The White Creature And The Scripture of Bai (1)
Bai Ye turned to the source of the voice and saw a familiar old face. “Mr. Village Chief?”
“Little Ye, it’s really you! Come quick!” the village chief of Banruo village, Ji Fu, called out. The girl who was covered in mud was indeed Bai Ye.
Before Bai Ye said anything, Ji Fu quickly took her hand and guided her to the village square. She could feel the coarseness of his palm on hers.
As they walked, Ji Fu explained, “The village knows about your grandfather’s passing and that bastard, Qing Xuantian’s attempt to kidnap you. You shouldn’t be alone, you can stay at my place for now.”
Bai Ye was not used to receiving kindness from others. The complicated nature of her troubles made her wary of accepting the village chief’s offer. “Mr. Village Chief...”
Before she could voice her concern, Ji Fu interrupted her, “Little Ye, don’t worry. Everything will be alright, we’ll take care of your grandfather.”
They rounded a corner and Ji Fu tugged her into an alley.
The sudden change in direction jarred her and she fell into the soft embrace of a stranger.
“Little Ye,” a familiar voice crooned. The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman.
“Let’s not spend too much time here. Quickly take Little Ye home. I’ll go have a look at their house,” Ji Fu ushered his wife, Yao Cuihua.
The furry creature stared hungrily at the buns on the table. “Little Ye! I want a bite too!”
Bai Ye was speechless.
“Little Ye,” the ball of fur begged pitifully. Despite its pleas, it did not try to grab the buns.
A moment passed before realization hit her. “You can’t leave my body?”
“That is correct. I will die if I leave you,” the furry thing said poutily. The creature gave Bai Ye a forlorn look.
Bai Ye pursed her lips and mused. Then, she grabbed a bun for the creature.
“Little Ye is the best!” The creature took the bun and traveled up Bai Ye’s head. There it sat, munching on the offered food.
Bai Ye suspected she would have to wash her hair again after this but she let the creature be.
Minutes passed in silence before she asked a question, “Tell me, how did my grandfather die? Was it the Qing family?”
The kang (Chinese: 炕) is a traditional long platform for general living, working, entertaining and sleeping used in the northern part of China, where the winter climate is cold.