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The birthmark on her face turned out to be a face itself, and the owner of that face was standing right in her yard, and she was a young ghost. This left Xing Ruyi somewhat bewildered.
She opened her mouth to speak to Old Beggar, only to find him making a "shh!" gesture discreetly.
Shifting her gaze to Luo Fu, who was busy tidying up with Deer Lady, Xing Ruyi suddenly understood a bit more.
This girl was most likely related to Luo Fu.
After adjusting her emotions, Xing Ruyi walked slowly into the yard and approached the girl.
"Hello, I am the shopkeeper of Ruyi Rouge. My name is Xing Ruyi. May I know your name?"
The girl cautiously glanced at Xing Ruyi and asked, "Can you see me, sister?"
Xing Ruyi nodded. "Sister was born with a pair of yin-yang eyes, so I can see you and hear your words. I believe you did not come to my home for no reason. If you have something to say, please feel free. I will do my best to help you."
"Thank you, sister!" The girl was very understanding. After hearing Xing Ruyi's words, she quickly bowed and said, "You can call me April!"
"April? That's a very special name!"
"It's not special; it's just easy to remember." The girl smiled slightly: "April is my birthday. My mother has a poor memory and can't write. My father thought this name was simple and easy to remember."
"Your father is right; this name is indeed easy to remember and unique. I like it very much," Xing Ruyi replied with a smile. Noticing that April's gaze kept drifting toward the group of people in the room, Xing Ruyi shifted her stance and pointed at several individuals inside: "Is April looking for someone?"
April raised her hand and pointed at Luo Fu: "I want to find that sister!"
"Do you know her?"
April nodded and turned to look into Xing Ruyi's eyes. "Even though this sister's appearance has changed, I know she is the one I am looking for. She made a promise with me, and now that ten years have passed, I need to find her to reclaim what belongs to me."
"Can you tell me what Sister Luo took from you?"
April glanced at Xing Ruyi and replied, "She took my eyes!"
Eyes?
Upon hearing those two words, Xing Ruyi's gaze locked onto April's eyes. They were quite special; when silent, they resembled a calm, dark sea. But once their owner began to speak, the eyes became lively, like stars flying in the sky, sparkling with enchanting light.
"Aren't your eyes fine?"
"These eyes are painted on." April pointed at the Old Beggar. "That uncle who looks like a beggar helped me paint them. When I first gave my eyes to that sister, everything was dark; I couldn't see anything clearly. I was often bullied and played tricks on, left hanging on a bridge. Later, I met that uncle, who helped me paint these eyes so that I could not only see the world but also see those Ghost Messengers."
April smiled playfully. "It’s thanks to these eyes that I've been able to hide in the human world all these years. Soon it will be the day of my promised ten years with that sister, which is also the last day before my Reincarnation. That's why I came to find her, hoping she can return my eyes. Uncle, these painted eyes cannot be taken into the Underworld, but without them, I won't be able to see the path in the Underworld or choose a good next life for myself. Sister Ruyi, can you help me?"
"Help you get your eyes back from Sister Luo?"
Xing Ruyi asked as she looked at her own fingers. To be honest, she had used extremely cruel methods to punish some evildoers at Rouge Shop, but the idea of actually gouging someone's eyes out was still foreign to her. Moreover, if it involved Luofu, she was certain she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it.
"No! The eyes were lent to that sister willingly; now that ten years have passed, I just want Sister Ruyi to ask Sister Luo if she remembers our promise and if she is willing to return my eyes."
"What if your Sister Luo is unwilling?"
April paused for a moment; she clearly hadn't considered this question. After a brief silence, she confidently replied, "Sister Luo is not that kind of person; she must remember our agreement."
Xing Ruyi sighed softly and patted April's head. "Then let me first ask Sister Luo if she remembers the promise made with you back then. If she does remember, that's great; if not, please don't worry too much. After all, there are many things in life, and ten years is a long time; it's possible for your Sister Luo to forget for a moment."
"No! It's impossible! How could such an important matter be forgotten by Sister Luo? April remembers it clearly; Sister Luo, she would groom herself every day and look in the mirror. Whenever she saw those eyes in the mirror, she would think of April, remembering that those eyes belonged to April, and she would eventually want to get them back."
"Don't worry! Don't worry! Sister Ruyi promises you that even if Sister Luo has forgotten, Sister Ruyi will do her best to help her remember." Xing Ruyi tried to soothe April, who was on the verge of losing control due to her emotions. "April hasn't told Sister Ruyi when that last day was."
"Lunar New Year, the Eighth Day of the First Month!" April softly mentioned a date. "That was the day April first met Sister Luo, the day April promised to lend her eyes to Sister Luo, and also the day April got separated from her brother in a panic. April remembers it very clearly; over these ten years, there hasn't been a moment of forgetting. I believe Sister Luo won't forget either."
Lunar New Year, the Eighth Day of the First Month!
If Xing Ruyi remembered correctly, that was also the day Luofu got married.
Xing Ruyi turned slightly and cast her gaze once again at Old Beggar. "April, can you tell me if you encountered that Beggar Uncle ten years ago on the eighth day of the first month?"
"I did encounter him; he looked a bit better back then but was still quite shabby. The first thing he said when he saw April was that he was hungry. Looking into his eyes made April instinctively afraid, but since I had to wait for my brother, I didn't dare to run away and ended up giving him the candied hawthorn my brother bought for me."
"Why was April afraid to look into Beggar Uncle's eyes? Was it because they were frightening back then?"
"It wasn't that his eyes were frightening; it was the light coming from them that was somewhat scary. That light was like a wolf in the wilderness; just getting a little closer felt like I might be eaten at any moment. It took many more years for April to gradually understand what that green light in Beggar Uncle's eyes was about—those were born from hunger."
April spoke earnestly and then added shyly, "Actually, the candied hawthorn I gave Beggar Uncle didn't really help much, but he was a good person. When I felt most helpless and scared, he drew these eyes for me. Beggar Uncle... is a good person!"
A good person? Xing Ruyi shook her head. Just based on Old Beggar helping Rui'er change Luofu's face, it was hard for Xing Ruyi to define him as a good person. This Pixiu seemed harmless only because it didn't randomly harm others.
"What about April's Brother? Has he been found?"
April nodded. "Yes! A few years ago, I found him, but by then we were already separated by Yin Yang. I could see him and hear his voice, but he couldn't see me or hear me. At that time, my temper was very bad because I wanted my brother to see me, so I did many bad things. Just when I was about to make a big mistake, Beggar Uncle appeared."
"Sister Ruyi wants to know... what kind of big mistake did April make back then?"
April lowered her head in guilt: "Humans and ghosts are on different paths, but I miss my brother so much that in a moment of impulse, I thought about taking his life and turning him into a ghost just like me."
April continued, extending her hands and seriously looking at her fingers: "At that time, I was like a madwoman. With these hands that my brother once held, I tightly grasped his neck. My brother's face turned paler and paler, his breathing grew weaker. Just as his heart beat slower and slower, and his breath was about to stop, his eyes suddenly opened. I saw my brother smiling and heard him calling my name in a very soft voice. He said: 'April, I can finally see you! I miss you so much, really really miss you!'
Suddenly, all the strength left April, and she slowly loosened her grip on her brother's neck. He began to breathe heavily, and his eyes became clearer until April could no longer see her reflection in them.
April watched her brother like that, her hands suspended in mid-air, unsure of what to do next. Just as April hesitated, a Carriage rushed through the rain and mist towards her brother and herself. April was a ghost and feared nothing, but her brother was human; he would be crushed by that Carriage.
Then, Beggar Uncle appeared. He first pulled April aside and then pushed her brother away. The Carriage brushed past him, causing him to fall heavily to the ground, but he managed to survive. Later on, her brother was taken away by the Carriage. April initially wanted to follow and see what happened, but Beggar Uncle warned her that her Eerie Aura was too strong and her brother too weak; if she got too close, it would truly endanger his life. April didn’t want her brother to die, so she could only leave with Beggar Uncle.
Fortunately, her brother was fine now and living very well. April could leave with peace of mind!
April's description felt familiar.
Xing Ruyi lowered her voice and asked her: "Did your brother ever achieve the title of Top Scholar, did he serve in the court?"
"How does Sister Ruyi know? Could it be that you recognize my brother!" April replied, glancing back into the room before finally focusing on Chang Tai: "So there is also an official friend beside you. Yes, my brother is a Top Scholar, currently holding a fourth-rank official position. If our parents knew from beyond the grave, they would surely be happy for him!"
"Has your brother married?"
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