CH 6.2

Uncle Wang left hurriedly with his broom, too afraid to even carry on his work of sweeping the courtyard. 

“Miss.”

Tang Tian was suddenly aware that it was just the two of them left in this courtyard. The old man spoke again. “Do not wander around. Do not simply ask any questions. Just stay within your courtyard. The Chen family shall not mistreat you in any way.” 

Tang Tian levelled her gaze to meet the old man’s eyes, with no intention to back down. “I was merely being curious about Chen Xu. In this world, there aren’t many people left who can keep him in their memories.”

That seemed to strike a nerve. The old man’s wrinkled eyelids quivered slightly as he closed his eyes, and he remained silent for a while—this was the reaction Tang Tian desired. Butler Chen had watched Chen Xu grow from boyhood to manhood, and after the Great Old Master died, they only had each other to rely on within the walls of this old estate. From what the other servants and housekeepers had said, it sounded like Butler Chen really did care for and love him.  

However, the butler was not one to hold back once riled, and he snorted condescendingly. “And would it make a difference if you did? You’re not far from your own grave as well.” 

Those words were beyond impolite, but Tang Tian wasn’t infuriated. Instead, she smiled amicably in return. “Maybe to those who are still alive, such as yourself, ghost marriages are just a form of tradition. But to the dead, including myself when the time comes, we’d become a real married couple in the Netherworld. Wouldn’t you say that I should, indeed, try to understand Chen Xu a little bit more?”

“How bold of you,” muttered the old man as he raised an eyebrow at her. He shook his head lightly and folded his hands behind his back. “Spill it, what is it that you wish to know?”

Seizing the opportunity, Tang Tian asked in a straightforward tone, “Why would Boss Chen be wary of the Young Master?”

The old man’s frigid, sharp gaze was fixed on Tang Tian’s face, as if trying to analyse the slightest change in her expression.

“After Mrs. Chen passed away, Boss Chen’s company sank into a deep crisis. It was so severe, they almost went bankrupt. They were advised to hire a Feng Shui master, and in their desperation, they did just that. After performing a divination, the master said that the Young Master’s fate was known as Tiansha Guxing.1 If they kept him by their side, he would bring great detriment to all his friends and family.”

Tang Tian scoffed like she had just heard something beyond absurd. “It’s the twenty-first century and there are still people who believe this?”

“Hah,” the old man sneered in a hoarse voice. “Boss Chen did. He believed every word, and did what the Feng Shui master told him. He married a new wife and had another child. As it happened, the company recovered its previous glory and business continued to improve greatly. Meanwhile, Young Master was cast away to the old estate, and a few years later, the Old Great Master died.”

“It’s merely a coincidence…” Tang Tian was still in disbelief. She contemplated for a moment before asking, “By the way, old Chen, do you know who Chen Bao is?”

The old man’s shoulders slumped, his bent back becoming more pronounced. His muddled greyish eyes remained directed at Tang Tian, but were somehow distant, and when he spoke again, it was in a softer tone. “How did you come to know of him?”

Tang Tian shrugged. “I was reading in the study last night, and spotted Chen Xu’s diary out of nowhere. I didn’t know it was a diary at first, so I opened and read it. His name was mentioned in that diary.”

The old man turned his face away and gazed into the depths of the corridors for some time, then he said, “Chen Bao… He’s my grandson.”

“Your grandson?” Tang Tian was surprised, but she continued, “Where is he now?”

The old man’s lips trembled as he spoke, and Tang Tian couldn’t hear his words clearly.

“What did you say?”

“…He’s dead.”

This time, she froze upon hearing the words that escaped the old man’s clenched teeth. 

A thought flashed through her mind, but disappeared in a flash. While she was still pondering, the old man began to hobble away. His deep, aged voice became increasingly hoarse as he said, “Go back to your room, don’t roam around.”

At the same time, Auntie Zhang came over with a tray of steamed buns, vegetables, eggs, and scallion flatbread—breakfast. Tang Tian followed her back to her room. 

While she was enjoying the food, Auntie Zhang stood to one side, waiting patiently for the right time to take away her dishes so she could save herself the trouble of going back and forth, and Tang Tian decided to get more information from her. “Auntie Zhang, did you know about Butler Chen’s grandson?”

Auntie Zhang’s eyes widened in surprise. “Butler Chen has a grandson? Wait a minute, I never seen him before.” She deliberated for a few moments before recalling something. “Oh, yes. I think— He did have a grandson! Old Wang, who works in the kitchens, mentioned it in passing once. Why do you ask? His grandson passed away a long time ago.”

“I bumped into Butler Chen today and had a brief conversation with him,” said Tang Tian lightly. Putting on her best act of naive curiosity, she added, “Come to think of it, how did his grandson die?” 

Without thinking twice, Auntie Zhang blurted out, “I think he drowned, more than ten years ago. He was either seven or eight years old—I heard that he was of similar age as the Young Master. If he was alive, he would’ve been married and had kids by now…”

Auntie Zhang babbled on animatedly, expressing her deep sympathy for the little child, and completely missed the change in Tang Tian’s expression. 

Tang Tian clearly remembered that one of the diary entries recorded a day when Chen Xu saw Chen Bao playing with his pet dog Da Huang when he was in the fourth year of high school. According to the diary, Chen Bao had teased Da Huang so much it wouldn’t stop barking. 

Had Chen Xu been hallucinating, or… did he really see Chen Bao, who already died? 

“Yes, what a pity.” Tang Tian merely mumbled a few words in response. She quickly took a few more bites and requested Auntie Zhang to take away the dishes. 

Right after she left, Tang Tian rushed over to the study, disregarding her earlier fears about the room. She entered the study swiftly and took out the black notebook.

She flipped to the page where Chen Xu had written about Chen Bao and scanned through the paragraphs again and again.

“So that’s it…” Tang Tian whispered to herself.

The odd feeling that had bothered her when she first read the entries was finally resolved. 

Why did the dog bark non-stop when Chen Bao was teasing it? Why did they invite the Feng Shui master over to visit after Chen Bao caused a mess in the front hall? Why did all the entries depict Chen Bao as a lively and playful person, as if he was a child that never grew up?

This was exactly why rumours of hauntings in this estate had been going around since ten years ago.

So, the child mentioned by Uncle Wang, who had swum in the rivers with Chen Xu when he was young, was Chen Bao, which meant he was already long-dead. 

And the ability that Chen Xu had, the reason he had been targeted by that mysterious phone, was that he could see those who were already dead!

Two advanced chapters are available on my Kofi (https://ko-fi.com/yukirinsama)! Any amount of support will be greatly appreciated.

TL: Yukirin

Editor: Orizhinal

Tiansha Guxing (天煞孤星) refers to a certain fate believed in Feng Shui to be of great misfortune. The person with this kind of fate is said to be filled with immense undesirable energy (Tiansha) that does not cause harm to themself, but affects the people around them. Moreover, it is believed that they are fated to spend most of their life in solitude (Guxing).