Because of Madam Zhou Li's antics, Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu were left completely unattended. Madam Zhou Li stood in the courtyard, howling and cursing, "You heartless, despicable people... If you don't help my family, you'll die a horrible death... Ah!"
A basin of washing water was suddenly thrown out. Zhao Guihua wasn't about to indulge her. What, did she think Zhao was her mother or father?
"Don't dream about it."
Zhao Guihua splashed water without hesitation and retorted, "If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for slapping you!"
At this moment, Ming Mei finally emerged, yawning. She clenched her fists and said, "Who should I beat up? I can handle this kind of thing!"
Madam Zhou Li swallowed hard, trying to appear tough. "Don't think you can scare me just because there are more of you!"
She shouted loudly, then turned and yelled toward the Bai family's house, "Old Man Bai, Bai Fendou, you two unlucky bastards, why aren't you coming out to help? Big men like you should know how to help your neighbors! No wonder Bai Fendou can't get a wife. You lazy, heartless dogs deserve to be single. Old Man Bai, come out, you old scoundrel... Ah!"
But the Bai family wasn't about to take her insults lying down. Old Man Bai's washing water was thrown right back at her.
Bai Fendou waved his fists, furious. "Damn it, I didn't come looking for you, and yet you dare show up here? Let me tell you, the matter of you falsely accusing my Xiangxiu sister isn't over. If you don't go door to door in the entire neighborhood to clear her name, I'll beat up your son every time I see him. And you, you old hag, you dare insult my father..."
In a flash, he threw a punch, hitting Madam Zhou Li right in the eye.
Madam Zhou Li: "Ah!"
She fell to the ground, covering her eye.
"If you keep talking trash, I'll beat you to death!"
Madam Zhou Li, badly hurt, screamed, "Murder!!"
By now, dawn was breaking, and everyone was already awake, but no one came out to see what was happening. Who would bother? This wicked old lady deserved a beating. Let her be, no one would miss her. Bai Fendou might be hot-tempered, but he was doing the neighborhood a favor!
Madam Zhou Li howled a few more times, but seeing no one cared, she turned and banged on Aunt Wang's door, "Aunt Wang, you're the neighborhood leader, you have to do something! Look at Bai Fendou, he doesn't know how to respect his elders. You have to criticize him, drive him out... Ah!"
Aunt Wang, too, knew how to throw washing water.
She pointed at Madam Zhou Li and scolded, "Get lost, or I won't be polite. Do you believe I'll turn your other eye black and blue too?"
Madam Zhou Li stumbled back a few steps, then suddenly wailed, "Oh heavens, where is justice... Ah!"
Now, no matter what she said, it always ended with an "Ah". Since she liked to howl so much, everyone was happy to throw some dirty water at her.
Er Gouzi from the back yard had a bad temper and hadn't joined the crowd earlier. Hearing the old lady's commotion, he got up and threw yesterday's washing water out, "Get out!"
He shouted loudly, and Madam Zhou Li trembled, her face pale, as she hid to one side. It was only then that she realized she had provoked the whole neighborhood. Everyone seemed to hate her and wanted to beat her up.
She swallowed hard, feeling a bit scared. Thinking of her son and daughter-in-law lying outside, she didn't dare cause any more trouble in the courtyard.
In the past, causing a scene had always worked for her, but now she realized it was completely useless. This time, she had truly fallen from grace. No one indulged her, no one put up with her antics.
She stumbled and quickly left, hearing several people discussing.
"Pfft, a family of heartless people, expecting others to help them. Who would be so blind as to help them?"
"They have no shame, but we do. Associating with such people would be a disgrace."
"Look at her foul mouth, must have eaten a lot of shit to spew such nasty words."
"Stay away from them in the future, they're disgusting."
"Exactly..."
"Hey, you think Zhou Qun really has those... preferences?"
"Who knows? I think it's true. Otherwise, why would he be the one involved in such a thing? That drunkard even swore on his life, he can't be lying..."
"Damn, thinking about it makes me sick. That guy doesn't even respect his teachers, he dares to lay hands on his own teacher's wife..."
"Wait, I've been thinking, who is this Aunt Xinghua... The name sounds familiar. Isn't she the one from the canteen, Hu Xinghua? Tall, not very big eyes, quite flirtatious, always chatting with young guys and even pinching their butts?"
"Oh, come on, it could really be her! Her husband is Master Zou from the factory, in charge of evaluations. They both gave their jobs to their son, didn't they?"
"Judging by age, it could very well be her."
"What the hell is going on here..."
At the time, the term "social death" didn't exist yet, but if it did, Zhou Qun would be the first person on the street to experience it.
Thanks to the drunkard, all of Zhou Qun's dirty deeds had been exposed.
In fact, Zhou Qun didn't just target older women; he preferred younger ones. However, in his early years, for the sake of his career, he mostly sought out older women, basically around his mother's age.
There was no other way; if he wanted to use the "backdoor" approach, he had to target older women.
He liked younger ones, but they were useless for his purposes.
Take the factory's senior masters, for example; the higher their level, the older they were. The same went for those with a bit of power; they were mostly middle-aged. Their "backyards" simply couldn't be young.
So Zhou Qun ended up with this reputation.
Although he later started pursuing younger women, since the "ghost woman" was supposed to be dead, it had to be someone older. So he assumed it was one of the older women he had been involved with in the past.
As a result, his reputation became even worse.
Social death, absolutely social death.
And if Zhou Qun was socially dead, who in the entire neighborhood was the happiest? Was it Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei? Not at all. The happiest person was undoubtedly Bai Fendou.
Although his beloved Xiangxiu sister had been slandered, Bai Fendou was overjoyed. He could say he was the happiest of all! From childhood to adulthood, they were always compared.
Among them, Li Fang was a girl, Zhuang Zhiyuan was three years younger, and Zhuang Zhixi was ten years younger.
He and Yang Lixin, Zhou Qun were the ones most often compared. Back then, he got along best with Yang Lixin because Zhou Qun was so annoying, always trying to show off. Whenever people mentioned Zhou Qun, they praised him for being so well-behaved, which was incredibly irritating.
Later, they all entered the factory. Zhou Qun quickly climbed the ranks, advancing level by level without wasting any time. In contrast, he and Yang Lixin moved slowly.
By then, everyone had grown up and started comparing their jobs. Zhuang Zhiyuan, though younger, didn't join the factory. The new apprentice, Yang Lixin, was just a trainee. Yang Lixin eventually left, so it became a competition between him, Bai Fendou, and Zhou Qun.
All these years, although he never backed down in words, Bai Fendou had always been overshadowed by Zhou Qun. Now, finally, Zhou Qun had fallen from grace.
Completely and utterly fallen.
Bai Fendou laughed heartily, saying, "Evil people get their just deserts. Look, Zhou Qun has finally received his punishment! Dad, let's have a drink?"
He was in high spirits, happier than during any holiday.
He said, "What do you think, should I buy some firecrackers and set them off?"
Old Man Bai looked at him sideways. "Why waste the money? Got too much money to burn? Wouldn't it be better to buy some meat?"
Bai Fendou: "Well, isn't it something? Zhou Qun finally got what was coming to him! Walk the night road long enough, and you're bound to meet a ghost. Haha... Gah!"
His laughter cut off abruptly. Though he was pleased, he suddenly became frightened. Lowering his voice, he said, "Father, about this... did he really see a ghost?"
He scratched his head. Having little education and no understanding of science, he genuinely believed in ghosts.
Though he believed, he still felt compelled to ask his father.
This was when having an elderly father at home proved useful - old folks have seen it all.
He said, "If ghosts are real, how are we supposed to use the bathroom from now on?"
Old Man Bai was also somewhat scared, but he collected himself and said, "Don't panic. I think this isn't such a big deal." Not sure whether he was comforting Bai Fendou or himself, he continued, "Think about it, carefully consider what the drunk fellow said... What exactly did he say?"
"Sister-in-law..."
Old Man Bai rolled his eyes: "Don't think about that part. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about how the drunk said the female ghost was specifically looking for Bai Fendou. If she's specifically after Bai Fendou, then it clearly has nothing to do with us."
He emphasized, "She definitely won't come after us. Every debt has its debtor. Even ghosts follow some logic."
Bai Fendou nodded hurriedly, saying, "That makes sense, that makes sense."
But... he scratched his head: "Still, I really don't dare use the bathroom at night now."
Old Man Bai: "You think I do?"
Bai Fendou: "That's not what I mean. I think even if you go, the female ghost won't bother you. She likes young men - look at Zhou Qun, he's young, right?"
Old Man Bai: "That little scoundrel, wanting so many women all to himself. No wonder good old men like me are still single. He married a young one and still wants the older ones. Such greed, absolutely shameless!"
"Exactly... and he's falsely accusing Sister Xiu. With his taste, he could never get together with Sister Xiu, yet he's still trying to smear her reputation. I bet he did it on purpose - he must have known the drunk was there. He said that just to spite me. Yes, he definitely said that to get under my skin!"
Bai Fendou found himself an excuse and managed to rationalize the whole thing.
Old Man Bai didn't quite agree with this interpretation. He frowned: "About this Wang Xiangxiu matter..."
"She's definitely being wrongly accused!"
"I don't think so."
"She is!"
"Hey now, who's the father here? Are you talking back to me? You dare argue with me over a woman..."
The father and son started bickering, while the subject of their discussion, Wang Xiangxiu, was sitting on her kang bed with a worried expression.
"Mom, what should we do?"
Aunt Su looked at Wang Xiangxiu, internally cursing her carelessness, but outwardly consoled her gently: "Don't be afraid. This isn't such a difficult situation. I think everyone's attention is focused on those older women, and they might not necessarily believe you're involved. Just stick to your story about being innocent. They need evidence to catch a thief, and nobody caught you directly, so what are you afraid of? If things get really bad, you can always cry, make a scene, or threaten to hang yourself..."
She lowered her voice and said, "You know how to fake a suicide attempt, right?"
She added meaningfully: "As long as Bai Fendou is around, he'll definitely stop you. You need to act completely wronged and utterly grieved."
Wang Xiangxiu thought for a moment and nodded: "I understand."
Having settled on a plan, she finally calmed down somewhat and cursed, "That bastard Zhou Qun, I never imagined he was so promiscuous behind the scenes. It makes me sick just thinking about it. No wonder he only lasts three seconds - it must be from all those years with those old ladies, that's what ruined him."
Aunt Su: "Keep your voice down."
She looked toward the three brothers sleeping on the other side, and seeing them sound asleep, she relaxed.
She said, "I feel something's not right about this whole thing."
"Hm?" Wang Xiangxiu didn't understand.
Aunt Su: "How did he suddenly see a ghost out of nowhere? Although there have been rumors about our public toilet being haunted, they were just rumors. It's never been this serious... Today was really frightening."
Wang Xiangxiu: "It's all because Zhou Qun is so vicious... how could he do such things with old women..."
The thought made her want to vomit. She had gotten involved with such a person - how unlucky! What a cursed way to make money!
"I'm not talking about the ghost." Aunt Su was a shrewd woman, and she had already caught onto something else. She said, "I'm not talking about the ghost - that doesn't really concern us. I'm talking about the women Zhou Qun mentioned, his master's wife, and Aunt Xinghua... Speaking of Aunt Xinghua, I think I know who she might be - possibly Master Zou's wife from back when he was doing the skill assessments..."
She had earned some money from Master Zou back then.
Though Master Zou was extremely stingy, and she only dealt with him once.
She furrowed her brow and said, "Haven't you noticed? These two women have something very obvious in common."
Wang Xiangxiu: "They're old?"
Aunt Su nearly choked, feeling that Wang Xiangxiu was truly hopeless, without an ounce of wit. She, as a mother-in-law, couldn't even guide her properly.
She said, "What do you mean 'they're old'? Don't think about that aspect. Think harder."
Wang Xiangxiu shook her head, unable to figure it out.
Aunt Su sighed and said, "Your brain... think carefully, don't they both have capable husbands? And aren't these husbands all in positions to help Zhou Qun?"
She continued, "Though we don't know if there are others, but from the way he talked about 'aunties' and 'sisters-in-law,' they're clearly older women. But being older also means their husbands might have some status. No wonder Zhou Qun's master was so generous, teaching him everything he knew. His skill assessments went suspiciously smoothly too. Now we know the root cause... it was this all along..."
Wang Xiangxiu suddenly understood, saying, "Mom, you mean there were deals involved?"
Aunt Su nodded slightly, spat, and said, "That dog, he climbed up using women."
Wang Xiangxiu: "Despicable!"
After thinking, she added: "What a scoundrel!"
She added again: "He's just a gigolo coward!"
No wonder he only lasts three seconds!
He must have worn himself out when he was younger!
Serves him right!
While Wang Xiangxiu continued cursing, Aunt Su sighed and said, "But being a kept man pays well..."
Wang Xiangxiu paused, saying, "That's true. Zhou Qun just had to sleep with older women, but he got so much in return. He's now a Level 7 electrician, earning over ninety yuan. He's the youngest Level 7 worker in our factory. Electricians earn more than others anyway, and without these older women's help, how could he have such good prospects... Earning so much money, it's worth all the fine food and drinks."
Aunt Su nodded, "That's how it is."
As the two women chatted, they hadn't noticed that their young grandson Tonglai was already awake. He lay there with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep, while a seed was quietly planted in his heart...
In his previous life as a suave male escort, he awakened at this young age to the miraculous bloodline of relying on women to enjoy the finer things in life... though it remained to be seen whether he had good kidneys for it.
The nighttime conversation in the Su household continued, and other families were largely in similar situations.
Some clever ones, like Aunt Su, had already guessed at some of the connections, while others simply treated it as salacious gossip, marveling at Zhou Qun's peculiar tastes.
They also discussed whether Wang Xiangxiu was involved.
In short, not just their courtyard, but the entire street was buzzing with gossip.
Every household was the same, including the Zhuang family.
Old Man Zhuang warned again: "Dear, you better stay away from that little punk Zhou Qun from now on. He's no good, we can't let ourselves be taken advantage of. This guy specifically targets older sisters! In all my years, I've never seen someone with such peculiar tastes. It's really eye-opening, truly educational."
Zhao Guihua glared at Old Man Zhuang and scolded, "Are you a pig? What peculiar tastes? If he had peculiar tastes, would he go after Wang Xiangxiu?"
Wang Xiangxiu may not be the most beautiful woman in their courtyard, but she has the best figure. Zhou Qun certainly doesn't like older women.
She said, "Can you use your brain for once? He's not into older women; he's into the power behind those men."
This incident today didn't happen in the previous life. The ultimate social death scene where Zhou Qun was exposed didn't occur either. In the previous life, Zhou Qun wasn't exposed, and she remembers that he did quite well at the factory. A year or so later, he became the leader of the electrician group, and later, he even got promoted again, becoming a small leader in the factory. Although the factory later went through a wave of layoffs, as a small leader with a high electrician level and a good reputation, Zhou Qun wasn't directly laid off but was transferred to a government unit.
In the end, he retired, and his life was quite comfortable and smooth.
However, this lifetime, it's clear that things won't go the same way as before.
Zhao Guihua: "No wonder he had such good luck all along; it turns out he was wearing cotton pants over long johns."
Liang Meifen: "What does that mean?"
Zhao Guihua felt that her daughter-in-law was really not very bright. She said, "There must be a reason."
Liang Meifen: "..."
She scratched her head, feeling a bit slow on the uptake. She stammered, "Mom, are you saying that Zhou Qun is friendly with these older women to climb the ladder?"
Just hearing this made her shudder.
Is this something a person can do?
Zhao Guihua nodded: "That's for sure."
She let out a cold laugh and said, "Only a fool would think he likes older women. He's clearly doing this for his future and fortune."
Liang Meifen: "That's just too..."
She didn't even know how to describe it. Although she had graduated from high school, she was at a loss for words at this moment. All she could say was, "If my son ever did something like this, I'd break his legs!"
Old Man Zhuang also sighed and said, "What is this world coming to?"
Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei sat quietly on the side, not saying much. Zhao Guihua gave them a meaningful look and said, "This matter will definitely be investigated."
"Of course, how did Zhou Qun get promoted to a level-seven electrician? It must be thoroughly investigated," Liang Meifen chimed in. "It's not just our family who thought of this; others must have too. Just wait, someone will surely report it at work later."
The whole street was out watching, and those who didn't come out were peeking through their doors. The drunkard's words were sure to spread quickly.
Zhao Guihua smiled noncommittally and said objectively, "I think the problem isn't too big. Although Zhou Qun did say some things, since there was no concrete evidence, he can just say he was scared and blurted out nonsense, or firmly claim the drunkard misheard him and deny everything. Do you have evidence to prove he did something wrong? Do you have evidence to prove he said those things? No, right?"
Zhao Guihua continued, "Even though he was involved with his master's wife and Aunt Xinghua, he did learn something from them. It's possible that his level wasn't quite enough when he took the exam, but don't forget, that was almost two years ago. Over such a long time, he's already become proficient. If you let him take the exam now, he would definitely pass. Since he can pass, there's no issue of improper tutoring."
"Ah, so it's not going to be a problem for him?" Liang Meifen was incredulous.
Zhao Guihua: "I think it's going to be very difficult. But in the future, it will be hard for him to get promoted again. He'll definitely be scrutinized more strictly than others. After all, he has a record now. And climbing up the ladder? That's out of the question. No one wants to get involved with this ticking time bomb. And who would dare to promote someone who uses the 'wife's pillow talk' route? Are they looking for a green hat or a seasoned prairie enthusiast?"
She paused here and then looked at Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei again, saying, "I said there would be an investigation, and it will definitely be about this ghost incident. This matter has caused such a big commotion, and it involves superstition, so it can't be easily brushed aside."
Liang Meifen pouted, "How can they investigate a ghost? Are they going to catch the ghost? The street officials can't catch ghosts."
Zhao Guihua let out a cold chuckle and said, "If it's someone pretending to be a ghost, then they have to investigate! Zhou Qun isn't a fool; he doesn't want to be labeled as superstitious, so he'll definitely say someone was pretending to be a ghost. Then there will be an investigation."
Her gaze met her son Zhuang Zhixi's, and Zhuang Zhixi raised his eyebrows at his mother, showing a bright smile. He said, "Investigate away. He did something shady and ran into a ghost; everyone knows what's going on. Since he wants to pass the buck, then let them investigate. Who's afraid of their investigation? Maybe they'll end up uncovering Zhou Qun's own mess, which would be hilarious."
Ming Mei chimed in, "Exactly!"
Zhao Guihua looked at the two of them with a meaningful expression and said, "That's true. Ghosts are invisible and intangible; if there were any traces, they wouldn't be ghosts."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled, "I guess there's nothing to find, right? What traces could a ghost leave?"
He stretched and said, "Let's go, while it's still not fully light out, let's get a little more rest. All this commotion last night has left me without energy for work."
"Right," Ming Mei muttered.
Liang Meifen: "I'll go back and lie down too, and check on the kids."
Their two little ones were sound asleep, not disturbed by the night's commotion.
It wasn't surprising; the kids had run around all day and were exhausted, so they slept soundly at night.
As they walked out the door, Zhuang Zhixi suddenly turned back and said, "Mom, can you make something good for breakfast? We didn't sleep well, and if we don't eat something good, we won't have the energy for work."
Zhao Guihua gave him a long look and said, "Sure."
Zhuang Zhixi gave his mother a bright smile and said, "Then, how about steaming some buns? Or making noodles would be good too."
Zhao Guihua: "Pfft, get out of here!"
She shooed them out and slammed the door shut.
Zhao Guihua turned back and said, "You go lie down too; I'll steam some buns."
Old Man Zhuang: "I'll help you..."
Zhao Guihua: "Go, go, what help? You should rest; you have to go to work during the day. It's tiring; you need to rest well. I don't have anything to do during the day, so it doesn't matter if I lie down for a bit."
Old Man Zhuang thought that made sense and went into the inner room to lie down.
Zhao Guihua was silent for a moment, then went to the stove. She squatted down, opened the fire hole, and let out a cold laugh.
As she expected, inside was a white bedsheet and a long wig.
She had no idea where these came from.
She thought, it must be those two little troublemakers pretending to be ghosts. Those kids have way too much nerve to pull off such a prank. No doubt, it was that old man Lan Sihai who orchestrated this.
But she didn't blame Lan Sihai; after all, her son Zhuang Zhixi has always been a troublemaker. Moreover, Zhao Guihua was quite sure that Zhou Qun must have done something to offend the couple.
Why do I say that?
It's not because she's biased; it's because Zhao Guihua knows her son very well. This kid, although he's a troublemaker, isn't the type to jump into things himself. He's a bit lazy at heart. If it's someone else causing trouble or being mean, as long as it doesn't concern him, he'll just watch the entertainment and not get involved. In his opinion, getting involved is a waste of time.
But now he's actively plotting against Zhou Qun, which means Zhou Qun must have offended him.
Thinking about how Zhou Qun isn't a good person, Zhao Guihua didn't feel her son had done anything wrong. Even if he did, she's the type to side with her family over right and wrong. Besides, exposing Zhou Qun's character is doing a service to society.
It saves others from being harmed!
She rolled her eyes and immediately started kneading dough to steam buns, decisively lighting the fire, and the crucial evidence of the prank disappeared in a blaze. Although she muttered to herself, Zhao Guihua was quite efficient in covering up for her son. After all, the little rascal had just told her to clean up the mess.
She knew it was Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei who were playing pranks.
She also knew that Zhuang Zhixi knew she knew they were playing pranks.
She even knew that her third son and his wife wouldn't bring it up, and they all understood each other tacitly.
However, from the hints in his words earlier, she could tell that Zhuang Zhixi was confident he wouldn't be caught. This reassured Zhao Guihua a bit. But thinking it over carefully, she wasn't too worried anyway.
Because it was an outdoor location, anyone could go there, and there were many people yesterday. So even if there were some flaws, they might be obscured by the crowd. Any traces could be explained away.
Although she knew it was Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei behind the prank, Zhao Guihua didn't plan to tell her husband, Old Man Zhuang. It wasn't that she didn't trust him—if she didn't trust her own husband, then who could she trust?
She mainly knew that Old Man Zhuang was a straightforward and honest man.
Since he was so honest, he probably wasn't very good at lying.
Similarly, Zhao Guihua was afraid that if someone came to inquire, Old Man Zhuang might inadvertently reveal something.
So she decided not to tell him. If he didn't know, his reactions would be normal.
Zhao Guihua started kneading dough to steam buns. She wasn't afraid of anything and directly opened the window, giving her a clear view of the courtyard. As she was busy, she saw Madam Zhou Li supporting her son and daughter-in-law returning.
Zhou Qun was awake now, and so was Jiang Lu. It was unclear how Madam Zhou Li had managed to wake them up.
But looking at their staggering steps, it was clear they had suffered a significant blow.
Zhao Guihua spat and muttered, "Serves them right!"
Probably seeing Zhou Qun return, Bai Fendou immediately rushed out and said, "Zhou Qun, don't leave. Explain yourself! Why did you slander Sister Wang Xiangxiu?"
Zhou Qun's face was ashen, his voice flat and lifeless. "I didn't say anything. Ask whoever told you. I don't know anything. Someone was playing pranks and scared me."
As expected, Zhou Qun, though pale and listless, immediately distanced himself from the situation, quickly pushing the blame onto someone playing pranks.
Zhao Guihua thought, "I called it!"
Bai Fendou sneered mockingly. "What are you pretending for? Playing pranks? I think you've done so many wicked things that you've run into real ghosts! We saw everything clearly. Don't think you can just push the blame onto others. You pervert!"
"I didn't. I'll report this to the neighborhood committee." Zhou Qun, now mentally and physically exhausted from the ordeal, didn't want to argue with Bai Fendou. He had bigger problems to deal with, far beyond what Wang Xiangxiu or Bai Fendou could compare to.
Zhou Qun knew that if this incident wasn't handled perfectly, his future would be ruined.
If he wanted to have any chance of moving forward, this matter had to be resolved properly! He couldn't admit to any wrongdoing, not even a little. If he did, he would be utterly disgraced. He had to grit his teeth and hold on.
His heart trembled, but he looked up and said, "Was it you playing pranks?"
Bai Fendou: "What?"
He couldn't believe his eyes. Zhou Qun was trying to frame him!
How could there be such a shameless person in the world?
Enraged, he threw a punch... Thud! It landed right on Zhou Qun's eye.
Just like his mother, his left eye was now black!
It was almost like a family trait.
"Damn it, you dare frame me! First, you blamed Sister Wang Xiangxiu, and now you're trying to pin it on me. Do you think I'm easy to bully...?"
The courtyard erupted into chaos again...
At this moment, Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei had just fallen asleep. Their nap hadn't even reached the deep sleep stage when they were woken up. Zhuang Zhixi muttered in frustration, "Why can't this just end?" Unlike others, who had slept through the first half of the night, he had been up all night!
Ming Mei also frowned, not opening her eyes, and snuggled closer to Zhuang Zhixi, her voice soft and sweet. "Cover my ears..."
Zhuang Zhixi: "..."
He kissed her forehead and said, "You're really clever."
He covered his wife's ears and said, "Sleep a little longer."
But he himself opened his eyes and didn't sleep anymore.
How could he fall asleep with all the commotion outside? The wailing and shouting were intense, and without Aunt Wang's intervention, the situation seemed a bit out of control. The cries were deafening. It seemed Aunt Wang was truly tired, genuinely exhausted.
Although Aunt Wang usually tried to mediate and minimize conflicts, she was genuinely helpful and fair. Without her presence, the scene was like a scattered pile of sand.
Zhuang Zhixi covered Ming Mei's ears, but she too couldn't fall asleep. She hugged him and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Zhixi, do you think everything will be okay?"
Yes, it was them who had played the prank.
Ming Mei had played the ghost, while her grandfather, Lan Sihai, had hidden in the toilet, deliberately imitating women's voices. When Zhou Qun entered and didn't see anyone, it was because Lan Sihai had covered himself with a black cloth, making it look like a wall. In the dark, their hiding was perfect.
Lan Sihai had imitated various women's voices, far more varied than Ming Mei's.
As for the ghostly flames and smoke, that was Zhuang Zhixi's doing.
They each had their roles, and they performed exceptionally well.
After Zhao Guihua had encouraged the crowd to come out, Zhuang Zhixi quickly blended in with the onlookers. Meanwhile, Ming Mei and Lan Sihai climbed over the wall and swiftly returned home.
Lan Sihai, despite his age, was surprisingly nimble. The "prank trio" had Zhuang Zhixi as the least agile, struggling to climb the wall and having to blend in with the crowd.
It was a pity. The others were like flying grasshoppers, effortlessly scaling the wall and returning home.
He gently patted Ming Mei's back and said, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Grandpa already rehearsed this with us many times. We had almost no flaws, and even the props were burned by my mom. Everything will be fine."
Ming Mei softly hummed in agreement and then said, "It was so thrilling."
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled and said, "My mom was right. This will probably be investigated, so don't let anything slip."
Ming Mei nodded, pouting, "Of course I know that. I'm not a little dummy."
But she also sighed, "I never expected Zhou Qun to have so many affairs. It's just disgusting to think about."
They hadn't intended to dig into Zhou Qun's secrets, just wanted to scare him a bit. But Zhou Qun had so many skeletons in his closet that he ended up spilling them all... It was almost unbelievable. Ming Mei felt her worldview was being reshaped.
Zhuang Zhixi said, "He's really something. How could he do those things?"
Ming Mei, however, focused on another point: "Do you think Jiang Lu will divorce him after knowing all this?"
Zhuang Zhixi shook his head.
Ming Mei: "She won't divorce him?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "It's hard to say. Normally, yes, but Jiang Lu is deeply in love with Zhou Qun, so it's hard to predict."
Ming Mei sighed, "If she doesn't divorce him, isn't she just stupid?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "Maybe it's love? Plus, Zhou Qun might be really good at handling Jiang Lu? I don't know."
He stretched and said, "I have to go to work today. I bet it'll be busy."
Ming Mei laughed and said, "Isn't it always busy in the propaganda department?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "I mean, I'll be busy spreading gossip. A lot of people will probably ask me about this ghost incident."
He spread his hands, "This incident is definitely going to cause a huge stir in the factory today. Last time, the story about falling into a cesspit even reached Tianjin, and this time, the rumor about Zhou Qun stealing from his mistress is likely to reach Beidaihe. Our courtyard is going to be famous, and Zhou Qun is going to be infamous. No matter how he explains it, this scandal won't be washed away."
Ming Mei was a bit worried, "Will something bad happen if it blows up this big?"
She scratched her hair, feeling a little anxious, and leaned against Zhuang Zhixi's shoulder.
Of course, it wasn't that she was afraid of being discovered; she was quite confident in that regard. It was more about the impact on the women involved, since Zhou Qun had mentioned several women...
Such a reputation would certainly be bad for the women. They disliked Zhou Qun, that was true, but they didn't want to involve others.
Zhuang Zhixi said, "I seem to remember that his mistress had already passed away, so it shouldn't affect anyone."
Since the person was no longer alive, there was no need to worry about their reputation.
If she hadn't passed away, Zhou Qun wouldn't have guessed her as the first ghost.
Later on, it might have been a desperate guess, but there must have been some reason at the beginning.
He patted Ming Mei and said, "Don't worry, just act like you don't know anything."
Ming Mei hummed in agreement, mumbling, "I didn't expect there to be an unexpected gain."
Zhuang Zhixi sighed, "Who would have thought?"
This night was a night of great commotion, a night full of legends. It was a big gossip that had been circulating in this alley for the past twenty years... Many, many years later, even Jinlai could educate his own son.
He said, "Son, our street once had a ghost scare. That ghost was really scary. See that empty lot over there? That used to be the toilet, the center of the ghost scare, but now it's all been demolished. Do you know that Zhou Uncle? He was quite the playboy back then..."
In short, this ghost rumor solidly lasted for decades, and even decades later, there were still old folks talking about it, claiming that there really are ghosts in this world!
And now, everyone was still outside watching the commotion, the boxing match between Bai Fendou and Zhou Qun.
They were fighting with great passion, and there were plenty of onlookers.
Someone trying to break it up? Not a chance!
Zhuang Zhixi couldn't sleep and got up to watch the commotion. He saw that Zhou Qun was no match for Bai Fendou. However, Bai Fendou wasn't faring well either. Zhou Qun had helpers—his mother and wife were quite formidable. They rushed forward with pale faces to scratch and claw.
Bai Fendou's face and neck were a mess, his clothes were torn open, and... it was too embarrassing to look at!
Bai Fendou howled, "Jiang Lu, you're such an idiot, mentally ill! Your man is out there playing with old women, and you still treat him like a treasure. He won't even give you a child, and you still don't get it. I feel ashamed for you..."
"Shut up! Don't try to sow discord between us..."
"We're going to the neighborhood committee, we're going to the police station. Bai Fendou, I swear I'll make you pay!"
Bai Fendou spat, "Pfft! I wouldn't want a stupid kid like you even if I could..."
Zhuang Zhixi watched for a while, marveling, "Their cursing skills are really something. They've really mastered the art of insults."
Ming Mei listened intently, saying, "I need to remember this. If I ever get into an argument, maybe I can use some of these lines..."
Zhuang Zhixi said, "You should learn something good."
