Chapter 345 - Bai Lingmiao
“Dong dong dong~! Dong dong dong~! Summon the gods~”
A rhythmic drumbeat sounded from a simple-looking house, followed by a chant.
“Small drum whip of one foot three, that colorful ribbon tied on it! Dong dong dong~”
“Go down and make a bend, go up and point a finger! Dong dong dong~”
“Hit it once, bounce three times. Hit it thrice, make it nine! Dong dong dong~”
“The whip sounds with every beat, the drum sounds and the gods are pleased! Dong dong dong~”
Two red-veiled ladies were standing in the house, surrounding an ashen-faced child while beating their drums continuously.
Beside the child’s pillow was a mound of soil. Three incense sticks were placed in it, and the incense smoke wavered continuously, forming fuzzy characters.
However, just before the characters were about to solidify, a strong gust of wind blew open the tightly closed window, dispersing the strands of smoke.
In an instant, the tempo of the drum beats increased, the turn suddenly becoming urgent and fast.
At the same time, the Second Deity swirled her slender and black nails in the air, causing the dispersing white smoke to turn into substantial white threads that entwined around her hand. The sharp fingers followed the guidance of the white threads and ruthlessly pierced a point three inches below the child’s thumb.
With a swift downward motion, the child’s tender palm was cut open, revealing clusters of yellowish things that resembled fish wriggling inside as though it was trying to emerge.
At that moment, a pair of black scissors, tied to a red string, was plunged in, causing the hole to become even larger.
“Waa waa waa~!”
The child who had seemed lifeless until just a moment ago, now suddenly sat up and started crying for his father. He did not notice that the objects emerging from his palm were turning into a puddle of yellow water that joined his tears in soaking the cool mat on his bed.
“My son~!” A shriveled and short man stepped in from outside, and exclaimed loudly when he saw that his almost-dead son had now been awakened.
He rushed over and quickly embraced the sweating and crying child. Then, he then quickly turned to the red-veiled Bai Lingmiao who was standing by side and bowed to express his gratitude.
On the other hand, Bai Lingmiao’s expression was pale and agonized. She just shook her head and turned to leave.
“Fairy, hold on, I haven’t paid you.” The man hastily rummaged through his belongings and picked out fifty pieces of copper coins from the bottom of a drawer. They were good coins that did not have any worn edges. He grabbed them and presented them to Bai Lingmiao with both hands.
Bai Lingmiao glanced at the patches on the man’s clothes, then at his straw sandals, and then again at the shabby walls of this house. In the end, she shook her head to decline the payment. “It’s alright, Uncle. Leave it for the child and buy some food for him. He’s too skinny.”
“No, Fairy, you must take the money. My Zhou family only has this one offspring left. If not for you saving his life, then there would have been no one left to take care of me in old age!” said the shriveled man.
After several refusals, Bai Lingmiao was finally forced to accept the fifty coins.
When she came out of the house, the one-armed Chun Xiaoman, who was practicing swordplay beside the carriage, quickly sheathed her sword and approached her. “Miaomiao, how’s it going? Are you done?”
When she saw Bai Lingmiao nod, Xiaoman smiled slightly and then pulled her toward the carriage. Once they were seated, the mud-covered wheels began to roll back toward Cowheart Mountain.
“Thank you, Sister Xiaoman, for accompanying me here,” said Bai Lingmiao.
Chun Xiaoman replied, “Aren’t we good sisters? There’s no need to be so courteous. I can help out too if we happen to meet any bandits along the way.”
As she spoke, Chun Xiaoman peeled open a corner of the curtain, and then glanced at Bai Lingmiao inside the carriage before sighing softly.
Of course, she had just made up those words. Bai Lingmiao did not need her protection. However, when she saw the black scar that had not yet faded from her pale neck, Xiaoman couldn’t help but worry.
Logically, no matter what happens, things would generally improve with the passage of time. This was the same when her own parents sold her off. She was not as hurt about it now as she was back then.
But this sister of hers wasn’t the same. Senior Li had already been gone for such a long time, and yet she still remained so dejected. Ever since that time, she had not smiled, and the gaze in her eyes was vacant, as though she had lost something.
The carriage continued to hurry along, and only stopped when it was deep in the night. While they had not yet reached Cowheart Village, there were no villages nearby, and so they had to spend a night in the wilderness on the way back.
They ate some of their dried rations, and then lay in the carriage to rest.
In her half-asleep state, Chun Xiaoman suddenly felt rather uneasy, and reached out a hand to touch the face of the lady beside her.
When she felt that her eyes were actually opened, Xioaman sighed, “Miaomiao, you can’t go on like this. I know you’re very sad, but it’s been a long time. You have to move on. People who have passed away cannot come back to life. Even if you keep tormenting yourself like this, they won’t come back to life.”
Seeing that she didn’t get a response from the other side, Chun Xiaoman changed her angle. “Since we’re sisters who speak from our hearts, I’ll be straightforward. I know Senior Li saved us, but looking at things holistically, he isn’t that great. At the same time, without even mentioning the other things, considering your current condition, as long as you offer yourself for marriage, many people would want to marry into the Bai family. You can ask for anyone that is as fat or as thin as you want. Which one of them wouldn’t be better than Li Huowang? In fact, separating from you is a much bigger loss for him than for you. With his crazed state, he’s destined to be an old bachelor. No other woman would want him.”
Though Chun Xiaoman knew that Senior Li was not as bad as she had just described, this criticism would be worth it if it could help lift her sister’s spirits. Besides, scolding him here wouldn’t hurt him anyway.
Bai Lingmiao curled her body up like a baby, and nestled into Xiaoman’s arm. “Don’t say anymore, Sister Xiaoman...”
“You don’t need that stinky man! You and me can be comb sisters[1]! No matter what, you must pull yourself together! What you’re doing now is the same as giving up on yourself!” Chun Xiaoman was getting emotional as she started to shake Bai Lingmiao by the shoulders. But then, she started to hear sobbing, which immediately caused her heart to soften.
“Alright, I won’t say anymore. Stop crying and get some rest,” Chun Xiaoman held Bai Lingmiao in her arm and ran her hand through her waist-length hair.
A night of silence passed.
The next day, the two acted as though nothing had happened the night before, and just continued on their journey. With the two strong horses pulling them, they arrived at the village entrance in the afternoon.
“Uncle Lu, going to put up a play?” Chun Xiaoman greeted the oncoming carriage.
Lu Zhuangyuan chuckled and nodded as he took a puff from his tobacco pipe. “I’m going to the south to see if there are any villages. This Liang Kingdom sure is wealthy. One trip can cover several years of my expenses.”
“Why are there so few of you? Your younger son isn’t back yet?” asked Xiaoman.
1. Comb Sisters, also known as Self-comb Women, are a group of women who set up their own hairstyle in a way that resembles that of married women. This is seen as a demonstration of their determination to remain single for the rest of their lives. ?
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