Chapter 235

The woman holding the pig‑killing knife stared at them, then froze for a moment, her aura flaring as she looked at the pitch‑black husky; combined with the large dirt pit and the messy vegetable plot nearby, even if she were stupid she would know the truth.

A surge of resentment rose to her throat, and she involuntarily shouted, "Is it you few outsiders? You've turned our vegetable patch into a mess!"

The owner of the culprit, Qin Yingdi, instantly felt guilty to the point of exploding, and apologized, "I can compensate you."

But after he said that, he realized he had no money at all.

The other party's eyes lit up: "Really? Our vegetables are fresh, all hauled to town to sell. I see you city folks…" She trailed off, then openly scanned them up and down, as if evaluating.

The middle‑aged woman continued, "Just give—this amount!"

She said this while extending a finger, her face beaming with joy. Before the variety show started, the production team had already negotiated with the villagers: the house where the guests would stay would be paid ten thousand for the five days, which works out to two thousand per day!

Although these villagers also have money, those few thin red bills cannot compare to ten thousand at all!

Although for her it would take hard work selling vegetables several times to earn that much. At the time she almost put her own house up for rent, if not for needing a place for her son to come home to…

She shook her head; thinking about it now still pains her. The big villa of Old Zhou's family in the village was selected, and at that moment they grabbed a wad of red bills!

It was thick and solid, making people envy it to death.

She mentally calculated how much money she needed, and her eyes lit up quickly.

【One thousand?! She's too bold to ask for that!】

【Sure enough, a remote backwater produces troublemakers!】

【Maybe not? I see these vegetables she grew are quite fresh and lively, and the Erha really did tear up a big patch! Though it doesn't look big, cleaning it up is exhausting.】

Ling Yue furrowed her brows, not having spoken yet, when a young male voice suddenly said, "What, what are you saying?"

This vegetable plot was opened up in front of the door; not far ahead, directly opposite, stood an open old wooden door and several flat‑roofed houses.

Ling Yue's observation skills are sharp; when they arrived the door was still closed and the woman was holding a knife, as if she had just come out—clearly she is the owner of these few houses.

As for that voice——

Ling Yue looked over; from the open door a young man rushed out, sprinting quickly down the village stone path. His eyebrows and eyes resembled the woman's somewhat, and upon seeing her he immediately called out, "Ma."

"What did you just say? You want money?"

Seeing her son straighten his back, the middle‑aged woman instantly deflated; she knew his meaning all too well, and unwillingly said, "Junzi, look at our vegetable patch—what a mess they've made! I'm asking them for a hundred bucks—what's wrong with that?"

One hundred bucks?!

The netizens who had been speculating earlier all fell silent.

Ling Yue's gaze fell naturally onto the young man's face; her clear stare made him a bit nervous, and he shrank his hands.

A hint of surprise welled up in Ling Yue's eyes.

Mother and son actually shared the same streak of bad luck, and she even saw deathly aura entwined in the young man's brows and eyes.

Ling Yue silently noted it in her heart.

Qiu Jun took his mother's hand: "Mom, you forgot what I told you before? For the future of our Lianhua Village, please change your violent temper!"

He had long noticed the camera on one side; his mother didn't know, and as someone who had gone off to university he certainly wouldn't be unaware, especially since the collaboration between the production crew and the village was largely his doing.

The young man apologized somewhat stiffly: "Sorry, I'm the village official of Lianhua Village. My mother has lived here all her life; she's a bit hasty. You don't need to compensate for the vegetables—I can tidy them up and they'll still be edible."

Not to mention the netizens; even Qin Yingdi, seeing the devastated vegetable plot, was stunned: "How can this still be eaten?"

The vegetable leaves were torn to shreds by the dog, a large patch pulled up by the roots, and several were even bitten several times, leaving clear tooth marks.

Qin Yingdi immediately turned his head; the "black dog" Huihui let out a whimper and closed its mouth. He was so angry he gripped the stick tightly—after years of cultivating his temperament, he hadn't been this angry in days!

This unfilial wretch!

Village official Qiu Jun blinked at the words: "Feeding the pigs."

The rotten vegetable leaves, once grabbed, are inedible for people, but the pigs love them, crunching happily.

The middle‑aged woman beside them couldn't help muttering, not caught on camera but heard clearly by Ling Yue: "Feeding pigs—those are for people to eat; I could take them to town and at least sell them for money!"

After saying that, she slumped her face; anyone could see her gloom.

The hitherto silent Rutian actively apologized: "Really sorry, we have no money coming here; could we work off the debt?"

No sooner had the words finished than Qin Yingdi, holding the dog's leash, stepped forward: "Although I'm over fifty, my strength is still good; my dog caused the trouble and ruined your stuff—if you have any work, I'll do it for you."

After he said that, the barrage in the live stream exploded.

【!!!? Over fifty? He looks like he's in his early thirties—don't fool me!】

【Hahaha, it's all thanks to Old Qin's good maintenance!】

【Look, that old lady's surprised expression—isn't she stunned?】

【To be honest, I have the same expression; Old Qin truly is an ageless male god! The only thing is, peers his age are already grandparents, yet he hasn't shown a hint of romance—not even any gossip!】

【I really want to beg him—hurry up and get married, or else he'll become old cured meat that nobody wants!】

【Hehehe, what does this mean? It means no marriage, no kids, eternal youth!】

The barrage swept by in a rush.

Suddenly a shout rang out; the startled woman, having realized it, couldn't help exclaiming, "You're over fifty? How do you look younger than me? I'm only in my forties!"

Qin Mingwei: "……"

How could he explain that? Fortunately, the other party didn't dwell on it, but instead, building on the previous talk, readily agreed to compensate everyone.

As son Qiu Jun was about to speak, she flicked a glare at him: "Why are you loitering here? I'm the fierce wolf of the mountains—will I eat you? Hurry up and get busy; Old Master Zhou Dafu's funeral is today, and as the village official you've got plenty to do!"

Qiu Jun opened his mouth, watching his mother lead a crowd like a hen herding chicks toward his own fields; he couldn't get a word in, and instead people came over to him.

"Qiu Jun, you brat!"

The comer was a short‑and‑stocky middle‑aged man, looking a few centimeters shorter than him, holding a pipe; with one mouthful, smoke instantly swirled.

He doesn't smoke or drink, but the pungent smell made him cough involuntarily.

Through the smoke veil, he hadn't yet seen a flicker of malice in the other's eyes; all he heard was the man saying, "Junzi, my father's seventh‑day memorial is today—our village is missing just you. You're still the village official, the current head of the household; hurry and come with me."

Hearing him deliberately stress his status, Qiu Jun's face grew ever more embarrassed; in the end he couldn't resist and followed along.

Their village isn't large, and the people are fairly united; whenever anyone holds a red‑white celebration, basically the whole village turns out.

Therefore, he also didn't feel anything special.

At the same time, at the foot of the mountain.

The road up the mountain in Lotus Flower Village was rugged and uneven; everyone walked, stumbling, never expecting that Old Lady Qiu's land would be on the mountain!

Along the way, Ling Yue walked as if on level ground; everyone else was exhausted, and ultimately it was the tall, slender Xu He who fell behind, even the delicate Song Youli ahead of him.

【Is the top streamer too weak? It feels weaker than our cat!】

【Emmm… you forgot the previous news; their older brother can't even hold someone else's yxx.】

【Sis, I admire you; hurry up and run, the White Crane army will reach the battlefield in three seconds!】

As expected, the next second——

【Nonsense, she obviously got fat herself, like a pig—who could lift her? It's definitely not our brother's fault!】

【You're all just jealous! Jealous of my White Crane brother!】

【Ah yes yes yes, right right right!】

So perfunctory you couldn't be more perfunctory.

Xu He still didn't know the livestream argument; his legs were shaking from exhaustion, he clenched his fists, feeling resentful—the incident was Er Ha's doing, any compensation should be Qin Yingdi's responsibility, what does it have to do with him!

He felt like he had turned into a broken bellows, puffing wind out with a huff-huff; looking up again, the mountain trail had no end in sight!

Just then, the small animals led by the feng shui turtle lined up and walked over leisurely; as the Persian cat Guoguo passed him, she couldn't help but glance, then exclaimed, 'So weak!'

By this point, even the slowest Guoguo had overtaken him.

The audience watching this scene were about to laugh until they went numb.

【Eh yo eh yo, my ribs are splitting from laughter, I'm dying laughing!】

【Brother, you're awesome! Brother, keep it up! 【holding back laughter】【holding back laughter】】

Ahead, Song Youli panted, 'How much longer... how much longer?'

Old Lady Qiu: 'It's just ahead; look at you kids, your stamina is——'

She said this, then suddenly paused, seeing Ling Yue walking with ease, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

After half an hour, the five people and five pets finally reached the destination; after dividing tasks clearly, they scattered, and Er Ha, seeing the potato sprouts everywhere, couldn't help but wail: 'I'm so miserable! So miserable!'

Then it was kicked into the potato sprouts; facing it was the cold, merciless owner: 'A dog does the work, a dog bears the responsibility—hurry up and dig!'

Husky: X﹏X

Looking at the large area allocated to it, it was pitiable enough to make viewers exclaim, yet it didn't stop them from bursting into laughter afterward.

Even if the husky were normally energetic, after digging for half an hour it was exhausted to a puddle of mud.

Slacking off was done blatantly.

Old Lady Qiu looked at the results from the past half hour, smiling so hard her eyes could barely stay open, then called everyone to stop.

Xu He plopped onto the ground, exhausted like a dead dog.

His bones felt like they were about to fall apart, he cursed inwardly a thousand times; even if he'd slacked off, he was still exhausted enough to be spiteful!

However, he never expected there to be a final evaluation of the results.

"You youngster, looking tall and big, how can you not even measure up to a dog!"

Old Lady Qiu said this, pointing at a patch of potato husks where the husky lay; the dog heard someone calling it, tilted its head, looking clueless.

The pile of potatoes beneath it and the scattered potatoes beside Xu He formed a stark contrast.

The viewers watching the livestream burst out laughing.

Thumping the table while rubbing their stomachs, they laughed uproariously.

Old Lady Qiu suddenly reached into her pocket; a faint red appeared on her rough face: 'You've done well, I'm not an unreasonable person—earlier someone gave me something, telling me if you did well, I could give it to you.'

"Here." She said, spreading her hand to reveal four points cards, each worth fifty points!

They stared at each other; after a moment, the exhausted Song Youli leapt up excitedly: 'Yes!'

The assistant director backstage watching the livestream was stunned—fifty points! This was the maximum denomination they'd set, intending it as the final trigger reward; with this voucher, what work would there be left for the next five days!

The director immediately reacted: 'What's going on?'

According to their design, these were hidden points, basically impossible unless they'd set up round after round of procedure, just waiting to see how many points a few people would earn after half a day of work.

So how do we play now?

The assistant director wore a miserable face: 'I'm being wronged!'

"I've also heard of this Old Lady Qiu; she's famous for her fiery temper in the surrounding villages, her mouth like a knife—who knows, who knows..." She's so soft-hearted.

The assistant director protested, yet didn't expect the old saying: 'sharp tongue, soft heart.'

Old Lady Qiu's fiery temperament also has its reasons; widowed early, she struggled alone to raise her children, as the saying goes, a widow's gate invites gossip—her ability to put her son through college on her own proves her capability.

Yet in the rumors, for her to have kept her children safe to this day, her personality couldn't be anything but fiery; if she were the slightest bit weak, she'd have been bullied to death long ago.

As for these high-denomination points cards, she hadn't used them all up.

She handed them to Xu He, clapping her hands together with a loud slap.

Xu He's outstretched hand met empty air; he stared blankly at her, still somewhat dazed.

Old Lady Qiu said sharply: 'I watched while I worked; they all put in effort, but you—sometimes weeding, sometimes holding your waist—you can't work, you're first in slacking and trickery!'

At that moment, Xu He was nearly exploding with rage, his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists—what does she know? What does a country woman know?!

In the livestream, the viewers who had watched the whole thing, aside from Xu He's brainless fans still causing trouble, nobody else mentioned it—especially after learning how much fifty points could be exchanged for, everyone was overjoyed, beating drums and gongs!

The production team hadn't considered changing the rules, but in the end the director hammered it down: 'No changes, we'll remake the plan.'

At the same time, Ling Yue and her group finally managed to eat their first meal in the village.

Even the dog lay with its head down in the bowl, licking the clean dish; it was truly exhausted—tired and hungry!

The one who hadn't eaten was Xu He; as the only person without points, he excused himself by saying he couldn't cook, even the young lady Song Youli would help pick vegetables—he, a grown man with hands and feet, had become the most idle hands-off manager.

After the meal was prepared, looking at the slightly yellow grains, he couldn't help but furrow his brow, then disparagingly eye the large ceramic bowl dug from somewhere: 'I'm not too hungry, you eat first.'

He casually found an excuse, patted his butt, and left.

They're all thousand-year-old foxes; what's there to play at Strange Tales?

Anyone can see his disdain.

Ru Tan kindly said, "Why not leave him some food? What if he gets hungry in the middle of the night?"

Ling Yue nodded, about to agree, when suddenly she heard a gulp gulp sound, and a large gray dog's head was lying in the bowl.

"Hui Hui!"

The husky blinked, then suddenly opened its mouth and gulped down what was in its belly, so fragrant, so fragrant!

The rice looked slightly yellow; it was actually pure natural rice grains, this year's new rice, tastier than the premium rice in supermarkets; once steamed, a fresh fragrance wafted forth.

No need for side dishes; one person can finish two big bowls.

The husky's gluttony is known all over the net; before long it ate until its belly was round, the black mud on its body had dried completely, and now it lay in the courtyard.

Ling Yue and the others moved a small stool to sit at one side, sitting in a row, basking in the sun.

Song You Li couldn't help it, let out a small burp, then immediately covered her mouth, saying, "I'm not stuffed!"

She cried wuu wuu wuu in her heart, her perfect image! It seemed that since coming to the small mountain village, she was no longer that perfect, exquisite female star she used to be!

Wuu wuu wuu, she was the one who aspired to be the number one beauty in the entertainment circle!

【Ah ah ah, my chestnut is so cute!】

【It's decided, today we'll eat rice, chestnut-style!】

The sky was bright, the sun radiant; this healthful and harmonious scene made many netizens feel as if they were experiencing it themselves, squinting their eyes.

"Whine whine~"

"Owner, come play quickly, come play quickly~" He lay on the grass, twisting his chubby body, coquettishly saying, "Owner, come roll around with me on the ground, it's so fun to play."

Ling Yue: "……This dog, really improper!"

The filthy dog was now a complete mess.

Qin Ming Wei heard that, looked scornfully at the rolling husky, with an expression of having seen through the world, and couldn't help muttering, "This dog is no good; maybe we should just throw it away."

At this moment, well-meaning netizens posted a photo of the previous divine husky and the current dog, with the caption: "They're like two different dogs!"

The bullet screen burst with laughter, laughing while saving.

【As expected, the husky is happiest watching others raise it!】

Ling Yue not only saw the bullet screen; hearing that, she glanced at the other party in surprise and commented, "It can still be kept after a wash."

Qin Ming Wei froze, just as he raised his hand, his arm muscles went sore: "Forget it, everyone's exhausted today; I'm too lazy to get it bath water."

Ling Yue smiled slightly: "I heard from Qiu Da Niang that there's a small stream on the mountain; if I have time tomorrow I'll go up for a stroll, and apparently that big cave is quite beautiful."

Ru Tan held the Persian cat and said, "Really? Let's go see it tomorrow."

She came out just to travel, to see the magnificent landscapes of the motherland and cultivate her mood.

"Gurgle gurgle~ gurgle gurgle~" Guo Guo Mi let out a sound, her big beautiful eyes half‑closed, the owner's fingers stroking her chin, how comfortable!

This side is the retirement life; the video cuts to Xu He's side, instantly wind and rain rustling.

He pretended to be melancholy, standing outside the wall at a forty‑five‑degree angle gazing at the sky, when suddenly he had time to chat with the staff.

"It's all my fault, I dragged everyone down, I didn't consider my poor health properly; at the time I was utterly exhausted, I couldn't do anything alone, otherwise we should have had five points cards."

Look at what he's saying—like a pure white lotus, openly making excuses for himself, claiming poor health, secretly implying they don't help me! They're bullying me!

The staff member said nothing, lowered his head to glance at the live chat, and his expression instantly twisted—

【Hahaha, your food is gone!】

【Hahaha, Xu He, your food was stolen by the dog!】

【Xu He, you're out of food!】

The staff member really wanted to tell him: "Stop acting, the netizens aren't cueing you at all!"

Xu He wandered aimlessly around the village, suddenly saw a familiar figure, his anger rising—who else could it be but Qiu Da Niang!

He instinctively followed, turning left and right, when suddenly a group of villagers appeared before him, with a low wooden table laden with food and drink.

Xu He was still puzzled, the villagers had already started eating; the lively atmosphere lacked any warmth, perhaps because the stone house got no sunlight, making it somewhat gloomy.

Perhaps because some people had white cloth on their heads……

Xu He seemed to suddenly realize something, his heart gave a violent thud; in an instant, layers of cold sweat appeared on his back.

【This, it looks like someone is making offerings.】

【What is making offerings?】

【In the countryside, when someone dies, they invite members of the same clan to come make offerings—that is, a funeral, with its own rituals, music and festivities, very lively.】

【……】

Little did he know, Xu He's hands and feet were already ice‑cold, he had frozen stiff; this scene brought back some unpleasant memories, and he swallowed hard with difficulty: "Where is my black cat?"

He said this and turned to leave, not daring to take another step forward, instead choosing a small path to go around the front.

His panic was plainly visible, he kept muttering, "Where is my black cat? Where is my cat?"

He had no idea that Zhou Da Fu's house had been rented out recently, the family temporarily staying in a dilapidated courtyard, with no wall at all.

Xu He was an outsider; how could he know that the more he tried to escape, the more he ended up heading toward the front hall?

And the front hall was exactly where the coffin was kept.

The village custom is that the coffin is buried at three in the afternoon; that is, the coffin is still in the front hall now, its deep‑red wood lying in shadow, covered with a heavy gloom.

The coffin's colour grew ever darker, like layers of dark‑red blood scabs; the ever‑lasting lamp shone ahead, the candlelight flickering on and off, swaying uncertainly.

As Xu He walked on, he felt a chill creep up his back; suddenly a draft blew through the alleyway, the simple grass screen in the front hall where the coffin lay let a chill seep into his bones, making his hairs stand on end.

"Whoosh—"

Xu He's eyes widened in an instant, his expression terrified, his gaze locked straight ahead; in the lifted grass curtain, a large dark‑red shadow loomed vaguely, the ever‑lasting lamp's light revealing a long coffin, above which stood a black‑and‑white photograph.

The old man in the photo frame smiled; as the straw mat swayed, the black-striped shadows moved back and forth, like a strange-shaped monster, stroking the photograph.

The camera panned over, and the giggling audience, seeing this, were instantly scared to pee.

【Holy shit holy shit holy shit! Where did you get that big coffin? It almost sent me away!】

Moreover, some people were so frightened they trembled like a sieve, unable to type.

The sudden netherworld scene made the viewers behind the screen jump, let alone Xu He, who faced it head-on; in an instant he slowly squatted down and could no longer stand up.

Because his legs had gone soft like noodles.

"A mystic cat? Where's my cat?!"

He grabbed the staff member tightly, pupils dilated, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead; his icy hand touched the staff member, who shuddered violently.

"Holy shit, it's freezing!"

No one noticed that on the southwest black eave perched a yellow-eyed mystic cat, its jet-black fur blending completely with the surroundings.

It suddenly rose, leapt back and forth a few times, and vanished in an instant onto the tile ridge.

After night fell, the village was utterly silent; even footsteps on the path could be heard clearly.

The gate let out a soft sound.

Suddenly, a head poked in; in the moonlight, a few facial features could be seen—it was none other than Xu He, who hadn't eaten during the day in Ninghai.

He tiptoed straight to the kitchen; as soon as he entered, he gulped and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He starved to death.

So hungry that he got up in the middle of the night from bed, wanting to bite into anything he saw!

He was busy looking for food when a flash of red light flickered past the top of the out-of-sight cabinet.

After the actual filming, aside from that pre‑broadcast, the livestream stayed on around the clock for the rest of the time.

Cameras were installed in public areas like the kitchen and living room; in other private spots they could be covered. The broadcast ran into the night, and occasionally a few night owls would drop in to watch.

【Holy shit, what the hell is this?!】

【pitch black, Mom, I'm scared. JPG】：，，.