Chapter 80: Stop 23: Lady
by 八分十二Chapter 80: Stop 23: Lady
The sound of something piercing through the air echoed, and Yan Qiling reflexively dodged to the side. He even managed to catch the inkstand that was almost toppled over!
"Clatter!"
Three sharp darts pierced into the large painting of a crane ascending to the heavens!
At first, Shi Wenming didn't react. When he finally realized what had happened, he was drenched in cold sweat, almost slipping off the antique shelf as he held onto it in horror.
"I'm s-sorry... I didn't expect..."
"It's alright."
Yan Qiling was calmer than Shi Wenming imagined. The moment the incident occurred, he had already glanced at the opening behind him.
It turned out to be a hidden compartment!
Yan Qiling took out a moon-white handkerchief, covered his palm with it, and reached inside. Then, he pulled out an old ledger covered in dust.
Just as he was gently wiping away the thin layer of dust from the cover, he heard the sound of someone knocking on the door.
With a hint of remorse, Shi Wenguang quickly offered, "I'll get it."
However, before he could even take a step, the door had already opened by itself.
A long shadow stretched across the entrance, and a muted moonlight filtered in from outside, enveloping the figure standing in the shadows.
The person stepped inside. It was an exceptionally ordinary-looking man.
So ordinary that one would hardly remember his face if he were lost in a crowd.
Yan Qiling observed.
This man.
He was wearing red shoes.
-
Si Shuhao had no idea what this contraption looked like to others, but to her, it was simply a giant, swaying wooden box with all sides sealed tightly, not even a ventilation window in sight – it was like a coffin!
When she first entered, she pounded on it for a while, but after realizing there was no way out, she started breathing shallowly to avoid suffocating inside the wooden crate.
Ever since entering this dark, tiny space, a gentle tinkling of jewels had been echoing above her head with each sway. Upon touch, she realized that somehow, her head was adorned with an abundance of hair ornaments.
She randomly plucked out a hairpin to pry open the walls, but it was futile; she could do nothing but give up and resume regulating her breath.
However, after staying quiet for a moment, she soon realized something was amiss.
Aside from her own breathing and the occasional thud as she bumped into the wall, she couldn't hear a single sound.
It seemed that all external noises were completely blocked out, even the creaking that the palanquin might have produced as it swayed.
The silence here was eerily deafening.
The oppressive atmosphere left her dizzy, and her stomach clenched from extreme tension.
Desperately wanting to vomit, she knew this wasn't a place where she could do so, so she held back with all her might.
Finally, she sensed that the large wooden chest had come to a halt.
The silence dragged on for a long while, and then she was abruptly greeted by the rhythmic tapping of folk music instruments.
In that instant, her mind went numb, and she plunged into a state of tinnitus, accompanied by a piercing pain in her cochlea.
Amidst this discomfort, she felt the curtain in front of her being lifted. Beams of light filtered onto her vibrant red gown as an aged old woman's hand reached in, firmly grasping her delicate wrist without giving room for refusal, and pulled her out with a swish!
She had no choice but to yield to the force, stumbling out of the sedan chair with her head lowered.
Suddenly, the abrupt influx of light left her momentarily disoriented, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in her surroundings. She found herself standing within an ancient courtyard ablaze with illumination, its every corner bathed in a soft glow. Arrayed around her stood a throng of maidservants, their ranks densely packed and spanning a range of ages from youth to maturity. Each one bore an expression of solemnity, their voices hushed and their breaths held in reverent silence.
Her palanquin, by rights, should have been carried by bearers, but they had long since departed.
Surrounded by women, the only somewhat familiar faces were Su Bo, who had been led out by the maid just like her, and Yue Pengpeng and Liao Xinya, who had walked with her all the way.
Though they didn't speak, fine beads of sweat had already formed on their foreheads, and their shirts were dampened at the back.
Yue Pengpeng regarded them with a mix of envy and resentment in her eyes, while Liao Xinya maintained a stoic expression throughout.
Si Shuhao felt utterly out of place in this scene that resembled a vintage drama set. The old servant lady, with her wrinkled face resembling a chrysanthemum, suddenly smiled and spoke in an ingratiating tone, "Miss Eldest and Miss Second have finally arrived. The Matriarch has been waiting for a long time. Follow me, please."
Without waiting for the girls to respond, they were lifted almost off the ground by the maidservants and matrons surrounding them, propelling them forward!
Though their legs were indeed attached to their bodies, they might not have touched the ground much throughout the journey from the front yard to the hall, being carried in like this.
Yue Pengpeng was reluctant to join the commotion, but seeing Liao Xinya enter, she could only roll her eyes and follow, standing behind Su Bo with a sulky expression, acting as a wooden stake.
Si Shuhao and Su Bo were pushed together like two white cabbages, their heads adorned with jingling jewels. Perhaps due to being too close, their hairpins got tangled, stuck together.
The maidservants and matrons: "..."
Everyone scrambled to help them untangle the mess of shattered pearls and disarrayed jade.
Si Shuhao was tense about the unknown—this time, she and Ming Yiyang were too far away from Yan Qiling.
Seemingly sensing her tremors, Su Bo gently held the tip of her sleeve beneath her, giving it a light squeeze.
Feeling the comforting presence of someone familiar, Si Shuhao finally calmed down slightly, her expression returning to normal.
After untangling the hairpins, the two maids pressed them onto cushions, making them kneel firmly.
Si Shuhao was very uncomfortable and struggled for a moment. At that moment, the loud music in the outer chamber suddenly ceased, and all the servants bowed their heads as if they were greeting someone's arrival.
Both she and Su Bo raised their heads.
Behind the twelve classical beauty screens in front of them, a dark silhouette gradually emerged.
The lamplight illuminated its skin, while the gauze of the screens veiled its figure in a hazy mist.
The object shrouded in shadows seemed unfathomable, as if an invisible giant hand was stirring within it, creating an oppressive sensation like a slow-acting poison, suffocating those who bore witness.
Two beautiful attendants removed the heavy screen from the left side.
A pale, powder-coated mass sat on an intricately carved imperial chair, its cloudy and weary eyes open, lips stained red, while a maid fanned it attentively.
Si Shuhao found it difficult to describe her initial reaction upon seeing this entity.
Of course she was aware that referring to a person as "something" was disrespectful, but it was difficult for her not to view it that way.
This entity resembled more of a mountain of flesh with crumpled folds than an actual human being.
Its plump and stubby hands emerged from its movements, limbs without distinct structure, making it almost impossible to distinguish the exact location of its shoulders or upper arms.
The only indication of its head was the sparse hair adorned with gemstones and pearls, and the outline of its neck could vaguely be discerned through the fabric wrapping it. That was all there was to it.
If this was the legendary Matriarch Bai, then one could safely conclude that she was the Incarnation of Nothingness itself.
Or perhaps a part of it.
The elderly Matriarch Bai extended her pudgy and aged fingers, each tipped with long enamel and ceramic fingernails. Pointing at the two girls, she seemed to beckon them to come forward and hold her hand.
"Well, well, it's good that you're back. Let me have a look at you both..."
Si Shuhao felt as if she were Little Red Riding Hood encountering her wolf-like grandmother.
She was at a loss, but the maid beside her didn't seem to care about her thoughts and simply pulled her and Su Bao up, allowing two attendants to fetch the cushions they had been kneeling on.
The cushions were placed right in front of Madam Bai, the eldest matriarch, and they were then forced to kneel on them.
So close, Si Shuhao almost lost control of her facial expressions.
It was too ugly, and too stinky!
She endured the disgust and obediently knelt on the cushion with her head lowered.
Unexpectedly, the long fingernails extended to her chin and applied pressure, forcing her to lift her head.
Si Shuhao caught a strong scent of herbal medicine.
There was an obvious fishy odor mixed within the medicinal smell. The cold armor also gave off a burnt plastic smell for some reason, making her extremely uncomfortable.
However, she didn't understand the situation and dared not resist at this moment. She could only allow the other party to lift her face, and her eyes inevitably met the cloudy gaze of the old woman.
In that instant, she saw the wrinkled face resembling a dried plum—truly a scene straight out of a horror movie.
She imagined that being minced into pieces by a knife couldn't have been more gruesome than this.
Every muscle that Elder Madam Bai could still control seemed to be divided into distinct shapes by deep wrinkles.
If Si Shuhao hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have been able to picture these as the facial muscles of a human being.
When this face began to express emotions, the result was nothing short of disastrous.
Perhaps the fear and dread in her eyes unintentionally pleased this elder madam.
A bizarre smile creased the deeply grooved face of Elder Madam Bai.
The smile was indescribable.
Each muscle on her face was overly agile, yet her cerebellum didn't seem to coordinate them properly.
As a result, for the simple act of "smiling," her face started to repeatedly engage each drooping muscle involved, attempting to make them form a harmonious expression.
Consequently, these muscles behaved like a group of people being awakened one after another, then dozing off in sequence, creating an irregular pattern.
Only the upward curve at the corners of her blood-red lips gave a vague indication of the expression she wore.
With a voice aged by years of smoke and fire, Madam Bai said,
"Good girl, why are you so afraid of Grandma? There's no need to be. Although we haven't seen each other for many years, I've always been thinking of you both."
"Marrying into the Wen family is a fine match. They're incredibly wealthy, and others would fight tooth and nail just to enter their doors. Grandma begged and pleaded, and finally, your wish has come true. If the wedding goes smoothly, you'll have nothing but fortune and joy ahead."
She stroked the young maiden's smooth skin, her cloudy eyes shining with ambitious desire.
"As long as one or both of you can bear offspring for the Wen family, untold riches will follow, much more than what you could ever earn on your own."
Si Shuhao was furious, too angry to feel fear. All she felt was blood rushing to her head.
What the hell!
Where did this old lady come from?! The Qing Dynasty has been gone for over a century!!
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