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The servant lowered the chair on which the elderly lady sat, and she leaned on her walking stick, sternly commanding, “Unfilial wretch, ever since you acknowledged your heritage, you have never kowtowed to me. Every time you visit your maternal home, you don’t even come to see me. I heard you came here today to wish me a happy birthday, so why didn’t you go to my courtyard instead?” Her voice resonated like a loud bell.
Chen Feng replied, “Madam, if you don’t come here, I will visit the Longevity Pavilion to see you. One reason for my visit is to offer my respects and best wishes, and the other is to relay a message on someone’s behalf.” With that, she had the servant bring the gifts in front of the elderly lady, adding, “This wine was bought in the capital, and the brocade was a tribute from Princess Changhua. I haven’t used them and have brought them for you.”
Seeing the gifts, the elderly lady’s pale face flushed with anger as she exclaimed, “You call this a birthday gift for me?”
“Of course, it’s worth hundreds of taels of silver, a grand gift.” Chen Feng replied. “If you don’t like it, you can pass it on to my father and my sisters, they will surely appreciate it.”
The elderly lady fixed her gaze on Chen Feng and slowly uttered each word, “Today, you must kowtow to me. I’ve been waiting a long time for this. Even if you refuse, you’ll have to kowtow now! With so many people watching, not paying your respects during a birthday celebration is a grave display of filial impiety.”
Chen Feng straightforwardly agreed, “Alright, I’ll kowtow after I finish conveying the message.” She raised her voice, stating, “Madam, I dreamt of my grandfather last night. He appeared thin and pale. He cried, saying his illness should have improved with joy, and he shouldn’t have died so soon. It was all because someone offended the Bodhisattva with deceitful actions, leading to his premature death. He asked me to pass on a message to you, advising you to accumulate merit in your words and actions. My father has faced many challenges to reach his current position, please don’t ruin his reputation completely. My grandfather also expressed missing you and mentioned that he will visit the Longevity Pavilion in the coming days. If you see a small white head floating in the air at night, don’t be afraid, that’s…”
Before Chen Feng could finish her words, the elderly lady let out a loud scream, “Ghost, ghost, ghost, stay away from me…” She continued shouting and fell to the ground suddenly. The servant hurriedly helped her up and sat her back in the chair, but she kept crying and wailing.
The commotion caused chaos in the room instantly.
Qing Feng and Mama Li quickly escorted Chen Feng to a distant wall, shielding her. Chen Yuqing and her siblings moved away from the elderly lady, alarmed.
Mama Song carried the frightened Chu Hanyan to another room, where the little girl cried uncontrollably, repeatedly saying, “Scared, scared…”
Upon hearing the elderly lady’s screams, Chen Feng felt a deep sense of pity. She regretted bringing her to this situation, knowing what drama the elderly lady was about to perform.
Madam Jiang and many of the servants knew about the commotion caused by the elderly lady last year in the dead of night, claiming to have seen a ghost. Was it possible that the deceased elderly gentleman had been wronged, and that the ghostly incident was a result of him seeking out the elderly lady?
Pale with fright, Madam Jiang quickly dispatched servants to fetch a physician from the clinic to tend to the elderly lady and have her taken back to the Longevity Pavilion for rest.
The elderly lady shouted, “I won’t go back to the Longevity Pavilion… that old thing is dead, what’s the point of coming back…”
Mockingly, Chen Feng remarked, “Madam, if you have a clear conscience, there’s no need to fear ghosts knocking at your door. Are you so frightened because you truly believe my grandfather was wronged? It seems that when one has a guilty conscience, they fear ghosts haunting them.”
Ignoring Chen Feng’s taunts, the elderly lady, seemingly in a trance, shouted loudly, “He’s dead, why is he coming back? You were destined to be sickly from birth, your early demise is no fault of mine. Go and be reincarnated, don’t come looking for me. Go, go, leave quickly…”
It was unclear whether she was commanding a departing spirit or expressing her desire to leave.
Concerned about the negative impact of the elderly lady’s behavior, Madam Jiang bravely called for Chen Yuhui and several maids to assist in forcibly moving the elderly lady from the main courtyard to another area for accommodation. She reassured the elderly lady, “Don’t be afraid, tomorrow I’ll go to the temple to offer incense for my father-in-law.”
Initially reluctant to deal with the elderly lady, Chen Yuhui ultimately agreed to accompany her out of concern for the only person in the family who had been genuinely kind to her.
Unable to stay any longer, Chen Feng bid farewell with the sobbing Chu Hanyan and the servants, while Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia escorted them to the gate.
Seeing their pale and frightened faces, Chen Feng realized the depth of their fear and superstitions. She felt it necessary to confirm the truth of the situation.
Turning to them, she said, “I had a dream last night that troubled me. I debated whether to tell the elderly lady or not. Keeping silent would be disrespectful to my late grandfather, but speaking up might frighten her. Despite her robust appearance today, I decided to share. It seems that the elderly lady may have truly done… Ah, my grandfather looked so pitiful, thin as paper, crying in sorrow…”
Chen Feng’s words left the two young girls and the accompanying servants even paler, with Chen Yuxia visibly trembling.
Chen Feng gently patted the little girl’s head and reassured, “Don’t be afraid, Grandfather is good-natured. He knows who is good and who is bad, he wouldn’t come looking for you.”
Chen Yuxia collected herself and said, “Yes, I have never done anything wrong.”
Settling into the sedan chair with Chu Hanyan, Chen Feng comforted the little girl and stifled her laughter with a handkerchief. She couldn’t help but chuckle, realizing that scaring the elderly lady with ghosts had proven effective.
Upon returning to the General’s mansion, it was already noon, and they went straight to the Western dining room in the main courtyard to have lunch.
The old Marquis was already dining with Dabao, Lu, and Li Xuan.
Perplexed, Dabao asked, “Mother, wasn’t the plan to have lunch at Grandfather’s house? Why have you returned?”
Chu Hanyan patted her chest, still trembling, and said, “Grandfather’s house had ghosts, so we got scared and came back.”
Chen Feng chuckled, impressed by the little girl’s wit, realizing she could express herself through her.
Dabao and Lu were taken aback, staring wide-eyed at Chen Feng.
The old Marquis chuckled, saying, “Yanyan, don’t make up stories.”
Chu Hanyan approached the old Marquis, tugging at his sleeve earnestly, and said, “Grandfather, Hanyan isn’t making it up. There was an old lady crying and causing a scene, claiming she saw a ghost. It was quite frightening, it even made Hanyan cry.”
Chen Feng smiled at the old Marquis and explained, “It was the elderly lady from the Chen family. I mentioned dreaming about my grandfather, and she got scared, claiming to have seen a ghost…”
Understanding the elderly lady’s nature, the old Marquis commented, “She’s done so many wicked deeds, she’s probably afraid of ghosts haunting her.”
Chen Feng nodded in agreement, smiling.
Dabao quickly added, “In the future, Mother and Sister shouldn’t go to Grandfather’s house. It’s not clean there, and you might get scared.”