Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 53 Weird Nursery Rhymes
Su Zhan nearly cried out, nearly falling off the stool in shock. Everyone looked out from the courtyard. Not far away, beneath a large tree, stood a red figure. It resembled a woman. In the bright moonlight, the woman had long hair, a pale, expressionless face, and a strange red wedding dress. She seemed to be holding something in her arms, like... a child. The light was too dim to see clearly.

Su Zhan felt a little uneasy and his whole body was cold: "Could it be a ghost? A female ghost in red?"

Rong Wanyin jumped up in fear and hid behind Yan Mingzhang. Rong Wanyin had never been afraid of corpses or anything like that, and had even bravely checked one out last time, but she was always terrified of such strange and supernatural things.

Yan Mingzhang stood up and calmly placed Rong Wanyin behind him. He could feel the petite figure trembling. Yan Mingzhang put his hands behind his back and quietly took Rong Wanyin's hand, whispering comfortingly, "If you're scared, just close your eyes and don't look. I'm here, don't be afraid."

Rong Wanyin huddled behind Yan Mingzhang, nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and buried her head directly on Yan Mingzhang's back. Her face was pressed against the silk clothes, which were smooth; the fresh smell of Yan Mingzhang's clothes after being starched was very pleasant and fragrant. Rong Wanyin couldn't help squinting her eyes, rubbing it, and sniffing it hard. Rong Wanyin's sense of smell was more sensitive than that of ordinary people, and she loved to smell pleasant smells the most. Yan Mingzhang felt a warmth on his back, and a kitten-like head rubbed against him gently. When he realized what Rong Wanyin was doing, his body suddenly stiffened, his ears turned red, but he pretended to be calm. He looked around calmly, and found that everyone's attention was on the woman in red, so he secretly felt relieved. Yan Mingzhang slowly turned his head and glanced at the "kitten" who was rubbing against him happily. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly, thinking: What a naughty "kitten".
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On this side, Mo Yun and Chang Feng held down their swords with their hands and stood up.

Everyone was thinking of going forward to check when the old man came out of the house. Seeing this scene, he quickly apologized: "Oh, look at what's going on. Don't be afraid, dear guests. That's a crazy woman in the village. I don't know where she picked up the wedding dress and put it on. It's really weird and scary. She lives in a cave behind the mountain temple. Sometimes she has nothing to eat, so she comes here every few days to ask for food. Don't be afraid, everyone, I'll get her some food and send her away."

The old man picked up a basket, put some sweet potatoes in it, stuffed some steamed buns in it, hesitated for a moment, and then took two eggs and stuffed them in.

The old man walked forward with the basket and placed it ten steps away from the woman. He said, "Don't forget to bring the basket back next time!"

The woman didn't know whether she understood or not, she picked up the basket and ran away quickly.

Su Zhan patted his chest to calm down and asked, "Old man, what's going on with this woman? It seems like you've helped her more than once or twice. Can you still help her?"

The old man sighed softly, "Alas, we are all miserable people. We should give them as much as we can. This woman is not from our village. She came to our village a year ago with a child. She is crazy. She occasionally steals some tribute fruit. People feel sorry for her and don't hurt others, so we let it go. I have never seen the child cry, and I don't know if he is dead or alive. I guess even if he is alive, he must be sick."

After such a shock, everyone lost their appetite for dinner, but luckily they were almost done. Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin realized they were still holding hands, and quickly let go while no one was paying attention. Yan Mingzhang pretended to be calm and took two steps forward. Rong Wanyin saw a fist-sized greasy mark on the shoulder of his shirt. She probably had been so happy rubbing it that she forgot she had eaten the roasted meat and didn't wipe her mouth...

Rong Wanyin was very conflicted. What should she do? "Uh..."

Forget it, let’s not talk about it… Otherwise, he will definitely go crazy.

"Why don't we go take a hot spring bath?" Su Zhan suggested.

"I won't go." Rong Wanyin thought about the woman in red and was still trembling.

Su Zhan teased her deliberately: "Men and women are separated, what are you afraid of!"

Rong Wanyin felt bitter, thinking to herself: "It's because of separation that I'm afraid! I'm all alone! It's written in the storybooks that only when you're alone can you suffer the consequences!"

Su Zhan laughed and said, "You are a heroine who is not afraid of a corpse, so how can you be afraid of a living person? You are not afraid when you are alone in the room?" Su Zhan seemed to have forgotten that he was so scared that he almost fell off the stool.

Rong Wanyin was still in shock and had no intention of arguing with Su Zhan. Thinking of the scene just now, she was still a little scared and her face turned pale. Rong Wanyin had loved reading these ghost stories since she was a child, but she was timid and afraid. Every time she finished listening to the stories, she would think of the same things when she closed her eyes to sleep.

Yan Mingzhang interrupted Su Zhan and said, "I still have a few books to read, so I won't go either. You guys go by yourselves!"

The three of them looked at each other and said inwardly, "I don't believe you!"

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Yan Mingzhang took several candles, lit them, and placed them in different corners of the room. Suddenly, the whole room was illuminated. Yan Mingzhang took out a few books and placed them on the table to read.

Rong Wanyin thought Yan Mingzhang was just talking, but she didn't expect him to be really reading. Rong Wanyin looked at the gradually darkening night and touched her nose awkwardly. She couldn't stay here all night, but she didn't dare to go back alone. She was struggling with this.

Yan Mingzhang continued reading his book and said, "There's warm water behind the screen. Go wash your face and refresh yourself. You've been riding in the car all day. Don't worry, I'm staying here and won't be going anywhere."

Rong Wanyin suddenly felt at ease and went behind the screen to wash up. The warm water was indeed refreshing. After washing up, Rong Wanyin obediently sat cross-legged on the couch. The couch was large, enough for one person, but there was a small table in the middle to separate them. While Rong Wanyin washed up, Yan Mingzhang moved the table towards him, leaving a large space for her.

Yan Mingzhang glanced at her, then went back to reading his book and said, "Don't be so reserved. No one's watching you. If you sit like this, your legs will probably go numb. I won't sleep tonight. I have to finish reading these books. If you want to sleep, sleep on this bed!"

Rong Wanyin shook her head fiercely and refused, "No, this position is the hardest to fall asleep in. I'm not scared, I'm just not sleepy yet! I need to stay alert! I definitely won't fall asleep!"

Yan Mingzhang replied gently, "Yes, I know."

If Yan Mingzhang said that he didn't believe it, Rong Wanyin would have a lot to say to refute him, but when he said he believed it, Rong Wanyin was instantly speechless and had to sit back cross-legged in embarrassment.

Rong Wanyin patted her cheeks: "I will never fall asleep!"

"Whoosh..."

Rong Wanyin fell asleep, and slept soundly.

Yan Mingzhang: “…”