Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Rain poured down in sheets.
A shadow emerged from the mouth of the well, slowly taking human form in the rain.
A blue kerchief bound up her dark hair. Below it, she wore a pale crimson crepe gauze dress, and when the hem fluttered, half a lotus embroidered on her jade-faced bow shoes could be faintly seen.
Her steps were light and unhurried as she walked into the main hall. Just as she had done every morning in the past, she began tidying the tables and stools…
She still remembered that guests staying at the inn, if they were bound for Shangjing, always had to set out early. Aside from those who had drunk themselves senseless the night before, most would be up before dawn.
So she had to be even earlier.
Before the guests came downstairs, she had to wipe every tabletop and stool in the hall clean. Then she would go to the counter and place a branch of seasonal flowers there, freshly picked from the rear courtyard.
When footsteps sounded from the stairwell, she would stand before the counter with a smile on her face.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“The kitchen has hot noodle soup and warm porridge prepared. Would you like a bowl?”
“Once you leave town, keep heading north for another twenty li, and you’ll see the north city gate.”
“Thirteen, bring out the horse for the guest in the Heaven-Class Room…”
With more or less the same words, she saw off one group of guests after another.
Once the rooms were empty, she would go upstairs to clean them.
The days were always full. In the morning, she saw the guests off; after lunch, she tended to the flowers and plants; by dusk, new guests would arrive one after another.
She would always greet them at the door, her face full of smiles.
“Will you be staying the night, honored guest?”
“Are you heading to the capital first thing tomorrow morning?”
“Yes, yes, of course we do. Shall I arrange an upper room for you?”
“This way, please. I’ll take you up to have a look now…”
By the time the guest rooms were nearly full, night had fallen in the blink of an eye.
After the guests settled down to rest, fewer people would come seeking lodging.
When the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, she would begin tidying the tables and chairs in the hall again, then reconcile the accounts with the bookkeeper.
Day after day, again and again.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
Amid the patter of rain, she counted those days gone by…
She had already wiped every table and chair in the hall clean. Then she went to the counter and took out the account book.
Business did not seem to have been very good lately, and there had not been many guests staying at the inn.
Fortunately, there had been a generous guest who gave three silver ingots at once…
A smile appeared on her face. Three silver ingots were no small sum. It could cover nearly half a month of expenses for the entire inn.
This way, even if business was poor, they could still save a little more money.
Perhaps when spring came next year, she could take Thirteen to the capital with her.
At that thought, a trace of comfort returned to her heart.
–
Outside beneath the eaves, Yan Zhengchu glanced at the female ghost before the counter, then slowly withdrew his gaze and sighed.
“It looks like she has already forgotten some things…”
Thirteen could not help asking, “Daoist Master, what do you mean? Sister Yuqiong, she…”
“She is repeating what she did when she was alive. This is also the obsession she held in life.”
“However, if she does not remember her own death and cannot untie the knot in her heart, she will not be able to go to the Underworld Administration.”
Yan Zhengchu’s words made Thirteen freeze. His voice trembled as he asked, “What can I do?”
“You need to go in now and tell her the truth-that she is already dead. Can you do that?”
At that, Thirteen shuddered all over again.
The expressions of the others beside him also shifted in different ways.
Yu Lang could not help saying, “Isn’t that too cruel?”
“And if she remembers those things, will it affect her?”
Yan Zhengchu said, “It is clear that Huang Yuqiong was a kind person by nature. That is why, even though she died with injustice in her heart and absorbed so much resentment, she still did not become a Vengeful Ghost.”
“Rather, she chose to forget those painful memories of her own accord…”
“Though making her accept the truth will be agonizing, it is the only way for her to enter the Underworld Administration and be reborn.”
Yu Lang sighed and said, “If there is a next life, I hope she is born into a good family and lives a smooth, worry-free life.”
Thirteen seemed to struggle inwardly for a moment. When he lifted his eyes again, his gaze was utterly resolute. He said to Yan Zhengchu, “Daoist Master, leave this to me.”
Yan Zhengchu nodded, then said to the others, “When the time comes, everyone act according to the situation.”
“If Huang Yuqiong remembers what happened before her death and turns into a Vengeful Ghost, I will have no choice but to subdue her.”
After saying this, Yan Zhengchu took a bagua mirror from the cloth pouch he carried with him, formed a hand seal with his fingers, and shone the mirror’s light into Thirteen’s eyes.
“All right, Thirteen. I have used the bagua mirror to open yin and yang for you. For the next twenty-four hours, you will be able to see Yin Soul and understand ghost speech.”
“Go in first. If necessary, we will assist you.”
Thirteen nodded, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
At the counter, Huang Yuqiong heard the door open and immediately turned around, still wearing the same smile as before. “Thirteen, where did you go?”
That voice left Thirteen in a daze. For a moment, he stood there, stunned.
Seeing this, Huang Yuqiong walked out from behind the counter. When she saw him drenched with rain, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the water from his hair and face.
“It’s raining so hard. Why didn’t you bring an umbrella? Your hair is soaked.”
Thirteen choked back a sob.
It was already winter, yet Huang Yuqiong was wearing only a gauze dress. He couldn’t help asking, “Sister Yuqiong, are you… cold? I’ll go to your room and get you a padded jacket…”
His voice was slightly hoarse, and from holding back his emotions, his nose began to sting.
Only then did Huang Yuqiong seem to realize how thinly she was dressed. She also looked a little dazed and asked, “Thirteen, is it winter already?”
“Why do I remember hearing cicadas in the courtyard just yesterday?”
Thirteen sniffed and replied, “Yes. Time really does pass quickly. It’s winter now.”
Spring would be here soon.
He turned to go to the wing room in the rear courtyard to fetch her clothes, but Huang Yuqiong suddenly called him back. “Thirteen, look outside first. Are there guests?”
She pointed toward the veranda.
Thirteen panicked slightly before saying, “Sister Yuqiong, you weren’t here just now. Some guests came to stay, so I received them.”
Huang Yuqiong smiled brightly again. “I know. I checked the ledger. That guest was quite generous and gave you three silver ingots.”
“Mm.”
Thirteen could not describe what he felt. “I put all the ingots in the cash box.”
Huang Yuqiong said with emotion, “It seems our Thirteen can already handle things on his own.”
“It’s raining outside. Don’t let the guests catch cold. Hurry and invite them in.”
Thirteen nodded again, then stepped forward and opened the door leading to the rear courtyard. “The rain is heavy outside. Guests, please come in.”
And so, led by Ren Fengjue, Yan Zhengchu, Yu Lang, and Axia entered one after another.
Xia Ximo came in last.
Huang Yuqiong’s gaze slowly swept over them, and the expression on her face froze slightly.
For some reason, these people before her made her feel a faint, inexplicable fear.
Especially the man in front, and the Daoist priest behind him…
Her instincts told her there was something strange about them.
But she was distracted for only a moment before a sincere and warm smile appeared on her face again. She asked the man at the front, “Where have you guests come from? Are you also heading to the capital?”
Ren Fengjue found a seat in the main hall and sat down before saying, “We came from the capital.”