For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

When my father pushed open the door, he was still carrying a chill. His dog-skin hat was covered in snow, and his eyebrows and beard were all white.

"Father, what brings you here?"

"What, I can't do it?"

He placed the net bag he was carrying on the bedside table.

"Your mother asked me to bring you some eggs, free-range eggs from the village, to help you recover."

I looked at the net bag, which contained a dozen or so red-shelled eggs and two jars, one containing pickled vegetables and the other containing meat sauce.

"Is the snow heavy outside?"

"It's huge, it doesn't even reach my knees."

My dad patted the snow off himself and took off his hat.

How's your leg?

"Still the same, with a cast on."

"I'm feeling much better these past few days, and I reckon I'll be discharged soon."

My father nodded, sat down on the edge of the bed, took out his pipe and filled it with tobacco.

Just as he was about to strike a match, he remembered something and put the pipe back in his pocket.

"This is a hospital, you can't have it drawn here."

"It's okay, it's just this one."

"Never mind, I'll just have to bear with it."

"Don't cause trouble for others. Besides, you're a grown adult. People might be too embarrassed to say anything to us, but don't we have any self-awareness?"

The father and son just sat there, neither of them saying a word.

The snow was still falling outside, and the frost on the windowpane had thickened again.

When Xiulian returned from fetching water, she saw my father and quickly called out to him.

"Uncle."

My father responded, looked at her, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Xiulian, you've had a hard time these past few days."

"It's no trouble at all, Uncle, it's my duty."

My dad glanced at me again, his eyes holding something in them that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Thirteen, take good care of yourself, don't worry about the family."

"Um."

He sat for a while longer, then stood up to leave.

"Uncle, it's snowing heavily outside. Why don't you eat something before you leave?"

"No, the snow is heavy outside, and it might snow for a long time. Let's hurry back before it gets dark, as the roads will be difficult to travel in the dark."

My dad walked to the door, then turned back and glanced at me.

I recognize that look in his eyes. I've known it since I was a child. He has something to say, but he doesn't want to say it in front of Xiulian.

"Father, just say what you have to say."

"Xiulian is not an outsider either."

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Thirteen, when you fell off the ladder that day... was there some kind of story behind it?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"Dad, who told you that?"

"I haven't heard anyone say that. I just feel like something's not right."

"Even though you've been mentally challenged for over ten years, you've always been a tough kid, climbing walls and trees, going up mountains and down rivers. That's what your mother told me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of it at first. But the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off. How could you have fallen off the ladder?"

I didn't say anything.

He sighed.

"Alright... take good care of yourself. Have someone send a message if anything comes up."

The door closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

Xiulian looked at me.

"Thirteenth Brother, has your father figured something out?"

"It's alright."

I said I was fine, but my heart was churning.

My father is an honest and simple man, but there are some things he understands perfectly well.

Although he wasn't a shaman and didn't know how to read these things, as the old saying goes, "old people are shrewd, and old ghosts are clever." With so much experience, how could he not have noticed something?

That afternoon, I took a nap.

In my dream, I heard that crunching sound of footsteps on snow again, right under the window, walking in circles.

I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt like they were filled with lead, and I just couldn't open them.

"Thirteenth Brother, Thirteenth Brother!"

I woke up suddenly; Xiulian was nudging me.

"Are you dreaming? You called out several times."

I was panting heavily, covered in sweat. The blankets were soaked through.

"What time is it?"

"It's getting dark. Nurse Wang just came by and said your fever has gone down."

I lay there, staring out the window.

The sky outside was overcast, and the snow had lessened, falling in fine, scattered flakes.

Some of the frost on the windowpane melted, and you could see the old poplar tree outside, its branches covered with snow.

"Xiulian, open the window a crack."

"Open the window? It's over minus twenty degrees Celsius outside."

"Just open it a little bit."

She couldn't persuade me otherwise, so she opened the window a crack.

A cold wind whistled in, making the light bulb flicker. I strained my ears to listen.

There was no sound at all.

The only sounds were the wind and the occasional car horn in the distance.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, Xiulian wiped my body. She dipped a towel in hot water and gently wiped my body. It felt warm and comfortable.

"Thirteenth Brother, why do you have so many scars?"

I looked down and saw that the scar on my chest was from when I fell while climbing a tree as a child, the scar on my arm was from a fight, and there were a few more scars on my back from when I was a kid and was beaten up by some naughty kids in the village.

"They're all minor injuries."

Xiulian didn't say anything, but gently touched the longest scar with her finger.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

She lowered her head and continued wiping.

I looked at her, and a strange feeling welled up inside me. I wondered if this girl's relationship with me was a blessing or a curse.

"Xiulian".

"Um?"

Do you regret it?

She looked up at me, her eyes reflecting the dim yellow light of the light bulb.

"What are you regretting?"

"Follow me."

She paused for a moment, then smiled. The smile looked especially beautiful under the dim light.

"Thirteenth Brother, you're talking nonsense."

She lowered her head and continued wiping her body. The towel wiped from her chest to her stomach, and from her stomach to her legs. When she wiped the leg covered in a cast, she was extra careful, afraid of hurting me.

"Thirteenth Brother, let's get married when you're better."

I reached out and touched her face.

She didn't dodge; Xiulian's face was smooth.

"OK."

That night, I slept soundly. I didn't dream, nor did I hear the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow. I slept until dawn, and when I woke up, the frost on the windowpane shimmered with golden light, and the sky outside had cleared.

Xiulian was fast asleep, lying on the edge of the bed. I looked at her, not having the heart to wake her.

After a while, Nurse Wang pushed open the door and came in, carrying an enamel tray with a thermometer and pills on it. She saw that Xiulian was asleep and whispered.

"Let her sleep; she's exhausted these past few days."

She took my temperature and then touched my legs.

"You're recovering well and will be able to be discharged in a few days."

"real?"

"Really. But you'll need to take good care of yourself when you get back; you won't be able to walk and will need crutches."

After she left, Xiulian woke up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at me.

"Thirteenth Brother, Nurse Wang is here?"

"They've arrived and said I can be discharged."

Upon hearing this, Xiulian smiled.

"That's wonderful!"

The next few days passed peacefully. During the day, Xiulian bathed me, fed me, and read the newspaper to me. At night, I would look out the window and listen to the wind outside. The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow never came again, and Huang Dalang never came back.

But I knew in my heart that the thing was still waiting outside.

The day I was discharged from the hospital was a bright and sunny day.

The sun was shining brightly, making the snow dazzling. My father came to pick me up in a horse-drawn cart, which was covered with a thick layer of wheat straw and a cotton quilt.

Xiulian supported me as we limped out. My leg, wrapped in a cast, felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, and every step was a struggle.

Nurse Wang saw him to the door and gave him a few words of advice.

"Don't rush back to the fields; rest for a while longer. Come back for a follow-up check-up in a month."

I nodded and got into the carriage.

Xiulian sat down next to me and covered me with a quilt. My father cracked his whip, and the carriage started moving.

The horse's hooves crunched on the snow. I glanced back at the small hospital building, a feeling I couldn't quite describe.

After staying for more than twenty days, I'm really going to miss it.

The carriage left the town and entered the road back to the village. On both sides were snow-covered fields, a vast expanse of white stretching as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, a few old poplar trees stood alone in the snow, their branches adorned with icicles that glistened in the sunlight.

"Thirteenth Brother, are you cold?"

"It's not cold."

Xiulian reached under the quilt and took my hand in hers. Her hand was warm.

My father was driving the cart in front, not saying a word. All I could hear was the creaking of the horses' hooves and the groaning of the axle.

After walking for about two hours, I spotted the old willow tree at the entrance of the village.

The old willow tree was still the same old willow tree, its trunk so thick that three people couldn't wrap their arms around it, its crown bare except for a blanket of snow. Several children were having a snowball fight under the tree, chattering excitedly.

Seeing the carriage approaching, a boy shouted.

"Thirteen's back! Thirteen's back!"

The children gathered around and ran alongside the carriage.

My mother stood at the gate of the courtyard, wearing her faded cotton-padded jacket and a square headscarf. Seeing the carriage, she quickly came to greet it.

"Thirteen, thirteen!"

The carriage stopped. Xiulian helped me out of the carriage, and my mother came up and touched my face. As she touched my face, tears started to fall.

"You've lost weight, you've lost weight..."

"Mom, it's alright, you'll be fine after some rest."

My mother wiped away her tears, and she and Xiulian each took one of my arms and helped me into the courtyard.

The yard was swept clean, with snow piled up in the corner. Several hens were pecking at food near the henhouse, and when they saw people coming in, they clucked. The black pig in the pigpen heard the noise and came over, grunting.

Upon entering the house, a wave of warmth washed over me. The stove was burning brightly, its iron chimney glowing red-hot. The kang (heated brick bed) was also warm, the mat scalding to the touch.

My mother helped me onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and placed two pillows under my head so I could lean against them.

Xiulian went outside to help my father unload the cart, while my mother sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) watching me.

"Thirteen, tell your mother the truth, how did you fall and hurt your leg?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"Mother, didn't I tell you? He fell from the ladder."

My mother stared at me for a long time, then sighed.

"You always keep things from your mother."

I didn't say anything.

She stood up, went to the outer room, brought in a bowl of brown sugar water, and handed it to me.

"Drink it, it'll warm you up."

I took it and took a sip. It was sweet, but scalding hot.

I could hear my father and Xiulian talking from the outer room, along with the sounds of things being moved. After a while, Xiulian lifted the curtain and came in, her face red from the cold.

"Auntie, everything has been moved in."

"Xiulian, hurry up and get on the kang (heated brick bed) to warm up."

Xiulian took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and sat down next to me. My mother glanced at her, then at me, and a smile appeared on her face.

"When are you two going to get married?"

Xiulian blushed, lowered her head, and remained silent.

"Let's talk about it when my leg is better."

"That works too. Anyway, you two have already made up your minds, it's just a matter of time."

That evening, my mother stewed an old hen and made a pot of cornbread. The chicken was stewed until it was very tender, and a layer of oil floated on the surface of the soup. It smelled so good that you could swallow your tongue.

I leaned against the headboard, watching the two people busy at the stove in the outer room. My mother was adding firewood to the stove, and Xiulian was chopping sauerkraut on the cutting board. The firelight from the stove reflected on their faces, making them look rosy and warm.

"Thirteen, dinner's ready."

Xiulian brought in a large bowl filled with chicken and vermicelli. She also brought in a plate of golden-yellow, steaming cornbread.

I was eating at the kang table, while the two of them were eating in the outer room. I could hear their voices and laughter through the curtain.

After dinner, it was completely dark. My dad came in, glanced at my legs, didn't say anything, and went out again. My mom came in to clear the dishes.

"Xiulian, you can stay in this room tonight. Keep an eye on Thirteen."

Xiulian nodded.

"Mother, what are you saying? Xiulian isn't even married into the family yet."

"Living in the same room? That's just... inappropriate!"

If Xiulian slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) with me before even marrying into the family, who knows what kind of scandalous news would spread among the gossipy people in the village.

"It's alright, Thirteenth Brother."

Xiulian said she was fine, but her face was burning red.

Old newspapers were pasted on the ceiling, some yellowed in places, marks left from past leaks. A forty-watt light bulb hung from the beam, casting a dim, yellowish light that made the room appear shadowy.

The wind outside was quite strong, howling and rattling the window frames. I strained to listen, but there was nothing but the sound of the wind.

But I just don't feel at ease.

That feeling of unease, that inexplicable unease, is like something is watching me from the shadows.

I rolled over and faced the wall. There was a New Year's picture on the wall, which was put up last year. It showed a chubby baby holding a big carp, and the colors had faded quite a bit.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard a voice.

creak, creak.

I suddenly opened my eyes.

It's the sound of footsteps on snow.

I walked slowly, step by step, right there in the courtyard.

The hairs on my body stood on end. I gripped the corner of the blanket tightly and didn't dare to breathe.

The sound stopped when it reached the bottom of the window.

I looked out the window, but the glass was covered in frost, and I couldn't see anything. But I knew that thing was outside, watching me through the window.

creak, creak.

The sound rang out again, this time heading towards the courtyard gate.

It faded into the distance, and I couldn't hear it anymore.

I breathed a sigh of relief; I was covered in sweat, and the blankets were soaked through.

"Thirteenth Brother, what's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"

Xiulian looked at me.

She was originally sleeping at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), and I was at the head of the kang, but now she has come to my side.

She was wearing a white vest with red flowers and a coat draped over her shoulders.

Her chest was bulging.

"It's alright, it's alright."

Xiulian reached out and touched my forehead, then lay down beside me.

We just looked at each other like that.

Her face was very red, as red as a red cloth...