Chapter 675: Qin Huairu's Abnormality

Jia Zhangshi had no intention of making a big mistake.

She kowtowed and burned incense for Shazhu, begging him not to keep pestering the Jia family; that image was once again imprinted in Qin Huairu's eyes. Having just finished a nightmare, Qin Huairu, frightened silly by Shazhu's ferocious appearance, accidentally saw this scene.

Heaven didn't cooperate.

It seemed as if Shazhu had really come back to settle scores with the Jia family.

When Qin Huairu's gaze fell on Jia Zhangshi, the portrait of Shazhu hanging on the wall suddenly fell to the ground, and the incense sticks inserted in the incense burner used to worship Shazhu's spirit all went out.

The electric light shining on the beam also went out at that moment.

A pitch-black terror enveloped Jia Zhangshi inside the house, and also frightened Qin Huairu outside silly.

The eerie silence, the heavy atmosphere, plus the Jia family's firm belief in Shazhu's spirit return, made a formula where one plus one is greater than two.

Jia Zhangshi was scared to wet her pants, and with a flip of her eyelids she fainted.

Qin Huairu, the mastermind who plotted Shazhu's miserable death, showed herself to be even worse: she shouted 'Ghost!' and her body went limp like a deflated balloon, collapsing softly to the ground.

Bangeng, Xiao Dang, and Huaihua, who dared not sleep inside, heard someone shout 'Ghost!' and found the voice somewhat familiar; after a moment's bewilderment they recognized it as their mother Qin Huairu's voice, and they all rushed out of the house.

In their line of sight.

There, under the dim courtyard light, lay Qin Huairu's figure on the ground, foaming at the mouth, her hands and feet trembling incessantly.

She resembled a Parkinson's patient.

The three ran up to Qin Huairu, saw her rolling her eyes, and knew something was wrong.

Bangeng knew a bit of common sense.

He embraced Qin Huairu in his arms and pinched her philtrum hard with his hand.

After just thirty-odd seconds, the frightened Qin Huairu slowly came to, seeing Bangeng and the others looking at her anxiously.

She raised her hand and gave the three a big slap.

Pa!

Pa!

Pa!

The crisp slap sound, in the silent night, was especially piercing, and it also dazed Bangeng and the others.

Bangeng and the others thought Qin Huairu was blaming them for not coming out sooner, so they excused her behavior, thinking after all she was their mother and they couldn't hold it against her.

After all, they crawled out of Qin Huairu's belly.

Without Qin Huairu, they wouldn't be here now.

Together they helped Qin Huairu up, thinking of the trouble in the front courtyard, and brought her to the room of Long Laotaitai in the back courtyard.

This room had originally been promised to Yi Zhonghai, but Long Laotaitai went back on her word and left it to Shazhu, intending to give Shazhu a place to settle in the future.

But they didn't expect that Shazhu's ancestral home wouldn't be kept, nor would Long Laotaitai's room—everything became the Jia family's property.

Bangeng and the others didn't think much; seeing Qin Huairu faint, they instinctively carried her to the back courtyard.

As for Jia Zhangshi, who had fainted and wet her pants in the middle-room, no one paid attention; the room had no heating, her pants were soaked, and she hadn't closed the door properly.

Jia Zhangshi figured she wouldn't have a good ending.

Since Bangeng and the others had their minds wholly on Qin Huairu, after carrying her to Long Laotaitai's room in the back courtyard, they wanted to do some ideological work on her.

They really frightened Qin Huairu to death.

They also wouldn't get off easy.

Grudges have a source.

Debts have a master.

Among the five members of the Jia family, the person Shazhu hates most should be Qin Huairu; her being alive is equivalent to drawing fire for Bangeng and the others.

Qin Huairu must not come to harm.

While they were still turning the words over in their mouths, Qin Huairu got ahead of them, her heart moved, and with a 'plop' she knelt at Bangeng and the others' feet, knocking her head heavily on the ground.

In the world.

There is no reason for parents to kneel to their children.

It shortens one's lifespan.

That is the reason.

Bangeng and the others panicked; Qin Huairu's kneeling and kowtowing meant they would have to live a few months less.

They reached out and grabbed Qin Huairu's arms, preparing to pull her up from the ground, but they didn't expect her to be dead weight, with no intention of rising; the three, in a fluster, began to persuade her.

"Mom, what are you doing? Get up quickly; you're making us kneel and kowtow to you, which shortens our lives—hurry up and get up."

"If outsiders saw this, they'd think we'd mistreated you."

"Mom, wake up."

Qin Huairu's gaze fell on the three present; her eyes were a bit dazed, clearly showing she didn't recognize Bangeng and the others.

Bangeng and the others exchanged glances.

Something's not right.

Each waved a hand in front of Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu's eyeballs twitched, and she spoke, but what she said had nothing to do with Bangeng and the others; she spoke of Shazhu.

"Shazhu, I beg you, stop haunting me, Qin Huairu, stop haunting the Jia family; all mistakes are mine, it was I, Qin Huairu, who schemed against you; in my next life I will be an ox or horse to repay you, Shazhu, for the kindness you showed our Jia family in this life."

The hearts of Bangeng and the others.

Heavy.

Qin Huairu's words gave them a creepy feeling; they suddenly felt cold and instinctively pulled their clothes tighter.

One person doing this could still be explained.

But Bangeng and the others all doing it makes it hard to explain.

Could Shazhu have shown up?

That's not right.

They all asked for protective amulets; according to what those people said, as long as the amulet was present, Shazhu wouldn't dare appear, yet Shazhu still showed up.

It's typical to scare people.

Xiao Dang and Huaihua, being female, are naturally timid, not as bold as Bangeng; after hearing Qin Huairu's words, they also clearly sensed that the indoor temperature had just suddenly dropped a bit.

Their faces showed a hint of fear.

In a voice almost like crying, they pleaded with Bangeng: "Brother, Mom said Shazhu has come back; could it be that he hasn't left yet? Why is he still haunting our Jia family? Didn't we give him a grand funeral? We put him in mourning clothes, broke a basin for him, and even specially wailed for his spirit—why won't he leave? You say, will he next cling to us? What are we to do?"

Huaihua didn't speak; she expressed her worry with actions, reaching into her pocket and feeling around, a yellow protective amulet appeared in her hand; she held it up and swayed it around.

Xiao Dang likewise took out the protective amulet to supposedly drive away Shazhu's lingering spirit, and even stuck it onto Qin Huairu's forehead.

It was originally just an unintentional act.

It's just an opportunistic attitude.

Unexpectedly, Qin Huairu slowly woke up, seeing herself kneeling on the ground with Bangeng and the others standing around, not knowing what had happened, she asked for the specific reason.

"Bangeng, Xiao Dang, Huaihua, why aren't you sleeping?"

In the eyes of the three of Bangeng,

glimmered with endless light.

It works.

Originally intending to tell Qin Huairu the truth—that Shazhu had returned to cause trouble—but seeing her weak state, as the words reached his lips, he turned the big truth into a false lie.

"Mom, are you feeling unwell? When my older brother went out to urinate at night, he saw you faint in the courtyard, called us both out, hurriedly brought you back inside; just as we entered, you woke up. Is your health okay? Should we call a car to take you to the hospital for a check-up?"

Qin Huairu weakly waved her hand.

Why send to the hospital?

Would sending to the hospital drive away Shazhu's lingering spirit?

Nonsense.

After all this time of trying to solve the problem, Qin Huairu finally recalled some things—namely, what exactly had happened before she fainted.

Worried about frightening the three children.

So she didn't speak the truth.

This thunder.

Or she should bear it herself.

"No need to go to the hospital; I just felt a bit weak when I got up at night, resting a bit will fix it, I'm fine, you all go back to sleep."

"Really nothing?"

"Look at you, you don't even believe Mom's words; really nothing, if I had something wrong I'd definitely call you, go back to sleep."

Seeing Qin Huairu's firm attitude, Xiao Dang and the others could only follow her wish and each go to sleep.

Before leaving, Bangeng and the others thoughtfully helped Qin Huairu onto the wooden bed, gave her a few instructions, then left one after another.

Qin Huairu, lost in thought about herself and Shazhu, completely failed to notice her surroundings; she had fainted in the central courtyard, and Bangeng and the others naturally helped her back to the central courtyard house, but they didn't expect that, being so filial, they would take Qin Huairu to the rear courtyard, into the house of the deaf elderly lady.

Although this house now belongs to the Jia family, Qin Huairu has never entered it before.

Afraid.

This is the root.

From the day Qin Huairu became a widow, under Yi Zhonghai's arrangement, she began receiving Shazhu's support, but also offended the deaf elderly lady.

The deaf elderly lady repeatedly told Shazhu that even if he supported Qin Huairu, he had to go through the eldest aunt; he shouldn't just hand over the lunch box to Qin Huairu casually.

A widow's gate invites much gossip.

An unmarried bachelor directly facing a widow will cause people to gossip.

Will he still marry in the future?

Shazhu's words may sound pleasant, yet he steadfastly continued supporting Qin Huairu; the deaf elderly lady had no choice, she discussed remarriage with Qin Huairu, but in the end, for various reasons, it came to nothing.

Qin Huairu knew the deaf elderly lady felt affection for Shazhu, but because of Shazhu's unmarried yet insisting on being involved with her nature, she dared not pin her old-age hopes on him, and thus let things develop as they may.

It's fortunate that the deaf elderly lady died early.

Otherwise, given the deaf elderly lady's concern for Shazhu, it was highly likely she could persuade Qin Huairu to bear him a child.

Getting back to the point.

Having a child would also let them enjoy He Yushui's benefits.

No matter what, He Yushui is also the child's aunt, but due to the widow's ruthlessness, this relationship was artificially severed, and she even plotted Shazhu's death.

This caused Shazhu to die unwillingly; starting from last night, he has been tormenting himself incessantly.

Qin Huairu may not believe it, but she has to; it's not just her who has been disturbed by Shazhu—Bangeng, Xiao Dang, Huaihua, Jia Zhangshi and other Jia family members have all been looked after by Shazhu's lingering spirit.

What to do?

In the moment of myriad thoughts.

Qin Huairu's eyes seemed to have seen something they shouldn't, her pupils dilated considerably.

This is all Bangeng and the others' fault.

When leaving, they didn't turn off the light, thinking the indoor light was on, Qin Huairu's fear of Shazhu thus faded somewhat, but they didn't expect the bright light to make facts that could have been hidden impossible to conceal.

"Huh!"

Qin Huairu let out a call.

There was strong shock in it.

She saw the deceased elderly lady's portrait on the wall.

When the deaf elderly lady died, Shazhu insisted on hanging her portrait on the wall no matter what; even if Qin Huairu opposed, it was useless.

Because fear arose in her heart, after Long Laotaitai died, she never set foot in this house again, and thus forgot the portrait of Long Laotaitai hanging on the wall.

That was then.

This is now.

The things that were forgotten back then have now all come to mind.

Especially the gaze in the portrait, still carrying a hint of doubt.

Qin Huairu felt guilty.

This photo gave Qin Huairu a strange feeling.

Her scalp tightened.

Then she didn't know anything.

She didn't know if she was dreaming.

She must be dreaming.

Beside Qin Huairu's ear, a faint voice of Long Laotaitai questioning could be heard.

"Qin Huairu, I, the old lady, have never misjudged a person in my life, yet I misjudged you, Qin Huairu. I thought that, out of sentiment for Shazhu toward your Jia Family, even if you were ruthless enough to let Shazhu die without heirs, you should at least send him off with enough food and clothing, let him grow old and die in peace, and let him wear mourning clothes. As a result, Qin Huairu, you have become extremely cruel. While Shazhu was alive, he could bring benefits to your Jia Family, shouting 'Zhu! Zhu!' all the time. When Shazhu became paralyzed and could no longer earn money for your Jia Family, he became a burden to you. For several days you didn't give him food, and you even drove him out of the house, letting him die miserably. How could your heart be so black?"

"Old lady, I have my difficulties."

"Qin Huairu, you may have difficulties, but Shazhu has none. I ask you: Are you human? Is what you've done something a person would do?"

"Old lady, I."

"According to the old lady's wishes, I really want to go up and drag you down to see King Yama to reason with you, but Shazhu said that what's done is past, and in his next life he doesn't want to see you nor meet you."

"I."

"According to Shazhu, Xu Damiao ate your watermelon, Qin Huairu, while Shazhu took care of you all his life but never ate your watermelon. Go buy a watermelon, bring it back, and cut it open in front of Shazhu; then the old lady will forgive you, and Shazhu also promises not to pester you."

Qin Huairu hurriedly went to buy a watermelon for Shazhu.

But in Xiao Dang's eyes,

it seemed rather strange.

Qin Huairu held a kitchen knife, walking around the table, wandering throughout the house, muttering about cutting watermelon and such.