Chapter 25
Chapter 25
After seeing off Hemp-clad Grandmother, Old Li and the others returned to Old Fourth Tian’s house.
They just so happened to run into the three young officers who had gone out searching for them.
The three officers looked thrilled.
“The two elders, Chief Zhou-you’re alright! That’s truly great!”
Old Fourth Tian came hustling up behind them, all smiles.
“Uncle Li, Auntie, where are the filthy things? Did you take care of her?!”
Deaf Granny nodded lightly.
“Don’t worry. That thing won’t come out to harm people again.”
Old Fourth Tian was delighted. He rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“Good! Good! That’s wonderful!”
“From now on, our Old Tian Family won’t have to live in fear anymore!”
Old Li shot him a displeased look.
“This old man is warning you-live your days properly. Don’t go learning from your ancestors and doing things that defy heaven and conscience!”
Old Fourth Tian gave a sheepish grin.
“Listen to you, sir. How could I do something like that?”
The ghost problem had been solved, but a new headache immediately presented itself.
Tian Zhigang looked utterly dispirited.
“Sigh… we’re in big trouble this time. When we get back, how are we supposed to explain this to the organization?”
“Two township cadres died, and that’s not even the end of it-one of them was the township head’s brother-in-law.”
Chief Zhou was also in a bind.
He couldn’t very well write in the report that they were killed by filthy things, right?
If he did, not only would his colleagues laugh him to death, the higher-ups would also send someone else down to reopen the investigation.
But when it involved ghosts and gods, how could anyone investigate it clearly in the first place?
In the end, Old Li pulled Chief Zhou aside and spoke in a low voice.
“I have an old brother in our Provincial Military District.”
“When you get back to your unit, call him. Tell him you came because I asked you to look for him.”
“Tell him everything exactly as it happened. No need to lie. He’ll naturally help you cover it up.”
“And also tell him this-don’t come bothering me. Just treat it like I’m dead.”
After Chief Zhou returned, he did exactly as instructed.
But what he never imagined was that the “old brother” Old Li mentioned was actually the Deputy Commander of Military District.
When Commander Chen heard Old Li was still alive, he got so excited his voice practically choked up.
After asking in detail about Old Li’s current situation, he told Chief Zhou he had to take care of Old Li in secret.
Otherwise, it would be military justice.
And if Chief Zhou ran into any difficulties in the future, he could call anytime-Commander Chen would be on standby twenty-four hours a day.
After that call, Chief Zhou was completely stunned.
Who exactly was Old Master Li?
From the Deputy Commander of Military District’s tone, it sounded less like Commander Chen was Old Li’s superior… and more like the opposite.
Less than an hour later, the township received a telegram from the Provincial Military District.
No one knew what the telegram said.
All they knew was that from then on, nobody mentioned the Jiudaogou Village murder case again.
The organization even awarded Chief Zhou an individual Third-Class Merit.
Comrade Xiao Zhao and Cadre Zhao were both classified as having died in the line of duty, and their families each received compensation.
Half a month later, Chief Zhou brought a huge bundle of items to Old Li’s home.
They had been sent over from the Provincial Military District.
A thick roll of cash.
A pile of supplements.
Several military-green wool coats.
And a letter.
Old Li was furious and insisted Chief Zhou mail the money back.
Deaf Granny flew into a rage and yelled at him.
“You damn old man, what are you going crazy for?!”
“You and I might not need money, but does Xiao Jiu not need it when he goes to college someday?!”
“If we don’t accept this money, what are we supposed to do when the time comes?”
“Go steal it? Go rob it?”
Old Li wilted after hearing that.
He lowered his head and fell silent.
Chief Zhou hurried to smooth things over.
“Old General, Commander Chen said these are just part of the wages you’re entitled to.”
“Please accept them.”
Old Li still felt uneasy, and he spoke in a low voice.
“Sigh… but these past years I haven’t contributed anything to the country…”
Deaf Granny cast him a cold glance.
“Protecting the forest isn’t work?”
“That’s not contributing to the country?”
“Who’s ever paid you a single cent?!”
“You go up the mountain on patrol day in and day out-was that all just for nothing?!”
Chief Zhou quickly echoed her.
“Yes, yes, yes-Deaf Granny’s right.”
“Old General, please just take it.”
Wang San loved the military coat.
Once he put it on, he didn’t want to take it off again.
Old Li, in a good mood, happily gave it to him.
But honestly, Wang San’s whole vibe didn’t match the coat at all.
Not only did it fail to make him look imposing, it actually made him look a bit… sleazy.
He looked exactly like the idiot son of a landlord in a TV drama.
That evening after dinner, Deaf Granny told Hua Jiunan to go light a stick of incense for Hemp-clad Grandmother.
“She is your lifesaving benefactor. From now on, you must be properly filial to her.”
Hua Jiunan obediently nodded again and again.
“Grandma, what did that filthy thing look like that day? Was she really powerful?”
Deaf Granny lightly tapped Hua Jiunan on the head.
“Didn’t you see her? She was the one clinging to your Third Uncle’s back.”
“This child is really bold. You saw such an ugly beast and weren’t scared, and you even called her ‘sister’ and invited her to come play at home.”
As Hua Jiunan went to the side room to offer incense, he muttered to himself.
“Ugly? She wasn’t ugly at all.”
“That sister was really pretty!”
This wasn’t because Hua Jiunan was twisted and couldn’t tell beauty from ugliness.
There was another reason.
Unfortunately, Deaf Granny didn’t hear those words.
If she had, perhaps a tragedy could have been avoided.
Old Li asked Deaf Granny softly,
“What’s Hemp-clad Elder Sister’s background? How is she so powerful?”
Deaf Granny smiled faintly.
“That elder sister is no ordinary figure.”
“She’s a Ghost Immortal who’s cultivated for a thousand years.”
“If nothing unexpected happens, then in a few hundred more years, she really could achieve the proper fruition.”
Old Li nodded slowly.
“That’s… unbelievable.”
“Then what’s the Snow Corpse’s background? Hemp-clad Elder Sister seemed pretty wary of him.”