Xue Lian crouched by the window, holding her breath, not daring to make a sound. The people inside seemed to have quieted down as well, and there was no movement for a long time. Xue Lian even began to doubt whether she had imagined it, but the flickering candlelight inside confirmed that someone had indeed been there.

  "I'm here; I just came to check on you all," a voice suddenly echoed from within the house. The tone sounded like someone visiting an old friend, but it was... a man's voice!

  A man's voice? Xue Lian couldn't have imagined hearing a man's voice here. And “you all”... who was he referring to?

  "Are they still asleep? You should be quiet; don't wake them," came a woman's voice in reply.

  Xue Lian distinctly remembered seeing only one shadow earlier, but now there was the unmistakable sound of a second person—a woman's voice. Could it be that the other person was sitting out of her line of sight? Xue Lian pushed aside her confusion and decided to keep listening.

  "Got it, you say the same thing every day. I'm tired of hearing it," the man replied, sounding somewhat impatient.

  "Sigh, I know you still keep bothering them," the woman responded, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.

  "They must be bored in there; they probably want someone to talk to," the man said.

  "Sigh..." The woman let out a soft sigh and then fell silent.

  The man continued, "Boss, I know the water is very cold, so I brought a heater for you to warm up. You have to take care of yourself; don’t catch a cold. Second, I know you love flowers and pnts, so I brought a bunch. Just be careful not to get too distracted. Third, your tongue is too ugly, so I made a veil for you to cover it. Fourth, this hat is specially made for you. See if it fits. I know you care about your appearance, and this will definitely cover that ugly scar on your head. Fifth..." The man paused when he reached the fifth, letting out a helpless sigh, then continued, "Fifth, you're the most disobedient, always running around and looking at everything. Even though you don't listen, I still brought something for you. It's your favorite food—lychees from the South."

  The man stopped speaking.

  Xue Lian felt something was off as she listened to his words. Quietly, she extended her right index finger and poked a small hole in the paper of the window to try and get a better look.

  She could only see one person, sitting with their back to her. She couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman. The clothes were in tatters, as though pieces from several garments had been pieced together, but they were wrapped tightly around the person. The figure sat motionless in front of the five pques bearing the names of the five Xue Lians. In front of each pque were the same items the man had mentioned earlier, but they were all made of paper.

  Xue Lian felt a chill run through her body, her whole frame trembling. The man was speaking to the dead. She cmped her hand over her mouth, terrified that she might scream out in fear.

  "You won't accept them? You don't like them?" The person sitting there spoke, and it was the voice of a man. "Looks like I shouldn't have spoiled you all this much!" His voice suddenly became louder.

  "Sigh, I told you not to disturb them. Look, they must be angry; that's why they won't take your gifts," the woman's voice responded, but it seemed to come from the same person sitting there.

  How could this be? How could one person produce both male and female voices? How could they be talking to themselves? Xue Lian's legs started to tremble, and she felt like she couldn't stand anymore. She wanted to leave immediately, but she realized she was too frightened to move. Meanwhile, the voices inside the room continued.

  "Angry?" The voice switched back to the man′s tone. "I come with good intentions to visit them, and they get angry at me! These damn women!"

  As he spoke, the person who had been sitting still suddenly stood up. The movement was so fast that Xue Lian didn't even see how he managed to rise.

  "You see? You're angry again. It's bad for your health," the woman's voice chimed in. The person's left hand lifted as if to gently pat their own head. "Don't be angry, don't be angry." The hand moved as though it was truly caressing, swaying gently.

  That hand, so thin, so dry, it was almost skeletal. It looked eerily terrifying. But it seemed... familiar somehow. Xue Lian's mind began to race, trying to pce where she had seen that hand before.

  "No, I'm going to destroy all of this!" The voice switched back to the man's, sounding full of frustration.

  The person suddenly stepped forward, stomping furiously on the paper items. He didn't stop, just kept stomping relentlessly. His movements were stiff, as if he hadn't moved in a long time. He stomped with such force that his shoe nearly flew off.

  His shoe! Xue Lian nearly colpsed from the shock. The person was wearing a red embroidered shoe—only one. The other foot was just like his hand, almost skeletal.

  "Ghost! Ah!" Xue Lian screamed hysterically, her body trembling with fear. The figure was startled by her scream and turned around. Its face and body were wrapped tightly in yers of clothing, but Xue Lian could clearly see its teeth—sharp and protruding, and one of its front teeth was missing.