Душа покидает темную ночь

Глава 15

My vision was instantly filled with Sister Musk's beautiful face. She leaned closer to me, her slender eyebrows raised with an air of authority: "Little child, why ask so many questions!" With that, she straightened up, tossed me aside, and headed for the cabinet. She casually grabbed a set of maid's clothes and tossed it at me: "You've come at the right time! I'm going to the winery at Touqiao. Change your clothes and go water the yard right away, then cut some flowers and come back to replace the old ones! Don't tell me you can't even do that!" I was a guest, after all! Holding the homespun clothes in my arms, I was speechless for a moment.

After giving a rapid-fire list of tasks, Sister Musk finished her instructions and headed outside. I quickly turned around to catch up with her, but just as I turned back, a dazzling light enveloped me...

In the bright light, everything inside the room turned into a black and white film-like visual effect. I saw countless black threads tangled and hanging on the furniture, covering the entire room. Just now, I didn't see so many white threads in the room...

"Don't stand there!" Sister Musk scolded in a low voice, pulling me away. In an instant, the illusion of the black and white film vanished, and the room returned to normal. I looked at Sister Musk, still shaken, but she frowned impatiently: "You can't stand in the sunlight reflected in the mirror, especially in the evening!"

Could it be... that Sister Muskyee can also see that scene that looks like a black and white photograph? I thought only Icefin and I would encounter such strange things! I suddenly felt a sense of kinship: "Sister Muskyee, why can't we stand there? You know why, right?"

Sister Musk looked down at me for a while, then slowly turned her head: "These are the rules that have been passed down here since ancient times. There are all sorts of rules here. It sounds funny, doesn't it? But... if you want to live here, you have to learn to abide by these..."

I didn't quite understand what Sister Musk meant; I was simply captivated by her suddenly radiant and mysterious expression...

Just as I was changing into my ill-fitting maid's uniform, disheveled and carrying buckets and bamboo ladles to water the garden, Icefin appeared at the side doorway behind the bamboo curtain. Although he was also wearing clothes dyed with pomegranate patterns, it was clearly the kind of light and cool silk material prepared for guests. My face immediately darkened, and I threw down the bamboo ladle: "Even if the proprietress is in charge here, this is unfair! Why are you a noble young master, and I'm just a servant girl!"

Normally, Icefin, with his sharp tongue, would have retorted, but today he seemed to have done something wrong. Not only did he not respond to me, but he also came over and took the heavy bucket of water from my hands: "Let me help you water the flowers..."

"So diligent... Could it be that the proprietress wants to take you in as her grandson-in-law and let you inherit the shop?" My words were barbed, and Icefin's face immediately turned red. He raised his bamboo scoop, about to lash out, but then withdrew his hand, deliberately avoiding the topic. I felt even more uncomfortable, muttering to myself as I picked up the bamboo scissors to cut the gardenias growing on the riverbank. However, at that moment, my attention was drawn to a small black dot struggling—I was still wondering why Black Bean was moving, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a small beetle caught in a spider web.

"Huh? It's a firefly! It's so inconspicuous during the day!" Icefin suddenly appeared, pointing at the eight-legged general that was rapidly approaching the little beetle. "Let's see how the spider eats it!"

Upon hearing this, I became furious. I stretched out my bamboo scissors and ripped the spider web open. The firefly, now free, vigorously flapped its heavy wings and flew away. Fortunately, the spider had fallen somewhere the moment the web broke, otherwise it might have been crushed to death by my impulsive act.

Just then, Icefin pointed at my clothes and whispered, "Hey... Firewing, you've got spider webs on you!" Afraid that spiders would crawl on me, I quickly tried to pat my clothes, but there were so many spider webs stuck to me, and they were so sticky that the more I patted them, the tighter they stuck! I was immediately flustered, and since it was already hot, I was sweating profusely.

"Don't move!" A girl's sweet voice came from beneath the gardenias, right at the "Zhefang" wharf on the riverbank. Sister Musk Delight dropped the single oar of her small boat, carrying a heavy-looking wine jar in one hand, and gracefully walked ashore. She placed the jar beside me, broke the red paper seal, and a peculiar aroma of wine immediately mingled with the scent of gardenias, filling the entire courtyard. Sister Musk Delight dipped her right little finger into the wine jar, drew a few strokes on her left palm, and then gently patted my clothes. The spiderweb that had just been troubling me vanished instantly!

"Don't be so kind as to break the rules here!" Sister Musky brushed the dust off her hands. "You'd better not do anything you weren't told to do, and you'd better not go anywhere you weren't told to go!" Seeing that I didn't seem to take it to heart, she raised an eyebrow and pointed to a corner of the garden where there was a small villa covered with graceful evening primroses. Sister Musky made a threatening face. "Like that place, if you dare go there, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

Icefin, who was standing to the side, let out a surprised sound. Only then did Sister Musk notice his presence. Unexpectedly, she changed her expression to a smile and reached out to ruffle Icefin's slightly brown hair: "This is your little brother? He's really cute!"

Startled, Icefin reflexively covered its disheveled hair, staring blankly at the powerful beauty. Meanwhile, Sister Musk, carrying a large jar of strangely fragrant wine, swayed back into the house.

Perhaps because they were busy entertaining guests, neither my great-aunt nor Sister Musk showed up for dinner, and even Icefin was nowhere to be found. Holding my rice bowl, I secretly glanced at the others at the table. The head of the household, who was eating with us, remarked, "Your young master is with the landlady." My father was completely baffled and asked why the landlady couldn't eat with us if she wasn't entertaining guests. The head of the household, clearly finding my father's question unreasonable, replied matter-of-factly, "The landlady can't see me!"

Can't the proprietress greet the boss? The rules of this shop are too strange—as the host, inviting people to a wedding banquet at such an awkward time, and the guests have been gone for so long without any interaction; as relatives, how can they not greet each other or even exchange a word? As elders, how can they bring someone's grandson over so affectionately, while leaving their son and granddaughter standing aside!

To be honest, the head chef's cooking skills were really good; even though I was quite unhappy, I still ate several bowls more than I should have. Because I ate too much, I couldn't sleep at night, so I had to go for a walk—it was already late, and the guest rooms were all dark. In the dim moonlight, I vaguely saw two figures passing through a bamboo archway adorned with evening primroses, walking side by side towards the backyard where I was.

Those must be guests here—I recognized one of them dressed as a guest of the "Zhefang" establishment. Most of the people here are couples or lovers; disturbing them would be very impolite. I quickly moved aside towards the side door, but just then, the light from the main house illuminated the face of the person in the guest clothes. I wish I hadn't looked; what I saw shocked me—it was Icefin!

I immediately hid in the shadows, carefully trying to discern who was beside Icefin. The person was clearly a girl, with sharp, defined features from shoulders to the nape of her neck; her hair was either styled in an updo or cut short. Because she was slightly shorter than Icefin, it was obviously not Sister Musk. By the light of a night boat that happened to be rowing across the river, I could see that she wore a bright pomegranate-colored short jacket, with wide sleeves trimmed with intricate patterns, and a matching long skirt that swayed gently in the night breeze, the floral patterns on the hem incredibly lifelike—wasn't this the wedding dress I had seen in the corridor that evening?

That bride, whose identity was unknown and who had never shown herself before, was actually with Icefin! What exactly was her relationship with my great-aunt's family? Was she an old friend of Icefin's, or a new acquaintance? Either way, this was no ordinary matter! Did my great-aunt know? Did my father know? At that moment, Icefin had already led the bride around a laurel tree and disappeared from my sight. Unable to suppress my curiosity and unease, I quickly tiptoed after them.

However, after turning through the bushes, Icefin and the bride's figures had vanished! The backyard by the water was extremely dark; I could only make out the path ahead by the dim light from the guest room in the main house, and I had no energy left to search for Icefin and the others. The rustling of the trees in the night wind mingled with the chirping of insects, making the night seem even more still. I was regretting my rash decision to follow them when, to my dismay, the last light in the main house went out!

Knowing full well that I couldn't find anyone in this state, I was still unwilling to go back empty-handed. After hesitating for a while, I casually brushed aside a few willow branches, and a faint red light suddenly appeared in my eyes.

It was a warm pink, clearly the soft light filtering through the gauze curtains, creating an atmosphere very much like a bridal chamber. That direction must lead to the detached courtyard in the back garden, right? Sister Muskyakatsu once forbade me from going there. Could it be… because this is the mysterious bride's bridal chamber?

Surely Icefin isn't there too? How could he go to the bridal chamber? Even if it's a bed-warming ceremony, he's too old! Thinking of this, I didn't care about anything else and immediately quickened my pace to run towards that villa.

Hidden among the delicate, elegant shadows of the evening glories was indeed a large door adorned with bright red double happiness characters! The double doors were ajar, and a hazy figure stood by the door! He didn't look very tall, even somewhat thin—who else could it be but Icefin! I grabbed his sleeve: "You little rascal, Icefin, what are you doing!"

"Ouch!" the man exclaimed, almost being pulled outside by me. Upon hearing the voice, I knew something was wrong. It didn't sound like the Icefin boy's voice; it was clearly the tone of an unfamiliar adult man. Moreover, I could see clearly in the lamplight the sleeve in his hand—it wasn't the white and blue floral pattern Icefin was wearing, but a gleaming black satin robe, overlaid with a deep red long gown. It was clearly the attire of a groom!

I quickly let go, and started to say "I'm sorry" repeatedly, but then I remembered that it was their big day, and saying such things would be really unpleasant. In my panic, not knowing where to let go, the groom grabbed my hand instead. Startled, I reflexively tried to pry his fingers off, but to my surprise, he grabbed my other hand too!

“Young lady, it’s quite a coincidence that we meet here and now!” The groom didn’t come out of the room, but peeked out from behind the door. He looked pale and scholarly, almost sickly, but he was much stronger than me. Although his words and actions were rude, I couldn’t lose my temper because I was the one who was impolite first. So I replied bluntly, “Who told you I’m some kind of young lady? I’m Firewing!”

From a young age, my grandfather instilled in me the habit of immediately giving out our childhood nicknames when we encountered strange-looking and persistent strangers. Nine times out of ten, this would make them leave immediately. But the groom hiding behind the door nodded thoughtfully, not letting go of my hand: "Didn't you tell the maid yourself? You're the older sister, and the other one is the younger brother!"

I did say those words to Sister Musk, but how did this person know? I was afraid of getting into trouble, so I didn't respond. I secretly tried to break free, but his cold hand seemed to have some strange stickiness, and I couldn't get it off.

"Young lady...have we met somewhere before?" The groom's words ignited my anger. At first, I apologized for my rudeness, but now it seemed he was a spineless jerk! I snapped at him, "You've mistaken me for someone else!"

The groom gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead and said softly, "Indeed, you are much younger than that person... but you look so much like him... the only person I ever loved..."

A strange feeling flashed through my mind, but it was immediately suppressed by the unbearable nausea—to say such things to a girl I had just met, what a remarkable groom! Don't make me want to vomit… I cursed inwardly, coldly replying, “Really? Then you must have mistaken me! Everyone says I look exactly like my dad!”

My sarcastic remarks had no effect on the groom. He brushed his hair back and revealed a sorrowful expression: "I'm getting married soon... but the bride isn't the one I love..."

What does that have to do with me! I ignored his rambling, theatrical monologue and just kept trying to break free from his grasp. But he kept asking me questions, as if seeking my opinion. I looked up in confusion and heard him say decisively, "Let's run away together!"

"Stop joking! This is illegal! Let me go!" I shouted without thinking, but he still casually tossed his hair, looking determined—this guy is a complete madman! No wonder Sister Musk warned me never to come to the other courtyard!

At that moment, all I could think about was how to get the groom to let go, but even after I'd hurled all sorts of nasty insults at him, he wouldn't budge. Now I hated the bride too—she still hadn't shown up! If she hadn't kidnapped Icefin, I wouldn't have ended up in this godforsaken place, and I wouldn't have run into this lunatic! They're truly the most detestable newlywed couple in history!

It seems that cursing won't solve the problem. With a change of heart, I tried to soften my tone, though it still sounded resentful: "Um... you said you wanted to run away, are you going to run away empty-handed?" As long as he lets go, that's enough! I deliberately reminded the groom to prepare money. If he wanted to pack up his valuables, he would definitely have to let go. As soon as he let go, I would turn around and run!

"I already thought of that!" The groom patted his pocket, his face full of smug smile as he peeked out from behind the door. I cursed inwardly and quickly changed my mind: "Shouldn't we leave a letter for the bride?" The groom looked at me suspiciously, as if he had seen that I was deliberately stalling for time, and he tightened his grip on my hand.

My mind went blank, and I didn't know where to look. In my panic, I spotted a bunch of mimosa flowers on the round table in the bridal chamber! Heaven's help! That's it! I shouted, "I don't know your feelings, I don't want to run away with you!"

The groom looked at me with some surprise, a troubled expression on his sickly face. I silently prayed that things would go as I hoped, desperately trying to control my voice: "You should at least give me a flower! I can't get any red roses or anything right now, but that mimosa on the table will do!" The round table with the flowers was about ten steps away; for him to get the flowers, he would have to let go of me and walk to the center of the room!

"Oh, that!" The groom laughed with relief. "I'll give it to you right now!" Hearing this, I was overjoyed and immediately prepared to run away, just waiting for him to let go!

Unexpectedly, the restraints on my hands did not lessen at all, and in the blink of an eye, a mimosa flower appeared in front of me!

"I'll give you as many as you want!" the groom said in a pretentious tone, waving the flowers in his hand. Confused, I looked around in disbelief, only to see another flower, bathed in the dim pink candlelight of the room, slowly drifting closer to me...

How could this be? Did the mimosa flower just move out of thin air? No, that's not right... It was definitely brought over, but how could it be so long? And what about the arm that was holding the flower? Several other unnaturally long arms were reaching out from the doorway where I was standing, across the entire room, to pick up the remaining red flowers...

I lowered my head. No wonder I couldn't break free. Countless silver threads had sprouted from the groom's hands and crawled all over my arms. No wonder I felt awkward when the groom was fixing his hair earlier. A person should only have two hands, but at that moment, his hands were holding mine!

It's said that when animals encounter problems far beyond their ability to handle, they instinctively shift their attention to completely unrelated things. At this moment, staring blankly at the flowers being presented to me, I murmured somewhat absentmindedly, "Just how many hands... are there...?"

“Count it yourself! Little girl… you’ll know once you count!” The groom, with a smug smile on his pale face, slowly emerged from behind the door. No wonder he always hid behind the door to talk to me, only showing his face, never coming out or letting me in; it was because his entire body consisted only of his face—from the neck down, there was a round, fat body with thin arms, shiny and oily, like a ball that might burst at any moment, with thin silver threads constantly emerging from his body, wrapping around my hand…

Eight flowers, eight hands… I guessed it. No wonder I saw so many silk threads in the reflection of the sunset in the mirror. No wonder the groom knew about my conversation with Sister Musk—because he is… a spider!

"Aaaaaah—" No matter how awful it sounded, I screamed with all my might. "Although I really want to eat you too, I'll give you to her first..." With the groom's chilling voice, the illusory image of the enchanting bridal chamber before me, and the strange groom, vanished in an instant. The spiderweb wrapped around my hand suddenly expanded like a giant gust of wind, sweeping over me with astonishing suction...

Just as my consciousness was beginning to fade, a faint, strange aroma of alcohol suddenly wafted to my nose. The vent seemed to become blocked, and the suction of the spider web suddenly weakened. I felt someone grab the back of my collar and pull me out of the trap...

"What are you doing! Firewing!" I knew who it was without even hearing it—it was Icefin!

Still shaken, I desperately held back my tears, stammering, "Icefin... did you see that? That disgusting thing... um... how did you get here?" Icefin spit out a disgruntled "I saw a long line of fireflies, and I followed them to see what was going on, only to find you here, covered in spider webs!" Did the fireflies bring Icefin here? Were they thanking me for rescuing their companion from the spider webs at dusk?

"What kind of place is this! Let's go home and never come back!" I shouted as I stood up, only to bump into a red figure—the color of pomegranate blossoms, exquisite piping, and intricate embroidery: it was the bride's wedding dress!

"I won't let Icefin go!" The bride in the red wedding dress spoke in a rough, low voice. But what terrified me more than her voice was her appearance—her sparse white hair was adorned with pearl flowers, which accentuated her deep-set eyes and her missing teeth; beneath the heavy makeup lay an old face covered in wrinkles! This wrinkled, white-haired bride must be the partner of that eight-legged groom!

"A monster!" Although my grandfather had always warned us not to call those things by their names, in this situation, this was the only way I could react. Before I could finish speaking, Icefin slapped my shoulder hard: "How rude of you! What are you doing, calling your great-aunt like that!"

Great-aunt... Great-aunt! I choked on my breath and coughed violently, pointing in astonishment in the direction of the bride, unable to utter a word: she was actually wearing a wedding dress, walking under the flowers and moonlight with Ice Fins, this rare old lady was not only not that kind of thing, but was also a human being related to us by blood? We actually have a great-aunt with such strange hobbies!

Before I could even finish speaking, Icefin spoke, his voice now tinged with seriousness: "It seems that whether we can go back is no longer up to us!" I looked around and my eyes widened in disbelief: countless luminous silver threads had woven themselves across the entire courtyard, blocking all the paths, layer upon layer, stretching ever upwards toward the crescent moon, like the legendary Bagua formation—when did we find ourselves trapped in this spiderweb maze!

My great-aunt looked around in confusion, clearly unable to see anything: "Why has it suddenly turned completely dark?"

"What is that!" I suddenly saw a golden light flashing on Icefin's forehead under his bangs. The groom had only let go of me because of Icefin's arrival. If he wanted to lure Icefin into the trap, he could have just entangled him. There was no need to let me go. It was clear that there was only one reason why he hid in the silver thread array: there was something on Icefin that he was afraid of!

Could this be the secret to forcing the groom away? I reached out and brushed aside the stray strands of hair, revealing a crooked "King" character on Icefin's fair forehead, glowing faintly. "Who wrote a 'King' on your forehead?" I said, suddenly remembering how Sister Musk had dipped her hand in wine and written something when she brushed the spiderwebs off me at dusk, and then patted Icefin's forehead with that same hand!

"Let me see!" My great-aunt leaned over and chattered on, "When we celebrate the Double Ninth Festival here, we dip realgar wine in it and write the character '王' (king) on the foreheads of children. Hmm? I can't see it!"

No wonder she could so easily swat away the spiderweb; it turns out the strangely fragrant wine that Sister Musk used was realgar wine, specially formulated to combat poisonous insects! At this moment, the spider's demonic aura caused the realgar wine's medicinal power to be fully unleashed, causing it to glow in response. However, this medicinal wine is far too diluted; I don't know how long the "King" character on Icefin's forehead can protect us…

"Now we don't have to worry anymore, so much prey!" A weak voice sounded overhead. I looked up and was immediately terrified—the groom, dressed in his wedding robes, looked at us with a smug smile, gathered his eight thin legs, and suspended his obese body on a thin thread, slowly hanging down from a silver net in mid-air...

It was absolutely disgusting! I didn't even have the energy to curse. My great-aunt, completely oblivious to why I looked so pale, asked me, "What's wrong with you?" Fortunately, Icefin managed to remain calm. He sneered, "Indeed, you don't need to worry anymore. With us prey, your life is safe!"

So that's why! I remember learning in my textbook that the male spider is eaten by the female spider on their wedding night!

The groom suddenly lowered himself several feet and roared angrily at Icefin, "Shut up!"

"You spineless coward! If you've got the guts, come and eat me!" Icefin's tone seemed deliberately provoking the other man! I glanced over and saw him slowly clench his right hand, poised to strike. I understood—Icefin, relying on the lingering effects of the realgar wine, wanted to lure the groom closer, then capture him and break through this spreading silver net formation!

"You're a coward! You're afraid of your wife! You'll be eaten alive sooner or later!" I immediately joined in, hurling all sorts of nasty insults.

The groom fell for the trap! He yelled and jumped down rapidly, charging straight at me—what a coward, he still didn't dare to confront the effects of the realgar wine head-on!

Once the groom was within arm's reach, Icefin swiftly struck, never missing its mark—this was the best opportunity, and our only chance!

Icefin swung his hand, but there was nothing in his palm...

The groom wasn't where he should be! A chillingly seductive laugh rang out in the air: "Young man, you're taking advantage of my husband's lack of skill; he can't do anything to you. Let me play with you!"

This was a sound more terrifying than the groom's boastful roar. Icefin and I slowly raised our heads—was that really the bride? A bewitching yet alluring face, slender, upturned eyebrows, and eyes with a menacing glint in the corners—she was undeniably a stunning beauty, but alas…

It's a pity she was so fat! Her round, inflated body, wrapped in pomegranate-red embroidered silk, looked as if it might burst out of her wedding dress at any moment, making her eight legs appear even longer and thinner. In one of her fair and delicate hands, she held a silver thread, from which hung her groom, who wore a fawning smile. In the blink of an eye, she had pulled the groom to safety, and with no effort at all—because the groom was at most half her size!

Icefin was practically spitting out its fins, and the realgar wine mark on its forehead was gradually fading. I truly envied my blind great-aunt; she still couldn't figure out what was wrong with us. Just then, my eyes met those of the bride, and the heavyweight beauty suddenly covered her mouth and giggled: "Isn't this my old acquaintance? Not only did you steal my prey, but you also want to steal my husband? You really have some nerve!"

So it turns out that the net I tore to release the fireflies was hers! I can't even cry anymore—we've really made a terrible enemy of each other, I'm doomed this time!

"I won't be polite! I'll devour you from head to toe, leaving you completely clean!" With the bride's chilling words, the silver threads suddenly tightened like a fishing net. My great-aunt's figure disappeared first into a silver tide, while countless supple silver threads bound me and Ice Fin layer by layer—limbs, waist, abdomen, chest, neck—in the blink of an eye, my face was buried under heavy bindings, unable to breathe. In my fading consciousness, I only felt silver light flooding my eyes…

A deafening roar suddenly echoed in my ears! My body felt instantly lighter, as if a giant, sharp pair of scissors had severed the deadly noose, and my body was instantly free! I eagerly opened my eyes, but the deadly newlyweds were nowhere to be seen. All I could see were two dilapidated door panels lying on the ground, with the faded red double happiness characters still faintly visible on them. A foot in a slipper was stomping heavily on the rotten door panels.

"I was wondering why there was all this chattering around the warehouse! You two! Didn't you say it was dirty and messy and we couldn't go near it? What if you got hit by something in the middle of the night?!" Amidst the merciless scolding, I felt my ear being pulled hard, and I involuntarily stood up, almost bumping into Ice Fin, whose ear was being twisted by another hand. The person twisting our ears continued to yell, "You even locked the door from the inside! I had to kick it down to get in! What do you want?! You're covered in cobwebs, and I'm the one who does the laundry!"

That tone, that action, it was definitely Sister Musky! Icefin and I immediately begged for mercy, and Sister Musky reluctantly released us. Still shaken, I looked around. Where was the bright and fragrant bridal chamber? We were standing in a dilapidated warehouse covered with cobwebs and piled with all sorts of messy things, and we even got our noses covered in dust!

"Musk! You're here too!" Aunt's voice rang out from outside the door. A figure dressed in a bright red wedding gown appeared in the pale moonlight at the doorway. When did she leave the warehouse?

"Grandma! What are you doing here!" Sister Musk's voice was both angry and surprised. Auntie actually laughed shyly: "I was just taking a walk with Icefin when we ran into his sister. The three of us talked for a while and then it got so dark that we couldn't see anything. They disappeared like little mudfish. If you hadn't caught them, I probably still wouldn't have been able to find them!"

Just as Icefin and I were about to marvel at our great-aunt's thick skin, Sister Musk's words gave us a jolt that made us freeze: "Grandma, please have some self-awareness as a bride!"

"The...new...bride..." Icefin and I shouted in unison. The intimidation of those words was no less than the entrance of the Spider Bride! Sister Musk sighed and tossed her long hair: "Even Grandpa Ah-hao would be troubled by you like this!"

My great-aunt retorted confidently, "How could I possibly cause trouble for Ah-hao! Didn't I just follow the old custom of not seeing him before the ceremony is over?"

"Ah-hao...Grandpa Ah-hao?" Icefin and I could only repeat their words like broken phonographs. Sister Musk shook her head helplessly: "Grandpa Ah-hao is the Boss! We invited you here to my grandma and the Boss's wedding!"

No wonder my great-aunt wouldn't see us, and the head of the household acted so strangely, even saying, "The boss's wife can't see me"; because a bride-to-be can't see the groom and guests! It turns out my great-aunt wore her wedding dress not because she had strange tastes, but because she was truly the bride!

Icefin's jaw nearly dropped. He stammered to his great-aunt, "You... how could you..."

"I've always wanted to wear my wedding dress on a date with my cousin!" The great-aunt lowered her head like a young girl. "Icefin looks a lot like my cousin!"

It turns out that my great-aunt was engaged to my cousin, our grandfather, when she was young. However, she was a staunch believer in the freedom to choose her own marriage partner and insisted on breaking off the engagement. Later, they both married other people, and the two families lost contact. No wonder she didn't invite my grandmother to her wedding—even today, she's still a spoiled young lady!

“Actually, I was so stubborn back then. I thought being with my cousin was a surrender to feudal ethics, without considering my true feelings. This incident made me determined to never hide my true thoughts again!” My great-aunt's face showed the clear smile unique to the elderly, an expression much more fitting than a shy one. “My late husband would be happy too—now I have not only found the best home, but I have also fulfilled my wish to date my cousin. Now I have no more worries and can get married in peace!”

"Um...does Icefin look like Grandpa?" I was still a little confused and asked hesitantly. "Speaking of which, I look more like Grandpa than Icefin...and Dad's here, isn't he? He probably looks most like Grandpa!"

"Who wants to date an old man!" My great-aunt gave me a deliberately exaggerated glare, then her expression brightened with a cheerful smile. At that moment, she looked like a very cute, even somewhat beautiful, little old lady. Perhaps, in reality, my great-aunt was the most adorable old lady—frank, optimistic, with a touch of childlike innocence that made people laugh, independent-minded, and absolutely, truthfully honest with herself. As she walked forward, she nodded vigorously, as if encouraging herself. "Alright, it's all over! Tomorrow is the wedding day! From now on, I'm starting a brand new life!"

"They're all in their seventies, eighties, sixties, or seventies, what kind of new life is this!" Watching her great-aunt's figure disappear into the moonlight, Sister Musky made a gesture of "I'm defeated by her," but her eyes were full of warm smiles. But quite inappropriately, I suddenly remembered the whereabouts of that most annoying spider couple in the world. I wondered if they would still come out to scare people? My gaze shifted uneasily, but then I saw Sister Musky move her foot off the door, and two large spiders, already flattened, appeared before me. I tugged at Icefin's sleeve, signaling him to look. It would have been better if he hadn't looked, because once he did, he felt another wave of nausea—the patterns on those two spiders looked exactly like the faces of that sickly groom and the fat bride!

"Sister Musky Life!" I pulled Sister Musky Life to look at the two gruesome corpses. Sister Musky Life told me to wait a moment while taking out a pair of glasses from her pocket and slowly approaching the door panel. When we first met, she had to get close to me to tell if I was a man or a woman. I was wondering if she was like those things, needing to rely on her senses to distinguish between me and Icefin. I didn't expect it was because she was nearsighted!

Upon seeing the dead spider, Musky Sister screamed and kicked the door aside: "Who stepped on it?! That's disgusting!"