The good place Cao Zixin mentioned for burning paper money was actually Changmen Shop, under a small bridge at the intersection of West Street.
This section of the river was narrow, but there was another world under the bridge. The bridge was right above their heads, and the riverbank was wide enough for two people to stand side by side. The sun was setting, and half of the area under the bridge was dark, while the other half was bright. The golden light of dusk stretched out on the surface of the river. Yu Shu squatted in the dark and used a branch to poke at the burning paper money. She stuffed the paper money into the fire one by one, and stared at the flames in a daze.
"Don't you want to say something?" Cao Zixin said.
"Say what?" She wanted to say, but how could she say it? She was burning paper money for herself. Could she wish for an early death?
No, this paper money was burned for the unlucky little girl who died in the ancestral hall. Then she should ask "her" to know in the underworld and let go of this life's fate as soon as possible and go to reincarnate. She would take care of her brother. As for the mean mother, forget it. She would also take care of her.
And —
Dad, Mom, Xiaolei, I'm living well here. Don't worry about me. I can't go back, and I don't want to go back. Not everyone can have a second chance. Forgive me for being a selfish person. In this life, I want to live clean and free.
"Don't ordinary people have to say something when burning paper money? Didn't you say you want to pray to ghosts and gods to change your luck? " Cao Zixin squatted down beside Yu Shu, picked up the paper money that fell outside the fire, and threw it into the fire piece by piece.
"Congratulations on getting rich." Yu Shu whispered. Because her nose was sore, her throat was a little tight.
"Shouldn't you say something to pray for good luck?"
"I begged just now. Now, I'm begging for you, shopkeeper." Yu Shu sniffled hard and swallowed her useless words. She grabbed the last bit of paper money and threw it into the fire. She muttered to herself as she poked at the fire, "I'm begging you.
"All ghosts and deities, please bless our shopkeeper's business to prosper and bring in more money. Hmm, let him marry a beautiful woman as soon as possible and give birth to a chubby boy for him. In the future, he will be able to pass the examination to become a minister."
"This little brat." Cao Zixin could not help but laugh. His elbow was bumped. When he turned his head, he saw the teenager winking at him.
"Shopkeeper, I've been very kind to you, right? I've said all the good things to you. In the future, when you get married and have children, don't forget to invite me to your wedding feast."
Cao Zixin was amused no matter how he looked at the quick-witted and likable face in front of him. He chuckled, dusted off the dust on his hands and stood up.
"Alright, I'll personally toast you three times then."
Yu Shu looked at Cao Zixin's hand that was reaching out to pull her up and grinned.
"Deal?"
"It's a deal."
"Pa!" Yu Shu stretched out her hand and gave Cao Zixin's hand a hard slap. She pulled his sleeve and stood up.
***
After burning the joss paper, Yu Shu found an excuse to get rid of Shopkeeper Cao. She took a detour on Changmen Street and picked around. She bought half a catty of sesame cake, four taels of fried melon seeds, two taels of sugar-pickled white gourd strips, and finally, she reluctantly wrapped three piping hot mutton pancakes. She spent half of the tael that Second Young Master Ji gave her yesterday, leaving her with forty to fifty cents and a handful of copper coins.
Fearing that the cold meat pancakes wouldn't taste good, Yu Shu put away the change and jogged home with a string of pastries tied with string.
"Aunt Liu, I'm back. Hurry —"
As soon as Yu Shu entered the courtyard, she ran to Aunt Liu, who was fetching water from the well. She switched the things in her left hand to her right hand and picked up a hot mutton pancake from the oiled paper bag in her arms. She held it in front of Aunt Liu.
"Eat it while it's hot."
Aunt Liu smelled the meat and looked at Yu Shu's big and small bags. She didn't have time to be moved. She first asked in surprise,
"Miss, where did you get this? This, this — you didn't cut your hair again, did you?"
"No," Yu Shu denied it immediately. She stuffed the meat pancake into Aunt Liu's hands and tilted her head to show her the back of her head, "Look, it's not missing, right?"
Aunt Liu looked at the hair hanging down to the back of her head and confirmed the length. She raised the mutton pancake in her hands and asked suspiciously,
"Then where did you get the money to buy these?"
"Yesterday at Xiaoxige, Niang gave it to me. She said she wanted me and Didi to buy some good food," Yu Shu lied without blinking. She took a bite of the pancake in Auntie Liu's hand and ran into the room like a wisp of smoke.
The meat pancake emitted a fragrant aroma. Aunt Liu, who hadn't eaten meat for a long time, was aroused. She swallowed and hesitantly brought the pancake to her mouth. She took two bites at a time and walked into the house while thinking. When there was only one pancake left, she remembered that the bucket was still at the bottom of the well. She hurried out and heard Yu Shu shouting at the door of the house,
"Aunt Liu, where is Xiaoxiu? Why isn't he in the house?"
"Oh, Young Master Cousin came to the house in the afternoon, so he asked Young Master to play."
It turned out that Yu Xiaoxiu still had playmates. She thought that he didn't have any friends and only had her, his older sister, to rely on. That made sense. How could a teenager not have a playmate?
Yu Shu leaned against the door frame with the half-round mutton pancake in her mouth. She felt a little strange.
Young Master Cousin of the Ji family? The only son of Great Aunt Ji, who married County Magistrate Ma of Yiyang City?
He should be about the same age as Yu Xiaoxiu. But their identities were so far apart, and Yu Xiaoxiu was stubborn. Could they really play with him?
"Alas." It was really not easy to be an elder sister. She had to worry all day for fear that the child would be led astray or bullied. Yu Shu took a big bite of the meat pancake with melancholy.
"Miss, it's almost time for dinner. I can't free myself. Go find Young Master and ask him to come back for dinner." Aunt Liu shouted in the yard.
"Got it. I'll go now."
Yu Shu finished the pancake in two or three bites and let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the snacks and candies on the table and thought of Yu Xiaoxiu's greedy appearance when he ate. She was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. She wiped her oily mouth and hands with a handkerchief. She took the remaining mutton pancake and went out to find him.
The compound that the siblings lived in was under the third branch, Ji Hyotani. It was just south of the West Stride Courtyard.
Yu Shu walked half a circle outside the compound and didn't find anyone. She thought about it and went straight north. Along the way, she met maids and guards. She would ask them politely. Some of them were friendly. They saw Young Master Cousin and his group of children in the afternoon and would point her in the direction.
After a while, Yu Shu found her way to the entrance of a small garden. At this time, the sky was already dark. There were lanterns hanging on the walkway. When it was time to eat in the mansion, some places were very deserted. There wasn't even a single idle person in the walkway. Therefore, some sounds were especially clear.
"Crawl, crawl. Cousin told you to crawl. You dare not listen. Do you want to get beaten again?"
"Hmph, this young master doesn't want to play anymore. Tie him up for me. Tie him to a tree and take off his pants. Little Liang, go find some maids. Haha!"
"Hiss! You bastard, you dare to bite me! I'll give you a taste of my power! "
"Pa!"
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