Chapter 149 Upon hearing the old woman's words, He Zhao had a bad feeling. The number of ghosts was increasing...

The old woman's words gave He Zhao a bad feeling. If there were more and more ghosts, until her stall was filled with them, then He Zhao might be even busier in the future. It was quite possible that her late-night ghost-selling stall would see long queues forming in the middle of the night.

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. Putting aside the time of day, it's already a rare sight to see people queuing up in the middle of the night, let alone a bunch of ghosts queuing up there.

The reason he felt it was bad was that if there were more guests, He Zhao would have to prepare more rice, and he might not get any rest all night, essentially becoming a fully automated rice-serving machine. Just thinking about that scenario gave He Zhao a headache.

He Zhao was a lunatic most of the time.

The best time was actually when he first started setting up his stall. Sister Qiao could lie down next to him and rest with her eyes closed, while he could sit on the side reading novels or watching videos on silent. This peaceful and idyllic feeling was exactly what He Zhao wanted.

To be honest, He Zhao is already getting a bit annoyed with the large number of customers. If there are even more customers in the future, he might develop a rebellious attitude towards setting up a stall.

He Zhao's lips twitched. Facing the old woman, all he could say was, "Then thank you."

The old woman didn't notice the odd tone in He Zhao's voice; her eyes narrowed slightly with her smile. "It's alright, it's alright, I should have said it. Everyone definitely thinks your cooking is delicious." Of course, He Zhao's rice evoked the most delicious memories in everyone's hearts. Even the most discerning customer, facing their beloved rice, wouldn't utter a single word about it being bad.

He Zhao had already learned about the abundance of ghosts from the Mud Ghost, so she didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she told her aunt to sit down and began a new round of questioning.

However, this question was a bit difficult to ask, because before asking her the answer she wanted, she had to ask another question: Did the old woman harbor any resentment, who did she hate, and what were her wishes?

The old woman had always said she had no wishes, only that she wanted to spend more time with He Zhao. He Zhao would have believed her before, but the old woman's cold and ruthless attitude towards the child ghost made He Zhao suspect there was something more to it. Otherwise, why would she seem so moved, speaking with such resolute determination?

This matter most likely stems from the children.

The old woman wanted to use the same excuse as before to deal with He Zhao, but she was interrupted by him as soon as she opened her mouth. However, she didn't use a harsh tone. He Zhao knew that in the old woman's heart, she was probably different, so she chose to exchange sincerity for sincerity.

“Grandma, to be honest, this matter is very important to me, and not just to me, but also to the ordinary people in the city. There’s an organization called Tonghuan Society that’s creating strange ghosts, and we still don’t know what they’re trying to do. Your answer will help us ascertain a lot of things.”

"..." The old woman remained silent for a while, her eyes fixed on He Zhao. Due to her age, her eyes were somewhat cloudy; ghosts' eyes are naturally somewhat lifeless, and hers made her even more chilling.

He Zhao knew that the old woman was assessing whether or not to tell the truth because of him. He Zhao did not look away. Although the old woman's eyes were somewhat frightening, they were not as unpleasant as Jiu Qing's. He Zhao looked directly into her eyes, letting her see the sincerity in them.

The old lady was the first to give in.

Most people, especially those with good intentions, cannot choose to lie in the face of genuine affection, let alone when the old woman truly likes He Zhao. So she sighed and could only agree to He Zhao's request: "Alright."

The old woman slowly opened her mouth and revealed the discord that was not in the documents and only known to her family: "In the eyes of outsiders, my children are very filial. Not long before I passed away, my two daughters even rushed back from out of town to buy me several new outfits."

He Zhao knew all this; it was in the information Qiao Yanyu showed her. The first time she met the old woman, she was wearing an out-of-season but seemingly new summer outfit, which matched what the old woman was saying now.

"But that's only what it looks like."

The old woman lowered her head, her voice muffled, as if she didn't want to talk about her family's dirty laundry.

“I’m getting old. If it weren’t for the fact that I still have the property and money in my own hands, I would have been eaten up completely. Let’s not even talk about my two daughters. After all, once a daughter is married, she’s like water spilled from a bowl. If she doesn’t have a good life in her husband’s family, she will naturally want to take something from her mother.”

He Zhao didn't actually like the old woman's saying, "A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup," but the old woman was old, and it was normal for people of her generation to have such thoughts. Even if it was wrong, that's how they were raised, and no one could stand outside the boundaries of their time to criticize them.

If someone He Zhao's age said such things, then he would truly deserve to die.

"I've never mistreated my two daughters. Back then, the bride price was given to the parents. Any family like mine, where not only did the daughter keep the bride price, but they also gave her a separate dowry, would be considered a good mother in the surrounding area." The old woman continued, still somewhat indignant, "I don't expect them to help their brothers or care about their own family, but after so many years of marriage, in their old age, they still think about the few pennies their own mother has!"

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, but she quickly calmed down because what was even more infuriating was yet to come: "But in the end, she is still my daughter. Besides, she has left with her husband's family and lives far away. Even if she comes back to see me, her purpose is too obvious. She is still my daughter. When I die, I will give her some of my things."

“My two sons are truly worthless.”

The old woman raised her head, her eyes filled with obvious hatred. Actually, the old woman's circumstances were quite good, as evidenced by her records. She married well in her youth, marrying a veteran. During her youth, she worked in a factory and never lacked for food or drink. In her old age, her pension was more than many young people earn.

With the compensation from the demolition of his old home, he owned three houses and a shop he had purchased, so he was financially secure. He also had many descendants, two sons and two daughters, making it four generations living together before his death. He was undoubtedly a very fortunate old man in the eyes of the world and his neighbors.

But only the old woman knew the bitterness in her heart: "People shouldn't have too much money, otherwise everyone will covet it."

She owns three of the demolished properties, but there were actually five when they were demolished. Each of her two sons received one, which should have been enough. But greed knows no bounds; having gained a little, he saw that his mother had even more, and naturally, he began to covet it.

But the old woman was definitely not the kind of person who would hand over her hard-earned money after just a few words. Judging from her shrewdness after her death, she must have been the same way in life. No matter how many kind words she said to her children and grandchildren, she knew that only by keeping the money in her own hands could her children and grandchildren continue to be filial.

If you give everything away, you'll really have to live at their mercy.

The old woman's unwavering resolve alarmed her two sons. The elder son feared that his mother would favor the younger son and give him all the money and house in the end. After all, people often say that "the youngest son and the eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the elderly," and he hadn't received much love from his mother growing up, so he worried that his younger brother might end up getting something for nothing. The younger son, on the other hand, worried that his mother might give everything to the elder son because of the idea of ​​"the eldest son inheriting the old age," leaving him with nothing.

They were both worried and afraid, yet they also hoped that the old woman would die soon. Because if she didn't die, they wouldn't get anything, but if she died, they might be able to split it equally.

The old woman didn't know when they had those thoughts, nor did she know which link in the chain went wrong to cause her son to become like this. By the time she realized they were all harming her, it was too late.

Actually, they didn't do much; they just replaced the old lady's blood pressure medication with vitamin pills. As she got older, she already had many underlying health conditions, and coupled with not taking her medication properly, her health naturally deteriorated day by day. By the time the old lady realized something was wrong and went to the hospital for a checkup, it was too late.

"A bunch of beasts." The old woman made this judgment, and after saying that, she was somewhat smug: "But they definitely don't know that I had it notarized a long time ago. The day I came back from the hospital, I had it notarized, and I donated the house and all the money. Isn't it just that they want the money in their mother's hands? Their little schemes can't be hidden at all, they're too obvious. I can see through them at a glance."

"So I donated it all, and they didn't get any!"

At this point, the old woman still seemed a little dejected: "I just never expected that they would actually do something so beastly."

“I… I probably still hate them. Why could they do this? Why were they in such a hurry? I'm an old woman, how much longer can I live? If they had taken good care of me in my old age, wouldn't it all still belong to them in the end? My two daughters are also fools, they listened to their two brothers. They said that I, an old woman, would definitely not leave them a single penny, so they might as well help me go to the afterlife early. That way, even without a will, they can get a share.”

The old woman was so angry that she started pounding her legs: "In their eyes, I'm just an old woman who doesn't acknowledge her daughter!"

This was what the old woman couldn't accept the most. She had been strong-willed her whole life, only to find out on her deathbed that her children were all calculating and only cared about their own money. Moreover, each one of them was more foolish than the last, their thoughts written all over their faces. They even blamed their own mother for not giving them anything, and some even murdered their elderly mother.

Under such circumstances, how could the old woman not hate her?

The mother's resentment towards her children came too suddenly and was too intense. Even after death, she could not rest in peace, which is why she became a ghost.

After listening, He Zhao sincerely sighed, "It's a good thing I won't have children."

"..." The old woman paused for a moment, and as someone who had lived through that era, she couldn't help but advise He Zhao, "You still need to have children..."

"Having children is useless. People say raising children is for old age security, but you'd be better off without children, Grandma."

He Zhao was right. The old woman was speechless. After a moment of silence, she struggled to reaffirm her beliefs: "Perhaps, the child you have will be different."

"No, I won't have children."