Chapter 93: Listening to Grandma Ba's Stories Again
Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but look towards the house. "What's going on with those two neighbors? Your mother didn't get involved with them for no reason, did she?"
Based solely on what they've heard from Granny Ba, anyone would think that Granny Ge is naturally promiscuous.
But the fact that she was willing to submit to a thug for the sake of a stepson with whom she had no blood relation shows her noble character.
As Chang Yuan said, some things are just personal hobbies. As long as she doesn't break up other people's families or provoke public harassment, it's her freedom.
Chang Yuan's originally frank face finally showed a hint of embarrassment. "My mother and I are not good at chores like chopping wood and carrying water, so we often have to ask the neighbors for help. The two uncles next door are bachelors and don't have the money to get married. I get along with them fairly well."
Who says that the capital city, under the emperor's nose, is necessarily a place of high civilization? Isn't this just the prototype of communal wives?
Su Zhenzhen couldn't imagine what would happen if this fictional era continued to develop; would it become extremely backward, and would it be very likely to be occupied by foreign invaders?
Jiang Yichun may have also seen these social ills, which is why he wanted to reform them, promote the use of people from humble backgrounds to oppose the powerful families, and force the powerful families to open up their resources.
Unfortunately, he took the wrong step. In the history of the 906th century, it took several dynasties of tireless efforts for aristocratic families to turn into ashes in the long river of history.
The two chatted, and time flew by; before they knew it, it was dawn.
Aunt Ge came out to make breakfast, and the two male neighbors also needed to go back to their own homes, since this kind of thing was still somewhat dishonorable.
The three of them went out one after the other and saw Su Zhenzhen and Chang Yuan, one human and one ghost, in the courtyard. It's unclear who shouted first.
"A ghost...ah!"
Su Zhenzhen watched the three of them quietly until they finished shouting and calmed down before speaking.
Have all the necessary items for the funeral been prepared?
Aunt Ge nodded. "The coffin is ready, and the paper money is bought. We don't have any relatives or friends, so if we set up the mourning hall, no one will come to pay their respects. We'll just keep the body here for seven days and then find a fortune teller to calculate an auspicious time for the burial."
At this time, it is customary to bury the dead for peace. The person has already died, and there are still relatives and friends around, so the body cannot be left to rot indefinitely. The necessary funeral arrangements must be made.
Su Zhenzhen scanned the three faces one by one. "I took Chang Yuan to the places where those night watchmen had their accidents and summoned their souls. They died in man-made accidents, and their souls couldn't be reincarnated because they had grievances in their hearts. Once the resentment and grievances disappear, they can enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn as humans. But I haven't found out about Chang Yuan's grievances yet. If you have any clues, you'd better tell me."
The two male neighbors remained calm and shook their heads slightly.
Aunt Ge asked hesitantly, "If Chang Yuan cannot be reincarnated, can he remain in the world as a ghost indefinitely?"
“No.” Su Zhenzhen told her bluntly, “If a soul stays in the mortal world for too long, it will eventually dissipate little by little, and he will no longer exist in the world.”
Aunt Ge felt a sharp pain in her chest, clutched her chest, and swayed, but fortunately, the man beside her caught her in time.
"Imperial spirits, please have mercy and send my son to be reincarnated." Granny Ge leaned on the man's shoulder, her face pale and weak. "He's a good child."
Su Zhenzhen looked into Aunt Ge's eyes, not missing a single emotion. "According to Chang Yuan's fate, although his later years were miserable, he could still pass away peacefully without illness or disaster, and the neighbors would help collect his remains. But he died mysteriously in his own home, murdered with a weapon. He had a grievance, which gave rise to karmic threads. A soul bound by karmic threads cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and can only wander in the world. When the karmic debt on his body is resolved, the cycle of reincarnation will open before him."
Su Zhenzhen explained it in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and Aunt Ge felt dizzy after listening to it.
"I have other matters to attend to. I'll take Chang Yuan's soul with me first. You can do what you need to do."
After saying that, Su Zhenzhen put Chang Yuan into the storage compartment.
He ignored the three men's gazes and turned to leave.
The shouts from the vendors in the alley were still the same, and Su Zhenzhen still spent five coins to buy a vegetable bun.
I walked slowly to the corner of the alley, where Grandma Ba was already sitting, but no one had come to support her today.
Although the old lady was quite old, her eyesight was excellent. When she saw Su Zhenzhen coming over, she greeted her warmly, "Young lady, it's you."
Su Zhenzhen stopped in front of the old lady and handed her the steamed bun in her hand. "Have something to eat first, and I'll listen to your story after you're done."
It's not that Su Zhenzhen didn't buy more steamed buns; the old lady is at this age, and if she eats too much at once, her stomach can't handle it.
Furthermore, if she develops a large appetite, and no one feeds her in the future, it's uncertain whether she will survive.
Grandma Ba took the bun and ate it in big bites, finishing it off in no time. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, licked her fingers, and kept praising, "Girl, these buns are so delicious."
Su Zhenzhen smiled but didn't say anything. It wasn't that the steamed buns were delicious; it was just that her kindness had warmed the old woman's heart.
Grandma Ba finally swallowed every last bit of the bun. "Girl, what story do you want to hear today? I'm not bragging, but there's nothing in this alley that I don't know."
"Oh?" Su Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow. "You know about the dead too?"
Grandma Ba quipped, "If someone has been dead for too long, then I don't know. But if someone died before I was born, even if I knew, the story isn't guaranteed to be true."
"Relax, I already said it's just a story, so why worry about whether it's true or not? Just tell me what you know." Su Zhenzhen sat to the left of Granny Ba, looking just like a junior. "There's a family named Huo in this alley, and a Mrs. Huo. Do you know her story?"
"Madam Huo? Which Madam Huo are you talking about? The one who lived a long life or the one who died young?" Granny Ba lowered her eyes. "I met the one who died young in person. She passed away at a very young age."
Su Zhenzhen's gaze followed the old lady's eyes. "General Huo, you should know him, right? The short-lived Madam Huo you mentioned must be his mother."
"Yes," the old woman managed to utter with difficulty.
"Then the other Mrs. Huo is his grandmother, so let's talk about her story first."
Grandma Ba raised her eyes and glanced timidly at Su Zhenzhen. "I only heard her story secondhand, so don't take it seriously."
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