Chapter 10

010

There were many pedestrians on the street in front of the large mansion gate. Toward the rear of the wedding procession, two household servants lifted a basket of copper coins together, occasionally grabbing a handful from the basket and scattering them to both sides.

Each time they scattered the coins, the onlookers surged forward to scramble for those that had fallen to the ground, all the while incessantly uttering flattering auspicious words in hopes of coaxing the servants into throwing a few more handfuls.

One of the copper coins landed particularly fortuitously right next to the Little Young Master’s foot at the entrance.

Su Ximu crouched down, picked up the copper coin, and then followed the flow of people into the Wang Family Courtyard.

As an auntie, she had no qualification to worship in the hall and marry alongside the lord.

After crossing the brazier, the Ninth Concubine continued to be supported by the matron of honor. She did not even enter the main hall before she was sent to her own small courtyard.

Red lanterns hung high in the small courtyard, and even the doorposts were wrapped in red celebratory fabric.

However, the courtyard walls were a dull grayish-white, and the tiles were an even darker shade.

As one walked from outside the courtyard into it, an inexplicable sense of isolation from all the external revelry settled in.

The old woman who helped ‘Ninth Concubine’ sit on the bridal bed chattered on endlessly with kind words: “Ninth Granny, the lord truly favors you! Our mansion hasn’t been this lively in ages—a full five days of flowing banquets!”

The old woman paid no mind to whether the new concubine beneath the red veil could see; she held up five fingers while glancing enviously toward the hem of the new concubine’s red skirt.

After all, for a woman, nothing was more crucial than having a pair of exquisite little feet bound tight.

If this Ninth Concubine had not had her feet bound into three-inch golden lotuses back home, how could the lord have taken a liking to her and brought her to the Wang Family to enjoy such fine days?

In the courtyard draped all around with red decorations, the new concubine sat on the bed like a clay statue, utterly silent.

Outside the courtyard, a servant finally noticed the Little Young Master returning home and hurriedly welcomed him into the main hall.

Lord Wang was outside entertaining the guests. In the main hall sat only Madam Wang in the position of honor on one side, along with three aunties in the lower seats.

Madam Wang, who appeared somewhat aged, fiddled bead by bead with the string of prayer beads in her hand. Her eyes half-closed, she turned a deaf ear to the celebrations outside, resembling a clay statue.

This matched perfectly the stereotypical image many held of the principal wife.

Unlike the seemingly aged madam, the three aunties in the lower seats were far younger and more beautiful.

Upon witnessing this scene, Su Ximu—welcomed in by the ‘servants’—suddenly gained some insight into the Little Young Master’s mindset from the script.

The madam with frost already whitening her temples.

The three aunties in the bloom of youth.

And the bride just welcomed through the door today.

All of them belonged to one husband.

From the moment he entered this grand residence, Su Ximu had faintly sensed the surrounding air grow colder.

It was still broad daylight, yet he kept spacing out, under the impression that the mansion sat amid twilight.

He could not help admiring the Tourist Garden’s designer inwardly.

A servant announced: “Madam, Fifth Granny, Seventh Granny, Eighth Granny—the Little Young Master has returned.”

Su Ximu stepped forward and paid his respects: “Greetings to Mother, Fifth Mother, Seventh Mother, and Eighth Mother.”

He had long held no memory or affection for his birth parents, so when immersed in work, the formal address came fluently.

Madam Wang showed no warmth toward this youngest son. She merely nodded at him, gestured for him to find a seat on his own, and then ignored him.

Su Ximu knew the reason. From the script’s viewpoint, the Little Young Master was the child of the Wang Family’s third auntie, and since the principal wife had her own offspring, she felt no closeness toward him.

From outside the script, his work for the day was complete.

He had shown his face on the street, eavesdropped on the Wang Family servants’ chatter about Ninth Concubine’s background and origins, and been welcomed into the residence.

For the rest of the time, he simply needed to play the wooden log here, show his face a bit, and once night fell outside, he could head back to the Employee Dormitory for rest.

His colleagues knew his scenes and would not toss any more roles his way.

After a long while, a great many strings of firecrackers probably went off outside.

The madam, who had kept her eyes closed in silent recitation of scriptures, opened them. Seeing the long-robed youth still lingering there without departing, she grew somewhat impatient and said indifferently: “You’ve endured the toils of travel all the way here. Go back and rest first. I have no need of your company.”

Su Ximu, who had sat obediently on the wooden chair for quite some time, immediately caught his colleague’s good intentions and played along: “My thanks for Mother’s understanding. This son will take his leave then.”

The madam closed her eyes once more and nodded.

The long-robed youth backed away two steps before turning to leave the main hall.

As he departed, Su Ximu tried to spot the main hall’s camera.

He wondered if his bit of improvisation had broken immersion for the tourist visitors.

Next time he picked up a line, he could make his tone more natural.

He reflected and summed up to himself.

The ‘Little Young Master’—who appeared to take formal leave but had in truth clocked out—resolved against adding extra scenes for himself. He did not even inquire of the ‘servants’ greeting him along the way about his room’s location. Instead, he meandered through the residence in a leisurely idle stroll.

He intended to locate the Employee Canteen within the mansion.

His group leader Blue 242 had instructed him that all food visible during work hours consisted of recycled props, tasting even worse than sewer swill. For a proper meal, he should head to the Employee Canteen marked on the map to collect a boxed lunch.

On his first pass through, Su Ximu failed to find the canteen.

The Wang Family Courtyard featured courtyards nested within courtyards. As he passed the entrance to a second-level siheyuan for the second time, he heard irrepressible clamor emanating from within.

A man who looked fair-skinned and delicate burst out from the courtyard, struggling as he shouted: “Get lost! All of you, get lost! Scram!”

Chasing after him came an old woman and a maidservant.

The old woman pursued while yelling: “Sixth Granny, don’t run! Today is the lord marrying Ninth Granny—such a grand joyous occasion, with guests filling the outside. The lord ordered your confinement; don’t rush out and cause offense.”

“What are the people outside doing? Hurry and stop Sixth Granny!”

With those words, several more servant lads rushed over and surrounded him.

They dared not lay hands on Sixth Granny—that was the lord’s woman.

The delicate man at the center wore a ferocious, terrified expression: “Are you all blind? I’m a man. This damned game—I’m quitting, you hear me!”

Once those words escaped him, everything save “Are you all blind?” dissolved into a string of muffled whimpers, an incomprehensible hysterical babble.

In the next instant, the servant lads encircling him, along with the belated old woman and maidservant, all darkened their faces.

The old woman repeated expressionlessly: “Sixth Granny, please return to your room.”

“I said I’m quitting! Can’t you understand plain speech?”

To Su Ximu’s ears, it came out as more whimpering.

He halted his canteen search, found a small stool to sit on, and prepared to pick up some tips from this colleague’s explosive acting.

Just moments ago, he had realized that the scriptwriter for us park performers must be the sort who penned without fussing over details.

Evidently, this Sixth Granny was a male auntie!

He had offended the lord, earned confinement, and now resisted in utter despair and grief over his plight.

That much showed in how he had no chance to keep arguing with the others and dissolved into whimpers.

Across from him, the servant lads—who moments before displayed varied expressions—now all wore identical blank faces, just like the speaking old woman. Expressionless, they gradually tightened the encirclement.

The circle shrank smaller and smaller, until one servant lad raised his hand…

Suddenly, clamor erupted from the neighboring courtyard, followed by a red figure charging out.

Like a fixed NPC, an old woman and maidservant trailed this red figure, shouting “Ninth Granny” as they gave chase.

The Ninth Granny who burst from next door ignored every ‘person’ present. In a blink, she scooped a stone from the ground, stretched her arm from outside the encirclement, and smacked it against the delicate man’s head with a smack.

She controlled the force perfectly. The delicate man, mid-collapse, promptly shut his eyes and slumped to the ground, his entire form now serene.

“Blah blah blah, what are you making such a racket for? This wretch is just jealous—today’s my big joyous day, and she’s stuck in confinement by the lord?”

“Hurry and haul her back to the courtyard, tie her up, and gag her mouth. If she ruins my bridal chamber with the lord tonight, I’ll have him kick every last one of you out!”

Rao Fei pinched his throat to bluff imperiously, inwardly sighing at the Weirds who had nearly mutated from the player’s character break.

This batch of newbies truly had rotten luck—straight into a C-Grade Instance. Without running into a powerhouse like him, so strong and helpful, whatever would they do?

As expected, after his words, the servant lads, old woman, and maidservant—all with their eerily placid, deathlike faces—snapped awake like from a dream. They clumsily set about carrying the person back.

With the matter settled, Rao Fei turned to hurry back to his room before the old woman and maidservant chasing him could warp.

But upon looking up, he spotted the long-robed youth perched on a small stool beside the rockery.

The youth rested both hands on his knees, posture impeccably obedient, clearly having watched quietly for some time.

Rao Fei froze, finding this Little Young Master oddly familiar.

Su Ximu blinked, deeming this colleague oddly familiar as well.

The two locked eyes, momentarily rooted to the spot.