The River Gods Bridegroom

The day before my impending end.

An unexpected guest arrived.

Miss Mu.

She stood by the bridge holding an umbrella, her shadow cast upon the water.

I thought she was just looking at the scenery, but then she suddenly spoke.

“I know you aren’t human. I also know that besides the ancestral tablets, the Xie family has been worshipping a woman for generations.”

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

Her voice seemed to have lost its edge. “I was the one who hid the note. That ghost… I was the one who paid someone to release it.”

“I thought if I saved the grandfather, I could have Xie Yu, but even now, he won’t even spare me a second glance.”

I asked, “Aren’t you two supposed to be getting married?”

“Xie Yu said he will never marry in this lifetime.”

Then why did he deliberately provoke me into leaving?!

Miss Mu continued, “Grandfather doesn’t like me either. He said the only woman he recognizes as the Xie family’s daughter-in-law is you.”

“Do you know how close Xie Yu came to losing his mind when he came back and didn’t find you after the grandfather recovered?”

“He jumped into this river in the middle of the night, diving frantically, talking to himself.”

“And when he finally stopped diving, he spent every day here, drinking himself into a stupor.”

Miss Mu asked, “I don’t understand him. If he loves you so much, why did he deliberately drive you away?”

Yes, I don’t understand why he drove me away either.

I asked her, “Why are you telling me this?”

Miss Mu’s voice choked up, but she immediately pretended to be indifferent.

“Because I’m a free spirit, and there are plenty of handsome men waiting for me. Why should I hang myself on a tree like Xie Yu?”