3. Ghost marriage
◎A beast in human form, marrying his master.◎
Following the fat aunt's wail, everyone noticed Tian Nongxi, who was dressed in tattered clothes and had messy hair.
This is terrible. It must be because she walked too far.
Thinking about it this way, the girl from the Tian family must be very dissatisfied with this marriage.
The ghost medium cried out "Ouch" and fainted in front of the tablet.
Everyone fled like birds and beasts. In a blink of an eye, the Tian family courtyard, which had just been crowded with people, was as empty as when Tian Nongxi first saw it.
Tian Nongxi watched as the fat auntie, who had grabbed a handful of peanuts from the limp stool, ran out tremblingly. She didn't dare look directly at the fat auntie as she passed by her. Her eyes twitched, and she stopped her casually, "You..."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" The fat aunt fell to her knees on the ground with a "thump", her face covered with tears and snot. She didn't even dare to look at Tian Nongxi and crawled out of the Tian family's gate in an awkward posture.
At this point, even if Tian Nongxi was extremely stupid, he could still guess what was going on.
She had no time to care where Lin Luan had gone, and a sense of desolation suddenly arose in her heart.
Although Tian Nongxi was lonely and homeless in his previous life, he had seen children with parents.
No matter if the day was calm or eventful, no matter if they were naughty or quiet and well-behaved, they would always say impatiently after answering the phone: "My parents urged me to go home. Sorry, let's get together next time."
Tian Nongxi always plays the role of quietly nodding, smiling and waving, watching them walk away step by step.
It was not until now that Tian Nongxi overturned his previous views.
It turns out that not all children with families are cherished.
In this new world she knows nothing about, there is a girl who has a family but is just as helpless as she is.
Tian Nongxi changed his mind.
Whether they were poor or rich, she never wanted the Tian family to take advantage of her.
Even if Tian Er Niang's wish was to be filial to her grandparents and support her younger brother, even if Tian Er Niang saw this scene, she would go to the grave without hesitation.
Even though what they are facing now are just a group of people in the book, and Tian Er Niang is the most insignificant NPC among them.
Although she cannot change the limitations brought by the times, she hates the naive faces of those with vested interests.
Tian Nongxi glanced at Grandma Tian, who was sitting in the middle of the hall staring at her in a daze. She took a deep breath and asked with a smile, "Am I... back to take my life?"
Grandma Tian's eyes were empty, and she seemed to have not yet reacted. Tian Yaozu, who was shaking a rattle beside him, stood there in a daze, mumbling, "Sister?"
A cool breeze blew, bringing with it bursts of chill, and most people present shuddered.
Especially when you see this ghost grinning as if it had just crawled out of the underworld.
The people who remained in the Tian family yard had legs so weak that they couldn't even crawl.
Grandma Tian finally came to her senses, stood up quickly, protected Tian Yaozu behind her, and looked at Tian Nongxi vigilantly.
Tian Niu appeared out of nowhere, limping towards Tian Nongxi, scurrying and shooing him away with his cane, muttering, "I've found a good match for you. We'll be married at the hour of Chou. Go find your husband and don't come here again."
Tian Nongxi watched Tian Niu's ugly behavior coldly until he came to his side waving his crutch, then he lightly knocked away his crutch and stepped on it.
"Grandpa, I'm Second Mother." Tian Nongxi was puzzled. "I'm not dead, I just came back a little late. Why are you selling me out so soon?"
"Hmph." Tian Niu spat heavily, his saliva splashing all over the floor. "What Second Mother? You are a member of the Li family in life and a member of the Li family in death."
"The wedding ceremony hasn't even been completed, but I'm already a member of the Li family? It seems like you've already planned to arrange a ghost marriage for me, no matter whether I'm a human or a ghost." Tian Nongxi sneered as he looked at the tablet of Tian Erniang in the house.
After these words were spoken, the Tian family realized that they could no longer hide the truth and became more arrogant.
People are much easier to deal with than ghosts.
Grandma Tian stood up, pulled Tian Yaozu away, walked out of the house, stood next to Tian Nongxi, looked at her timid granddaughter, and explained, "Girl, your grandfather and I wanted to wait a little longer for you, but Village Chief Li..." She took Tian Nongxi's hand and patted it gently, her voice barely audible, "Village Chief Li is pushing us so hard. When he heard that you hadn't come back, he brought the matchmaker and all the bags. We ordinary people don't dare to say anything."
Tian Nongxi pulled his hand away and used his sleeve to wipe away Grandma Tian's tears. "I understand. You were forced to prepare everything in just a few hours. You worked hard."
"Oh... It's not hard. Now that you're back, let's call off the marriage..." Grandma Tian was unable to make a decision. She cried and glanced at her furious husband.
Tian Niu was shaking with anger.
With such a good marriage, why is this damn girl not satisfied?
He was about to curse when a cheerful voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, "I was wondering why I haven't seen your family yet at this hour. You've been keeping me waiting."
Everyone looked up towards the source of the sound.
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties walked in with a smile. He wore a black turban with gold inlay and a dark red wedding gown. A closer look revealed that two or three corners of his gown were not tucked in properly.
As soon as he entered the door, he put down his hand that was supporting the brim of his hat and put it behind his back, laughed twice, and walked straight to Tian Nongxi.
Tian Nongxi knew who he was, but still raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It seems that the gates of hell are wide open tonight, and my unmarried husband has also come to join in the fun."
Li Kangbo's smile froze. "Second Mother, you're joking. Today is for our wedding. I'm standing here peacefully. Why would I talk about ghosts?"
"Village Chief Li is so loyal to me that if I really die, he will marry my cenotaph." Tian Nongxi's gaze passed through Li Kangbo's wrinkled forehead and fell directly on Tian Yaozu, who was shaking a rattle in the house as if it had nothing to do with him.
Today during the day, Tian Yaozu clearly said that he was going to marry Village Chief Li, but the plot of the original book was that he was going to marry Village Chief Li’s son who died early in the afterlife.
In other words, if Tian Erniang had not died, she would have become the second wife of Village Chief Li, who was several decades older than her; if she died, she would have become the "new wife" of his son.
Regardless of life or death, the Tian family is bound to take advantage of Tian Erniang's blood.
Looking at the pretentious "family" in front of him, Tian Nongxi sneered.
"What are you talking about, Second Mother? I knew you were still alive, so I rushed over to help you." Li Kangbo approached Tian Nongxi, his words filled with regret, and whispered in her ear, "If you and I don't get married, then Second Mother, you will have to get married at the age of 28, and from now on you will be a widow in my Li family."
Holding the deceased’s tablet during a wedding ceremony – a living person holds the deceased’s tablet during a wedding ceremony. The person is forbidden to remarry and becomes a widow who cannot leave the house. She often becomes the lowest-ranking person in the family due to her husband’s early death.
Tian Nongxi recalled the professor's explanation of this word in the elective course. At that time, both male and female students in the classroom condemned this "cannibalistic" feudal dregs. But now - Tian Nongxi looked at the people around him with normal expressions, as if they were used to it, snorted coldly, and stepped heavily on Li Kangbo's foot wearing gold-threaded shoes.
"Village Chief Li, ghost marriage is illegal."
"Why, Second Mother, are you so determined to marry my son because I'm too old?" Li Kangbo endured the dull pain in his foot and said through gritted teeth, "Why don't I invite the county magistrate over now to ask if arranging a ghost marriage is illegal?"
"No need. I came back so late just to invite the official over."
Tian Nongxi had just been playing tricks at the door for a while, secretly thinking of a solution.
Lin Luan watched the farce silently in the darkness for a long time, and finally it was his turn to appear.
He stood up with his hands folded, and as his benefactor requested, he acted like a county official, fully utilizing his authority. "That's me."
"Where did you find this young boy who wants to cheat your Grandpa Li?" Li Kangbo looked Lin Luan up and down, and his smile became even wider.
After all, he was the head of a village and was very familiar with the county government, but he had never seen such a person before.
Lin Luan remained silent, just standing there calmly, looking very proud and indifferent.
Tian Nongxi snorted coldly, as if not wanting to waste any more words. He rolled his eyes and said, "You are just a small village chief, how could you know all the personnel changes in the county government? This is the third place winner who was transferred from the capital not long ago. The county magistrate listened to my story and knew my difficulties, so he sent the third place winner here."
Tian Nongxi bowed respectfully to Lin Luan as he spoke.
Lin Luan nodded slightly and shifted his gaze, as if he was very dissatisfied with being sent to a remote area in the middle of the night.
There was indeed the imperial examination held every three years in Yan Dynasty this year, but the third place winner was demoted to the county government office. This was a serious matter, and how could Li Kangbo not know anything about it? After a little thought, the insignificant panic in his heart disappeared, and he was convinced that Tian Er Niang had randomly found someone to trick him.
"Oh, a third-place scholar?" Li Kangbo glanced up and down at Lin Luan, who was dressed in black, and said sarcastically, "How come a third-place scholar doesn't even have a yamen runner accompanying him when he goes out? Now let me ask you, what is your name, and what is your current position? Impersonating an imperial official is a serious crime."
Tian Nongxi sneered and raised his voice to ask, "How dare you, a mere village chief, ask for the name of the top scholar?"
"Jing Wenshu, my name is Jing Wenshu." Lin Luan glanced at the stunned Li Kangbo indifferently. "The capital is a world away from Ruiyang County. Your Majesty, out of pity for my travels, has granted me a two-week break, freeing me from all the trivial matters. Today is my official first day on the job."
Lin Luan spoke suddenly, and not only Li Kangbo, but even Tian Nongxi was stunned for a while by his endless words.
Tian Nongxi had only read the first chapter before he traveled through the book. When he saw the big red lanterns in the alley, he realized something was wrong, but because of the time constraints, he had to make up a method for Lin Luan to remember.
How come he... Tian Nongxi looked at Lin Luan, who was righteous and had no change in expression. His palms were sweating. He could only secretly hope that the emperor was far away and Li Kangbo didn't know what was happening outside the village.
It’s just that Tian Nongxi didn’t know that such a person really existed in this world, and it wasn’t just hearsay.
Jing Wenshu, the son of a merchant, won first place in both the provincial and metropolitan examinations on his first attempt. Ruiyang County had produced a once-in-a-lifetime genius, a name even an octogenarian woman knew.
The emperor had issued a decree at the beginning of his ascension to the throne, requiring all officials who passed the imperial examinations, regardless of their ranking, to remain in office outside the capital for one year and only be able to apply to be transferred back to the capital based on their achievements.
Jing Wenshu is from Ruiyang, so it is normal for him to ask to stay in Ruiyang County.
But... Li Kangbo looked at the man in front of him who didn't even look at him, and felt that what he had heard in the past about the third place winner Wen Wenya and Yang Xushan were indeed rumors.
Lin Luan noticed his scrutinizing gaze, smoothed his sleeves and inadvertently revealed his priceless jade pendant.
Li Kangbo was a little intimidated by their behavior. His voice was no longer as confident as before, but he still managed to speak: "Even if the emperor came, he wouldn't be able to intervene in this matter. I arranged this marriage for myself." He waved his hand and pointed at Mr. and Mrs. Tian standing nearby. "The Tian family took my money and land, but they didn't want to marry their daughter off. They lied to me that Second Mother was dead, so I was trying to scare them."
"Village Chief Li, how could you say such nonsense? It's you..."
"Me? If I didn't use some tricks, how could your family let Second Mother come out?" Li Kangbo interrupted Tian Niu and glared at him.
"This matter is easy to solve." Lin Luan pointed proudly at the ghost matchmaker who had been unconscious for half an hour in the house.
While no one was reacting, Tian Nongxi went to the stove, scooped a bowl of muddy water and handed it to Lin Luan without saying a word.
Lin Luan weighed it over, walked straight to the ghost matchmaker who had been unconscious for a while, and poured the liquid down confidently.
The ghost matchmaker was a woman in her thirties or forties, with a very standard appearance - there was a large black mole at the corner of her mouth, which made her profession known at a glance.
"Ah - ah -" She seemed to be annoyed that Lin Luan had disturbed her sweet dream, and she punched and kicked the air before she even opened her eyes.
Lin Luan thought about it and imitated her by stepping on her evil hand.
The ghost matchmaker felt pain and finally woke up completely.
"What's your name? Where do you live? How old are you? Are you married?" She looked at Lin Luan clearly and put on a smile.
"Hi." Tian Nongxi walked forward when he saw that she was fully awake.
"You...you..." She rolled her eyes upwards and was about to faint again.
Tian Nongxi bent down and grabbed the ghost matchmaker's hair, saying with a smile, "Auntie, the ground is cold, don't sleep anymore."
“You…you…”
"I'm Second Mother, don't you recognize me? I'd like to thank you for arranging my marriage." Tian Nongxi tilted his head and pointed at Lin Luan standing aside. "By the way, this is the official from the county government. I want to ask you whose idea it was to get married. Auntie, please tell me the truth."
Li Kangbo, Mr. and Mrs. Tian, and Tian Yaozu all came over.
Tian Nongxi pulled up the ghost matchmaker who was lying on the ground and smiled at him.
"I..." The ghost matchmaker looked at Li Kangbo fearfully, pointed his finger at him tremblingly, and signaled to Lin Luan with his eyes.
"You, you bitch, it was you who came to me and told me there was a beautiful lady in Tianjia Village, and that I could use some tricks to make her follow me. If that didn't work, you could give her to my poor Yingda!"
"You, you are slandering me." The ghost matchmaker lost his strength and knelt in front of Lin Luan, grabbing his sleeve tightly. "Sir, it was clearly because he threatened my son's life that I was forced to get involved in this scheme."
Lin Luan retreated calmly and said, "We'll find out the truth tomorrow at the county government office."
/
Looking at Li Kangbo and the ghost matchmaker leaving the Tian family, Tian Nongxi smiled.
The first thing to do after coming here is to give them a good beating at the county government office tomorrow, and returning home is just around the corner!
She withdrew her gaze and prepared to discuss with Grandpa Tian and Grandma Tian to let Lin Luan stay here tonight.
Tian Nai suddenly took a few steps back and pointed at her, trembling all over, "You...you are not Er Niang!"
Tian Nongxi was stunned when he was pointed at. Just as he was about to explain that he was indeed a human and not a ghost, Tian Nai yelled again.
"Second Mother has been timid and docile since she was a child. She has never left Tianjia Village. It is impossible for her to find the way to the county, let alone be so close to a man!"
Tian Nongxi looked at the distance between him and Lin Luan, which was wide enough for ten more people to stand, and said, "..."
A strong wind suddenly blew, bringing with it bursts of sobbing.
The tablet of Tian Er Niang in the house was suddenly blown to the ground, and several red and white candles in front of the tablet fell down with a clatter, and the white banner beside the tablet was burned to ashes in an instant.
Although the fire is not big, it is too red.
In the firelight, Tian Nongxi calmed down, lowered his head to meet Tian Nai's gaze, and said with a smile, "What are you talking about? I am the Second Mother."
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