Chapter 47: Day 47 of Retirement: Violating the rules is as easy as drinking water...
Zhang Lin sighed in frustration, his eyes fixed on his father as he expertly pulled out the money. Seeing the stack of red bills, which looked like at least twenty, about to be stuffed into the Taoist's hands, his face wrinkled and creased beyond control, he finally gave up and lunged forward like a deranged street thief. While forcibly snatching the money, he rammed his head into the Taoist's waist, sending him careening into the reservoir.
The sound of someone falling into the water, along with the old Taoist's wails and curses, rang in his ears, but Zhang Lin ignored it.
Anyway, this is a dream, and the old Taoist won’t really die if he falls into the river.
With a stiff expression, he walked up to his stunned parents, stuffed the money back into his father's hands, and said angrily, "You two are almost a hundred years old together, how come you get scammed everywhere? I won't be around you anymore, so you two better be careful. Uncle Huang next door keeps complaining about the bad job situation, and I gave away all the money I earned. Also, you don't need to worry about that reservoir anymore—"
Before Zhang Lin could utter the word "worry", he felt a weight on his shoulders. His father, who was two heads taller than him, grabbed his back and held him in his arms.
Beside her was her mother, whose eyes were red and tears were falling.
Zhang Lin swallowed his unfinished words and pursed his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Sang Qiqi, who had been standing in the corner, had disappeared. His pent-up emotions finally burst forth unchecked. He slowly raised his arm and wrapped it around his father's broad shoulders. Then he ran to his mother and threw himself into her arms. He whispered, "I'm sorry for making you sad."
Unlike Yanyan, Zhang Lin has been a worrying child since he was young.
He had a clever mind, but it was never used in the right way. It always irritated his mother so much that she would pick up a feather duster and chase him. She would chase him for ages, and she would wear out several feather dusters.
According to his father, his family consumes a lot of feather dusters every year, and his mother has become a big customer in the eyes of the grocery store owner.
After being thrown into the evil spirit formation, he hid in a cave. The cave was very narrow and extremely quiet, not even a sound could be heard. At that time, he hugged his knees and stared at the mountain wall in a daze.
He felt that he had died too young. At thirteen, he was still an age where even cats and dogs were hated. His talent for learning had not yet emerged, and starting a family and a career was even more impossible. He failed to achieve any of the wishes a parent had for a child. Instead, all he left behind was the memory of his mischievousness.
If he had known this would happen, he would have been happy to sit at his desk and practice calligraphy even when he was in kindergarten.
But it was too late.
Regret are the two most useless words in the world.
Hot tears fell into his mother's neck. Only then did Zhang Lin act like a real thirteen-year-old child, completely venting his fear of death, the dread of being chased by evil spirits, and his longing for his family.
Father Zhang wiped his eyes fiercely and walked forward to hug the mother and son.
As the Taoist priest gurgled and bubbled in the water, the Zhang family finally vented their emotions. They sat cross-legged on the ground, listening to Zhang Lin recount his drowning experience. Seeing his mother about to cry again, he quickly said, "I'm fine now! And the water ghost has been caught. No more children will be dragged into the water by it. You two really shouldn't waste your money..."
Zhang's mother wiped her eyes and muttered, "Your father spent all the money unjustly."
Father Zhang also muttered: "But you are the one who called this Taoist priest."
Zhang's mother: "..."
Zhang Lin: “…”
Although his parents were arguing, Zhang Lin couldn't help laughing.
It’s nice to still be able to see my parents bickering.
-
Although Sang Qiqi said that she would keep an eye on Zhang Lin, when Zhang Lin really entered the dream of Zhang's parents, she did not get involved.
Squatting beside the doghouse in the Zhang family's yard, Sang Qiqi's hands were constantly rubbing the big black dog's tail and poking its butt. Although the big black dog didn't open its eyes, its tail was twitching impatiently this way and that, as if there was a mosquito circling around it that was bothering it.
When the sky gradually brightened, Zhang Lin escaped from his parents' dream and saw this scene.
Zhang Lin: “…”
Noticing a shadow falling before her eyes, Sang Qiqi raised her eyelids and looked at the boy whose eyes were red and slightly swollen. She sneered disrespectfully, "Crying again?"
Zhang Lin already knew she was doing this on purpose, definitely to get back at him for not giving him face earlier. He muttered to himself how this woman held a grudge, but he didn't try to argue anymore. Instead, he hummed softly.
After meeting his parents, the thought of leaving again made Zhang Lin feel a bit down. He squatted beside Sang Qiqi and poked the big black dog's butt. He lowered his eyes and asked, "Do I have to queue up to be reincarnated now? Will I really not remember my parents after drinking Mengpo soup?"
Sang Qiqi: "According to the process, this is how it works."
Zhang Lin said "oh" dryly.
The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds. Zhang Lin glanced at Sang Qiqi and couldn't help but poke Dahei's butt. After repeating this several times, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore and asked, "Then why don't you reincarnate?"
When Sang Qiqi heard this, she snorted and laughed, "Why, you don't want to reincarnate?"
Zhang Lin touched the tip of his nose and said nothing, but the expression on his face was obvious.
Sang Qiqi knew Zhang Lin was a child with his own ideas. Although he was young, he had a rather mature personality. Come to think of it, after all, he had two adults at home who he constantly had to worry about, so it was natural for him to mature early.
Sang Qiqi: "It's okay if you don't want to reincarnate. Just call me sister and I'll find a way for you."
Zhang Lin: “…”
Seeing his indescribable expression, Sang Qiqi raised her eyebrows and said, "Should I call you or not? If you miss this opportunity, you'll never get it again. You'll need to get a number plate when you return to the underworld."
Zhang Lin felt that Sang Qiqi was truly full of evil humor and didn't want to do what she wished for. However, he had to bow his head under someone else's eaves. He held it in for a long time before finally uttering the weak, mosquito-like words, "Sister."
It is like hearing heavenly music and your ears become temporarily clear.
Sang Qiqi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Zhang Lin: “…”
Zhang Lin, who had been able to hold it in for a while, became furious when he heard the undisguised laughter: "What's so funny!"
"I'm smiling because you're cute. This kid's awkward personality is quite interesting." Sang Qiqi finally let go of the poked big black dog, stood up, patted Zhang Lin's shoulder, and said, "Let's go, pick up Yanyan, and tell you later."
Zhang Lin uttered an "oh" and followed Sang Qiqi, looking back every few steps, his gaze fixed on the second-floor bedroom window. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt as if his parents were standing there, watching him through a thin, transparent window, like a wandering child.
"Don't look at it anymore. You can come back whenever you want. If you can really stay in the underworld, are you still worried about not finding a chance to see your parents?"
Sang Qiqi's casual remark made Zhang Lin turn his head suddenly. His eyes sparkled, and his excitement made him completely forget the awkwardness of calling her "sister" earlier. He quickly squeezed over to Sang Qiqi and asked repeatedly, "Really? Can I come back and chat with my parents in their dreams like this in the future?"
"What conditions do I need to meet to stay in the underworld? Do I have to work there like you? But I'm only thirteen, not even an adult yet. Will the underworld reject me because I'm a child laborer? Then what excuse can I use to stay in the underworld?"
Countless questions came out of Zhang Lin's mouth, like countless mosquitoes buzzing in Sang Qiqi's ears.
She had a headache, but she still picked out a few key questions to answer: "There are no child laborers in the underworld, only ghost laborers. Those ghosts in the paper-making department were younger than you when they died, and they still work like slaves every day."
"Also, as long as it doesn't violate the rules, it's okay for you to visit your parents in their dreams every day. They'll just think it's a dream anyway."
But there is a saying that goes, distance makes beauty.
If they really did this, the two patriarchs probably wouldn't dream of the three of them hugging each other and talking about memories, but of the feather duster appearing again, chasing Zhang Lin around.
"What kind of situation constitutes a violation? What are the consequences of violating the rules?" Zhang Lin was still like a curious baby.
Sang Qiqi: “…”
Ask her what kind of situation is a violation?
That's the right person to ask.
Sang Qiqi counted on her fingers and said, "Leaking one's lifespan to the living, scaring ordinary people, kidnapping colleagues—these are all commonplace. Other things include secretly copying Lin Yanluo's Book of Life and Death without reporting or following proper procedures, hitting people on the head with Lin Yanluo's gavel, and stealing a colleague's eggs or offspring out of curiosity. Well, there's a lot of stuff going on. If you really join the underworld, they'll give you an employee handbook, and you can just look through it yourself."
That manual has been revised several times, and most of the violations in the manual are based on hers.
so--
"If you are unsure about any violations, you can ask me first and I will give you some reference."
Zhang Lin: “…”
No, he could understand the common violations, but what about stealing eggs and offspring laid by colleagues?
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out because he was too shocked.
After a while, he asked again: "What are the consequences of violating the rules?"
Sang Qiqi: "Deduction points, performance points. After the performance points are deducted, you won't get any salary, and then you'll be stuck in this high-cost place called the underworld. But you're fine. You can rely on your parents. Have your parents come to my shop and buy some extra paper money to burn for you. Since we're acquaintances and colleagues, I can give your parents a 20% discount."
Unlike her, no one in the world of the living gives her money, so she can only work like a beast of burden.
Sang Qiqi sighed heavily: "Actually, being a rich second-generation is pretty good. It's just that rich second-generations don't have a job opening, so you still have to wait in line to be reborn."
Zhang Lin: “…”
He said righteously: "I don't want to do it. I want to make money."
Sang Qiqi: "Okay, then when your parents come to the underworld, let them become rich second-generations."
Zhang Lin: “…”
After joking around with Sang Qiqi all the way, Zhang Lin's little emotion about parting with his parents had completely disappeared, and he even felt a little longing for life in the underworld.
The two ghosts followed the route to Yanyan's house.
It was still early, but Yanyan's relatives and friends were already preparing to burn incense.
Sang Qiqi asked Zhang Lin to find Yanyan while she blended into the crowd and spotted Yanyan's parents. Compared to her exhausted state the previous night, Yanyan's mother looked much better, but her relatives and friends, who had seen her condition two days ago, were extremely worried.
They were afraid that Yanyan's mother was experiencing the legendary last gasp of life.
Yanyan's mother's younger sister held her sister's hand, her face full of worry, and the sadness in her eyes could not be dispersed: "Sister, I know that Yanyan's accident has hit you hard, but if Yanyan were here, she would definitely hope that both of you would be well."
"I know." Yanyan's mother's voice was still a little hoarse, but her tone was very gentle, "Don't worry."
How could she not worry!
Last night she looked like she was about to collapse, but this morning she suddenly became gloomy. She thought it was a good thing at first, thinking that although her sister fainted, she at least got some rest. Now, she feels refreshed after the rest!
As a result, the old lady next to her said "last breath" which almost scared her to death.
She thought about it and couldn't help asking again: "Are you feeling unwell now? Do you want to go to the hospital? Yanyan has me and my brother-in-law here, so she'll be fine."
Yanyan's mother shook her head: "It's okay, I can hold on. I want to see Yanyan a little longer."
She turned back to look at the photos displayed in the mourning hall. She had chosen the one she had taken of Yanyan in the mountains. The little girl was looking up with a bright smile, which made people feel happy just by looking at her. Then she thought of Yanyan in her dream last night. She was not in her right mood, because she was almost hit by a car, her face was puffed up, and she looked pitiful, wanting to cry but not daring to.
How could she continue like this? She wouldn't be at peace even if her child died!
Yanyan's mother took her sister's hand, walked aside, and whispered, "Last night, after that Taiwei Sanren performed a ritual for Yanyan, I dreamed of Yanyan. She was with the girl who came with Miss Cheng."
"The girl who came with Miss Cheng?" Yanyan's mother's sister frowned at first, then suddenly realized, "Is she that female celebrity? My sister said she used to be a female celebrity, and later opened a funeral home. But she's a very capable girl. She miraculously saw at a glance that this guy was doing a lot of evil, so she called the police. After the police investigated, they found out that the guy was really a murderer!"
This was the first time Yanyan's mother heard about these things, and she was stunned after hearing them.
Somewhat surprised, he asked, "Is there such a thing?"
Yanyan's mother's sister nodded: "Yes, what did you dream about her doing?"
Yanyan's mother smiled and said, "I dreamed that I was walking on the side of the road, but I don't know what was going on in my mind, I actually thought of walking into the middle of the road. When I was hit by a car, she suddenly appeared and dragged me away. Then Yanyan appeared. It was raining at the time. Yanyan stood on tiptoe to hold an umbrella for me and told me that it was the sister named Sang Qiqi who brought her to see me. She said she wanted to make me happy."
younger sister:"……?"
She subconsciously looked for Sang Qiqi in the crowd, but she didn't seem to be there today.
My sister licked her lips and lowered her voice: "Miss Sang's deeds do sound supernatural. After hearing what you said, I think she is more like a Taoist priest than that Taoist priest Taiwei."
But these are not the key points, the key point is——
"Sister, tell me something, you want to live a good life now, right?"
Knowing what her sister was worried about, Yanyan's mother nodded. When she looked at her daughter in the mourning hall, her eyes became even gentler. She said, "I will try my best to hold on. Yanyan also told me to live a good life."
Sang Qiqi heard their conversation clearly. She paid close attention to Yanyan's mother. Her complexion looked much better than the paleness of yesterday, and her words certainly didn't indicate a desire to live. It seemed that letting Yanyan see her parents would be helpful, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. After all, Yanyan's mother had just said, "I'll try my best to hold on," not "I'll definitely."
After some hesitation, Zhang Lin quickly brought Yanyan over.
Unlike Zhang Lin, that stubborn and awkward brat, Yanyan called Sang Qiqi "sister" as soon as she saw her, and her voice was much louder than yesterday.
Sang Qiqi smiled and pinched her face, then asked her, "Have you told mom?"
Yanyan nodded, a little embarrassed. "I told my mother that it was my idea to go mushroom picking. I don't blame her. I also hope that she can live a good life in my place and go to the amusement park that I have never been to."
Although my mother is still very sad, it will always be much better if she has some hope.
"Yanyan is so good." Sang Qiqi treated the little girl a little too gently, and Zhang Lin couldn't help but curl his lips. But the atmosphere was right now, and Yanyan didn't look as sad as before, so he didn't say much.
Sang Qiqi had originally wanted to leave Yanyan here. After all, her funeral was still underway, so it made sense for her to stay and spend more time with her parents. However, considering the child's young age and the risk of injury, she decided to take her back to the underworld and ask Lin Yanluo to help them settle down.
As long as we are settled, there will be many opportunities to meet in the future.
One or two days won't make a difference.
After a night of rest, most of the ghosts in the First Hall had fled. Lin Yanluo finally relaxed and prepared to have a good rest, but when he heard the word "placement", he couldn't help but roll his eyes: "I know, I know, you should take a break, you've been so busy."
Sang Qiqi: "Why are you taking a break? Have you decided how many points I'll get?"
Lin Yanluo: "...Go find Cui Jing."
cut.
Sang Qiqi turned and walked out, and successfully found Cui Jing at Meng Po's place, who was paying for Meng Po soup. Sang Qiqi looked at him and then at herself, thinking, how could there be ghosts in the underworld who would resist plucking the wool? If she wasn't afraid of plucking too much and there would be nothing left to plucking later, she would reward herself with three cups of Meng Po soup a day.
When she walked to the opposite side of Cui Jing, Sang Qiqi discovered that there were some tables and chairs on Mengpo's land, which was becoming more and more humane.
"Lao Lin asked me to come to you. Have my performance scores been calculated?"
Cui Jing: "..."
He finally realized that Sang Qiqi really regarded her performance score as her life.
Resignedly pulling out the booklet, he pushed it directly in front of Sang Qiqi and said, "It's all added up. With your current performance score, unless you blow up the underworld, you will definitely be the best employee this year. You won't be left at the bottom, so don't worry."
Not only will it not be the last one, but it will also make the First Hall proud.
Sang Qiqi glanced at the exaggerated numbers. Each little ghost could add one or two points, and hundreds of them would add several hundred points, almost a thousand. Catching evil ghosts and water ghosts would add even more points, not to mention the five-star reviews from Zhang Lin and Yan Yan... If it were a normal ghost, it would be just like Cui Jing said, there would be no worries this year.
But Sang Qiqi is different.
Doing something illegal for her is as easy as drinking water. She even got ten points deducted for that goal last night.
Therefore, in response to Cui Jing's remarks, she humbly said, "There is still room for improvement. I can earn more."
Meng Po, who had been listening attentively to their conversation, walked over to Sang Qiqi with a cup of milk tea and handed it to her. She leaned lazily on the bar and said with a smile, "It's never too much to share. You won't be afraid of spending it later."
Cui Jing: "I don't think there's much to spend points on."
Meng Po was surprised: "How could that be? If you earn more, you won't be afraid of beating up your boss if you don't like him in the future."
Cui Jing: "...?"
Sang Qiqi: “!!”
Ignoring Cui Jing's dazed expression, Sang Qiqi grabbed Meng Po's hand and said sweetly, "Sister Meng Po and I are indeed kindred spirits!"
Cui Jing: "..."
I’m really impressed.
-
Sang Qiqi returned to the hotel in town from the underworld. As she pushed open the door to go out for breakfast, she happened to run into Cheng Heyi from next door who also pushed open the door. She greeted Cheng Heyi warmly, "Sister Heyi, good morning. Do you want to have breakfast together?"
Cheng Heyi nodded: "Okay."
The two of them chose the nearest breakfast stall. Not long after they placed their order and sat down, Taiwei Sanren, dressed in a black and gold Taoist robe, walked over.
The three of them shared a table and had breakfast.
Sang Qiqi glanced at Taiwei Sanren and asked, "Master, why are you up so early?"
Taiwei Sanren said with a stern face: "Old people sleep less, and you are up quite early too."
Sang Qiqi thought Tai Wei Sanren was doing this on purpose. After all, he knew she was a ghost and slept even less. But since Cheng Heyi was there, she didn't feel comfortable asking any more questions.
After breakfast, the three of them returned to Wuyanzhuang and went to Yanyan's funeral to burn incense for her.
The sudden improvement in Yanyan's mother's health and mood naturally couldn't be hidden from the mourners. Yesterday, everyone was still saying she wouldn't last much longer, but today, seeing her almost fully recovered, their minds instantly flashed back to Taiwei Sanren's ritual the previous night. So, upon seeing Taiwei Sanren approach, the group immediately gathered around him, excitedly exclaiming, "Master, Master! Thanks to your ritual last night, Yanyan's mother is much better. She even dreamed of Yanyan last night, and the two of them talked for quite a while!"
Taiwei Sanren was already feeling a little guilty about the ritual yesterday, and subconsciously wanted to frown when he heard someone mention it, but the next moment he heard the words "I dreamed of Yanyan last night", his expression froze, and he suddenly looked up.
He said, "Did you dream about Yanyan?"
The villagers didn't understand what was going on and just nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, I dreamed that Yanyan told her mother to take care of herself and be happy."
Taiwei Sanren was a Taoist practitioner, so he naturally knew about the ghost appearing in dreams. Logically speaking, if Yanyan's soul was gone, then Yanyan's mother wouldn't be able to dream of her. So...
His gaze turned to Sang Qiqi.
Sang Qiqi leaned against Cheng Heyi and noticed his gaze. She smiled and said silently with her eyes curved, "Congratulations, Taoist Priest. You've saved your dignity."
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