Chapter 4 - Rainstorm (1/2)

The large black dog that was hiding behind the courtyard wall heard the voice that had been carried by the wind. “Hey,” he said, “she still remembers me.”

Lin Mu turned his head to look at him and nodded, “en.”

“She still remembers.” Da Hei said again, then smacked his lips, “she really is a very good person.”

The Old Lady was a very kind person.

When Da Hei was still a puppy, he was abandoned by someone outside the neighbourhood’s walls during winter, and was simply placed in a cardboard box. The rest of the puppies in his litter had frozen to death, and he was dying.

Fortunately, he was picked up by a passing girl, carefully treated and cared for, smoothly grew up, and even had great luck in gaining spiritual wisdom.

Those times were the most worry-free days that Da Hei had in his memories.

The girl who had picked him up turned from a student into a teacher, had a family and children, and Da Hei also muddled his way to old age.

He did not realise that he gained spiritual wisdom, and was not aware of his special nature.

There were a lot of creatures who had gained spiritual wisdom without having the knowledge of doing so, and most of them encountered difficulties and died like they were fated to.

Da Hei also never realised. At that time, all he wanted was to stay with her, and stay with her. Day by day he lived in this manner, unwilling to leave.

Later, his owner was in danger and was lying in the hospital. On the brink of the crisis, Da Hei was thinking about he could repay her for the was she saved his life, and suddenly awakened. Using his talent as a large male dog, he quietly followed several ghosts to the netherworld and snatched back the old lady’s soul, but he ended up being caught by the messengers and was arrested for his sins.

Da Hei suffered and endured in the underworld for more than sixty years and accidentally gained spiritual awareness. By the time he was released and returned, the old lady had gone gray-haired with grandchildren surrounding her.

The old lady’s children were all successful and had great careers. They had eventually decided to graduate abroad and make a family there, and the old lady had no opinion, but wasn’t willing to follow.

“Did you know, she kept the little clothes that she had made for me that year, and seriously gave a me a memorial tablet, taking the day that she woke up in the hospital as my death anniversary. Every year on that day, she would place a bowl of pork in front of it.” Da Hei paused, “in the past, she would always scold me for stealing it.”

Lin Mu looked at the large black dog next to his foot and did not speak.

“Later, someone had asked her why she would give a dog a memorial table.” Da Hei smacked his lips, “she said, ‘that year, it was Da Hei that took the disaster for me, I lived, yet Da Hei died.’”

The old lady occasionally talked about the netherworld’s gate, the road to the netherworld , the Bridge of Helplessness on the River of Forgetfulness.

She said along the bridge there were a lot of small white flowers, and at midnight, these flowers would make a ‘whoosh’ sound and burn up, burning those wandering ghosts. It would turn the River of Forgetfulness into a sea of green fire, turning the dark road to the netherworld as bright as day.

After midnight, those flowers would have burnt out, and the ashes fell back onto the shore re-grew with vigour.

Not many people took these words seriously, but Da Hei who was secretly watching the old lady, was extremely happy.

The old lady still remembered him.

Remembered him until now.

“She still remembers me, remembers walking across the netherworld’s gate.”

Da Hei turned back and glanced at the place where they had just stood, where the potted Morning Dusk had been taken into the courtyard.

“Her time is up, and I feel she should say her farewells amongst her lively family and students, right?”

Lin Mu nodded, and said, “you’re quite tactful in expressing yourself.”

“If I can be tactful, of course I’ll be tactful,” Da Hei muttered, “if I said straight to her face that she was going to die, and told her to quickly call her children back, I wouldn’t blame her for getting mad.”

“There are still many other methods.” Lin Mu said.

“But this is the only secret she and I know.” Da Hei asked, “don’t you think this is romantic?”

Lin Mu: “……”

Okay then.

Didn’t really understand you monsters.

Da Hei also didn’t really wanted to be understood. He stayed silent for a while and said, “she’s going to forget me.”

“After she dies, it wouldn’t even take three days for her to cross the Bridge of Helplessness, drink Meng Po’s soup, and she won’t remember me anymore.” Da Hei rambled on, “ay1, why is a human’s lifespan so short……”

Da Hei said and stopped, then looked up towards Lin Mu.

Lin Mu lowered his head to look at him.

Da Hei opened his mouth, and suddenly realized that he had said the wrong thing again.

“Ay……” He made a short sound, then silently picked up his leash and handed it to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu took the leash and walked back to the office with Da Hei.

He didn’t actually mind what Da Hei said, because it was the truth. His mother had died many years ago, and it wasn’t some sort of untouchable scar.

It was just that after hearing so much today, Lin Mu couldn’t help but get a little curious about the father that his mother hadn’t mentioned at all.