Xu Qianhuai’s consumptive, ghostly husband finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally died.
He tearfully accepted the news, then happily collected the five hundred taels of silver compensation distributed by the court.
It wasn’t that he was greedy for money.
From their wedding to his becoming a widower, a full three years passed. His husband had been bedridden the whole time, hardly ever opening his eyes. They had only the name of husband and husband, with none of the substance, so naturally there were no feelings between them.
He had dutifully looked after the sick man for three years. The fact that he hadn’t run away sooner was already more than enough. Even the servants in the household had advised him to secretly find a lover outside, or he’d never get by.
Xu Qianhuai was timid and afraid of being thrown into a pig cage if his affair came to light, so he hadn’t found anyone.
But when the sick man died, he was overjoyed. He was finally free.
As soon as the first seven days of mourning for his husband were over, Xu Qianhuai sold every valuable thing in the estate, exchanging it for stacks upon stacks of banknotes.
From then on, he had no reason to stay. He left the capital by carriage in the middle of the night.
*
Business is risky. Invest with caution.
After running off with the money, Xu Qianhuai had planned to start a business. But bad people always meet someone worse, and he ran into a swindler who cheated him until all he had left was a jade pendant.
It was the token of love his sickly husband had given him the year they married.
At a loss, Xu Qianhuai rolled his eyes and immediately decided to sell the pendant.
He felt no guilt whatsoever. How could that paltry shred of affection between them compare to hard cash in his hands?
Xu Qianhuai gave up on his unrealistic dreams of wealth and bought a run-down farmstead, intending to live a quiet life.
He also bought a disfigured, ugly servant. The man might have been ugly, but he was strong, worked well, and was loyal to Xu Qianhuai.
The two of them managed the farmstead in an orderly fashion, and their purses grew fuller by the day.
Who could have guessed that after only a few days of good living, strange things would start happening around him?
Every night, he would have... unspeakable dreams.
In the dreams, a ghost pinned him to the bed and tearfully accused him of being a cruel lover who had used him and cast him aside:
“, You said I was the most handsome person you’d ever seen, but now you can’t take your eyes off that ugly freak.”
“, You said you wanted to give me a healthy child, but who knows if you’re carrying someone else’s baby now?”
“, You said you’d take good care of our token of love, but where is it now?”
“, Xiaohuai... You liar.”
That voice could only belong to his long-dead, sickly husband.
It was only a dream, so Xu Qianhuai didn’t take it seriously. Until one day, he woke to find the jade pendant he had sold lying intact by his pillow, with blood on it.
Xu Qianhuai was terrified out of his wits.
If he couldn’t handle it, he could at least run away. He packed his things and took the ugly servant with him, planning to flee again.
But the usually obedient, taciturn servant suddenly brushed his hand aside and leaned against the doorway. In the same voice Xu Qianhuai had heard in his dream the night before, he said calmly:
“Where do you think you’re going?”
His husband had woven a vast net, and the not-very-bright Xu Qianhuai had walked straight into it.
*
Wei Tingzhan x Xu Qianhuai
A seemingly upright gentleman who actually loves scaring his husband, a powerful ghost gong
vs.
A smug, greedy, lustful, money-grubbing little shou with straw for brains
This novel has fantasy and supernatural elements, but it isn’t scary. The main plot is about a couple living a happy life together.
The gong isn’t an ordinary person, but he’s willing to make himself ordinary to be with his husband.
1v1 HE
Theme: Love life and cherish the person beside you.
