Chapter 299 The lesson of death
Sun Meiniang was in a nap at Bao Qin Ge when Luo Chuangu went to the kitchen to check the tonic. Suddenly, a maid came to report that Luo Chuanxiong had been “escorted” back from Sanqing Temple, and Madam Luo wanted Sun Meiniang to watch the interrogation. So, Sun Meiniang’s closest maid awakened her master. Sun Meiniang was still drowsy yet and was a bit strange about the reason why Luo Chuanxiong came back so quickly. However, the excitement finally diluted the suspicion. Before waiting for Luo Chuangu to come back, she hurriedly put on an outer garment and rushed to the ancestral hall.
As soon as she entered the hall, Sun Meiniang became confused. The hall was empty! Usually, the interrogation would convene a large number of listeners. She slowed down and walked into it, and the door suddenly closed automatically. All windows were sealed and were covered with tents. The room was immersed in darkness. It was weird and creepy. Sun Meiniang was frightened. What happened? She called her two closest maids aloud, and then suddenly remembered that both of them happened to be caught by some incidents halfway.
Sun Meiniang had always disliked
the darkness. What was more, this was the ancestral hall, which was filled with the memorial tablets. She was shuddering for staying here alone. So, she pushed the door but the door wouldn’t open. As time went by, she became anxious and shouted, “Somebody! Let me out!” However, no one responded to her. Sun Meiniang cursed, “Are you all dead!”
The last word reverberated around the beams, “Dead! Dead! Dead!”
“Die…”
Sun Meiniang felt creepy. She wasn’t sure if it was her illusion or not. A girl’s voice was mixed into the echoes, “Die…”
“Die..die…”
The voice got louder and whirled in the hall. Sun Meiniang’s eyes widened in the dark with a little horror. She said angrily, “Who’s there? Show yourself! Or, I will peel you off!” Her trembling voice revealed her fear.
“Die—”
The voice became slower and slower and changed from a female into a male. That was a rough and harsh sound, which almost scared Sun Meiniang to death.
This time, the unknown female voice got closer with erratic and sharp laughter, “Ha-ha…peel…off…”
Sun Meiniang was pregnant and was more sensitive than usual. In the past few days, she often got furious and was overjoyed. As a result, she couldn’t sleep well at night. During the daytime, she usually needed extra rest to supplement her sleep shortage. At this moment, listening to the scary words, Sun Meiniang almost passed out. Holding on to a column, she tried to cheer up and cursed, “Who dares to scare me! If I catch you, I will dig out your eyes and cut off your tongue! Bitch!”
As soon as she finished her words, the room appeared a spark of fire. Sun Meiniang was immediately attracted by it. When she came closer to check that, an illuminated woman’s face flashed by. Then, the fire faded away.
Although it was just a glimpse, the shock to Sun Meiniang was huge. “Ah-ah-ah!” She rushed to the door and banged on it frightenedly, “Open the door! This place is haunted! I am Second Mistress!”
“Second Mistress, you wronged and killed me! You…you…you…” A floating voice was above Sun Meiniang’s head, shrilling and miserable.
“Second Mistress…” The voice approached sharply. At the same time, a cold hand stretched out from behind and touched Sun Meiniang’s cheek.
Sun Meiniang had always believed in ghosts and immortals. At this moment, she was sure that she met a ghost. Under the huge panic, she had wielded her potential and yelled, “Bitch! I was not afraid of you while you were alive. How will you scare me when you are dead! You slut with your bastard son!” The moment she felt the cold hand, Sun Meiniang immediately turned around to catch it. However, nothing was there. She was terrified and was soaked in sweat.
Suddenly, the hand touched her from another direction, and she immediately rushed to grab it again. She didn’t want to surrender!
This time, she caught something round, slippery, and wet. She looked at the things in her palm, but she couldn’t see anything in this dark room. She could only smell a hint of sweet aroma. That smell was familiar to her, which was the smell of blood!
Sun Meiniang had panicked to the limit. Suddenly, the fire had jumped out again, and the faint blue light had lightened a face and the things in Sun Meiniang’s hand—a pair of fresh and bloody eyes which was looking at her as they did when Run Xiang was alive. The eyes were extremely cold and reminded Sun Meiniang of Run Xiang’s last expression!
“Ah!” Sun Meiniang fell to the ground with a scream and then became unconscious.
Shuttling and rustling sounds came from the darkness mixed with murmured conversations. “Will anything happen to her baby?”
“Madam, just rest assured. Grandfather’s strategy is perfect. After you see what will happen later, you won’t feel sorry for her anymore.”
“What’s next?” Madam Luo’s voice was tense as if she couldn’t breathe. “The scene is too realistic, and even I was scared. My limbs are shaking and I have difficulty breathing now.”
He Danggui’s voice was thoughtful and calm, “Open your mouth and take this. The hall is full of ancestors’ spirits, and they will bless us.”
“It’s bitter. What is this?”
“It is Zhengqi pill, a medicine made by me. Just take it. I followed my grandfather’s instructions and lit the fragrance. The smell can make one nervous and uneasy. Second Aunt is a clever person. We must use some special means to scare her.”
“This woman is extremely vicious and disgusting. I will deprive her title of this family today. From now on, she is not Luo Chuangu’s wife. Never call her aunt again!”
“I see. How should I call her then?”
“Just call the name!”
“As you say.”
Sun Meiniang felt that she was immersed in icy water vapor. She shuddered as she saw Run Xiang’s horrible eyeless face again in her dreams. That face was full of blood and tears. When she looked at that face, it opened its mouth to reveal the empty gums inside and the scarlet tongue, much of which was missing.
“Ah!” Sun Meiniang was frightened once again. She suddenly sat up with cold sweat all over her body.
She gasped hard, recalling the last time she saw the living Run Xiang. Run Xiang’s toothless mouth was bleeding and her eyes were spiteful. Sun Meiniang felt that the face was behind her all the time.
Sun Meiniang had been angry since the last time somebody told her the affair about Luo Chuangu and Run Xiang. She hated their shameless behavior but could not lose her anger on Luo Chuangu. So, she turned to Run Xiang. Run Xiang pleaded sincerely at the time, saying that she was wronged and was forced by Luo Chuangu. Luo Chuangu was not the father of the child in her belly. However, Sun Meiniang refused to believe her words. She ordered to pull out her teeth, strip her clothes, and hang her upside down in the woodshed.
Later, He Danggui said this in front of Madam Luo. Madam Luo asked to release Run Xiang, but the person sent there came back empty-handed and whispered to Madam Luo. Madam Luo’s face suddenly became angry. Sun Meiniang had guessed that Run Xiang was probably frozen to death with her baby. So, later, she hurriedly came back to Bao Qin Ge to check the situation. However, she almost vomited after entering the woodshed.
Bah…
That damn bitch was crazy. Run Xiang dug her eyes out before she died. Besides, she cut off half of her tongue with a hatchet and wrote a line of words with it on the wall, “Sun Meiniang, my child and I will stare at you forever until you die.”
Sun Meiniang was numb. She felt that the embryo in her belly had shrunk into a ball like a dead meatball. Ding Rong’s wife quickly helped her to leave there and ordered to dismantle the woodshed. Later then on, she burned folium artemisiae argyi in Bao Qin Ge to wipe out Run Xiang’s spirit.
When Luo Chuangu heard about this, he was terrified as well. The smooth, white, and tender face of Run Xiang immediately turned terrifying. After that, he slept with Sun Meiniang every night with lights on. However, the two still felt uneasy. Sun Meiniang, who saw the scene in person, had been keeping recalling it in her dreams.
Sometimes in the daytime, Sun Meiniang often felt that Run Xiang was following her like a shadow. Whenever she had that feeling, her lower abdomen would catch great pain. This baby was very important to her. She was worried that the fetus would die again. So, she asked for every protecting spell from various fortune-tellers and Taoist priests.
She did a lot of bad things, and sometimes she would face retaliation. The more vicious she was, the tighter the noose around her neck would be.
At this moment, Sun Meiniang had seen Run Xiang’s dead face. As a result, she suffered a serious mental shock. After waking up again, she couldn’t wipe the scene in her head, and the feeling of the pair of wet eyeballs was still in her palm. Sun Meiniang took a deep breath, but it was unable to help her settle down. Sniffing the scent of incense, she knew that she was still in the ancestral hall. She fumbled to stand up and moved forward tremblingly. Suddenly, another voice sounded behind her head. That was a high pitch from a kid—
“Mom, your floral skirt is torn!”