Chapter 59 The Female Ghost A Wu
The First Madam was shocked: "How can that be?"
"Why not? Don't you want me to marry well?"
Guan Zhiwei flew into a rage and said in a hurtful tone, "Mother is too biased. I gave up such a good marriage opportunity with the Jiang family to my sister, and you won't even grant me this small request."
The First Madam quickly explained, "Of course I'll agree to your suggestion, but she can't just marry anyone. She still has to be selective. No one can be a cripple, a blind man, or a consumptive."
"Yes, yes. It's not acceptable if they have no money or food." Guan Zhiwei instructed, "We need families with a good financial situation and a lot of land. We don't want families that only have a collection of books, or whose ancestors were officials or have a noble reputation."
Guan Liuliu felt a little smug, probably because the other party was limited by their vision and only cared about petty gains, which was why she was getting a good deal.
Her heart pounded, and she reminded him with a touch of reluctance, "You also have to consider their appearance and character, otherwise how will you get along for the rest of your life?"
The First Madam chimed in, "When a daughter chooses a husband, who doesn't want someone who is handsome, of good character, from a happy family, and with a bright future? It would be even better if he were caring."
Guan Zhiwei shook her finger in protest, "What you're describing isn't just one man's virtue, it's the combined virtue of several men. If I wanted to pursue that, I'd have to find ten or eight men."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" the First Madam spat.
Guan Zhiwei spread her hands: "In such chaotic times, even if you find someone with all their limbs intact, they might still become crippled. It's better to look for money and food. Marry a man, and you'll have food and clothing. Besides, if you only look at money, there are plenty of men like that. If one is lost, it's easy to find another. And if he has some other good qualities, that would be a pleasant surprise. Just think of it as searching for treasure in the sand. What if you find gold?"
For a moment, the First Madam felt that what she said made sense. "Then I will spread the word and choose more."
"That's right, lots and lots."
Cast a wide net to catch big fish. If there aren't any big fish, then win by quantity.
As soon as the news of the Guan family's third daughter's marriage was released, invitations flooded into the mansion like snowflakes.
Guan Zhiwei organized the invitations and said that regardless of social status, only wealth mattered, and people with even a little bit of ability had sent invitations.
Now we've roughly figured out the population of Yong'an City.
The military rations are secured. She'll collect them from each household, and anyone who dares say they have no money or food will have their invitation thrown in their face!
These aristocratic families still dare to spout such arrogant words, saying things like "pluck the dead and bring back the vines."
Hmph, watch me dig you out by the roots.
It was probably because she took the initiative to give way to Guan Liuliu that the First Madam was particularly pleased, and she held a grand ceremony to enter the ancestral hall, solemnly introducing her to everyone.
The Guan family has three branches. The second branch has a local post with its family members and has been away from home for decades. The third branch is a concubine's daughter who relies on Lord Guan, so the third wife is very kind.
The Third Madam pulled Guan Zhiwei along, presenting her with ample gifts and praising her intelligence and virtue endlessly, practically showering her with compliments.
The third wife's daughter is married and no longer lives at home. She has four sons, the same number as the eldest wife.
These men all looked pretty much the same. Guan Zhiwei glanced at them briefly but couldn't tell who was who, let alone their wives.
After introducing everyone, the First Madam briefly mentioned, with a nonchalant expression, "You also have a younger sister, whose given name is Huaihuai. She is now the Fourth Miss. She is in poor health and doesn't go out much, so you should avoid disturbing her."
Guan Zhiwei felt that the First Madam's tone when mentioning Guan Huaihuai was a bit off, so she asked Guan Nannan about it.
"Fourth Sister is not our biological sister. She is a maid in our household, born to A-Wu."
"Oh, Mother hates rivals in love, and by extension, she doesn't like her illegitimate daughters either."
Guan Nannan quickly said, "That's not how it is. Mother is not such a jealous person. My second and sixth brothers were born to my aunt, and Mother has always treated them as her own. Besides, that Awu has been dead for many years."
Guan Zhiwei saw right through her, "Isn't Awu very pretty?"
Guan Nannan said helplessly, "She has a national beauty."
Watching the two sisters talking intimately, Guan Liuliu twirled the handkerchief in her palm, leaned forward, and said mysteriously, "Eldest sister, the Qingming Festival is just around the corner, we can't mention her anymore. You've been married for six or seven years, and you still don't know about the strange things happening in this family."
A single sentence can captivate a person's soul.
Guan Zhiwei asked curiously, "What strange thing is it?"
Guan Liuliu looked around, dismissed the maid beside her, and whispered, "Mother forbade me to know about this. I was really curious, so I begged the nanny for a long time before she told me. You must not tell anyone, and don't say that I told you about this."
"I'm very tight-lipped," Guan Nannan nodded repeatedly, saying, "Don't worry."
"Tell me quickly, tell me quickly," Guan Zhiwei urged.
The Qingming Festival is just around the corner. The sky is overcast, and by the afternoon, it was covered with yellow clouds. A gentle breeze brushed past people's ears, like a hand.
"That was a Qingming Festival after Awu's death..."
Awu was a geisha bought by the manor and was deeply loved by Lord Guan. However, because of her lowly status, she was not even worthy of being called a concubine and could only be a maid who swept and cleaned.
She had always lived in the servants' quarters, and after her death, Lord Guan sealed off the courtyard.
There was a large locust tree in the courtyard, which was said to be A-Wu's favorite tree. She often climbed up the tree to pick flowers to wear. Lord Guan doted on her, and this was the only tree of its kind in the entire mansion.
As the evening breeze picked up, it was so cold that people shivered. Even the locust blossoms couldn't withstand the chill and fell down with a rustling sound.
The servant had come out to urinate, and was about to go back when, as if by some strange twist of fate, he found the courtyard gate open.
He pushed open the door and went inside, and saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing under the locust tree.
The woman picked locust flowers one by one and put them on her head, making her hair colorful.
She suddenly turned around and smiled sweetly.
The servants stared intently, and the woman, far from being shy because of the men's gaze, boldly flirted with them.
He was completely captivated and walked over without realizing it.
Overwhelmed by lust, he embraced the woman, intending to have his way with her. But instead of the soft fragrance in his arms, he felt a sharp, piercing pain, so intense that he collapsed to the ground, wailing and crying.
People rushed over upon hearing the noise and saw a dead tree lying next to him. There was a hole in the tree, and a scorpion was squatting inside the hole.
The man had been unconscious for half the night, but managed to wake up and told everyone about the strange things that had happened in the courtyard, including how a female ghost had been trying to seduce him.
The person disappeared in the middle of the night.
Since that incident, every Qingming Festival and Ghost Festival, faint sounds, like crying and laughing, can be heard in the courtyard. Everyone says that Awu has come back to see her daughter while the gates of hell are wide open.
"Where is my life? Give me back my life—" A voice drifted from behind, and a hand rested on a shoulder.
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