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Upon hearing this, the neighbors finally understood the situation.

"It turns out that Old Uncle starved to death."

"In these peaceful times, there are still people starving. That sounds so pitiful."

Chu Yuening continued, "Having something to eat became the old man's ultimate obsession before his last breath."

Ding Tao felt a mix of panic and shock.

Upon learning that Old Uncle had starved to death, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

"Why... why didn't he look for his children? Why just me?"

Chu Yuening replied, "Actually, he knew it wasn't right to constantly seek you out. You should know what illness he had, right?"

"Yes," Ding Tao said, recalling the old man's medical records with a sigh. "Primary bronchogenic carcinoma, which had progressed to an advanced stage after a long time. There was no cure. The doctors all said that the reason the illness dragged on was because he could endure it."

In fact, Ding Tao had overheard quite a bit of gossip while visiting Old Uncle in the hospital.

"What are they saying, Master? The old man's son and daughter-in-law are disdainful of him because of his severe illness and don't even come to visit him in the hospital. Just now, my colleague said that the old man waits in the hospital every day for his family, hoping until the end without seeing them."

"Master, why don't his family members retrieve his body?"

"Retrieve it?"

Chu Yuening calculated with her fingers and shook her head with a smile. "His son knows that his father has accumulated a large hospital bill. If he comes to claim the body, he'll have to pay. How dare he come?"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors' eyes widened in shock, and they erupted into a chorus of curses and complaints. The once-quiet temple street suddenly became as bustling as a marketplace.

"That damn scoundrel! Curse his whole family! A man who can't even do right by his own father deserves divine punishment!"

"It would be better if he had never been born. At least a pork rib can still be eaten."

"How heartless! It's said that leaves return to their roots and the dead rest in their graves. Yet, this elderly person can't even find a burial ground."

"Oh, it's truly pitiful. The morgue's refrigerators are very cold. The old man, hungry, cold, and penniless, might have had no other choice but to seek out the young man."

"Sigh, when one grows old, such stories truly weigh heavy on the heart."

Ding Tao's face was filled with profound concern. During his work hours, he had often heard the old man recount his youthful tales. He had come alone from the mainland to Hong Kong, endured many hardships, and later married and had children. To establish roots in Hong Kong, he had lived frugally for most of his life, only managing to buy a house in Sham Shui Po after years of saving.

Buying a house was no easy feat, nor was raising children.

Who could have imagined that this would be the old man's fate in his old age?

Ding Tao sighed deeply. "Master, it's not a sustainable solution for the old man to come to me every night like this. Is there any way to prevent him from appearing again?"

In the end, Ding Tao was still afraid. Before he knew that the old man was a ghost, he might have been able to persist in buying items. Now that he knew the truth, even if the old man wasn't malevolent, he couldn't help but feel fear.

Chu Yuening picked up her teacup and took a sip of water.

After some thought, she said, "Humans and ghosts are different. When a human is hungry, they can eat food to satisfy their hunger. But for a ghost, the meals of the human world can no longer alleviate their emptiness. Even if they consume a meal, they will remain in a state of constant hunger at other times."

Ding Tao hurriedly asked, "What does the ghost feed on?"

"Ghost consume incense and offerings," Chu Yuening explained. "Tonight, buy white candles and burnable incense. Remember, get a large bundle of incense and ninety-nine white candles to burn all at once. Once his soul is fully satisfied, he won't come looking for you again."

Ding Tao jotted down the instructions but then hesitated. "Will Grandpa still linger in the hospital after this?"

"Yes," Chu Yuening replied frankly. "But he still wants to go home."

After a lifetime of labor, to die in a hospital without a proper burial was a tragic fate.

Touched, Ding Tao's eyes reddened as he asked, "Would Grandpa finally find peace if his son takes him back home?"

Chu Yuening sighed softly. "That's right."

"Thank you, Master. I'll attend to these matters tonight." With that, Ding Tao paid for the divination and the dessert before leaving.

The neighbors present were deeply moved, expressing their sympathy.

"It's already sad enough for someone to pass away in a hospital in their old age, but to have their body left in the morgue without burial, it's truly heartbreaking."

"Master, what do you think happened with Elder Abbot's son? How could he be so heartless towards the father who gave him life?"

Chu Yuening picked up her teacup. "It's actually very difficult to assign blame in their situation."

"Elder Abbot's son has always harbored resentment towards his father, believing that he wasn't loved. Then, he married a strong-willed wife, and they lived together with the elder. He was often subjected to his daughter-in-law's verbal abuse. It's remarkable how much Elder Abbot endured. He had been ill for a long time but managed to bear it for over a decade. Only when his health deteriorated in his later years, with abdominal swelling and pain, did he finally come to the hospital."

"At first, the son was willing to treat his father. The daughter-in-law, seeing that the elder was sick, convinced the old man to transfer the house into the son's name. As the medical bills piled up, both of them stopped coming to the hospital."

She twirled the teacup and shook her head. "In the end, there was a deep rift between father and son. Now that they're separated by death, there's little chance for reconciliation."

The neighbors conversed animatedly.

"It's said that fathers and sons don't hold grudges overnight, alas."

"What a tragedy. You'd think any misunderstandings could be resolved while the person is still alive, right?"

"As outsiders, all we can do is try to see the bright side. Thanks to Master's guidance, at least Elder Abbot won't have to go hungry anymore."

"In truth, Mr. Ding's willingness to burn incense despite his fear shows a good character."

"Indeed."

A rumbling stomach echoed in the silence.