Mrs. Mei's Survival Diary - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: One Person, One Soul

“I’m not a ghost; I’m a living person.”

His words lingered in Rong Yinshuang’s mind, leaving her momentarily speechless before she could process them. But even then, she was puzzled by his words.

“The soul of someone alive? How?” she said aloud. ‘If he is alive, why is his soul seemingly wandering around?’

The man, aka the living soul, flashed a charming smile, then suddenly pointed behind Rong Yinshuang and exclaimed, “The water is boiling!”

That jolted Rong Yinshuang back to reality as she remembered something was on the pot. She quickly turned to the kitchen, and he couldn’t help but smile at her animated movements.

Rong Yinshuang took out the osmanthus cake from the pot and placed it in a bowl for him.

He sat upright at the stone table, looking serious, as if he were about to partake in a grand feast. When the bowl was set before him, he leaned in, took a couple of bites, and a look of pure satisfaction spread across his face. He continued to eat, relishing the sweetness, but soon the warmth faded, leaving the cake feeling as cold as winter. And the happy expression on his face vanished instantly.

Noticing this, Rong Yinshuang couldn’t help but ask, “How long has it been since you last ate?”

Suddenly, the guy pointed at Rong Yinshuang without saying a word, almost like he was sticking to some silly rule about not talking while eating or sleeping.

‘But honestly, applying that to a ghost… or a soul, seemed a bit absurd.’

After he finished his meal, he turned and waved at her, telling her to clear the plates like she was some maid in his household.

Suppressing her annoyance, Rong Yinshuang walked over and picked up the plate. “Have you not eaten for a day or a year?”

He looked at her and replied flatly, “Ten years.”

Rong Yinshuang was taken aback, and he continued, “Ten years ago, a powerful magic force kicked my soul out of my body. I’ve been wandering around for a decade, unseen and unheard by people.”

Still, at a loss for words, she forced a smile and said, “Now that you’re full, you can leave.”

He raised an eyebrow, acting all high and mighty, and said, “I’ve been wandering for ten years, and you’re the first person who can see me. So, I’m not going anywhere.”

Rong Yinshuang glared at him, feeling like he was saying, ‘You’re lucky to have me around, so appreciate it.’ She said as if she were scolding him, “How can you treat me like this? I offered you food out of kindness. I’m a widow with two kids, and I can’t help you with anything.”

He just smiled nonchalantly. “I’m not a human. Not even a ghost. Since you have opened your third eye, you should do something.”

Rong Yinshuang was shocked. “You mean I can see you because I have opened my third eye? But…”

“You can see ghosts, right? I sit on the bridge every day and see you, but you’ve never noticed me until now. Unless you really did just open your third eye, I can’t think of any other reason for this.”

Rong Yinshuang took a moment to think it over. Maybe she could only see actual ghosts before, not the souls drifting outside the three realms, and today she just happened to open her third eye and ran into him. If she had known, she wouldn’t have opened that third eye in the first place.

Noticing her uncertainty, he added, “I’m just a soul. I can’t harm anyone, no matter where I am. I get why you’re worried. If you let me stay, I promise to just wander around this yard and won’t go into the house. How does that sound?”

“…”

Rong Yinshuang still hesitated to agree. After all, he was still a man, and it made her uneasy. But he was just a soul. Since Master Wu Daozi’s ghost barrier couldn’t keep him out, then the peach wood sword and copper gourd wouldn’t work either. To put it simply, he was just a being drifting outside the Three Realms. He couldn’t interact with the living or enjoy any offerings after death. He was worse off than a ghost.

‘The one who forced his soul out of his body was truly wicked.’

Thinking of this, Rong Yinshuang sighed and said nothing more. Thinking that her son was still running a fever, she went into the house to boil the medicine.

After the medicine was ready, Rong Yinshuang brought it into the house and fed the medicine to her youngest son. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw sweat start to appear on his forehead.

The eldest son wanted to stay by the youngest son’s side and watch him, but Rong Yinshuang was afraid that he would be infected, so she didn’t let him get too close.

After putting the medicine bowl away, she went back into the house. After taking out a set of spare cotton quilts, she spread them on the ground and put a straw mat under them. Then she said to the eldest son, “Your mother and your younger brother will sleep on here today, and you sleep on the ground. Your brother is sick. You are the older brother, and you can’t disturb him, okay?”

The eldest son looked at the mat on the ground and understood that his mother had to take care of his younger brother at night, so he nodded sensibly.

After the children fell asleep, Rong Yinshuang was not sleepy at all. She lit a candle and sat in the yard, preparing to draw a few more patterns.

‘He’ just sat opposite her in silence, watching her draw patterns.

Rong Yinshuang felt it was awkward, so she asked, “What’s your name?”

‘He’ looked up at Rong Yinshuang and said, “Gu Yean.”

Rong Yinshuang repeated his name and asked, “What did you do before? How did you end up like this?”

Gu Yean hesitated for a while but finally decided not to hide it. “I was originally the eldest son of Prince Wen’s mansion. When I was twenty years old, a sorcerer came to the palace. He was introduced into the palace by the concubine Li. Li has two sons, all born after me and also as concubines. For the future of her two sons, Li teamed up with the sorcerer. I don’t know what magic he used to make me suddenly seriously ill. When I opened my eyes again, my soul and body were separated, and I could no longer return to my original body.”

“…”

Rong Yinshuang kept looking at the man. ‘This guy has fallen outside the Three Realms, stuck in a state where he can’t be reborn or reincarnated—what a cruel fate.’

Sensing Rong Yinshuang’s pity, he smiled and said, “You don’t need to feel sorry for me. I brought this on myself. Li treated me this way because I grew up in the Prince’s Mansion, where I used my special status and sharp mind to act like a tyrant. Everyone feared me, and I gradually pushed myself into this irreversible pit. If it weren’t for this incident, I would have never realised how many people in the mansion despised me and wished I were gone.”

Rong Yinshuang: “…”

“After I became stupid, my mother also fell ill. Maybe she was too sad and passed away soon after. Concubine Li was promoted to the main wife, and she sent someone to send me out of the mansion.”

Rong Yinshuang listened closely and couldn’t help but ask, “Where did they send you?”

Gu Yean shook his head.

Rong Yinshuang couldn’t understand whether it was because he didn’t want to share more or if he genuinely didn’t know where they took him.

From then on, he didn’t respond to any of Rong Yinshuang’s questions. He just sat there, deep in thought.

Rong Yinshuang did her work for a bit before heading back to her room to rest.

*****

The little boy’s fever was totally gone by the next morning.

Rong Yinshuang woke up early to make breakfast, but she didn’t find the man outside. After preparing the meal, she set out four bowls, taking three into the room while leaving a bowl of hot porridge on the stone table.

Once Rong Yinshuang and the kids finished eating, they checked the stone table and noticed that the once steaming bowl of porridge had gone cold. Realising he had already eaten, she picked up the bowl and headed back to the kitchen.

Just as she finished cleaning the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door. Recognising Uncle Bao’s voice, she quickly dried her hands on her apron and rushed to open it.

Uncle Bao entered with a big smile, holding a thick stack of papers, and said to Rong Yinshuang. “Madam, everything is sorted out. Here’s the contract and the banknotes. The payment is all done, and the house is sold to that buyer. Please check; they’re all in one-hundred-tael notes.” 

Rong Yinshuang glanced at the banknotes, then handed them back to Uncle Bao, saying, “Thank you, Uncle Bao, for your efforts. You already delivered five hundred taels the other day, so I can’t take the rest. Just think of it as a thank-you gift from us, so please keep it.”

Uncle Bao was momentarily taken aback, then quickly placed the banknotes on the table and spoke to Rong Yinshuang. “Madam! Even if I am worthless anymore, I cannot ask for money from you. Please just accept these banknotes. You didn’t steal or rob. These are the money you got from selling the house you bought with money. I was just doing a favour and didn’t help at all.”

Rong Yinshuang saw that Uncle Bao was speaking sincerely and didn’t seem to be refusing or lying. She looked at the banknotes on the table, still a little hesitant.

“Madam, the eldest young master has gone. You, an orphan and a widow, will have no one to rely on in the future, and your life will be difficult. Please keep these banknotes. You won’t have to worry about food for the next three to five years.”

Rong Yinshuang looked at the banknotes with gratitude that was beyond words.

Seeing her sad expression, Uncle Bao couldn’t help but worry about the future fate of the three of them. However, no matter what, he couldn’t change their fate. He could only do small things within his ability to help them. He sighed and said to Rong Yinshuang, “Madam, I have left the Mei Mansion. I am planning to open a restaurant on Zhuque Street, and I have already rented a house. I made some money following the eldest young master in the past, and now that I can still work, I will open a restaurant to support myself in my retirement. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to the store to find me. I will never refuse as long as I can help.”

Rong Yinshuang once again expressed her gratitude to Uncle Bao.

After Uncle Bao left, she sat blankly at the stone table, looking at the banknotes in her hand, and fell into deep thought.

‘Even if I have these banknotes in hand, it will be finished after a few years. What if I invest the money to start some other business…?

End of chapter 17

Have a nice day!