I Have Yet to Become a Doll Today

“Went to the kitchen to get something to eat.” Du Lai raised a plate of cold, stiff buns in his hand, then saw the hot steam bun in Shen Mo’s hand and couldn’t help but pause, “Where did you get those?”

Shen Mo paused for a moment before answering, “I got them from the kitchen.”

Du Lai: “…”

Shouldn’t there be basic respect?

Even if you’re going to lie, at least be earnest about it, right?

Fu Miaoxue wasn’t interested in the food and directly asked them: “Did you guys hear that crying noise? I think it might be a clue. Shall we check it out together?”

Shen Mo handed the steam bun to Du Lai, “Hmm, let’s go together.”

Du Lai gently squeezed it. It was soft and with a slight warmth, clearly it hadn’t been out of the pot for long. It was fresh.

He couldn’t help but look at Bai Youwei.

She was willing to give him the Substitute Doll, suggesting she got hold of a better item.

But isn’t balance the key to the game? Why are Bai Youwei’s items all so…

Bai Youwei looked calm and composed.

Du Lai didn’t want to think about it anymore.

…

They all left together.

As they passed the main hall, they again ran into the old scholar.

The old scholar was crafting paper figurines.

The paper man that Shen Mo had smashed was still lying in front of the room in the garden. Only a few bamboo pieces and some paper scraps remained. The one the old scholar was currently crafting was a new paper figurine.

– Thin bamboo sticks were woven into a round head and further added to a cylindrical body. Then, coated with layers of white paper, a form took shape.

Before he could paint the eyes and nose on, it was just a blank silhouette. The smell of paste filled the air.

Another paper figure sat perfectly intact in a high back chair. What was missing was the old scholar’s “mother.”

Bai Youwei was curious about the paper figures, but when they moved a bit closer, they heard the old scholar mutter as he applied paste:

“The gentleman said, learning can never stop… learning can never stop…”

Everyone was speechless.

Are they going to have to recite lessons to get answers again?

“Let’s go to the village first,” Shen Mo said casually, “The corpse carrier woman has been wandering around the village all night, there should be clues there.”

Bai Youwei mumbled to herself, “I hope not every NPC will have us recite lessons…”

…

As it turned out, while not all NPCs asked them to recite lessons, as Fu Miaoxue guessed, every clue did come with a test.

They heard sobbing coming from a house. The people inside were dressed in mourning clothes with constant crying, white lanterns outside the house, and paper underworld coins scattered around.

Villagers were coming in a steady stream to lament at the house.

Shen Mo and his companions also went to mourn.

But they couldn’t enter the doorway, as if an invisible wall was stopping them.

The homeowner asked them, “Who are you mourning for?”

Who?

They didn’t know.

They had just arrived here last night, they didn’t know anyone, let alone who had died!

Without the answer, they can’t enter. They had to ask the people coming in and out.

But no matter whom they asked, they could not get an answer.

All the mourners had crying faces and aside from crying, they didn’t speak a word.

Bai Youwei saw a group of children playing by the corner of the wall. The adults were crying while the children didn’t understand, they were laughing and playing.

Among them, one child was holding a puzzle.

Bai Youwei felt that it was promising and signaled Du Lai with a glance.

With a big grin, Du Lai squatted down in front of the child, asked with a friendly smile, “Do you know who is being mourned in this house?”