The girl's voice, light and airy as if carrying the sweetness of fresh fruit, was particularly distinct even amidst the noisy street market.
Just as Jiang Shouzhong was about to head home for a life-or-death rest, he turned at her words and saw a charming young girl dressed in a teal coat and lake-blue dress standing beside the street. Surprised, Jiang Shouzhong's lips lifted in a warm smile, "What a coincidence, Jinxiu Miss."
The girl, at the tender age of twenty-eight, had her hair tied into a shiny, thick plait. Her youthful elegance exuded the vibrant spirit typically found in girls her age. She was the personal maid to the young mistress of the Ran Family.
That young mistress of the Ran Family happened to be his current wife, Ran Qingchen.
Ran Qingchen came from a distinguished family.
Her grandmother was the only grand-daughter of King Wu You, who was the unique commander from another lineage during the Dazhou Dynasty, Ming Wan Princess.
Her grandfather, the youngest son of the former Prime Minister, Ran Xu, used to hold a significant military post. Due to political strife, he was dismissed and died in melancholy afterward.
Ran Qingchen's father had worked in the Directorate of Education, holding a senior fourth-rank official title, but he passed away due to illness when Ran Qingchen was five years old.
Her mother, for particular reasons, was rarely mentioned by anyone.
Although the Ran Family seemed to have declined, Ran Qingchen was exceptionally talented and had been a disciple of the Xuanji Sword Sect since her youth. Now, recognized as a sworn sister by the current Empress, coupled with the title "Capital Pearl," her status was naturally prestigious.
The nobles and princes who admired her could line up beyond the Capital.
Such a prized woman was naturally proud and aloof. It was only to be expected that she would look down on Jiang Shouzhong, a husband of lowly status.
At the moment, the girl was dragging a burlap sack, her delicate forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, panting heavily.
Jinxiu, in a spur of the moment, had called out to him. Facing the familiar yet strange figure of her master-in-law, she didn't know what to say, and with difficulty, managed a dry smile, "It really is a coincidence, Master-in-law. Are you here on a case?"
"Not much to do these days, just strolling around," Jiang Shouzhong looked at the visibly heavy sack, not knowing what it contained, and gently asked, "Didn't find someone to help?"
Jinxiu massaged her sore wrists and said dejectedly, "I did, but there was a sudden mishap."
"How about I find you a carriage?"
"No need, it's not too far anyway," the girl brushed her swept-up curls and smiled broadly, "Master-in-law, please go on with your walk. I won't disturb you further."
Jiang Shouzhong nodded slightly.
The girl grasped the sack, gritted her teeth, and continued to drag it towards the lane diagonally opposite the street.
Dragging it a few steps with painful palms, just as she was about to take a break, a shadow approached suddenly, and in an instant, the weight was lifted off her arms, the heavy sack now on a man's shoulder.
Jiang Shouzhong smiled, "I happen to be going this way, let me help you."
After all, within the cold atmosphere of Ran Household, this maid was the only one close to him.
Jinxiu paused, words forming and dissolving on her lips.
But she heard the man reassuringly say, "Don't worry, I won't enter Ran Family's house."
Jinxiu opened her red lips; the words she had been about to say slipped back down her throat, and she remained silent.
The two walked together on the bustling street.
The girl, lovely and delightful, and the man, of noble and elegant appearance, indeed had a match-made-in-heaven charm about them.
Although Jinxiu was of age for marriage, her physique was particularly well-developed, giving her a voluptuous and mature allure. If not for the juvenile freshness inherent to her, she could be mistaken for a married woman.
Jiang Shouzhong deliberately bypassed the main entrance of Ran Family, passing through the quieter Xing'an Lane, and headed towards a side gate that led to the smaller northern courtyard of the Ran Family.
This spared Jinxiu from having to remind him, making her secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, a hint of sourness arose in the girl's heart along with a sympathetic tenderness towards the man beside her.
Married for six months, the couple had only met twice.
What kind of husband and wife had such infrequent meetings?
A master-in-law who couldn't even enter his own courtyard.
If spoken about, wouldn't it be ridiculed to death?
But since the young mistress was unwilling, what courage would her maid have to draw them together? It was all the fault of the meddlesome grandmother for mismatching their marriage, resulting in the current predicament.
And what infuriated the maid more was that, while other young masters didn't get the chance to flatter the young mistress, their master-in-law, who clearly had the opportunity, simply couldn't be bothered. He had a detached attitude of indifference that seemed to say, if you don't appreciate me, I won't bother letting you think otherwise. sigh, truly a match made of nemeses.
The girl was deeply troubled.
Xing'an Lane, originally named Wei Hua Lane, was mostly inhabited by families of officials. However, since a haunted house appeared here once, many had moved away, leaving the lane rather quiet.
Unlike the temple Jiang Shouzhong had visited, there were indeed deaths reported in this haunted house.
Next to the mansion stood an ancient pagoda tree, as thick as a thigh, whose branches pointed directly at the main hall's roof.
Though the tree looked old and frail, when summer came, its lush branches somehow dispersed the gloomy air that pervaded the place. Even now in winter, it magically still held several pagoda leaves that fluttered in the cold wind, instilling a sense of peace.
Those knowledgeable in geomancy claimed that this place had once housed a dragon-slaying mortuary stone prone to vicious killings. Later, an immortal composed the "Nine Phoenixes Purging Filth Talisman" and the "Mount Tai Suppressing Evil Talisman" to subdue the malevolent forces.
This pagoda tree was said to be a transformation of those two talismans, though whether this was true remained a tale likely invented by storytellers.
Under the tree stood an old man and a young girl.
The girl had dark skin and a skinny frame, clearly malnourished.
The old man looked disheveled in his tattered, turquoise robe.
Seeing Jiang Shouzhong approaching, the old man, with his messy, bird's-nest-like hair, brightened up and hurried over to ask, "Sir, does your household need a maid? My granddaughter is handy and clever. How about ten pieces of silver to take her?"
The old man was clever enough to recognize that most who passed by here were either rich or noble.