Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Xie Lingya held Brother Pheasant in his arms, gently stroking its back. A cell phone sat on the table beside him. Everyone who witnessed this scene couldn’t help but sigh at the special treatment the chicken received for saving their lives.
Shi Changxuan, who knew the truth, said, “…Let’s just leave it at that?”
It didn’t seem right to keep harassing Brother Pheasant like this.
Even Guo Xing, who hadn’t been saved by Brother Pheasant, felt a pang of sympathy. “Look, it’s too scared to even move.”
Xie Lingya was about to reply when his phone rang. He picked it up and said a few words, “Um, um… okay, is that alright? Um, no problem…”
Earlier, Wen Jing had told Xie Lingya that his wife indeed didn’t want to change the wedding date; his dejected tone was evident on the phone. Xie Lingya had anticipated this and told him there were other ways to ward off evil, and to ask about that.
Now, Wen Jing called to say it was all settled. Their family had discussed changing the date several times, and presumably because of this, the added items seemed acceptable. So after Wen Jing’s wife asked what the changes were, she felt it wouldn’t have a significant impact and agreed. After all, even non-superstitious families still have some traditional wedding customs.
“Will you be my best man?” Wen Jing asked. And Xie Lingya naturally agreed.
Wen Jing then added, “Remember not to dress too handsomely…”
Xie Lingya: “…”
After hanging up, Xie Lingya said, “It’s settled— this is what I was thinking, the more capable, the more work, and Brother Pheasant has experience. If it were any other chicken, after bleeding it, do you think Wen Jing’s family would eat it, or would we take it home and raise it?”
Everyone was speechless.
“I’ll only bleed a little bit.” Xie Lingya gestured and touched Brother Pheasant’s neck. “Don’t worry.”
Brother Pheasant: “…”
After the others at Baoyang Temple learned that Xie Lingya was taking Brother Pheasant to ward off evil spirits, they all felt great sympathy for Brother Pheasant. Hai Guanchao even specially prepared some delicious food for Brother Pheasant. “You’ve suffered. I promised to bring you back to enjoy life, but I didn’t expect this sponge spirit to be so heartless…”
Xie Lingya raised an eyebrow. “Don’t take advantage of Brother Pheasant’s inability to speak. His awareness might be much higher than yours.”
Hai Guanchao: “Pah! Look, Brother Pheasant can’t even eat anything good.”
….
On the wedding day, Xie Lingya packed everything into a backpack and put Brother Pheasant in as well, leaving only an opening for Brother Pheasant to breathe.
He then first took the bus to Wen Jing’s house. On the way, Brother Pheasant moved around in the backpack.
Upon seeing this, the girl next to him exclaimed excitedly, “Handsome, do you have a cat in your bag? Or a dog?”
Xie Lingya casually replied, “A rooster.”
The girl fell speechless. Her face instantly turned red, a dark blush appearing on her cheeks as she stared at Xie Lingya in disbelief.
Xie Lingya quickly realized the misunderstanding and rummaged through his bag, letting the rooster peek out. “I meant a rooster.”
The girl fell speechless again. People on the bus turned to look, wondering if this was the current fashion trend? A young, handsome guy raising chickens?
Xie Lingya carried the rooster to Wen Jing’s house and greeted his family. Wen Jing’s relatives, knowing he was not only the best man but also there to help ward off bad luck, were particularly friendly.
Wen Jing himself was putting on his tuxedo. “Lao Xie is here. Try on your clothes.”
He had only asked for the size before buying them for Xie Lingya and he hadn’t actually tried them on. But once he put them on, they fit him quite well. He rarely wore formal attire like this; he usually wore hoodies, T-shirts, or jeans. This outfit thus gave him a different look from his everyday clothes and his ceremonial robes.
Because he was to be a groomsman today, he didn’t bring Liu Lingtong along; otherwise, what would it look like for a groomsman to have a doll hanging on his body?
The other two groomsmen were Wen Jing’s younger brothers, and standing next to Xie Lingya, they wanted to cry, “Brother, why did you trick us?”
“I did it to myself as well…” Wen Jing pretended to wipe away tears.
A photographer was hired to follow the entire wedding. He filmed the groom and groomsmen trying on their suits and arranging the wedding attire. Only when the auspicious hour arrived did they leave to pick up the bride.
The whole process was that the groom would go to the bride’s house to pick her up, stay at the bridal chamber for a while, and up to this point, he would be accompanied by relatives. Then they would go to a hotel for lunch to entertain the guests. Upon arriving at the bride’s house, they were naturally blocked at the door. The bridesmaids first put them in a difficult position, making it hard for them to find where the bride’s shoes were hidden.
The first shoe was usually hidden under the dress, like water. When the groom was asked questions, the groomsmen helped him find the other shoe. The bridesmaids winked and hinted that the shoe was in that room.
However, the three groomsmen couldn’t find it at all. After answering all the questions, Wen Jing asked anxiously, “Lao Xie, what did I call you here for?”
Xie Lingya thought to himself, “Damn, wasn’t I here to ward off evil spirits?”
Wen Jing replied, “To seduce the bridesmaids!”
Xie Lingya was speechless. “…I have a boyfriend!”
This little game wasn’t too difficult for the groom. The bride’s relatives gave a hint, and everyone realized it was probably hanging inside a floor lamp shade.
Wen Jing thus lunged forward and reached inside but found nothing. Frustrated, he said, “Why are you playing tricks on us?”
The bride’s relatives scratched their heads and said, “That’s exactly where I saw it last. I don’t know where they went after that.”
People were coming and going in the room, especially just now, with people blocking the door and watching. Who knew who had moved them?
Wen Jing then pulled one of the bridesmaids, “Sister, tell your brother-in-law!”
The bridesmaid laughed and said, “I don’t know either. We really hid it inside the lamp.”
Wen Jing looked around, “It’s such a small place, where could it be hidden… Brothers, let’s tear down the ceiling!”
He actually pulled everyone up on stools and started touching the ceiling.
While the several bridesmaids huddled together, whispering, “Where did you put it?”
“I don’t know… Didn’t you change it?”
“Ugh, I didn’t, I thought it was you two.”
“Did Auntie change it?”
They looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Just as they were wondering whether to ask other relatives, Wen Jing removed a piece of ceiling material, and sure enough, a new shoe fell down!
Xie Lingya, who was standing below supporting Wen Jing, reached out and grabbed the shoe.
“Wow—you guys actually hid it in the ceiling!”
“Pfft, who put it up there?”
“Oh my god, I have no memory of it, who put it there…”
Amidst the laughter, Xie Lingya held the high heel thoughtfully. He sensed an unusual aura emanating from the shoe— not a foul smell, and not that of a new shoe— but a damp, eerie aura.
The faint, almost imperceptible aura emanating from the shoe puzzled Xie Lingya. The “Hemp-Clad Demon” was supposed to appear at the wedding, not during the wedding procession. How could such a malevolent spirit be at work? Could it be something else entirely?
Before he could ponder further, Wen Jing had already taken the shoes and helped the bride put them on.
Xie Lingya suppressed his thoughts. Whatever it was, with Brother Pheasant around today, no one could cause trouble.
Wen Jing led the bride downstairs, preparing to take the wedding car to their new home. And Xie Lingya, carrying a bag containing Brother Pheasant, got into the car with the bridesmaids and the newlyweds.
Wen Jing’s new wife was named Jiang Qiqi and this was the first time Xie Lingya had met her.
Xie Lingya placed Brother Pheasant at her feet, noticing Jiang Qiqi constantly turning back to look at her, wondering if she was bothered by the chicken.
Jiang Qiqi met Xie Lingya’s gaze, smiled shyly, and said, “Thank you for your help today.”
Xie Lingya simply replied, “It’s nothing.”
Jiang Qiqi continued, “Luckily you came up with these solutions, otherwise we would have argued about whether to reschedule or not. I wanted to hold the wedding there, so rescheduling would mean delaying it by at least two months…” She paused, then remembering that Xie Lingya was also “superstitious” and had even suggested rescheduling, she changed the subject, saying, “Anyway, thank you for your help.”
Xie Lingya didn’t seem to notice her thoughts, but he was surprised at Jiang Qiqi who had been so loud on the phone with Wen Jing, yet she was speaking so softly in front of outsiders. It was truly unexpected.
“It was just a small favor; the most important thing is that everyone is happy at the wedding,” Xie Lingya said.
Wen Jing was still somewhat shaken. That’s true, but the larger the event, the more friction there was in arranging it. Anyway, he felt a sense of relief that the wedding going smoothly today.
Oh no, he wouldn’t truly be free until the evening.
After getting out of the wedding car, the photographer from the car behind ran over, looking hesitant.
Wen Jing asked, “What’s wrong?”
The photographer leaned closer and showed him the footage on his camera. “…I just looked back at the footage I took on the road, and I saw a person in white.”
Wen Jing’s face paled instantly, and his heart pounded. “Wh-what?”
The photographer worked for a wedding planning company. And because he had experienced many weddings, he knew a lot about customs and had some knowledge of the “God of Happiness.” He hadn’t noticed it while filming, but he saw something wrong when he replayed it. He had also overheard the elders from both sides mentioning that they were facing a “Ma” (a type of malevolent spirit) today, which made him increasingly panicked. He thus showed it to them.
The footage the photographer described showed a person dressed in white hemp clothing standing by the roadside at a bend in the road, holding a bamboo cane. The person’s body turned as vehicles passed by, always facing the cars. The person in hemp clothing had its head down, and long hair covered most of its face, making it impossible to see their features. It just seemed to be staring at the cars.
“Ma” spirits could appear during the day, and people could see their forms.
Wen Jing stared blankly, then Jiang Qiqi peeked in, her face a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. Finally, she stiffly said, “…Just a coincidence.”
“It’s alright, come in,” Xie Lingya calmly called out.
The other relatives, who had overheard the conversation and wanted to join in, fell silent after hearing Xie Lingya’s words. In times like these, it was best to listen to the professionals.
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