She couldn’t help but feel eager at the thought of her grandmother and the others moving to the county town. Whatever she fancied eating after coming off duty, they would make it for her.
She wouldn’t have to wash her own clothes either. Her quality of life would jump several notches.
Without dwelling any further on the house with the broker, she simply told him that she was heading home to discuss it with her family.
The broker, eager to close the sale immediately, enthusiastically saw her out and told her he would wait right there all day for her return.
His overwhelming enthusiasm was more than Gu Qingyun could handle, prompting her to beat an awkward, hasty retreat.
Forgoing any stop for food, she dashed straight toward the city gates. If she was fast enough, she could still make it back in time for lunch. With that thought spurring her on, her legs moved so swiftly they were practically a blur.
“Boss Gu, Boss Gu! Slow down, it’s Old Ma!”
A familiar voice called out from behind. Gu Qingyun braked to an abrupt halt and looked back, only to see Old Ma just about to enter the city.
“Old Ma, are you calling for me?” Gu Qingyun pointed at herself, looking puzzled.
“Yes, I came into the city specifically to look for you.”
Old Ma drove the carriage over, pulled over to the side of the road, and hopped down, jogging toward her. Gu Qingyun watched with a flutter of worry—with those old bones of his, he really ought to take it easy.
“Boss Gu, I came to thank you! I’ve brought a chicken, a duck, and a basket of eggs in the carriage. Please don’t turn your nose up at them.”
Old Ma spoke with immense gratitude, his face alight with the joy of someone who had survived a brush with death.
“I can’t accept these. Uncle Ma, take them home for Auntie to nourish her health. And Uncle Ma, you can just call me Qingyun,” Gu Qingyun refused flatly.
Hearing this, Old Ma grew anxious.
“Who ever takes back a thank-you gift? You have no idea—if not for that talisman of yours, how could I have returned in one piece? I might have ended up like Old Gao and the others, disappearing without a trace into the vast mountain forests.”
Gu Qingyun spread her hands helplessly.
“Just look at me—how am I supposed to carry all that? I have urgent matters to attend to back in the village and need to get going. How about this: when you get a chance later on, you can treat me to a bowl of noodles. You really should take these back home.”
Old Ma slapped his thigh.
“Aiyo, aren’t you treating me like a stranger? Isn’t my carriage right here in the nick of time? I’ll drive you back! I went there last time, so I still remember the way.”
Only then did Gu Qingyun realize she had forgotten to hire a carriage. She could hardly make her grandmother walk all the way to the county town to view the house. Now that Old Ma was here, she pulled a talisman from her pocket and handed it to him.
“Take this. I can’t let you drive me for nothing, and I imagine you need this more than anything.”
Old Ma wiped his hands repeatedly on his clothes before reverently receiving the talisman. Treating it like a precious treasure, he placed it inside a small red pouch no larger than a child’s palm.
Noticing Gu Qingyun’s gaze, he explained:
“My wife made it specially for me. Tucking the talisman inside and wearing it around my neck keeps it safe from falling off. It can save a life in a pinch!
“Right, Boss Gu—no, Qingyun, I’d like to buy a few more talismans for my family. I know talismans drawn by capable people like you don’t come cheap. Rest assured, I brought money.”
Gu Qingyun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Uncle Ma, I’m not a professional talisman master; I only draw a few for my own use. Since you want them, let’s say one hundred wen apiece.”
After selling five talismans to Old Ma, Gu Qingyun felt a sudden pang of guilt as she sat in the carriage. She had actually forgotten to leave a talisman for each member of her own family! Fortunately, it wasn’t too late; she would hand them out once she got home.
When she arrived home, Old Lady Zhang grew visibly anxious upon seeing her return.
“Qingyun, why are you back at this hour? Did something happen?”
At Old Lady Zhang’s words, the rest of the household crowded around, their faces lined with concern.
Gu Qingyun quickly explained, recounting the Bai family incident in the county seat. Upon hearing the story, Old Lady Zhang was reluctant to buy such an inauspicious house. Seeing her grandmother frown, Gu Qingyun hurriedly added:
“Grandma, just come have a look at the house; you’ll definitely like it. Besides, how can a house be inauspicious? It was the He family who behaved despicably, which is why they have to pack up and move away. What’s more, once you move to the county town, I’ll be able to live at home! With me around, what is there to fear?”
Seeing Old Lady Zhang waver, Lady Zhao, Lady Wu, and Lady Su added fuel to the fire.
“Mother, let’s go take a look,” Lady Su said gently. “It aches our hearts to leave Qingyun all by herself in the county town. Once our whole family moves there, she’ll have a hot meal waiting whenever she comes off duty.”
“That’s right, Mother. We have Qingyun!” Lady Zhao chimed in. “Didn’t you hear her? She was the one who resolved the whole matter. The female ghost would be too busy being grateful to ever harm her benefactor. Let’s go have a look!”
The younger generation all wore hopeful expressions. If they could live in the county town, who would want to remain in the countryside?
Seeing her grandmother’s expression soften into tacit agreement, Gu Qingyun welcomed Old Ma inside from the courtyard.
“Grandma, this is Uncle Ma. He gave me a ride back today. Let’s take his carriage straight to the county seat. Both Aunties and Mother will come along.”
Holding the chicken, duck, and basket of eggs, Old Ma beamed from ear to ear.
“Just call me Old Ma! Qingyun is my benefactor. Where should I set these down?”
“Uncle Ma, just give them to me.” Gu Yihan smartly took the things from Old Ma’s hands, set them aside, and leaned in close to Gu Qingyun.
“Little Sister, can I come too?”
Old Lady Zhang, who was in the middle of hosting Old Ma, glared at him upon hearing this.
“Go where? Your sisters are all at home; you need to stay and look after them!”
Gu Qingyun shook her head.
“Grandma, let Older Brother come. I have night patrol duty this evening, and you’ll need someone to protect you. Having him along will put my mind at ease.”
Old Lady Zhang smiled, her eyes filled with gratification, and patted Gu Qingyun’s hand.
“My granddaughter is truly filial. Grandma will listen to you; let him come along. Who would have thought that we’d be heading to the county town to look at houses today?”
Turning to Gu Yihan, she instructed:
“Go call your three brothers back from the fields. Once we leave for the county seat, they must stay here and watch over the place. The house cannot be left unattended.”
After settling things at home and distributing talismans to every family member, Gu Qingyun took the four of them straight back to the county seat. Inside the carriage, she handed thirty taels of silver to Old Lady Zhang.
“Grandma, this is the silver I earned from recovering the Bai family daughter from the river, along with the thank-you gift from her family. Use it to buy the house.”
Hearing that, Old Lady Zhang clutched her chest.
“Are you trying to anger me to death? How could you take on such dangerous work!”
Gu Qingyun gave a placating smile.
“Grandma, I only did it because the pay was so good! Don’t worry, I knew what I was doing. I would never joke with my own life.”
Her eyes rimmed with red, Lady Su reached out and twisted her ear.
“Gu Qingyun, is your skin itching for a beating? How dare you do something so perilous behind my back! If not for having to look at houses, were you planning to keep us in the dark forever?”
“Mother, my ear is going to fall off! I know I was wrong!” Gu Qingyun begged for mercy repeatedly, darting pleading looks toward her two aunts.
Lady Zhao and Lady Wu averted their eyes and said to Lady Su:
“Third Sister-in-law, Qingyun really does need to be taught a lesson. If she dares to retrieve corpses from the river today, she’ll dare to drag up something worse tomorrow, leaving us sick with worry at home. Second Sister-in-law and I will help you hold her down!”
Gu Qingyun: “...” She had essentially found two accomplices for her mother.
Sitting beside Old Ma, Gu Yihan watched the scene and shrank into himself as much as possible, staring resolutely ahead without daring to look sideways.
...
After dropping Old Lady Zhang and the others off at the property agency, Gu Qingyun was promptly shooed out the door. In Old Lady Zhang’s words, she was to go back to the yamen and get a proper sleep; besides, none of them wanted to look at her right now, as seeing her only reminded them of the alarming stunts she had pulled.
Clearing her throat twice, Gu Qingyun ambled languidly toward the county yamen. She walked at an unhurried pace, soaking in the rare moment of leisure.
“I’m so sorry! Are you hurt anywhere?”
Reacting with lightning speed, Gu Qingyun caught the woman she had nearly sent flying, sweeping her into her arms while offering profuse apologies.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going? You bumped into my wife!” Before the woman could speak, the man beside her yanked her forcefully to his side and glared at Gu Qingyun.
Looking over at him, Gu Qingyun wished she could gouge her own eyes out. Mother of mercy... this guy was uniquely, astonishingly ugly. She finally understood what people meant by a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.
Rate on N.U.
