I finally spoke. 'There's no great grievance between us. I don't hate you, so there's no question of letting you off. I only want to warn you: keeping restless souls is a low and disreputable practice. Do it often enough, and you'll incur karmic consequences. You'll have to face whatever comes of them yourself. If you have any sense, give it up soon.'
The shopkeeper visibly relaxed at my words. The longer I stayed silent, the more frightened he became.
Seeing that I had forgiven him, he looked ready to fall to his knees.
'Don't worry, Master. I'll take your advice. If something like this comes up again, I'll think it through properly instead of acting rashly.'
He gave me his promise. Whether he was truly sorry or merely flattering me no longer concerned me.
If he did enough evil, he would suffer the consequences himself.
I took Yueru back to Uncle Qiu's shop.
'When I got here, I remembered coming with Dad yesterday,' she said, sitting in a chair. 'I knew you were here, An, so I thought you might come over. I didn't expect Wuyou to call it a feng shui street. I don't know much about these things, but since you were here and you practice the occult arts, I believed him. I wanted to come and find you, but I wasn't sure it would be appropriate, so I didn't.'
I smiled at her.
She was so open and unguarded. Every little thing she did moved me.
It puzzled me. I had met girls before. However pretty they were, none had made me feel the way she did.
It felt as though Heaven really had ordained it. I couldn't control it.
'What happened with that fox yesterday? Why did it suddenly appear in your room and frighten you?' I asked, remembering what had happened.
Her eyes widened. 'Oh! An, how did you know a fox frightened me yesterday? Were you at my house?'
Then I understood. Her father, Lin Xianguo, hadn't told her I had been there. That hurt a little.
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Still, I smiled as I explained. 'Yes. As I was leaving yesterday, I saw something bad. I was afraid you might be in danger, so I followed it to have a look.'
'Honestly, Dad. Why didn't he tell me you'd come? Even if he won't let us marry, we could still be friends. I don't think that was right of him.'
She complained to me about her father. Hearing her defend me made me feel a little better.
'But An, do we really have to marry? I like how sincere you are. There's something about you I haven't found in anyone else. Still, I don't think we're quite right for each other. We come from different worlds.'
She looked at me earnestly, her small red mouth pouting. It made her look like a little goldfish. I wanted to reach over and pinch her cheek.
Instead, I took a deep breath and held the impulse back.
She was quite different with me from how she had been with Wuyou.
'I don't know why any of this is happening. Grandfather said he'd arranged our marriage long ago. Uncle Qiu says we're almost destined for each other, that we'll be together. I don't understand it either. As for seeing the world differently, I can't argue with that. But things can change. I've never lived in the city before, but my ideas aren't quite what you imagine.'
I tried to explain. I still wanted to give myself a chance.
Normally, things like this didn't trouble me. Now I was nervous, and I could barely understand it myself.
Seeing how earnest I was, she covered her mouth and giggled.
'You sound very serious, An. So you do have feelings for me? Do you really want to be with me? Tell me honestly, and I might consider it. You'll have to be brave enough to say how you feel.'
She rose from her chair and slowly came toward me.
We were very close. Her breath was sweet, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
I could face even the most vicious ghosts without fear. Now I faltered, not knowing what to say.
I felt terribly awkward. I had never felt quite like this before.
'All right, An, I'll stop teasing. Look at you. Your face is as red as a monkey's backside.'
She relaxed and moved away from me. I breathed out in relief.
Those big, bright eyes had made me so nervous I could scarcely speak.
I put a hand to my head and smiled awkwardly. She said what she liked best about me was my sincerity, something she hadn't found in anyone else.
Wasn't that how I felt about her, unlike any other girl I'd known?
She stayed in the shop talking with me for a long time. At last, I felt we had grown a little closer. The distance between us wasn't what it had been.
Over those few hours, I found she was much easier to talk to than I'd imagined.
With her father's wealth, I had expected her to be a little spoiled. She wasn't. She was remarkably understanding and considerate.
I liked her all the more. There was something strange about how much I liked her.
I had never felt so strongly about any girl before. Yet it pleased me, too.
'All right, An, I have to go. I've been out so long this afternoon that Dad will worry if I don't get home. I've enjoyed talking to you. I'll come again when I have time.' She stood to say goodbye.