Chapter 13
Page (1/3)
The autumn wind suddenly rose, the river swelled endlessly, and the black canopy boat leapt with the waves.
“We’re almost there, almost there.”
Onboard, because the boat was unstable, Wu Fugui bumped his head hard. Rubbing his skull, he was about to scold the old helmsman when a young man nearby shouted in surprise.
“We’re here?”
He hurriedly lifted the boat’s curtain, and tears welled up in his eyes.
It wasn’t easy; this trip was no small feat.
They almost didn’t make it back!
...
The prefectural city was a grand place. Compared to ordinary towns, even the docks were more elaborately built.
Massive blocks of bluestone were piled high, and the river waves surged but never reached the shore.
Along the riverbank, willows cast deep shade, and several riverside pavilions stood gracefully at varying heights, forming a scenic stretch.
With vermilion pavilions and flying eaves, red bricks and green tiles, the tall stone steps seemed to stretch endlessly.
On the streets, people carrying baskets or herding donkeys passed by from time to time. Among them were scholars in blue robes and charming guests in pink garments.
Poetry recitations, street cries, and calls to buy mingled into the lively atmosphere of the prefectural city.
“This place is still the best— even the air smells sweet.”
Feeling the solid ground beneath his feet, Wu Fugui felt reassured and took a deep breath.
“Brother Fugui, maybe you’re just hungry.” Nearby, the tall servant Shi Yinuo spoke honestly.
He looked around and swallowed hard.
The dockside was bustling with people coming and going—not only those sending off travelers but also literati and poets admiring the autumn scenery.
With the crowds came street vendors, and the air was thick with the aroma of baked sesame cakes and rich soup, making one’s stomach rumble.
Such torment!
“Let’s sit down and have a bowl of wontons.”
“Yes, yes, a bowl of wontons to warm the belly, and a sesame cake—ah, that taste... heavenly!”
Shi Yinuo spoke up, and the other servants quickly chimed in.
“Eat, eat, eat! You still have the heart to eat outside?” Wu Fugui scolded earnestly. “Do you even know what time it is?”
“There’s only a little way left. Let’s hurry back to the mansion, see the master and miss earlier, report our mission sooner, and put their minds at ease.”
Finally, he glanced around at them, his tone earnest.
“One must cherish blessings to have blessings. Our master feeds and clothes us well, so we must think about doing our job right. If you only think about your own belly, how can that justify the monthly pay?”
He was frustrated: “Be honest—do you deserve the master's trust?”
“Brown-noser!” For once, Shi Yinuo and Shi Qianjin were united in scorn.
Their voices were low but full of resentment, and Wu Fugui felt the heavy displeasure behind him.
“This is outrageous!” Seeing that the others still lingered, he turned, glared fiercely at the four, rolled his eyes, and cursed them fools again.
“Sesame cakes and wontons, what’s so good about them?” Resigned, he spoke plainly. “When we carried the coffin out, did you see what was going on back at the mansion?”
The four looked puzzled.
Wu Fugui stood on tiptoe, tapping each on the head.
“Fools, the mansion was all lit up and decorated!”
“If we get back now, maybe luck will be on our side—we might even catch the banquet!”
“Right, the banquet!” The others suddenly understood.
Looking at Wu Fugui, their eyes sparkled with admiration.
No wonder he was in charge; they were mere servants. His thoroughness in seeing the big picture was incomparable!
While they thought about eating bland wontons and dry cakes, their steward was already thinking of the grand feast.
The key was, he said it so well!
“You’re the real steward!” Shi Qianjin gave him a thumbs-up.
“You flatter me,” Wu Fugui smiled proudly, puffing out his belly and straightening his back, issuing orders. “Come on, let’s head back to the mansion!”
The banquet awaits!
...
Page (2/3)
When the group returned to the Wu residence on Xishui Road, dusk had already fallen.
Dusk, the time when yin and yang meet, was the auspicious hour for weddings.
The ritual of bowing at dusk was called marriage.
Sure enough, the mansion was brightly decorated with lanterns and banners, guests came and went, shadows flitted about, and servants and maids wore brand-new clothes, bustling busily.
“Good, good, finally arrived at the miss’s joyous occasion—this servant must congratulate her,” Wu Fugui said with tears in his eyes, straightening his clothes and ready to join in.
Judging by the bustle, the feast would begin soon. The Wu family revered every copper coin, but the servants also had their place at the banquet.
Shi Yinuo paused.
“Come on!” The tall one blocked him, and Shi Qianjin accidentally bumped his nose, tears streaming down, glaring at Shi Yinuo ahead.
Shi Yinuo stammered, “I-I don’t really want to go in.”
“Don’t want to? Why not? Aren’t you hungry?”
Never mind the incident when they were tied to the longan tree the other day. Wang Chan had slept the whole day, and they had been hungry and thirsty all day. Only after it was clear they weren’t kidnappers did the townsfolk of Rouge Town untie them.
By then, it was dark.
In this small place, shops closed early, and no matter how much money you had, there was nowhere to buy good food.
They barely ate anything proper until daytime, and the boat journey had been inconvenient, with only some dry rations eaten.
“Hungry, and craving,” Shi Yinuo nodded honestly, “but—”
Looking at the Wu mansion, his face showed hesitation.
He said he didn’t want to go in, but actually, he was afraid.
The incident with the ‘resurrected corpse’ had scared him badly, shrinking his heart. Somehow, looking at the lively scene, his mind was in turmoil.
The Wu residence was a white-walled, gray-tiled building—not as grand as the vermilion walls and green tiles elsewhere, but it had a restrained dignity.
Although the daylight was fading, the lanterns had already been lit.
The vermilion gate had golden door knockers shaped like lions, and colored silk ribbons hung everywhere.
The candlelight reflected off red lanterns, making the mansion look like a huge beast crouching on the ground.
The gate was its mouth, the lanterns its wide-open eyes. Now, it snarled, its colorful ribbons serving as harmless adornments.
Shi Yinuo stammered out his unease.
Shi Qianjin: ...
“You’ve developed a problem,” Wu Fugui said.
“You’ve grown so big, yet after being scared by the Wang family maid, you’re frightened by the wind blowing clothes and seeing ghosts?”
“Enough, enough! Look at you, like a turtle staring at the sky. If you’re not lucky enough to eat the grand feast, then don’t eat at all. I’ll eat extra for you, no thanks needed.”
“What’s a turtle staring at the sky?” Shi Yinuo was puzzled as Shi Qianjin strode past, waving him off.
“Sigh.” Another servant came over, putting a hand on Shi Yinuo’s shoulder, resigned.
“You’re like this,” he said, stretching his neck and shrinking it back like a turtle.
Then he passed Shi Yinuo and, with another servant, walked toward the lively mansion.
Shi Yinuo: ...
“Alright, that’s calling me a cowardly turtle!”
Realizing this, the tall one stood at the gate, exhaling sharply, stared at the Wu mansion, stomped hard, and strode in after them.
...
Once inside, Wu Fugui and his group were sent back to the servants’ quarters and not asked to help with any work.
It wasn’t that the steward sympathized with their long trip and fatigue—it was simply that they looked down on these few.
They sized them up with scornful glances and raised voices.
“Today is the miss’s joyous day. The master is happy and specially rewarded us with new clothes. You should go to Aunt Xia’s to get a set too. Wash yourselves well, change what needs changing, throw away what needs throwing... look at the smell you carry, tsk.”
That single ‘tsk’, combined with the unspoken judgmental looks, made the group blush slightly.
Guests came and went from the mansion. The servants dared not shame their masters, so after collecting their clothes, they returned to the servants’ quarters.
After washing and tidying up, they returned to the front yard as night fell.
“The auspicious hour has come—”
“Welcoming the bride and groom—”
The matchmaker stretched out her voice, full of festive cheer.
“Wonderful! The bride and groom have arrived!” The guests cheered and turned to greet the newlyweds.
Outside the courtyard, firecrackers exploded with crackling sounds, filling the air with smoke and adding a touch of blur to the night.
But then, suddenly, the lively atmosphere stopped abruptly.
Like 800 geese having their necks wrung, the crowd fell silent.
Everyone looked at each other.
Among the crowd, Shi Yinuo’s calf trembled slightly. He leaned close to a companion and whispered breathlessly.
Page (3/3)
“I-I just said something’s off, we shouldn’t have come in. Look, the groom... the groom has turned into a big rooster?”
Could it be that he’s dead too?
If so, they’d have to carry another coffin and go back to Rouge Town again, wouldn’t they?
Thinking this, Shi Yinuo shuddered with resistance.
Rouge Town was a tricky place!
Wu Fugui and the others were also shocked.
What was going on with the Wang family?
The daughter had trouble, and the father too?
On such a big wedding day, he didn’t appear—only a big rooster came... what was this about?
The coffin bearers who just returned didn’t know what the masters were up to, and the guests who arrived early were equally clueless.
Everyone looked at one another.
Some wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.
“This...” An old man in the crowd stroked his goatee.
“I saw something like this when I was younger, traveling south. A rooster as the groom.”
Roosters symbolize good luck. Moreover, the rooster’s crow heralds daylight, and as a male bird driving away darkness and attracting yang energy, it’s said to embody the sun’s essence.
Whether in rituals or wedding ceremonies standing in for the groom, it’s considered appropriate.
“Usually, the groom is ill or crippled and can’t get up, or has gone far away and can’t travel for the wedding. The family then decides to marry a wife in and uses a rooster to stand in for the groom.”
This rooster isn’t just any bird—it must match the groom’s age in feather count and the colors of its comb and tail, looking vigorous, with tail feathers matching the groom’s age.
The ceremony is called a wedding but is actually a ritual to ward off bad luck.
“But this—”
The man hesitated but continued.
“A rooster standing in for the groom is unfair to the bride! A person only has one grand happy day in life; how can it be so sloppy and absurd? Brother Wu is confused. Given Sister Ting’s beauty, talent, and family background... there’s no need to humiliate yourself or the Wu family this way.”
Everyone nodded.
This wedding banquet was well-known as the Wu family marrying off their daughter, but in truth, Wu had only one daughter. Rather than marrying her off, it was more like a son-in-law coming into the family.
Since it was a matrilocal marriage, there was no reason to humiliate their own family, yet here they were, having a rooster marry the bride.
They had to bring the groom out!
“Ah, please forgive us, honored guests,” the matchmaker said, experienced with turmoil. Tossing her handkerchief, the bright red flower in her hair shivered, but she showed no fear of the cold reception, raising her voice to fill the room with cheer.
She explained:
“The master of the Wang family caught a cold and grew seriously ill, unable to rise. Master Wu is a man of honor and kept the marriage promise made long ago, hence today’s wedding.”
“Your words are too kind,” said Master Wu, dressed in new clothes, rising to bow to the crowd with a bright smile.
“You all know me, Wu, a man of steadfast promises. What I say is as weighty as nine tripods, and I always keep my word.”
He gathered himself and smiled, “Bai Yuan is the virtuous son-in-law I chose. Though he hasn’t formally married my daughter yet, in my heart, he is family. His illness pains me deeply. I hope this wedding will bring good fortune and turn his misfortune to blessing.”
“But since he is weak and sickly, I cannot bear to trouble him. Everyone knows weddings are full of trivial matters. That’s why we have this absurd rooster standing in for the groom today. I hope everyone understands.”
“Master Wu’s righteousness!”
“An honorable man!”
“Much respect, Master Wu!”
...
Applause arose from the crowd.
Master Wu stroked his beard, smiling slightly, and gave the matchmaker a knowing glance.
She snapped back to attention and called out warmly:
“First, bow to Heaven and Earth—”
“Second, bow to the elders—”
“Then husband and wife—”
Before she finished, something unexpected happened.
...