Chapter 256
Chapter 256
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Inside the Unborn Paradise, Hua Jiunan and the others had become brothers by birth. Orphaned in childhood, they had been raised by their grandmother, while Eighth Master Chang was the family’s pet snake.
The family’s most remarkable trait was its poverty. Any mouse that wandered inside would leave in tears. A kindhearted thief who came to rob them would be too ashamed to depart without leaving something behind.
Yet despite such desperate circumstances, each of the three brothers had managed to marry.
Hua Jiunan had married Xu Fangcao.
Zhao Fei had married Zhao Fengmei, who had duly borne him a chubby son.
Chen Daji had outdone them both. He had married not only Li Yun, but six twin sisters as well.
Unfortunately, the family was so poor that all six sisters had starved to death. They were loyal, though. Even after becoming ghosts, they remained devoted to Chen Daji…
One night, Hua Jiunan and the other two were too hungry to sleep, so they sat in the courtyard and talked.
Chen Daji scratched his head and stared blankly at the sky.
“Boss, I keep feeling that something’s wrong. I often dream our family owns a mine. We shouldn’t be this poor. If we don’t think of something soon, even my Little Yun will starve to death…”
Zhao Fei patted his fat belly, looking suspicious.
“Boss, Second Brother is right. I also think there’s something strange about this world. Our family’s so damn poor that we go days without eating. How am I still this fat?”
Eighth Master Chang, curled into a ball and shivering from the cold, joined in.
“I keep feeling I’m no ordinary snake. I shouldn’t be shut in a pigsty. And every night, I dream I can fly, really fast…”
Hua Jiunan stroked the battle saber he always carried and sank into thought.
He had long felt that he had forgotten something important. Unfortunately, whenever the memory was about to surface, his mind grew hazy and he fell asleep.
At that moment, an old woman who looked like Deaf Granny slowly walked out. A strange smile covered her face.
“Children, why aren’t you asleep? What are you all talking about out here?”
When Chen Daji and Zhao Fei saw her, they hurried over to support her.
“Grandma, why are you still awake so late? We’re too hungry to sleep, so we’re sitting in the yard talking nonsense.”
Her expression grew stranger still.
“If you want something to eat, that is easy enough. Grandma will make it appear for you.”
She waved her coarse hempen robe. Nine steaming bowls of dough-drop soup appeared on the stone table, exactly one for each member of the family. Even Eighth Master Chang, the pet, was not left out.
She smiled and said, “Go on. Call your wives and the child. Everyone can eat together.”
Lost inside the illusion, Hua Jiunan and the others sensed nothing unusual. Chen Daji excitedly pulled Hua Jiunan to his feet.
“Boss, let’s call our wives together. We can finally eat our fill today!”
Gluttonous Zhao Fei had already picked up his bowl and was gulping down the soup.
“B-Boss, wake my wife for me too. This tastes incredible!”
After Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji left, something eerie happened.
As Zhao Fei ate from his own bowl, the soup in every other bowl also diminished. Before long, every bowl was completely empty, without a drop left.
The old woman looked pleased that her scheme had succeeded. Eighth Master Chang first stared in astonishment, then became thoughtful.
When the rest of the family reached the courtyard, they were bitterly disappointed by the sight. They all turned questioning looks upon the old woman and Zhao Fei.
The old woman put on an expression of helpless pain and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Do not blame Third Brother. He was so hungry that he ate it all. In a few days, Grandma will make some more for you.”
Zhao Fei was horrified and hurried to defend himself.
“Grandma, I didn’t eat anyone else’s food! Why are you accusing me? Boss, Little Rooster, you have to believe me! Wife, son, you have to believe me!”
Chen Daji did not. He seized Zhao Fei by the collar and shook him hard.
“Fatty, that was rotten of you! How could you eat everything? You should’ve at least saved one bowl for my wife. She’s the only wife I have left who hasn’t starved to death. Now she’s completely done for!”
Everyone in the courtyard except Hua Jiunan turned vicious expressions on Zhao Fei. They pointed at him and cursed.
“Why did you care only about yourself and not us?”
“Do you want us all to starve to death?”
Faced with his enraged “family,” Zhao Fei could not defend himself. Hurt and indignation surged through him together.
“Why? Grandma, why are you falsely accusing me? Boss, Little Rooster, why won’t either of you believe me?”
As he spoke, Zhao Fei turned to his “wife,” Zhao Fengmei.
“Wife, even if no one else believes me, don’t you? I didn’t eat yours. I didn’t even finish half of my own bowl because I wanted to save some for you and our son!”
Despite his sincerity, “Zhao Fengmei” only sneered.
“The proof is right in front of me. How am I supposed to believe you, you heartless, selfish bastard?”
After being falsely accused by his own family again and again, Zhao Fei’s last defenses crumbled.
From nowhere, he produced a sharp ox-horn knife and slashed toward his belly.
“Why won’t any of you believe me? I’ll cut my stomach open and show you!”
At the same moment, Zhao Fei’s body in the real world snatched the knife from Chen Daji and stabbed it toward his own abdomen.