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"The shopkeeper, Hu Da has arrived!"
Hu Da, accompanied by his servant Hu Fu, had just approached the Rouge shop when Li Mao noticed them.
"Is that the Hu Da from the Hu Family?"
While sipping tea, Xing Ruyi glanced outside and indeed spotted a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothing, but with a somewhat fierce appearance, among the busy workers. Just one look made Xing Ruyi smile.
"I was planning to find an opportunity to meet this Hu Da, but unexpectedly he came on his own. Look at the black aura above his head; it's normal for someone like him, who has committed many wrongdoings, to be haunted by evil spirits."
"Should the shopkeeper remind this Hu Da?"
"No need. He brought this upon himself; this Hu Da is not a good person." Xing Ruyi took a sip of tea. "If it weren't for the fox not allowing me to meddle in his backyard affairs, I would have taught him a lesson long ago. Let's see what he comes here for today. If he's just passing by to take a look, let him be. If he's looking for trouble, with you and Yin Yuan around, he won't be able to stir up any trouble."
"That's certain. Lord Yin is worried about the shopkeeper's matters and has taken the Ghost Dan and Snake Dan back to Qingqiu. Before leaving, he specifically instructed that if anyone dares to provoke the shopkeeper, they will have to face consequences."
"Have there been any updates from Brother Chang and Si Niang?"
"I was just about to ask the shopkeeper that. This is a message received early this morning via carrier pigeon; Lord Chang is doing well and told the shopkeeper not to worry."
"The matter of the bell is still somewhat related to me." Xing Ruyi tightened her grip on the teacup slightly: "If Si Niang... if Si Niang isn't by my side, those people shouldn't bother her anymore, right?"
"Shopkeeper, you can rest assured. Although Lord Chang is just an ordinary mortal, he still has some temper. Moreover, both Lord Yin and Lady Yin are not known for their patience; even if those people want to cause trouble, they will have to think twice. The situation with Miss Bell has already caused you much distress and has angered Lord Yin greatly. If they don't take heed, we might not be afraid of them if it comes down to it."
"That's true; at worst, we'll go down together!" Xing Ruyi said with a serious expression but then heard Li Mao say: "Shopkeeper, that Hu Da has left!"
Looking outside, she indeed saw that there was no trace of Hu Da anymore.
In a narrow alleyway, Hu Da rubbed his sore neck with his hand.
"Since you have already arrived at the shop, why not go in and meet Shopkeeper Xing?"
"I can tell just by looking that she is just an ordinary woman. Even if I were to meet her, she should come to see me; how could I go see her? My head is pounding terribly. That opportunity to go to the Crimson Pavilion to listen to music is yours now. I fear I haven't sobered up yet, so I'll just lie down for a while longer."
"You jest, but I don't have that kind of fortune. Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to entertain myself while you're away. Besides, I still need to stay by your side and serve you," Hu Fu said, supporting Hu Da gently. "Please take care of yourself."
Hu Da felt a throbbing pain in his head, a chill creeping down from the back of his neck, making him even less inclined to speak.
After returning home and sleeping in a daze for two or three days, Hu Da noticed something strange about himself. First, his hair was inexplicably falling out; even after just waking up from a nap, there would be a clump of hair on the pillow. Although he was a rough man and didn't usually care about such things, if this continued, he would soon be bald.
He scratched his hair and found it still relatively thick, but the hair at the back of his head felt odd—stiff and matted together. If he sniffed closely, he could detect a foul odor.
"Hu Fu! Hu Fu!"
"Master, I'm here!" Hu Fu pushed the door open and saw Hu Da with disheveled hair. He lowered his head and asked, "Are you getting up today or will it be like the past few days, just washing up briefly before going back to sleep?"
"Tell the servants to boil some water; I want to take a bath!"
"A bath?" Hu Fu glanced outside and felt somewhat surprised.
Taking a bath early in the morning wasn't unusual; there were a few ladies who had that habit when Madam Ru was still around. To please those madams, Master had even ordered a bathing room to be built in the courtyard, making it quite unique during this Yun Family Gathering.
Although there was a designated bathing area in the house, Hu Da was a rough man who usually didn't care for such things. Aside from occasionally sneaking a glance at the ladies while they bathed, he never showed much interest in cleanliness. However, since his master had given orders, it was only right for the servant to act promptly.
Half an hour later, Hu Da entered the specially designated bathing room. The room was filled with steam, providing a sense of warmth. As he rubbed his neck with one hand and walked toward the water basin with the other, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him from behind. He turned around abruptly but saw nothing except for swirling steam.
Hu Da squeezed his neck tightly but did not notice that the clump of hair sticking to the back of his head had shifted slightly. Then that clump of hair spread apart, revealing a pair of glistening eyes spinning around.
Hu Da let out a sigh of relief, took off his clothes, and stepped into the pool. The servants were quite efficient; the water temperature was just right. The warm water enveloped his body, and a pleasant sensation spread from his pores to his heart, making him feel as if his body had become light and airy. Occasionally, someone would come in to add hot water to the pool, causing the mist in the room to grow thicker.
After washing his body, Hu Da suddenly remembered his hair. He thought for a moment, picked up a Soap Pod nearby, and rubbed it onto his head. Just as he was about to wash thoroughly, he felt a tightness at the back of his head, followed by an extra hand appearing.
Hu Da felt a bit panicked. He looked down at his reflection in the water, but unfortunately, the surface was shrouded in thick mist, making it impossible to see clearly. In a flurry of panic, he tried to remove the extra thing on his head, but that hand remained motionless, even deliberately rubbing his hair while chuckling softly.
“Hu Fu! Hu Fu! Hu... Hu Fu!”
While splashing in the water, Hu Da shouted loudly for Hu Fu. Hu Fu was outside chatting with another servant who was responsible for fetching water. Upon hearing Hu Da's terrified voice, he immediately rushed in with the other servant.
What greeted Hu Fu's eyes was a scene of his master, the true overseer of the Hu Family estate, frantically shouting and flailing about in the pool, completely naked and utterly lacking dignity.
“Sir! What happened to you?”
Hu Fu wanted to laugh but knew he had to maintain decorum as a servant. He suppressed his amusement and put on a similarly panicked expression filled with concern.
“My head... there’s a hand on my head!”
Hu Da grabbed Hu Fu and shouted in distress.
“A hand? On your head—” Hu Fu glanced at Hu Da’s head. “But sir, there’s nothing on your head except for hair!”
“You're lying! There was definitely a hand just now!” Hu Da glared at Hu Fu.
“Please don’t panic!” Hu Fu reassured Hu Da while instructing the servant holding the water bucket beside him, “What are you standing there for? Quickly go find a copper mirror for the sir—one that’s large and clear enough to see what’s on his head!”
The servant with the water bucket responded and hurriedly ran out to find a mirror.
Hu Fu cautiously touched Hu Da and tentatively asked, "Sir, you might be tired and experiencing the kind of hallucinations that doctors often mention. How about I help you up to rest for a while? What do you think?"
Hu Da's gaze shifted from anger to weakness in an instant. He nodded with a dazed expression and extended his hand to Hu Fu.
"Is there really nothing on my head?"
"Are you joking, sir? You still have hair on your head. Besides the hair, there’s nothing else. Don't you believe my eyes?" Hu Fu supported Hu Da, and perhaps due to the thick mist in the room, he momentarily felt something wriggling beneath Hu Da's scalp. But when he looked closely again, the hair appeared normal, and he even took the opportunity to secretly touch Hu Da's scalp. Aside from the dampness and the slippery feel of Soap Pod, there was nothing unusual.
The copper mirror was brought over, and Hu Da examined himself from left to right, front to back. He only noticed that his hair was thinning at the front while it seemed fuller at the back.
Pointing at the back of his head in the mirror, Hu Da said, "Hey, Hu Fu, don’t you think there's something odd about my hair here? I’ve been feeling quite heavy at the back lately; could it be because my hair is too thick?"
"Indeed, sir, there is more hair at the back than at the front, but that’s normal; after all, you are a wealthy man," Hu Fu replied. He was a clever Ming Ren, knowing that Hu Da wouldn’t ask unless he had doubts. If he offered a suggestion now and something went wrong later, Hu Da would surely blame him. So he lightly redirected the conversation while complimenting Hu Da, which was the best choice for a servant. With this thought in mind, he lowered his head and glanced at the mirror out of the corner of his eye, saying, "Though our bodies are gifts from our parents, sir is not Common People. If you truly find this hair burdensome, we could invite someone to take a look."
Inviting someone naturally meant calling a barber. Whether Hu Da chose to cut or keep his hair was none of Hu Fu's concern; if Hu Da ended up blaming someone for his hair later on, that blame would fall on whoever was invited.
Looking at his hair thoughtfully, Hu Da began to say, "If that's the case—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a tightness in his scalp, causing his face to twitch involuntarily. This subtle movement caught Hu Fu's attention as if Hu Da had pulled at his lips to reveal a strange smile.
A shiver ran through Hu Fu, leaving him feeling inexplicably cold.
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