Chapter 63 Ghostly Encounters: Humans and Ghosts on Different Paths
Congratulations!
"Yes, congratulations, Young Master Bai and Manager Jiang."
"Congratulations, Miss Jiang."
Amidst the rising and falling congratulations, the orphanage children asked in hushed tones, "Madam Yu, are Sister Jiang and this Young Master Bai already engaged?"
Madam Yu's smile froze for a moment, "Not yet..."
"Then why are you inviting us to dinner?" The young woman held a juicy chicken leg, taking small bites as she stared blankly at Madam Yu with her big, blinking eyes.
Madam Yu was also puzzled and didn't know how to answer, so she simply picked up a small piece of crispy fried lotus root and stuffed it into the little girl's mouth, saying, "Alright, eat yours. You'll understand adult matters when you grow up."
Zhong Yuxiu sat at the same table with them. She knew Bai Yan's intentions, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the children, so she simply buried her head in her food.
Meanwhile, Yang Jian and Sui Gu sat together, and Sui Gu talked at length about what she had learned about the relationship between the two.
Yang Jian frowned as he listened. "According to the fairy, these two should have been married long ago. Why are they dragging their feet like this until now?" Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he said, "Humans and ghosts are on different paths."
The more I think about it, the more something seems off. If humans and ghosts are destined to be apart, why are they getting engaged now?
Yang Jian was never one to meddle in other people's business. If he couldn't figure something out, he simply stopped thinking about it and focused on picking out some of Xiaotianquan's favorite snacks for a late-night treat.
Sui Gu smiled mysteriously, turned her head, saw Fang Xiangshi standing next to her with a serious expression, and couldn't help but sigh. "Sigh, I'm talking about others, but I have a blockhead like myself."
Upon hearing the sigh, Fang Xiangshi pondered for a moment, then placed a dish on Sui Gu's plate, saying, "This is delicious."
Sui Gu glared at him fiercely, then angrily stuffed the food into her mouth and chewed it viciously.
The general attitude of taking things for granted clearly influenced Jiang Yuzhi.
It was as if they were destined to be together, and the engagement that Bai Yan mentioned was only a matter of time.
After the banquet ended, the guests either left or returned to their rooms.
Zhang Yue and Shen Zhenzhu stayed behind, each carrying something in their hands, hesitating whether to go forward.
Jiang Yuzhi escorted Bai Yan back to the neighbor's house. When she returned, she saw the two ladies. "It's getting late. Why aren't you going home yet?"
Zhang Yue's lips moved a few times, but in the end she still pulled Shen Zhenzhu and handed her the basket together. "Manager Jiang, thank you for inviting us. My sister and I have prepared some things, please don't mind them."
One basket contained several well-packaged oil paper packets, while the other contained some braised meats and a dozen or so pies.
Zhang Yue breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jiang Yuzhi accept the gift with a normal expression. "We've wanted to thank you for a long time. The burial clothes on my husband are obviously not something we could afford with the money we gave him. We're not well-off right now, so we can only give the shopkeeper some of the best-selling items from his shop."
"The braised meats and meat patties in my sister's basket are our exclusive secret recipe. Everyone in Kyoto who has tried them says they are delicious. In my basket, I've put some braising spices and other rare spices and miscellaneous goods for the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper can give them to the kitchen staff and they'll know how to make them just by looking at them."
The exclusive recipe was so brazenly given to Jiang Yuzhi that she suddenly felt the basket in her hands weighed a ton. Although Zhang Chen and his wife had a shop to make a living, the real money-making machine was this recipe, and Jiang Yuzhi felt that she couldn't accept it.
"You two ladies are too kind. I'll accept the food, but I absolutely cannot accept this recipe. I can't accept something for nothing."
Before Zhang Yue could speak, Shen Zhenzhu said anxiously, "I'm glad Manager Jiang doesn't mind. I gave you the recipe voluntarily."
The two sides started refusing each other, and Jiang Yuzhi had no choice but to say, "I'll accept it, but I promise I won't sell it."
The two ladies then smiled and were in the mood to talk about other things.
"Manager Jiang, you should be careful when you go out these days," Zhang Yue said in a low voice, leaning closer to Jiang Yuzhi. "A new family moved into our street a few days ago. I heard from the neighbors that there are eerie wailing sounds coming from their house every night. The man of the house doesn't seem to be doing well." Zhang Yue pointed to her head.
"What?" Jiang Yuzhi immediately became alert. Could it be that another ghost had been missed and was causing trouble?
"When the male head of the household moved in, there were several burly men watching over him, like they were escorting him. Their eyes were terrifying. The female head of the household was also timid and hesitant. During the day, there were sounds of them beating and cursing. I don't know how the couple managed to get by. I never saw anyone from their household come out to do any work."
"Everyone says they moved here because their old place was haunted, and the male head of the household was so frightened that he went insane. Manager Jiang, you're in the business of the underworld, so you're most likely to attract ghosts and monsters. You'd better be careful."
"Thank you for the reminder, Madam Zhang. It's getting late, why don't we rest here?" Jiang Yuzhi glanced at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, feeling a little worried. If there really were ghosts, it wouldn't be safe for the two ladies to go back alone.
Zhang Yue waved her hand, "No need, no need. My sister and I are quite familiar with Kyoto. We have to open the shop tomorrow morning, so we won't bother Manager Jiang."
Jiang Yuzhi was still worried, so she took out her usual paper dolls from her bag and solemnly handed them to Zhang Yue and Shen Zhenzhu. "Two paper dolls, one for each of you. Remember to keep them close to your body. They have been blessed by a Taoist priest with high magical power and can protect you."
It was true that she could ensure safety, but to enhance credibility, Jiang Yuzhi naturally resorted to the same excuse she had used to fool Huai'an.
The two women, considering Jiang Yuzhi's business, thought it was normal for her to have connections with the people in the Taoist temple, so they accepted the gift with great trust. "It's too precious. If Manager Jiang has time, we sisters will come to the shop and cook something delicious for you."
Jiang Yuzhi smiled and nodded, then beckoned to the gatekeeper of the Bai residence and asked him to bring out two guards to escort the two ladies home. She then secretly attached two paper figures to the guards' backs.
If danger is encountered, the paper figures will create a protective barrier to briefly shield the people. The barrier will dissipate after it is used. If the barrier is never used, the paper figures will dissipate after seven days.
This is the most primitive use of paper figures. If supported by magic and made of better paper, they can also be used as a medium for weaving clothes and earrings.
Watching the group leave, Jiang Yuzhi lingered before going inside.
After dealing with Xiaotianquan and Chichi, Diting slowly searched for Jiang Yuzhi's figure, and found her at the gate by the nose.
Why don't you go in?
Jiang Yuzhi squatted down and rubbed Diting's head. "Let's go to the shop together tomorrow. We need to speed up the work at the outpost."
Di Ting obediently rubbed against Jiang Yuzhi's hand, "Okay."
The two walked in side by side, and no one noticed that the small bag at Jiang Yuzhi's waist moved almost imperceptibly.
...
The journey home late at night is indeed difficult.
Since the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, there has been no curfew, and the people have a rich nightlife. Even on streets like Caomen Street, where most shops are only open during the day, there are always a few pedestrians rushing home or going to brothels for entertainment.
Zhang Yue and her companions passed through the busiest downtown area and headed towards Caomen Street, where the number of pedestrians along the way gradually decreased.
As soon as they entered Caomen Street, they could hardly see anyone else around. Zhang Yue was relieved that Manager Jiang had been thoughtful enough to send two people to escort them. At this moment, she was actually feeling a little uneasy.
It's July, the height of summer, and the usual evening breeze carries a stifling feeling, but now it sends chills down your spine.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but shiver and clung to Chen Zhenzhu beside her. "Sister, are you cold?"
Chen Zhenzhu was also a little scared. "A little."
The two guards following behind felt a bad premonition. One of them lowered his voice and forced himself to calm down, "Ladies, how much longer do we need to walk?"
Zhang Yue suddenly realized, oh right, according to the normal tutorial they should have arrived long ago, how come...
She reached into her bosom and found the paper figure Jiang Yuzhi had given her still intact. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Almost there."
To avoid frightening Shen Zhenzhu, Zhang Yue did not mention anything unusual.
The road ahead became increasingly difficult, and the wind gradually picked up.
The guards stood beside them, one in front and one behind.
Zhang Yue thought she vaguely heard a sharp cry, which stopped abruptly the next moment, as if it had been forcibly cut off.
After walking for a while, one or two familiar neighbors gradually appeared on the road, and the chilling aura disappeared. The group finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After thanking the two guards, Zhang Yue planned to sleep with Shen Zhenzhu. When she took off her clothes, the paper figure that should have been in her arms was nowhere to be found.
The two men felt a chill run down their spines, but dared not go out to check on the two guards. They could only pray silently until dawn before finally going to sleep.
Fortunately, just as the guards were hesitating about how to get back, the neighbor's dog came to pick them up.
The white dog seemed to understand human nature, barking at them twice. The two suddenly felt much more at ease and tentatively followed the white dog.
With Di Ting leading the way, no strange situations arose this time.
For the first time, the nurses found the sweltering heat quite pleasant.
Back at the Jiang residence, Di Ting used its head to pry open Jiang Yuzhi's door, jumped onto a stool, and slowly wagged its tail.
Jiang Yuzhi poured a cup of cool tea for Diting using the teacup that Diting used.
Di Ting: "Your feeling is right. The paper figures on them are gone, and they even encountered a ghost wall on the way."
Jiang Yuzhi pondered for a moment, "I'll go to the shop tomorrow."
Zhang Yue and Shen Zhenzhu's shops are both within the protection zone of the funeral clothing shop's barrier, so there shouldn't be any more problems.
We can visit them tomorrow.
There are two urgent matters at the moment.
First, there is the feud between Xue Yi and Deng Laosan.
I wonder where Deng Laosan is now. He might still be with the woman he had an affair with. I wonder if the sorcerer is still around.
If the sorcerer were present, Jiang Yuzhi thought, she shouldn't act rashly.
The most difficult people to deal with are those who use underhanded tricks, especially if they are also exorcists.
Secondly, the regulations for the underworld's outposts should be drafted as soon as possible.
Zhiyi, Zhier, and Xiaojin had already arrived in Wannan. Fan Wujiu helped set up a temporary barrier and then left, leaving Ake and the others there to prepare for the opening of the new store. They would come to ask what the next steps should be soon.
But Yan Shu's appointment document hasn't been given to her yet, and the newcomers Zhi Wu, Yan Liu, and Yan Qi haven't been settled either.
A series of trivial matters were crowding Jiang Yuzhi's mind, making her dizzy and overwhelmed. She didn't have time to deal with Bai Yan's little thoughts for the time being.
Needless to say, everyone inside and outside the court knew that Bai Yan had returned.
The council had sent people to wait at the Bai residence early on, intending to escort him into the palace to oversee the imperial examination process.
He had promised Xiao Ji before he left, and it was not good to go back on his word, especially since he had already been delayed for two days.
So, Jiang Yuzhi watched Bai Yan return to his residence, and then Bai Yan entered the palace through the back door.
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Author's Note: [Hugs]
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