1
On the first day of the tenth lunar month, Mark Chen arranged a pure white Western-style wedding for me. The ceremony was held deep in the mountains, in Chen Village.
Mark’s house, with its white walls and black-tiled roof, combined with the gloomy weather, gave the place an eerie atmosphere. “Emily, do you like how I decorated everything? I hired a designer just for this,” Mark said, his eyes shining brightly.
Even though I was touched by how much effort he put in, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the strange setting.
“Aren’t weddings usually held at noon? Why are we waiting until the afternoon?” I frowned and asked.
“Emily, it’s like this. The customs here are pretty old-fashioned—they still follow the tradition of holding the ceremony at dusk. Sorry I forgot to mention it. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?”
Mark’s explanation sounded reasonable. We met at a bachelor party, and after three months of dating, I accepted his proposal.
“Emily, let’s get married on November 11th this year, okay?” I casually flipped through the calendar to see what day of the week that was, but noticed something odd.
This year, November 11th on the solar calendar happened to fall on the first day of the tenth lunar month—a day considered a ghost festival, not suitable for weddings according to tradition.
“Mark, did you have someone check the date? Is this really a good day?”
Mark’s parents lived in the countryside and were very traditional. If they were fine with it, I had no reason to worry.
“Emily, I picked this date myself. Four ones stand for my feelings for you: one life, one love, one heart, one soul. So, will you marry me?” Mark looked at me with gentle eyes.
Still, I advised, “I don’t mind, but you should ask your parents. What did they say?”
“They said to leave everything up to me,” Mark replied firmly.
I found it a bit odd. For a family that valued tradition so much, how could they not notice that November 11th was also the first day of the tenth lunar month? That’s one of the ghost festivals—nothing should be done on that day.
But to me, a day was just a day. Seeing me agree, Mark breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re so understanding, Emily. I was worried you’d refuse. My parents said they’ll give you $26,000 as a wedding gift, and the gold and silver jewelry is separate. They know you’ve had a tough life, so you don’t need to bring a dowry. Once you come here, they’ll treat you like their own daughter.”
I was an orphan, and after years of struggling on my own, I didn’t have much to my name. I never expected Mark’s family to value me so much.
“Emily, all our relatives are in the village. Let’s have the wedding here, okay?” Mark held my hand and asked gently.
“Sure, the countryside will be lively with so many people. I don’t mind.” I didn’t have any close friends, and I wasn’t planning to tell my coworkers about the wedding.
“Emily, don’t worry. I promise I’ll give you a wedding you’ll never forget.”
In the blink of an eye, the wedding day arrived. On my side, besides me as the bride, only the orphanage director came to see me off.
It wasn’t until I stepped through the door that I realized what Mark meant by “unforgettable.”
After 3 p.m., guests started arriving one after another. The more people came, the stranger I felt. Most of them carried bamboo baskets filled with fruit and pastries. Some even had ashes from burnt paper on their clothes. I recognized a neighbor and asked, “Auntie, where is everyone going?”
“Sweetie, we’re bringing clothes to the deceased.”
Hearing that, I suddenly understood: they had just finished visiting the graves and came straight to the wedding!
“Mark, what are you trying to do with this wedding decor?” I angrily went to find my fiancé, who was busy greeting guests.
“What’s wrong, Emily? Is something not right?” Mark looked confused.
“They just came from the cemetery and now they’re at our wedding. Don’t you think that’s bad luck?!” I gritted my teeth.
Mark was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Emily, you don’t get it. Let me explain. The ashes from burning paper at the graves are considered lucky. The more ashes you have on you, the more your ancestors will protect you. The offerings after visiting the graves also carry blessings. Everyone’s here to wish us well!”
As soon as he finished, the wedding emcee shouted, “The auspicious hour has arrived! Bride and groom, please take your places!”
The sound of the suona horn filled the air. After the ceremony, Mark seemed a bit drunk, so I helped him to our room.
“Emily, I’m sorry, but according to local custom, we can’t share a room on our wedding night. We have to wait until tomorrow, after we visit the ancestors’ graves, before you’re officially part of the Chen family.”
I remembered when we first met, Mark had bluntly asked if I was a virgin. He said he was a stickler for purity in relationships and hoped his partner would be, too. Once he knew I’d never been with anyone else, he felt comfortable pursuing me.
I gave a helpless smile. “It’s been a long day. Let’s just get some sleep. There’s no rush.”
The next morning, my in-laws called us to go visit the family graves.
“Emily, when you kneel and bow, remember to say a few words to the ancestors,” my mother-in-law reminded me.
“What should I say?” I wasn’t familiar with this custom.
“Just introduce yourself so the ancestors know who you are.”
“Okay.”
After lighting incense, two shadows appeared in front of the grave.
A voice whispered in my ear, “That Mark Chen sure is something—another girl already.”
Another voice chimed in, “Let me see what poor girl it is this time.”
I pretended not to hear, knelt beside Mark, and bowed, saying, “Descendant Emily Jiang, paying respects to the ancestors.”
When I stood up, I saw two old ghosts kneeling and knocking their heads on the ground.
After we returned from the cemetery, my mother-in-law handed me a jade bracelet.
“Emily, now that you’ve met the ancestors, you’re officially a daughter-in-law of the Chen family. This bracelet belonged to Little Mark’s great-grandmother. I’m passing it on to you now.”
I took it and looked closely. The bracelet was jet black and cool to the touch—definitely high-quality jade. But the faint red thread running through it made me uneasy…
After thanking my mother-in-law, I put the bracelet on under her expectant gaze.
After lunch, Mark took me to visit the orphanage director. Since Chen Village was so remote, the director and I had arranged to stay in the village a day early.
“Emily, I’ll stay in Chen Village for a few days, then head back with you two,” the director said.
“Director, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Emily. But we’ve already decided to spend our whole honeymoon here. Are you sure you want to wait?”
The director looked at me.
“Director, there’s not much to do in Chen Village. I heard there’s a resort nearby—you could go there…"“Alright, I’ll head over tomorrow. Just let me know if you need anything.”
After a few more polite words, Mark Chen pulled me away.
“Emily, does the director not trust me?” Mark asked gloomily as we walked.
“It’s not that. The director just wants to relax—work is usually really stressful.”
“Yeah.”
“Emily, you go rest first. I need to step out for a bit, I’ll be back tonight.”
That night, Mark came home with a bottle of wine, saying it was wedding wine the villagers had prepared for us newlyweds.
“Emily, after we drink everyone’s blessing wine, let’s go to bed, okay?” There was something strange in Mark’s eyes.
I finished the wine and went to the bedroom to wait. I waited and waited, but he never came. My head started spinning, and the jade bracelet on my wrist grew hot.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
“Is it done yet? Hurry up and bring her over, or the Mountain Spirit will get impatient.” A female ghost in a blue dress holding a white paper umbrella spoke. She was gaunt, her face pale with a sickly greenish tint, and her eyes were eerily white. I’d seen this kind of ghost in books before: the more souls her umbrella absorbed, the larger it grew. Judging by its size, she must have devoured tens of thousands of souls.
“All set, I’ll bring her right away.” Mark bowed and hunched over, fawning. Standing beside him were two shadowy figures—the same old ghosts from the cemetery that morning.
“Ma’am, can’t you let it go this time? The Chen family doesn’t accept this girl,” one of the old ghosts pleaded.
“That’s right, maybe next time Mark can find someone better for the Mountain Spirit?” The other ghost glanced at me, speaking cautiously.
The umbrella ghost didn’t answer, just turned and left. Mark sounded annoyed: “Have you two lost your minds? We already held the grave wedding, how can the Chen family not accept her? Where else would I find such a good girl?”
He hoisted me up and carried me outside.
“Hey! Hey! Mark, we can’t handle this one!” the old ghost chased after us.
“Why not? As long as I deliver her to the Mountain Spirit, I’m not afraid of anyone!” Mark didn’t listen, striding away without looking back.
Even if they stayed, he wouldn’t have heard them anyway. That morning, before leaving the cemetery, I’d placed a silencing charm on the two old ghosts. Anything about me—they couldn’t say a word.
It started to drizzle. The October night in this mountain village was freezing, and my clothes were soaked through, snapping me back to my senses.
The umbrella ghost led the way, Mark carrying me behind her. The rain made everything pitch black, and the sound of dry branches snapping under Mark’s feet echoed in the darkness. The wind howled, and the wails of wandering spirits drifted through the air. A few wild ghosts we passed shrank away, not daring to approach. After nearly an hour of stumbling through the night, we stopped at a clearing on the mountainside. An ancient, twisted tree stood in the darkness, and from its thick branch hung a ghost in a tattered red dress, bulging eyes and a long tongue lolling out.
When the umbrella ghost saw us, she gently floated down from the noose and vanished. Immediately, I felt a cold breath on the back of my neck.
She sniffed the top of my head and said with satisfaction, “Delicious! With this, your little sister’s illness will be cured.”
I sneered inwardly. Delicious? Hardly. This fate was something I’d crafted on purpose for Chen Village. Mark Chen came to the bachelor party looking for someone with pure yin energy. I had my own reasons for coming—but my target was Mark Chen himself.