The Marriage Knot - Chapter 3

I’d always thought immortals were kindhearted beings devoted to saving everyone. Apparently, Ao Ye was an exception.

His young highness was completely detached from ordinary life. In fact, you could say he couldn’t even look after himself.

I’d only meant to be kind when I included his things in my laundry and cooked an extra portion for him. He promptly started ordering me around like a maid assigned to the roughest chores.

What could I do? I was living under his roof.

He’d been going on about wanting fish for so long that I finally went out to find some.

After searching everywhere, I discovered that the underworld had only one river: the River of Forgetfulness.

I stood on its bank, gazing at the murky, bloody-yellow water, and wondered.

Surely this exceeded every possible pollution limit. Could fish even survive in it?

After some thought, I decided to ask the ferryman nearby.

“Old sir—” I’d barely called out when I saw the face beneath his cloak. He was a handsome young man with a scholarly air.

Those storybooks were dangerous. Who said the ferrymen on the River of Forgetfulness were all old men?

The young man gave me a radiant smile. “My name is A-Du.”

I apologized, then asked about fish.

A-Du looked at me in surprise. “The river is full of spirits that cannot reincarnate. How could any living creature survive in it?”

What sort of river had no fish?

He went on to tell me that there was a sandbar on the river, with a ghost market on it. Provided you had money, you could buy anything there.

Money? Even the underworld reeked of money?

“Haven’t your relatives burned any spirit money for you?”

They… really hadn’t.

During these past few days living with Ao Ye, I’d seen the balance in his alternate account, “Wang Fugui,” grow and grow. Mine remained empty.

Once a daughter was married off, her family really did wash their hands of her. They couldn’t even be bothered to burn me any money.

And wasn’t this unfair? Wealthy families naturally burned more spirit money. Didn’t that just mean the rich got richer while poor ghosts got poorer?

Take me: I’d gone from a poor person in the mortal world to a poor ghost in the underworld.

A-Du comforted me. Everything went in cycles, he said. After a few lives of poverty, I was bound to be born rich.

“Why not get a membership card, Miss Xiaoxiao? Next time you cross the River of Forgetfulness to visit the mortal world for Qingming or the Ghost Festival, I’ll give you a discount.”

No, no. I was a poor ghost. Such things were beyond me.

Then, before my very eyes, a wealthy middle-aged man chartered his boat. A-Du rowed off with him.

The gap between one ghost and another really was wider than the gap between the living and the dead.

I could have been very happy. But because I had no money, I could only slink home.

I’d barely entered the palace when a graceful woman in blue hurried over and warmly clasped my hands.

“You must be my sister-in-law. What a pretty girl.”

Ao Ye was eating a yellow croaker nearby. Between mouthfuls, he managed, “My sister.”

Wasn’t this a ghost marriage? Why did it come with meeting the family?

I politely greeted her as Elder Sister.

She immediately slipped a coral bracelet onto my wrist. “A little gift to mark our first meeting.”

It was a lovely bracelet, but it didn’t seem very useful in the underworld.

Sister, were you busy? If not, perhaps you could go to the mortal world and burn me some spirit money.

Before I could voice that thought, Ao Ye spoke. “Miss Ao Xin, did you come just to laugh at me?”

“What else? Father says this is a good chance to improve your character. Uncle Yan seems to be treating you well. He’s even let you stay in this lovely palace.”

His Highness stamped his foot and wheedled, “Help me think of something!”

“Nothing I can do.” She spread her hands. “Little brother, with all your elder brothers around, we’re hardly counting on you to inherit Father’s position. Why not take this opportunity to give the family some descendants?”

Descendants? Surely she didn’t mean what I thought she meant?

She continued, “Two babies in three years. In sixty years, you ought to manage at least twenty or thirty.”

Sister, did you think I was a sow?

Ao Ye pointed at her in disbelief. “Are you insane?”

Ignoring him, she went right on. “I’ve already picked the names. If it’s a boy, Ao Ligei. If it’s a girl, Ao Li’ao.”

Now I understood. There was a reason these two were siblings.