My cousin clutched my hand in fear, "Cousin, do you think this place is... haunted?"My cousin's timid nature matched her small stature."Don't worry, you're overthinking. There's nothing to be afraid of in such a small place.""I bet that old man wanted to rent this shop but lost out to me, so he's just trying to scare us with these rumors.""Cousin, you should head back. I'll go to Grandpa's place and grab a few things to ward off any bad vibes."Honestly, ghosts are the least of my worries because my wife is a ghost.This place was chosen by my ghostly wife, so it must be fine.My cousin glanced around the room and smiled slightly, "That's true, you're always so smart."After tidying up a bit, we left together.For convenience, I bought a women's bicycle for 300 yuan.Since I only spend my summers here and won't need the bike at school, I plan to give it to my uncle. He'll definitely make good use of it.After dropping my cousin off, I returned to my grandfather's house.I loaded half a sack of rice on the back of the bike and brought along Grandpa's compass, a peachwood sword, and a kerosene lamp.Back at the shop, I bought a rice cooker, a new lock, and some basic necessities.After organizing the place, it finally felt a bit like home.The shop came with a counter, so I covered it with a tablecloth, placed the compass and peachwood sword on it, and added a few plastic stools. It almost looked like a real business.Before dark, I swept the front of the shop clean.But as I was sweeping, the uncle who runs the wreath shop next door approached me mysteriously and whispered, "Young man, why are you sweeping the floor at this hour?"His harmless expression left me speechless."Are you okay, sir?""Is there a problem with me sweeping the floor?"I scrutinized the uncle. He was about 1.6 meters tall, with dark skin, messy curly hair, an egg-shaped face, two deep horizontal lines on his forehead, bushy eyebrows, narrow eyes, a flat nose, a fish-like mouth, and sparse, untidy facial hair. It wasn't a pleasant sight.When reading someone's face, you need to look closely and consider the overall picture.Close examination can yield about 50% accuracy, but a comprehensive assessment can boost that accuracy to 60-70%, if not more.First, his sturdy build suggested he was an honest, straightforward person.His dark skin indicated two things: he had a heavy yin energy and led a hard life.Clearly, running a wreath shop aligned with his heavy yin energy.His fine, curly hair indicated a weak constitution and a gentle personality.The messy hair suggested a lack of attention to appearance.An egg-shaped face, also known as a "wood face," is not bad for a man. However, his narrow jaw and incomplete six houses suggested a difficult later life.The two deep horizontal lines on his forehead were not a good sign, like two insurmountable chasms, suggesting hardship. But if there were three deep lines, forming a "king" character, it would indicate great fortune.Bushy eyebrows indicated a fierce temperament, a propensity for conflict, delayed marriage, and late children. However, he had a deep religious inclination.Narrow eyes often suggested poverty and a lifetime of hard work.A flat nose was a sign of potential illness, with the lower the root, the greater the risk.A fish-like mouth indicated poverty.In summary, this man had a weak constitution and a difficult fate.He likely had a tough life, particularly in his later years.But he had a connection with Buddhism, and running a wreath shop near a temple suited him.However, his vacant eyes and slightly dazed expression suggested poor health, possibly due to nervous breakdowns, exacerbated by his deep faith, giving him an eccentric demeanor.In short, he was a pitiful man, destined for a tough life, and definitely not a schemer.In other words, he was unwell.After reading the uncle's face, I sighed internally. What's the point of arguing with a man suffering from nervous breakdowns?The uncle looked around cautiously, then leaned in and said, "Sweeping in the morning removes dust and welcomes new energy; sweeping at noon cleanses bad luck; sweeping at night invites ghostly business."Ghostly business refers to dealing with spirits.I scoffed, "Sir, do you always talk like this? Did you scare off the previous tenant with your stories?""I'm not making this up; these are old sayings passed down through generations.""The previous tenant, Old Huang, didn't heed my warnings and insisted on doing business at night. He ended up being attacked by a malicious spirit and died in this shop. I tried to warn him, but he didn't listen. You can't blame me.""And this shop is a nail-head shop. You mustn't stay here at night, or you'll be harmed by evil spirits."The fact that someone had died in the shop didn't bother me much, as I had my ghostly wife to protect me.The uncle seemed genuinely concerned for my safety.As for the term "nail-head shop," I had never heard of it."Uncle, can you tell me what a nail-head shop is?"My curiosity was piqued. You can never learn too much.Just as the uncle was about to explain, a woman hurried out of the wreath shop, "Oh dear, you old fool, are you spouting nonsense again? Young man, I'm sorry. My husband's a bit off. Please don't take him seriously."She dragged the uncle away, but he kept waving his hand at me, "Don't stay here tonight, whatever you do!"Watching them leave, I felt a bit uneasy. Should I stay in the shop I just rented?Then I remembered my ghostly wife.With her around, what was there to fear?With that in mind, I shook off my worries.I quickly finished sweeping, went back to the shop, cooked some porridge, and set up my bed.As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but think about the uncle's words.My mind was filled with random thoughts, and I even worried about my ghostly wife. What if she couldn't handle those wandering spirits?Tossing and turning for a while, I still couldn't sleep.To ease my mind, I placed the compass by the bed and held the peachwood sword in my arms.Strangely, this reassurance helped me sleep better.But just as I fell asleep, there was a loud bang at the door, as if someone had kicked it.Startled, I jumped up and opened the door, but no one was there.It was twelve-ten at night.Damn, could it be Old Huang's ghost returning?I thought to myself.Then I remembered the kerosene lamp.Grandpa brought it back from a Taoist temple. Once lit, the flame could indicate the presence of evil spirits.I quickly lit the lamp.The flame flickered gently, appearing normal."Bang!"Suddenly, my bed made a sharp sound, as if someone had slapped it hard.The next moment, the kerosene lamp's flame went out.Oh crap, is this what they call a ghost blowing out the lamp?
YOU ARE READING
Maiyi Onmyoji
МистикаI was born lacking yin energy, so to save me, my grandfather arranged for me to marry a ghost bride. Grandpa said I couldn't learn his art of face reading until I turned thirty, or I would be plagued with trouble. But even though I don't go looking...
