Night dew froze, and the old locust tree in the west wing of the General's Mansion cast a mottled shadow in the moonlight. The rust on the copper lock of the storehouse shone darkly in the night. Liu huddled behind a Taihu stone, her nails digging into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks. The image of Chen Weiwan swindling her out of two hundred taels of silver three days ago under the pretext of a "feng shui festival" flashed before her eyes. The girl's sly smile as she waved the storehouse key felt like a needle piercing her heart.
"Madam, the hemp rope has been tied to the old locust tree branch as you requested," the personal nanny came over, her back hunched, the end of the thick hemp rope in her hand still stained with fresh tree sap. "I specially selected the strongest soapberry rope, so it can easily carry a hundred or eighty kilograms."
Liu took the hemp rope, a trace of cruelty flashing across her sallow face. Wasn't that little bitch Shen Weiwan fearless? She'd just pretend to be a hanged ghost and block the door to the warehouse, waiting for the girl to be frightened out of her wits. Was she afraid she wouldn't hand over the warehouse key? She had her nanny smear stove ash on her face and used cinnabar to draw a blood mole at the corner of her eye. Now, in her plain white nightgown, she looked quite creepy in the moonlight.
The third watch gong had just struck, the night watchman's clapper still echoing in the distance. Liu stepped onto a pre-placed bluestone bench and laced the hemp rope around her neck. A nanny supported her waist beneath the tree. As the knot tightened, Liu's toes barely touched the ground, her pose akin to a hanged ghost, seven parts stiff and three parts swaying. Seeing this, the nanny quickly retreated into a crevice in the rockery, only half a stare piercing the warehouse door.
"Miss, it's already three in the morning. Will Liu really come?" Chuntao huddled in the corridor, holding a hand warmer, her eyelids heavy as if weighed down by lead. Chen Weiwan, however, leaned against the corridor pillar, tossing the copper key to the warehouse in her hand, the key ring clacking against each other with a crisp "jingle".
"Don't worry," Chen Weiwan said with a smile that looked like she deserved a beating. The moonlight in her eyes was like a shattered star. "I cheated that old hag out of two hundred taels. I'm afraid she'll even want to get the coffin back from the warehouse. Chuntao, light up the oil lamp. We should go and welcome Auntie."
The master and servant arrived in front of the warehouse, carrying sheep-horn oil lamps. The light split the night, and as expected, they saw a white shadow hanging under the old locust tree. Chuntao screamed "Ah!" and hid behind Shen Weiwan, her fingers clutching her sleeves: "Miss! Someone really hanged himself!"
Chen Weiwan's eyes lit up, and she shook off Chuntao's hand, clapping her hands as she moved forward. The oil lamplight illuminated Liu's pale face and the swaying white nightgown: "Ah! Auntie, what new tricks are you playing?"
Liu was delighted when she heard the voice, thinking that the little bitch had indeed come. She deliberately shook her body, making a muffled "ho ho" sound in her throat, and tapped her toes lightly on the stone bench, pretending to be struggling to death. She calculated that no matter how brave Shen Weiwan was, she was still a fifteen-year-old girl. Seeing this scene, she would be frightened to kneel down and beg for mercy.
Unexpectedly, Shen Weiwan was not afraid at all. Instead, she came closer, and the oil lamp almost burned Liu's hair: "Aunt, you are really good at the art of levitation! Teach me quickly, so that I don't have to climb the wall when I want to open the warehouse to get something in the future."
Liu: "..." She suddenly opened her eyes and met Shen Weiwan's sparkling eyes - that girl was staring at her feet! Her toes were still firmly on the bluestone bench!
"Chuntao, look," Chen Weiwan pointed at Liu's embroidered shoes, the toes still stained with mud from daytime steps, "this is called 'Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg'. Auntie has hidden talents!"
The servants and guards who had rushed over at the noise were so enraged they couldn't hold back their laughter, their faces flushed red. Several young servants turned away, their shoulders shaking like sieves. The old housekeeper rushed over, holding a scorching lantern. The light illuminated the ash-stained face of Liu's face, and his beard bristled with anger. "What the hell is this, Madam? You're playing tricks in front of the storehouse so late at night!"
Liu was furious and anxious. She tried to move her feet off the stone bench, but her ankle was entangled in the hemp rope! She then realized that the surface of the stone bench was shiny and oily—Chen Weiwan had Chuntao smear a thick layer of tung oil on it! In her haste, she tightened the rope around her ankle, and the hemp rope was so tight that it hurt her neck.
"Put me down now!" Liu was ashamed and angry. The stove ash mixed with sweat on her face dripped down, revealing her original sallow complexion.
Chen Weiwan shrugged and spread her hands to Chuntao: "Did you hear that? Auntie is performing 'shouting in the air'. Chuntao, quickly get me a pen and paper, I need to write this down. The Crooked Poetry Society is in need of this kind of 'performance art' theme."
"Puff!" The guard next to her couldn't help but burst out laughing, and then the laughter surged like a tide. Liu was furious and panicked. While struggling, she kicked over the bluestone bench with one foot, and her whole body was hung up with a "whoosh". The hemp rope made her see stars, and she really thought she was going to die. She was so scared that her soul was out of her mind: "Help! Help me! I'm being strangled to death!"
The old housekeeper quickly ordered the guards to bring a ladder, and they hurriedly lowered Liu down. She collapsed on the ground, coughing uncontrollably, a deep purple bloodstain on her neck. Her hair was half-undone, a few strands of white hair stuck to her sweat-soaked forehead. She looked as miserable as could be. Shen Weiwan squatted down and poked the red mark on her neck with feigned concern: "Auntie, your levitation technique is not yet mature enough. You almost hanged yourself."
Liu suddenly looked up and pointed at Shen Weiwan, shaking with anger: "You...you knew it a long time ago! You plotted against me!"
"What are you planning, aunt?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head and pretended to be innocent. The copper key in her hand made her dizzy. "I just passed by and saw aunt practicing acrobatics. How about this, tomorrow I will ask the housekeeper to build a stage in front of the storehouse, and aunt will come to perform the levitation trick every day. We will split the ticket money 50-50?"
"Hahahaha——" The servants around could no longer hold back their laughter and fell forward and backward. Liu felt dizzy and her vision went black. She almost fainted on the spot. Shen Weiwan hummed a newly composed jingle, pulled Chuntao and turned to leave. The clear singing voice floated in the night air:
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