Although Bai Huang was a woman, she had a strikingly gallant air. In her search for her missing children, the nightmares had honed her gaze until it was sharp and bright. Her presence was powerful, and being with her gave people a strong sense of security.
"Good-looking, responsible, and capable. Someone like that really would be popular." Gao Ming made no rash moves. The Xi Residence rang with voices, yet he could see no one but himself. He had no idea whether the conversations around him came from ghosts or hallucinations.
"How lively." However eerie he found this place, Gao Ming dared not let it show on his face.
Compared with the birthday banquet in the north of town, this wedding banquet was far livelier. The guests at the Tang Residence had all resembled paper figures. Although the guests at the Xi Residence were invisible, every one of them seemed happy. Even without seeing them, he could picture the festive scene from their voices alone.
"Make way! Make way! The bridal procession is setting out!" a harsh, ducklike voice shouted in the empty courtyard. A side room's door opened, and utensils draped with colorful threads, sandalwood-scented clothes, embroidered silk quilt covers, bedding, and various everyday necessities were placed into large red wooden chests.
Then the heavy chests rose into the air as though people were carrying them. They must have been too heavy, because they swayed and jolted as they moved.
Behind them came whole pigs and sheep, along with the five-animal sacrificial offerings. The wedding banners on either side bore wishes for a hundred years of marital harmony and prosperity through five generations. Farther back, redwood trays held red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds, apparently symbolizing the wish for an early birth of a son.
"What are they