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According to Liu Er, the Nursemaid went missing after encountering her cousin's ghost, and the most widely circulated belief in the village is that the cousin missed the Nursemaid and returned to take her away.
Initially, the Su family lord and lady did not believe such rumors. They specifically sent people to search for over half a month, scouring both inside and outside the village, even sending someone to inquire on the cousin's side. In the end, there was no sign of her alive or dead, and it eventually faded into obscurity.
"Do you know why the Nursemaid disappeared? A person wouldn't just vanish without reason. Before disappearing, there must have been some signs, like feeling restless or something similar."
"It definitely wasn't without reason!" Liu Er's expression was quite serious, and there was even a hint of reverence in her eyes. "The Nursemaid went missing after encountering her cousin's ghost. In the two days leading up to her disappearance, she was just like a young lady—anxious and easily startled, even speaking much less. At that time, we all felt sorry for the Nursemaid, thinking she had been frightened by her cousin's ghost, so everyone was very cautious around her.
My sister noticed that the Nursemaid seemed distracted and let her rest first. She also instructed us not to ask the Nursemaid about her cousin's ghost and not to discuss it privately. If anyone heard even a word about it, they would be sold off to outsiders as Human Teeth. We were all maids who had signed contracts with the Su family, so naturally, we didn't dare to anger my sister. Later on, the Nursemaid just vanished, and it was Butler Su who reported it. Afterward, when no one was found, Butler Su became so saddened that he resigned from his position and followed the Third Young Master into business."
"Third Young Master?"
"Yes, he is our Su family's Third Young Master. There are three young masters in our household. The eldest young master is not in good health and rarely manages household affairs; he spends his days reading, writing, and painting without often going out. The second young master is the one we just mentioned; he mainly handles some matters within the household. The third young master has a lively personality and doesn't like staying in the house, so he manages the shops and fields outside."
"What about the cousin? Did she also live in the Su residence before? Did she live in this courtyard?"
"Liu Er doesn't know much about the cousin's affairs; most of it is what she's heard from people in the household. Long ago, the lord and cousin were childhood sweethearts. Initially, it was the cousin who entered the residence first and lived in this courtyard. However, after two years without bearing children, the lord married his current lady. When the cousin found out, she caused a scene and demanded that the lord divorce his wife. The lord had no choice but to agree. That's why the current lady is considered his wife; otherwise, she would only be a concubine."
Liu Er spoke these last two sentences softly and cautiously.
"What happened next?" Xing Ruyi asked, increasingly interested in matters concerning the Su family.
"Later? Later on, the lord fulfilled the cousin's wish by giving her a divorce decree; however, she stubbornly refused to leave. The lord was infatuated with new love while being indifferent to old love; he was seen as a heartless man. But by then, he had already given her a divorce decree, and his wife had been formally recognized with a child on the way—the eldest young master—so even if both he and the cousin regretted it later on, she could only be a concubine and not a wife.
The cousin came from a prominent family herself; her temperament was naturally different. How could she bear such humiliation? So she continued living in this courtyard as 'the cousin.' The lady was generous and treated her according to her status as if she were still part of their family; whenever they met, she respectfully addressed her as 'sister.'
Who would have thought that deep down, the cousin harbored resentment? She secretly mixed oleander flower powder into one of the lady's pastries with the intent to poison both her and her unborn child—the current eldest young master. Fortunately for the lady, she had a poor appetite at that time and didn't eat much; later on, she vomited it up, which saved both herself and her child.
When the lord and Old Matriarch learned of this incident, they were naturally furious. The lord wanted to send the cousin to Government Office; it was only through the lady's plea for mercy that he relented and sent her back to her own home instead. The cousin was naturally unwilling; she cried out that she had been wronged—that it was actually the lady who made those pastries with oleander powder intending to frame her."
Such matters, not only the Master and the Old Matriarch, but even the maids and servants in the household do not believe it. At that time, the Madam was already the Madam, and she was pregnant with the Master's child; how could she possibly harm herself and her unborn child? Even if the Madam minded her cousin, all she had to do was have the Master send her away from the house; why resort to such methods to frame someone? Moreover, the Madam has always been kind-hearted, treating both the Master and Young Master as well as us maids very well, never raising her voice.
The cousin is different; she has a bad temper and often dares to argue with the Master, breaking things and causing a scene regularly. So it must be that the cousin fabricated lies to absolve herself in order to avoid being kicked out by the Master.
Unfortunately, neither the Master nor the Old Matriarch fell for her tricks. The Master even wrote a letter to the cousin's maternal family on the spot, asking them to send someone to take her back. I heard from the older folks in the household that when that incident happened, it was during the Double Ninth Festival. The cousin's maternal family replied that they had matters at home and would come two months later. As a result, it dragged on for several months.
It seems that the cousin's maternal family also realized that things were beyond repair, which is why they finally sent someone over. By then, it was after New Year’s Day, past noon on the fifteenth day. When it was time to leave, the cousin was particularly calm; she took her time to groom herself before meeting those waiting outside. Later, feeling something was off, those outside broke in and discovered that she had hanged herself. Look, that's the room right there.
Liu Er pointed to the room in the middle of the courtyard.
"Moreover, I heard that at that time, the cousin wrote a blood letter claiming she was wronged, stating that she was born a Su family member and would die as a ghost of the Su family. Even in death, she would never leave this courtyard or abandon the Su family.
Seeing this situation, the Madam comforted the Master and suggested he honor his cousin's wishes by burying her in the Su family's ancestral grave under her name as a Su family member. As for this courtyard, it has been sealed for a long time, with only occasional visits for cleaning."
"Since it's a place where someone died, why would your Master and Madam allow your sister to live here? Aren't they afraid of bad luck?"
"The Master and Madam naturally did not want my sister to live here; it was my sister who insisted. It is said that at that time, my sister could not walk yet and was carried by a nursemaid to play nearby. She cried and insisted on entering this courtyard. The nursemaid had no choice but to sneak her in, and once my sister entered this courtyard, she laughed non-stop.
Afterward, she had to be brought here every day by the nursemaid; if they didn't come, she would cry and sometimes even cry all day long. The Master and Madam had three sons before having this one daughter; naturally, they were very fond of her. They ordered people to tidy up this courtyard again and even changed its layout so that my sister could move in."
"Since you moved in here, have you encountered any strange phenomena or experienced anything unusual?"
Liu Er shook her head: "Since I entered the household, I have always been by my sister's side and have lived in this courtyard for over ten years. I have never encountered anything strange nor seen my cousin's ghost. Even the nursemaid occasionally stares blankly at a certain spot where something used to be placed; although my cousin had a bad temper, she wasn't malicious and would never do anything like poisoning the Madam. At that time, I didn't hear anyone say they saw ghosts or anything like that."
"Then before your cousin's ghost appeared, did anything happen in this household?"
"If we're talking about events, there are many things happening in this household due to so many people around; however, if it's about major events, there is only one: the eldest young master got married to a girl from an ordinary family—Madam."
"Is Madam's family background very ordinary?"
"Well! Compared to our Su Residence, it's quite ordinary, but still a bit better than an average person's home. Madam's family lives not far from here in Paper Town, and they deal in Oiled Paper Umbrellas. Their business isn't large, but it's thriving. Madam's mother is the Herbalist in Town, the kind that uses herbs to treat illnesses, but her patients are all women."
"So how did your Eldest Young Master meet Madam?"
"This Liu Er also heard it from the servants around Eldest Young Master. Eldest Young Master made friends through literature, and the chosen location was in Paper Town. At that time, there was a particularly difficult challenge: to draw an Umbrella Canopy and write Poetry on the umbrella. There were no restrictions on which umbrella to choose.
Eldest Young Master searched around Town with his servants and ultimately chose Madam's umbrella, drew the Umbrella Canopy, and wrote the Poetry. Just as he was about to leave, Madam suddenly appeared, dressed simply, holding an unfinished Oiled Paper Umbrella. Upon seeing Eldest Young Master, she didn't greet him formally; instead, she pointed out that his Umbrella Canopy was incomplete and took it upon herself to make some additions.
At first, Eldest Young Master was angry, but he usually has a good temper and didn't show it. Once Madam finished her drawing, not only was he no longer upset, but he also thought her work was excellent. After returning home, he had his servants inquire about everything related to Madam.
Later on, when Master and Madam were preparing to find a bride for Eldest Young Master, he thought of Madam and had his servants ask her. To his surprise, she agreed. Thus, they became a beautiful couple. Unfortunately, Madam had little fortune; she only enjoyed less than two years of happiness before passing away. Eldest Young Master was quite saddened by this; Master and Madam tried several times to arrange for a Second Wife for him, but he refused."
"Then it seems that the Nursemaid's disappearance should have nothing to do with Madam's marriage!"
"Of course not; Madam doesn't even know the Nursemaid or her cousin. It was only when the incident with the Nursemaid seeing ghosts happened that Madam had just entered the household. Master and Madam were worried it would frighten her. Who would have thought that Madam was quite bold? Not only did she not believe it, but she also insisted on catching ghosts herself and came several nights in a row. In the end, she didn't catch any ghosts but ended up falling ill herself. Later on, after the Nursemaid disappeared, Madam developed an Eye Disease and lost her sight; no one brought these matters up again."
"So, Madam developed Eye Disease after the Nursemaid went missing?"
"Yes! Madam was fine at first, but ever since she came to our courtyard to catch ghosts, her health deteriorated more and more until she couldn't see at all. We suspect that Madam might have been harmed by her cousin's ghost. First it was Madam, then Third Young Master, followed by our elder sister. If this courtyard were clean, Liu Er would actually doubt it."
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