Chapter Fifty-One: The "Haunted" Mansion

Because of the publicity for the white liquor, he had unexpectedly come to know these three people, and thus this episode had unfolded. Wei Renshi found it quite peculiar. It was not exactly melodramatic, nor was it entirely unexpected; it could only be attributed to fate, the right circumstances coming together. Since the popularity of the white liquor had been confirmed, the next steps needed to be set in motion at once.

Wei Renshi traveled again to Fuchang county, arriving at the home of Jiao Haiqing. This time, there were two more people in the main hall—a man of middle age and another about fifty years old. Without needing to ask, Wei Renshi knew these must be Jiao Haiqing’s father and elder brother.

He stepped forward with a smile and said, “You must be the manager Jiao and the young master. I greet you both.”

Jiao Haiqing’s father rose and replied with a smile, “Young Wei, you are far too polite! If not for your actions that day, Hao’er might not be sitting here now. This life-saving kindness is one I shall never forget! Alas, it was our fault—his brother and I spoiled him too much, wanting only the best for him, never realizing our indulgence would harm him. Since following your method of treatment, Hao’er has not suffered any dizzy spells, and his health has greatly improved! I truly have no way to repay this debt!”

“And as for the seasoning business,” Jiao Haiqing’s elder brother stood and added, “Young Wei, you are truly gifted to have created such excellent products. Now, every restaurant and tavern in Fuchang wants our seasonings, and even common households are starting to buy them. Judging by the momentum here, it’s clear that whether the business expands to Luoyang, Chang’an, or elsewhere, it will thrive just the same. You are willing to share this venture with us, and I thank you sincerely.”

“My eldest brother is Jiao Yu,” Jiao Haiqing introduced.

“Manager Jiao and Young Master, please don’t be so formal,” Wei Renshi replied with a smile. “You are businessmen, and so am I. We benefit each other, and together we will prosper. Frankly, I owe my progress to your family’s help—it saved me much effort. As for Haiqing, helping a friend is hardly worth mentioning; it’s my good fortune to gain a friend.”

“Such generosity! Please, sit!” Manager Jiao laughed, inviting him to take a seat.

Once everyone was settled again, Jiao Haiqing said, “Brother Renshi, the matter you entrusted to me a few days ago has yielded results, sooner than I expected. But there are some things that require your own judgment.”

“Very well,” Wei Renshi nodded.

Jiao Haiqing continued, “There are two properties in the South Market that meet your requirements. The first is priced at three thousand coins. It faces the street, but is very small—the front space is barely enough for four or five people to stand, and the back is little more than a rundown shed fenced with wood, no more than five steps long and three steps wide.”

Wei Renshi was taken aback, marveling at the steep prices of land in Luoyang. Such a tiny storefront, yet the asking price was three thousand coins—enough to buy a grand mansion in Fuchang!

“There is another property, with a better location and much larger space. The front has two stories, suitable for a teahouse, tavern, or eatery, and the back includes a courtyard with a garden, large enough for workshops or residence,” Jiao Haiqing went on. “The price for this one is twenty-five thousand coins.”

Wei Renshi was puzzled. “Why is the second, far superior, only twenty-five thousand coins, while the first dares to ask three thousand?”

Jiao Haiqing’s elder brother shook his head, “If this were normal times, such a property in the South Market would fetch at least fifty thousand coins. But it’s haunted, so the price is low—yet even then, no one dares buy it. Brother Renshi, you’d best not consider it.”

“Haunted?” Wei Renshi scratched his head, curious. “What’s the story behind it?”

“It’s said the previous owner acquired several large dogs to guard the house. Yet thieves managed to break in and steal several valuable paintings. Furious, the owner killed the dogs, then regretted it and buried them in the garden. Afterwards, he reportedly dreamed the dogs chased him, pursuing him until he fell into a vat of oil,” Jiao Haiqing’s elder brother explained.

“And then?” Wei Renshi asked.

“Soon after waking, he developed a strange illness. In the dead of winter, he felt unbearably hot, refusing to wear clothes, claiming his body was aflame and only snow water could bring relief. He became extremely irritable, his mind restless and sleepless, and his appetite increased several times over—he ate constantly, yet always felt starved, and his health rapidly declined.” The elder brother continued, “Doctors couldn’t diagnose him. Eventually, his eyes bulged so he couldn’t close them, his legs took on a skin like an orange peel, and he was feverish and agitated, sweating profusely as if bathed. Fearing he had caught something unclean, the family sought out Taoist priests and Buddhist monks, but nothing worked. He died a few days ago.”

Heat in the body, irritability, increased appetite, weight loss, bulging eyes, orange-peel legs—Wei Renshi thought to himself, isn’t this hyperthyroidism? Some cases don’t show a goiter, perhaps it was undiagnosed.

He said, “Perhaps it was simply an undiagnosed illness.”

“But what happened afterward didn’t seem like illness,” the elder brother insisted. “The night they set up the memorial hall, ghostly lights floated through the courtyard—several will-o’-the-wisps drifted into the hall and wouldn’t leave! The family was terrified, recalling the dream and suspecting the dogs were taking revenge. So they decided to sell the house and move away.”

Wei Renshi clicked his tongue in his mind—what kind of haunting was this? Most likely, the owner suffered from untreated hyperthyroidism, exacerbated by the stress of regret after killing the dogs and dreaming of them, which acted as a trigger. The disease worsened, and the mortality rate for severe cases is quite high. As for the ghost lights, it was probably phosphorus from the decomposing dogs buried in the garden, igniting as the weather warmed.

Such a vast property, with a storefront and a residence in the South Market, and at this price—opportunities like this are rare indeed!

“Good, I’ll take this one!” Wei Renshi said eagerly. “I don’t fear ghosts or spirits—please ask Manager Tian to handle the purchase. I have less than ten thousand coins on hand, so I ask Brother Jiao to advance me some of my seasoning profits, which can later be deducted from my share.”

“Ah?!” The three members of the Jiao family were startled. “This…”

“Brother Renshi, you’re not afraid of ghosts?” Jiao Haiqing said in shock.

Wei Renshi laughed, “Why should I be? If there truly are ghosts there, I’ll simply capture and dispatch them.”

“What?! You know how to deal with ghosts?!” Manager Jiao exclaimed.

A few buried dog corpses, likely with little phosphorus produced, Wei Renshi thought. He laughed again, “I have studied the classics and possess righteous energy—perhaps when I move in, those ‘ghosts’ will disappear.”