Haunted?!
Qin San Niang was taken aback. The Si residence? She had almost forgotten that Brother Si had indeed entrusted her with a residence before he left.
It's no wonder she can't remember. She's busy with work these days, and the courtyard in Shiligou is exactly what she wanted. Even if the Si residence is nice, she doesn't want to move.
There's no place like home!
However, this bit of backbone began to waver when she stood at the entrance of the Si residence!
Oh my god, this is so beautiful!
Forgive her for her lack of literary talent at this moment; her meager literary skills are insufficient to describe even a fraction of the exquisite beauty of this house.
Da Wa and Lu Song, who were following behind, were also amazed. In their eyes, their family's brick and tile house was already excellent. Only today did they truly understand what it meant to have carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers, and to be magnificent. The scene that existed in Old Man Chen's words must have been just like this.
Mu Chun was already used to it. He still vividly remembered the scene when he first saw the house. He exclaimed, "Master, this is the Si residence. When the old master bought this house, he made a lucky break. This family was originally the richest in He County. Their son was also very promising. After passing the imperial examination, he became an official in the capital and moved the whole family here!"
Later, they apparently offended some powerful figure, and their entire family's property was confiscated. Only this ancestral home was spared, as it was allocated to a branch of the family. Back then, things weren't peaceful in our county town, so the old landlord bought the house for one thousand taels of silver.
If she hadn't seen this house, Qin San Niang would have thought that a thousand taels was too expensive, but now that she has, she doesn't think so anymore.
A thousand taels? That's a steal!
Bridges and painted beams, red bricks and green tiles are nestled amidst the shimmering water and mountains, creating a breathtaking scene from a distance. Two imposing stone lion statues stand guard on either side of the entrance, their solemn presence seemingly assessing whether the visitors are permitted to pass.
Mu Chun stepped forward and opened the door.
With a creak, the scene in the courtyard slowly unfolded before everyone's eyes.
The group stepped inside and looked around. At the front was a stone wall painted with layers of cascading mountains and waterfalls. Turning past the wall, the space opened up dramatically. Surrounding them were antique-style covered walkways, and a pebble-paved path led to the main hall. Perhaps neglected for a long time, as some tenacious weeds, now over ten feet tall, had sprouted from the cracks in the stones.
Several ancient trees in the courtyard reach straight into the sky, their old trunks and gnarled branches twisting and intertwining. Along with the withered flowers in the flowerbed, one can imagine what a magnificent scene it would be in spring.
"Uncle Muchun, is no one living in this house?" Da Wa asked. In his opinion, it was such a pity that such a large house was uninhabited.
Mu Chun said, "Young Master, this house was originally bought by the Old Master because he liked it. He thought that the Old Madam would like it, and that it would be lively when she and Miss came. Who would have thought that before that day came, something happened to the Si family."
The courtyard is indeed cleaned by Granny Liu from the next street. Because it's close to home, she cleans it every few days and then goes back home, rarely staying here. Besides, this place is too big, and Granny Liu would be lonely living alone.”
It's probably not loneliness, it's fear, isn't it? If it were her, she would also feel lonely.
"So, was it Granny Liu who discovered this ghost story?"
"Back to the owner, it wasn't Granny Liu who discovered the ghost story, but her son. Granny Liu is over sixty years old and her legs haven't been working well lately, so she left the cleaning and tidying to her son, Tan An. Unexpectedly, they encountered a ghost, and Tan An is so scared that he refuses to come and do any work!"
Mu Chun sighed. He had also doubted the veracity of the matter, but Tan An was an honest man. Granny Liu and her son depended on each other for survival, so naturally she didn't want her son to take any risks. Although Old Master Si had been kind to her, it wouldn't be worth risking her life for a house.
"Why don't we go see Tan An?" Qin San Niang took a quick look around. The house had four courtyards, it was really too big! She could only see the main courtyards and the place where Tan An had mentioned seeing ghosts.
According to her, this house has excellent feng shui, with water in front and mountains behind, and plenty of sunshine during the day, so it doesn't seem like a place that attracts evil spirits.
Mu Chun nodded and led them to Granny Liu.
Granny Liu's house was located in an alley across the street. Most of the houses in this alley were well-arranged brick and tile houses. Although it was only one courtyard, it looked like a modern villa area.
White walls and green tiles, pink and blue bricks, the eaves of the roofs are upturned, and the mythical beasts on them are very majestic, making it seem as if you have entered a paradise.
Mu Chun stopped in front of a house with green bamboo planted in front of it, and Qin San Niang nodded to him to go up and knock on the door.
A short while later, a young woman dressed in a rose-red silk dress opened the door. Upon seeing that it was Mu Chun, she was momentarily stunned, but then smiled and said, "Master Mu Chun, you've arrived! My mother-in-law has been talking about you these past few days! And who are these gentlemen...?"
"This lady is my boss, and this is the young master. We heard that Aunt Liu was ill, so our boss wanted to come and visit her. The shop has been very busy lately, and the boss has also opened a new shop, so he really hasn't had any free time."
After saying that, he handed her the pastry box.
This is a very artful way of putting it. As the new owner, Qin San Niang had no reason to come and visit Granny Liu, but as an old woman who helped with the cleaning, it was Qin San Niang's kindness to come and visit.
Sure enough, a glint flashed in the woman's eyes, and she became even more docile. She bowed and accepted the gift box from Mu Chun's hands, saying softly,
"It is an honor for our family that the master can come to see his mother-in-law. Please go to the living room and wait for a moment, master and young master. His mother-in-law is unable to move at the moment, so I will go and help her to wash up first, so as not to offend our distinguished guests."
These words made perfect sense, so Qin San Niang nodded and told her to hurry up and get on with her work. After all, their arrival was sudden, and it would be quite inconvenient for them to see an elderly person who couldn't move.
The group sat in the living room, but they didn't see Tan An, whom Mu Chun had mentioned. After a while, a young maid came in and served them some tea.
The eldest child was surprised. Wasn't this old woman also a servant of Uncle Si's family? How could a servant's family have servants?!
Qin San Niang knew exactly what he was thinking; in fact, she herself had some doubts.
Mu Chun said, "Granny Liu was a first-class maid who followed the old concubine. Later, she came to serve the master. Although she was a servant, she was different from ordinary servants. Granny Liu's husband was the steward of the Si family. He devoted himself to the old master back then. The old master appreciated his enthusiasm and allowed his descendants to be freed from the status of lowly servants and gave them a sum of money for resettlement."
Tan An lives off this money in He County. As long as he behaves himself, it's enough for him to live on for the rest of his life!
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