Good Night, Mr. Ghost - Chapter 15

Jiang Chenyi slipped into his slippers and glanced at the time. “It’s almost eight. Loudi, do you want something to eat?”

Jiang was feeling a bit peckish again. But he wouldn’t say it outright; he wanted Mr. Ghost to bring it up.

Mr. Ghost was quick on the uptake. “I do. If I eat more, my sense of taste might recover faster.”

So, Jiang happily went to make a fruit salad.

The two of them curled up on the sofa, sharing a bowl of salad while watching a movie, enjoying a blissful time together.

Jiang thought this behavior of watching a movie at home right after seeing one in the theater was a bit over the top.

But it didn’t matter. As long as they were happy.

They occasionally fed each other bites.

Jiang, eyes on the TV, suddenly said, “Oh right, we said we’d talk about our pasts. I’ll go first, and after I’m done, Mr. Ghost, you have to share yours too.”

He looked at Mr. Ghost’s handsome face. “We’re in a relationship now, so there’s nothing to hide, right?”

He felt a bit guilty; there were some things he didn’t want to share.

But then again, if he didn’t say anything, Mr. Ghost wouldn’t know, right?

Meng Loudi nodded. “Sure, but my story might be a bit boring. You might not find it very interesting.”

“How could that be?! I’m super interested,” Jiang said eagerly.

Meng Loudi looked at him. “Really? Then I’ll tell you everything that happened before I met you.”

“So, you go first?” Jiang squinted mischievously.

Of course, Jiang’s intelligence was top-notch!

In these matters, the one who goes first loses.

If he went first, then, well, the one who goes second holds the upper hand!

Meng Loudi was happy to indulge him. “Alright, I’ll go first. Where should I start?”

“Start with your family,” Jiang quickly said, feeding himself a big piece of salad, watching Meng Loudi with great interest.

Meng Loudi opened his mouth. “Ah-”

Jiang fed him.

After Mr. Ghost chewed and swallowed the fruit, he began to narrate his life story in a steady voice:

“I was born into nobility, a member of the imperial family. My father was a remarkable man, and my mother was the eldest daughter of a wealthy family, a concubine to my father. I was a son of a concubine, born into privilege but lived a rather dull life.

At that time, besides my mother, there was the head wife and several concubines in the family. I had several siblings, but they were all rather foolish. My mother had given birth to a child before me, my brother, but he was quite annoying.

Later, he managed to get himself killed through his own stupidity.

I don’t know when it started, but I developed an obsession with cleanliness.

My obsession grew worse as I got older. Eventually, I couldn’t even touch things others had touched. Later, I was forced to participate in some matters.

Then, there was a great upheaval in the court.

My mother entrusted me with some tasks, and I had no choice but to carry them out.

Afterward, I spent a few years in the bureaucracy, but eventually, I couldn’t continue due to my obsession with cleanliness. So, I stayed in my own estate, reading and painting, and then, I died.”

“Wait!” Jiang interrupted.

Mr. Ghost looked at him, puzzled.

Jiang stared at him, somewhat shocked, but still confirmed, “Are you saying you lived like this until you were twenty-four?”

No family feuds, no poisonings, nothing? And he just withdrew from the court because of cleanliness issues and isolated himself?

“Is there a problem?” Mr. Ghost tilted his head, looking genuinely confused, almost like he was playfully teasing.

Jiang widened his eyes. “It’s a big problem! Didn’t your family have any power struggles, schemes, or poisonings?”

He had been quite looking forward to it.

Mr. Ghost looked at him and chuckled, “What are you thinking about?”

His voice was filled with helpless affection.

Jiang: “???”

Meng Loudi hugged him, pulling him into his embrace, and softly said, “I was a significant presence in the family, always have been. No one dared to mess with me. My mother was also a formidable character, keeping everyone in the backyard in line. Even that woman didn’t dare say a word against me. My father cherished his reputation and wouldn’t allow any scandals in the family. So, there were no such sordid affairs.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s not like those TV dramas,” Mr. Ghost pinched his lover’s cheek.

“Then how did you die?” Jiang couldn’t understand.

In that case, how did Meng Loudi, a nobleman, die so young?

Meng Loudi spoke of his death without much emotion, as it had been nearly a thousand years.

“I caught a sudden illness that couldn’t be cured, and I died. If there had been today’s medical advancements back then, I wouldn’t have died. But at that time, even catching a cold could be fatal.”

“Was it that severe?” Jiang was a bit surprised.

Although he knew that medical care back then was really lacking and had heard about the high mortality rates in ancient times, hearing it directly from Meng Loudi was more impactful.

“Yes, do you want to keep listening?” Mr. Ghost asked.

“Yes.” Jiang obediently nestled in his arms, nodding.

He looked very well-behaved.

Mr. Ghost held him and continued, like telling a story, “After I died, I didn’t know anything. My father had passed away long before, and my nephew buried me and even built a decent tomb chamber for me. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the gloomy underground.”

“Was it scary?” Jiang imagined waking up in a tomb chamber and felt uneasy.

“No, because I knew I was already dead. I just didn’t expect to become a ghost. So, I stayed in the tomb chamber.”

“Couldn’t you leave back then?”

“No, because my soul was bound to an object and couldn’t stray far from it,” Mr. Ghost explained.

He thought, if Jiang asked what the object was, he would tell him.

But Jiang didn’t. He just ate his salad thoughtfully.

Mr. Ghost sighed silently and continued, “There were a few grave robbers who came by, but I chased them away. Later, the tomb chamber became really boring, so I picked a group of grave robbers I found pleasing and let them rob my tomb.”

“Why did you find them pleasing?” Jiang always focused on these little details.

If grave robbers came after him, how could he find them pleasing?

Meng Loudi nuzzled him and said gently, “There were three of them. Before entering my tomb chamber, they started to pay their respects, muttering about their difficulties and asking me not to blame them. They were quite polite, so I found them pleasing.”

“And then? You didn’t even scare them?”

“Of course not. I waited until they opened my coffin and saw the treasures on my body, then I appeared.”

“They could see you?”

“Some strange sorcery allowed them to see things from the netherworld¹.”

“And then?” Jiang was as eager as a child listening to a story.

“Then I told them they could take the treasures, but they had to take that object with them. After taking it, they had to seal my tomb chamber so no one else could enter. They did as I asked and took the object to a pawnshop, bidding me farewell. After that, I drifted from one owner to another, sometimes worn on their bodies, sometimes hidden in a treasure pavilion, witnessing the changes of dynasties, but not knowing much.”

Mr. Ghost smiled. “Later, one of my owners had the object buried with them, so I spent several decades underground again. Not long ago, it was dug up and ended up at that street stall, where you picked it up.”

Jiang was still eating, and only after he finished did his brain catch up. He looked up at Mr. Ghost in shock and asked, “I picked it up?”

“Yes.” Mr. Ghost remained unfazed.

Jiang suddenly sat up. “Weren’t you supposed to have wandered into my house during the Ghost Festival?”

“When did I ever say that?”

“…So, the jade ring is the object you were bound to?” Jiang’s face went blank.

“Yes.” Mr. Ghost smiled charmingly.

“Wait! Let me get this straight. I remember buying that jade ring in early July, right? So, you came along with it back then?!”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t I know about you?” Jiang’s mind was reeling.

Meng Loudi caressed his face. “At that time, I was just a wandering ghost, invisible to ordinary people. How could you have seen me?”

“And then?” Jiang looked serious. Now that he thought about it, it was quite terrifying. What had Mr. Ghost been doing during that month when he couldn’t see him?

Mr. Ghost looked at the young man’s serious expression and laughed. “I naturally followed you, watching what you did, and then at night, I held you while you slept. You just didn’t know.”

“…”

“Love at first sight,” Mr. Ghost suddenly said, his dark eyes fixed on Jiang, his thin lips curling into a bewitching smile. “I fell in love with Chenyi at first sight.”

Pretty much, after watching the young man for a day, he just wanted to hold him while he slept.

If that wasn’t love at first sight, it was definitely being a rogue.

Jiang Chenyi blushed, setting the bowl aside, kneeling on the sofa, hands on the man’s legs, leaning in. “You didn’t watch me shower or anything, did you?”

“No, that’s not something a gentleman would do.” It was the truth; Mr. Ghost hadn’t seen Jiang in the nude.

“That’s good.” Jiang retreated. “Love at first sight?”

“Yes, love at first sight.”

“Then I guess I fell in love with you at first sight too. At least when I saw your appearance, I fell in love at first sight,” Jiang murmured.

“Good.” Mr. Ghost reached out to hold the young man. “I’ve told my story. What about Chenyi’s story?”

Jiang Chenyi felt that two grown men being all lovey-dovey was a bit much, but this feeling of sweetness-what was that about?

Not bad, he could keep enjoying it.

“Me? I’m just an ordinary person. My parents were quite fun. When I was little, they always said, ‘You make your own choices,’ but if I chose something they didn’t like, they’d spank me.

I went to school, and it was just the usual school stuff. I had a lot of friends, but now we don’t really keep in touch.

Later, I got into college and went south. Oh my gosh, I found out for the first time that cockroaches could fly! And all sorts of bugs, oh my goodness. Then, as a miserable single dog, no pretty girls came after me, mainly because the male-to-female ratio at our school was terrible.

Then, something happened. In my junior year, my parents got into a car accident. The other driver was at fault. I rushed back by plane, only to see my parents’ bodies.

They said my parents’ last words were for me to live well.

The driver who caused the accident compensated me with a large sum of money, and I didn’t hold it against him. It wasn’t intentional.

And then, as you can see, my parents’ memorial tablets are just a way to remember them. I talk to them sometimes.”

Jiang’s tone grew somber.

Footnote:

1. 1. Netherworld(阴间): The Netherworld is a broad concept that refers to the place where all the souls of the deceased reside, including the Netherworld Court and the Netherworld Administration.