The Hand of Confession – Chapter 253

Volume 8: The Days of the Ghost Marriage

Potato Chip

Am I capable?

The last one was the well in the Young Master’s courtyard.

There was one hundred percent something in that well.

“Steward Shao knows we’re the ones putting up the red paper. If he sees red paper on the well, he’ll definitely suspect us first thing. Won’t that really trigger some kind of terrifying plotline?” Shen Maomao asked.

Lou Jingmo said, “Then let’s just stick it on for a look. If nothing happens, we can just tear it off again.”

“If something does happen, it’ll be too late, won’t it?” Shen Maomao said grimly.

Lou Jingmo waved a hand. “What we should be afraid of is nothing happening. Do you really want to spend your time in this game peacefully and without incident until the morning of the seventh day?”

Naturally, Shen Maomao did not. Compared to this life of constant, nerve-wracking routine, anything—good or bad, danger or opportunity—was better than anxiously waiting for a death that could come from anywhere at any time.

She came around to the idea. Anyway, she would deal with soldiers with generals, and block water with earth¹. Lou Jingmo wasn’t scared, so what the hell was she scared of.

She clutched the red paper, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked past the servants sweeping the grounds without a sideways glance, heading straight for the back of the yard.

Lou Jingmo followed close behind. The two of them walked to the well together, and Shen Maomao pressed the red paper onto that sinister well cover.

The second the red paper was laid down, she flashed away from the well, waiting for the jiejie inside to show off her divine power. But time ticked by, second by second, and the well showed no sign of any strange phenomena.

Some things are just like that; you’re scared when they come, but disappointed when they don’t.

Shen Maomao was very disappointed right now. “Did we put in all that effort for nothing?”

Lou Jingmo said strangely, “That shouldn’t be right…”

“Lou-jie, you’re not capable, huh,” Shen Maomao said as she walked over to pick up the red paper. The moment her finger touched the paper, a strange transformation occurred—

The once-vibrant red paper began to fade where her finger touched it, little by little, until it turned a deathly white. Meanwhile, the pattern under the well cover, as if soaked in fresh blood, began to emit a demonic red glow.

Shen Maomao snatched her hand back. “What the— What’s going on?!”

Lou Jingmo narrowed her eyes and grabbed her by the arm. “Am I capable or not?” [L:P The phrase “行不行” (xíng bù xíng), meaning “capable or not,” can also be modern slang for sexual performance.]

Shen Maomao: “???” Are you nuts? What time is it to be caring about whether you’re capable or not?

She replied perfunctorily, “You are, you are! Lou Jingmo, Lou Jingmo, you’re the most capable! Lou Jingmo, Lou Jingmo, you’re the best!”

Lou Jingmo had the expression of the subway grandpa looking at his phone.

Shen Maomao changed the subject. “So what exactly is going on? Why did it suddenly lose its color?”

Lou Jingmo said grimly, “Red paper wards off misfortune. White paper, I’m afraid, is used to welcome it…”

Shen Maomao: “Could this have happened to the other wells too? If Steward Shao comes to check, he’ll definitely make sure we can’t handle what’s coming².”

“It’s simple,” Lou Jingmo said. “We pick up the white paper from this courtyard and the kitchen. If Steward Shao asks, we’ll just say we don’t know.”

Shen Maomao looked at the well.

Under the red glow, the twisted woman on the well cover seemed to have come to life, craning her stiff neck to look at them. And that piece of white paper covering her body… Shen Maomao didn’t quite dare to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth³.

Lou Jingmo said, “What are you afraid of? If she could move, she would have done so long ago. Would she have let you live until now?” As she spoke, she bent down, intending to pick up the paper.

Shen Maomao quickly stopped her. “Alright! I’ll do it, I’ll do it! I’m the tool person⁴!”

Lou Jingmo couldn’t help but be a little amused.

As Shen Maomao picked up the paper, her eyes couldn’t help but meet the pair on the well cover.

A deep-seated hatred seemed to be carved into the woman’s eyes, but when she looked closely again, it had all vanished.

Lou Jingmo: “Keep the paper, don’t throw it away. It might be useful.”

Shen Maomao was puzzled. “Where am I supposed to put this thing??”

Lou Jingmo pondered for a second. “Give it to me, I’ll put it away.”

Shen Maomao presented it with both hands.

After cleaning up here, the two went up to the east wing to have a look, but the Madam had returned to her room by then. They had no suitable reason to enter and were stopped by a maidservant, so they could only give up for the time being and hurry to the kitchen.

The paper in the kitchen had indeed turned white as well, and it was soaked with well water.

Shen Maomao carefully picked up the paper, preserving its integrity as much as possible, then handed it to Lou Jingmo. “Besides the paper, there don’t seem to be any other major changes here.”

While folding the paper in her hands, Lou Jingmo said, “Open your little eyes and take a good look at the soil in the cracks of the well’s bricks. You won’t think that way anymore.”

Shen Maomao obediently widened her eyes and stared for a long time. If there was anything to be discovered, it was that the soil in the cracks seemed a bit damp…

A thought occurred to her. She reached out her index finger and gently wiped it across the soil, instantly getting a reddish streak with a metallic smell.

This wasn’t soil! This was clearly moss soaked in blood!

Shen Maomao quickly wiped her hand on her clothes and said, “Speaking of which, we still don’t know why the Young Master’s clothes were stained with so much blood. Could it be related to the wells?”

Lou Jingmo said, “Be more confident. Drop the ‘could it be’.”

Shen Maomao was speechless. “We should have pushed the plot forward to a certain extent now, right?”

“We can go check if the same thing happened to the other wells first,” Lou Jingmo nodded. “Next, we just wait for the wedding’s performance.”

There were eight wells in the eight directions of the Shao Manor, and the only one that seemed normal was the one at the entrance. The other few all had problems.

The two made another round, confirming that all the red papers they had just placed had turned white. Then, they pretended like nothing had happened and went to report back to Steward Shao.

Steward Shao wasn’t in the Young Master’s courtyard. The two looked around for a while but didn’t run into her. Instead, they came face to face with a dazed-looking Potato Chip.

This was a rare sight; she wasn’t attached to Milk Tea like a conjoined twin. Shen Maomao glanced over and noticed some strange scratches on her face and arms, as if she had been clawed by something.

Because they were far apart and Potato Chip was a bit out of it, she didn’t see them.

Shen Maomao had no interest in talking to her and was about to move around her when she heard Lou Jingmo next to her call out, “Uh… Potato Chip! Wait a minute!”

Potato Chip froze, shuddered, and then came to her senses, looking at the two of them. “Ah… it’s you… What is it?”

Lou Jingmo said, “Where’s your teammate?”

Potato Chip fell into a daze. “Teammate…? What teammate…? My teammate…”

Shen Maomao prompted, “Where’s Milk Tea?”

“Milk Tea… Milk Tea…” Potato Chip was stunned. “Milk Tea… she’s gone!”

Lou Jingmo narrowed her eyes. “How did she go missing?”

Potato Chip suddenly started crying. “I don’t know… I can’t remember… What on earth happened…”

Shen Maomao: “Were you two bewitched by something? How can you not even know your teammate is gone? Where did you just come from?”

Potato Chip just shook her head in panic. “Milk Tea said she wanted to look for the wells in the manor, so I went out with her. After that… after that, why can’t I remember anything at all?”

Lou Jingmo said, “Then take your time thinking about it. If you have nothing to do, you can look for oil lamps and candles. We can talk again tonight?”

Potato Chip was hesitant. “But I’m all alone now…”

Lou Jingmo suggested, “Isn’t there still a Su Han? It just so happens she’s alone too.”

Potato Chip forced a polite smile, devoid of any real mirth. “Thanks for the reminder… I’ll go find her then…”

With that, she continued walking forward in a daze.

Shen Maomao looked suspicious. “Why are you suddenly so concerned about her?”

Lou Jingmo: “Jealous?”

Shen Maomao: “Bullsh#t. I’m just purely curious. Don’t put gold on your own face⁵.”

Lou Jingmo smiled. “Don’t you think she’s acting very strangely?”

Shen Maomao fell into deep thought. After a long moment, she said, “Could she be controlled by a ghost?”

Lou Jingmo shook her head. “I always thought she and that Milk Tea person were both silly, white, and sweet⁶. Now it seems that’s not the case…”

As she spoke, she smiled again and muttered to herself, “That’s right. How could a silly, white, and sweet type survive in the game for so long.” After saying that, she even glanced at Shen Maomao, the implication of her hint being self-evident.

Shen Maomao: “?? I feel like I’ve been offended.”

Lou Jingmo ruffled her hair. “Let’s go, back to finding our person.”

In the end, they found Steward Shao in the small pavilion by the central pond.

At that time, both Steward Shao and the Young Master were there. Besides them, there was another man with an extraordinary air who bore some resemblance to the Young Master; he was likely the Second Young Master of the manor.

The three of them were discussing something in the pavilion. Lou Jingmo looked from a distance and saw that their expressions were equally grave, so she decided it was best not to disturb them for now.

“Let’s go. Let’s find that little fatty,” Lou Jingmo said to her with a laugh.

Shen Maomao bit her ear⁷, “How do we find him… his mom won’t let us…”

Lou Jingmo: “Do you know where the kite that broke earlier is?”

Shen Maomao nodded. “I saw Baozhu throw it directly into our courtyard.”

Lou Jingmo said, “Let’s go, get it, and fulfill the promise you made to him.”

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The servants’ quarters were at the northeast end of the kitchen, even closer to the corner than the kitchen itself.

But this did not disrupt the placement of the wells in the manor, because the courtyard they lived in was a small protrusion from the square-shaped Shao Manor.

While picking up the kite, Shen Maomao happened to see that the door to the room where the male players were staying was open. She glanced inside and saw Yun Shengjin sitting there, looking just as dazed as Potato Chip.

As soon as he saw them, Yun Shengjin immediately stood up and walked over to meet them, saying, “I forgot to tell you earlier, the lamp in your room was taken by Cheng Rui.”

Shen Maomao: “It really was him!”

Yun Shengjin: “To prevent you from using the same trick again, he pulled out the lamp wick and took it with him.”

Shen Maomao: “What the f#ck kind of move is that???”

Lou Jingmo said, “The information you’re telling us seems to be of no use.” The implication was that trying to change his image with such a small piece of news was far too easy.

Yun Shengjin gave a bitter smile. “That’s not it… Forget it. Just remember to be careful of that Potato Chip.”

Shen Maomao: “What do you mean?”

Lou Jingmo cut in first, “No need for him to say it. It’s nothing more than that Milk Tea’s disappearance is related to Potato Chip.”

Shen Maomao was shocked. “!!”

Yun Shengjin shook his head helplessly. “You really don’t give a guy a chance, do you… That’s right. I saw Potato Chip push her teammate into the well with her own hands.”

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