It was late at night.
Father Shi and Mother Shi, already asleep, were abruptly awakened by a knock at the door.
The visitor was Grandmother Shi. Her face was clouded with gloom.
Upon seeing his mother's expression, the groggy Father Shi instantly sobered. "Mother, you're still awake?"
"There's a troublemaker in the house—I can't sleep," she said grimly, stepping inside.
Father Shi naturally knew whom she was referring to. His expression darkened.
"Mom…"
"I came here in the middle of the night because we need to talk," she interrupted coldly. "We can't keep raising that child."
Father Shi scratched his head, visibly uncomfortable. "Mom, Shi Mu is still young. If we don't raise her, then who will?"
"She already inherited everything from her grandfather," the old lady snapped. "It's enough to live on."
Father Shi sighed. "How much could a fortune-teller possibly have made? All that was left was a dilapidated house in the Li tribe. No one would want it, even for free. I know you're biased against Shi Mu, but even if she has to stand on her own feet, we have to wait until she comes of age…"
The old lady snorted. "Wait until adulthood? If we wait that long, our whole family might be buried. Her household was always with her grandfather, and he raised her. You may think you're being kind by taking her in, but she'll never be grateful."
Father Shi fell silent.
"I agree with Mother," Mother Shi finally said after a long pause. "Before my father passed, he sent me a letter. He warned that the witchcraft within Shi Mu would awaken at adulthood. He had planned to resolve it, but then…"
She exhaled heavily. "My aunt died because of that curse. I saw how terrifying it was with my own eyes. I can't allow Ali and Rong Rong to be harmed."
Born in the Miao region, where witchcraft was deeply feared, Mother Shi had never forgotten the night Shi Mu was born—when the red moon hung in the sky, flowers withered, and thunder roared as rain poured down. The infant's cries had sounded more ghostly than human.
Father Shi sat quietly, inner conflict flickering in his eyes, before finally nodding.