The two chatted on the way. Wang Douhua looked Yuan Qi up and down. He had a fair and delicate face and his hands were also very soft. He didn't seem like a child from a poor family. Although he was wearing a Taoist robe, he couldn't hide his temperament. So she asked curiously, "Which Taoist temple are you staying at, little Taoist priest? Why are you out earning money at such a young age?"
Yuan Qi chuckled: "I'm from the Fusang Temple, but I've now left the monastic life and am living at home, earning some money to supplement my family's income. How long have you been in Kyoto, sister? Are you settling in well?"
Wang Douhua is a simple and honest person. She answered Yuan Qi's question very warmly: "I have only been here for half a year, but my husband has been here for more than two years. My husband said that things have not been going well at home since I came."
Yuan Qi could tell that Wang Douhua was living a good life. She was wearing a new satin dress, and her face didn't look tired. Her husband must treat her well.
What do you do for a living on a regular basis?
Wang Douhua pointed to a small storefront in front, which was a wonton shop. There were only a few customers at the door, probably because it wasn't mealtime and there were very few people eating.
She began, “My family used to run a wonton shop in the county. We made a little money and had some savings. My father passed on his wonton-making skills to me, and I plan to take over that little shop and open it after I give birth. I should be able to earn at least ten or twenty taels a month. Little Taoist priest, to tell you the truth, my wontons are delicious. I cook them in pork bone broth. If you don’t mind, I can make you a few bowls to try another day.”
Yuan Qi didn't refuse: "Okay, I can tell you're good at cooking and have business acumen. But you won't make a fortune, though you'll be able to live a comfortable life."
Wang Douhua laughed happily. This young Taoist priest not only knew how to talk, but also had a pair of sharp eyes that could tell at a glance that she knew how to do business: "Thank you for your kind words, young Taoist priest. I don't ask for great wealth and status. I just want my family to be well-fed, clothed, and safe and sound."
Wang Douhua was very talkative, and along the way she talked a lot about her and her father's shop: "Now my father and brother are still running a wonton shop in the county, making a little money. Even my husband's tuition and the money for his trip to the capital for the imperial examinations were paid by my family. So my husband is very good to me, and he listens to everything I say. I heard that he passed the imperial examination, so I asked my brother to send me to the capital. Now I am a resident of the capital... Everything in the capital is good, but everything is expensive. In our county, a bowl of wontons costs eight coins, but in the capital, it costs twenty coins a bowl, and the rent for the shops is also expensive. Fortunately, people in the capital are rich and willing to spend money."
Yuan Qi listened attentively: "That's right, the rent for the shop isn't cheap, but if the business takes off, it should be more than your husband's salary."
At this point, Wang Douhua's face lit up with a happy smile: "It should be, but my husband has given me his salary to keep safe, telling me to focus on my pregnancy and that we can talk about opening the shop when the baby is older, there's no rush. But I can't sit still, I always want to open the shop as soon as possible so that our lives can be better."
Yuan Qi could tell that Wang Douhua was very satisfied with her husband, and her husband treated her very well.
"Is your husband's family very poor? Why did you pay for his trip to the capital for the imperial examination?"
Wang Douhua's smile faded: "Yes, he was a very unfortunate person. When he was young, his family was the best-off in our county. His father was the county magistrate, and his grandfather was a renowned scholar in our area, very learned. Later, his father was accused of embezzlement, and before the case even began to be investigated, his father and mother hanged themselves. Later, the government confiscated their property, and his family fell into poverty, even struggling to afford food. His grandfather also died of illness. He could only rely on his uncle, but unfortunately, his uncle's family was also struggling. They barely managed to support his studies for a little over a year, but then his aunt complained that his education was too expensive and refused to care for him anymore, kicking him out."
Wang Douhua sighed: "My father took pity on him and thought he was a good student, so he took him in and supported his studies. He lived up to expectations and passed the exams all the way up. Now he works in the Hanlin Academy. I've finally made it through."
Yuan Qi understood; Wang Douhua's husband had also had a rather bumpy life.
"So what's wrong with your family?" Yuan Qi followed Wang Douhua further and further into the remote alley, to a very ordinary courtyard with four main rooms and two west wing rooms. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and in a corner of the courtyard where there was no sunlight, there was a well, and a female water ghost, soaking wet, sat on the wellhead.
The female water ghost was around twenty years old, about the same age as Wang Douhua. She was wearing a floral dress and a begonia flower in her hair. Her two black grape-like eyes met Yuan Qi's gaze.
"Can you see me?"
Yuan Qi nodded, glanced at the water ghost, which was filled with resentment and looked at Wang Douhua with vicious and resentful eyes.
A little water ghost crawled out of the well, using both its hands and feet, and sat down next to the female water ghost. The little water ghost was only a little over a year old, with a chubby and adorable face. It had two little pigtails tied up on its head with red rope.
The female water ghost, holding the little water ghost's hand, walked towards Yuan Qi and asked with hostility, "Are you here to capture me?"
Yuan Qi discovered that she wasn't afraid of sunlight, and neither was the little water ghost.
The two water ghosts, one large and one small, were churning with murderous intent.
Wang Douhua entered the house, and Yuan Qi slowed down by two steps.
"She's not dead for long, but she's quite formidable. If it weren't for the small Buddha statue protecting Wang Douhua, you would have killed her, wouldn't you?"
These two ghosts were rather ungrateful. Yuan Qi waved her sleeve and swept a stream of spiritual energy over them. The two ghosts immediately started to sizzle and smoke, which scared them so much that they quickly retreated back to the well. They didn't dare to follow her into the house and scare her anymore.
As soon as Yuan Qi entered the house, Wang Douhua immediately busied herself boiling water for her. She also enthusiastically introduced the house, saying, "I'm quite satisfied with this courtyard. It's spacious enough to live in, and there's even a well in the courtyard, so I don't have to fetch water from outside."
Yuan Qi asked her calmly, "Have you been drinking water from the well all this time?"
Wang Douhua frowned and said, puzzled, "No, my husband came back from the yamen and went to the well at the street corner to fetch water. He said that he used to drink water from this well, but since I came, the well has dried up, so he went outside to fetch water. I told him to find someone to dig it again, maybe we can still find water, but he wouldn't let me, saying that things haven't been going well lately and we should avoid any construction."
Hearing her say that, Yuan Qi became less resistant to the water in front of him.
Why do you feel like your house is haunted?
Wang Douhua's expression changed: "I've noticed that when my husband is reading, the books next to him will turn on by themselves, sometimes his pen will write by itself, and sometimes the food on the table will fall off for no reason."
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