The seventh day of the fifth lunar month—inauspicious for all matters.
After a clamorous round of gongs and drums, Su Wanwan was hustled by the crowd into the Pei family’s drafty little shack.
She wore a bright red dress of fine cotton, her face dabbed with peach-pink rouge that made her fair skin look even more tender, as bewitching as a vixen.
The guests attending the ceremony whispered amongst themselves, divided between leering at the bride’s beauty and gloating over her misfortune.
“I’d heard Su Wanwan was a beauty, but I didn’t expect her to truly look like a celestial maiden. To marry such a beautiful bride, even if Pei Changfeng dies now, it’ll be worth it!”
“But he’s only got one breath left in him. Who knows if he can even last until the wedding night.”
“If he does, those three taels of silver were well-spent, hehehe…”
“He definitely won’t. Su Wanwan has already jinxed two husbands to death! How could Brother Pei survive her curse?”
Listening to the chatter, Su Wanwan’s head hung lower and lower. This was already her third marriage.
An ordinary woman would be gossiped about for a lifetime if she remarried just once. Not only was she on her third marriage, but she had also caused the deaths of two husbands. She would never be able to hold her head up again.
Pei’s Eldest Aunt gripped Su Wanwan’s hand affectionately, secretly hoping she truly was a harbinger of doom. She prayed Su Wanwan would hurry up and jinx Pei Changfeng to death. Once he was gone, everything he left behind would belong to them.
“Shoo, shoo! What nonsense are you people spouting?” Pei’s Eldest Aunt glared at those nearby. “Our Changfeng is perfectly fine. If I hear any more of this rubbish, I’ll tear your mouths apart!”
At her scolding, the crowd fell silent. In truth, they all knew exactly what was going on. Su Wanwan was cursed with a “hard fate.” All that talk about using a Chongxi marriage to “combat poison with poison” was pure nonsense; she’d likely jinx Pei Changfeng into his grave any minute now.
It really was a pity for Pei Changfeng. He was the only Xiucai in the surrounding ten miles, and a Linsheng at that. If he hadn’t fallen from the mountain at the start of the year and become bedridden, he might have already passed the exams to become a Juren and an official by now.
Pei’s Eldest Uncle’s family simply couldn’t accept reality. After all, they had raised Pei Changfeng like their own son. Even though he was now no different from a corpse, they continued to serve him diligently, hoping he would wake up soon.
The Village Head sighed, truly wishing for Pei Changfeng’s recovery. The boy was brilliant; even if he could no longer study for the Juren exams, he could still open a school in the village to teach the children.
Because this was a Chongxi marriage meant to bring good luck, the Pei family didn’t hold a banquet. They only hired a few musicians to make some noise. Once the crowd dispersed, Pei’s Eldest Aunt gave Su Wanwan a look full of expectation, then pulled the door shut and left, intending to return tomorrow to collect Pei Changfeng’s body.
Now that everyone was gone, Su Wanwan took a deep breath at the doorway and pushed the door open, prepared to meet her third husband.
Her first husband had been a village hunter, a powerful man with muscles harder than stone. Yet, before she could even enter his home, he had fallen down a mountain and been torn to shreds by wolves.
Her second husband was a literate man from the neighboring village who worked as a waiter at a tavern in town. Clever and smooth-talking, he had worked hard to save ten taels of silver just to marry her. Yet, the moment she stepped over his threshold, he had suddenly succumbed to convulsions and stopped breathing.
From then on, Su Wanwan’s reputation as a husband-killer spread far and wide. No one dared to come knocking again. Even her previous sets of parents-in-law avoided her like the plague, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge her as their daughter-in-law.
Now, her third husband… regardless of what Pei Changfeng was like, if she jinxed this one to death too, she would shave her head and become a nun, never to trouble anyone else again.
It was already summer, and the air was heavy with sweltering heat. Su Wanwan stepped over the threshold and saw someone lying on the bed.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and an indescribable, foul smell hung in the air. Su Wanwan gagged, nearly vomiting. She hurried to open the windows for ventilation before turning her pale face to look at Pei Changfeng.
She had heard of Pei Changfeng from the village matchmaker. He was said to be an extraordinary man—exceptionally handsome, with a limitless future. All sorts of flowery praises had been heaped upon him, and every marriageable girl in the ten surrounding villages had wanted to marry him.
Though she had never seen him before, she knew that the emaciated man on the bed, who was nothing but skin and bones, was a world apart from the “Scholar Pei” people spoke of!
A thick quilt pressed down on Pei Changfeng. His breathing was becoming fainter. Although his cheeks were hollow, his bone structure was exquisite and his features were beautiful. In this state, he appeared particularly pitiful.
Su Wanwan felt a pang of pity, as if she were looking at a stray cat she had once cared for. She instantly felt a surge of compassion for this husband she was meeting for the first time.
For such a person to be ground down like this by illness—heaven was truly unkind.
Su Wanwan carefully pulled the heavy quilt off him, her brows furrowing tighter. The foul smell grew stronger, forcing her to run and open the window further.
Pei Changfeng wore old clothes of an uncertain age. It was clear they hadn’t been washed in a long time; they were soaked in layers of old sweat, smelling sour and putrid.
Su Wanwan’s heart ached. The people of the Pei village said Pei’s Eldest Uncle’s family had been so good to him after he fell ill, but if they were truly good, they wouldn’t have left him to rot like this!
Seeing Pei Changfeng’s sunken belly, she wondered how long it had been since he’d eaten. Su Wanwan wiped her tears. Since she had married in, even if she was only his wife for a single day, she would take proper care of him!
She took hold of Pei Changfeng’s dry, thin hand. “Don’t worry. Since I’ve married you, I will definitely take good care of you!”
It was late afternoon, and every household was busy cooking. Seeing Su Wanwan walk out, people poked their heads out of their houses. Had Pei Changfeng died so quickly?
Su Wanwan asked for directions until she reached Pei’s Eldest Uncle’s house. As soon as Pei’s Eldest Aunt opened the door and saw her, she immediately pinched her own thigh and burst into tears. “Changfeng! How could you be gone so soon!”
Inside the house, Pei’s Eldest Uncle and Pei Yaozu, who were eating, looked at each other and ran over. “Is he really gone?”
Seeing their reaction, Su Wanwan felt even more certain that her suspicions were correct. Seeing the neighbors looking over, she spoke calmly, “Changfeng is still alive.”
The family looked somewhat disappointed. Pei’s Eldest Aunt wiped away her non-existent tears and barked, “Then why aren’t you serving him? What are you doing here? I’m telling you, our family spent three taels of silver to bring you into this house. You must serve Changfeng like he’s the Emperor himself! You aren’t allowed to leave his side for a second!”
Hearing this, Su Wanwan smiled, her small face bright. Pei Yaozu stared at her, mesmerized.
“It’s like this. My husband’s room is empty; there’s nothing in it. I came to ask if Eldest Aunt had helped put his things away earlier?”
A woman nearby couldn’t help but ask, “New bride, what do you mean by that?”
“My husband…” Su Wanwan choked up, her eyes turning red. “There isn’t so much as a quilt or a single grain of rice in the house—only a few sets of clothes. But he is my husband. Even if he is poor, I accept it. I only came to borrow a few grains of rice from Eldest Aunt to eat. But if Eldest Aunt helped put his things away for him, I’ll just move them back.”
Auntie Li stared at Pei’s Eldest Aunt with an unfriendly tone. “Pei’s wife, Changfeng is a Xiucai. The government gives him a monthly stipend. How could there not be a single grain of rice in his house? Where did you put the boy’s things? Give them back to her!”
Others joined in the chorus. The faces of Pei’s Eldest Uncle’s family soured. They had moved everything over as soon as Pei Changfeng lost consciousness, never intending to return any of it.
Pei’s Eldest Aunt grumbled reluctantly, “What a good wife. Just walked through the door and already knows how to demand things for her husband.”
Pei’s Eldest Uncle gave a displeased cough and smiled kindly at Su Wanwan. “Alright, we were just afraid the things would gather dust in that room, so we moved them here for safekeeping. Wait a moment, we’ll bring them out for you.”
Once inside, Pei’s Eldest Aunt hissed, “Have you gone mad? You’re really going to give all those things back?”
Pei’s Eldest Uncle glared at her. “Pei Changfeng won’t last more than a few days anyway. When he dies, won’t all these things come back to us? You idiot!”
Pei’s Eldest Aunt realized he was right, though she still hated to part with the items. She brought out a thin quilt and half a bag of rice. “Good girl, you can’t carry too much. Take these back first.”
Su Wanwan considered herself ill-fated, marrying one man after another only for them to die, but she was famous in the neighboring village for being sharp and not one to be bullied. She looked at Pei’s Eldest Aunt with teary eyes, her words laced with thorns. “In that case, does that mean my home still has other things left here with you, Eldest Aunt?”