Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 918 - 914: Grandma
Dou Dou transformed into a light, brisk Yin Wind, drifting out through the balcony window, instantly blending into the morning light of Xiajing.
The March wind carried the unique smokiness of the alley, wrapped with the aroma of freshly made fried dough sticks and the rich scent of soy milk, suddenly drilling into her nostrils.
Curiously, she swayed her form, looking down. Below, the alleys appeared like winding bluish-gray ribbons, the doors of the old courtyard houses tightly shut, the stone lions on the steps smoothed by the years. Occasionally, elderly people in morning exercise attire strolled leisurely by, carrying bird cages, the songbird inside singing crisply and loudly.
"Where is Potato?" Dou Dou mumbled, closing her eyes, activating the breath within her linked to Shen Siyuan.
Soon, a familiar warm aura came from the north. She immediately determined the direction, drifting like a nimble little kite heading towards Luo’er Alley.
The scenery along the way dazzled Dou Dou.
She flew over a breakfast stall, watching the shop owner skillfully knead the dough, throwing the prepared fried dough sticks into the boiling oil with a "sizzle," the golden oil splashing, luring her to lean in and sniff, "tsk tsk" in admiration.
"How fragrant, I’ll ask Potato to buy me some to try when I see him later."
Then she floated to a grocery store entrance, watching the colorful windmills hanging outside spin with the wind, "whoosh whoosh."
Playfully, she approached, using the Yin Wind to make the windmills spin even faster.
Passing a small square, several elderly men were practicing Tai Chi in slow motions. Dou Dou found it amusing, imitating them in the air, only to accidentally bump into the nearby wutong tree, startling herself.
This way, playing all along, Dou Dou finally drifted into Luo’er Alley.
The alley here was narrower, most of the courtyard gates on both sides adorned with red lanterns, some entrances even potted with plants, lush vines climbing high along the walls, full of a homely vibe.
Shen Siyuan’s aura was deep in the alley, but just as Dou Dou intended to float further in, she glimpsed an old Grandma standing under an ancient locust tree.
The Grandma wore a faded blue diagonal-collared cotton jacket, her hair neatly tied back, secured with a silver hairpin. She was pacing slowly under the tree, eyes bewildered, as if searching for something.
Her body was ethereal, as if weightless, wandering back and forth. Clearly, this was a dead soul.
Dou Dou’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
She quietly drifted beside Grandma, circling around her twice, tilting her little head and asked, "Grandma, what are you doing here? Are you looking for something too?"
Hearing the voice, Grandma slowly raised her head, stunned for a moment upon seeing Dou Dou, then revealed a gentle smile, her voice light like wind passing through paper.
"Little girl, can you see me?"
"I’m a ghost too, of course I can see you," Dou Dou said, her body gliding like a fish back and forth in the air.
Grandma’s face showed astonishment, this little ghost could actually fly?
Can ghosts fly? She had just passed away and really didn’t know about this.
"Grandma, what are you looking for? I can help you search," Dou Dou said, immediately circling the tree trunk twice, seemingly searching for something on the ground.
Upon hearing this, Grandma sighed, her gaze drifting into the depths of the alley, her tone full of loss.
"I came to find my daughter."
"Daughter?" Dou Dou looked around.
"There’s no one here, why are you looking for someone here?" Dou Dou found it very strange.
"I’m looking for my eldest daughter’s home. I haven’t seen her for over ten years, and after I died, I wanted to see her. I remember she used to live in this alley, but now that I’m here, I can’t find the place."
Dou Dou blinked, curiously asked, "Grandma, what’s your daughter’s name? What does she look like? I can help you find her. I can fly, swoosh swoosh, I’ll find her quickly."
"My eldest daughter’s name is Liu Xue Mei," Grandma’s voice carried nostalgia.
"She used to live at the third door in this alley, there was a pomegranate tree at the entrance that bore many red pomegranates every summer. The last time I visited, she told me that when the pomegranates ripened, she’d send them to me, but after that... I never saw her again."
"The third door?" Dou Dou looked towards the entrance of the alley, extending her little finger to count them one by one.
"No need to count, it’s the house you’re pointing at," Grandma gestured to a large closed door behind her.
"Are they not home?" Dou Dou asked in surprise.
Grandma shook her head, "No, it’s not that. The ones living there aren’t my daughter’s family."
"So where did they go?" Dou Dou asked with curiosity.
Grandma chuckled while tearing up a bit.
"That’s exactly what I don’t know, that’s why I can’t find them."
"I see," Dou Dou scratched her little head, suddenly thinking of Shen Siyuan.
Immediately she exclaimed excitedly, "We can ask Potato, he’s super capable and knows everything."
"Potato?"
Grandma sounded curious upon hearing it, wondering what kind of sweet potato and pot could be so magical.
"He’s just up ahead, come on, let’s go together." Dou Dou pulled Grandma, drifting towards the depths of the alley, chatting with her along the way: "Grandma, do you miss your daughter?"
"Of course, how could I not."
Grandma’s voice was light and gentle like the morning breeze.
"She was very obedient when she was young. In winter, she always liked to snuggle in my arms. Later when she went to study and work out of town, her visits became less frequent. I always thought once she retired, she could spend more time with me, but I didn’t expect..."
"Oh, seems like you really love her." Dou Dou said earnestly.
"There’s no such thing as love or not, she’s my daughter, it’s all as it should be..."
Grandma seemed shy to express love verbally.
But her face lit up with a smile when talking about her daughter, which said it all.
"Grandma, how did you die?" Dou Dou asked with curiosity.
"I just naturally died of old age," Grandma chuckled.
At her age, there was no fear of death, but rather death was a relief.
For instance, now she felt a long-lost relaxation, able to come all the way from her hometown to Xiajing.
"Then why didn’t your daughter come back to see you?" Dou Dou continued to ask curiously.
"She said she was ill and in poor health, unable to travel long distances, alas..." Grandma finished, sighing long.
"A few years ago, I thought about visiting her, but I get terribly car sick. Before leaving the county, I was so tormented I felt half-dead..." Grandma’s tone was full of regret.
"Then why didn’t you call her?" Dou Dou asked curiously again.
"Call?" A trace of confusion appeared on Grandma’s face.
She seemed completely unaware of what a phone was.
