"You killed her and arranged a ghost marriage?" Shi Jinzhe finally understood why Pu Kui harbored such deep resentment. She was already showing some conscience by not digging up the Sun family's ancestral graves.
"No, I didn't kill him!" Boss Sun denied repeatedly. "I didn't agree at the time, it wasn't me...it wasn't me!"
A chilling wind blew, and the rustling shadows of the mangroves seemed to weep and plead. Boss Sun was so frightened that he used all four limbs to escape.
“How could I possibly agree to this? I really didn’t do it. After my father died, my family was busy with the funeral arrangements. Sun Ao was also affected by this and took the initiative to break off his relationship with that man. He said he would live a good life with Pu Kui in the future. After Pu Kui calmed down, she was also afraid of going to jail, so the two of them stayed quiet for a while and were actually safe for a few years.”
"Heh." Shekh expressed her disdain with a meaningless snort, which escalated Mr. Sun's psychological defenses. "How could everyone have died if everything was peaceful?"
"...It was...it was that man from outside who came looking for Sun Ao. That's when Pu Kui realized that Sun Ao liked men. The man begged Sun Ao to reconcile with him and even asked..."
When asked what to do, the eyes turned towards the depths of the mangrove forest.
Boss Sun stammered. Having done business for so many years, she was very good at reading people's expressions. She couldn't be sure what these two people would do after she said that; they would definitely have to speak up for Pu Kui...
Hmph... Dead people are just easy to garner sympathy for.
Back then, those people knew Sun Ao liked men and would say all sorts of dirty and inappropriate things to him. But after he died, they said that it wasn't so unacceptable. They said he was sick when he was alive, but praised him for not caring about worldly affairs after he died.
Those who are still alive are the ones who are truly sick.
Mr. Sun was lost in thought, feeling indignant, when he suddenly heard Shi Ju asking her questions.
Did that man ask Sun Ao if he wanted a child of their own?
She tilted her head back, her upper eyelids widening in surprise, the aging folds deeply embedded in the sunken grooves of her eye sockets, making her eyeballs appear to bulge outwards.
“Looks like I was right.” Shi Jinzhe ignored her evasion and looked at the mangrove forest again. “What terrible things did Pu Kui do in her past life to make your family exploit her so relentlessly?”
He had speculated in the first half of the night that one of the couple had contracted the disease, that Sun Ao was crippled, and that Pu Kui was living a life of widowhood, so it was obvious who had brought the disease.
She was the third party in this dysfunctional marriage.
Boss Sun's reaction confirmed everything. Sun Ao wanted a child, and he agreed to the proposal. Pu Kui never imagined that he would face another disaster after escaping one.
The words "giving birth" are a curse upon her. Sun Ao, Sun Ao's father, Sun Ao's lover, the strange dead stranger who covets her and wants to arrange a ghost marriage, and Pu Kui's biological parents—everyone is a culprit.
Shi Jinzhe endured it again and again, but couldn't hold back any longer. "You're spineless and cowardly. Your brother's problem isn't his roots, it's his brain. If you want a child so badly, go to an orphanage and adopt a mentally challenged person who's even more of a descendant of your family. Anyone who sees this will say he's definitely your biological son."
“A fool who comes to their house will only become even crazier and stupider,” Shekh said sarcastically.
Mr. Sun: "Who hasn't gone through this? I did too. What's the point of getting married if you're not going to have kids...?"
Shekh ignored her excuses, saying, "I suggest you change your understanding of marriage to 'buying and selling'."
Because of this doubled dowry, Pu Kui is no different from signing a contract of servitude. The marriage in the mouths of such people is poison wrapped in sugar paper. They suffer themselves but insist on saying it's sweet, just to deceive the next person into being a sucker.
Once everyone was the same, she felt at peace. Boss Sun and the blue-green checkered women, people like them, understood this perfectly well.
The more painful Pu Kui's life is, the more they try to brainwash her, telling her that this is the norm and that everyone goes through this. Once her edges are completely smoothed out, they add, "See, you still need to listen to the experiences of those who have been there to get through it." Treating flawed life experiences as wisdom is both pathetic and laughable.
Mr. Sun didn't understand what Sheh meant. His pale face regained a little color, and he wondered how much dowry the beautiful woman in front of him had received, given how well she was dressed...
The fabric of this dress looks expensive, even better than the wedding dress that the family wore when they buried Pu Kui.
She never wore this kind of red dress to her own wedding, yet Pu Kui, who was remarried, wore it…
Boss Sun muttered to himself, "That bright red dress is such a waste on her. It's a pity she's not destined for it; even if she wore it, she wouldn't be able to receive the good fortune..."
Shi Jinzhe and Shehe saw her muttering to herself as if possessed. They looked at each other and prepared themselves.
Boss Sun's clothes gradually turned red, as if stained with blood, emitting a strong bloody smell.
Her voice grew increasingly shrill as she mumbled as she straightened her clothes, absentmindedly dusting off the hem with her fingers as if a flower were embroidered there. "This won't do, that won't do... What woman is as troublesome as her? We didn't pursue the murder, but Pu Kui still wants to call the police. Sun Ao doesn't mind, but she still can't let it go..."
The swaying mangroves approached Boss Sun. Sheh saw the swaying shadows transform into human shapes, with flesh and blood filling the flat blood shadows. Then the blood shadows stood upright and turned into one blood figure after another, walking towards them.
They were all female, of varying heights and weights, and had no facial features.
The still-complaining Boss Sun is becoming just like them, his face blurred and his body covered in red blood.
Shi Jinzhe grabbed Shehe's hand and backed away towards the alley entrance. A bloody shadow was projected onto the frosted glass beside him. Shehe glanced over and the bloody shadow fled in panic.
Instead of the fan palms they were waiting for, they were met with a forest full of blood-red figures.
Boss Sun had been completely assimilated. She swayed as she got up, blood dripping from her body, her mouth agape in a round "o" shape, and she continued to complain about Pu Kui.
"She has no choice but to be a vixen instead of enjoying a good life. Those drivers who stay overnight stare at her with their eyes glued to her. She's not virtuous either, always exchanging flirtatious glances with those men. No wonder Sun Ao doesn't fancy her..."
"Yes, yes..."
"Yes...yes..."
The blood-red figure emerging from the mangrove forest echoed the words in varying pitches, and the soft whispers appeared for the third time. This time, Shi Jinzhe and Shehe finally understood what was being said.
"A hen that can't have children or lay eggs, I wasted money marrying you."
"What's wrong with that? Just listen to me, down a glass of wine and everything will be fine. What do you care about face or pride..."
"Everyone's been there, right? You're shy now, but in two years you won't even blush when he's begging you..."
"There's still plenty of time. So what if Sun Ao likes men? Listen to me, you can have children. Fight him for it. Why should you give in?"
"Yes...yes..."
"If Sun Ao won't have a child with you, just find any man to fool him. Anyway, you won't know who the father is..."
"I heard you hooked up with that guy Sun Ao was seeing outside. Is Sun Ao furious? Oh, well done..."
"Yes...yes..."
"Yes...yes...yes..."
"That fan palm is so annoying. My man goes to great lengths to go home just to catch a glimpse of her..."
"She just can't stand being alone. I heard she was flirting with that girl from the east end again today..."
"I heard she's slept with a lot of guys she's spent the night with..."
"Have you heard? Pu Kui hooked up with another girl today. He says her family is really rich, and he insists on marrying her..."
"My aunt's niece's classmate said that many people saw it..."
"Shameless! They don't even feel ashamed doing something like this! Pah! How can such a disgraceful thing happen in our Pu County..."
"Yes...yes..."
One voice after another, one sentence after another, amidst endless instigation and rumors, these red-clad figures walked into the alleyway and spread panic.
At the end of the alley, the palm tree in its red wedding dress was surrounded by them. Unable to see or speak, the rotting red flesh was slowly devouring her. Every mouth was gnawing at her body. She was wrapped up until only half of her raised arm remained. Just as she was about to be submerged, a hand grabbed her fingers.
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