A faint ray of light slipped through the window crack. I caught the scent of burning firewood, yawned, and got out of bed. It was exactly 8:34. After tidying my clothes, I stepped outside and saw the auntie stoking a fire in the courtyard.
"Here you go, little girl. I made some roasted potatoes—dip them in the sauce and eat them while they're still hot outside."
I swallowed a bite, ran outside, grabbed three potatoes from the basket, peeled them, and dipped them in spicy sauce. They tasted really good. After eating, I drank a bit of tea that was slightly astringent, then headed onto the street. By this hour, most people were already working the fields below Fallen Hollow. Early in the morning, some were walking the streets, but thinking about last night's strange events left me confused. I couldn't figure out what had happened, or how I'd ended up in the Ghost Domain.
I wandered aimlessly down the street. The whole town's main road was short, and in the middle was a small shop selling all sorts of trinkets that kids loved. Watching some children, I bought them a few things and started asking around if anything strange had happened in this place. Most kids shyly shook their heads, looking a bit timid.
I spent the morning asking twenty people, but no one knew anything about Fallen Hollow. I couldn't figure it out, so I asked why the town was named this. Most people couldn't say. 'Fallen' here means 'lost soul,' not 'ruined.' Honestly, if it were called Broken Hollow, that would fit the place better.
Looking at the people here, none of them seemed lost or empty. In fact, life was relaxed. Neighbors chatted, watched TV, played cards or mahjong—just ordinary things. There's even a bus that comes at noon and leaves at midnight.
After basking in the morning sun, I returned to the auntie's house at noon. She made four small dishes for me, each one delicious, though there was no meat. I still ate happily.
"Take this with you tonight, little girl. By the way, what brings you here?"
From the Zhao family's house, a young man walked out, yawning as if still half-asleep. He smiled, dressed in white, sat among the guests, and started drinking, completely ignoring Old Man Zhao, whose anger was obvious.
As I spoke, the auntie looked a little surprised, then smiled and replied.
"All the Zhao family members have passed away. The last of them died a few years ago."
I asked, a little confused, and the auntie began to explain. The Zhao family used to be the big household in this area. Even though the place is poor, back when the forests were lush, fruit was plentiful. The locals would carry the fruit along the mountain path behind the town to sell at the nearby county. Life was good, and the Zhao family was wealthy. But decades ago, things started to decline. The mountain behind the town eroded from years of logging, causing landslides and cutting off the main road. Now, you have to take a long detour to reach another county, so this place became poor.
The Zhao family also declined with each generation. The auntie once knew an elder Zhao who was the last to leave the village, but for some reason, he returned young to farm. He'd gone off to study, but something happened—when he came back, he seemed like a different person. After that, the family went downhill faster. The last Zhao woman died a few years ago from illness; she was the auntie's age.
I walked to the end of the town's street, then up a narrow path. After nearly an hour of climbing, I reached the gate of an old, abandoned house. The door was broken—only one side was intact. Inside, no grass grew, just a dry well and lots of dusty, broken furniture. I glanced around but found nothing.
I walked all the way to the end of the town's street, then followed a narrow path uphill. After nearly an hour of climbing, I finally reached the gate of an old, abandoned house. The door was broken—only one side was intact. I went inside: not a blade of grass grew, just a dry well and lots of dusty, broken furniture. I glanced around but found nothing.
The hills here were barren, not a tall tree in sight. Only the terraced fields below the town showed any green. The sun was scorching, so I found a shady spot inside the Zhao family's house and sat down.
Luckily, the cell signal was decent. I browsed the internet, then got up to head back, planning to return tonight.
Back on the town's main street, I saw the midday bus wobbling down the mountain road in the distance, packed with people. I went to the town entrance and watched as the bus arrived, loaded with bags and parcels. Many townsfolk gathered around, and I saw lots of young people returning, carrying bundles of things.
After watching for a while, I returned to the auntie's courtyard, where she greeted me with a delighted smile.
"Little girl, we've got meat now. Want some for dinner tonight?"
I nodded.
I waited until evening. After dinner, instead of going to bed, I asked the auntie to leave the door open for me—I wanted to go back and take a look. She warned me the road was rough and told me not to go, but I said I was just visiting a family to ask some questions.
As the sun set, I returned to the Zhao family's old house. As always, I felt nothing unusual. Once the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped quickly. Mountain winds swept through, making things inside the house shake. I could only lean against the door panel and wait quietly.
After running back and forth all day, I was tired, so I leaned against the door and planned to nap for a while. I wasn't afraid—if anything happened, my sense of coexistence with spirits would wake me up.
Gradually, I felt drowsy and seemed to drift somewhere else. I heard drums and firecrackers. When I opened my eyes, children in festive clothes ran past me, and the Zhao family's courtyard was full of people. The main house looked brand new, guests kept arriving to offer congratulations, and a middle-aged man in colorful clothes greeted them. More than twenty tables were set up in the yard, all packed with people.
At a glance, I saw greenery and peace all around, fruit trees everywhere. I stared in surprise. Just then, Old Man Zhao, busy greeting guests, shouted angrily.
"Tianhe, it's so late—why are you only getting up now?"
From the Zhao family's mansion, a young man walked out, yawning as if still half-asleep. He smiled, dressed in white, sat among the guests, and started drinking, completely ignoring Old Man Zhao, whose anger was obvious.
That guy was Evan Zhao. I tried to walk over, but couldn't—so I could only watch the lively scene unfold.
I realized this was a dream, but didn't dwell on it and kept watching. Evan Zhao gulped down his wine, acting completely carefree. Old Man Zhao finally lost his patience and slapped Evan on the back of the head, causing the nearby guests to start whispering among themselves.
Evan Zhao was the classic type who squandered his family's resources. Though their household was still well-off, he'd always been lazy and ignored the family business. Old Man Zhao had tried many times to get him involved, but Evan's drinking often ruined things. Once, he even lost the money they'd earned for a year because he got drunk and someone stole it.
Everyone in town knew Old Man Zhao was getting old and could barely manage the mountain roads, but Evan was still only interested in food, drink, and fun. Sometimes he'd even steal money from home to visit brothels in the neighboring county. That was shameful enough, but his lack of effort was what Old Man Zhao couldn't tolerate anymore.
"Dad, it's your birthday—why are you so angry?"
After the slap, Evan Zhao spilled wine all over himself, but just laughed it off, not caring in the least. Many of the guests chuckled quietly.
"I don't need a son like you. Get out—leave the house today! You know it's my birthday, and look at the time—you're only just waking up."
Evan Zhao kept smiling, while the guests tried to mediate, saying he'd change as he got older. But Old Man Zhao looked heartbroken, sighing deeply.
"This kid's already thirty, and still hasn't married."
The guests started gossiping again. Evan Zhao was decent-looking, so finding a wife shouldn't be hard, but local girls were picky and none chose him. Old Man Zhao was furious. Even girls from the neighboring town weren't good enough for Evan—he said he'd rather marry Little Peach from the brothel, which nearly drove Old Man Zhao mad.
"Drink! Go ahead and drink!"
Old Man Zhao could no longer hold back his rage. He grabbed Evan Zhao's head and shoved it into the wine bowl, then kicked him to the ground and started beating him. Guests rushed to intervene, but Evan Zhao just got up, brushed the dust off, seemingly used to being hit since childhood, unfazed. He poured himself another bowl of wine, ate some food, and went inside to sleep.
That night, Evan Zhao got up, took a lot of money from home, packed his things, and left the Zhao family. I woke up with a chill—there was a shadowy ghost before me. Startled, I jumped up as Beauty drew her weapon and lunged at the ghost.
"Miss, spare me! Please, spare me!"
I stared in confusion at the yellow-leaf ghost before me. Wasn't he Old Man Zhao—the one I'd just seen in my dream?
"Are you Old Man Zhao?"
I asked, and Old Man Zhao nodded, sighing deeply.
"I saw you arrive here, miss, and wanted to speak, but I was a little afraid. Miss, I can tell your power is extraordinary—please, save Tianhe."
I blinked in confusion.