Chapter 124
Chapter 124
After Hua Jiunan left, Deaf Granny gave Chen Fu another instruction.
“Tomorrow, take some peanuts and sunflower seeds and make the rounds from house to house.”
“Tell everyone this is what the old woman says: the Great General is in trouble, and we need the whole village to worship at his temple.”
Chen Fu nodded repeatedly.
“Don’t worry, Old Auntie. I’ll call and arrange a few coaches right now.”
“Anyone going to worship at the General’s Temple tomorrow gets a free ride.”
Shame showed on Zhao Aiguo’s face.
“Old Auntie, my position is rather sensitive. I can’t help with things like this…”
Deaf Granny smiled.
“Aiguo, you are the official responsible for the people here, while the Great General is our local righteous deity.”
“The two of you support each other.”
“If you govern this place well and give the common people peace and prosperity, the Great General will naturally receive blessings in return.”
Stern resolve appeared in Zhao Aiguo’s eyes.
“I understand, Old Auntie!”
“I’ll return to the county office after sunrise, and I won’t be staying here for the next few days.”
“I’ll do my best to arrest a few more bastards who’ve been bleeding the people dry!”
Deaf Granny’s smile grew even brighter.
“All right, Aiguo. You go take care of your important work.”
“Your wife and I will look after Zhao Fei.”
“In three days, once we retrieve the Soul-Guiding Incense, we’ll perform a ritual for Fengmei. Then the matter will finally be over.”
It suddenly dawned on Chen Fu that with the Big Zongzi dead, he was free. It was time he did something useful.
“Old Auntie, I’ll call in some people tomorrow to renovate our home.”
“I’m thinking of building a three-story house with its own walled courtyard, so the whole family will have plenty of room.”
“What do you think?”
With Zhao Aiguo supporting her, Deaf Granny slowly rose to her feet.
“Our house has enough room. Why waste that money?”
“Tomorrow, give some money to families like Old Sun’s, with sick relatives and real difficulty making ends meet.”
“But remember, don’t give them too much!”
“A person needs their pride. In the end, people have to rely on themselves to live.”
As she spoke, Deaf Granny stirred the brazier on the brick bed.
“And don’t give a single cent to lazy paupers like Baldy Er at the west end of the village.”
“Doing good doesn’t mean everyone deserves your help. Your kindness should go to kind people.”
Chen Fu did not fully understand, but he nodded all the same.
“I understand, Old Auntie.”
“I’ll offer the struggling families in the village work they can manage at my mine.”
“I can simply pay them better wages.”
“But we’re still building that house. On this one, you’ll have to listen to me. I don’t mean anything else by it. I just want you to enjoy an easier life.”
Seeing how determined Chen Fu was, Deaf Granny stopped objecting and happily agreed.
Snow still swept through the mountains, and the darkness before dawn felt particularly eerie.
All manner of strange sounds came from every direction.
Chen Daji began to feel afraid.
“Eighth Master, we’re not going to run into a ghost, are we?”
Eighth Master Chang noticeably slowed down.
But a moment later, he rallied his courage.
“Don’t worry. If we see a ghost, I’ll carry you straight back the way we came!”
Chen Daji was speechless.
“Eighth Master, you’re a spirit medium!”
“If we really run into a ghost, shouldn’t we at least hit it once before we run?”
“What if you can beat it?!”
Eighth Master Chang gave a disdainful laugh, then earnestly instructed Chen Daji.
“Daji, listen to Eighth Master. You only get one life. Never gamble it on a ‘what if’!”
“Remember: when you encounter danger-even the tiniest bit of danger, or something you merely suspect might be dangerous-turn around and run immediately!”
Chen Daji nodded repeatedly, indicating that he had learned something valuable.
A short while later, the party arrived at the General’s Temple.
Although it had been completely renovated, the place still felt exceptionally desolate.
More precisely, it seemed utterly devoid of human presence.
A gust of chilling yin wind suddenly blew through.
Eerie laughter sounded from all around them.
Beneath the hazy moonlight, a white-robed female ghost appeared before the main entrance to the General’s Temple.
Her long hair hung to her waist, and both arms stretched straight before her.
The female ghost giggled as she slowly lifted her head, revealing a livid face.
Her features were twisted beyond recognition.
Black blood streamed from her eyes, nostrils, and mouth.
Chen Daji cried out, “Holy fucking hell! We really ran into a ghost!”
He instinctively raised a fist to punch himself in the nose, but Hua Jiunan caught his arm in time.
“Don’t waste your nosebleed. You didn’t bring your slingshot.”
Chen Daji took the blood-red longbow from his back and stared at the arrows, each nearly as thick as his arm. He wanted to cry.
“Big Brother, I regret it. I never should’ve traded my slingshot for this bow!”
“If I’m supposed to shoot ghosts with this thing, I could smash my nose to pulp and still not have enough blood to coat more than a few arrows…”