23 Food Offerings During the Night of a Bright Moon

When the workday was finished, Fangsu has assigned the workers with the task to resupply their products and buy more materials. Fangsu took a small group of workers with her on a trip to the marketplace to buy more materials for the skincare. A fairly large Li Hua cat caught Fangsu's eye, skittered into the dark space between streets with a mouthful of food. Curious about the cat, Fangsu followed it through the small space which with Fangsu petite figure could easily squeeze through without much trouble. The Li Hua cat nimbly turned into sharp corners which Fangsu felt it was difficult to keep up as by the time she would go to the corner the cat would already at the next corner.

The cat and Fangsu had ended up at an abandoned house, the entryway door was barely hanging at its rusted hinges leading to a worn-out house that would have been abandoned many decades ago. there were multiple roof tiles missing, windows were missing, rotten wooden support beams, fragile wooden planks, the atrocious smell of mould caused Fangsu to pinch her nose in grimace and cobwebs and dust had covered the entirety of the house. Continuing to follow the Li Hua cat into the residence, Fangsu had entered a payer room, where the Li Hua cat dropped the food onto the floor. With the food on the floor, a pair of Li Hua kittens went to feast on the food.

After the feeding, the parent of the kittens went over to a cushion in the prayer room where a female spirit appeared, patting the cat's head, but the spirit's hand disappeared through the cat's body. Fangsu had hidden far enough so that she wouldn't startle the spirit of the cat. Leaving the abandoned house, Fangsu returned back to the shop where Da Fu was nearly about to send out all the employees to find her. Da Fu and Bao Ming hugged Fangsu out of concern for her safety and lectured her about telling someone of her activities before disappearing off.

Fangsu's legs had become numb from the long lecture and began looking around for her grandpa who she hadn't seen all day long, "Da Fu, do you know where Grandpa is?" Fangsu asked out whilst putting the material for employees to continue manufacturing out of stock products.

Da Fu was allocating resources to different departments, "Your grandpa is visit the doctor to restock on your medicine." Checking the statistic of money inflow and outflow on a piece of paper given by an employee, "Are you okay? Any pain?" Da Fu looked at Fangsu to check for any indication of pain and stress.

Fangsu shook her head in response, taking a basket with her, "In going out to be ingredients to make snacks!" Fangsu left out the door to the marketplace with a veiled hat to hide her ghostly appearance. If she was working or at the palace she would dye her hair but any other place she would get wear a veiled hat.

Walking through the bustling streets, Fangsu found it difficult to walk at a leisurely pace. "Auntie Lou!" Fangsu ran up to stall owner with a smile.

The stall owner reciprocated back with a smile of her own, "Fangsu! You came!" Stocking more vegetable from the back to the front of the stall, the stall owner wiped away the sweat, "What are you looking for?" Asking the young girl.

Fangsu who was casually browsing through the vegetables, "Some reds beans and Ming bean, Auntie Lou," But not seeing what she was looking for, "Do you have any Huocao flowers?" Fangsu asked the stall owner politely as she received two bags filled with red beans and mung beans.

The stall owner was surprised by Fangsu's request, "Huocao flower? Those flowers are usually used for food offerings for the deceased, but I do have some." The stall owner went to the back to retrieve the item Fangsu requested for, "Fangsu do you someone close to you that has already passed?" The stall owner tried to comfort the young girl by patting her shoulder.

Fangsu shook her head, "No, it's just a random thing I wanted to do." Taking the flowers from the stall owner before leaving the stall to wander the marketplace to find more ingredients, brown sugar, glutinous rice flour and a fish. With all the ingredients in her basket, Fangsu was ready to return back to the shop to make the sticky cakes. On her way a mulberry tree was overhanging the street and Fangsu took a whole bunch of leaves before returning.

Fangsu let the red beans and mung beans soak in water until they swelled up before she went to put the two pots of bean on the fire, simmering the beans until tender. Using a rough filter, Fangsu mashed the beans against the coarse surface, occasionally adding water to separate the beans from their shells. Using two layers of fabric that Fangsu asked for, she began filtering out the water separating the water from the bean paste.

Discarding the water, Fangsu took a wok and put the red bean into the wok to sauté it. After sautéing it, Fangsu added brown sugar to add some sweetness to it. For the mung bean, Fangsu added less brown sugar to keep the flavour of the mung bean. The two bean paste were now completed.

Cleaning the wok from the red bean and mung bean paste Fangsu took the Huocao flower out from her basket. With some water, Fangsu added the Huocao flower, boiling it for ten minutes to soften them. After boiling the water had changed to yellowish colour and Fangsu took the boiled Huocao flower, putting it into a mortar and pestle, pounding the flower until it turned into a paste.

Setting the Huocao flower paste to the side, Fangsu took the glutinous rice flour on a pan and then added the Huocao flower paste, mixing the two together turning the rice flour dough green. Fangsu had also made a plain white glutinous rice flour dough. With all the preparations completed, Fangsu took a portion of the green dough, flattened it and placed a ball of red bean paste in the middle and closed it. After finishing all the green dough and red bean, Fangsu moved onto the white dough and mung bean, and finishing using it all up. The sticky cake was finished but it needed to be steamed for 20 minutes.

Taking the mulberry leaves from earlier, Fangsu cleaned the leaves before placing a sticky cake on top of the leave. With a steamer basket ready, Fangsu could only place 12 sticky cakes in the steamer basket at a time. After setting up 3 steamer baskets, Fangsu had made 72 in the span of 40 minutes. The sticky cakes were ready to eat, 12 sticky cakes were left in reserve for her grandpa and 12 for herself. The other 48 was for the employees to snack on during work.

Fangsu places 4 plates with 12 sticky each on her arms and placing them on the table, "Everyone! Come have a sticky cake!" Fangsu called out and a horde of people rushed to the plates to take a sticky cake for themselves. Even Da Fu, Bao Ming and Wen Cheng who comes occasionally was snacking on the sticky cake Fangsu made. Fangsu laughed at the everyone who was rushing to get a piece, enjoying the sticky cake in gusto.

Fangsu returned to the kitchen to cook the fish she bought. Fangsu took 6 of her sticky cake 3 green and 3 white on a separate plate, place the cooked fish on a separate plate. Fangsu packed the two dishes into her basket with incenses, before leaving the shop once again.

Fangsu decided to forgo the veiled hat as the path she took was empty and late in the night. Into the same dark space between streets where Fangsu followed the cat earlier in the day. Fangsu followed it the same path, easily squeeze through without much trouble. Fangsu arrived at the same abandoned house, entering cautiously. The floorboards creaked under Fangsu's weight which caught the attention of the same pair of cats she saw. Taking out the dish of cooked fish from her basket, Fangsu broke half the fish and tore apart the fish taking out the bones and placing the shreds of fish infront of the kittens who eagerly ate the fish. Walking into the prayer room the same cat still sitting on the cushion, sleeping.

Cautiously, Fangsu walked to the cat who weakly looked up at Fangsu, weakly hissing. Fangsu took the other half of the fish, tearing it apart and leaving out the bones. Fangsu pushed the plate of shredded fish to the cat dismissed the fish, but the spirit urged the cat to eat who reluctantly ate the fish before hungrily eating the fish. Fangsu gently smiled to the spirit, "You are good owner," Looking at the spirit who was stunned by the fact Fangsu could see her and by her strange appearance.

Fangsu smiled and went to the altar, lighting the candles and sticking incense into an incense pot. Fangsu took the sticky cakes out and placed them as offerings. Placing her hands together Fangsu praying, "I hope you can ascend to the afterlife and get reincarnated into a good life." Fangsu stood up.

The spirit who was silent, looked at Fangsu curiously, "Why aren't you scared of me?" The spirit was curious at Fangsu appearance that was similar to that of a spirit or deity.

Fangsu smiled, "Why should I be scared of something that doesn't intent to harm me?" Surprising the ghost who felt happy after so long being not seen by anyone, it was lonely being without people to socialise with.

Fangsu was startled that the spirit was crying, but knew what the reason why the spirit was crying, "Do you have a name?" Fangsu tried asking even though knowing that spirit's generally don't remember their life before they died.

The spirit wiped away the tears, shaking her head, "Please I will be willing to serve you!" The spirit pleaded with Fangsu who was startled yet again by the spirit, "Please give me a name master!" The spirit knelt on the ground, kowtowing in respect.

Fangsu gulped, knowing that her grandpa forbade her from interacting with spirits, but looking out of the broken window where the bright full moon was shining through, "We met during the night of a bright moon." Fangsu spoke without thinking, "Ming Yue... that will be your name," Fangsu smiled at the spirit who happily smiled at Fangsu.

Fangsu pointed at the cat who was fast asleep on the cushion, "Ming Yue, is it okay if I take the cats with me?" Fangsu asked. Ming Yue nodded her head.

Fangsu took the plates back and placed it into the basket, taking off her outer robe and placing it into the basket. Fangsu carried the cushion with the cat on top and placed it into the basket. The kittens raced to Fangsu wanting to be blanketed in the warmth of the robes, Fangsu places the kittens in the basket next to their mother. The kittens instantly snuggled against their mother's belly and Fangsu covered the cats with the rest of the fabric to keep them warm from the wintry chill. Fangsu walked out of the abandoned house quickly followed by Ming Yue who stayed by Fangsu's side, returning back home.

Fangsu shivered from the cold wind, quickly running through the streets to reach the warmth of home. But, unfortunately when Fangsu reached the inside of her home, her body failed on her as she collapsed on the floor. The basket dropped from her arms, startling the cats who were restful in the basket and Ming Yue was panicking about what to do. Ming Yue knew she was useless as a wandering spirit as she wasn't able to physically touch anything. Wandering spirits are the weakest of the spirit ranks usually a result of untimely death and tied to the physical world by lingering feelings.

Ming Yue heard the door of the house opened and an elderly voice calling out, "The doctor said she would be able to come tomorrow!" The elderly voice called out, "Fangsu! I got more of your medicine!" Without a response the footsteps of the person rushed into the house.

Seeing an opportunity for help, Ming Yue rushed to the elderly man, "Please help! My master has collapsed!" Ming Yue pointed to the unconscious Fangsu where three cats were nuzzled against her. The elderly man's eyes widen in shock, but the girl's life was of more importance than the appearance of a ghost.

The elderly man supported the unconscious girl upright, his granddaughter, placing his hand on her forehead, it was hot to the touch. Gently slapping Fangsu's cheek to try get Fangsu to be conscious and to check the severity of Fangsu's condition. Fangsu's eyes did open but her eyes were unfocused and hazy, "Don't hurt Ming Yue, she isn't dangerous just lonely." Fangsu's words were slurred, even though Fangsu was unwell. Fangsu still protected Ming Yue who was a spirit who could have easily drained Fangsu's soul to nourish her own and possess Fangsu's body.

After checking Fangsu's condition, the elderly man took her to her bed. The eldery man turned his attention to the cats and the spirit that was probabky hovering over Fangsu, "You are Ming Yue?" Questioning the spirit who nodded, "Did Fangsu give you that name?" Sitting down on the bed Fangsu was sleeping on. The elderly let out an exhausted groan as he massaged his temples.

Ming Yue stood in front of the elderly man, kowtowing, "Please allow me to serve my master," kneeling in front of the elderly man but he did not notice her kowtowing, "Can you even see me?" Ming Yue asked curiously, waving her hand infront of the elder.

The elderly man shook his head, "Even though I can't see you, I can still hear you." He stared at the direction where Ming Yue's voice was located. The elder sighed dejectedly, making a decision to trust the spirit to protect his only granddaughter, "I will trust you to protect my granddaughter from any other spirits." The old man nodded and left the room to give his granddaughter some peace and quiet to recover her health. Ming Yue hovered over Fangsu's body, watching her chest lift up and down as she breathed as she rested.