Chapter 6: Mid-Month

When night fell, Tongcheng County was dotted everywhere with the light of lamps and candles.

The fifteenth of the seventh month is the Central Plains Festival, commonly called Ghost Festival. It is said that on this day the gates of the earth palace do not close, and ghosts may freely come out. Every household offers incense and burns paper money to their ancestors. Tongcheng did not impose a curfew tonight; the streets were thick with silhouettes, fires blazed on all sides, and smoke coiled through the air. As fathers and mothers honored the ancestors, they kept murmuring, thanking the ancestors for their protection and asking them to take more money back to spend.

One family finished burning paper money, and Pang Yu, holding a river lantern, came beside the West Gate Water Pass to set the lantern adrift with his parents. Setting river lanterns afloat is also called "illuminating the underworld." It originally served to comfort the aggrieved souls in the water, and later became a Central Plains Festival custom.

The West Gate Water Pass was also a surging sea of heads. Everyone carried lanterns or held river lanterns; the street blazed with light, so bright that even the two characters "Yimin" atop the city wall could be seen with perfect clarity. On the riverbank, children laughed and chased each other, and carrying-pole vendors hawked snacks and pastries along the street — it had turned into a night market.

Pang Yu went straight to a spot with fewer people, crouched on the riverbank, and set his river lantern adrift. The waterway at the pass was filled with drifting reflections of lanterns, flowing out of the city along the channel.

This waterway originates from Zoumaling and Pingfengling northwest of the city. The streams converge into Maojia River, which enters the city through the East Water Pass north of the city, crosses Tangqian Bridge in front of the county office going west, and exits the city at the water pass south of Yimin Gate.

Residents of North City set lanterns adrift along the river, while commoners of West of the City gathered near the water pass. The river lanterns were of many kinds, and their colors included red, white, yellow, and more. The lanterns at the water pass grew ever more numerous; their multicolored reflections shimmered upside down in the water. Through the thin haze of burning paper money, the entire river channel was hazy yet dappled with color, like a river of lanterns slowly flowing out of an illusory realm.

Pang Yu stared, entranced for a time, as if within a dream, as if beyond a dream. Only when most people had dispersed did he close his eyes and press his palms together. "Ancestors all… I do not know where you are, but please bless me so that I may live this new life well — still always striving to win, and at the same time be a good person… and also, incidentally, earn a bit more money. Without money, there truly is no way to get by. And bless my father and mother too — mainly the biological ones from my previous life. If you still have time, also bless the cheap ones from this life."

Just as he was praying there, suddenly his ear hurt.

"Ow! What the — who the hell…"

"Fine, you idiot Pang, you even dare to curse? Try cursing one more time!"

The grip on his ear loosened, and only then could Pang Yu turn his head to look. He saw a young girl in a pure white dress, her hair tied up in two buns, brows like willow leaves and eyes like dots of lacquer. She stood beside the river channel where lamplight drifted, lit by the warm yellow glow reflected off the river water, like a lovely fairy by the Silver River.

"A fairy?" Pang Yu rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, he discovered that this fairy had her hands on her hips and was staring at him with a murderous look — the image instantly fell back to the mortal world.

"What noble business brings this beauty here?"

"Haven't seen you for a few days and you've gotten so glib. No need for your flattery — this young miss was a beauty to begin with. I ask you: who told you to go to my house and break off the engagement?"

Pang Yu pointed at this fairy in astonishment. "You're Aunt Liu's daughter?"

"You dare pretend you don't recognize me." The fairy's almond eyes rounded wide. Her right hand flashed out, and with practiced ease she seized Pang Yu's ear again.

"I recognize you now! Gentle, gentle — it really hurts!"

"If it didn't hurt, why would I twist it? I'll twist harder on purpose. Usually you just go around the city stealing chickens and swiping dogs and loafing about — that's one thing — but you actually dared to break off the engagement. Speak: who told you to break it off?"

Pang Yu's ear ached fiercely. Seizing the chance, he grabbed the fairy's hand and said, "Wasn't that forced by our Aunt Liu? She came first thing in the morning. I resisted at the time, but Aunt Liu said if I didn't withdraw, she'd ask that relative in Anqing Prefecture for help and make sure I couldn't even keep my job as a runner."

"Even if my mother forced you, that's no excuse. Which is more important, the runner job or me? You are not allowed to agree to my mother's demand. Otherwise, where am I supposed to find such an obedient person to be my husband?"

"I didn't want to either. Who knew you were this beautiful…" The moment Pang Yu thought of the silver he had received, he could not bear to return it. In his mind, it took only a thousandth of a second to weigh the importance of the cash chain versus the beauty. He immediately changed tack. "…but I also feel you deserve someone better. What's the point of you finding a fool like me? It's all for your own good."

The fairy gave a "hmph," released her grip, and said, "This time you talk decently, but I insist on finding a fool like you. A smart one — who would listen to me? Even if my mother forces you, you still are not allowed to withdraw. Tomorrow, you go and beg my mother."

"Then Aunt Liu definitely won't agree. Yesterday when the engagement was broken off, I saw she was delighted."

"Delighted, my foot. She cried all last night, said you swindled her out of over thirty taels of silver. Anyway, you have to go beg my mother. No breaking off the engagement."

"Nonsense — it was clearly only twenty-one taels. Could Aunt Liu be like me, even taking a kickback on the broken-engagement money?" Pang Yu was about to say more when he suddenly spotted Aunt Liu, her face dark, appearing on the riverbank behind them. He hastily shut his mouth and shot the Liu family fairy a flurry of meaningful looks.

The fairy turned her head and saw Aunt Liu. She immediately put away her murderous air, her whole face radiating gentleness, deference, and modesty. She went over and supported Aunt Liu's arm, her voice so soft it could melt stone: "Mother, slow down — the riverbank is slippery."

Watching the fairy's performance, Pang Yu thought to himself that in a later era, this woman could absolutely become a drama queen.

Aunt Liu had not heard their conversation, but the mere sight of Pang Yu put her in a bad mood. Her expression grew even darker as she shot Pang Yu a white-eyed glare. Pang Yu did not get angry; he just offered an apologetic smile and said, "Aunt Liu has come to set river lanterns too."

Aunt Liu did not look at Pang Yu. She said to her daughter, "A young lady should not speak with irrelevant people. What would the neighbors think if they saw?"

"Yes, Daughter understands."

The fairy answered meekly in a low voice and, supporting Aunt Liu, left directly. As she turned, Pang Yu saw that on the fairy's cheek, near her right ear, there was a black birthmark.

Pang Yu watched the two figures walk away, rubbing his still-sore ear. "Damn, a woman this beautiful and she doesn't understand gentleness at all. Where did she learn her wifely virtues? But she really is beautiful."

…

The next day, Pang Yu slept until he woke naturally. In bed, he fished out the five taels of silver he had kept. Holding the gleaming silver in his hand — though it was a small amount — Pang Yu felt his spirits were several times better than yesterday; even his head wound no longer hurt. Then he recalled the beauty from last night.

"To think this fool had such a beautiful wife, and she won't leave even when chased away. It's just that her temper isn't great. Should I return the silver and trade it for a beautiful wife?"

Pang Yu stared at the silver on the bed, dazed, for a long moment. "Five taels of silver isn't enough either. I need to quickly find a way to earn money and marry this beauty back. What method can I think of? I don't know how to do anything in this ancient world."

Pang Yu shook his head twice, tossed the fairy matter to the back of his mind, placed the small silver pieces in his bosom, and only then, satisfied, walked out into the courtyard.

His mother was pounding medicine — for which doctor's household, he did not know. The service at the Pang family medicinal shop was quite good. They did not just sell medicinal ingredients; sometimes when those doctors were too busy to handle everything, the Pang family would slice and pound the ingredients for them, so they could be taken and used directly in prescriptions.

Seeing Pang Yu come out, she said, "When we opened the door this morning, Jiao Guozha came by to ask whether your injury has healed. He said it's about the lawsuit with the Zhou Family — Shopkeeper Zhou is still locked up in the jail. If you are able to get around, let him know, so he can properly handle the Public Hearing matter."

Jiao Guozha was Pang Yu's sworn brother. The two had known each other since childhood and both served on duty at the yamen. He had come to visit a few days ago and was helping him manage the lawsuit with the Zhou Family.

Pang Yu's spirits immediately surged when he heard this. He slapped a pillar. "I was just saying how to earn silver — a lawsuit is money! Beat that Zhou family to death — they dared chase me running all over the street. I'm going to the yamen right now."

His mother blocked his way. "Aiya, no rush — eat your breakfast before you go."

His father called out from the main room: "A few days ago, I also felt that Zhou family was truly hateful. But now, your father has been mulling it over in his heart — you suddenly being able to read, perhaps that club strike knocked away a demonic obstacle. It may be a blessing in disguise. I hear they are also from out of town — do not make things too hard for them."

Pang Yu ran to the table, picked up the congee, and gulped it down in two mouthfuls. "Got it!"