Mrs. Mei's Survival Diary - Chapter 18

 Chapter 18: Demonic Obstacle

Uncle Bao’s restaurant opened, and it was a hit, doing well.

Rong Yinshuang wanted to congratulate Uncle Bao but felt a bit awkward about going inside the restaurant in person since she was a woman. So she just gave a gift to a waiter. Before Uncle Bao could come out to thank her, she took her child and left.

Gu Yean was often at the Taoist temple, but he didn’t show up much. Still, she never skipped a meal for him. She felt bad for him, but every time she saw him, it reminded her of her husband, who might be out there all alone.

After working tirelessly for over two weeks, Rong Yinshuang finally finished embroidering the handkerchiefs for the silk shop. Once they were all sorted, she took them into the city to deliver them. The shopkeeper had promised her eighty cents for each handkerchief, but the intricate designs made it a tough job, so she put in a lot of effort to get it right.

She left her two sons outside to keep watch while she went into the shop. The shopkeeper looked a bit surprised when she saw her come in. After finishing up with the customers, she approached the counter and asked Rong Yinshuang, “What brings you here?”

Rong Yinshuang smiled, put the basket on the counter, and couldn’t wait to take out the things and spread them in front of the shopkeeper, saying, “The patterns this time are a bit difficult to embroider. I’m really sorry that it took some time.”

The shopkeeper didn’t look at Rong Yinshuang’s embroidery immediately. Instead, she pushed the embroidery to Rong Yinshuang’s side and said, “Take it back. I’m a small business owner and can’t afford to offend the big guys. Consider these silk handkerchiefs as gifts from me to you. Take them to other shops to see if they want them.”

“…” Rong Yinshuang stared at the female shopkeeper in a daze. “But this… Shopkeeper, didn’t we agree on this in advance? How can you say you don’t want it?”

The lady shopkeeper looked at her for a moment, let out a sigh, and then turned to grab two taels of silver from the cash box at the counter. She said to Rong Yinshuang, “Consider this my apology. I wanted to let you know, but you never told me your address. This silver is my way of making it up to you. I don’t want those silk handkerchiefs back, so feel free to return them. You can pack them up and check with other shops.”

Rong Yinshuang felt a wave of frustration. She glanced down at the embroidery she had painstakingly created. Not saying much, she quietly folded the handkerchiefs one by one, hesitating to let go. She asked, “Shopkeeper, did someone tell you not to take my items?”

She recalled the day she ran into Zhao Qian and Luo at the store. Zhao Qian’s look before she left seemed to suggest something was off.

The shopkeeper sighed. “Don’t hold it against me. We’re just a small shop and can’t risk upsetting the big players.”

With that, Rong Yinshuang understood the situation. She set the handkerchiefs down, picked up her empty basket, and decisively walked away, leaving the handkerchiefs and the two taels of silver on the counter.

The shopkeeper called after her, “Hey, take this stuff and the silver!”

Rong Yinshuang didn’t turn around. She called her two children and left without looking back.

The female shopkeeper looked at the things on the counter, then looked at the backs of Rong Yinshuang and her two children as they left, and a look of helplessness and guilt appeared on her face.

Rong Yinshuang strolled through the busy crowd, took a few deep breaths, and tried to push her thoughts aside. She didn’t hold any resentment towards the female shopkeeper at the silk store; she understood that the woman was in a tough spot too. After all, a single order from Zhao Qian could keep her shop running for years, and she was just a widow without any support.

That was just how life was. People tend to look down on those they consider beneath them and admire those they see as above them.

“Hey, Mom, did you sell those flowers you made? Can we have some meat for lunch?” The oldest son asked, looking curious as he held onto Rong Yinshuang’s hand.

As soon as the youngest heard the word ‘meat’, he looked up at Rong Yinshuang. “Mom, meat! I want meat!” he exclaimed while licking his lips.

Seeing the excitement on their faces, Rong Yinshuang picked up the youngest and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. “Okay! We’ll have meat for lunch today. Let’s go get some!”

She took both kids and made her way to the market.

She bought some meat and then looked for Grandma Liu as she passed the vegetable stand. She had borrowed two eggplants from her last visit and hadn’t had the chance to thank the old woman yet.

However, she didn’t see Grandma Liu there. Instead, she saw the auntie who had called Grandma Liu to buy veggies last time.

“Auntie, do you know if Grandma Liu is around selling vegetables today?” Rong Yinshuang asked the vendor after buying a bunch of celery.

The vendor was friendly, and after hearing her customer’s question, she replied, “Oh, you mean Auntie Liu! Her son has been acting strange lately! She hasn’t been around to sell vegetables these days!”

“Oh no! Is that terrible?” Rong Yinshuang was shocked.

“Hey… I heard that he is haunted by a ghost. He doesn’t eat or drink all day. Alas! He even drives the old couple out of the house, and no matter how the old couple begs, he doesn’t open the door. Then there are always some unclean noises coming from the house,” the vegetable-selling aunty leaned towards Rong Yinshuang and whispered. “Ah, I forgot to tell you the most important thing. He is holding a pair of embroidered shoes and doesn’t let anyone take them away.”

“…How old is Auntie Liu’s son?”

“He’s just over 20, and he hasn’t married yet. He said he wanted to take the imperial examinations before starting a family. What a poor scholar.”

After listening to the vegetable-selling aunt’s narration, Rong Yinshuang stood up and was about to leave, then she remembered something. “Excuse me, Aunt, where does Aunt Liu live?”

After getting the address, Rong Yinshuang went to the Taoist temple. She told her two sons to wait inside the temple without running here and there and then took the peach wood sword and copper gourd to Anxiang Village in the south of the city.

On the way, she bought two bags of candied fruits. As she was walking, something suddenly appeared beside her.

It was Gu Yean.

He crossed his arms and floated leisurely beside her. “Where are you going?”

The street was packed with people, so Rong Yinshuang didn’t reply to him. She knew if she talked now, people around her would notice it, and it would cause a problem for her. So she kept walking forward until she came to a place where there were fewer people. After looking around, she said softly, “Something happened at my husband’s former wet nurse’s home; I’m going to take a look.”

“Is she from Anxiang Village? That one is quite troublesome; do you think you can handle it?” Gu Yean asked Rong Yinshuan.

Rong Yinshuang gave a reassuring pat to the peach wood sword on her back and the copper gourd at her side, replying, “I’ve picked up some talismans and spells for banishing ghosts. Regardless of whether they work, I can’t just stand by. Do you know the one from Anxiang Village?”

Gu Yean nodded. “Yeah, I know her. She was a concubine in a rich family. Just a day after her wedding, the main wife of that family killed her before she even got to take off her wedding dress.”

Rong Yinshuang inquired further. “If that family was responsible for her death, why is she haunting others instead of them?”

“That family moved away,” Gu Yean replied quickly.

As soon as Rong Yinshuang approached the entrance of Anxiang Village, she noticed strange black clouds hovering over a house’s roof.

Gu Yean pointed and said, “That’s the one.”

Rong Yinshuang nodded silently and walked straight into the village towards that house.

The courtyard door was open, so she stepped inside and called out softly, “Grandma Liu, Grandma Liu?”

A plump old lady in an apron emerged from the kitchen, looking surprised to see Rong Yinshuang. She approached, wiping her hands on her apron, and asked, “Madam? What brings you here…?”

Rong Yinshuang smiled and replied, “I was just passing through and thought I’d drop by to see you.” She then handed Grandma Liu the two bags of candied fruits she was carrying.

Grandma Liu looked at the things in her hand and said embarrassedly, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Madam. But I cannot accept this. You should take it back and give it to the young masters.”

Rong Yinshuang gently pushed her hand away and changed the subject. “Your yard is very nice.”

Grandma Liu set her things down and said, “It’s all because of the eldest young master. He helped before and gave me a good amount of money to get settled. That’s how we ended up with this yard, and my family can have a better life now.”

Rong Yinshuang smiled a bit, took a couple of steps in the yard, and asked, “By the way, I heard you have a son who’s studying. Why haven’t you seen him?”

When Grandma Liu heard Rong Yinshuang asking about her son, she quickly put her hand to her lips and said, “He just fell asleep. He’s in the room.”

Rong Yinshuang looked where Grandma Liu pointed, towards the room on the far east. She stared at the door surrounded by dark energy and remarked, “Sleeping in the middle of the day?”

Grandma Liu’s face showed concern. After a moment of hesitation, she told Rong Yinshuang, “Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with my boy lately. He’s sick during the day and won’t eat or drink. At night, he acts strange and asks for fancy food and drinks. Once he’s in the room, he locks the door and won’t let anyone in. He talks to himself, and I can’t figure out what he’s saying.”

Rong Yinshuang lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before asking, “Have you taken him to see a doctor?”

“Yes! The doctor came to see him and said that he’s a little weak, but he doesn’t have any other illnesses. His father and I had this son when we were middle-aged and have always regarded him as a jewel. I heard from others that he was contaminated with something unclean, and his father asked someone to perform a ritual, but he’s not getting better.”

Rong Yinshuang listened to Grandma Liu’s words and felt the black air in the room move. She lowered her head to glance at the copper gourd around her waist, which was flashing with heresy. “How long has this situation lasted?”

“Eight days!” Grandma Liu counted on her fingers and said to Rong Yinshuang.

Rong Yinshuang thought about what Wu Daozi said in the book. If someone was haunted by an evil spirit, it usually didn’t last more than nine days. After nine days, it would go away. If the person had a strong destiny, maybe he would gradually get better. If the person had a weak destiny, he may never get up again.

No matter what, it was not too late for her to take action now.

Asking Grandma Liu to wait outside the door, Rong Yinshuang drew out the peach wood sword behind her and walked slowly towards the door filled with dark air.

End of chapter 18

Have a nice day!