Chapter 75: Seeing a Ghost, My Adam’s Apple Disappeared
“Who is this girl? She doesn’t seem to be from our village, does she?”
“Nonsense, the young girls in our village have already fled to the big towns or immortal sects for refuge. She must be some distant relative of the Huang family.”
“Look at her clothes, the total value of what she’s wearing is probably several taels of silver. And she’s so tall and has such a good figure. It’s obvious she’s a rich young lady who never went hungry since she was young. When did the Huang family have such a relative?”
“Does she have to report her relatives to you?”
“That’s not necessary, but with the world in such chaos, how can her parents feel at ease letting a girl come to a birthday celebration alone? If I had a daughter like that, I’d be sure to dote on her like a Buddha at home.”
“Why don’t you go ask her yourself? The emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuch is anxious.”
…
The villagers in the courtyard started to chatter. Although they tried their best to keep their voices down, with so many people, Huang Qi couldn’t help but overhear them.
Huang Qi was already nervous about cross-dressing. Seeing himself become the focus of discussion, he immediately chickened out and hid in the main hall, not daring to come out. To his surprise, after a moment, a middle-aged woman walked in.
This woman was in her fifties, thin, with rough skin, obviously from exposure to wind and sun. However, her coarse cloth dress, full of patches, was spotless. Her white hair was neatly tied at the top of her head. She looked like a capable woman.
Huang Qi was very familiar with this woman because she was his mother, Li Fen.
After not seeing her for a long time, Huang Qi missed her dearly. His instincts told him to call out, but as the words reached his lips, he realized something was wrong and forced himself to hold back.
Li Fen was startled to see Huang Qi. She never dreamed that such a gorgeously dressed rich young lady would appear in their home. She felt so out of place with the surroundings, it was no exaggeration to say she brought glory to their humble abode.
However, Li Fen was always a shrewd woman. She didn’t pry but greeted him politely: “You’ve worked hard, guest. Please sit outside.”
Huang Qi knew he couldn’t speak now, so he could only put down his luggage and force himself to walk out of the main hall. As soon as the elders and villagers outside saw her emerge, their eyes were all on her again.
Huang Qi wished he could find a hole to hide in. To make himself less conspicuous, he decided to find something to do to blend in.
Huang Qi first thought of helping the men, but considering the role he was playing now, he gave up on that idea and joined the women in picking and washing vegetables.
The so-called vegetables were actually mostly wild vegetables picked from near the village. After all, the world was too full of yin energy, and the sun was rarely seen throughout the year. Crops couldn’t grow. Moreover, finding wild vegetables was a life-threatening task, so having this much was already good.
“How can a young lady like you do such rough work? Leave it to us.”
Several women tried to stop him.
But Huang Qi was stubborn and insisted on joining. It didn’t matter if his hands were seen by others. Who said women’s hands must be white and delicate? The hands of the women around him were not much different from his. Besides, no one here knew Hong Ling Fairy.
“How can a young lady like you have such rough hands? Do you do all the work yourself?”
An aunt noticed Huang Qi’s hands and asked in surprise.
Huang Qi couldn’t speak, so he could only nod subconsciously.
“My heavens! Such excellent upbringing. Your father is truly admirable.”
“Unlike the girlfriends of Huang Long and Huang Bo, they don’t look good, and they act like young ladies who can’t even touch dirty water. They are far inferior to you, Miss.”
“Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear you.”
“What are you afraid of? They don’t even know where they’ve gone to fool around.”
…
Several elder women around praised him. The Huang Long and Huang Bo they mentioned were Huang Qi’s cousins from his second uncle’s family.
Huang Qi’s face turned red with praise, and his anxiety gradually faded. What he didn’t know was that his parents were watching him from behind the door of the main hall at that moment.
“Husband, have you seen that girl?”
Li Fen asked her husband in a low voice.
“Haven’t seen her. Perhaps some distant relative.”
Her husband, Huang Kairong, guessed. He had dark skin and was slightly taller than his wife, but only slightly.
“You haven’t even seen her yourself, so why are you calling her a distant relative?”
Li Fen was furious and glared at him.
“Oh, we have many relatives we haven’t contacted for decades. As the saying goes, a girl changes greatly at eighteen. How could I possibly know those younger generations?”
Huang Kairong spread his hands helplessly.
“Is that so?”
Li Fen was skeptical, but finally said: “No, when she offers her gift, I must go and see who she really is.”
…
Huang Qi participated for a while and found that these villagers were not entirely putting on a show as the couple outside had said. He felt a little more at ease. What made him even happier was that no one had mentioned his single status yet.
“If they know their limits, then everyone will be happy. I don’t necessarily have to show off.”
Huang Qi decided this in his heart. After all, there would be no point in doing so. He wasn’t a vain person. At most, he would just pretend to be his fiancée to please his family and be done with it.
Unfortunately, it was not to last. At that moment, a burst of laughter and noise suddenly came from the entrance.
Huang Qi turned his head and saw four young men and women entering the door. The two men were his cousins, Huang Long and Huang Bo, from his second uncle’s family. Huang Long had darker skin and was tall and thin. Huang Bo had fairer skin and was slightly plump. In terms of appearance, they were not much better than their cousin. However, they were excellent at pleasing women, which was the main reason they could find girlfriends.
As for the two women, they were naturally the girlfriends of the brothers. Their appearances were indeed very ordinary. One was as short and thin as a monkey, and the other was old enough to be his mother. Moreover, their chests were flat. These were the characteristics of malnutrition since childhood.
Huang Qi was not surprised at all. After all, in this world, any girl with a bit of beauty had fled to Dacheng Town or the immortal sects. How good could the appearance of those who stayed in the countryside be?
The brothers met, but Huang Qi was too lazy to look at them again. This was because in the past few times he had returned, these two cousins had often led the mockery of him, showing no respect for their elder brother.
At the same time, Huang Bo had been observing Huang Qi, who was in disguise as a woman. Through the semi-transparent veil, he could vaguely see the outline of her face. She seemed to be a beauty. Coupled with her luxurious clothing and well-developed figure, she was simply too attractive.
“Who is that flamboyant fox spirit? Why are you staring at ‘her’ all the time?”
Huang Bo’s girlfriend… that is, the monkey-like thin woman finally noticed something was wrong and asked in a low voice. Her name was Qu Zhen.
“Where is she!”
Huang Bo replied without looking back, his thick skin was evident.
“You say there isn’t? Since you like looking at her so much, I’m leaving then?”
Qu Zhen was furious and made a gesture as if to stand up.
“No, no, no! My dear grandma, I was wrong, okay?”
Huang Bo quickly admitted his mistake. He had put in a lot of effort to find such a girlfriend. If they broke up, where would he find another one? He didn’t want to become the much-derided bachelor like his cousin.
“Huang Bo, that woman has been covering her face. She must be an ugly monster. Aren’t you afraid of hurting your eyes?”
Xie Mei, Huang Long’s girlfriend, quickly held back her future sister-in-law. Judging by her appearance, she was probably around thirty years old.
Qu Zhen deeply agreed and said, “Sister Mei is right. I’ll secretly pull down her veil later.”
“Two grandmas, don’t mess around. Look at her clothes and appearance, she doesn’t look like an ordinary person. What if you offend someone you shouldn’t offend?”
Huang Long quickly pleaded in a low voice.
“Coward!”
Qu Zhen rolled her eyes contemptuously, not acting like she was talking to her future elder brother-in-law. In the secular world, women’s status had risen, and they no longer had to abide by the “three obediences and four virtues.”
“Unfortunately, there are many knots tied behind her veil. I’m afraid it can’t be pulled off,” Xie Mei said regretfully after observing for a moment.
…
Huang Qi didn’t pay attention to the four of them because the gossipy women around him had already started discussing him.
“I heard Huang Qi has also found a girlfriend. He’s bringing her back this time. Now all the young men in the Huang family are married. It’s truly enviable.”
“Heh heh, who told you that?”
“His parents said it themselves. Would it be fake?”
“You believe that? They saw their two nephews find girlfriends, and they couldn’t stand losing face, so they lied.”
“Don’t say that. They are all descendants of the Huang family. Huang Qi even cultivated. If Huang Long and Huang Bo can find girlfriends, why can’t Huang Qi?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Look at the difference in eloquence between Huang Qi and his two cousins. As for cultivating, can a person who was kicked out of an immortal sect be considered a cultivator? After so many years, have you seen him use any immortal techniques? If he could find a girlfriend, my son would have women embracing him by now.”
“But Huang Kairong and his wife have already bragged about it. What if everyone doesn’t see their daughter-in-law later?”
“Just wait and see the show. What’s it to you?”
…
Seeing that Huang Qi’s parents were busy in the inner room, the gossipy women whispered and mocked him.
“My father said I found a girlfriend?”
Huang Qi was stunned by the news. He didn’t know why his father would lie, knowing that he was most likely to be a bachelor. Wasn’t he afraid of being exposed later?
“So that’s how it is. Dad is really shrewd!”
After a moment of thought, Huang Qi quickly understood his father’s intention. He first instructed him in a letter to return later, and then spread this news. Anyway, no one knew whether it was true or false. During the birthday celebration, no one would dare to mock him.
Of course, this plan had an obvious flaw. He, a living person, would eventually be seen by others, and then his father’s lie would be self-defeating. But what did it matter? After all, the grandfather’s birthday was over. If you want to mock him, go ahead and mock him.
“Daughter, why are you wearing a scarf in broad daylight?”
A nearby aunt suddenly asked Huang Qi.
Huang Qi couldn’t answer and just shook his head perfunctorily. This scarf was to cover his Adam’s apple. Once he took it off, his gender would be exposed.
The women’s faces showed strange expressions, and some even subconsciously moved away. They probably thought Huang Qi had some skin disease.
Qu Zhen, not far away, happened to overhear the conversation and her eyes darted. She then whispered to her sister-in-law: “Sister Mei, that fox spirit is wearing both a veil and a scarf. Could she really have a skin disease?”
“Who knows? But she does look strange, as if she’s guarding against thieves,” Xie Mei replied thoughtfully.
Qu Zhen pondered for a moment, then abruptly stood up and walked behind Huang Qi.
“Where are you going?”
Xie Mei asked curiously.
“Her scarf isn’t tied,” Qu Zhen said with a mischievous smile.
…
Huang Qi was sitting on a stool washing dishes when he suddenly felt a tugging sensation on his neck. Then, a cool breeze entered his collar as his scarf was taken away.
Huang Qi’s heart stopped. Without time to figure out what was happening, he instinctively reached out to cover his Adam’s apple. It was okay if his rough skin was exposed, but the Adam’s apple, that male characteristic, absolutely could not be seen by anyone.
However, the next moment, Huang Qi’s legs went weak, and he almost fell. This was because he found his hands to be smooth and flat. Not only was the skin surprisingly delicate, but he couldn’t feel any Adam’s apple at all.
“Seeing a ghost, where is my Adam’s apple?”
Huang Qi fumbled in terror.
