Since she was alone tonight, she was in no rush to return to the county yamen, instead taking her time strolling around and looking at the sights.
Figuring she had the time, she turned a corner and walked into the patrol area assigned to Constable Liao and his partner.
The houses in the county town all looked somewhat similar. After walking around for a bit, Gu Qingyun found that the layout here was roughly the same as the area she patrolled.
The only difference was that the wealthy district here was larger. On her end, there was only a single area housing about a dozen wealthy families.
Here on Constable Liao's side, she counted three such areas.
What set this place apart from hers the most was a matrimony tree standing here. Judging by its size, the willow tree had to be several hundred years old.
The tree was draped in red wish ribbons left by young men and women, covering it from top to bottom. Whenever a gust of wind blew, the red ribbons on the willow flapped in the breeze, looking rather eerie in the dead of night.
She stood a short distance from the willow tree, watching quietly for a moment. Just as she turned to leave, she heard Constable Liao's booming voice:
“Qingyun! What brings you over here? What, looking to pray for a good marriage too?
“You might not know this, but the Willow Fairy here is remarkably effective. It's brought together countless couples!
“On top of that, every single household lives in total harmony—not a single couple has ever gotten divorced! During the day, there's an endless stream of people coming here.
“Though you're still young, so there's no need to rush.”
Gu Qingyun smiled faintly.
“Uncle Liao, Uncle Yu, stop teasing me. I just finished my patrol and happened to swing by for a look. I had no idea our county town had a place like this.
“By the way, Uncle Yu, how do you know all this so clearly?”
“Haha, Qingyun, you don't know the full story. Old Liao's daughter takes after him in looks, so finding a husband was always a major headache.
“Who would've thought that after she came here to pray, boom, she actually found a husband! Old Liao's son-in-law comes from a good family and is quite handsome to boot. Tell me, isn't that miraculous?”
Gu Qingyun looked at Constable Liao's square face, small eyes, and dark skin, finding it hard to imagine what his daughter looked like.
Hearing Constable Yu say that Uncle Liao's daughter prayed under this willow tree and immediately secured a great marriage made her a bit skeptical, though she kept those thoughts to herself.
Pulling her thoughts back, she nodded in agreement.
“That's wonderful. A good meal is worth waiting for.”
“Isn't it, though! Alright, we're getting ready to head back to the county yamen. Qingyun, why don't you head back with us?
“You youngsters really are fearless. Having the energy to run around everywhere after finishing a night patrol—aren't you scared out here so late at night?”
Gu Qingyun listened to Constable Liao and Constable Yu ramble on, not feeling the least bit annoyed.
Right after the three of them left, the willow tree began to sway ominously. Its branches wriggled as though endowed with life.
If Constable Liao and his partner had seen this scene, they probably would have been scared half to death.
After completing her night patrol, Gu Qingyun ate breakfast the next morning and finished her cultivation, only to be dragged off to his aunt's house by Bai Fan.
She felt quite embarrassed visiting someone's home empty-handed, but Bai Fan insisted that since she was an expert he was inviting over, there was no reason for her to bring gifts. He told her to just go directly, as he had already prepared the presents himself.
Gu Qingyun wiped her face in exasperation, but she still stopped by a pastry shop to buy some baked goods before stepping inside.
Bai Fan's aunt lived within Constable Liao's patrol area, just two streets away from the matrimony tree.
When Gu Qingyun arrived, Bai Fan's aunt was already waiting for them at home. Seeing them enter, she welcomed her inside with a face full of hope.
“You must be Bai Fan's colleague. I'm his aunt—you can just call me Aunt Bai.”
Gu Qingyun said, “Aunt Bai, here are some pastries for the children to enjoy. You can just call me Qingyun.”
“Qingyun, you didn't need to bring anything! Let me pour you some water.” Bai Fan's aunt flustered about, momentarily losing track of what she should be doing.
Bai Fan casually picked up a piece of fruit from the table, bit into it, and passed one to Gu Qingyun.
“Auntie, where's Cousin?”
Bai Fan's aunt handed the water to Gu Qingyun with a sigh.
“He's asleep in his room. Sigh, now he stays inside during the day and disappears at night. He doesn't earn a single copper, but he squanders money like water.
“Your uncle went off to work, and your cousin's wife left early this morning to work at the embroidery shop, all just to earn a bit extra for the household. If your cousin keeps this up, this family is going to fall apart. Sigh.”
Bai Fan asked, “How come I don't see Xiao Le and Xiao Hua?”
“Oh, those two. Early this morning, I sent them over to your parents' place. They're still so young, and I was afraid they'd make too much noise,” Bai Fan's aunt explained.
Gu Qingyun listened quietly. For a family like hers, earning fifteen or sixteen taels of silver a year was enough to cover the living expenses of the whole household—and that was only because they owned a few mu of farmland and could hunt in the mountains.
With an able-bodied man in Aunt Bai's family refusing to work and earn money, even a family with some savings wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.
Gu Qingyun took a sip of tea and stood up.
“Aunt Bai, please take me to see Bai Fan's cousin in his room.”
“I'll take you! I know my aunt's house like the back of my hand,” Bai Fan volunteered.
Bai Fan took the lead, guiding Gu Qingyun into the room on the right. Zhang Dayou was twenty-eight years old, normally an honest and simple man who showed filial piety to his parents and deeply cherished his wife and children.
He usually worked hard and devoted himself entirely to his little family.
Were it not for the sudden change a month ago, he would currently be outside working alongside his father instead of lazily lying in bed sleeping the day away.
For an honest man to turn into a gambling addict, those hit hardest were naturally his wife, with whom he had always shared a loving relationship, and his parents, who had painstakingly raised him.
Gu Qingyun's arrival did not rouse Zhang Dayou from his sleep. He remained lying there lazily, his entire head pulled under the blanket to block out the sunlight streaming into the room.
Bai Fan didn't want Gu Qingyun to wait around for nothing, so he yanked off Zhang Dayou's blanket.
“Cousin, get up! The sun is already beating down on your rear, why are you still sleeping?”
What answered him was Zhang Dayou's muffled voice:
“Get out first. I'm going back to sleep for a bit; I'm exhausted.”
Immediately after, his tone shifted drastically, growing fierce and vicious:
“Get the hell out and mind your own damn business!”
Gu Qingyun frowned as she watched. No wonder Bai Fan and his aunt thought he was possessed—the tone between those two consecutive sentences sounded like two completely different people.
The first sentence carried a simple, honest warmth, while the second oozed sheer disgust, making one want to beat up whoever had just spoken.
However, before Gu Qingyun could inspect him further, Zhang Dayou bolted upright on the bed and threw a punch straight at Bai Fan.
Gu Qingyun was startled. Stepping forward in a flash, she caught the fist cleanly with an open palm. The qi glowing with white light in her palm surged into Zhang Dayou's body.
Zhang Dayou felt as though his entire body were being roasted over a fire. Gritting his teeth, his eyes suddenly regained a touch of clarity before growing dull once more, and he instinctively shrank back from Gu Qingyun.
Shielding the hand Gu Qingyun had just intercepted with his other arm, he stared at her with deep vigilance.
“I don't care who you are—leave my room immediately!”
Gu Qingyun caught onto this detail. Moving as swift as the wind, she pinned Zhang Dayou down directly, drew a talisman with her qi, and slammed it into his body.
This time, clarity fully returned to Zhang Dayou's eyes. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan, his face filled with remorse and despair,
Rate on N.U.
