"..."
Song Miaozhu didn't suggest going to her shop out of sentiment. It was just that Cheng Ziyang's place was inconvenient, and she wanted to get this matter settled quickly.
When they arrived at the paper shop, Song Miaozhu told Cheng Ziyang to wait in the front room while she went into the back, crouched by the window, and pulled out an old enamel brazier.
Just as Cheng Ziyang was about to light the fire, Song Miaozhu stopped him. She took out a sheet of paper, wrote down the female ghost's birth and death dates, and placed it in the brazier as well.
"Alright, you can burn it now," she said. "We're not related to her, and this isn't her burial site, so writing her name ensures it reaches her properly."
The flames quickly consumed the wedding dress and shoes. The lingering connection between Zhu Fangling's yin residence and the garments in the mortal world began to dissipate.
"Master, thank you!"
Zhu Fangling bowed from a distance before vanishing into the flames.
Then Cheng Ziyang asked, "Master Song, do you have any paper money or something similar? I want to burn some for her, as an apology."
"There are some in the attic," Song Miaozhu replied and let him pick a few out.
Taking advantage of the still-burning fire, they added bundles of spirit gold ingots and lotus blossoms to the blaze. Cheng Ziyang hesitated when he saw the paper clothes. "Master Song, don't you have any ancient-style paper clothes here?"
He had wanted to burn some as an apology, but all the designs were modern. Given how strictly the ghost adhered to traditional gender norms, he doubted she'd appreciate them.
"No." Song Miaozhu would've liked to make some, but she wasn't skilled enough yet.
"If you really want to burn clothes as an apology, you could buy a few sets of hanfu and burn those. You already know how to make sure they reach her."
Cheng Ziyang nodded thoughtfully. As he prepared to leave, he couldn't help but ask, "Master Song, are you taking disciples? I'll be at your beck and call, obey your every word. Even if you just teach me a little of your ghost-seeing skills, I'd be grateful!"
"...No," Song Miaozhu replied flatly.
She was barely managing her own training, let alone qualified to take on a student. Seeing Cheng Ziyang lower his head, Song Miaozhu gave him a rare piece of advice, out of respect for him being a decent and low-maintenance neighbor.
"If you really want to see ghosts, you don't have to follow me around. I'm still learning myself. Just take up a traditional craft. That's enough."
Cheng Ziyang's head snapped up in surprise. "A craft skill? I see! Thank you, Master! Wait for my good news!"
With that, he dashed out like a gust of wind.
"???" What exactly had he "seen"?
Song Miaozhu shook her head helplessly and closed the shop door. After checking the curtains on the display window to ensure they were fully drawn, she called out, "Come out!"
In an instant, little paper servants emerged from behind the counter, between shelves, and under tables. The shop immediately buzzed with activity.
"Go to the ghost shop warehouse and bring out some of each grade of gold ingots and lotus flowers."
The sun was beginning to set. Captain Li and the others were probably on their way.
"Also… bring down the ungraded paper crafts stored upstairs. Put them on the shelves, starting from the ones near the door. We don't need the shelving space for snacks anymore."
After all, her trade with the underworld had already been cleared with the SEIU. The goods now went directly to the warehouse at the pig farm. Even bulk purchase orders were delivered to that location through a local courier service.
There was no longer any need to use the convenience store front as a cover for the movement of goods.
If she kept the convenience store open, she'd either have to trouble Boss Wu to restock it constantly, or make her little paper servants haul merchandise over from the warehouse. Either way, it was too much hassle. And frankly, the income from the convenience store wasn't worth the trouble.
Closing that part of the business also meant fewer random customers walking in for snacks or drinks and interrupting her paper crafting. Even if the paper shop wasn't making a huge profit right now, Song Miaozhu didn't plan to shut it down completely. It could still be used to sell ungraded paper crafts.
She didn't even need to be there every day. She'd leave her contact number at the entrance. Anyone who truly understood the value of the work would come find her themselves.
Just like today.
And she wouldn't have strangers constantly coming in and out of her home.
She also noticed that spiritual energy had partially recovered not just in Huaihua Alley but throughout Yuanshan Ancient Town. While the little paper servants busied themselves, Song Miaozhu sat down and began making new paper crafts. By the time she had absorbed all the visible threads of spiritual light from the area, voices sounded outside the shop.
"Is Master Song out? There aren't any lanterns on," came Captain Li's voice.
"She told us she'd wait in the shop. She's probably in the back," Zhao Mumu answered.
"There's a living person inside. I can sense it." The last voice, dripping with ghostly chill, undoubtedly belonged to E Hongjuan.
After instructing the little paper servants to hide, Song Miaozhu opened the door and flipped the light switch. "I'm here! With my Heavenly Eye, lighting makes little difference to me."
"I knew you'd be here! Miaozhu, the SEIU sent me to assist."
Zhao Mumu then looked at Song Miaozhu expectantly.
Song Miaozhu understood immediately. "Your Heavenly Eye has improved?"
"Hehe!" Zhao Mumu grinned. "Originally, my master was assigned, but when Team Leader Li brought E Hongjuan's ashes to the woodcarving workshop, I realized I could see ghosts clearly now! So they sent me instead. But I still can't see spiritual energy particles."
"If you can see ghosts, perceiving spiritual energy won't be far off," Song Miaozhu said.
Team Leader Li listened curiously to their cultivation talk, completely out of his depth. Meanwhile, E Hongjuan, upon entering, was instantly mesmerized by the dazzling gold ingots and lotuses.
"Heavens! First-grade, second-grade, even third-grade offerings!"
"Master Song, you must be a renowned papercraft master in the underworld too!"
"It's a shame there are no graded paper clothes here. Recently, a fourth-grade paper clothing appeared in Fengdu—from a shop also called 'Anshou.' Are all Anshou papercraft stores this impressive?"
"Ahhh! I want them all!"
"But 800,000 won't be enough to buy everything…"
...
Zhao Mumu shot Song Miaozhu an amused look. "Your ancestor's shop is quite famous in the underworld, huh?"
"Of course! An old and respected name in Fengdu!" Song Miaozhu said proudly.
"What?! Master Song, are you saying that the Anshou Hall on Yinshui Alley was founded by your ancestors?" E Hongjuan asked in shock.
"Mm-hmm," Song Miaozhu replied without hesitation.
She wasn't worried about people knowing anymore. Even if a ghost in the underworld had seen her, there was no way to connect her to her identity in the living world. That was the unreasonable privilege of being the registered owner of a Heaven-Ranked Ghost Shop. The SEIU already knew Anshou Hall was tied to her. She had no reason to hide it from other ghosts.
"Most of these graded offerings are shipped directly to Anshou Hall for sale. Since your compensation is substantial, the ungraded items alone wouldn't suffice, so I brought some higher-grade ones for you."