Taiping City, the Zhao Family residence.
After Lu Yuan and the others finished their meal, there was still some time before Daoist Longchuan was scheduled to begin his ritual.
Everyone was making small talk.
Just then, Lin Fusheng returned.
He held a small notebook and reported to Lu Yuan that all the items had been purchased.
He had even waited at the city gates, watching the last ox cart depart before he came back.
Lu Yuan looked at the little notebook, saw that every item had a checkmark next to it, and nodded in satisfaction.
Beside him, Su Liyan had no idea what her husband had sent Lin Fusheng to buy.
Nor did she wonder why Lin Fusheng had spent the entire afternoon shopping.
Right now, Su Liyan's mind was elsewhere. She was completely preoccupied with what she was going to do later.
As Lu Yuan was looking over the notebook, he suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Oh! I forgot to mention, we need to send a message. We won't be able to go back for a while. It'll be a few days before we can return."
Nearby, Zhao Qiao'Er took a sip of her tea and said:
"That's nothing. Li Fu, arrange for someone to ride to Changliu Village by express horse. Let my nephew's wife's parents know.
Tell them we'll be back in two days to hold the banquet, and that they should start preparing."
The old butler waiting outside the door acknowledged the order and sent someone to carry it out.
A short while later, the old butler returned and announced:
"Madam, the hour is almost upon us. We must be ready."
Zhao Qiao'Er nodded, then turned to look at Lu Yuan and Su Liyan.
Without needing Zhao Qiao'Er to say a word, Lu Yuan immediately stood up.
"Aunt, I'll take my wife to an inn first."
The old butler's sudden announcement had made Zhao Qiao'Er a little nervous, so she wasn't really paying attention to what Lu Yuan said.
She just nodded and said:
"Your aunt won't see you off, then. I still have to get ready."
Lu Yuan paused. 'See me off?'
'I'm coming right back.'
Lu Yuan didn't say anything, though. He just led Su Liyan out.
At that moment, Su Liyan's mind was a tangled mess. She obediently followed her husband, her thoughts in turmoil.
After the two of them left the Zhao Family residence, a cold wind blew against their faces.
It seemed to sober Su Liyan up a little.
'Huh?'
'It's not like I have to stick to my husband's side every second, is it?'
...
At the finest inn in Taiping City, Lu Yuan chose the best room for his wife.
He gave her a few instructions and then left.
Things were about to start over at Aunt Zhao's, so he had to hurry back.
This time, however, Su Liyan didn't insist on going with her husband.
She just told her husband to be careful.
After settling his wife in, Lu Yuan trotted all the way back to the Zhao Family residence.
At that point, the guards at the gate were already preparing to close them.
When they saw Lu Yuan, they were all confused. 'Why is the young master back again?'
However, none of them dared to stop him.
Who in the Zhao Family didn't know by now?
The madam doted on this nephew as if he were her own close son.
And so, Lu Yuan ran unimpeded all the way back to the main hall.
Zhao Qiao'Er, who was in the middle of discussing matters with the old butler, was stunned to see Lu Yuan run back in.
"Huh?
Sweetheart, why are you back again?"
Lu Yuan blinked.
"I never said I was leaving. I just came back after getting my wife settled at the inn."
Zhao Qiao'Er: "????"
...
「At that moment, in Changliu Village.」
The place was absolutely bustling with excitement.
The village, usually dead silent at night, was filled with the JINGLE JANGLE of bells on the necks of oxen and horses.
"Alright, Elder Sister, we'll be heading back now.
You'll have your work cut out for you tonight. Your son-in-law bought quite a lot, and there's still more on the way."
A Shopkeeper smiled as he folded up the receipt Su Liyan's mother had signed and carefully tucked it into his robes.
Su Liyan's mother was beaming. She waved her hand and said:
"Oh, please, how could I feel tired on such a happy occasion? It's pitch black out, so be careful on your way back."
After saying goodbye to the Shopkeeper, Su Liyan's mother saw that the others were still unloading and there were no more receipts to sign. She stood up.
She looked at the man still squatting on the doorframe smoking his pipe and said:
"Stop smoking and go wake up Second Brother's and Lao San's families.
Our son-in-law bought a lot of things, and there's definitely more coming. Have them come over and help take inventory.
Also, it's the dead of night. Put the valuable things inside the house, and keep an eye on the rest in the courtyard.
Don't let anyone sneak off with them."
Hearing this, Su Liyan's father nodded repeatedly, put away his pipe, and said:
"I'm on it, I'm on it."
Then, Su Liyan's mother looked at her son, Su Changliang.
"Changliang, if there are any more receipts, you sign them. But you have to check the quantities carefully. Make sure nothing is missing.
Your brother-in-law paid for all of this."
Su Changliang nodded again and again. Of course, he would.
Meanwhile, Su Liyan's mother went inside, found a basket in the corner, and prepared to head out.
The father and son saw this and asked, puzzled:
"Where are you going?"
Su Liyan's mother waved her hand and whispered:
"Our son-in-law is creeped out by the Xingzi. I'm going to shoo away the ones along the stretch from our village to the main road.
We can't have him getting scared when he arrives."
Hearing this, the father and son nodded emphatically.
Su Liyan's father quickly said:
"Then hurry, hurry! I'll go get Second Brother's and Lao San's families. Changliang, you watch the house."
With that, the old couple left the house together.
Su Liyan's mother headed out of the village with her basket, while Su Liyan's father headed into it.
There were quite a few Xingzi around Changliu Village.
No... to be precise...
There were very, very many!
To say that Su Liyan's mother "raised" these Xingzi would be a bit of a deviation from the truth.
More accurately, Su Liyan's mother *allowed* these Xingzi to be around the village.
Otherwise, with her status as a Celestial Master, she would have dealt with these Xingzi long ago.
The reason she didn't was simple: there were too many Xingzi in the world. Could you ever get rid of them all?
You might deal with one today, but who knows when another might sneak over?
You could never finish the job.
Given that, it was better to come to a peaceful understanding with them.
'I'll let you stay around the village and won't deal with you, but you can't harm anyone.'
Besides, letting these Xingzi stay had another benefit.
If a malevolent one were to ever sneak over, intent on causing harm...
...the Xingzi already around the village would surely not tolerate its presence.
It was for this very reason that Changliu Village had never had any incidents of malevolent spirits harming people for all these years.
The only problem was that Changliu Village was too remote, far from the main road.
It was too poor. Few women were willing to marry into the village, and the villagers themselves wanted to leave.
That was why Changliu Village had never become a large village like Shige Village.
So, in a way, it wasn't entirely wrong to say that the Xingzi around the village were raised by Su Liyan's mother.
Just before leaving the village, Su Liyan's mother squatted down and filled her basket with sand.
Then she looked around, searching for stones to pick up.
Just then, a large willow tree nearby began to RUSTLE.
A ghastly, spectral face materialized on its trunk.
"Elder Sister, you're being far too stingy~
You have so much food at home now, yet you're still trying to fob us little ghosts off with this stuff?"
The spectral face on the willow tree spoke with an accent from the Imperial City.