Jun stood in the courtyard, watching as the setting sun was gradually swallowed by darkness until it almost disappeared.
"The evening glow is infinitely beautiful, but it's just nearing dusk."
These lines of Li Shangyin's poem suddenly popped into her mind, and Jun didn't find it surprising at all. She had been quite bored lately, and with idle time on her hands, she naturally indulged in some sentimental writing and embellished verses.
It was the third day since she arrived at the Zou residence. After a brief interlude of healing, she and Yan had returned to their "you mind your business, and I'll mind mine" state. Including the present moment, Jun had no idea where Yan had gone or what he was up to.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Jun swiftly transitioned from utter boredom to excitement. With three quick steps, he rushed to the door and eagerly pulled it open with a whoosh.
It wasn't Yan.
Instead, a familiar face, an old woman, stood before Jun. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was the matchmaker who had brought her to the Zou residence that day.
"You dropped something, and since I had some free time today, I decided to bring it to you."
She handed a brocade pouch to Jun and her smokey voice seemed not harsh anymore.
Jun received it with suspicion and opened the pouch. Inside, she found a pair of jade bracelets, both a vibrant shade of green.
Her nose tingled, and her eyes welled up with tears. If it weren't for the presence of the smokey voice in front of her, tears would have already rolled down her cheeks.
Jun wiped her eyes discreetly as she struck up a conversation and warmly invited the smokey voice to come inside and have a seat. She didn't care whether she was the mistress of the Zou residence or if she had the qualifications to play the role of a host. She was just too bored and desperately needed someone to talk to.
The smokey voice was quite amiable and followed Jun into the main hall of the house. Once they were seated, Jun suddenly remembered the proper etiquette of serving tea and water to guest, but she had no idea where to find such things. Strangely, even though she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for three days, she didn't feel thirsty or hungry at all.
"Do you recognize this pair of jade bracelets?" the smokey voice asked, grabbing Jun's attention.
Jun nodded, not noticing the slight surprising in the smokey voice's eyes.
"How did these jade bracelets end up with you?" She inquired.
"Oh, your mother put them in my care when you were leaving. Everything was chaotic at the time, I forgot to give you the bracelets."
"Mother?" The word sounded unfamiliar to Jun.
"Oh, it means your birth mother, your Manchu call Er Niang."
Jun felt relieved. She pressed the jade bracelets against her chest, attempting to sense her mother's warmth through them.
"Um, what happened afterward on that day?" The smokey voice interrupted Jun, "I've been thinking about something. On the day of the wedding, your husband was so vehemently against it. Of course, it's also possible that you didn't want to accept your husband. Could it be that both of you still have feelings for someone you can't let go of?"
Jun felt as though there were a pair of hands rummaging through her mind, searching for something. She allowed them to dig through her memories, hoping to find that man who would occasionally pop up to speak a few words to her or warm her with a smile. However, despite her efforts, she came up empty-handed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall that person.
As her face grew paler and her legs weakened, feeling as though she was walking on a bed of cotton, the smokey voice quickly supported her. After hesitating for a moment, she asked about the outcome.
Jun disappointedly shook her head.
"This doesn't make sense. If you remember the jade bracelets, it means you haven't lost your memory. If that's the case, why can't you recall the people and events from that world?"
The smokey voice murmured. Finally, she said that since the jade bracelets were returned to their rightful owner, her task was considered complete, and they wouldn't bother Jun any longer.
After the smokey voice left, Jun remained in a daze for quite some time. When Yan returned, he noticed that his roommate seemed preoccupied and couldn't help but inquire about it.
However, Jun evaded his question and asked Yan if he remembered anything from his past.
Yan didn't give a direct response but instead asked if she had drunk tea.
"Tea? What tea? I don't remember..." Jun replied.
"Then, you must have drunk it," Yan said with a faint smile.
"How can you be so sure? I don't even know if I drank it myself, and yet, you claim to know?" Jun retorted.
Yan calmly replied, "Just think about it a little more..."
Jun pondered for a moment and then her face changed slightly. "Tea? Are you talking about Yama's tea?"
Jun's whole body trembled, and she was almost unable to stand due to her shivering.
Yan was taken aback by Jun's reaction. He walked over to her, intending to comfort her with a touch, but halfway through, he withdrew his hand.
Yan could only speak to Jun in the gentlest tone possible, "You see, we are now in another parallel world. However, in the world of the year 1924, both of us are considered to be dead."
Jun was shocked, then she began to cry. Yan stood before her feeling helpless.
"Stop crying, there's no need to cry..." Yan attempted to console her.
In response, Jun's crying became even louder, with her sobs reaching a higher pitch.
"Aren't you unwilling to die? There's no need to be unwilling. Everyone will die eventually. Think about your loved ones; perhaps they are celebrating joyously, just like in Zhuangzi's story," Yan said, trying to provide some comfort.
"Bullshit! My Er Niang, Amah, would never be as heartless as you. They must be crying their hearts out!" Jun exclaimed angrily.
"How do you know? Perhaps they have read the words of Tao Yuanming, where he said, 'Relatives and friends weep, while dead people have already started singing. As for the dead, what can they say? They have entrusted their bodies to the hills.'" Yan replied.
"I don't understand, I don't understand! You're so annoying. If I want to cry, I'll cry. It's none of your business!" Jun cried out, letting her emotions flow freely. Tears and snot gushed out like a burst dam, and she couldn't care less about maintaining a ladylike demeanour. She frantically wiped her face, but only managed to smear it with a mess of tears and mucus, leaving her with a teary, bloated face.
Yan managed to find a handkerchief for Jun and pulled a chair to sit across from her. Using the handkerchief as a makeshift tissue, he gently wiped away the tears on Jun's face.
Perhaps feeling a sense of grievance after being cold-shouldered by Yan for several days, now that he was treating her with tenderness, Jun couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, like beads falling from a broken string.
Yan first used the handkerchief to catch the tears, but finding it unsuitable, he took a corner of the handkerchief to gently wipe away the tears. It was as if he was handling something precious, carefully dabbing at each tear as it appeared.
Jun found herself both amused and exasperated by Yan's actions. However, her laughter was short-lived as she suddenly caught sight of something that made her forget about crying.
Unaware of Jun's sudden shock, Yan continued to hold the handkerchief, waiting to wipe away her tears.
Taking a deep breath, Jun slowly raised her eyes, mustering the courage to meet Yan's gaze.
Yan remained frozen in place, hand still holding the handkerchief, as if he had turned to stone.
Jun forced herself to closely observe Yan, realizing that describing him as "turned to stone" was not accurate at all.
His eyes were constantly changing – the dark pupils gradually being squeezed out by a pale colour, followed by bloodshot streaks appearing on the whites of his eyes. It was as if a blood spider was tirelessly weaving.
After completing its work on his eyes, the spider continued to weave across his face, and Jun watched in horror as the thick, black spiderweb extended from his forehead to cover his entire cheek, distorting his once handsome appearance into a nightmarish visage.
"Ah!" Jun couldn't hold back any longer and let out a piercing scream.
As she began to regain her composure and bring her soul back into her body, Yan had already moved swiftly to the centre of the courtyard like the wind.
He stood with his back facing Jun, and although she couldn't see his face, she was certain that it was filled with shame and remorse.
Jun took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Yan, you're back."
His silhouette was as immovable as a mountain.
"It's okay, I'm prepared, you can't scare me," Jun said with determination.
The mountainous figure seemed to tremble slightly, and finally, Yan slowly turned around.
Once again, she saw the pair of starry eyes, the handsome face, and the graceful figure of a jade tree in the breeze. The ghastly pallor, spiderweb, and worms were nowhere to be found.
Jun rubbed her eyes, taking some time to adjust to Yan's sudden change.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you. I don't know why it happened like that. It's my first time dying, and I have no experience," Yan apologized.
Jun couldn't help but be amused by Yan's remark about it being his first time dying and having no experience.
However, she managed to hold back her laughter and replied, "I might have scared you too. When I was a child, Er Niang used to tell me the scariest stories about female ghosts sitting on graves, crying and saying how pitiful they were. I forgot that I'm a ghost now. It seems like I can't cry anymore; scaring people is not a good idea."
Yan was also amused by Jun's self-reflection, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "It's not your fault; the problem lies with me..."
"We like two peas in a pod, " Jun blurted out and immediately regretted it. "Two peas in a pod" was used to describe the relationship between a couple, and she and Yan were still in a confusing situation.
Fortunately, Yan didn't delve into Jun's words and continued to analyze himself. "It seems that whenever I get too close to someone, especially women, this happens."
"Turning into a demon whenever you get close to women, then why did you even marry me? Are you planning to leave me a widow?"
Jun nearly blurted out these words, but fortunately, she was not that familiar with Yan yet, so she managed to filter her words before speaking. She realized that her marriage to Yan was a "ghost marriage," and she had no control over it; it was all arranged by the living. Thus, she couldn't blame Yan for potentially leaving her a widow.
"So soon you're already labeling yourself as a widow. Could it be that you've accepted that Yan is your husband?" she asked herself, trying to clarify the situation.
Jun took a moment to reflect and found herself answering, "I don't know." Her feelings toward Yan were indeed complicated, as she felt like he was both a familiar and a stranger.
"As newcomers, let's both adapt gradually. I arrived here a day or two earlier than you, so can you allow me to offer you some advice?" Yan's tone was gentle, and Jun readily accepted it.
"Stay indoors," Yan said firmly, making his point crystal clear.
Had it not been for the revelation that she was already dead, Jun would have certainly protested against Yan's rules. But now, she could only nod in agreement, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Alright, I'll stay at home. Later, you can tell me where the kitchen is and where I can buy groceries. I'll cook," Jun suggested.
"We don't eat," Yan replied.
"In that case, I'll do the laundry..."
"We don't do laundry. We don't sweat, and without going outside, there's no dust. If something gets dirty or torn, after a few days, it will magically be intact again. "
"What about other household chores?" Jun asked.
"There are no household chores," Yan replied.
"So you mean I'll just sit around all day, doing nothing, like a wood? I'll be bored to death!" Jun protested.
"You are already dead," Yan kindly reminded her.
Yan's well-intentioned reminder nearly choked Jun. She had initially thought that in addition to doing household chores, she could also talk and chat with Yan. However, considering his lack of conversational skills, she decided to abandon that idea.
"In that case, can I go out for a walk in the evening? That should be allowed, right?" Jun still wanted to make some small effort to have some freedom.
"Absolutely not, you can't go out during the day, and especially not at night," Yan's stern tone frightened Jun.
"All those evil spirits and monsters are active at night; they won't care about principles or morality. They'll attack without hesitation," Yan warned in a tone meant to scare a child.
Yan's attempt to frighten Jun triggered her rebellious side, and she retorted, "What about you? Are you a evil spirit or a monster ? You go out wandering every night, don't think I don't know."
"You're following me?" Yan's expression changed.
"Who cares to follow you..."
"That's right, you don't care, none of you Manchus care about the Ming Dynasty, but behind the scenes, you're scheming with Wu Sangui," Yan fired back. (Wu Sangui refers to a historical figure who played a significant role in the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in China. )
"Why bother talking about this nonsense?" Jun refused to back down. "You Han people lack the ability, so who can you blame for the change of dynasties?"
"Exactly, who can you blame for the change of dynasties?" Even a deaf person could hear the sarcasm in Yan's words, mocking the fact that the Qing Dynasty was eventually overthrown by the Republic of China.
Pretending not to catch the sarcasm in Yan's words, Jun continued, "Not only are you Han people lacking ability, but you also lack brains. Do I have to follow you around at night to know what you're up to? Just take a look around this place, and I'll understand everything..."
Yan looked around, unable to find any clues as to how Jun had discovered his little secret.
"With only one bedroom in this house, if you're not going out to mess around, are you planning to sleep on the floor in the study?" Jun retorted.
Hearing her words, Yan's face turned red, and he stuttered, "Are you saying that I have to share the same bed with you to prove that I haven't been messing around?"
As soon as the words were spoken, both of them blushed in embarrassment. Yan and Jun realized that they had said too much, revealing things that they probably shouldn't have.
"Sorry..." Jun didn't dare to look at Yan. "I was just angry, you saying 'you Manchus' here and 'you Manchus' there. It's been over two hundred years since the Qing Dynasty, and we've long been a union of Han and Manchu."
"You're right, the Republic of China also emphasizes the unity of the five ethnicities. My words were inappropriate; I have a loose tongue," Yan replied sincerely.
Jun raised her head and looked at Yan with sincerity. "The floor is too hard, so how about we take turns sleeping on the bed and the floor?"
"Chinese people say it's peaceful to rest in the ground, but will the dead complain about the hardness of the ground?" Yan chuckled, but he quickly realized that Jun might be sensitive to such jokes.
"It's getting late; you should rest now."
Yan didn't give Jun a chance to respond and turned to the west wing.
"So, it turns out that all these days, he's been staying in the storage room. Ah, little villain, it's you," Jun muttered to herself.
However, an hour later, during a moment of near-sleep and half-awake, Jun distinctly heard a gust of wind squeezing out from the storage room. It floated and drifted across the courtyard, arriving at the front of the courtyard gate. It lingered there for a moment, made a slight turn, ensuring that there was nothing unusual, and then slipped out through the crack in the gate, disappearing in an instant.