Chapter 85

Wei Xu cried until he was dizzy, his eyes swollen and his voice hoarse. He had been raised by his grandmother since he was a child, and he was closest to her. Every morning, he would get up at six and walk half an hour to school. His grandmother would get up even earlier to make him breakfast, worried that he might get hungry at school. Sometimes it was congee with a big vegetable bun, and she’d pack a boiled egg in his bag for him to eat when he got hungry while studying, or she’d make him a bowl of cabbage and pork dumplings.

-His grandmother’s dumplings were the best, with thin skin and lots of filling, and the taste was just incredible. He could eat ten in one go. After she passed away, he never had such delicious dumplings again.

Every morning, she would walk him to the village entrance, watching him join the other village kids on their way to school. Sometimes, if it was raining, she’d walk half an hour to bring him an umbrella. Back then, he was mischievous and playful, always disobedient. At mealtime, his grandmother had to call him repeatedly from the doorway, and he’d take a few bites before running off again…

Back then, his biological mother was still alive, working with his father away from home, returning only once a year. Every time they came back, the house was bustling, and those were the times he looked forward to the most. As soon as the New Year passed, he would start anticipating the next one, when he’d get pocket money and new clothes. But then his mom died, his grandpa died, his dad remarried, and his grandmother was bullied away…

Suddenly, he raised his head, his eyes red like a little wolf cub, glaring at his father and shouting, “I hate you, I hate you! You killed my grandmother, it was you!”

Wei was jolted awake, as if all his strength vanished in that moment. He slumped on the ground, disbelief etched on his face. He thought his mother was living well in City A, but she was already dead. He didn’t even know when she died, how long she’d been gone, or where she was buried… Though he had been avoiding facing his mother, he never wanted her to die!

He suddenly pointed at the woman beside him, the one who had pitifully told him that his mother embarrassed him in front of his friends, saying his friends were gossiping about him behind his back. They said he looked like a cultured person from a big city, yet had a mother who was so unsophisticated she didn’t even know how to use an elevator, and who packed leftover food from banquets to take home, not minding if it was dirty…

He was vain, and after hearing it several times, he felt he couldn’t hold his head high among his friends. He had even suggested his mother return to the old home, where it was lively and comfortable, without the need to farm. He could send her some living expenses every month, couldn’t he? But his mother was unwilling and insisted on working in City A. He was too lazy to care; after all, what difference did it make where she went? His wife also said it was good for her to be active, that it was healthy for the elderly to keep busy…

And so he was persuaded.

“No, it wasn’t me, I didn’t know. It was Qunfang who said many old men and women in their sixties and seventies were bored at home and went out to work as cleaners. It’s easy work and earns money, so I thought…”

“Shut up! You killed Grandma!” Wei Xu lunged forward, pushing Wei to the ground, and berated him, “When Grandma was home, you always found her annoying. You yelled at her, saying the sound of her sweeping was too loud and disturbed your sleep, that her cooking was bad, that she talked too much and was nagging. Even when there was a banquet at home, you told her not to go, saying it was for her own good, that she couldn’t eat rich food, but you just didn’t want her to embarrass you!”

“Grandma left home for so many years, did you ever visit her once? Every time you pretended to want her back, but when she said she wouldn’t return, I saw you clearly breathe a sigh of relief. Grandma gave birth to you and raised you, but you don’t know how to be filial. You’re worse than an animal! Even a dog knows to be loyal to the one who feeds it, but what about you? What do you know? You only care about yourself!”

“Do you know what’s most embarrassing? It’s not that Grandma was uneducated, uncultured, couldn’t read a single word, or that she didn’t have decent clothes to wear, or that she looked rustic and not as stylish as others. The most embarrassing thing is that you, as her son, don’t know how to be filial, don’t teach her how to live in the city, and don’t even buy her a nice piece of clothing!”

“How could I have a father like you? That’s what truly embarrasses me!”

Wei Xu finally let out all the words he’d been holding inside for years, the things he wanted to say but never did. He cried loudly, yet felt an unusual sense of relief. Though he was only fifteen, not yet an adult, without even an ID card, and with barely enough money to live on his own for a few days, he would rather drop out of school than stay in this house any longer.

He could go out and work, serve tables, wash dishes-anything was better than enduring humiliation at home.

He didn’t even look at his father, who seemed soulless and stunned, and turned away, casting a hateful glance at Jiang Qunfang. He particularly disliked this woman; if it weren’t for her meddling, his grandmother wouldn’t have left, and wouldn’t have died quietly and alone. He didn’t even get to see her one last time…

Wei Xu wiped his eyes with his sleeve, turned around, and reached for his grandmother, “Grandma, let’s go, let’s never come back!”

But he grabbed at empty air, and the tears he’d managed to stop suddenly flowed again. Just moments ago, he was as fierce as a little firecracker, but now he seemed like a poor little thing abandoned by the world, crying pitifully with a pout.

Old Lady looked at him, her cold hand taking his, and slowly led him outside.

Wei Xu broke into a smile, following her, obedient like a child just learning to walk.

Wei lay on the ground, watching helplessly as the blurry ghostly figure dragged Wei Xu into the darkness. He shouted, “Don’t go, Wei Xu, you can’t go, you’re my son!”

“Wei Xu, come back!”

Even if that was his mother, she was dead, she was a ghost. Following her would be a dead end, wouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, no matter how much he shouted and pleaded, it didn’t make Wei Xu turn back for even a glance. He even walked faster. Wei lay on the ground in despair, feeling as if everything that had just happened was a dream. His mother had returned as a ghost and taken his son away…

He turned to Jiang Qunfang, “You jinx! If it weren’t for you urging me, I wouldn’t have let my mom go out to work. She wouldn’t have died, and she wouldn’t have taken my son away…”

Jiang Qunfang’s face was pale with fear, afraid that the Old Grandma would remember what she had done and come back for revenge. Fortunately, the Old Grandma didn’t even glance at her, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. But now, hearing Wei’s accusations and pushing the blame onto her, if the Old Grandma heard it and remembered to seek revenge, what then?

“Don’t talk nonsense. When did I urge you? Wasn’t it your own idea? If you didn’t want your mom to go out to work, couldn’t you have stopped her more? Could she really have gone out if you had stopped her? Clearly, you were the one who went along with it, wanting to get rid of a burden, and now you’re blaming me?”

“You were the one who said the neighbors were secretly gossiping that my mom was annoying and smelled bad…”

“Then you should have gone and defended your mom to the neighbors or taken her to buy some new clothes. Wasn’t it you who suggested sending her away?”

“…”

Wei was speechless for a long time, his face alternating between blue and white. He lowered his head, holding it in pain.

Even if he deceived himself, deep down he knew the truth. The one who truly caused his mother’s death was himself, his vanity…

The woman in red ghost and Jumpy spat at Wei a few times as they left, distributing some of their Yin Energy. Even if it couldn’t kill him, it should at least make him suffer, for bullying the Old Lady and the little boy!

…

Wei Xu was brought back to the guesthouse, and only then did he realize that the long-haired ghost wasn’t a ghost but a person. Though he didn’t understand why Sister Long Hair was more terrifying than a ghost, it didn’t matter now-his grandma was indeed a ghost. Lying on the bed, he looked at his grandma sitting at the bedside and whispered, “Grandma, when I wake up, will I still see you? Tomorrow, the day after, the day after that… will I still see you?”

The Old Lady stared at him, her pale face showing a rare hint of kindness. She nodded stiffly and eerily, and only then did Wei Xu smile, tears on his face, looking satisfied and happy.

Gu Feiyin was also standing nearby, crunching on small bones, while the woman in red ghost muttered, “We can’t let the little boy stay with that scumbag, it’s practically persecuting the future of our country. A good, promising young boy is being dragged down by them.”

Gu Feiyin responded, “Then let him come out.”

“But it’s not easy to come out. The little boy is under eighteen, still a minor. Wei is his biological father, his rightful guardian, and the Old Grandma is dead. If Wei doesn’t let him go, what can we do?”

“Ah? Is it that complicated?”

“Of course, what did you think?”

Gu Feiyin hadn’t expected there to be issues with guardianship. She crunched on her bones, saying, “We can ignore guardianship for now. As long as Wei doesn’t disturb the little boy, allowing him to study and live freely, that’s enough.”

The woman in red ghost paused, then smiled sinisterly, “That’s true. We have ways to make that scumbag Wei stay out of the way. The little boy just needs to focus on his studies. Once he’s eighteen, grown up and capable, that scumbag won’t be able to do anything to him.”

Lying on the bed, Wei Xu said, “I don’t want to study anymore. I can go out to work. I want to be with Grandma…”

The woman in red ghost quickly said, “How can you not study? You’re still young. What can you do if you go out? You can only wait tables, and that doesn’t earn much money. You need to study well.”

The Old Lady clearly disagreed, and even Jumpy couldn’t help but bounce a few times in protest.

Wei Xu looked at the ghostly figures, surprisingly not feeling afraid, and muttered, “I’m not afraid of hardship. Isn’t it just waiting tables and washing dishes? I can do it!”

Gu Feiyin said seriously, “You still need to study. Without education, it’s hard to find a job, and the salary is pitiful. After rent and food, you won’t have much left. If you want to buy your grandma a decent coffin, you might not be able to afford it even after saving for half a year.”

Wei Xu: “…Ah?”

Gu Feiyin counted on her fingers, “You need to buy a coffin, and a villa too. Once you have a villa, you need furniture, right? You might not need a car, but you need a bicycle, right? Every year, you need to burn new clothes and give some pocket money, right? During holidays, you can’t do without chicken, duck, fish, and meat, right? If you want to be extravagant, you need some gold and silver jewelry, right? Your grandma is just a lonely ghost, with no place to stay, and can only eat meat during holidays. Even a candle has to be saved, one bite lasting three or four months. You need to have candles as snacks every day, right? Doesn’t all this cost money?”

Wei Xu was dumbfounded, the Old Lady was stunned, and the woman in red ghost and Jumpy turned to look gloomily at Long Black Straight Hair.

Gu Feiyin said, “All these things cost money. Nowadays, even a chicken costs nearly a hundred yuan. Are you going to give your grandma only one chicken a month? One chicken isn’t enough to fill her teeth. Calculate it yourself, how much does it cost per month? Can you save anything for your grandma after waiting tables for a month with just over two thousand?”

“…??? Do ghosts also need to eat, drink, and have a place to stay?”

Sister Long Hair seemed to understand his confusion, her cold eyes seemed to be glowing: “Of course, did you think being a ghost was easy? Now the Ghost realm is overcrowded, and the queue for reincarnation stretches to seventeen or eighteen years later. Look at your Jumping Sister, she just went to the Underworld and came back in less than a day. Do you know why?”

“Wh-why?”

“Because she’s poor, of course. The houses in the Underworld are very expensive, she can’t afford to live there!”

Poor Jumpy: “…………” 🙁

Wei Xu, the young boy: “…!!!”

He looked at Sister Long Hair, then stiffly turned his head to look at Jumping Sister, feeling like his worldview had been overturned. It turns out being a ghost is not easy, it turns out being a ghost costs more money, it turns out if you don’t have money in the Underworld, you can only be a wandering ghost, it turns out he can’t even afford to support his grandma…

He was even more afraid that his grandma would be so poor in the Underworld that she couldn’t afford a house, having suffered so much in life, even in death she wouldn’t have a good time.

“Grandma, wait for me. When I grow up and become successful, I’ll buy you a new house to live in, new clothes to wear, and make lots of delicious food for you. I will definitely make you beautiful!”

The Old Lady stiffly nodded her head and patted his big head.

Woman in red ghost: “…”

Jumpy: “…”

The two little ghosts turned their heads to look at Long Black Straight Hair, thinking, “Is this even possible?”

“Didn’t expect your words to be quite powerful.”

Long Black Straight Hair raised her eyelids, her serious look seemed even gloomier: “Ah, life is not easy, it’s all experience, luckily it’s useful.”

“…”

The woman in red ghost couldn’t help but recall the times Long Black Straight Hair faced unemployment, couldn’t afford rent and had to live in an unfinished building, and couldn’t help but laugh sinisterly, feeling quite schadenfreude.

…

The next day, Wei Xu followed them back to City A. He finally got to see his grandma, and he didn’t want to be separated from her, nor did he want to go back to face his dad. He definitely wanted to see where his grandma was living now, so he could find her himself in the future.

Because they recorded the program all day, Gu Feiyin had been pretending to be a ghost all day, and it was almost dark by the time she returned to City A.

Sudi, Shao Yizhou, Ren Kun, and Yuan Gaoming, who had just woken up from the hospital, all came to say goodbye to her, agreeing to meet up for a meal when they returned to City A. Gu Feiyin never refused a meal invitation, so she nodded and said yes, yes. Even Ren Kun, the old hand, couldn’t help but marvel at how rare it was to find a Master as skilled and approachable as Master Gu.

Liao Yuan, with his bald head, came over to glance at them, then walked away sourly, knowing that he would definitely be included in the meal.

Jingxing looked at his Shifu and shook his head helplessly, feeling like his Shifu was like a child.

Zhen Du also never refused a meal invitation, especially since someone like him, who was poor and destitute, found it hard to get a free meal. Fortunately, this time they were rewarded for saving people, receiving a donation.

Shizhu Gu was naturally included, but she donated ninety percent of it to the disaster-stricken people of Baiyu Town, truly a Master with benevolence and great wisdom, making him feel far behind.

The director naturally personally saw them off, as Master Gu and Liao Yuan Monk were formidable figures, who would dare to neglect them?

The kind boss was somewhat speechless, never having imagined that the terrifying Long Hair Ghost was actually their Xiao Gu… Perhaps he thought of a new direction for the haunted house, since lying in a coffin all the time could easily lead to aesthetic fatigue, lacking freshness. Yesterday’s effect seemed quite good, “Long Hair Ghost” could become a regular feature in their haunted house.

The tourists would definitely be pleasantly surprised.

His mind was abuzz with ideas, the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and he was filled with anticipation, ready to make a big move.

When Gu Feiyin returned to City A with Wei Xu and the three little ghosts, it was already dark. After all the hustle and bustle, she was hungry, so she took the young boy to a roadside barbecue stall to eat a bowl of Hot Pot Noodles, boiled some bean sprouts, and specially asked the owner to add more Zhe’ergen and cilantro, with chili and vinegar, making it sour, spicy, and fragrant, very satisfying.

Wei Xu ate until the end, picking and choosing, not missing a single bean sprout, even drinking several mouthfuls of soup, his belly round and full, burping and sniffing, saying: “Delicious!”

How could it not be delicious? Eight yuan!

Liao Yuan Monk couldn’t help but feel sour again, sitting beside them, chanting several Amitabha well done, well done. When he changed to a prosperous fate, Sis Gu only gave him three yuan, and now she turned around and spent a fortune to treat this little kid to a meal?! He hadn’t even eaten a bite of Sis Gu’s steamed bun, where did this kid get such good fortune? It was too enviable.

Jingxing was used to his Shifu’s occasional sourness, and was calm at the moment. Zhen Du didn’t pay much attention to Liao Yuan old monk’s inner thoughts, just looked at the Hot Pot Noodles with some envy, if it weren’t for the big bones in the broth, he would have wanted to eat a bowl.

He licked his lips, planning to make some when he returned to the temple, it must be delicious.

Gu Feiyin found it inconvenient to eat, twisting her arms and taking nearly an hour to finish a bowl of Hot Pot Noodles, making Wei Xu hungry again. After paying, the group of people, ghosts, and monks finally headed back, discussing that the young boy would sleep on the sofa tonight. Gu Feiyin said: “You can sleep in my coffin too, just make the bed inside.”

She was very generous, having a bed to sleep in, she could also lend the coffin for others to sleep in. Everyone knew each other, no need to be polite! Feel free to use it!

Old Lady: “…”

Jumpy: “…”

Woman in Red Ghost: “…”

The three little ghosts couldn’t help but roll their eyes. To lie in a coffin without any qualms while alive, probably only this one in front of them could do it, both in heaven and on earth.

Wei Xu, the little boy, asked innocently, “What coffin?”

Sister Long Hair grinned with a strange smile and said coldly, “My coffin, do you want to sleep in it?”

…?? Wei Xu shrank his neck and leaned closer to his granny, no, of course not.

“Thank you, I’ll just sleep on the sofa.”

She seemed a bit disappointed, “If you ever need it, feel free to come find me.”

“…Alright, alright.”

Though he felt he would never need it.

They walked back slowly, Wei Xu looked around curiously with wide eyes. This was where his granny lived when she was alive, where she worked. Just by looking, he seemed to imagine his granny alive, holding a broom, head down, walking back and forth on the street, all alone…

But it didn’t matter, he would accompany her from now on.

However, they hadn’t walked far when the Ghost Lady suddenly flew up into the sky in a panic, shouting loudly, “Oh no, oh no! Xiao Wang’s wife is going into labor!”

Not far away, a few little ghosts were floating around, taking a stroll. Hearing the shout, they called back from afar, “Wow, Xiao Wang’s wife’s baby is finally coming out?”

“Should we go to the hospital to check it out? Do we need to bring some gifts?”

“The little one’s Yang Fire is low, don’t go scaring people.”

“Did someone call an ambulance? They should all be at the hospital, right?”

Xiao Wang’s wife was pregnant with their second child, her belly was huge. Who among these little ghosts didn’t know? Now hearing she was going into labor, they were quite happy, excited and expectant.

But why did the Ghost Lady suddenly pop out from someone’s house?

The Woman in Red Ghost sneered, what else could it be? Of course, the Ghost Lady was secretly watching TV by the window again.

Gu Feiyin suddenly understood, thinking that TV was indeed captivating. She herself couldn’t help but watch despite the hassle of filming every day, her eyes almost glued to the screen. No wonder the Ghost Lady was drawn to it.

Moreover, Xiao Wang’s wife’s childbirth was a joyous occasion, a happy event, no need to be so tense.

The Ghost Lady hadn’t noticed the Long Black Straight Hair and Woman in Red Ghost, along with Monk Liao Yuan and the others walking below. She shrieked, “Xiao Xi, quickly call people over to help, Xiao Wang’s wife is going into labor!”

Far away at the Ghost House overpass, Xiao Xi responded with a long “hey.”

The Woman in Red Ghost floated up into the sky and said, “Lady, don’t be nervous. Though childbirth is dangerous, it’s quite normal. Besides, medicine is advanced now, not as risky as in your time, it’ll be fine.”

The Ghost Lady said, how could she not be nervous? Xiao Wang’s wife fell straight into the toilet pit, blood everywhere, the house was in chaos!

The Woman in Red Ghost was startled, “What? She fell?”

“Fell, fell badly!”

Gu Feiyin didn’t expect this, she was also nervous, shocked greatly, craning her neck to let Jumpy carry her to the second floor to take a look. The little one’s house had windows in the bathroom, just right for a few heads to peek in. Gu Feiyin immediately saw Xiao Wang’s wife leaning against Xiao Wang, her face pale, cold sweat pouring, looking pained, her breathing becoming more rapid, blood flowing heavily on the ground. Through the glass, she seemed to smell the strong scent of blood.

Xiao Wang was terrified, comforting her continuously, saying don’t be afraid, don’t worry, the ambulance would arrive soon.

Xiao Wang’s wife cried, “Am I going to die soon? It hurts so much, I don’t want to die…”

Xiao Wang’s eyes were red too, “No, no, honey don’t be afraid, I know you won’t die, the ambulance is coming soon!”

Old Man Wang was anxiously urging the ambulance outside, Granny Wang brought a blanket to lay on the ground for Xiao Wang’s wife to lean over. She was trembling with urgency, all her previous experience useless now. Little Wang was crouched in a corner crying, biting his lip, not daring to make a sound, afraid of adding trouble to his parents.

The little boy cried softly, “Sister, sister, where are you, save my mom, sob sob…”

Gu Feiyin watched, feeling as if a similar scene flashed before her eyes, as if long ago, she had seen someone giving birth in front of her, equally painful…

She shook her head, driving away the strange images in her mind, turned to the Woman in Red Ghost and told her to quickly call the little ghosts from the Ghost House overpass, if there was any way they could help. The Woman in Red Ghost hurried off, seemingly reminded of her own painful miscarriage, her already gloomy face turning even colder, looking terrifying.

Soon, the little ghosts who hadn’t gone out gathered, all floating around Old Man Wang’s house.

Old Man Wang was almost crying with anxiety, why hadn’t the ambulance arrived yet?