CH 86

Chapter 86 Sharing Ghost Stories (2)

When friends sit together, people would often choose to sit with their favorite friend.

Noticing her gaze, Chi Jingxi retorted in a low voice, "Just say it. Can I really stop you?"

Wen Yantong replied with a smile, "Little Marquis, you don't need to stop me. If you don't want to hear it, just say shut up."

He often does it anyway.

Cheng Xin urged, "Stop chatting with Jingxi, and start already."

These young nobles never had the habit of sitting on quilts and listening to stories with others at night, so they all found it novel.

Wen Yantong didn't delay. Without further ado, she lowered her voice and said slowly, "This story was told to me by my great-grandfather. It happened in my hometown many years ago. At that time, my great-grandfather was only nine years old……" 

"That was really many years ago..." Mu Yang couldn't help but sigh.

"Shut up." Wen Yantong said, "Don't interrupt me when I'm telling a story."

Mu Yang shut up obediently.

Wen Yantong used the usual opening of ghost stories to make the listeners subconsciously think that this was a true story.

"My great-grandfather said that in the past, his neighbor had a son who passed the county-level imperial exam and became a xiucai. He was very famous in his hometown. Because my hometown is small, it was an impressive thing to become a xiucai, so everyone in and from the surrounding towns praised him."

"He’s only just a xiucai," Mu Yang said disapprovingly.

Wen Yantong said angrily, "Do you still want to hear the story?"

"Ok! Ok! Continue." Mu Yang said hastily.

"That xiucai also felt that he was great. He was invited to eat, drink, and have fun all day long. He also married a girl from a local wealthy family. Because the xiucai neglected his studies, he failed the imperial exams for several years. He was still a xiucai when he reached thirty years of age. Later, in order to let him go back on the right path, his wife would yell and make trouble when he went out to play; she would force him to go home. As time passed, no one dared to ask him to go out and have a good time."

"But that xiucai held a grudge because of this. He felt that his wife was not only old and decrepit but also made trouble all day long, which made him lose face. He was plotting a way to get rid of his wife."

Mu Yang tsk’ed twice but did not interrupt Wen Yantong's words.

The people in the circle listened very seriously and stared at Wen Yantong.

"Then one day, that xiucai tricked his wife to the mountain..." Wen Yantong slowed down her speech deliberately. "He pushed her off the cliff. His wife fell down the cliff and died on the spot."

"That b*stard is not human!" Mu Yang couldn't help cursing.

"Right? What's even more hateful was when the xuicai went back, he said that his wife slipped and fell to her own death. Everyone around him believed it. Even the woman's natal family comforted the xuicai. They told him not to be sad and marry another as soon as possible," Wen Yantong said.

Mu Yang was very angry. "How can there be such a disgusting person!"

Cheng Xin shook his head and sighed. "There are too many people like this, but you and I just haven't met them yet."

Cheng Xiao also added, "It's a pity that the girl married someone who was not as good as a pig or a dog."

Wen Yantong nodded. "Women in this world, if they marry well, will have no worries for the rest of their lives. But if they marry poorly, life would be miserable."

In the end, she included Chi Jingxi in and asked, "Isn't that right, Little Marquis?"

Chi Jingxi raised his eyelids and glanced at her. "How do I know? I'm not a woman."

Wen Yantong was blocked by Chi Jingxi’s retort. She could not help but complain. "You’ve read so many books, so you must be well-informed. How can you not know?"

"The books I read are all about literary etiquette and ceremonial rites; this literature is kept from generation to generation. I have not read any books about how a woman should marry and their possible outcomes." Chi Jingxi replied indifferently, "Is your story finished?"

"No no! Not yet." Only then did Wen Yantong realize that she had strayed from the main topic. She immediately went back to focus and continued, "Strange things started after the woman died."

From this point on, the story took a dark turn. Wen Yantong deliberately lowered her tone to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. "The xuicai had a guilty conscience. Afraid that the woman's vengeful spirit would come, he casually buried her body first, and then on a new moon, he dug her corpse out and burned it. The woman’s body turned into a pile of black ashes."

"Who knew that on the following night, when the man was sleeping, he heard footsteps in his bedroom. The footsteps were wandering around his bed, walking back and forth..."

"Wait!" Mu Yang interrupted suddenly, startling Wen Yantong so much that she almost cussed.

The people around were also taken aback.

Annoyed, she stretched out her hand to pinch Mu Yang. "What?! What are you doing!"

Mu Yang hurriedly blocked her hand and asked in a panic, "Why do I feel that your story doesn’t make sense? Could the footsteps belong to the xuicai's wife? Isn't she dead?"

"Can you just keep your mouth shut and just listen to the story?" Wen Yantong was so angry that she kicked him twice.

Mu Yang shouted, "Yes, yes! Don't kick me..."

Wen Yantong retracted her feet back into the quilt again. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down.

Cheng Xin added quickly, "Yang’er, if you are afraid, go back first. Your cry just now scared us all."

Mu Yang stiffened. "How am I scared? I just wanted to make sure!"

Cheng Xiao replied, "You can keep insisting, but you already turned pale with fright. Fu Zixian is one year younger than you. He’s still fine, yet you were first to be frightened."

Mu Yang immediately rubbed his cheeks. He then turned his head to look at Fu Zixian, who only looked a bit timid. Seeing his rather calm expression, Mu Yang asked in wonder, "Did Wen Yantong tell you this story before?"

Fu Zixian shook his head. "No."

Shut the front door. Mu Yang inwardly cussed.