Everyone was up, but Yuanyuan was still asleep.
Given that she had been thoroughly frightened yesterday, no one dared to disturb her.
She slept until noon, and when she finally woke up, everyone was gathered around the table, eating.
"You're awake," Wang Jing said, her voice filled with joy.
They had never encountered a situation like Yuanyuan's before; she just kept sleeping, yet she showed no signs of illness, no fever.
What's more, while she was asleep, people had tried to wake her, but she hadn't even stirred.
Yuanyuan's eyes looked a bit vacant, likely from sleeping too long.
Zhu Yilian got up and pulled her towards the dining table, while Wang Jing fetched her chopsticks and bowl.
"Why does she look a bit silly?" Song Zhi whispered.
Unexpectedly, Yuanyuan snapped back to attention and glared at him fiercely, "You're calling me silly to my face?"
Song Zhi knew he was in the wrong and chuckled sheepishly.
"Are you feeling alright now?" Wang Jing asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Yuanyuan shook her head and ate her food with hearty appetite.
Seeing that she seemed normal, though still a little pale, they figured she was just recovering from the fright and would be fine in a couple of days.
Just as they finished eating, Aunt Zhang, wearing her usual dark red attire, entered the courtyard. She carried a basket containing a chicken and many eggs.
"Yuanyuan was scared yesterday, so I brought some eggs to see her. This chicken is already prepared, you can stew it for soup tonight."
Although she addressed everyone, her eyes were fixed on Yuanyuan.
"Look at this little face, she looks so thin," Aunt Zhang said with concern.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Yuanyuan. She hadn't lost any weight in just one day; her chubby cheeks were still round.
They couldn't figure out why Aunt Zhang had been so frequently visiting the courtyard and showing such special concern for Yuanyuan these past two days.
While everyone found it strange, Yuanyuan herself felt it was perfectly normal.
"If it weren't for her insisting we participate in that custom, calling it 'washing away bad luck,' maybe that bad luck would have landed on me instead. It's normal for her to bring things to see me."
Yuanyuan's tone was hard to decipher. It seemed she had subtly changed, as she had never spoken with such an attitude before.
It was as if she had gained a lot of confidence, almost to the point of looking down on the ever-attentive Aunt Zhang.
However, Yuanyuan had been constantly under their watch, and they were certain she wasn't possessed.
As for the reason for this transformation, it remained a secret for now.
After staying in the village for two days without any incidents, some people grew restless and ventured out of the courtyard.
The thick fog outside the village persisted, so everyone had been staying within its confines.
With people coming and going, the courtyard was no longer always full. Apart from meals, everyone pursued their own activities.
Li Ye remained a mysterious figure. Unlike the others, he didn't wander around. Instead, he spent his days perched on the tree just outside the courtyard.
Ning Wei once joked to the others, "I think he's just a monkey. Maybe he swapped bodies with one at the zoo last time."
Although Li Ye had appeared on the bus after the zoo incident, everyone remembered him as if he had been there from the start. He just wasn't particularly noticeable among the many passengers then.
Despite many things not adding up, everyone had accepted this premise, except for Ning Wei, who knew the truth.
After all, how could someone like him not be remarkable, even in a crowd?
Just standing there, he could be spotted from afar even in the darkest night.
Li Ye generally didn't speak to anyone and rarely participated in activities. He observed everything like a spectator, watching the others debate.
Soon, night fell again. As soon as it got dark, Yuanyuan would eagerly rush to bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Both Zhu Yilian and Wang Jing had tried to call her, but she remained unresponsive.
"She eats and sleeps well, so she should be fine, right?" Zhu Yi mumbled softly.
Despite appearing perfectly normal, a part of her felt that being too normal was itself abnormal.
On the third day, as soon as everyone woke up, Aunt Zhang arrived again.
This time, she brought different items. She didn't bring food, but a basket filled with red cloth, red lanterns, and double happiness paper cuttings.
"What is this?" Mei Nan asked, not understanding the meaning.
Aunt Zhang smiled and explained, "The village is holding a wedding celebration. Every household must hang red decorations, and your place is no exception. I'll give you this basket; hang them inside and outside your house, alright?"
Mei Nan accepted the basket. "Whose wedding is it?"
Aunt Zhang replied mysteriously, "According to village custom, the bride's family is only revealed on the day of the wedding."
The others were confused. Aunt Zhang elaborated further.
Long ago, when they moved here to survive, bandits would occasionally appear outside the village. Back then, besides food, women were also targets of robbery.
These bandits were particularly cruel and would specifically target wedding celebrations to snatch the bride, turning joy into sorrow.
Therefore, the village later established a custom to protect the bride's family from being identified. Every household would decorate their homes festively, creating a diversion.
Although there were no longer bandits who snatched brides, the villagers still adhered to this custom.
Another custom! They wondered how many strange traditions this village had.
Aunt Zhang seemed busy. After handing the old basket to Mei Nan, she left, unusually not showing any concern for Yuanyuan.
Fortunately, everyone was still present. They sorted out the items from the basket and quickly decorated the courtyard.
The basket contained everything needed. They hung what needed to be hung and pasted what needed to be pasted, making the courtyard look like it was preparing for a wedding.
While the custom made sense, it also felt somewhat peculiar.
Zhu Yilian suggested, "Why don't we go out and take a look? Maybe we can figure out whose wedding it is."
Since they had nothing else to do, everyone headed outside.
Soon, the courtyard was empty. One by one, they left, and no one noticed Yuanyuan going to another spot, except for Li Ye, who was still on the tree.
Ning Wei acted alone. She didn't care whose wedding it was in the village; instead, she worried if it was a ghost marriage.
Because of the village's wedding celebration, everyone seemed happy and the atmosphere was much livelier.
As Aunt Zhang had said, every household in the village was decorated festively, making it impossible to tell whose wedding it was.
Ning Wei went around and secretly headed to the graveyard.
The large red flower on the tombstone of the bride from the ghost marriage a couple of days ago was still vibrant, only dusted with some dirt and fallen leaves.