My Lady Always Lacks Ambition
Author: Yan Xiaomo
Chapter 276 - 275: Even Ghosts Are Afraid of Big Sister When Sheâs Fierce
The man who came to the Coffin Shop looking for Old Man Guan was surnamed Wang and called Dayong. He was a villager from a suburban area called Wang Family Village. This time, he came due to some mishaps that occurred during his familyâs funeral.
As Qin Liuxi said, when they tried to lift the coffin of the old man for burial, it couldnât be lifted.
Wang Dayong looked at Qin Liuxi somewhat defensively and asked, "How do you know about this?"
"Just tell me, is what I said wrong?"
Wang Dayong swallowed, wanting to drink some water, but there was nothing here, so he could only swallow dryly and said, "Thatâs right. My father has been dead for several days, and today, when we tried to lift the coffin for burial, it felt as heavy as if it weighed a ton, and we just couldnât lift it. Later, the young men in the village all came to help lift it, and we barely managed to do so, but unexpectedly, not only did the coffin fall, but it also hit the candles on the altar. The candles fell on the coffin lid and started a fire."
Wang Dayong recalled that scene, and didnât know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt a chill on his back and swallowed again.
Qin Mingchun also listened on the side, feeling terrified, and moved in small, shuffling steps closer to Qin Liuxi.
"Scared?" Qin Liuxi glanced at him and said, "Sit at the door, Chen Pi, take him outside."
Chen Pi responded and took Qin Mingchunâs hand to walk out.
Once Qin Mingchun reached the sunlight, he felt a bit warmer and glanced at the door of the Coffin Shop, whispering, "Brother Chen Pi, is Big Sister not afraid?"
Chen Pi smiled and said, "Thereâs nothing to be afraid of here, weâve seen much scarier things. But the master is not afraid of anything."
At least he had never seen her [Qin Liuxi] afraid.
Qin Mingchun pursed his bright red lips, muttering, "Thatâs true, when Big Sister gets fierce, even ghosts are afraid of her!"
Chen Pi: "..."
You just revealed a truth.
Inside the shop, Wang Dayong continued talking about the strange occurrences at home.
"The candle that fell on the coffin, logically, should have rolled off, but it didnât. It just kept burning, and we were all in a frantic rush trying to put it out. It took some time, and in that short time, the fire had already burnt a corner of the coffin lid. A burnt coffin is an inauspicious sign; we didnât dare to let my old father go on his way like that, so we came to the Coffin Shop, hoping that Old Man Guan could rush to make a coffin, or at least patch it up if making a new one wasnât feasible. But unfortunately, he too had passed away."
Wang Dayong sighed, then said, "Young master, you could tell whatâs happening to me just by looking, are you perhaps an expert in this line of work? The elderly in the village say that my dad doesnât want to leave, what do you think?"
"There indeed seems to be some yin object causing trouble, whether itâs other wandering ghosts or your own father, itâs hard to say," Qin Liuxi said indifferently.
This personâs Yintang area seems somewhat grayish, and his body is covered with a layer of resentful yin energy, but itâs not too harmful, so she suspects that this yin energy comes from old man Wang.
But whether it is him or not, it would be known only at the scene.
Wang Dayong, after hearing this, almost jumped up, saying, "Thatâs impossible, thatâs my own father, how could he possibly be causing trouble at home, arenât you just bluffing and deceiving?"
"Am I asking you for silver now?" Qin Liuxi said, "Tell me then, how did your father die?"
Wang Dayongâs face changed slightly, his eyes dodging, and he stammered, "He was an old man, how else could he die? He died of old age."
I donât believe that at all!
Seeing his expression, Qin Liuxi knew he was hiding something and then said, "If it was a natural death from old age, it shouldnât be impossible to lift the coffin. But if you donât want to say, then never mind, go back. But let me remind you, if you keep delaying the burial, if your fatherâs soul truly lingers with grievances, it might turn into an evil ghost and cause unrest for your family."
"You, youâre trying to scare me!" Wang Dayong swallowed, feeling panic inside.
Qin Liuxi smiled and pointed to the entrance: "Thatâs enough talk, the door is there, I wonât see you out."
Wang Dayong stood up and walked towards the door, taking a few steps before turning back to look at the empty shop, and asked, "Are you in this line of business? Dealing with funerals and expelling evil?"
Qin Liuxi paused for a moment before glancing over the shop, Funeral Shop?
"Not exactly, but I can handle it."
Wang Dayong said, "Youâre not conning people, are you? Thereâs nothing here."
"Just an ordinary commoner like you, at most your family has a small surplus among the common folk, how much money could there be to swindle?" Qin Liuxi said with a light smile, "Donât be fooled by my young master attire, my true identity is actually a Daoist from Qingping Temple."
"You?" Wang Dayong sized him up again. He shouldnât have mentioned it, this only made it seem more like a scam, pretending to be affiliated with Qingping Temple.
Seeing his disbelief, Qin Liuxi said, "Your features show you have two mothers, did your father marry two wives? The latter one, is she your stepmother?"
Wang Dayongâs breathing choked, almost unable to stand.
"Your wife is currently pregnant, isnât she? Having bloomed first before bearing fruit, you already have two daughters? Congratulations, the next one will be a boy."
Wang Dayongâs eyes lit up with excitement as he rubbed his hands and asked, "You, how did you?"
"Itâs naturally calculated from your facial features."
Wang Dayongâs heart leaped with joy: "Is my wifeâs current pregnancy really carrying a boy?"
"Compared to this, shouldnât you be more worried about your fatherâs coffin that canât be lifted? If delayed, even if your wifeâs pregnancy is safe, she will still be worn out and exhausted, handling a funeral is always a tiresome task."
Wang Dayongâs expression grew solemn, and he asked carefully: "Master, if I invite you to visit my home, how much silver would it take?"
"Ten taels."
Wang Dayong winced at the amount; though his family had a little property, ten taels of silver was still a significant amount for an ordinary farming household.
But remembering Qin Liuxiâs words, and thinking about his fatherâs death, how he died was all told by the stepmother, and due to its inglorious nature, they hadnât scrutinized it and just proceeded with the burial. Now, considering those eerie incidents, could there be some truth to them?
Wang Dayong was a filial son, genuinely dutiful at heart. Though of age himself, only having two daughters and now with a pregnant wife, he earnestly hoped for a son, and couldnât afford any mishap.
Especially since Qin Liuxi confirmed that this baby would indeed be a boy.
For his father and for his son, he had to properly send off his old father, ten taels it would be.
"Master, Iâll give the ten taels of silver, when would be convenient for you to come? By the way, I came in a bullock cart, we can go now if youâre available."
Qin Liuxi glanced at the sky, noting the hour was still early and Wang Family Village wasnât far, and agreed, "Then letâs go together."
Wang Dayong immediately beamed with joy.
Qin Liuxi asked Li Cheng to send Qin Mingchun back to the mansion, while she conveniently bought some yellow paper and vermillion at the Funeral Shop, then joined Wang Dayong on the bullock cart with Chen Pi.
Upon hearing the reward was ten taels of silver, Chen Pi sighed, "If Sister knew, sheâd say youâve changed."
Qin Liuxi replied, "He has merit on his person, a goodhearted person indeed."
As Qin Liuxi said, when they tried to lift the coffin of the old man for burial, it couldnât be lifted.
Wang Dayong looked at Qin Liuxi somewhat defensively and asked, "How do you know about this?"
"Just tell me, is what I said wrong?"
Wang Dayong swallowed, wanting to drink some water, but there was nothing here, so he could only swallow dryly and said, "Thatâs right. My father has been dead for several days, and today, when we tried to lift the coffin for burial, it felt as heavy as if it weighed a ton, and we just couldnât lift it. Later, the young men in the village all came to help lift it, and we barely managed to do so, but unexpectedly, not only did the coffin fall, but it also hit the candles on the altar. The candles fell on the coffin lid and started a fire."
Wang Dayong recalled that scene, and didnât know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt a chill on his back and swallowed again.
Qin Mingchun also listened on the side, feeling terrified, and moved in small, shuffling steps closer to Qin Liuxi.
"Scared?" Qin Liuxi glanced at him and said, "Sit at the door, Chen Pi, take him outside."
Chen Pi responded and took Qin Mingchunâs hand to walk out.
Once Qin Mingchun reached the sunlight, he felt a bit warmer and glanced at the door of the Coffin Shop, whispering, "Brother Chen Pi, is Big Sister not afraid?"
Chen Pi smiled and said, "Thereâs nothing to be afraid of here, weâve seen much scarier things. But the master is not afraid of anything."
At least he had never seen her [Qin Liuxi] afraid.
Qin Mingchun pursed his bright red lips, muttering, "Thatâs true, when Big Sister gets fierce, even ghosts are afraid of her!"
Chen Pi: "..."
You just revealed a truth.
Inside the shop, Wang Dayong continued talking about the strange occurrences at home.
"The candle that fell on the coffin, logically, should have rolled off, but it didnât. It just kept burning, and we were all in a frantic rush trying to put it out. It took some time, and in that short time, the fire had already burnt a corner of the coffin lid. A burnt coffin is an inauspicious sign; we didnât dare to let my old father go on his way like that, so we came to the Coffin Shop, hoping that Old Man Guan could rush to make a coffin, or at least patch it up if making a new one wasnât feasible. But unfortunately, he too had passed away."
Wang Dayong sighed, then said, "Young master, you could tell whatâs happening to me just by looking, are you perhaps an expert in this line of work? The elderly in the village say that my dad doesnât want to leave, what do you think?"
"There indeed seems to be some yin object causing trouble, whether itâs other wandering ghosts or your own father, itâs hard to say," Qin Liuxi said indifferently.
This personâs Yintang area seems somewhat grayish, and his body is covered with a layer of resentful yin energy, but itâs not too harmful, so she suspects that this yin energy comes from old man Wang.
But whether it is him or not, it would be known only at the scene.
Wang Dayong, after hearing this, almost jumped up, saying, "Thatâs impossible, thatâs my own father, how could he possibly be causing trouble at home, arenât you just bluffing and deceiving?"
"Am I asking you for silver now?" Qin Liuxi said, "Tell me then, how did your father die?"
Wang Dayongâs face changed slightly, his eyes dodging, and he stammered, "He was an old man, how else could he die? He died of old age."
I donât believe that at all!
Seeing his expression, Qin Liuxi knew he was hiding something and then said, "If it was a natural death from old age, it shouldnât be impossible to lift the coffin. But if you donât want to say, then never mind, go back. But let me remind you, if you keep delaying the burial, if your fatherâs soul truly lingers with grievances, it might turn into an evil ghost and cause unrest for your family."
"You, youâre trying to scare me!" Wang Dayong swallowed, feeling panic inside.
Qin Liuxi smiled and pointed to the entrance: "Thatâs enough talk, the door is there, I wonât see you out."
Wang Dayong stood up and walked towards the door, taking a few steps before turning back to look at the empty shop, and asked, "Are you in this line of business? Dealing with funerals and expelling evil?"
Qin Liuxi paused for a moment before glancing over the shop, Funeral Shop?
"Not exactly, but I can handle it."
Wang Dayong said, "Youâre not conning people, are you? Thereâs nothing here."
"Just an ordinary commoner like you, at most your family has a small surplus among the common folk, how much money could there be to swindle?" Qin Liuxi said with a light smile, "Donât be fooled by my young master attire, my true identity is actually a Daoist from Qingping Temple."
"You?" Wang Dayong sized him up again. He shouldnât have mentioned it, this only made it seem more like a scam, pretending to be affiliated with Qingping Temple.
Seeing his disbelief, Qin Liuxi said, "Your features show you have two mothers, did your father marry two wives? The latter one, is she your stepmother?"
Wang Dayongâs breathing choked, almost unable to stand.
"Your wife is currently pregnant, isnât she? Having bloomed first before bearing fruit, you already have two daughters? Congratulations, the next one will be a boy."
Wang Dayongâs eyes lit up with excitement as he rubbed his hands and asked, "You, how did you?"
"Itâs naturally calculated from your facial features."
Wang Dayongâs heart leaped with joy: "Is my wifeâs current pregnancy really carrying a boy?"
"Compared to this, shouldnât you be more worried about your fatherâs coffin that canât be lifted? If delayed, even if your wifeâs pregnancy is safe, she will still be worn out and exhausted, handling a funeral is always a tiresome task."
Wang Dayongâs expression grew solemn, and he asked carefully: "Master, if I invite you to visit my home, how much silver would it take?"
"Ten taels."
Wang Dayong winced at the amount; though his family had a little property, ten taels of silver was still a significant amount for an ordinary farming household.
But remembering Qin Liuxiâs words, and thinking about his fatherâs death, how he died was all told by the stepmother, and due to its inglorious nature, they hadnât scrutinized it and just proceeded with the burial. Now, considering those eerie incidents, could there be some truth to them?
Wang Dayong was a filial son, genuinely dutiful at heart. Though of age himself, only having two daughters and now with a pregnant wife, he earnestly hoped for a son, and couldnât afford any mishap.
Especially since Qin Liuxi confirmed that this baby would indeed be a boy.
For his father and for his son, he had to properly send off his old father, ten taels it would be.
"Master, Iâll give the ten taels of silver, when would be convenient for you to come? By the way, I came in a bullock cart, we can go now if youâre available."
Qin Liuxi glanced at the sky, noting the hour was still early and Wang Family Village wasnât far, and agreed, "Then letâs go together."
Wang Dayong immediately beamed with joy.
Qin Liuxi asked Li Cheng to send Qin Mingchun back to the mansion, while she conveniently bought some yellow paper and vermillion at the Funeral Shop, then joined Wang Dayong on the bullock cart with Chen Pi.
Upon hearing the reward was ten taels of silver, Chen Pi sighed, "If Sister knew, sheâd say youâve changed."
Qin Liuxi replied, "He has merit on his person, a goodhearted person indeed."