Gu Yuan hugged me tightly and gently stroked my head. Only then did I dare to recall what I had just witnessed.
I saw that old lady with a wrinkled cat's face licking her tongue at me. There were still bloodstains on her tongue, which made my hair stand on end and my heart skip a beat.
"Gu Yuan, did you see that old lady? She... she has a cat's face."
Seeing my extreme reaction, Gu Yuan gently patted my back and said, "Didn't you say you weren't afraid?"
Hearing this, I immediately broke free from his embrace and awkwardly touched the hair on my forehead.
"I... I'm not afraid. Who said I was scared?"
Gu Yuan curled the corner of his mouth. It was obvious that I was stubbornly refusing to admit my fear.
I quickly changed the subject and asked, "This bus is so strange. What on earth is going on?"
"Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. There are still two days until the thirtieth. We are all eager to go home for the New Year, and they surely want to go home too."
As Gu Yuan spoke, he started walking in the direction of my home. The snow crunched under his shoes.
"But this is clearly a bus in the mortal world. Why is it carrying so many unclean things?"
"This last bus is always half filled with the living and half with the dead."
He was walking in front. How could I dare to stay alone behind? I immediately quickened my pace to keep up with him and walked side by side with him.
"The conductor just said there were a lot of people on the bus. Why did I only see that old lady with a cat's face carrying a box?"
Just thinking about the old lady's face, I couldn't help but shiver. I quickly grabbed Gu Yuan's arm and didn't dare to let go for a moment.
"There really were a lot of people on the bus," Gu Yuan said calmly.
"Then... why couldn't I see them?"
"Is it really difficult to keep you from seeing them?"
That's right. Gu Yuan was so powerful. Whether he wanted me to see something or not was just a matter of his will.
"After all, the living and the dead belong to different worlds. You don't need to see those harmless spirits."
"Why could the conductor see them?" I asked in great confusion.
"A person on the verge of death will surely see things that they couldn't see in their lifetime."
After Gu Yuan finished speaking, my eyes widened in shock, and my chin almost hit the ground.
"Ah? Is she about to die?"
Seeing my expression, as if I didn't quite understand, Gu Yuan continued to explain, "The bus had already crossed the boundary halfway through the journey."
"Why could I only see that old lady?"
"She got on the bus halfway. Just now when the bus braked suddenly and the driver started scolding out of the window, that's when this old lady got on. I didn't let you see because I was afraid you'd be scared on the way."
"Is that old lady also a ghost?" Just thinking about it made me feel extremely cold.
"Can't you tell that she was wearing a shroud?"
Right! Now that I thought about it, wasn't that exactly the kind of clothes worn before being buried?
"Is she here to claim the conductor's life? What's their relationship?"
"As the saying goes, one must reap what they sow. Some things can't be resolved even with the help of the celestial beings. We're home. Knock on the door."
Gu Yuan seemed completely uninterested in what happened on the bus and didn't take it to heart at all.
"One last question. You're full of righteousness and invulnerable to all evil. Why weren't any of the spirits on the bus afraid of you this time?"
After hearing this, Gu Yuan's expression changed slightly, but it passed in an instant, as if I had touched a sensitive nerve.
"Maybe it's because I'm injured," he said. Then, without waiting for me to knock on the door, he reached out and knocked on it himself.
After a while, the light in my house came on. My mother wrapped herself in a cotton-padded jacket and opened the door, asking, "Who is it?"
"Mom, I'm back," I shouted into the yard.
Hearing my voice, my mother immediately quickened her steps to open the door.
"Lan Lan, why didn't you call before coming back? I could have asked your dad to pick you up."
Saying this, she quickly took the suitcase from my hand and pulled me towards the living room.
"Dear, come out. Our daughter and son-in-law are back."
"I'm coming. Hahaha. I heard Lan Lan's loud voice just now, so I'm coming right away."
"Dad, you're looking in good health. Your laugh is so booming."
"Ever since you got married, my health has been getting better and better. People say it's thanks to you, my daughter. You send me some precious medicinal herbs every month to nourish my body, so that's why I've recovered so quickly."
My father's words left me completely confused. I did have the idea of sending him medicinal herbs, but I hadn't actually done it yet.
"Dad, do you have any other daughters besides me?"
"Spit, spit. What are you talking about? Do you want a beating? How could you talk to your dad like that..." My mother slapped me on the back, but there was still a smile on her face.
"But..."
"It's only natural for her to do this as a daughter," Gu Yuan interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.
I turned to look at Gu Yuan. His face was as calm as ever.
Without much thought, I knew that he must have arranged all this.
I never expected this guy to have done so many things behind my back. I wouldn't have known if my father hadn't mentioned it.
"Alright, you two sit in the living room for a while. Your dad and I will go to the kitchen and cook you some good dishes."
The old couple walked into the kitchen cheerfully.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, I quickly sat down next to Gu Yuan and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about all these things you've done?"
"What's there to tell? It's your obligation anyway," Gu Yuan said casually.
I felt so ashamed. My parents had raised me, but in the end, my husband was more considerate than me.
"Gu Yuan, thank you," I said, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Gu Yuan didn't expect me to "surprise" him like this. He was stunned for a second, then quickly regained his composure.
"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Gu Yuan asked.
"I wasn't mad at you. I just want to be closer to you," I said.
After hearing this, Gu Yuan gave a mischievous smile. He put his arm around my shoulder and leaned his face very close to mine.
"How close do you want to be? Is this close enough?"
As he spoke, his chest was already pressed against mine, and his face was full of a playful smile.
"Or this close? Is being tightly pressed together close enough?"
After he said this, my face flushed with embarrassment. How could he say such things?
"Stop talking. My parents are still here. Aren't you ashamed?" I said, then pushed him away.
Just as I was tidying up my clothes, my parents came out with steaming hot dishes.
It had been a long time since I'd eaten my mother's hot food. It smelled just like the New Year.
"Eat more. Go to bed early today. We'll go to the rural fair tomorrow. We need to buy a lot of things. Now that our daughter is back, we have an extra pair of hands."
"Dad, I'm really your own daughter..."
"Of course. One hundred percent." Ever since I came back, my father had been overjoyed. He ate two bowls of rice in one go.
We chatted for a while in the evening and then went to bed early.
After I finished washing up, Gu Yuan went into the bathroom to take a shower.
I happily made the bed on the kang by myself, and then went to draw the curtains.
Just as I turned around and looked out of the window, I saw that old lady with a cat's face peeping into the room through the window. Her pair of bloodshot green eyes were firmly pressed against the glass.
"Ah..."
I was so scared that I almost fell off the kang.