Wei Caiwei was stunned for a long moment before she roughly understood the meaning behind Wang Daxia's words. Her expression immediately darkened—what was this young man thinking in that head of his!
No wonder he sold his mother's estate to redeem some Miss Yingying!
Wei Caiwei casually picked up the watermelon knife she had just used, wishing she could personally castrate him!
But...
He is your husband, your real one.
Heaven took pity, allowing me to return before my husband's self-castration, not so I could do it myself.
This thought acted like an invisible hand, stopping her from harming Wang Daxia.
"What are you doing? If you have something to say, say it properly—don't resort to violence!" Wang Daxia raised a pillow to protect himself, wearing the expression of a chaste and resolute man:
"Even if you threaten me with a knife, I won't sleep with you. I don't hit women, but if you try to force yourself on an innocent man, I will definitely resist."
At this moment, Wei Caiwei truly understood Wang Commander's despair: this prodigal son only sold land to rescue a courtesan; he didn't kill anyone.
He just misunderstood me; he didn't take advantage of the situation to sleep with a young widow.
As the saying goes, choose the lesser of two evils. Wei Caiwei could only comfort herself this way.
Wei Caiwei put down the knife and pointed to the prepared wound medicine on the tray, saying, "You've got the wrong idea. I just wanted to apply medicine to your wound."
Wang Daxia thought to himself, this young widow is too embarrassed after my firm refusal to share a bed, so she's using the excuse of treating my wound to save face.
If it's just treating the wound, why are you pulling open my clothes?
Woman, I've already seen through your intentions.
See through but don't expose—that way we can act like nothing happened when we meet tomorrow.
Thinking himself magnanimous, Wang Daxia put down the protective pillow and said, "So that's what it is. I misunderstood you, Doctor Wei. However, men and women should maintain proper distance. I'll do it myself."
His expression clearly shows he doesn't trust me, Wei Caiwei thought, wishing she could use the watermelon knife to cut open Wang Daxia's head and see what he was thinking.
Seeing that Wei Caiwei wouldn't move and was still standing there looking at him, Wang Daxia thought this young widow still wouldn't give up. He hugged the pillow again as a barrier and said, "You... should go upstairs and rest early."
This guy is actually kicking me out! This is my home!
Wei Caiwei suppressed her anger and extended her right hand.
Seeing Wei Caiwei make a move, Wang Daxia hugged the pillow and shrank back. "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Wei Caiwei pointed to the wound medicine and said, "The white bottle is for external application, the blue one is for internal use. Don't get it wet, don't sweat, and I guarantee there won't even be a scar left. That'll be seventy coins total. My medicine is more expensive than what's on the market, but once you use it, you'll know it's worth it."
Seeing Wei Caiwei's all-business attitude, Wang Daxia took out a piece of silver from his bundle and gave it to her.
Wei Caiwei weighed the silver in her hand. "This is at least one and a half taels. Let me get your change."
"No need!" Wang Daxia said. "I ate your food and stayed at your place tonight—I can't do that for free. Keep the rest as payment for the meal and lodging. Tomorrow morning, after the Northern City Military Command's patrol passes by, I'll leave this place and won't disturb you anymore, Doctor Wei."
This young widow has both good looks and character, but she seems like the type who'd be hard to shake off once attached. Wang Daxia decided it would be best to keep his distance from her in the future and not flirt or create ambiguity anymore. Miss Yingying was right—women who are too clingy are trouble and not worth keeping.
Wang Daxia didn't want to owe her any favors. Their relationship should remain purely that of landlord and tenant—a simple monetary transaction.Wei Caiwei felt both annoyed and amused. Even close couples should settle accounts clearly. I treat him as my dear husband to protect, yet he sees me as a lonely widow who can't bear the solitude and seduces young men.
I was too impatient, eager to befriend him and gain his trust so I could help him avert the impending disaster facing the Wang family, but I ended up scaring him away.
Too much is as bad as too little.
"Young Master Wang is truly generous. Thank you." Wei Caiwei casually tossed the silver into the drawer on the incense altar and went upstairs carrying the lantern.
Only when he heard the door close upstairs did Wang Daxia finally put down the pillow he was using for self-defense. He sighed in relief and said to the spirit tablet on the incense altar, "Lucky it was me. If it were any other man, how could they resist? I didn't touch your wife, so don't appear as a ghost in my dreams to scare me tonight!"
Wang Daxia, one of the notorious Four Pests of the North City, had a weakness... he was afraid of ghosts.
Wang Daxia blew out the candle and went to sleep. The faint fragrance of a woman lingered on the pillow. Being at an age of youthful vigor, when he closed his eyes, he vaguely imagined the disheveled young widow lying beside him. His young heart grew restless, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Now Wang Daxia finally understood the meaning of that line from the first poem in the Book of Songs, "The Fair Maiden": "The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady: For our prince a good mate she." He was now in that state of "longing, tossing, unable to sleep," flipping back and forth on the couch like a pancake, tormented by wicked thoughts.
Suddenly, a sharp crack came from the incense altar, startling Wang Daxia so much that he sprang upright. Clutching his pillow, he trembled and asked, "Who's there?"
Of course, no one answered.
Trembling, Wang Daxia fumbled through his bundle for a flint, struck it with a whoosh, and lit the candle. It turned out that the spirit tablet inscribed "Spirit of the Deceased Wang Erlang" had fallen over on the incense altar.
Why would it fall over for no reason?
Wang Daxia straightened the tablet and carefully examined it. The incense altar was fine, standing properly. The base of the tablet was flat and sat steadily on the altar. So why had it fallen?
There was only one explanation: there was a ghost!
It must be the young widow's dead husband manifesting because he saw me fantasizing about his wife on the couch!
Wang Daxia's hair stood on end. Forgetting the risk of compromising his virtue, he rushed upstairs and knocked on the door. "Doctor Wei, there's a ghost!"
Wei Caiwei, who was also awake thinking about how to regain Wang Daxia's trust, threw on her clothes and opened the door. "What ghost?"
"Your dead husband." Seeing a living person, Wang Daxia immediately felt relieved. "His spirit tablet fell over for no reason. He must have seen you letting another man stay overnight and got so angry he's coming back from the underworld."
Wei Caiwei was speechless: My dead husband is you! What ghost!
Wei Caiwei went downstairs with Wang Daxia following behind. But then they heard a squeak as a dark shadow jumped down from the incense altar - it was a rat.
Wang Daxia took off his shoe and threw it at the shadow, killing the rat instantly.
It turned out the rat had been stealing the offerings in front of the spirit tablet and knocked it over, running away before Wang Daxia lit the candle.
A false alarm.
Wei Caiwei said, "Clean up the rat. Don't believe in ghosts and spirits. Go to sleep."
Wang Daxia nodded, pointing at the spirit tablet. "Could you please take the tablet upstairs? I... I find it creepy. I can't sleep. I keep feeling like this tablet is watching me."
Wei Caiwei found it amusing: You're afraid of yourself?
Thinking Wei Caiwei was unwilling, Wang Daxia quickly added, "I'll pay more. Is two taels enough?"Wei Caiwei gained a new understanding of her dead husband: it turned out the decisive and ruthless Depot Director Wang was afraid of ghosts!
Wang Daxia: "Five taels?"
"Not necessary. I won't take advantage of someone in distress." Wei Caiwei carried the spirit tablet upstairs.
Wang Daxia finally relaxed, sitting on the luohan bed. Just as he was about to blow out the candle, he paused, still apprehensive and afraid to sleep in darkness.
He simply left the candle burning, allowing him to sleep until dawn.
Caiwei was awakened by the calls of the street vendor selling fried dough sticks and tofu pudding in the alley.
She went downstairs and bought five fried dough sticks and a clay pot of tofu pudding. When the vendor was about to pour savory sauce over the tofu pudding, Wei Caiwei stopped him, "No need, I prefer it sweet."
As the vendor was leaving with his carrying pole, Wei Caiwei called out to him, "Wait." She fetched a small bowl from home, "Put the sauce separately here."
Her dead husband preferred savory tofu pudding.
The vendor added minced garlic and leek flower paste to the savory sauce. Just as he was about to sprinkle cilantro, Wei Caiwei said, "No cilantro."
Her dead husband detested cilantro. Whether it was wontons, tofu pudding, lamb soup, or hot pot, he couldn't stand the smell of cilantro.
The commotion from Wei Caiwei buying breakfast woke Wang Daxia. He immediately got up to dress and wash up, afraid the young widow would harass him again while he was asleep.
By the time he finished washing and wrapping his headscarf, Wei Caiwei had already set breakfast on the table.
Tofu pudding and fried dough sticks—the most ordinary fare—made Wang Daxia's mouth water. He had only eaten watermelon and brown sugar fried cake last night and was now starving, but the Northern City Military Command guards hadn't withdrawn their posts yet, so he still couldn't leave.
"Let's eat together." Wei Caiwei added two large spoonfuls of snow-white sugar to her bowl of tofu pudding.
Wang Daxia thought: Accepting food makes it hard to refuse—what if the young widow makes unreasonable demands like warming her bed...
"After all, you paid last night," Wei Caiwei said.
Oh right, I did pay.
Wang Daxia sat opposite her, served himself a bowl of tofu pudding, first sniffed the savory sauce to confirm there was no cilantro, then poured half a bowl of the sauce over it.
Wei Caiwei ate two fried dough sticks, while Wang Daxia ate three. The breakfast portion was just right—both were full, with no leftovers. This was the tacit understanding of thirty years of marriage.
As Wang Daxia put down his chopsticks, Wei Caiwei asked, "Can you wash dishes?"
Wang Daxia was a pampered young master who never did household chores. He shook his head, "No."
Wei Caiwei: "Wash the bowls—I'll teach you, it's very simple."
Wei Caiwei made Wang Daxia collect the dirty bowls and wash them with water from the backyard water vat. Wang Daxia, living under someone else's roof and no longer the second young master, had no choice but to comply. After rinsing them three times, he heard the sound of the stationed soldiers in the alley withdrawing and riding away. He quickly said, "They're gone. I can leave now. Farewell.Wang Daxia shouldered his bundle and had just touched the door bolt when he heard the clatter of horse hooves returning to the alley. Had the Northern City Military Command come back?
The horse hooves stopped right at the door, followed by someone banging loudly on it.
The knocking was rough. Wei Caiwei shot Wang Daxia a meaningful glance and asked, "Who's making such a racket outside?"
The person outside replied, "Embroidered Uniform Guard on official business! Open up!"
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