Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On the night before the wedding, Xu Lingyi summoned me to the Shen Family Ancestral Hall.

She was the mother-in-law I was supposed to serve tea to tomorrow. On ordinary days, she always wore pearl-white suits and spoke in a gentle voice; even when she chided the servants for letting the tea go cold, she sounded as if she were worried their hands might be cold. But that night, she had changed into a dark red qipao, her hair pinned up without a single strand out of place, and in her hands she held a black lacquered wooden box.

The main lights in the ancestral hall were off. Only two rows of red candles burned before the offering table. The memorial tablets of the Shen Family ancestors rose in layer upon layer, forming what looked like a silent wall of people in the dark. When the wooden box was opened, inside was not jewelry, nor the red envelopes to be used for the wedding tea ceremony, but an old piece of paper folded into a square knot.

Xu Lingyi said, “Zhaomian, there will be too many people tomorrow. Some rites are inconvenient to perform in public. Tonight, let’s have you sign the Shen Family’s Inner Marriage Contract first.”

I did not take it.

“Inner Marriage Contract?”

She smiled faintly. “An old custom. Jianwei’s health is fragile. You know that. Before a daughter-in-law of the Shen Family enters the household, she must give the ancestors an accounting. It’s only a thumbprint, just to ask for a long and lasting union.”

She made it sound so effortless, but the old butler standing beside her kept his head lowered as he brought over a silver tray. On the tray were cinnabar, gold powder, a thin needle, and half a cup of wine so dark it was nearly black.

All at once, I remembered what my grandmother had said as she held my hand before she died.

“Mianmian, no matter how grand the Shen Family wedding is, do not let your blood fall on a second Marriage Contract.”

Back then, I had thought she was delirious from illness. After all, Shen Jianwei and I had been together for three years. The day he proposed, he placed the ring inside a restored antique book. When I opened the pages, there was a handwritten card tucked inside: Lin Zhaomian, I dare not promise you a life free of hardship, but I am willing to hand over the rest of my life for you to proofread.

He knew I restored ancient books for a living. He knew I was most afraid of people who made promises too grand, so even his proposal had been restrained, like a single annotation.

And I truly had loved him.

But now, as Xu Lingyi unfolded that old sheet of paper, my eyes caught two lines of small characters in the lower right corner.

“Transfer Life and Borrow Soul.”

“Deflect Disaster and Prolong Life.”

My palms instantly broke out in sweat.

That was not a Marriage Contract. At least, not one meant for the living to sign.

I had restored many old contracts, village covenants, and genealogies from the Republican era, and I had also seen ghost marriage documents left behind in remote places. Those two lines were cleverly hidden, written into the decorative pattern. The ink was just a shade lighter than the main text. Anyone who did not know what to look for would think they were merely blurred dye marks from the printing.

Xu Lingyi looked at me, her gaze so mild it did not show a single crack.

“Zhaomian, give me your hand.”

I slowly lifted my hand, my fingertips stopping above the silver needle.

Outside the ancestral hall, the wind was loud. The red wedding characters in the courtyard were blown again and again against the window lattice. Tomorrow at ten in the morning, I would put on my wedding dress and walk from the front courtyard of this old mansion to the ceremony hall. Every guest outside would bless me for marrying into the Shen Family of Hucheng, bless Shen Jianwei and me to grow old together in harmony.

And tonight, the Shen Family wanted me to press my life into a piece of paper.

I lowered my eyes and suddenly smiled.

“Auntie, I don’t understand these old rites. I’m afraid I’ll press it wrong. Could you have Jianwei come and keep me company?”

The smile on Xu Lingyi’s face faded a little.

“Jianwei is resting. He has to get through the whole day tomorrow. We can’t tire him out.”

“Then I’m scared too.” I looked at her. “After all, it’s a Marriage Contract. If the groom isn’t here, isn’t that rather unlucky?”

She did not answer me. She merely pushed the cup of black wine a little closer.

“Drink this calming wine, and you won’t be afraid anymore.”

I smelled the faintest trace of bitter almond.

My grandmother had once taught me how to identify insect-repellent medicines used on old paper. She said some medicinal scents could be hidden beneath the aroma of wine, and if you did not sniff carefully, you would never notice them. In that instant, every nerve in my body snapped awake.

I took the wine cup and deliberately let my wrist tremble.

The black wine splashed over the hem of her red qipao, like a dark stain suddenly spreading through the fabric.

Xu Lingyi’s face finally darkened.

The old butler took half a step forward, but I was faster. I covered my mouth, bent over, and began to retch.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten anything all day, and my stomach feels a little upset.” I gripped the edge of the offering table, my voice weak. “Auntie, I’ll go to the restroom and recover for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

Xu Lingyi stared at me for several seconds.

She probably thought the Shen Family Mansion was guarded on all sides, and that I, an orphaned girl who was about to marry into the family tomorrow, could never escape her grasp. The smile returned to her face, and her tone became gentle again. “Go on. Don’t take too long.”

I nodded and turned to leave the ancestral hall.

The moment the door closed, I heard her say to the old butler, “Watch her. The print must be made tonight.”

I did not look back.

I walked along the corridor, my steps growing steadier with each pace. After turning the first corner, I raised my hand, pulled the pearl hair clip from my hair, and stabbed it hard into my palm.

The pain made me completely clearheaded.

My phone vibrated inside my clutch. It was a message from Shen Jianwei.

“Mianmian, where are you?”

The next message popped up right after.

“Don’t sign anything. Leave the mansion immediately.”

I stared at the screen, my heart giving a heavy thud.

Not because I felt relieved.

But because I suddenly understood that Shen Jianwei had known all along.