the alcove, and the alcove is decorated with white magnolias.It is impossible for magnolia flowers to bloom in summer. When I touched them closely, I found that they were fake flowers made of white silk.

When there are guests coming, the adults don't allow Ah Ling to enter the kitchen casually.Although I didn't get a photo, Mr. Shimaji seemed to come to help.Ah Ling had never had a proper conversation with him, once her father asked her to go over and say hello.At that time, Ah Ling felt that this person was very gloomy, so she left after not staying for long.Since what he is going to do this time is cooking for the spirit exorcism competition, he is indeed more suitable than the young and cheerful Shuta. The adults told Ah Ling: Today's guests must make you very curious, but you must not run around.Ah Ling was locked in the room all the time. After noon, the adults ordered her to practice needlework. They found a large pile of old hand towels from nowhere and told her to sew them into rags.Ah Ling had to sew stitch by stitch. The heat made her doze off involuntarily, and she had to listen to the movement outside from time to time.

An hour before sunset, Bai Ziwu arrived at the boathouse first.Hearing everyone's greetings one after another, Ah Ling quietly slipped out of the room and hid behind the stairs. Both Chobei and Axiu were wearing thin silk clothes suitable for summer.Although they were dressed in elegant finery in shades of light gray or cloudy, the couple looked absurdly rich in figure.The way they stood fanning together was like an out-of-season snowman enjoying the cool air. What is even more surprising is Ah Jing.She was different from when she came to "exorcise evil spirits" before. She was dressed in white clothes like a sackcloth and a white headscarf.It is not the common Gaozu headscarf with triangular openings for the eyes and nose, but a rare pointed hat shape, with the hem hanging down to the shoulders.It's hot just looking at it.

The two attendants were all young girls under twenty years old, also dressed in almost pure white clothes, with a thick layer of white powder smeared on their faces.Generally speaking, the female companions don’t wear makeup when they go out. The white powder of these two people is as thick as a Noh mask, which may have other meanings. The dishes prepared for Bai Ziwu are based on white. Could it be that they came here in white clothes to match the dishes?If that's the case, it's really exquisite. "It was agreed in advance that a meal will be prepared for the guests serving as referees."

Ateng led the group to the second floor, then went downstairs to discuss with Duohui in a low voice. "But this is still one more serving. Can't we also send food to the maid? This way, one less serving." "I heard that the extra share is for the ancestors." Duo Hui replied solemnly, "I heard that the imperial spirit of the boss's grandmother is always by Miss A Jing's side, and Miss A Jing's spiritual power is also thanks to her great-grandmother's imperial spirit." The spirit helps each other. So every time I will definitely prepare the ancestor's food table."

"Oh, so that's the case." Ateng shook his head in admiration, "It turns out that there is a great-grandmother who is blessing me. No wonder Miss A Jing didn't look afraid at all when she came to the boat house last time, she was very courageous." But what are they doing here so early?Ah Ling hugged her knees and thought hard.Will it be wandering around the house like last time?Then I have to hide. Soon, Ah Ling felt a chill on her back.She was still squatting beside the stairs, and when she turned her head, the laughing monk was actually sitting behind her in the same posture.

"Wow!" Ah Ling yelled ecstatically, and couldn't help jumping back. She remembered the current situation and hurriedly squatted down. Fortunately, the kitchen was very lively, and no one seemed to hear Ah Ling's screams.Ah Ling quietly returned to the stairs, facing the smiling monk. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?" The laughing monk opened his eyes wide in silence. "Don't scare me, my heart almost stopped." The laughing monk moved his wrinkled lips with an unhappy expression. "It won't stop." He murmured, "I cured it, how could it stop?"

Ah Ling was very moved, because the laughing monk spoke.When he was helping A Ling with a massage treatment earlier, A Ling was suffering from a high fever and was unconscious, and the laughing monk only said a few words like "this way".This was the first time Ah Ling talked to him properly. "Thank you very much at that time. Thanks to your treatment, I am completely fine now. Look, I have become so healthy." Ah Ling slightly opened her sleeves, and the laughing monk moved his wrinkled lips again, as if laughing. "Did you know that the guests are having a spirit exorcism competition at my house today?"

The laughing monk raised his eyebrows that had almost fallen out, with deep wrinkles on his forehead, and looked upstairs. "It's true, maybe they can see you, Grandpa." "If A Jing and A Lu really have spiritual power, maybe they can help Monk Laughing ascend to heaven as soon as possible—" A Ling quickly explained.However, the laughing monk closed his lips tightly after hearing this, and his expression was stern, which made Ah Ling take a step back in fright. "I don't want to ascend to heaven." The laughing monk spat out these words. Ah Ling opened her mouth wide.

"But, grandpa... If you don't ascend to heaven, you will always be lost in this world, and you will always be a ghost." The laughing monk stared at Ah Ling with cloudy white eyes and said, "What's wrong with that?" "But……" "And I'm not lost at all. I'm here treating the sick and helping you, and it's really ungrateful for you to drive me away." Ah Ling couldn't answer, and sat on the ground in frustration.What the laughing monk said made sense, Ah Ling didn't consult every ghost, asking if they wanted to ascend to heaven or stay here.It was Ah Ling's unilateral wish to let them ascend to heaven and leave the houseboat. But-- "But, Grandpa, Gennosuke said he was willing to help me and let everyone go to heaven. So I... thought it would be a good thing to let everyone go to heaven... Isn't it? Isn't it sad to be a ghost all the time?" The laughing monk snorted and said, "Who would be sad?" "..." "That kid is just trying to be brave in front of you. He actually wants to stay here, who would want to disappear?" "how come……" The laughing monk was still squatting, scratching his sunken cheek with his thin fingers.If you look closely, his body is translucent, and the floor behind him can be vaguely seen.Even if they were so close, they couldn't feel his breath, only a chill. But even so, the laughing monk still said that he didn't want to disappear, and that Gennosuke actually didn't want to disappear either.Ah Ling was completely confused. "Also," Monk Xiao continued, "that girl named Ah Jing is not reliable at all. She doesn't even know that her father has stomach problems, so she talks about spiritual power." "The owner of Baiziwu?" "Yeah, that's why I showed up. There's still time for treatment now." Ah Ling turned her head and looked up at the top of the stairs.Coincidentally, Mr. Shimao came out of the kitchen with a large tray at this time, and Ah Ling quickly retracted her head. Shimazu climbed the stairs, a tray with tea sets and a few small lacquer dishes. Ah Ling didn't see it clearly, it might be filled with fruit. "Hey," the laughing monk whispered, "who is that man?" Ah Ling wanted to say that the man was the chef Shimaji who came to help, but she didn't say it.It turned out that the laughing monk was not referring to Shimaji who climbed up to the second floor, but the man standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at Shimaji. The man was taller than Shimaji, his facial features resembled Shimaji's, and his eyes were fixed on Shimaji's back.He wore a white apron with the sleeves tied up with a drawstring, and was dressed like a chef. However, his body is translucent. "It's an outsider." The laughing monk said with a snort. The ghost didn't breathe, and logically speaking, it was impossible to breathe heavily through its nose, but the Laughing Monk could do it. "Is that person a ghost too?" Ah Ling couldn't move her gaze away from the man who resembled Shimaji.White smoke and heat from the kitchen could be seen through the man's body. "He came in following the chef who went upstairs just now." The laughing monk said displeasedly, "It seems that he is possessed by that chef." Ah Ling looked at the top of the stairs where Shimao disappeared, and it seemed that no one wanted to go downstairs yet.Ah Ling made up her mind, slipped out from under the stairs, and ran towards the translucent man. "Excuse me……" Unexpectedly, Ah Ling rushed over her head and went straight through his body.In an instant, Ah Ling couldn't find the other party's whereabouts. She looked around and her mind was in a mess. At this time, Duohui just came out of the kitchen, holding the thin hole strainer. "A-Ling, what are you doing there?" Ah Ling finally stopped spinning when she heard her mother calling.She confirmed with the corners of her eyes that Monk Laughing's bald head was still under the stairs, and then she smiled and said to Duo Hui: "It would be nice to have some excitement, mother." Duohui seemed to be very happy, beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead and temples, her cheeks were rosy, and her expression was as happy as a young girl's.Ah Ling thought to herself, for a store that depends on customers for dinner, having customers come to the door is really the best medicine. "Well, yes. Everyone is busy today, so you have to be a good boy." "I know. Is there anything I can do to help?" Duohui smiled and said, "Not yet, you go back to your room to practice your needlework and calligraphy." After Ah Ling agreed, Duo Hui went upstairs quickly.The strainer in his hand was filled with white powder, like salt.Probably what Bai Ziwu wanted. Ah Ling looked around again, but still couldn't find Jian's male ghost who resembled Shimaji.She had to tiptoe back to the laughing monk, and the ghost could not be seen from here. "Did I scare him?" The laughing monk didn't answer Ah Ling's question, but watched Duo Hui as he went upstairs step by step without taking his eyes off it.Because he was looking too seriously, A-Ling suddenly became uneasy. "Grandpa, does my mother have some discomfort?" Didn't the laughing monk just now see that the owner of Baiziwu has a stomach problem? "No, no." Because Ah Ling kept asking, the smiling monk blinked his thin eyes, finally looked away from the stairs, and said, "Your mother's feet are the best." Ah Ling felt powerless after hearing this. "What? I'm still worried that my mother is not sick." "You are a silly boy." The laughing monk said with his mouth twisted wickedly, "and you are a wild girl. When I show up, you must not rush like that, I will lose my head." "That ghost has gone somewhere. Grandpa, who do you think he is?" The laughing monk tilted his head and said "I don't know", and said, "Why do I need to know such a thing?" "I didn't ask if you knew, I was asking who you thought he was." It seems that the laughing monk has a rather eccentric personality and is difficult to deal with. "I don't think anything." The laughing monk snorted again, and said, "He looks very similar to that chef, he should be his relative. This kind of thing is very common." "Very common...referring to ghosts possessing loved ones?" "It's very common." "Will it cause trouble for relatives?" "I don't know, it depends on the reason for possession." Things are probably just like what the laughing monk said.But the houseboat is already full of ghosts, and Shimaji brought other ghosts in, which would really cause trouble for people. "I'm going back." The laughing monk said.He stood up with difficulty and stretched himself.Ah Ling suddenly thought, can ghosts feel their own weight?Isn't the old ghost's waist and legs inconvenient?If this is the case, wouldn't it be good for the laughing monk to heal himself? "Grandpa, it's going to be very lively today. There's still a group of guests coming later." Ah Ling said to the smiling monk's back.The old man didn't look back, and disappeared suddenly when he floated to the end of the corridor.Ah Ling looked at the junction of the floor and the wall of the corridor where the old man disappeared, and suddenly remembered something, and called softly: "Don't run out suddenly to treat the boss of Baiziwu, everyone will be shocked." The laughing monk didn't respond.Such an important matter should have been said earlier! "Grandpa, please, let me know when you think about it." "Hearing what you said, it seems that you don't believe that the two witches in Shirakoya and Asadaya have spiritual power?" A voice suddenly came from behind, and Ah Ling jumped a foot in fright. "Oh, with that expression on your face, be careful that your eyeballs fall out, can I help you catch them?" It's Ami.She was sitting on the third staircase from below, smiling and putting her hand under Ah Ling's chin. "Ah, Ami." Ah Ling sat close to her feet on the first step of the stairs.Today Ami curled her hair in a bun and wore a white yukata dyed with blue trumpet flowers, and she didn't bring a shamisen.She looks like she just took a shower, very beautiful.Because she was sitting on her side, her legs were exposed from the slit at the bottom of her dress, and her right leg was invisible from below the knee. "If we fall into the nets of Shirakoya Ajing and Asadaya Alu, we ghosts who have nowhere to go will surely be called to them and confess the reason why we are still wandering in this world? Isn't this exactly exorcism? Is it the purpose of the competition?" Ami said happily, "Whether it's the laughing monk or me, even if he doesn't want to come out, he can't help himself. Don't you think?" Ah Ling sighed and said, "Yes, it should be like this. But Grandpa Laughing Monk said that they are not reliable at all." "I think so too." Ami said as she stretched out her hands to run down her hair, "Think about it, when Ajing came to 'exorcise evil spirits' earlier, we didn't feel anything at all." Hearing what Ami said, it is true. "I always feel dizzy and getting more and more confused." Ah Ling spoke the truth out of frustration. "It doesn't matter. Don't worry about the exorcism competition, you just need to be happy to have guests. What kind of people the guests are has nothing to do with us, and it has nothing to do with you, and of course it has nothing to do with your parents." In a nutshell, that's how it works.Ah Ling looked at A Mi's face and remembered another more important matter. "Ami." "What's up?" "Grandpa Laughing Monk said he didn't want to ascend to heaven." Ami looked at Aling silently.Ah Ling stared at her feet. "Ami also thinks it's good now, don't you want to ascend to heaven? You don't want to disappear either, do you?" Ami blinked, smiled softly and said, "Do you think it's getting in the way if we stay here?" Ah Ling swallowed the reply.in the way?She never thought about it that way.However, if the Funaya wants to become a decent restaurant, there must be no rumors of being haunted. However, the current guests come to the door because of ghosts, and Takadaya Shichibei also intends to rely on these guests to build the reputation of the Funaya. How could a ghost get in the way?Houseboats instead require the presence of ghosts. Ah Mi lightly stroked Ah Ling's head.Although Ah Ling couldn't feel the touch of A Mi's fingers and palms, she felt a chill on her scalp. "Let me tell you the truth, in fact, we ourselves don't know why we became like this, why we stay here." What happens after death?Where will you go after death? Will I become someone else?Or should I still be myself, and go to a place completely different from the present world? Is life on the other side similar to this world, or is it different?Ami spoke and counted on her fingers. "We don't know the answer. After all, it's our first time to die. Ah Xuan, Xiao Monk, and Ah Mei are all the same. We only know the ghosts around us who are in the same situation. We don't know where ordinary people go after death. Know." Is it the same as I don't know what kind of life the children in Dazayuan live?Ah Ling thought. "I don't know what will happen after ascending to heaven. Generally speaking, people will ascend to heaven after death. If you persuade me to ascend to heaven, I think I should do so, and I feel sorry. But I don't know how to do it, and I don't know why. Can't ascend to heaven. Did I die a terrible death?" "But," Ami said halfway through, she burst out laughing, "There are so many people who are unlucky and die tragically. Although I don't live long, I have seen many people being washed away by floods or being killed alive when I was alive." People who died in the fire, but those people didn't all become ghosts." Ami giggled, touched Aling's head and continued: "It doesn't make sense to say that you can't go to heaven because you did something bad in your life. People who do bad things will go to hell and have their tongues pulled out by Yama, right? " "Well, Grandpa Qibingwei told me so." "That's right, then why are we in this state of not being able to go up or down? There are obviously too many dead people with 'difficulties', why are we the only ones like this? Or, Ah Ling, maybe we have already 'ascended to heaven' Well, we're not surprised at all." Ah Ling's little head whirled again.Maybe it's really what Ami said, the ghosts are actually content with the status quo, maybe they don't have to go to other places, they are living a life in the "underworld" now.If this is the case, death will not be scary at all, and life after death will be more peaceful. "People from Asada House seem to be here." Hearing what Ami said, Ah Ling raised her eyes.Four men in black stood at the door, calling for people frequently. "Now everyone is here." Ami said with a smile, "How will things develop next?"