The eldest daughter of Nan the Butcher is no longer a fool.
In just a few days, this news spread through Lingbai Alley as if it had grown wings.
Nan the Butcher’s real name was Nan Dazhuang. He possessed an ancestral skill for butchering pigs and was quite well-known in Dingyuan County.
On the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, Nan Dazhuang would bring back live pigs to slaughter in the alley.
A whole fat pig—slaughtering, bleeding, portioning the meat, and chopping the bones—he could handle it all within two hours, tidying everything up neatly.
Nan Dazhuang was a kind and honest man who never cheated his customers on weight, so the neighbors loved buying pork from him.
He had done this for over twenty years, which was why everyone called him Nan the Butcher.
Some wondered if Nan the Butcher had committed too much slaughter, truly offending the heavens.
He and his wife, Chen Jingui, had been married for over twenty years and had one son and two daughters. However, their firstborn, Nanzhi, was a fool who couldn't even speak.
But some said there was a reason for Nanzhi’s condition.
They said that before Chen Jingui became pregnant with Nanzhi, she had already given birth twice. But whether it was a boy or a girl, none survived; they all died shortly after birth.
The couple sought guidance and went to the City God Temple to offer incense. Unexpectedly, a sudden downpour forced them to take shelter inside the temple.
While waiting out the rain, they encountered a tall, thin woman with red hair and a green face, looking quite terrifying.
The woman made faces at Chen Jingui, then took off her own head and toyed with it in her hands, giggling.
“I am a ghost,” she said.
The couple was horrified and turned to leave, but they heard the woman speak again.
“There is a great ghost in your house. It wants to snatch and eat the souls of the infants in your womb, which is why none of your children survive.
Since fate has brought us together, I will tell you a method.
On the day your wife gives birth, cover the floor with yellow mud and hide a butcher knife in the slop bucket.
Wait to see where water appears on the yellow mud—that is where the great ghost is. Take the butcher knife and hack at the wet spot. You will surely kill that great ghost.”
Then, the woman vanished.
Nan Dazhuang was skeptical, but this concerned his bloodline and future generations.
He did exactly as the woman said. On the day Chen Jingui went into labor, he covered the floor with yellow earth and hid the ancestral butcher knife in the slop bucket. Sure enough, circles of muddy footprints appeared in the main room.
Obsessed with having an heir, Nan Dazhuang forgot his fear. He drew the knife and hacked down—
With a loud thud, the butcher knife felt as if it had struck a piece of wood made of clay. After a series of strange shrieks and roars, a large pool of foul-smelling black water appeared before him within moments.
Presumably, the great ghost was dead.
Chen Jingui safely gave birth to her first child, Nanzhi.
But something must have gone wrong. Nanzhi was born a simpleton, only knowing how to open and close her eyes, drink, and eat.
Even at eighteen years old, she was like a puppet—dull and slow, unable even to call out for her mother.
Some said it was the great ghost’s revenge after death, while others said Nan Dazhuang using a butcher knife in the delivery room had caused the killing intent to clash with the infant's soul...
In short, everyone had a theory.
Later, Chen Jingui gave birth to their eldest son, Nan Yi, and their second daughter, Nan Ye.
Feeling guilty toward their eldest daughter, the couple raised Nanzhi with the best food and drink they could provide, hoping that one day she might recover.
Everyone in Lingbai Alley knew about the Nan family's foolish eldest daughter. They would occasionally see her in the courtyard.
A young woman in her late teens, sitting on a bench staring at the sky without a single smile on her face.
Her dark eyes would stare unblinkingly. If someone spoke to her, she wouldn't say a word; she would only turn her head and stare at them fixedly, which was quite unsettling.
Because of this, families warned their children not to provoke Nanzhi to avoid trouble.
But that very same foolish girl had suddenly recovered overnight?!
Was it a miracle from the gods or a possession by an evil spirit?
The families in Lingbai Alley were itching with curiosity, desperate to ask Chen Jingui for details.
Some busybodies even peered over the wall, eager to see the no-longer-foolish eldest daughter, only to be cursed back by Chen Jingui one by one.
...
“You bunch of black-hearted bastards! If you scare my girl, I’ll peel the skin off you scoundrels and render it into oil!”
“My daughter is well-behaved and obedient. The Bodhisattva saw her pitiable and lovely nature and granted her his protection to open her mind. What’s so strange about that?”
“And then there are those filthy people with their wagging tongues. To hell with your evil spirit possession! You hairless monkeys! You shell-less turtles! You’re the monsters born into your mothers' wombs!”
In the Nan family's small courtyard, a stout woman stood with her hands on her hips, cursing loudly. Her fierce shouting drove away many of the rowdy onlookers.
She didn't stop until the scoundrels had fled with flushed faces and even the dogs in and out of Lingbai Alley were afraid to breathe loudly.
“Mother, have some water. Don’t let your throat get dry,” a delicate-looking young girl said softly as she handed over a large bowl.
“Besides, if you scare Big Sister and she turns back to the way she was... what would we do?”
This young girl was the Nan family's second daughter, Nan Ye. She was in the prime of her youth, and even coarse cloth clothes could not hide her beauty.
Many in Lingbai Alley knew that in terms of character and appearance, Nan Ye was the most outstanding young lady in the entire neighborhood.
Chen Jingui drained the bowl of water in one gulp before realizing her mistake.
“Oh dear, I completely forgot about that. Bodhisattva protect us, Bodhisattva protect us. Is she asleep?”
“She only slept for a short while and just woke up.”
Nan Ye hesitated for a moment before answering, “After having a cup of tea, Big Sister went back to... rummaging through the cabinets.”
Her elder sister had suddenly regained her senses three days ago.
At that time, Nan Ye was boiling water in the kitchen when she saw her sister come out of her room and smash the large water vat in the house. She had been muttering strange things regardless of who was listening.
“...Scene... NPC... opening boxes... items...”
Although she didn't understand what those strange words meant, Nan Ye was still overjoyed that Nanzhi had “woken up.” She immediately sent someone to the butcher shop to call her father and mother home.
To their surprise, after waking up, her sister not only acted strangely but also couldn't speak properly. Even words like “Father” and “Mother” had to be taught to her.
Rummaging through boxes was, naturally, one of her strange behaviors.
“Rummaging through cabinets again?”
Chen Jingui didn't find her daughter's behavior strange at all. Instead, she was beaming with joy.
“Rummaging is good! As long as she’s no longer standing there like a block of wood, I thank the heavens and the earth!”
Chen Jingui and Nan Ye peered through the door like thieves.
Inside the room, a young woman was moving around.
She saw the curtains by the bed and gave them a tug.
She touched the table by the wall and gave it a tap.
She kicked the wooden cabinet by the wall and flipped through it.
Even the wildflowers Nan Ye had placed on the table suffered at her hands, torn into pieces.
She was just like a newborn child, curious about everything.
Nanzhi was tall, and her build was not as slender as that of typical women—Chen Jingui and Nan Dazhuang had never been stingy with her food.
Unfortunately, Nanzhi took after her father. Despite rarely leaving the house, her skin was dark, and she looked strong and sturdy.
If Nanzhi and Nan Ye stood together, anyone who didn't know the truth would never guess they were sisters.
Seeing that her eldest daughter was better, Chen Jingui was overjoyed. She instructed her younger daughter:
“If your sister likes it, let her rummage.
I gave your father thirty copper coins this morning and told him to buy a fat chicken. I’ll stew it to nourish your sister’s body.
Sigh, your elder brother has been busy with his duties at the yamen these past few days. Otherwise, if he knew your sister was well, he would surely be delighted.”
The Nan family's eldest son, Nan Yi, was seventeen this year. He worked at the Dingyuan County yamen. It wasn't a major post, but wearing that official uniform made him an “official” in the eyes of many.
“Brother has always been close to Big Sister. If he knew she was well, he would be overjoyed!”
Nan Ye added with a smile, but as her gaze fell back into the room, her expression turned somewhat helpless.
If Big Sister is like this, she should be considered fully recovered... right?
But she wondered, what exactly was an “NPC”?
Rate on N.U.
