Chapter 1 He's such a good man, I'm going to get married.
"Have you heard? Those refugees outside the city have caused a death."
"Of course, my wife saw how pitiful they were and was planning to ask me to bring them some food, but now she's glad I had something to do that day and got in the way."
"You know, the mess they're making, if you ask me, the government has been more than kind, giving people work and even setting up soup kitchens."
"Alas, those counties outside are suffering from both drought and flood, no wonder they are all flocking to the capital."
As noon approached, Caomen Street was bustling with activity. Tea stalls and food shops were scattered with people who had just finished work or were simply idling around, casually chatting about the latest gossip.
"If you ask me, this area around Kyoto is really good. With the government protecting it, my family's fields are growing exceptionally well."
The person who said this happened to be passing by a newly opened shop. He glanced to the side and quickly urged his companions to hurry up.
It was a funeral clothing shop, not yet open. The two shops on either side were quite old, and at this moment, white lanterns were hanging on the eaves of their doors, while the doors were tightly closed.
Despite the bustling main street, a chill permeated the area around these three shops.
The man felt a gust of cold wind sweep across his neck, shivered, and quickened his pace, fleeing the area as if he were escaping.
This must be the place.
The shop wasn't open, but that's what Jiang Yuzhi thought as she sat behind the door of the funeral clothing shop, listening to the conversations of passersby.
She has been up from the underworld for several days, and her only purpose in coming here is to find the "Map of Mountains and Rivers".
The damage and loss of the "Map of Mountains and Rivers" led to instability in the human world's fortunes, frequent natural disasters, a surge in the death toll, and an overwhelming amount of affairs in the underworld.
Jiang Yuzhi had some connection with the Sheji Tu (a map of the land and grain) in her previous life, and carried some residual power of the Sheji Tu in her body. Unable to be reincarnated, and being taken care of by the leaders of the Black and White Impermanence and the Emperor of Fengdu, she volunteered to go to the human world to find the Sheji Tu.
The last bit of strength she possessed was transferred to the Soul-Soothing Bell, allowing her to walk among humans like a living person. If she encountered a map of the land, the bell would also react.
After much investigation, Jiang Yuzhi finally determined the approximate location of the map of the land and the state: Kyoto.
Jiang Yuzhi had extensive connections in the underworld, and with people under her command, she quickly secured a shop in the area she had her eye on as a base.
She had a sudden inspiration and opened a funeral clothing shop. Coincidentally, it seemed that someone had just passed away at the two shops next door, making it seem as if these three shops connected in some unspeakable way.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the subsequent plans, the shop still needs to be properly opened. She had arranged to talk to the Bai family cloth shop across the street about supply cooperation a couple of days ago, and planned to sign the contract in a while.
The contract wasn't signed at the shop; it had to be done at the Bai family mansion in the neighborhood.
The servant led Jiang Yuzhi toward the reception room. Far across the long corridor, they could see a young man wearing a moon-white cloak slowly walking out from the inner room.
As a ghost, Jiang Yuzhi's eyesight was naturally excellent thanks to the power of the ghost. After seeing the person clearly, she was surprised.
"Manager Jiang, my young master is here to receive you today. It's not that we're being disrespectful. The government encourages women to be independent, and as imperial merchants, our Bai family naturally supports that as well. However, there's been a temporary problem at the estate, and our master has gone on an inspection tour, so our young master is here instead. We hope you'll understand."
Jiang Yuzhi nodded to indicate that she understood the long explanation given by the servant. She also knew something about the Bai family's situation; the eldest son of the Bai family seemed to be in poor health, but he was skilled in business and quite talented.
But this body is in such poor condition!
Bai Yan, the young master of the Bai family, looked like he was about to patronize her newly opened funeral clothing shop; he was even more ghostly than she, a female ghost who had just come out of the underworld.
His face, as white as jade, was almost as white as paper, and his thin lips were completely bloodless. He was panting heavily with every step he took. When he saw Jiang Yuzhi, who had come to sign the contract, he paused for a second before giving her a gentle but weak smile.
“Young Miss Jiang, my father has gone to inspect the estate. I will be the one to receive you today, is that alright? I am Bai Yan, the eldest son of the Bai family.” Bai Yan stubbornly walked to the table and sat down, refusing the servant’s help. “Excuse me, I’m not feeling well. Please sit down first. Manager, please take a look at this contract and see if there are any problems?”
Before Jiang Yuzhi could sit down, a small silver bell at her waist seemed to be blown by the wind, making a crisp sound.
Looks like this trip was worthwhile.
“I trust the Bai family,” Jiang Yuzhi said, picking up a pen from the table and signing her name while inquiring about the situation. “When did Young Master Bai start having health problems? I have some connections; perhaps I can help.”
Bai Yan coughed lightly twice, still smiling as he replied, "Young lady, you've gone to so much trouble. This illness is something I was born with, and it's probably difficult to cure. But it wouldn't hurt for you to take a look at it."
"Alright, then please come to my place when you have time, and I'll find someone to take a look at it." Jiang Yuzhi was secretly delighted, her mind filled with thoughts of how things were going smoothly. It seemed the Map of the State was within reach.
After taking the contract and completing the formalities, they returned to the shop to prepare for the opening.
Bai Yan stared at her departing figure for a long time before murmuring, "Ah Zhao, I'm afraid I'll have to get married."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Zhao, who was standing to the side, didn't hear what his young master was saying. Just as he was about to ask again, Bai Yan stood up briskly, covered his chest with one hand, and held the contract with Jiang Yuzhi's name on it in the other. He then turned and went to the study.
Funeral clothing shops are rarely located in busy urban areas, as neighbors tend to be hesitant. However, both of these shops had members who had passed away, so they didn't have time to worry about what kind of shop would open in between.
Across from her shop was a branch of the Bai Family Cloth Shop, but the contract was signed at the Bai Mansion in Jingmingfang.
The two locations are only one street apart.
Jiang Yuzhi was very satisfied with her current location. The first floor in front was a shop, the second floor was used to store fabrics and sew funeral clothes, and there was a small courtyard in the back for her daily use.
Although the courtyard is small, it has everything you need.
The house has a bedroom, a study, a kitchen, and several small flower beds in the yard. A willow tree was just moved into the corner of the yard a few days ago.
The hired helper finished tidying up and immediately ran away as if fleeing.
The funeral shop planted willow trees, fearing that ghosts wouldn't come.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't care about any of that; she planned to move a deck chair under the tree to bask in the moonlight that night.
It's only past noon now; a contact person from the human world will come after nightfall.
While waiting, Jiang Yuzhi carefully put away the contract, spread out paper on the table, sorted out the necessities in the shop, and arranged the funeral clothes to be hung up for display.
As the moon rose above the willow branches, Jiang Yuzhi set up a small table under the willow tree, placed two rocking chairs, drank tea, ate snacks, and leisurely enjoyed the soft moonlight.
I haven't been this busy in a long time; I need to take a good rest.
As the moon rose to its highest point, a man in a dark official robe appeared out of nowhere on the bluestone path in the flowerbed of the courtyard. His face was gloomy and haggard as he looked around.
Jiang Yuzhi lay comfortably, and when she saw someone coming, she simply waved her hand to beckon him over.
"You're here? Over here."
The man frowned, clearly not expecting his contact to be so relaxed. Why was he the only one working day and night?
Somewhat resentful, the man strode over to another deck chair and lay down without any hesitation.
"What should I call you?" Jiang Yuzhi asked leisurely, her eyes half-closed.
"land."
The two rested separately, and after a while, no one spoke anymore.
"We've already located it; it's near my land." Jiang Yuzhi didn't even open her eyes, basking lazily in the sun, feeling completely relaxed.
“Yes, you can go to Fanlou and find the manager if you have any needs. Show him this token, and I will come to discuss it in detail tonight.” Lu took out a very simple wooden plaque with the character “佶” engraved on it from his pocket. There were even cracks on the edges.
Jiang Yuzhi reached out and put the wooden plaque away, and the two lay down again without speaking.
When she opened her eyes, she could already see the red glow covering the horizon. It had been a long time since she had seen a sunrise, and seeing it suddenly filled her with a sense of loss and regret.
Lu had already left. Jiang Yuzhi patted her clothes and finally got up to go back to her room to prepare for the opening.
Shops selling funeral clothes should not hold extravagant celebrations.
"Manager Jiang, may your business prosper... Hmm, good morning."
The place was deserted, except for Bai Yan who brought A Zhao to offer their congratulations and deliver the first batch of cloth.
Bai Yan swallowed back the words of congratulations that were on the tip of his tongue; it seemed that a funeral clothing shop was not a good place for business to flourish.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't care about any of that and welcomed them in with a smile.
The shop's threshold wasn't high, but Bai Yan was weak and barely lifted his feet when walking to conserve energy.
He usually pays extra attention when he's out, but today his eyes are glued to Jiang Yuzhi, and his mind is filled with the sketchbook he looked at last night.
He tripped on the threshold and was about to fall flat on his face when Ah Zhao, who was directing the workers to unload the goods, couldn't pay attention to him.
Just as Bai Yan thought he was about to kiss the ground and closed his eyes to accept reality, a pair of slightly cool hands gripped his armpits. If it weren't for the height difference, Bai Yan would already be being lifted up.
The two exchanged a glance.
"Manager Jiang, you seem to be in good health, haha." Bai Yan laughed awkwardly twice, and strangely felt that the suffocating pressure in his body that he usually felt was much lighter.
Jiang Yuzhi's reaction was just a conditioned reflex; she couldn't just stand by and watch a grown person fall and not help them up.
In the underworld, she sometimes helped the Black and White Impermanence look after the young child ghosts. When they were playing, they would accidentally fall down, and she would gently pinch them under their armpits and pick them up.
She quickly released her grip, and Bai Yan also took two steps back, straightening his wrinkled clothes. He secretly sighed, thinking how strong Manager Jiang's grip was. What if he had bruised him? Wouldn't that make him seem too weak?
The two looked around nervously, avoiding eye contact. After Ah Zhao finished unloading the goods, he looked at his young master and Manager Jiang with suspicion. They seemed very busy even though they hadn't taken anything.
"Ahem, I'm here today to deliver goods to Manager Jiang and to congratulate him on his opening. Ah Zhao has already unloaded this batch of cloth. Where is the manager's warehouse? I'll have them move it over to you." Seeing Ah Zhao arrive, Bai Yan finally had something to say to break the damn awkward silence.
"Just move it upstairs," Jiang Yuzhi said, pointing to the wooden staircase in the corner of the shop.
"good."
...
Here we go again, the silence of death.
Jiang Yuzhi's mind raced. She needed to say something! To give her a legitimate reason to keep Bai Yan, he must have something related to the Map of the State.
She pinched the requiem bell that she had intended to keep vibrating.
Would you like to stay for lunch?
"Can we go inside and talk?"
The two spoke at the same time, froze together, and then burst out laughing in unison.
Jiang Yuzhi was secretly pleased; it was very good, everything went smoothly.
Bai Yan was secretly delighted, but didn't show it on his face. He subconsciously reached out and touched the storybook he had read many times in his arms.
Although it was only their second meeting, only Ah Zhao felt it was presumptuous.
Since yesterday, his young master has become a different person. He used to only peek at the novels that young ladies liked to read in his study, with a mysterious smile on his face. Now he actually takes the novels out of the study and even leaves them at the house of a young lady he has only met twice for dinner.
What's wrong with the young master who always values his virtue? Ah Zhao, who had been sent to mind the shop at the cloth store across the street, stared resentfully at the funeral clothing shop and thought to herself.
As an old ghost, Jiang Yuzhi was used to not eating. She usually only ate the incense provided by the underworld. Yesterday was the first time she had eaten snacks since she died. The small kitchen in the backyard had not been used and there were no ingredients. Leaving Bai Yan to eat was an excuse she came up with on the spur of the moment.
I should have used helping him get medical treatment as an excuse.
Bai Yan had already sat down at the table in the flower garden in the backyard. This was his first time entering a woman's residence. The courtyard was a little cool, but it didn't make him feel uncomfortable.
The spring chill was still in the air, and Bai Yan used to have to wear winter clothes to keep warm, but here she was surprisingly comfortable.
She must be my destined one; the book was right after all. And since she invited me to stay for dinner, she must have feelings for me too.
Jiang Yuzhi came over with the tea she had left over from last night.
"Young Master Bai, please have some tea first. I just moved here recently and haven't prepared any dishes yet. I'll go to Fanlou to order a table of food and have it delivered later." I'll also ask Lu Wanwan to come over and check Bai Yan's background.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan realized that she was indeed interested in him. She poured him tea and even booked a banquet at Fanlou Restaurant. As a man, how could he let his future wife spend money?
"Manager Jiang, just call me by my courtesy name, Mingze. There's no need to spend any money. Ah Zhao will send over some medicinal cuisine at noon; it tastes quite good. Would you like to try it, young lady?"
Jiang Yuzhi didn't pay attention to the form of address at all; she was only thinking about saving money and achieving her goal at the same time. Bai Yan was such a good person.
Originally, I was going to invite Bai Yan to dinner, but it seems that eating Bai Yan's meal might not be a good idea.
"Hmm, then, Mingze? My brother will be visiting me in a couple of days. He's skilled in medicine; perhaps he can take a look at you?"
Jiang Yuzhi wasn't going to take advantage of the situation, so she decided to have the Black and White Impermanence examine Bai Yan. The officials of the Underworld were more than capable of treating a mortal's illness.
Bai Yan smiled and nodded, coughing occasionally, a slight blush creeping onto his pale face.
Despite their own ulterior motives, the two somehow managed to arrive at the same destination.
"I want to buy myself a set of funeral clothes. Could you make them, young lady?" After a few jokes, Bai Yan revealed one of the purposes of his trip.
"What?" Can ghosts also hallucinate?
A note from the author:
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Bai Yan specially commissioned a storybook titled "The Sickly Young Master Meets the Beautiful Fairy".
Catching insects
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