Volume 8: The Days of the Ghost Marriage
The Bride
The wedding day is in three days.
Lou Jingmo was startled for a moment, then said, “Let’s wait until we get out. Once we’re out, you can ask me anything you want to know.”
Shen Maomao said slyly, “The question I want to know most is your three sizes1… Eek! Get your hand away!”
——Lou Jingmo had stretched out her arm, intending to pinch Shen Maomao’s cheek with a hand soaked in well water, but Shen Maomao dodged it with a swift turn of her head.
With her head still turned away, Shen Maomao said, “Don’t touch me with your dirty paws! There might be corpses in that well…”
Lou Jingmo retracted her hand and sneered, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. I’m afraid you’ll feel inadequate if I tell you.”
Shen Maomao: “…Ah, bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!2”
Lou Jingmo: “…We’re on the same team, hold your fire3.”
There looked to be a lot of clothes, but they were quick to wash. Though they were called “dirty clothes,” the masters’ outfits were typically replaced after being worn just once or twice, so they weren’t all that dirty to begin with. Shen Maomao didn’t care whether they were perfectly clean or not; she just scrubbed all the clothes once over with the soap bar, and then it was time to fetch clean water for rinsing.
When she looked up, she realized Lou Jingmo had already finished long ago. She was now watching her with a smile, and there was no telling how long she had been holding that pose.
Shen Maomao raised an eyebrow. “Mesmerized by my heroic laundry-washing posture?”
Lou Jingmo rolled her eyes and gestured toward the middle of the courtyard. “I was just seeing how much longer you could possibly dawdle.”
It turned out the two sisters, Milk Tea and Potato Chips, had already started hanging their clothes to dry!
Shen Maomao: “…I’m sorry, I repent.”
On the other side, Su Han had also finished her laundry long ago. Shen Maomao quickly stood up and went with them to the backyard to fetch water.
Di Yiqiao still hadn’t returned. Shen Maomao felt a constant unease, terrified that the young girl had gone off to get herself killed somehow.
If she only got herself killed, that would be one thing, but what if she dragged all the other players down with her… The reunion in the underworld would probably be very unpleasant.
Because there were three of them now, the thing in the well didn’t dare to come out and cause trouble. The trio made two round trips, and Su Han had enough water. However, she didn’t continue with her own laundry. Instead, she chose to go with them and helped them fetch another bucket, saving them from having to make an extra trip.
After returning, Shen Maomao watched Su Han in the distance and whispered in Lou Jingmo’s ear, “Su Han is actually a really good person.”
Lou Jingmo nodded. “It seems that way for now.” But there’s no telling if she can stay that way.
Shen Maomao also pressed her lips together. “I hope so…”
An unknown amount of time passed, so long that Shen Maomao had already hung the clothes on the rack, and Di Yiqiao still hadn’t come back.
After the clothes were hung, Lou Jingmo announced she was going to explore on her own for a bit and told Shen Maomao to stay and watch the clothes.
Shen Maomao was naturally unwilling to let her go take risks, but she was also afraid something would happen if she abandoned the freshly washed clothes, so she could only agree sullenly.
The moment Lou Jingmo left, Su Han on the other side also grew restless. “Um… Rabbit…”
“Huh?”
“Could you also watch my things for a while? I’ll come back to collect them myself when it’s time. In exchange, I’ll share whatever intel I can gather with you.”
Shen Maomao, figuring that herding one sheep was the same as herding two, agreed. In the end, she added, “But if some force majeure event occurs, I will only save my and Xiao Lou’s clothes first. I’ll do my best to manage yours, but that’s it.”
Su Han agreed, a solemn oath coming readily to her lips: “Deal. If anything happens and I blame you, I’ll walk out the door and get hit by a car.”
Shen Maomao: “Sister, you’re a bit harsh on yourself…”
Su Han stood up from the stone stool. “A woman has to be harsh on herself.”
The two left one after the other. Shen Maomao glanced at Potato Chips and Milk Tea nearby and called out in a loud voice, “What about you two? Is one of you leaving too?”
Potato Chips shook her head. “No… We’re both timid, we don’t dare to run around.”
That was true. People like Lou Jingmo were a minority, after all. And now there was Su Han. Most girls were still timid and afraid of ghosts, and Shen Maomao was no exception.
However, Shen Maomao felt that her courage had been tempered. She could now drag Su Han out of the well without batting an eye.
As for her cowardly performance while fetching water afterward, that was just being cautious.
Not long after Lou Jingmo left, the main gate to the small courtyard was pushed open again. A figure strode in with a swagger, a man following behind her.
The newcomer was none other than Di Yiqiao, who had been missing all afternoon.
The three people in the courtyard all stood up.
They didn’t recognize the man behind Di Yiqiao.
The man wore a dark blue robe and a jade cap. He was tall with handsome features. One look and you could tell he was one of the “nobles” Bi Chun had mentioned.
Shen Maomao was a little baffled. Why would such a noble be with Di Yiqiao?
Di Yiqiao had no intention of speaking to them. She grabbed the noble’s arm and said coquettishly, “Young Master, it’s Qiao’er’s4 first day here, and I don’t really know the rules yet. I just called Miss Bi Chun ‘Big Sister Bi Chun,’ and she sent me to this kind of place to do rough work…”
Shen Maomao pulled a face like a grandpa on the subway staring at a smartphone.
As she spoke, she even held out her right hand, flexing her five fingers in the air. “Look at my hands. How could they possibly do this kind of rough work?”
Those hands were indeed beautiful, with slender fingers. Bathed in the sunlight, they seemed translucent, looking soft and pink.
The Young Master grabbed her hand and said with a faint smile, “These little hands are indeed not suited for such rough work. If they get coarse, this Young Master will be heartbroken.”
A light blush appeared on Di Yiqiao’s cheeks. She lowered her head shyly. “Then what should I do, Young Master?”
The Young Master turned his head and looked at Shen Maomao and the other two. “Aren’t there other people here? Just have them do the work for you, won’t that solve it?”
As if she had received an imperial edict, Di Yiqiao said to them with a triumphant flourish, “Then I’ll have to trouble you all~”
Without waiting for their opinion, she linked arms with the Young Master and sashayed away, hips swaying.
Shen Maomao felt like she had just watched an awkward comedy—she wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t funny enough; she wanted to get angry, but she wasn’t that angry.
The three remaining in the courtyard looked at me, and I looked at you, their faces all plastered with bewilderment.
After a long moment, Milk Tea asked, “Are we… going to help her?”
Potato Chips spat with a “tui” sound. “Help her with what? Is this person toxic or what?”
Shen Maomao had no intention of helping either. After all, if you give an inch, they’ll take a mile. Besides, this wasn’t asking for help; this was just being disgusting.
Milk Tea was a little scared. “But… that Young Master already said…”
Potato Chips spat a second time. “What’s there to be afraid of? He’s a deadbeat scumbag, about to get married and still fooling around with other women.”
Right…
Only then did Shen Maomao realize it—from the moment they entered the instance, Steward Shao had said the Young Master was about to be married, and the Shao Manor had recently been decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. There was no way Di Yiqiao didn’t know this.
Even knowing, she had still used some method to hook the Young Master of the Shao family and was using him for her own convenience…
She probably wouldn’t even know how she died when the time came.
The basin of dirty clothes sat there quietly. No one touched it, even as the sky grew dark.
Su Han and Lou Jingmo returned safely, one after the other. They had just stepped into the courtyard to catch their breath when Bi Chun pushed open the door and entered. The thrilling close call made Shen Maomao’s heart pound.
Bi Chun’s gaze swept the area, but she couldn’t find Di Yiqiao, so she frowned and asked, “Why is someone missing?”
Potato Chips gave a practiced curtsy5 and replied, “In response to Miss Bi Chun, she disappeared not long after we arrived. We went to fetch water and didn’t see where she went.”
Bi Chun’s expression darkened.
She walked a circle around the bamboo drying rack in the middle of the small courtyard, seemingly inspecting the fruits of their labor.
After a full circle, her expression was reasonably satisfied. She nodded. “The weather today was decent enough. Leave the clothes here to dry. Remember to collect them first thing tomorrow morning. There are some leftovers in the kitchen, go and eat.” As she spoke, she mentioned the kitchen’s location.
Potato Chips tentatively asked, “What about these unwashed clothes…”
“Nobody touches them!” Bi Chun’s face fell, and she said furiously, “I’d like to see if she still remembers her own status!”
None of the five dared to get on her bad side again and silently shuffled out of the small courtyard.
Shen Maomao grabbed Lou Jingmo’s hand, looking her up and down to check for any missing limbs. Su Han followed a short distance behind them, showing no intention of eavesdropping on their conversation. Far behind her followed Potato Chips and Milk Tea, whispering about something, but the three in front couldn’t hear the specifics.
By now, the sun had already half-sunk, leaving only a semi-circle like an egg yolk where the edge of the sky met the horizon, dyeing the entire sky gold.
The entire Shao Manor was bathed in this afterglow. A gentle breeze blew, sending sparkling ripples across the surface of the pond. The weeping willows by the bank dipped their branches into the water, shedding snowflake-like catkins.
Shen Maomao, who had spent the whole afternoon washing clothes right after entering the instance, finally had time to observe the Shao Manor’s environment.
It was indeed easy to see that a joyous event was approaching. All along their path, the corridors, eaves, and pavilion corners were hung with bright red lanterns. Written on the lanterns in gold powder was the shuāng xǐ6 character, looking incredibly festive.
Lou Jingmo said, “I asked around. The Shao family has three young masters and two young ladies. Old Master Shao has one official wife and two concubines. The Eldest Young Master is the son of a concubine, but he is said to have a good relationship with his younger siblings.”
Shen Maomao asked, “What about the bride? What’s her status? Is there any information?”
Lou Jingmo shook her head. “None.”
Shen Maomao: “None?”
“There is absolutely no information about the bride.” Lou Jingmo said, “It seems the manor has recently dismissed many servants. The ones working here now were all hired recently. I chatted with them for a bit, and none of them have heard anything about the bride’s origins.”
“So mysterious?”
“Perhaps it’s not mysterious, but that this person simply didn’t exist before. The wedding day is in three days…” Lou Jingmo paused, then added, “You understand what I mean, right?”
Shen Maomao: “Got it.” The main events in previous instances were always on the final day, but this time it was in the middle. If there wasn’t a problem with the bride, she’d eat her hat.
✨ Unlock Early Access to Chapters! ✨
Choose your perfect membership at bamboopandatl.net:
📚 Full Access ($4.99)
• Advanced chapters of ALL ongoing novels
• Access to complete finished novels
• Ad-free reading experience
📖 Single Novel Access ($1.49)
• Advanced chapters of ONE specific novel
• Ad-free reading for chosen novel
PayPal is the only current payment option!