Despite her fear, Shen Meng knew she couldn’t afford to show weakness at a moment like this. With her child clinging tightly to her leg, if she panicked and ran, her little one might be scared out of his wits.

“It’s nothing, Xiaokai. There’s no such thing as ghosts. Let’s pretend we didn’t see anything and head home—it’s just up ahead,” she said, bending down to lift Lu Mingkai into her arms. Fighting the urge to run, she quickened her pace toward their house.

Though young, Lu Mingkai couldn’t help but peek over his mother’s shoulder. His little heart nearly stopped when he saw the figure on the ground shift slightly. Gripping Shen Meng’s neck tightly, he cried out in terror.

“Mom, it moved! It’s really a ghost! I’m scared!”

Shen Meng was already frightened herself, but Mingkai’s cries stirred her maternal instincts, replacing fear with a surge of anger. Gritting her teeth, she spun around and marched toward the “ghost,” determined to confront whatever it was that dared to scare her child.

When Mingkai realized his mother was heading toward the figure, his little face crumpled in despair. Surely, she’d been bewitched by the ghost! Remembering a trick he’d overheard from some old ladies, he stretched out his hand and pinched Shen Meng’s philtrum hard.

???

Shen Meng winced, “Ow! Xiaokai, what are you doing? That hurts!”

“Mom, you were bewitched! This isn’t the way to our house. It was Xiaokai who saved you!”

Shen Meng: …I don’t even know what to say to this.

Her face twitched in pain, marveling at the surprising strength of this little kid.

As they got closer, they saw the “ghost” was actually a person lying on the ground, occasionally twitching. Before Shen Meng could figure out who it was, Mingkai wriggled out of her arms.

“Mom, it’s A’Man!”

“What?” Shen Meng froze, her memory stirring. Wasn’t this the part of the story where a sick man collapsed by the roadside? In the book, the heroine, Zhou Jiaojiao, encountered him while fetching water in the morning. She had given him a stolen steamed bun, and the man later became an influential figure in Beijing who helped her immensely.

The young man, A’Man, noticed someone approaching and struggled to sit up. Though it was early autumn, the chilly evening air made him shiver violently.

Shen Meng quickly assessed the situation. If she could redirect this helper away from the heroine, it would be a win for her. Reaching out, she placed her hand on A’Man’s forehead—it was burning hot.

“You have a fever. Don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you. My husband is in the military, and I happen to have some medicine. Here, take this.”

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled a fever reducer and an antibiotic from her pocket and popped them into his mouth.

The bitter taste spread across A’Man’s tongue, and he choked slightly, forcing himself to swallow. His face scrunched up like a wrinkled orange peel.

“Thank you… but I’ll be on my way now,” he mumbled.

Not So Fast

Seeing an opportunity to gain favor, Shen Meng wasn’t about to let him go. She helped him to his feet as Mingkai bent down to pick up the basket lying nearby.

“Huh?” The boy tried to lift it several times but couldn’t. Curious, he moved to peek under the cloth.

Shen Meng quickly snatched the basket away. “Silly boy, there’s stuff in here. Of course, you can’t lift it. Don’t worry about it.”

She took a warm shepherd’s purse bun from the basket, which she had bought from a store—it had been expensive but worth it.

“Here, have this. It’s homemade with shepherd’s purse. Eat up.”

A’Man was a sixteen-year-old boy who had been relocated to Lujiacun with his grandfather six years ago. Today’s fever was the result of exhaustion. He had gone up the mountain looking for wild game to nourish his frail grandfather but had found nothing. Feeling dizzy and feverish, he had tried to fish in the river without success, ultimately collapsing on the roadside.

Holding the warm bun, his hands trembled. He hadn’t expected this woman, whom he knew as the village’s proud military wife, to extend such kindness.

“Eat it. If you don’t recover, who will take care of your grandfather? He’s an old man—your well-being is his lifeline,” Shen Meng said gently.

Thinking of his grandfather, A’Man felt a lump in his throat. Without further hesitation, he devoured the bun in a few quick bites. Just as he finished, Shen Meng handed him a water bottle.

A’Man stared at her in disbelief. Who carries food and water like this at night?

“Drink some water. Mingkai and I were visiting Da Qing’s mother and just happened to run into you. There’s more food in the basket—take it home for your grandfather. It’s not worth much, but it’ll help.”

Mingkai tilted his head, his small brain struggling to process the scene. He couldn’t understand why his mother said they were visiting Da Qing’s mother when they had already done that earlier and why does the basket look different from the one earlier. Suspicious, he pinched his philtrum again to check if he was bewitched.

“Ah! Ow!”

“What’s wrong, Mingkai? Don’t be reluctant. Your brother A’Man is hungry. We have more at home. A’Man, hurry back before it gets too late. I’ll have Mingyang and the others visit you soon to pick up the basket.”

Before A’Man could respond, Shen Meng grabbed Mingkai and dashed off toward home.

Though feverish and slow to react, A’Man cautiously lifted the cloth in the basket. Beneath the shepherd’s purse buns were two large, fragrant meat dumplings.

His eyes widened. Covering the basket again, he hurried toward the cowshed where he and his grandfather lived, clutching it tightly. The mere thought of someone discovering and taking the food filled him with panic.

Shen Meng returned home just as she heard a sharp voice coming from inside the courtyard.

“Second Sister-in-law, you’d better leave before Big Sister-in-law gets back. If she catches you here, it won’t end well for you!”