Chapter 16

“Aunt Jiang, Aunt Jiang!”

The clear voice of a young boy echoed through the rustic farmhouse courtyard.

Xia Lingze stood at the door and asked, “Are you home?”

He waited patiently for a moment before an elderly woman’s hoarse voice replied from within, “Yes.”

“May I come in?”

“Sure.”

With permission granted, Xia Lingze gently pushed open the unlocked door—just wide enough for himself and the woven plastic bag he carried. Once inside, he swiftly closed the door behind him.

The room was dim. Although sunlight filtered faintly through the glass window, it only illuminated a small patch of floor near the window, while the rest of the space sank into darkness, as if belonging to another realm.

The stark boundary between light and shadow was unnaturally distinct. Any sensible person would immediately sense something amiss.

Yet for Xia Lingze, who had lived in Guiyi Village since childhood, Aunt Jiang’s home had always been like this, and he found nothing strange about it.

Besides, Aunt Jiang suffered from photosensitivity. Though not as severe as Uncle Zhu, whose skin would ulcerate upon exposure to sunlight, she developed rashes—a clear allergic reaction.

Xia Lingze didn’t press for details; it was enough to know that both of them couldn’t bear sunlight.

Aunt Jiang sat on the kang bed. She was short, her feet dangling in midair. Her face was expressionless and carried a chilling, almost sinister coldness. But upon seeing the boy, a faint smile broke through, dispelling the eerie aura and softening her tone warmly, “Lingze, what brings you here?”

“Auntie, I exchanged for a thick cotton-padded coat for you at the market,” Xia Lingze said as he opened the woven bag and carefully unfolded the colorful cotton jacket wrapped inside a plastic bag.

Compared to the strange aura radiating from the bag itself, the coat was completely ordinary, devoid of any uncanny power.

“Hm? I never asked you to get me new clothes,” Aunt Jiang said, puzzled.

Xia Lingze smiled, his eyes bright and clear as spring water warmed by March sunlight. “I decided to do it for you.”

Besides fearing sunlight, Aunt Jiang was sensitive to cold. No matter the season—even in the scorching summer—she wrapped herself tightly. Xia Lingze had never seen any part of her below her face; in fact, he hadn’t even seen her neck.

“Ah… thank you,” Aunt Jiang hesitated, as if struggling with her words, then finally managed a thank you.

Xia Lingze’s smile grew even more radiant and sincere. “No need to thank me.”

Aunt Jiang twitched her lips and glanced at the woven bag, casually asking, “What else did you exchange for?”

At these words, Xia Lingze’s eyes lit up, and with a proud flourish, he replied, “Isn’t Sister Qin getting married? I helped prepare some things for her. She might not need them, but I think the quality is excellent. And I only traded a few chickens, ducks, and geese for them—Uncle Tiedan was right, people outside are chasing ‘return to simplicity’ and embracing nature. Recently, my little animals have hatched several broods…”

Aunt Jiang no longer listened; her heart ached so deeply she almost coughed up old blood.

Xia Lingze thought he had made a great deal, but to her, it was a huge loss—an absolute bloodbath! Were the poultry raised by Xia Lingze ordinary? Yet he remained blissfully unaware. They couldn’t say anything either, helplessly watching him trade ‘gold’ for rubbish, nearly furious.

After all, they didn’t enjoy such privileges.

To maintain their image and avoid arousing Xia Lingze’s suspicion, they also raised chickens, ducks, and geese, and farmed the land. But could their poultry and crops compare to Xia Lingze’s?

This matter caused them agony—if their own families had those resources, why did Xia Lingze still trade with them? They had no grounds to complain.

Before, they gossiped maliciously about the mysterious and sinister forces entangling Xia Lingze’s parents.

Now, they regretted it deeply and were consumed by envy.

“Aunt Jiang… Aunt Jiang?”

Jiang Si, the paper effigy disguised as Aunt Jiang, snapped back to reality and met the worried gaze of the boy. He forced a smile and said, “Lingze, I’m sorry, I suddenly feel unwell.”

“Where do you hurt? I’ll go find Uncle Gui!”

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, Xia Lingze hurried out of the house to find the man he called Uncle Gui.

Uncle Gui was the village doctor of Guiyi Village. He practiced traditional Chinese medicine, skilled in acupuncture and moxibustion. Those treated by him experienced swift recovery, which earned Xia Lingze’s admiration.

Jiang Si’s face twitched as he regretted the poor excuse he’d given and unusually shouted from behind, “I’m fine!” trying to stop Xia Lingze, but the door slammed shut with a bang, leaving him staring blankly.

Xia Lingze’s impatience was a mystery—he didn’t know whom he’d learned it from!

Perhaps it was simply because of his deep concern.

Jiang Si’s heart felt like a roller coaster, rising and falling, finally settling into a faint sigh.

Well, the child’s intentions were pure. At worst, he’d endure a few acupuncture needles from the ‘ghost doctor’ just for show…

—Though that old man’s needles truly hurt!

Jiang Si took a couple of deep breaths and suddenly noticed the woven bag on the floor.

Right, Xia Lingze had left it behind, planning to come back later.

He slowly got down from the kang, squatted by the bag, and opened it. His face showed displeasure.

Xia Lingze used his poultry to trade for these things? Didn’t he know to come to him?

Could any other ghost’s paper compare to his?

Hmph, homegrown flowers are always more fragrant—any outsider’s garbage can’t match the scent of home.

Just thinking about Xia Lingze trading away his precious poultry made Jiang Si lose his breath and his eyes burn with jealousy.

Trade with him! His paper was the best!

This wasn’t empty boasting. In terms of paper, Jiang Si truly was unmatched.

Soon, Xia Lingze returned with Uncle Gui.

The barefooted middle-aged man had weathered skin, showing the marks of wind and rain. He first took Jiang Si’s pulse, then said after half a minute that he had a deficiency of vital energy and excessive dampness, and that one acupuncture treatment would cure it.

Knowing he couldn’t dodge it, Jiang Si gave the acupuncturist a threatening glance from where Xia Lingze couldn’t see. The acupuncturist’s expression remained indifferent, as if he both saw and didn’t see. He took down the acupuncture kit hanging at his waist and spread it on the kang. Inside were silver needles about thirty centimeters long.

Only Xia Lingze was unaware.

Acupuncture needles typically ranged from 10 to 15 centimeters; thirty centimeters was unusually long and rarely seen in the market.

The acupuncturist drew the first needle from right to left, his gaze fixed on Jiang Si’s only fleshy face.

—This was why Jiang Si wrapped himself tightly all year round.

Besides his head, his body was nothing but a skeleton.

Earlier, the pulse-taking was just for show, out of Xia Lingze’s sight.

Jiang Si’s face twitched. Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes and spoke with a stiff voice tinged with sorrow and anger, “Go ahead.”

……

“Ahhhhhhh!” The agonizing screams pierced the air, nearly tearing the roof off.

Understanding that bitter medicine is good medicine, Xia Lingze cheered for Aunt Jiang from the side, “Keep going! You’re the best!”

Jiang Si: “……”

You brat! It’s because of you I’m suffering like this!

Fifteen minutes later.

The acupuncturist put away the needles and advised Jiang Si to sleep early and avoid staying up late.

Jiang Si forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and replied, “Thank you for your trouble. I will definitely thank you properly someday.”

Uncle Gui said nothing and left after finishing the acupuncture.

Xia Lingze had wanted to stay a while longer and chat with Aunt Jiang but she said she was feeling sleepy, so he had no choice but to leave.

He gently closed the door, slung the woven bag over his shoulder, and prepared to visit Qin Jinhua next.

By now, everything in the bag was what he had exchanged for Qin Jinhua. Even if she didn’t need them, it was his sincere gesture—whether she used them or not was her business; giving was his.

The thought behind the gift was more important than its value.

Qin Jinhua lived on the southern side of the village, opposite Xia Lingze’s home in the north.

Since the village was small, it wasn’t too far; it took Xia Lingze about half an hour on foot.

Qin Jinhua’s house differed in style from the rest of Guiyi Village. It was grand, with a classical elegance, reminiscent of the mansion in Xia Lingze’s dreams, though smaller. The dream house had two courtyards; Qin Jinhua’s had only one, and it was more modest in size.

During the day, her front door was wide open. As Xia Lingze stepped across the threshold, he called out, “Sister Qin, I’ve come—”

His words caught in his throat. Wide-eyed, he stared at the woman standing in the hall.

She wore a white wedding dress embroidered with vividly lifelike flowers. The collar and sleeves were trimmed with elegant golden thread that shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Her jet-black hair was swept up high into a bun, adorned with a jade hairpin set with precious gems. The dangling pearl chains clinked softly as they moved.

Looking closer, Qin Jinhua was wearing makeup today. Her crimson lips were alluring, making her breathtakingly beautiful like a blooming rose.

She walked gracefully toward Xia Lingze, smiled softly, and waved her hand gently before his stunned eyes.

“Snap out of it.”

Xia Lingze blinked, then exclaimed excitedly, “Wow, Sister Qin, you look so beautiful today! Are you trying on the dress?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Xia Lingze set down the woven bag and opened it, showing her the contents.

“I exchanged some things for you at the market. See if anything might be useful.”

She glanced down at the items, then lingered a moment longer on the red wedding dress inside.

Xia Lingze’s keen observation caught that subtle look. “When I think of weddings, I always imagine red dresses, but I didn’t expect you to look better in white. This dress is really…”

Qin Jinhua shook her head, smiling brightly to interrupt him, “Red and white together look even better.”

“Ah? How do you combine them?” Xia Lingze asked, puzzled.

She smiled, took the red wedding dress from the bag, unfolded it, and examined its details. She seemed pleased.

“Take them apart and sew them together anew.”

Xia Lingze hesitated, imagining a dress half white and half red. “I don’t think it would look good. Sister Qin, don’t mess up the dress just because of me. If you really like it, you can wear it later. There’s no rush.”

“No, really, I think so,” Qin Jinhua said, her gaze focused on the red dress in her hands. Her tone was gentle yet resolute.

“Red and white together bring double happiness and fortune to the doorstep…”