Surprisingly, this grey rat spirit seemed a bit different from before.
A blade of grass sat atop its head, and its body was wrapped in a large lotus leaf with four holes poked through. It stood up on its hind legs, front paws tucked against its chest, attempting to walk upright like a human.
Unfortunately, it was top-heavy, and its fat, chunky body wobbled comically as it walked.
Upon spotting Nan Zhi, the grey rat bowed immediately, putting its two paws together in a proper salute:
“Shu Jiulang pays respects to Benefactor.”
“You brought thirty-seven rat pups to seek refuge with your Seventeenth Uncle. Is everything going well?”
Nan Zhi was surprised and squatted down with a smile:
“I told Qiao Niangzi about your situation. She already knows that you were the one who saved her.
“However, moving back is no longer possible.”
“No need to move back, no need at all! This humble demon lives quite comfortably here!
“My Seventeenth Uncle, Shu Shiqilang, took Grandpa Mud Ghost of the City God Temple as his godfather. All the spirits and little ghosts who pass by treat me with respect.”
Shu Jiulang's whiskers twitched, and his paws scratched at his snout:
“Lady Nan Zhi’s kindness to us is as vast as the heavens, as vast as the heavens!
“That ferocious Painted Skin Ghost captured and skinned who knows how many little demons since entering Dingyuan County.
“Their bones were turned into brush shafts for painting, their tail hair made into brush tips, and their hearts and livers ground up into pigments...
“I spoiled that Painted Skin Ghost's plans several times before. If he were still around and caught this little demon, I would surely have been skinned and de-boned.”
At that point, the big rat shuddered violently.
—Heaven knew where Shu Jiulang had picked up such refined phrasing, and half-baked at that.
Fortunately, Nan Zhi could understand his meaning.
The human and the rat conversed at length, but in Nan Ye's ears, it sounded like Nan Zhi was talking to herself while Shu Jiulang just squeaked incessantly.
“Big Sister, can you really understand what demons say?”
Nan Ye's eyes sparkled with excitement and nervousness as she tentatively said to the grey rat spirit:
“Mouse, mouse, do you still remember me? If you do, spin in a circle on the ground.”
Shu Jiulang naturally recognized Nan Ye. However, since the transverse bone in his throat had not yet dissolved, he could not speak human speech, so he simply stood upright and spun in a circle on the ground.
“Aiya!”
Nan Ye was overjoyed and tugged at Nan Zhi's arm:
“Aiya! Look, Big Sister! This big rat really recognizes me. It truly has spiritual awareness!”
“Shu Jiulang has lived in Dingyuan County for over a decade. He might even be older than you.”
Nan Zhi flicked Nan Ye's forehead before turning back to Shu Jiulang:
“Since your name is Shu Jiulang, why is Shu Shiqilang your seventeenth uncle?”
Shu Jiulang, Shu Shiqilang.
One could tell just from the names that demon naming conventions were crude and straightforward, numbered in order.
Shu Jiulang’s black, beady eyes revealed a trace of bashfulness:
“Pardon the embarrassment, Lady Nan Zhi, hehehe.
“Demons don't name themselves with as much care as your human race. In a large family, whichever one develops spiritual awareness is named according to their order—the ninth-born male is Jiulang, the ninth-born female is Jiuniang, and so on.
“Still, there are distinctions. For example, I am the Shu Jiulang of the Qiao Family Tofu Shop in Dingyuan County.
“If you check beneath the dried goods shop in the east of the city, under the bridge arch in the west, or in the rafters of Liu Family Manor in the north, you're guaranteed to find other rats named Shu Jiulang.
“Insignificant little demons like us have short lifespans and don't live long. If I die one day, a new Shu Jiulang will take my place.
“There are also powerful demons who name themselves, though I've never seen one.”
The big rat wiggled his waist and pulled off the grass leaf on his head to show Nan Zhi:
“If Lady Nan Zhi has trouble telling us apart in the future, just check if the rat has a tuft of red fur on its head. It’s very easy to spot.”
Sure enough, Nan Zhi saw a patch of light reddish fur on his head.
So that was it.
She had learned something new.
Perhaps because she kept a treasure-seeking mouse at home, she didn't dislike rodents as much as she used to.
At the very least, what this Shu Jiulang in front of her had done rightfully earned him the title of a “righteous rat.”
“That's a very distinct trait. This way, even if a swarm of rats surrounds me in the future, I'll still be able to recognize you.”
Nan Zhi couldn't help but laugh. She translated this to Nan Ye, and both sisters burst into laughter.
...
Knowing that Shu Jiulang was doing well now, Nan Zhi felt relieved.
It was still early, so the two sisters strolled around the nearby markets.
Although there were some differences from the Northern Song Dynasty that Nan Zhi knew, the neighborhood was just as bustling.
The tea house doors were wide open, and the storyteller, holding a folding fan, spoke with fervent emotion, right in the middle of the Civet Cat for Crown Prince mystery:
“It is said that back in the day, the previous emperor had two consorts in his palace. Consort Liu was treacherous, while Consort Li was benevolent. Both were pregnant at the exact same time—”
No one knew how many times this story had been told, yet the listeners never grew tired of it.
Each held their breath, staring unblinkingly at the stage for fear of missing any thrilling moment.
Across from the tea house was a pastry and fruit shop specializing in sweets and tea snacks. Walking past it brought waves of sweet aroma.
Next to it stood a wine shop with a blue-bordered flag hanging askew, letting everyone know:
Good wine sold here, come and get it.
The street grew even more lively.
“Finest satin, top-grade silk from Jiangnan! Come take a look!”
“New summer thirst-quencher! Honeyed Peach Brew! An old recipe passed down from Desheng Tower in Dongjing! Come in and have a taste!”
“Guanpu, Guanpu! Five wen a play, fair to old and young alike! Would the young lady like to try her luck?”
“The Wang family is welcoming a bride! The bridegroom is here!”
Waiters from tea houses and restaurants called out loudly to attract customers, and the idlers running Guanpu by the roadside refused to be outdone.
From the north came a wedding procession with banging gongs and clashing cymbals. The bridegroom rode a bay horse, his handsome face radiant with triumphant joy:
“This humble scholar is getting married today! Come to my house for wine, come drink wine! Hahaha!”
The wedding procession was grand, numbering dozens of people.
Some carried three red wooden chests containing the bride’s dowry, while over a dozen blew suonas, beat gongs, and struck drums—a truly magnificent spectacle.
Following behind the bridegroom's horse was a four-bearer bridal sedan.
The sedan chair was exquisitely carved, draped with large patterns of mandarin ducks playing in water and magpies perched on branches, while the lower panels were carved with patterns of fragrant orchids, red beans, and lilies.
“Young Master Wang is welcoming his bride! Master Wang says the Wang Family Distillery is selling all fine wine at half price today!”
A woman dressed as a matchmaker grinned from ear to ear, scattering peanuts and maltose candy from her handkerchief onto the roadsides.
This act prompted many children to hop and chase after the bridal sedan, creating an incredible commotion.
“Whoa, Master Wang is truly generous! Whose daughter is he marrying?”
“Tch! What do you know? Master Wang only has this one son, so of course the wedding must be grand!”
“Who doesn't know that Young Master Wang is the sole heir of the Wang family, the God of Literature descended to earth, a natural scholar who passed the exams to become a scholar at a young age!”
“The bride is a daughter of the Ma Family Shops from Wen County. I hear she is exceedingly beautiful, truly a match made in heaven with Young Master Wang!”
The passersby chattered excitedly. Nan Zhi caught bits of the conversation and handed the dates and peanuts she had just caught to Nan Ye:
“Sister Ye, is this Wang family very famous?”
“Of course.”
Nan Ye happily took the red dates and peanuts and nodded:
“The Wang Family Distillery is very famous. Their ‘Immortal Brew’ is said to have truly been tasted by immortals!
“Young Master Wang looks refined and gentle, and many girls in the city like him. But...”
Nan Ye frowned and whispered into Nan Zhi's ear:
“When the Wang family servants came to our meat shop before, an old servant woman gossiped that Young Master Wang had been betrothed to the daughter of the Qu family since childhood.
“Why has the bride suddenly become the daughter of the Ma family now?”
The daughter of the Qu family?
Wanniang seemed to... have the surname Qu.
Nan Zhi rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Rate on N.U.
