Chapter 3: The Marriage for Luck Becomes a Ghost Marriage

 

When it comes to rituals like marriages for luck, the sooner they are completed, the better. Madam Wei, anxious about her son’s precarious condition, did not want to delay.

She patted Xu Shuyue’s hand and said, “Since it’s already decided, it’s best to get it done quickly.”

“Since Qi Siming isn’t home, the wedding doesn’t need to be elaborate. Something simple will do. When he comes back, we’ll make it up to you. I hope you can understand.”

Hearing this, Xu Shuyue realized there was no avoiding her fate as a bride for a marriage for luck. She nodded reluctantly. After all, the eldest son of the Qi family was still serving in the military and had been gone for years. Who knew when he might return? For now, she would stay at the Qi household, find a place to settle, save some money, and when the eldest son eventually returned, he probably wouldn’t want to remain married to a woman he had never met. They could amicably divorce at that time.

Thinking this through, Xu Shuyue felt much lighter. After eating a bowl of noodles Madam Wei prepared for her, she drifted off to sleep on the warm kang bed.

The next day, at the break of dawn, the sound of firecrackers erupted outside the window, startling Xu Shuyue from her dreams.

She opened her eyes and sat up, groggily peeking through the cracks in the window. She could make out villagers standing in the Qi family’s courtyard, with red silk decorations hanging by the door.

“Shuyue, wake up! It’s time for the wedding ceremony,” Madam Wei’s voice came as she knocked on the door.

Wedding ceremony?

Xu Shuyue was stunned. Qi Siming wasn’t even home—who was she supposed to marry?

When Madam Wei didn’t hear a response, she pushed the door open and entered the room. She found Xu Shuyue sitting blankly on the kang bed, her face still groggy with sleep.

“Shuyue, get up quickly. Don’t miss the auspicious time!” Madam Wei urged as she busied herself dressing Xu Shuyue. Within moments, she had her fully dressed and was pulling her outside.

On the way, Xu Shuyue finally snapped out of her daze and, blushing, asked, “Aunt Wei, who am I marrying?”

Madam Wei laughed and lightly tapped Xu Shuyue on the forehead. “Who else? My eldest son, Qi Siming.”

Xu Shuyue froze. “But Qi Siming is still away in the military, isn’t he?”

“The Taoist said the ceremony only requires his birthdate and horoscope. He doesn’t need to be physically present. Just come with me,” Madam Wei explained, hurriedly dragging Xu Shuyue to the courtyard.

When they arrived, the courtyard was bustling with activity. Neighbors and villagers had gathered, excited to witness this peculiar wedding with no groom present. Xu Shuyue’s face flushed red with embarrassment. But before she had time to dwell on her mortification, Madam Wei had already pulled her to the hastily assembled wedding altar.

The altar was simple: a long wooden bench draped in red silk, flanked by a pair of dragon and phoenix candles. Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng were seated on either side, and it was evident this would be a very basic ceremony.

The matchmaker brought out a red bridal veil and, without asking, placed it over Xu Shuyue’s head. Then, she pressed down on Xu Shuyue’s shoulders, forcing her to kneel.

With her vision obscured by the veil, Xu Shuyue mechanically followed the matchmaker’s instructions: bow when told, kneel when told.

The atmosphere grew livelier around her. The voices of laughing children and gossiping villagers filled the air, but Xu Shuyue blocked it all out, numb to the absurdity of the situation.

When the ceremony was over, Xu Shuyue lifted the veil, only to find herself kneeling beside a rooster!

The rooster was tied with a piece of white paper, on which Qi Siming’s birthdate and horoscope were written. It had symbolically stood in for the groom during the ceremony.

Xu Shuyue’s face burned with fury. She was an educated woman from the modern era—how could she tolerate such a humiliating and feudal practice? She was about to explode in anger when someone suddenly rushed into the Qi family courtyard, shouting, “A message from the postal station! News about Qi Siming!”

The crowd erupted into murmurs. It had been so long since they’d heard anything about Qi Siming. How was it that news arrived just as the wedding concluded? Could the marriage for luck ritual really have worked?

Madam Wei, convinced the ritual had been effective, hurriedly stood up and accepted the letter, muttering under her breath, “Heavens above, please let my son be safe.”

But when she opened the letter and read its contents, her face went pale, her legs gave out, and she nearly fainted.

“Aunt Wei, what’s wrong?” Xu Shuyue quickly stepped forward to support her, only to see tears streaming down the woman’s face.

“My poor son… I was still preparing your wedding… How could you leave us like this?!” Madam Wei wailed hysterically.

The gathered villagers froze, stunned. Qi Ansheng took the letter from Madam Wei’s trembling hands and read it. His expression darkened instantly.

Realizing what must have happened, the crowd began whispering among themselves. Their gazes toward Xu Shuyue turned hostile and accusing.

“She really is a jinx! She’s cursed!”

“She killed her parents first, and now her husband!”

“She’s a calamity-bringer! Whoever marries her is doomed!”

“This girl mustn’t stay in the Qi family! She’ll bring disaster to the whole household!”

Xu Shuyue stood frozen, unable to comprehend how things had spiraled so quickly. She had only just bowed in a wedding ceremony—how had she suddenly become a widow and a bringer of bad luck?

What was supposed to be a joyous event had turned into a funeral. The villagers’ suspicion and hostility grew more intense. Some even grabbed brooms and began driving Xu Shuyue out of the courtyard.

“Get out! Get far away, you cursed woman! Don’t bring misfortune to our village!”

“Leave! Don’t bring disaster upon us!”

Amid the chaos, Xu Shuyue staggered out into the snow, her heart heavy with humiliation and despair.

The scene became chaotic as the villagers pushed and shoved Xu Shuyue, nearly causing her to fall to the ground. Both anxious and angry, she retorted, “I am not a jinx! I haven’t even met Qi Siming before! This letter was sent three months ago—it’s clear that his accident happened while he was away!”

However, the villagers, caught up in their emotions, ignored Xu Shuyue’s explanation entirely.

It wasn’t until Madam Wei finally regained her composure and stepped in front of Xu Shuyue that the mob was stopped. Wiping the redness from her tear-streaked eyes, Madam Wei, who now appeared much older from the grief of losing her son, spoke in a hoarse voice, “Thank you for your concern, dear villagers. But since Shuyue has already married into our family, she is now one of us. You cannot drive her away.”

Xu Shuyue was slightly taken aback.

Though she knew Qi Siming’s death had nothing to do with her, the timing of the bad news—arriving on the day of their wedding ceremony—was undeniably ominous. Even so, Madam Wei didn’t seem to blame her?

“Madam Wei… you…”

Just as Xu Shuyue began to speak, Madam Wei interrupted her, “Shuyue, you’ve already knelt before me during the ceremony. From now on, you should call me ‘Mother.’”

This statement made it clear: Madam Wei was determined to formally recognize Xu Shuyue as part of the family.

The villagers were aghast, urgently trying to dissuade her.

“Madam Wei, have you lost your mind?”

“You’re bringing a disaster into your home!”

It wasn’t that Madam Wei was particularly magnanimous. Rather, the Taoist priest she and Qi Ansheng had consulted beforehand had explained the risks and outcomes of the marriage for luck ritual. The ritual was a way to alter fate—what was gained could also be lost. But driven by desperation to save her son, Madam Wei had chosen to take the chance. Now that her eldest son had passed, she believed it was fate and could not blame anyone else.

Madam Wei, now resolute, declared firmly, “All of you saw it yourselves. Shuyue has already married into our family. Whether my son is alive or dead, she is now a member of the Qi family!”

Qi Siming was gone. The bride price had already been delivered, and the marriage ceremony had been completed. There was no way to pretend none of this had happened. Xu Shuyue had entered the family, and that was final.

Someone in the crowd muttered, “Good grief… the Xu girl married a dead man. Isn’t this just a ghost marriage?”

Qi Ansheng, sharing Madam Wei’s thoughts, ignored the murmurs. He firmly shut the courtyard gate, driving out the noisy villagers who were causing trouble.

Xu Shuyue, standing in the quieted courtyard, couldn’t help feeling a mix of emotions. She had assumed that with Qi Siming gone, the marriage for luck arrangement would be canceled. Who would’ve thought it would evolve into a ghost marriage? She had only just arrived and was already a widow.

Still… she hadn’t wanted to get married in the first place. This outcome, in a way, wasn’t the worst for her.

Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng were overwhelmed with grief and had no energy left to pay attention to Xu Shuyue. Both of them returned to their room early without even eating dinner.

Xu Shuyue originally thought of comforting them, but given that Madam Wei was already dealing with the pain of losing her son, seeing Xu Shuyue might only add to her sorrow. So, she decided against disturbing them. Instead, she went to the kitchen, prepared two bowls of millet porridge, and quietly left them outside Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng’s room. Then she stepped out to the backyard to clear her mind.

Xu Shuyue knew the news of Qi Siming’s death on her wedding day would spread quickly. Soon, the entire village would see her as a bad omen, and no one would want to be near her. It would only become harder for her to find a place in this community.

Although Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng were kind-hearted and accommodating toward her, she couldn’t depend on their charity forever. Losing Qi Siming meant the Qi family’s position in the village would also decline, and it wouldn’t take long before their resources ran dry. She couldn’t simply sit idly by and live off them.

Coming to terms with her situation, Xu Shuyue realized that her first priority was solving her livelihood issues.

The Qi family was still relatively well-off, with a few acres of fertile farmland and a number of fruit trees. However, Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng were getting old, and their strength was waning. The second son of the Qi family wasn’t around often, leaving much of the household’s assets neglected.

Xu Shuyue didn’t have any special skills, but as a modern woman from the 21st century, she had confidence in her ability to be self-reliant and resourceful. With hard work, she believed she could carve out a living. Since she was already here, she decided to adapt to her new circumstances. With Qi Siming gone, it might even fall to her to support the Qi family in the future.

Determined, Xu Shuyue decided that first thing tomorrow morning, she would discuss the family’s livelihood situation with Madam Wei and come up with a plan to maintain their household.

 

Translator’s Note: Hey guys, from this week onwards we will have 2 chapters each alternate day. That is Mon, Tue, Wed.