My Ghostly Darling Cuddles Me Every Day - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Good Night’s Sleep.

As everything awakened in the early morning, morning mist flowed slowly through the mountains, and the morning sun rose gradually behind them. Bo Yu, who had unexpectedly enjoyed a dreamless and restful sleep, woke up naturally.

Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find Xiexie lying on top of her.

Bo Yu: “?”

She remembered placing Xiexie on the sewing machine table before bed last night. How did she end up on her again? Had she unconsciously pulled the doll toward her again in her sleep?

Bo Yu chuckled and lifted Xiexie. Last night, she had dressed the doll in a princess dress sewn with pearls, featuring three layers of skirts, complete with necklaces and bracelets on her neck and wrists. Xiexie stared back at Bo Yu with her beautiful eyes.

The shadow of fear from being scared by Xie Yinwan the night before vanished instantly. She tapped Xiexie’s nose: “You’re still the cutest.”

Xie Yinwan frowned coldly. What did those words “still the cutest” mean? Who was she being compared to? Who exactly was not cute?

Bo Yu had already taken two days off. Today was Wednesday, and she technically should have gone to work, but her mind was preoccupied with pleasing Xie Yinwan. She decided to skip work today as well.

Time was of the essence. These few days, Xie Yinwan was her top priority; she couldn’t wait until the weekend.

She planned to burn two sets of modern clothes, shoes, and socks, along with two sets of ancient-style garments for Xie Yinwan. She didn’t dare ask what the ghost liked, so she decided to burn a variety and let her choose. If Xie Yinwan was happy, the matter of finding her mother might be easier to negotiate. Her urgent task was to make the ghost happy.

At breakfast, Grandma Bo saw that Bo Yu looked much better than the previous two days, which lifted her spirits significantly. She asked with a smile, “How are you today, Xiao Yu? Any plans?”

Bo Yu replied, “Much better, but I still feel weak this morning. I want to rest at home a bit more. But don’t worry, Grandma, aside from the lack of energy, I don’t have any other discomfort.”

Bo Jingxian chimed in, “Sis, you just don’t want to go to work, right? When I didn’t want to go to school as a kid, I always said I had no energy.”

Bo Mi walked into the dining room just in time to hear her. She tapped the back of Bo Jingxian’s head. “Having fun yesterday? You said you were going to the bar to check the books, but my friend saw you and your friends out on the lake. You certainly know how to enjoy yourself, Xiao Jingxian.”

Bo Jingxian: “…” How annoying!

Grandma Bo knew her youngest granddaughter’s personality and didn’t take every chance to lecture her. She smiled and felt Bo Yu’s forehead—it wasn’t hot. She said, “Health comes first. Rest well before you go back.”

Bo Yu smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

After breakfast, Bo Yu sat on the sofa preparing to drink her Chinese medicine. Her pets, Feifei and Hanhan, were romping around her, making her almost want to feed the foul-tasting medicine to them instead.

“I caught that look you gave me at breakfast. What’s up?” Bo Mi sat down, patting Hanhan’s head.

Bo Yu checked her surroundings. Only the housekeeper was standing at a distance to monitor her medicine intake, so she didn’t need to whisper. She picked up Feifei, laughing as she asked Bo Mi, “Sis, are you busy today? I want to pick you up for lunch. I’ll book a restaurant, and I want you to accompany me to buy a few outfits.”

At home, she preferred solitude, but when going out to shop, she liked having someone with her for a sense of security. Otherwise, she’d rather not leave the house at all.

Bo Mi had been wanting to take Bo Yu out anyway. She felt bad that their uncle was so biased in giving Bo Jingxian the bar. She smiled and said, “Sure, I’m not busy. Come pick me up at eleven. Call me when you’re close.”

Bo Yu smiled. Bo Mi added, “Alright, hurry up and drink that bitter medicine. Procrastinating won’t help; you have to finish it.”

Bo Yu: “…”

Looking reluctant, she looked up and saw Grandma staring at her from the stairs. She had no choice but to gulp it all down. Tears welled up as a reflex, and she hurriedly ate a large spoonful of sugar.

Grandma Bo praised her like a child, then left for work with Bo Mi.

After the meal, Bo Yu walked the dog and then sat in the living room with the cat, researching the dynasties associated with the wide-sleeved garments Xie Yinwan wore. She chose a shop for Hanfu, planned her route, booked a restaurant and a laundry service, and set out at eleven sharp.

Bo Yu took Xiexie with her. If she went shopping without the doll, she felt uneasy, as if she’d forgotten something important.

She placed Xiexie in the passenger seat and even buckled the lap belt across the doll’s waist. She had dressed Xiexie in pink overalls and white sneakers, tied her hair up, put on sunglasses, and even gave her a tiny crossbody bag. Bo Yu adored it—it felt like taking a cute daughter out. She patted Xiexie’s tummy: “Let’s go! Off to shop!”

Xie Yinwan was quite satisfied herself, a glint of excitement flashing in her large eyes behind the sunglasses.

As Bo Yu drove out of the courtyard, she saw Jin Xuan burying charms. Like yesterday, Jin Xuan had her sleeves and pant legs rolled up. She wore a sun hat today, but her face and neck were flushed red with sweat.

Bo Yu thought for a moment, then got out with an umbrella. “Jin Xuan, how long have you been at this? You’re sweating so much, you must be exhausted.”

After yesterday’s outing, they had become quite familiar.

Jin Xuan wiped her sweat with a towel. “It’s fine, not too bad. Almost done, only two left. Are you heading out?”

Bo Yu nodded and invited her. “I’m picking up my sister for lunch. Since it’s lunchtime, why don’t you join us?”

She felt that since Grandma had hired Jin Xuan for her sake, it was only polite to invite her. If Jin Xuan declined, at least she wouldn’t have been rude.

Surprisingly, Jin Xuan nodded. “Sure. Just wait a second, I’ll go wash up. I’ll finish the last two this afternoon.”

Bo Yu: “…”

Smiling, she said, “Okay, I’ll wait.”

While Jin Xuan went inside, Bo Yu walked around the perimeter to check the placement of the charms. They were buried about ten meters apart, aligned with the stone pillars. After walking fifty or sixty meters, she returned to find a freshly washed Jin Xuan.

Jin Xuan had sat in the passenger seat the day before, so she opened the door again, only to see a beautiful doll sitting there.

Xie Yinwan: “?”

Jin Xuan laughed at the doll, buckled in and looking adorable. However, she couldn’t help but feel that the doll’s gaze was a bit… fierce? Like it was glaring at her?

Xie Yinwan was indeed glaring at her. Remembering the red string the Taoist had given Bo Yu, she wanted to teach this Jin Xuan a lesson. Since she had taken an interest in this “sister,” she belonged only to her. She wouldn’t allow any “red strings,” even if they weren’t from the Old Man under the Moon!

The more Jin Xuan looked at the doll, the stranger and more hostile it seemed.

Bo Yu didn’t hide her hobby; even Bo Mi’s friends knew she had a cotton doll. It was a harmless hobby. She folded her umbrella, picked up the doll, and placed it in her bag, putting the bag in the back. “Master Jin Xuan, please have a seat.”

As they drove, Jin Xuan remarked, “The doll is very cute. Do you spend a lot of time dressing her every day?”

Inside the bag, the “cute” doll rolled her eyes.

Bo Yu replied, “Yes. I’m a bit of a homebody, so I like making little clothes for her. It gives me a sense of peaceful fulfillment.”

Jin Xuan glanced at Bo Yu. Today, her long hair flowed over her shoulders, her sunglasses were perched on her head, and she wore a pale pink shirt with a white pair of trousers. She looked elegant and refined—a soft, gentle aura like a pink cloud in the sky.

Interested, Jin Xuan asked, “Did you make those overalls she’s wearing?”

Bo Yu smiled. “I did.”

“You’re very skillful.”

“I try.”

The two chatted comfortably all the way. Inside the bag, Xie Yinwan’s face grew increasingly dark.

They picked up Bo Mi, who was already familiar with Jin Xuan. Hearing about her hard work burying charms, Bo Mi was even more welcoming. The three went to a restaurant Bo Yu had booked.

After lunch, Bo Mi invited Jin Xuan to join them shopping. She agreed, and they set off together.

Bo Yu headed straight for a Hanfu shop she had researched. She looked for wide-sleeved, cross-collared robes from the Wei and Jin dynasties. She had learned from her research that aristocrats and scholars of that era pursued transcendence and spirituality, resulting in flowing, ethereal garments.

Xie Yinwan’s style wasn’t from the Tang, Song, or Ming dynasties; it most closely resembled the “Bao-yi Bo-dai” (loose robes and wide belts) of the Wei and Jin periods from over a thousand years ago.

Bo Yu selected one pure white set and one light bamboo-green set, along with undergarments, socks, and cloth shoes. To please a temperamental ghost, she had to be thorough.

“What are you buying these for?” Bo Mi asked.

Jin Xuan was also watching. Bo Yu patted her bag and used her old excuse: “Zhu Ying said she’s been into this lately. I’m picking them up for a gift.”

Xie Yinwan: “?”

Bo Mi: “…”

Since they were childhood friends and business partners, Bo Mi didn’t question it. The mention of Zhu Ying gave the sisters a moment to themselves as Jin Xuan tactfully moved to another aisle.

Once Jin Xuan was out of earshot, Bo Mi pinched Bo Yu’s arm. “Really, Bo Yu? You’re better to Zhu Ying than to me. I never see you buy me clothes. Do you like her or something? Maybe you two should just get married.”

Married? Wedded?

Inside the bag, Xie Yinwan’s expression shifted again.

Bo Yu laughed, knowing her sister was just being playful. “What do you like, Sis? I’ll buy it for you.” Bo Mi, who only liked expensive cars and jewelry, laughed it off. “I’m just teasing. I have everything I need. Your words are enough.”

After Bo Mi returned to work and Jin Xuan left for another appointment, Bo Yu took the clothes to a laundry for a quick wash and dry. She couldn’t stand the idea of Xie Yinwan wearing unwashed store clothes. Once they were clean, she drove to the funeral parlor to burn them for her.

She returned home before sunset, walked the dog, played with the cat, and spent the evening sewing her grandmother’s clothes while chatting with her family.

Before bed, she meticulously cleaned her sewing machine table, ensuring there were no “eyesores” for Xie Yinwan to sweep away. She even placed a seat cushion on the table as a “throne” for her. Satisfied, she lit some incense and went to sleep, eager to see Xie Yinwan’s reaction.

She woke up the next morning and sat up in confusion.

Nothing had changed. The cushion was untouched. Xiexie sat against the wall as usual. She hadn’t been woken up, and Xie Yinwan hadn’t visited.

Her expectations fell flat. A hollow, heavy feeling—not quite sadness, but close—began to spread through her heart. It made it hard for her to feel happy upon waking.

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