"Yang Ershun is a promising seedling," Jiang Xiaoxiao finished, then shifted the conversation, "It's just a pity..."
The Yang family would never allow him to embark on the path of cultivation.
As dinner was served, half a jar of wine brought by Chen Sixi during the day remained.
Xie Xun reached for it, but Jiang Xiaoxiao beat him to it, her palm unexpectedly landing on the back of his hand.
The young girl had fair skin, with a delicate touch.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.
Xie Xun didn't recall holding Jiang Xiaoxiao's hand earlier in the day, let alone letting her piggyback, behaving as obediently as a little cub on her back.
He only felt his heart skip a beat as if it was the first time he touched her, yet he remained calm on the surface.
Retracting his hand, Xie Xun said, "This wine is quite strong, let's discard it."
Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded, "Seems like it packs quite a punch."
Xie Xun had barely drunk half a bowl when he got so drunk that he was unconscious, clamoring to go catch frogs.
No one spoke during the rest of the mealtime.
In the end, the silence was broken by a knock on the door from outside.
The visitor was Lin Guifang, holding a roughly crafted wooden food box.
"It's a big festival, yet this little courtyard of yours is too quiet," Lin Guifang smiled upon seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao.
As she spoke, she handed the food box to Jiang Xiaoxiao, "These are mooncakes I made myself, to celebrate. Give them a try, see if they taste good."
Before she finished speaking, Yang Ershun poked his head out from behind Lin Guifang, grinning, "Sister Jiang, I'm here again!"
"Adults are talking, what are you running around for?" Lin Guifang frowned, raising her hand to smack his bottom twice.
Yang Ershun yelled in pain, holding his buttocks.
Lin Guifang felt somewhat embarrassed, "Sorry for embarrassing you in front of Miss Jiang."
"It's okay," Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at Yang Ershun.
The little guy squatted in the corner, holding a twig and drawing circles, muttering something under his breath.
"Ignore him," Lin Guifang said, "This mischievous stuff is all spoiled by his dad."
After all, he was their youngest child. Although he was scolded and beaten often, he was definitely loved more.
"Mom, I won't ignore it, I want to learn skills from Sister Jiang!" Yang Ershun suddenly stood up, pouting stubbornly.
"What nonsense are you talking?" Lin Guifang's expression turned serious.
A few days ago, her youngest son suddenly said he saw a child eating candles, and today he said that child had wandered into Xie Xun's house and never returned, and Jiang Xiaoxiao took care of that child, saying Jiang Xiaoxiao was very capable, and he wanted to learn from her.
At that time, his father almost fainted from fright.
Lin Guifang brought her youngest son over specifically to ask Jiang Xiaoxiao face to face, hoping to put an end to his various thoughts.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Guifang spoke, "Miss Jiang, I have something to ask you."
Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded, "Go ahead."
"Has a little kid visited your house?" Lin Guifang asked, feeling somewhat anxious.
Although she wasn't superstitious, some things were really hard to say.
She had heard a saying before, that the younger you are, the easier it is to see dirty things.
If Jiang Xiaoxiao's house hadn't been visited by children, and if her youngest son hadn't insisted he'd seen them, Lin Guifang might have to go to the county tomorrow to invite a master to perform rituals at home.
"Not just one, but many!" Yang Ershun snorted. "Besides the child eating candles, there's also a very beautiful bride, a lame old man, and there's more..."
The more he spoke, the more absurd it became!
Lin Guifang's expression changed repeatedly, and she abruptly covered Yang Ershun's mouth.
"Mmm... Mmm..." Yang Ershun struggled in his mother's grip.
Jiang Xiaoxiao glanced at the mother and son duo and said lightly, "They've visited."
Lin Guifang was taken aback. "Are you saying, the child who eats candles, really came?"
"They came."
"But..." Lin Guifang's lips trembled. "How could a normal person eat candles?"
"Oh, because that child isn't human, it's a ghost."
Lin Guifang's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
In the end, it was Yang Ershun who ran home to get his father to carry her back.
When Lin Guifang woke up, her eyes stared blankly at the canopy, unable to regain her senses for a long time.
Village Head Yang frightened her into fainting. "You went to Xie Xun's house and fainted. What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Lin Guifang stiffly turned her head, looking at him. After a long while, she broke down in tears. "His father, Ershun encountered a ghost!"
---
The next day, Village Head Yang personally went to the county to invite a Taoist priest to perform rituals at home.
The news of Yang Ershun encountering a ghost spread like wildfire in the village.
Except for Yang Ershun himself, who was completely unaffected, everyone else in the village thought he was possessed.
If he wasn't possessed, how could he possibly see ghosts?
Early in the morning, the perimeter outside Village Head Yang's house was filled with villagers who came to watch the excitement.
Among the chatter, Mrs. Wang, Yang Wei's mother, had the loudest voice.
Mrs. Wang held Lin Guifang's hand. "I told you, sister, you shouldn't have let Ershun go to the east side of the village. I've long said that Xie Xun's family is eerie. How can this sudden appearance of a young bride be normal?"
Lin Guifang didn't hear what Mrs. Wang said, just kept wiping tears.
Inside the house, Village Head Yang turned everything upside down, placing twenty taels of silver on the altar.
The Taoist priest, holding a peach wood sword, closed one eye and peeked, then satisfied, closed his eyes again and continued chanting.
Yang Ershun was tied to a chair, feeling like a monkey being watched by so many people. He wrinkled his little brows, struggling non-stop.
"Father, let me go!"
Village Head Yang scolded, "Shut up! Don't disturb the master's ritual!"
Yang Ershun glared at the old Taoist priest hatefully, then looked at Village Head Yang again, shouting, "Father, are you full and tired? I'm your son!"
Mrs. Wang exclaimed loudly, "Ershun, your father is doing this for your own good. Who let you hang out with that person from the east side of the village all day? Now you've been possessed and seeing ghosts? Sit still and don't move, the master will expel the evil spirits for you."
After speaking, she asked the old Taoist priest, "Master, how is it going?"
The old Taoist priest's expression was solemn. "At the critical moment of casting the spell, please do not disturb with idle talk!"
Village Head Yang glanced at Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang shut her mouth with dissatisfaction.
Yang Dashun looked at the silver on the altar and couldn't help but frown. He quietly asked Village Head Yang, "Dad, who did you find for this? Can we trust them?"
"How can we not trust them?" Village Head Yang snorted coldly. "I've already inquired. This Daoist Sun is a direct disciple of the Old Celestial Master of Cangwu Mountain. If we can get him, we'll be in luck!"
"But isn't the Old Celestial Master's disciple surnamed Zhang? Why the change of surname?" Yang Dashun questioned.
Village Head Yang hesitated for a moment, then angrily replied, "The Master temporarily changed his surname for convenience when traveling down the mountain. What's wrong with that?"
Yang Dashun found it all dubious. "There's a renowned expert in the county recently. She just solved a major case for the Nie Family. Why don't you invite her instead of this Daoist with unknown origins? Who knows if he's just a swindler trying to cheat us out of our money."
"You think I didn't consider that?" Village Head Yang's frustration was evident. "But I've asked around, and while she's famous, no one knows her real name or where she lives. How am I supposed to invite her?"
