Infant Spirit

On the second day of the new year, it was time to visit relatives.

Chou Feiqian's maternal family, the Chou Family, was also a long-established merchant family in B City. In the past, they had even developed better than the Yin Family. However, because they had been too conservative and complacent for the past two decades, failing to keep up with policy changes and seize opportunities, they slowly fell from the top tier of B City's business circle and were now far inferior to the increasingly prosperous Yin Family.

"I have two older brothers and one younger sister. My sister married abroad and comes back with her family for New Year's greetings. My two brothers are both in B City. When we get there, just greet people when you're supposed to, and take any red envelopes you're given. You don't need to bother with anything else. We'll sit for a bit and then leave, we won't stay long."

After setting out, Chou Feiqian pulled Yu Zhen closer and began to instruct him in detail.

This time, Yin Le sat in the front passenger seat, while Chou Feiqian sat in the back with Yu Zhen.

Seeing that Chou Feiqian's mood was a bit low as she spoke, and there was no trace of joy on her face, Yu Zhen grew a little puzzled. It didn't seem like she was taking her family back to her parents' home at all, but more like she was going to deal with an unavoidable chore.

'Why does it seem like... Chou Feiqian's relationship with her family isn't very good?'

The Chou Family hadn't split up. It was a large family, so their residence was much bigger than the Yin Family's, consisting of a set of three rows of villas with a huge courtyard. They even had a separate security guard at the gate, much more formal than the Yin Family.

"They just love these pointless formalities."

As the car entered the courtyard, Chou Feiqian frowned and muttered, her eyes disapproving as she looked at the guard's thin uniform.

Yu Zhen followed her gaze and saw the guard standing outside in the dead of winter, wearing a uniform that looked nice but wasn't warm. His face and ears were red from the cold, and Yu Zhen frowned as well.

The Yin Family had no security, only a housekeeper and a driver.

Chou Feiqian was a very kind boss. As soon as winter set in, she adjusted the schedules for the housekeeper and driver so they could sleep in a little longer in the mornings. As the New Year approached, she even personally booked their tickets and sent those who wanted to go home for the holidays back to their hometowns early.

They were both surnamed Chou, so why was the attitude toward their household employees so different? In the middle of winter, the guard at the gate wasn't even given thick clothes to wear. That uniform looked good, but it was obviously not warm.

'The Chou Family has four children. The two sons are from Old Master Chou's first wife. Mother and Auntie Chou Feiting are from Old Master Chou's second wife. Both wives passed away shortly after giving birth. Now that Old Master Chou is old, he has retreated behind the scenes. The one in charge of the family is Eldest Brother Chou.'

A cool voice sounded in his mind. Yu Zhen withdrew his gaze and turned his head to look at Yin Yan.

"When we go in later, stick close to me," Yin Yan said, taking his hand in the process.

Yin Yan's voice brought Chou Feiqian back to her senses. Remembering her two crooked-minded brothers, she also added, "That's right, stick close to Xiao Yan. If anyone says anything nasty to you, don't pay them any mind, and don't take it to heart. Or just talk back directly, don't hold back. Their mouths were never meant for saying nice things."

"Hmph, when Big Brother had his accident a while ago, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle didn't even call our home... Mom, let's just drop off the gifts and leave. I don't want to see my cousins. They're so annoying."

Yin Le couldn't help but complain, looking at the villa's main gate as if it were some kind of monster.

At the mention of this, Chou Feiqian's expression also soured, but she quickly adjusted and coaxed, "Your Maternal Grandfather's health has been getting worse these past few years. Although he did some foolish things in the past, he is your grandfather after all, and he's good to you now. Just bear with it, okay?"

"Good to me? Just smiling and calling me 'good boy' a few times is considered good... He also said Big Brother was a Star of Misfortune, bad for the Chou Family's feng shui..." Yin Le grumbled discontentedly, but his voice quieted down. Knowing there was no escaping this, he stopped his futile complaints.

Yu Zhen gleaned a mountain of information from these few sentences, and his impression of the Chou Family subconsciously dropped below zero.

Brothers who were not good to their sister, a grandfather who called his grandson a Star of Misfortune, and annoying cousins. When a group of people like that got together, the scene must be terrifying.

The car had already turned into the garage following the guard's directions. Yin Hexiang unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "Alright, it's only once a year. We'll just sit for a bit and then leave."

A guard had already come over to help open the car doors. Everyone tacitly fell silent, got out one by one, and opened the trunk for the guard to carry the gifts.

They followed the guard to the main entrance. The guard helped ring the doorbell, and it took a full half-minute for the door to open from the inside.

Yin Le couldn't help but roll his eyes. From entering the courtyard to parking the car and getting the gifts, it had been a long time. He refused to believe the people inside didn't know they had arrived. Did they think the walkie-talkies on the guards were fake?

Really, there's so much drama every year, it's so annoying.

Just as he was thinking this, the main door finally opened. A middle-aged woman with thin eyebrows, a long face, and rather classic features appeared at the door. Upon seeing them, a fake, enthusiastic smile appeared on her face, and she greeted them loudly, "Oh, it's Feiqian! Look at the wind out here, come in, come in quickly, don't let the children freeze... Eh, and who is this?"

But she didn't move aside, still blocking the doorway.

Yin Le glanced at her body completely blocking the door and her feigned curious gaze at Yu Zhen. Guessing she was about to "unintentionally" block the door to catch up, letting their whole family freeze in the cold wind, he deliberately let out a loud sneeze and said in a strained voice, "Eldest Aunt, can you let us in before you ask questions? The wind is so strong out here. If I get sick and infect my eldest cousin later, that would be bad."

"Xiao Le, how can you speak to your eldest aunt like that?" Yin Hexiang made a show of reprimanding him, but his hand rose to help Chou Feiqian tighten her scarf, his intention to protect her from the cold very obvious. He then put on a formal, polite face for the woman and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, Happy New Year."

No matter how much Si Ling disliked Chou Feiqian or envied her good life, she didn't dare to casually disrespect Yin Hexiang. She quickly reined in her little schemes, smilingly replied "Happy New Year," and stepped aside to lead them in.

From the moment the Chou Family's main door opened, Yu Zhen felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort. After they exchanged their barbed pleasantries and entered the house, that uncomfortable feeling became more and more pronounced, so much so that he couldn't help but frown and grab Yin Yan's hand.

"Slow your breathing, calm your heart and mind."

Yin Yan squeezed his hand back, a surge of power flowing from his palm.

A warm force transmitted from their clasped hands. Yu Zhen adjusted his breathing in coordination with that force, and the uncomfortable feeling immediately subsided a lot.

After entering the house, everyone inside gathered around. There were two middle-aged men, one tall and one short, and a middle-aged woman with rather glamorous features. From their greetings, these people should be Chou Feiqian's two older brothers and second sister-in-law.

Chou Feiqian's relationship with her two brothers seemed to be poor; her greetings were very polite and distant.

Compared to their attitude towards their sister, the two Chou brothers were much more enthusiastic when facing Yin Hexiang.

"Where are the children?" Chou Feiqian asked casually after taking a seat.

"They're all still sleeping, it's so early," Si Ling, the eldest aunt who had opened the door for them, replied, her words carrying a hint of accusation that they had come too early.

Chou Feiqian pretended not to hear. Seeing that her two brothers were about to lead Yin Hexiang to the study to talk, she quickly spoke up, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, is Dad up yet? I heard he wasn't feeling well a while ago. Did he see a doctor? What did the doctor say?"

Chou Feixiong, Chou Feiqian's eldest brother, paused his gesture of invitation upon hearing her words. He turned to look at her and said with a frown, "So you do know Dad's not well. We're all in B City, why didn't you come to see him?"

He started with an accusation, leaving Yu Zhen a bit bewildered.

Chou Feiqian was a guest, and it was the New Year. Wasn't this brother's tone a bit too harsh?

"Xiao Yan was in a car accident in H Province a while ago. Feiqian and I stayed there for a while, so we couldn't visit in person," Yin Hexiang interjected, taking over the conversation with a perfectly reasonable explanation that left no room for criticism.

Yin Le chimed in at the right moment, "Mom even specially asked someone to buy lots of supplements for Maternal Grandfather and have them sent over. How are they, are those supplements working? Big Brother even picked some of them out for Maternal Grandfather from his hospital bed."

There was a brief silence. Yu Zhen had never witnessed such a family homecoming atmosphere before and silently scooted closer to Yin Yan.

"Xiao Yan was in a car accident? What happened, was it serious? Oh my, his second uncle and I were on a business trip out of province a while ago, we didn't hear about this." Second Aunt Ye Mei broke the silence, looking at Yin Yan with a concerned face. Then, as if just noticing Yu Zhen sitting beside him, she asked, "Oh, and this is..."

"My partner."

Yin Yan spoke up, pulling Yu Zhen to his feet. With a calm face, he introduced the two uncles and aunts one by one, then gestured for Yu Zhen to greet them.

Yu Zhen obediently greeted them. His eyes swept over them, pausing briefly on the eldest uncle, Chou Feixiong, before he politely withdrew his gaze and offered a polite smile.

"Partner?" Chou Feixiong frowned again, looking Yu Zhen up and down with a critical eye. He said in a strange tone, "A man?"

"What about Han Ya? Xiao Yan, you were so insistent back then that you would marry no one but her." The eldest aunt spoke in a teasing tone, then started laughing by herself, which was very abrupt.

Chou Feiqian's expression fell. She reached out, pulled Yu Zhen back down to sit beside her, and said lightly, "A great beauty like Han Ya is more than our Xiao Yan can handle. By the way, didn't Junwen used to like Han Ya too? Since he's divorced and single again, how about I help play matchmaker?"

Chou Junwen, the eldest son of Chou Feixiong and Si Ling, was thirty years old. He had been divorced twice and had no legitimate children, but he did manage to have an illegitimate son with a young model. Back when Yin Yan was fawning over Han Ya, he had also jumped on the bandwagon and pursued her. He even divorced his second wife for it and was publicly slapped by her, becoming a huge joke.

Si Ling's laughter stopped. Her expression clearly turned ugly as she said, "Our Junwen wouldn't look twice at a jinx who brings misfortune to anyone she gets close to."

"That's right, some people are just like that, bringing misfortune to anyone they get close to. They've already ruined several good girls," Chou Feiqian retorted sharply. After they had embarrassed Yu Zhen, she had no intention of saving face for them.

Usually, when they picked on her, she would let it slide for the sake of their shared surname. But now that her son was bringing his partner home for the first time, for them to act so thoughtlessly, they could only blame her for being impolite!

"That's enough! What kind of behavior is this on New Year's Day!"

Seeing his wife lose the exchange, Chou Feixiong waved his hand with a dark face and called for the maid to prepare some red envelopes, motioning for her to hand them to Yu Zhen.

"No need." Yin Yan refused, standing slightly in front of Yu Zhen to shield him. He didn't sit down either, saying, "The red envelopes are too big, and our pockets are too shallow to hold them. Please take your time chatting. I'm taking Yu Zhen and Xiao Le to see Maternal Grandfather."

With that, he bent down, took Yu Zhen's hand to pull him up, and gestured to Yin Le. Without waiting for a reply from Chou Feixiong and the others or caring if it was awkward, he led the two of them straight towards the floor where the old man lived.

The maid stood in the middle holding the red envelopes, looking at the departing trio, then at Chou Feixiong, unsure what to do.

"Get out! The tea is cold, bring a fresh pot."

Having been openly mocked by a junior, Chou Feixiong couldn't keep his composure. He spoke with a dark face, and just as he was about to criticize Yin Yan's upbringing to Chou Feiqian, she stood up, took out her phone, and said, "Feiting should be arriving soon. I'll give her a call."

With his son and wife gone, Yin Hexiang acted as if he was completely unaware. He took a sip of the cold tea and nodded, "Yes, this tea is indeed cold. They say one should seek good fortune in the new year. Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you've been careless."

Subtly mocked again, Chou Feixiong grew even more frustrated. But he couldn't talk back to Yin Hexiang, and the veins on his forehead bulged from holding it in.

"Careless, careless. Hexiang, don't mind us. Quick, bring a pot of hot tea," Second Uncle Chou Feijun stepped in to mediate. While instructing the maid to change the tea, he signaled his wife to pull the eldest sister-in-law, Si Ling, away. Then he smoothly changed the topic, steering the conversation towards business.

With someone giving him a way out, Chou Feixiong's expression gradually improved, and he went along with the business talk. However, having put on the airs of an older brother for too long, his words inevitably carried a certain "commanding" tone.

After growing old, Old Master Chou preferred peace and quiet. He lived alone in a large master bedroom in a corner of the first floor, usually cared for by a maid, and he didn't like to trouble his children.

Yu Zhen followed behind Yin Yan, listening to Yin Le's complaints about the Chou Family and sensing the faint Baleful Qi and Yin aura in the air. He frowned slightly.

There was definitely a ghost in this Chou family house, and more than one. The Baleful Qi was also very strong. He just couldn't pinpoint where the ghosts were. The Chou Family's aura was too strange, interfering with his senses.

Perhaps knowing that guests would be visiting today, Old Master Chou's door was wide open, and someone was standing guard. Upon seeing Yin Yan and the others approach, the person immediately came forward to greet them, while also loudly announcing their arrival to the old man inside.

"Is that Xiao Yan and Xiao Le?"

The old man, too weak to leave his bed, greeted the three of them warmly as they entered. He had the maid set out the tea, snacks, and fruits that had been prepared long ago, urging them to eat.

"Maternal Grandfather, how has your health been recently? I was unable to visit when you were unwell last time. This grandson has been unfilial," Yin Yan said politely after sitting down.

The old man waved his hands hastily, "It's fine, it's fine. You young people have to focus on your careers, I understand. This child must be Xiao Zhen, right? Just as Feiqian said, a beautiful child. Here, live a good life with Yin Yan from now on."

"Thank you, Maternal Grandfather."

Yu Zhen accepted the red envelope, feeling a little surprised.

After hearing Yin Le's earlier complaints, he had thought Old Master Chou's attitude towards them might not be good, but now it seemed quite nice.

"Maternal Grandfather, where's my red envelope! I want one too!" Yin Le sidled up, deliberately holding out his hand for a red envelope, acting like a spoiled child.

His antics amused Old Master Chou, who chuckled and scolded him for a couple of sentences before cheerfully giving him a red envelope. His spirits seemed much better than before.

The old man was in poor health and needed a lot of rest, so the three of them left after chatting for a while.

The smile on Yin Le's face vanished the moment they stepped out. He let out a long sigh and said sullenly, "I used to think he was hateful, but looking at him now, I find him pitiful."

Yu Zhen grew even more confused. Seeing this, Yin Yan explained, "Maternal Grandfather has a bit of Alzheimer's. He doesn't remember many things from the past. In his current mind, he's a kind old man who dotes on his children and grandchildren."

"A kind old man, tsk... He's forgotten all the bad things, and only we still remember. If only I could have amnesia too," Yin Le sighed, as if this act was very difficult for him.

Only then did Yu Zhen understand what Chou Feiqian had meant in the car by "he's good to you now." The "now" referred to after the old man had lost his memory. Before that, Yin Le and Yin Yan were probably not liked by him.

When the three returned to the main living room, Chou Feiqian's younger sister, Chou Feiting, had already arrived with her family.

Chou Feiting was three years younger than Chou Feiqian. The year after Chou Feiqian married Yin Hexiang, Chou Feiting defied her father and brothers' objections, took no dowry, ran away from home, and married her current husband with empty hands.

Her husband was a foreigner who had been her classmate for a time while she was studying abroad. His parents were both doctors, and their family was well-off, but they were certainly far behind the Chou Family of that time. That was why Old Master Chou had been so against the marriage, almost arranging for her to marry into an old family friend's family.

After "eloping," she only maintained contact with her sister Chou Feiqian. It was only in recent years, after Old Master Chou started becoming confused and losing his memory, that she gradually resumed contact with her family.

Like Chou Feiqian, Chou Feiting was also a sharp person, even more so than her sister. Because she lived abroad and only came back to visit her father, with no vested interests, she would rebut her two "advising" brothers and sisters-in-law, sentence for sentence, without holding back.

Si Ling and Ye Mei had suffered at her hands more than once and were reluctant to provoke her. So after she arrived, the atmosphere in the Chou household actually became a bit more harmonious, with no one saying any more tactless, upsetting things.

"So this is Xiao Zhen? Come, let Little Auntie have a look."

The moment Chou Feiting saw them return, her gaze shifted to Yu Zhen walking beside Yin Yan. She smiled and beckoned. Before Yu Zhen could even greet her, she stuffed a large red envelope into his hand and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. I just love good-looking and gentle boys, unlike that one of mine who is a complete copy of his father, built like a bear. I heard you can make perfume? Is it the one my sister is wearing now? I smelled it as soon as I came in."

Yu Zhen was a bit overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. He accepted the red envelope, called her "Little Auntie," then nodded and replied, "If you like it, I can make a bottle for you when I get back."

"That would be great, save me from fighting with my sister over it."

Hearing this, Chou Feiqian smiled and patted her, completely ignoring the awkwardly seated Si Ling and Ye Mei on the other side. She looked at Yin Yan and asked, "You've seen Maternal Grandfather, how is he?"

"He's in good spirits. We were afraid of disturbing his rest, so we only spoke for a few minutes before coming out."

Chou Feiqian nodded and called over to Yin Hexiang, who was still tied up in conversation with the two Chou brothers, signaling for him to come over. They would go with Chou Feiting and her husband to visit the old man.

Chou Feixiong was in the middle of a lively conversation and was a bit displeased at being interrupted, but he knew they had to see the old man, so he also stood up to go with them.

In a flash, almost everyone in the living room left. Yin Le looked back and forth between his unmoving older brother and Yu Zhen, who was hesitating about whether to go along again. He took a step back and flopped onto the sofa, saying, "Sit, sit. Maternal Grandfather's room is only so big, let's not take up space."

Only then did Yu Zhen sit down. He looked up and saw what seemed to be the figure of a small child flash past a corner. He froze. Just as he was about to call the maid over to see if a child had run downstairs, Yin Yan pressed his hand down.

"It's an Infant Spirit."

Yin Yan leaned in and explained in his ear, stopping him from getting up.

Infant Spirit?

Yu Zhen was shocked. He looked back towards the corner where he had seen the figure, but there was no sign of a child anymore. His body slowly tensed up.

Among the stories his grandfather had told him, there was one that left the deepest impression and frightened him the most: the Infant Spirit.

An Infant Spirit, as the name implies, is the spirit of an unborn or newly born infant who died shortly after birth. In the story his grandfather told, most Infant Spirits were ignorant and purely benevolent. As long as they were properly delivered, they could re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.

But a very small number of Infant Spirits could be exceptionally evil, filled with deep resentment. They could follow the bloodline to find their biological parents, lingering and entangling with them, bringing them misfortune and disaster. These types of Infant Spirits were usually formed from the spirits of infants who died unnaturally, and ordinary deliverance rituals were useless on them.

No wonder the aura of the Chou Family house was so strange. Once an Infant Spirit formed, its power was much stronger than that of ordinary ghosts. Moreover, if it resided with a family of its blood relatives, it could affect the family's fortune and feng shui.

A chill ran through Yu Zhen's heart. From the Baleful Qi and Yin aura he had sensed earlier, the Infant Spirit in the Chou Family's house had definitely existed for a long time and had become very strong by feeding on the yang energy or lifespan of its biological parents.

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear cousin who was ready to die for a woman. What's this, holding a man's hand? Did you realize you were too much of a loser to handle women, so your self-esteem took a hit and you're paying for men to play with now?"

A sarcastic, malevolent voice sounded from the staircase. His words were full of malice. Yu Zhen's heart sank when he heard it. He looked up, and his heart sank even further.

Behind the man still in his pajamas on the staircase, a female ghost with a blurred face was clinging to his neck, her arms wrapped around him. Baleful Qi swirled around her, completely enveloping the man within it.

He subconsciously tightened his grip on Yin Yan's hand, his expression turning grave.