The Hand of Confession – Chapter 241

Volume 8: The Days of the Ghost Marriage

The Well Water

Spirit Water

What was wrong with the lanterns? Why didn’t the male players who went to hang them yesterday notice? Or did they discover something, but chose to hide it?

The sun had yet to fully rise, and the sky was filled with clouds tinged with blue. The five of them didn’t dwell on this issue for too long and just hurried towards the kitchen.

The moment the issue with the lanterns was pointed out, Shen Maomao¹ then realized that Shao² Manor had indeed hung a few too many of them. Aside from the rockery and the places where the servants³ lived, there were two large, bright-red lanterns swaying gently in the breeze every few steps. Even the pavilion over the pond had two hanging from it.

They were clearly meant to be festive objects, but once the quantity increased, they gave off a strangely hair-raising feeling.

It was still early, but several servants were already in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the masters. As soon as Shen Maomao and the others arrived, they were stopped by someone.

Potato Chips said, “Miss Bi Chun⁴ told us to come to the kitchen to help.”

That person said immediately, “Oh, I see. In that case, you can go wash the dishes.”

And so, today’s Shen Maomao was reduced from a laundry worker to a dishwasher, washing the very same bowls that the NPCs had told them to leave behind after dinner yesterday for the kitchen staff to wash the next day.

Besides them, there were also two young maids washing dishes as well. The young maids looked to be only about fifteen or sixteen years old, and to the players present, they were like little sisters. But despite their young age, in Shen Maomao’s view, their interpersonal skills were far better than Zhai Yiqiao’s⁵. Upon seeing these strangers, the two of them weren’t shy at all, smiling and laughing as they chatted with them, idly talking about themselves. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

The kitchen staff moved back and forth, stir-frying, plating, and serving dishes, but the seven of them hadn’t budged from their spot.

The fragrant aroma of food assailed their noses, making Shen Maomao feel a bit hungry herself.

Stack after stack of bowls was washed clean and then taken by the two young maids to a designated storage area. The sky had completely brightened, and the sound of bell chimes echoed in the distance, striking exactly five times.

Lou Jingmo⁶ said, “It’s seven o’clock.”

Shen Maomao: “Huh? How can you tell?”

Milk Tea said, “In ancient times, there was the saying of ‘morning bells and evening drums⁷.’ Generally, the bell is struck at the Hour of the Dragon⁸, and the drum at the Hour of the Rooster⁹. The Hour of the Dragon is seven in the morning.”

Su Han¹⁰ gave her and Lou Jingmo a surprised look, saying, “You two sure know a lot.”

Milk Tea smiled sheepishly. “I used to be really into this stuff, so I specifically researched it.”

After a while, the two young maids who had gone to put away the bowls returned. One of them said to the group with a smile, “Once the masters finish their meal, we can eat! The work in the kitchen has plenty of perks; a lot of people are breaking their heads to squeeze in¹¹!”

Shen Maomao found, to her own shame, that their words had made her feel quite expectant. She couldn’t help but swallow hard, probably because last night’s meal had been truly a bit too hard to stomach.

Lou Jingmo thought to herself, just how much has this poor child suffered? No matter the hardship, you can’t let the kids suffer… (not)

In the end, they didn’t get to wait for their meal, but instead first received a new job—

A man in a white apron walked up to them and pointed at one person: “Hey you, yes, you. Go to the back courtyard and fetch me a bucket of water.”

He was the head chef, the supreme ruler of this kitchen, and the person he had pointed to was none other than Lou Jingmo.

Shen Maomao’s heart dropped with a thud.

Lou Jingmo herself remained expressionless, merely standing up and giving a faint nod.

Shen Maomao hurriedly stood up with her, making to follow.

The man said, “Where do you think you’re going? I didn’t call you.”

Shen Maomao turned back and said with a smile, “It’s just, you know, nature calls¹².”

The man frowned and waved his hand in disgust. “Hurry up then, and get back here quick.”

“You got it!” Shen Maomao replied cheerfully. The moment she left the kitchen, she scurried to follow behind Lou Jingmo like a large-sized tag-along¹³.

Lou Jingmo held out a hand to her, and Shen Maomao quickly grabbed it.

The two didn’t dawdle and went straight to the well. Lou Jingmo hung the bucket on the windlass rope and tossed it down. But with a thud, it was the sound of the bucket hitting the ground.

“What’s going on?” Shen Maomao didn’t dare to lean over and look inside.

Lou Jingmo turned the windlass and reeled the bucket back up. Naturally, there was nothing in it.

“Should we go back and tell that chef?” Shen Maomao suggested.

Lou Jingmo thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Try stepping back a bit.”

Hearing this, Shen Maomao gave her a worried glance, but out of trust for her, she still took two steps back, leaving her enough room to maneuver.

Lou Jingmo also took a few steps back, then, just like Shen Maomao had that day, she tossed it in from a great distance like a basketball shot.

With a plop, there was the sound of water.

What the f#ck, Shen Maomao blurted out, complaining, “What is this thing? Isn’t its intention to harm people a little too obvious??”

Lou Jingmo said, “Come back.”

Shen Maomao scurried back to her side, grabbing her hand to prevent her from being dragged down by whatever unknown thing was in the well. “How do you think the people of Shao Manor usually fetch water? Judging by what the head chef said, they don’t need to come here in pairs, do they?”

Lou Jingmo said while turning the windlass handle, “You’ve hit the nail on the head. They definitely have a way, we just don’t know it.”

This time, Lou Jingmo successfully drew a bucket of water.

The water was exceptionally clear and seemed to carry a strange, fragrant scent that made one want to take a taste.

But thinking about what might be in the water, Shen Maomao immediately dismissed the thought. “So we use this water for all our meals? If we drink too much, will we start having hallucinations or something?”

Lou Jingmo: “But we can’t just starve ourselves to death, can we?”

Shen Maomao: “You make an excellent point.”

The two walked back hand in hand. Once they were near the kitchen, Shen Maomao slipped inside first.

When she got back, the meal had started. Several people were sitting at the table—all of them kitchen helpers, including the two young maids and the trio of Su Han and the others.

Shen Maomao sat down first and glanced at the dishes.

All the delicious food that the masters had barely touched with their chopsticks was laid out here; it looked quite sumptuous.

Lou Jingmo came in right after her, carried the bucket over to the head chef, and asked, “This water…”

The head chef pointed to the spot beside him. “Put it here.”

Lou Jingmo set down the bucket and sat next to Shen Maomao.

The head chef took out a bowl, directly scooped a bowlful from the wooden bucket, and guzzled it down. After he finished, he wiped his mouth and let out a satisfied “Haaah—,” as if he’d drunk fake liquor¹⁴.

Shen Maomao’s small eyes were filled with great big confusion¹⁵.

And the other NPCs sitting nearby all showed envious expressions, making her suspect for a moment that what Lou Jingmo had brought back wasn’t water, but some kind of ambrosia and jade nectar.

Shen Maomao ate this meal filled with intense curiosity, because the head chef drank over half the bucket of water by himself. After finishing, he wore an ecstatic expression that, at first glance, made him look like he’d taken a hit of… you-know-what.

After a while, the head chef put down his chopsticks, tossed a ladle into the bucket, and said, “You all can split the rest of the water. Each person only gets one ladleful.”

Instantly, a chorus of cheers erupted from below. All sorts of rainbow farts¹⁶ were launched one after another, which made the head chef’s heart bloom with delight. He hummed a little tune and walked out of the kitchen with his hands behind his back.

The servants immediately began to pass the bucket around, each pouring a ladleful into their own bowl, smacking their lips as they savored it sip by careful sip, afraid that if they drank too fast, they wouldn’t be able to taste it.

The five players were naturally also given a ladleful.

Looking at the small scoop of water in her bowl, Shen Maomao couldn’t help but ask the two young maids, “Is this water really that good?”

Before the young maids could answer, a handyman next to them cut in, “When the Eldest Miss got married, I was lucky enough to taste the Nu’er Hong¹⁷ at the feast. That flavor… it’s pretty much the same as this water!”

One of the young maids smiled. “This water is called Spirit Water¹⁸. It lets people taste their favorite flavor. It’s a treasure of the Shao Manor.”

Shen Maomao: “???” Is the plot starting to get bizarre??

Su Han asked, “Such a magical treasure, and they’d let us drink it?”

The other young maid answered, “All the cold water in Shao Manor is like this, so it’s not that rare. Besides, this water has a spirit of its own. Only people from Shao Manor can taste the different flavors, so it’s become a secret that everyone in our manor knows.”

Lou Jingmo dipped her chopsticks in the water, brought them to her lips, and sucked on them. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Shen Maomao stared at her with wide eyes and asked, “What flavor?”

Lou Jingmo: “Orange juice.”

Su Han also took a small sip, and her eyes instantly lit up. She licked the rest of it completely clean.

Shen Maomao frowned, wondering if Su Han was getting a little high on it. At the same time, her curiosity about the water was piqued, and she wanted to try it.

She copied Lou Jingmo, dipping her chopsticks in to taste it, but Lou Jingmo grabbed her by the wrist and shook her head.

Their gazes met, and Shen Maomao immediately put down her chopsticks.

Seeing this, Su Han said, “Rabbit, if you’re not drinking yours, can I have it?”

Shen Maomao: “But…”

Su Han said, “I don’t mind your germs!”

Lou Jingmo frowned, took Shen Maomao’s bowl, and drank her ladleful herself.

“Hey—!” Su Han’s disappointment was obvious. “There should be a first come, first served rule, right?”

Seeing her reaction, Milk Tea and Potato Chips didn’t dare to drink theirs either and quietly put their bowls aside. As a result, Su Han immediately begged for them and drank them clean.

Shen Maomao was a little worried about Lou Jingmo and whispered in her ear, “Lou-jie… are you sure you’ll be okay drinking so much after telling me not to?”

Lou Jingmo replied, “I’m fine. This thing seems to have addictive properties. My self-control is strong, so it’s not a problem.”

“Then she…” Shen Maomao glanced at Su Han.

Lou Jingmo stated matter-of-factly, “I just didn’t want her to touch your bowl.”

Shen Maomao’s face flushed red, and she silently sat up straight.

Lou-jie is truly Lou-jie, getting jealous from such a bizarre angle. It makes me feel… quite happy… ahem.

The servants were immersed in the water’s effects and paid no attention to their actions. About ten minutes after drinking the water, they all came to their senses one by one and began to clear away their own bowls and chopsticks. The food was left untouched, as other servants would be coming to eat, like the male players who had yet to arrive.

Su Han also came to her senses, the expression on her face could almost be described as horrified: “Why couldn’t I control myself just now??!”

---

---