Night Shift at the Cemetery: I Make a Living Supporting My Family with Taoist Arts

My name is Lu Xiaochen. I’m divorced and raising two kids. With no degree or connections, I took a job as a night-shift patrolman at a cemetery to support my family.

Other people are afraid of the forest of tombstones in the dead of night, afraid of things they can’t explain. I’m not afraid. It’s not because I’m brave, but because I’m too broke to worry about being scared.

When I was a kid, I picked up a few rudimentary Taoist arts from some village elders. I thought they were just tricks to fool people, until I met my first “neighbor” on the night shift.

It wasn’t an evil spirit out to hurt anyone, just a young man who couldn’t let go of his family. And I’m no master, just a wage worker hoping to earn seven thousand a month.

“I’ll help you fulfill your wish. Just don’t scare me, and we’ll leave each other alone.”

From then on, the cemetery night shift came with a special “side gig”: delivering messages for ghosts and helping spirits fulfill their final wishes.

No powers to fly through the sky or burrow into the earth, no earth-shattering adventures. Just a single dad, using a few folk Taoist arts to work and support his family in a cemetery at night, while gently caring for the lingering attachments of those who remain in this world.

The nights are long, but the light at home will always be on for me.