Chapter 12 Jin Zijin’s Home

Gu Youyou felt a pang of sadness; after all, Grandpa Gu was the only person in the world who truly cared for her.

“Grandpa, I’m fine, don’t cry.”

Her voice was soft as a whisper, yet incredibly melodious. Grandpa Gu quickly responded, “Oh, alright, Youyou will get better. Zijing is a good person; he promised to take good care of you. Listen to him; he won’t harm you.”

Hearing this, Gu Youyou felt a little strange, but she didn’t dwell on it, and was carried away by Matchmaker Zhang.
At least she could leave this room; once she felt better, she could go anywhere.

Behind her came a child’s cheer: “Oh, hahaha… my little ghost sister is being carried to someone else’s house!”

Gu Youyou: “…” This brat.

…

Gu Youyou was carried into a small sedan chair by two people. This was quite rare even among farming families; most families used oxcarts for their daughters’ weddings.

This caused another wave of sour grapes.

A little girl, around ten years old, said, “Mother, I want to ride in a sedan chair when I get married.”

The people around burst into laughter.

The woman next to the little girl slapped her hard on the forehead and snapped, “You brat, what are you saying? Have you no shame?”
How could an unmarried girl say such things? Luckily, she was still young; if she were thirteen or fourteen, the laughter wouldn’t be so harsh.

Gu Youyou calculated the distance; the two of them carrying the sedan chair would only take half an hour, not far from the Gu family home.

Indeed, they were from the same village, so it couldn’t be far.

She stepped out of the sedan chair, and her yet-to-be-met husband carried her out.

Jin Zijin, holding her bony frame, only frowned slightly, showing little reaction, and led her into his fenced yard.
A gust of wind blew, removing her veil. The intense sunlight, shining into her eyes that hadn’t seen the light for ten years, caused temporary blindness. Gu Youyou instinctively closed her eyes quietly.

A series of screams rang out, undoubtedly from people frightened by Gu Youyou’s appearance.

The timid children were already crying, and their mothers were also terrified, trembling as they comforted their children.

Zhang the matchmaker quickly picked up the veil and placed it over Gu Youyou’s head, saying, “Don’t be afraid, everyone. Youyou is just sick. Once she gets better, she’ll be just like everyone else.”

The villagers then realized, yes, she was just sick. It’s no wonder someone who’s been sick for ten years wouldn’t look human.
Actually, in that short time, only a few people nearby had seen her, and they only caught a glimpse before Zhang the matchmaker quickly blocked it. The screams that followed were purely self-inflicted.

Gu Youyou didn’t care about the villagers’ reactions. What intrigued her was that Jin Zijin, who was holding her, wasn’t scared enough to throw her away when he saw her ghostly appearance, even though she was clinging tightly to his clothes out of fear.

She had originally planned to scare him when the veil was lifted, but it seemed that wouldn’t work.
In the simple thatched house, Gu Youyou lay quietly on the bed.

She looked around the room; the rough, leaky structure was made of mud walls and thatched roof, riddled with holes, but it was fairly clean. Auspicious red “double happiness” characters were pasted on the windows and door, and her dowry—three large red chests—was placed against the wall. A pair of red candles burned at the head of the bed. However, the red hues throughout the room seemed incongruous with the dilapidated state of the house. Gu Youyou sighed, “They’re really poor.”