Chapter 73 My husband has many children, but I...
Chu Ci hadn't expected their reaction to be so strong, and quickly asked:
Is there a problem?
"Of course there's a problem! That's about reincarnation, it concerns a person's entire life!" Bai Yinchai exclaimed dramatically.
The Black Shadow Chariot followed closely behind, saying, "If you want to get involved, you'll have to pay a hefty price... Ouch!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was struck hard by Bai Yinchai's elbow.
Bai Yinchai's eyes widened. "All he thinks about is money, money, money! If we get caught, we're both finished!"
After saying that, he waved his hand at Chu Ci with a troubled expression.
"Young man, it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that this matter is too dangerous!"
He looked distressed. "The main problem is that the allocation of reincarnations isn't something we can control."
"If the two of us get involved, we can easily find out the truth with a simple investigation."
"If they find out, we'll both be boiled in oil!"
"What are you saying, you old fool? You're just trying to scare ghosts!" Hei Yinchai said dismissively.
"Didn't you see that there aren't even any underworld officials left in this area?!"
"We're so short-staffed down here, how could we possibly throw the two of us into the boiling oil!"
He turned his head and put on a different expression, patting his chest at Chu Ci.
"Sister Chu, that's true, but the risks are still quite high."
"But as long as the money is there, everything is negotiable!"
Bai Yincha glared at him, then turned to leave.
"If you want to take the risk, go ahead and take the risk. I'm not going with you."
Chu Ci quickly called out to him, "Wait, senior! I didn't mean to interfere with the reincarnation."
Bai Yincha paused, staring at her with a mixture of belief and disbelief.
"Really? Then why are you asking so many questions?"
"I...I was just curious."
Seeing the disbelief in Bai Yinchai's eyes, Chu Ci then said:
"Senior, if I inquire about where someone will go after reincarnation, would that be considered interfering with reincarnation?"
"This...this doesn't count."
Bai Yinchai's expression softened a bit. "You want to know whose reincarnation location?"
Chu Ci smiled and said, "She hasn't been reincarnated yet. I'll bring her over tomorrow. I'll have to trouble you two then."
Before the Black Yin Messenger could speak, Chu Ci took the initiative to say:
"At this time tomorrow, I will prepare delicious food, fine wine, and enough gold and silver to reward you both well."
"There are no ghost messengers in our area to collect souls now, so we'll have to trouble you two seniors to do your part."
Upon hearing that there would be delicious food and fine wine, Bai Yincha's eyes lit up immediately.
His pale tongue licked his blackened lips, and the smile on his face lost some of its sinister edge.
"Okay, okay, Lao Hei and I will definitely come tomorrow at midnight."
"Young man, don't worry, I'll take care of this matter!"
He hummed a cheerful tune and disappeared into the thick fog of the night along with the Black Shadow Messenger.
Chu Ci put away the brazier by the door and called out towards the outside:
"They're gone, stop hiding."
A wisp of black mist, barely recognizable as human, drifted out.
Compared to the last time we met, the autumn frost this time is so thin that it has almost blended into the air.
Chu Ci stared as she straightened up, frowning.
"What's wrong with you? How come you're almost out of your mind?"
The cloud of black mist seemed to shake its head.
But she can't even maintain her human form in the black mist now, and Chu Ci can't tell whether she's shaking her head or nodding.
"Did you hear what I said to the underworld officials? Tomorrow you will go with them to be reincarnated."
"But don't worry, I will do my best to accompany you when you are reincarnated."
Qiu Shuangshuang made a gesture that was hard to tell whether it was a shake of her head or a nod. Seeing that she didn't seem worried, Chu Ci waved his hand.
"Alright, it's getting late, I need to go back and rest."
"Oh, right." She locked the shop door and gave Qiu Shuangshuang a word of advice.
"Stop visiting your parents' dreams. If you keep doing this, you'll be gone before you can be reincarnated tomorrow."
Seeing her make a gesture that was neither a nod nor a shake of the head, Chu Ci walked into the building.
The next morning, she informed Master Qiu.
She seemed a little lost when she learned that her daughter would be sent to be reincarnated that night.
"I... Master, is there anything I can do for my daughter?"
Chu Ci was waiting for this sentence from her.
How's your cooking?
Master Qiu shook her head. "My cooking is just so-so, barely edible."
"And what about your husband?"
"His skill level is not as good as mine."
Chu Ci: "..."
She said helplessly, "Then there's nothing I can do but order from the restaurant."
Under Master Qiu's questioning gaze, she confessed:
"Go order some good food this afternoon, from a restaurant with good food."
"Then prepare more wine, good old wine, and move it all to my shop."
Whether your daughter's reincarnation goes smoothly depends on how well you prepare.
Master Qiu seemed to understand something, paused for a moment, and then quickly nodded.
"I understand, Master. I will definitely prepare well!"
She hurriedly began preparing, then remembered something and asked:
"Master, is it just a matter of preparing food? Should we also prepare incense, candles, and paper money?"
"Prepare some of everything," Chu Ci instructed her. "You can prepare a small amount, but it must be of good quality."
She hadn't forgotten how the Black Yin Messenger almost turned on her when he saw the gold ingots Grandma had folded.
"Okay, okay."
Master Qiu said "good" three times in a row and walked out in a hurry.
Chu Ci contacted the customers who had already paid their deposits and kept busy until the afternoon.
She figured everything would be fine by the afternoon, so she sat behind the counter folding paper ingots when a noise suddenly came from the doorway.
Chu Ci looked up and saw a familiar figure standing at the door, followed by a woman wearing sunglasses.
"Linda?"
She was pleasantly surprised to recognize the female reporter she knew.
"It's been so many days since I've seen you. And this is... "
Her gaze fell on the young woman wearing sunglasses behind Linda.
The woman had snow-white skin, a high nose bridge, and bright red lipstick on her lips.
He looked extremely imposing.
Linda twitched the corners of her mouth, indicating that she didn't seem to have a very good relationship with the woman behind her.
She explained somewhat stiffly, "Master Chu, it's been a long time. This is Miss Huo."
She pointed to the young woman behind her, and then to Chu Ci.
“Miss Huo, this is Master Chu, the one Director Rong mentioned to you.”
Chu Ci looked at Miss Huo.
Even though the other person was wearing sunglasses, she could still vaguely sense the critical look in Ms. Huo's eyes.
Ignoring the somewhat arrogant Miss Huo, Chu Ci turned around and gestured for them to come in first.
After sitting down at the spirit table, Chu Ci asked, "What Director Rong?"
Linda's smile turned bitter: "Master, our publishing house has dissolved."
Chu Ci: "..."
She was startled, and thinking of Linda's kind-hearted colleagues, she couldn't help but frown with regret.
"Why did they suddenly disband?"
As she thought of something, her brows furrowed even more deeply.
"You were retaliated against by the Bai family because you published Ms. Guo Miaotong's apology letter?"
Linda nodded with a wry smile, her face instantly enveloped in a thick layer of fatigue.
"Um……"
"However, whether we are journalists or editors-in-chief of our publishing house, we all had a feeling this day would come."
She forced a cheerful smile, unsure whether she was comforting Chu Ci or herself.
“Our publishing house reports on everything, and over the years we’ve offended a lot of people.”
"Fortunately, although the publishing house was dissolved, all of us colleagues are fine."
"The editor-in-chief is doing well and is now planning to go abroad to accompany his child's studies."
She looked up at Chu Ci, her eyes sparkling.
"Moreover, our publishing house has worked hard for so many years, and we have reported everything that should be reported. We have done our job well."
"Looking back, there's nothing to regret, and that's enough. Right?"
She grinned, revealing her snow-white teeth.
Chu Ci noticed that although she was tired, her spirits were not bad, and even her new clothes seemed to look much better.
She smiled back at her, "You still haven't told me who this Director Rong is?"
She wondered, "Was it one of my previous customers?"
Linda's smile froze, her expression turning somewhat complicated.
"Hmm...I guess so."
Chu Ci: "?"
I guess so?
Linda smiled awkwardly: "Master, do you remember the time a while ago when someone was waiting for you at the door early in the morning?"
Chu Ci: "..."
She said the surname "Rong" sounded so familiar.
"...The Director Rong you're talking about, could it be Rong Qin?"
The ambitious female reporter wanted to recruit Rong Qin to join her team and create a column to expose the inside story of the entertainment industry.
Linda nodded with a forced laugh.
"Yes, our Director Rong does have that name."
After speaking, she looked at Miss Huo, who had remained silent with her jaw clenched, and introduced her:
"Miss Huo and our Director Rong are very good friends. She has recently encountered some difficulties."
"Our Director Rong just happened to think of you, Master Chu, so he asked me to bring Miss Huo over."
After she finished speaking, she waited a few seconds, then asked, "Miss Huo?"
But Miss Huo remained silent.
She seemed not to have heard their conversation at all, nor did she hear Linda call her name.
To be precise, they treated Linda like she didn't exist.
Linda clenched her fists tightly, her eyes almost overflowing with dissatisfaction.
Her lips twitched slightly as she helped with the introduction.
"That's right, Master Chu."
She took a deep breath and kept smiling.
"Miss Huo plans to marry her fiancé soon, but she always feels that something is off about him..."
Before Linda could finish speaking, a haughty female voice abruptly interrupted her.
"Who told you I think my fiancé is acting strange?"
Miss Huo had taken off her glasses at some point, and her eyes, adorned with exquisite eye makeup, gave Linda a critical look.
Her thin eyebrows furrowed. "How could you make up something I never said? Are all reporters like this?"
Linda nearly fainted from shock.
She gave a forced smile. "Then please tell me yourself, Miss Huo. What I've heard may be somewhat different from what you think."
Miss Huo seemed not to have grasped the implied meaning in her words, and her critical gaze fell on Chu Ci.
He looked her up and down with some disdain.
"You're so young, and you don't look like you're very capable."
She pouted, "Can you really predict it accurately?"
"If the calculation is inaccurate and it affects my relationship with my fiancé, I doubt you could afford to compensate me."
Seeing the corners of her mouth almost turned down to her ears, Chu Ci smiled and pointed to the door:
“Miss Huo is right. If you don’t trust me, there’s really no need for you to ask me.”
"The entrance is over there, Miss Huo, please go back."
Chu Ci stood up, walked to another table, and picked up the folded ingot.
Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Miss Huo's eyes widened.
He suddenly stood up, the stool beneath him scraping across the ground with a screeching sound.
Her facial muscles twitched, and her voice became shrill:
What kind of attitude is this?!
She came running over in her high heels and slammed her hand on the table in front of Chu Ci.
"I traveled all the way from Wong Tai Sin District to this godforsaken place, and this is how you treat me?"
Chu Ci looked up at the bright red nail polish on her fingers, then traced it upwards from her fingertips.
His gaze fell on her slightly distorted cheek, but he wasn't angry because of the slap.
His voice was calm and gentle: "Miss Huo, do you think my attitude was bad?"
"But Miss Huo doesn't trust me. What's wrong with me telling Miss Huo to find someone more capable?"
"you!"
Miss Huo's gaze fell on her young face, her jaw tightened, and she ground her teeth.
"Miss Huo."
Linda didn't want Chu Ci to get involved in this mess, so she took the initiative to step between the two.
“If you think Master Chu is too young, I know other masters, so perhaps…”
"Need not."
Miss Huo pushed her aside, pulled over a chair, and sat down in front of Chu Ci.
His gloomy eyes remained fixed on Chu Ci's face. "I'll make her settle accounts with me today!"
She gave a slight smile, revealing her pearly white teeth through her crimson lips, and spoke each word slowly and deliberately:
"I want to see what she can figure out."
Chu Ci held out his hand: "The divination fee."
"How many?"
"five hundred."
"five hundred?!!"
Miss Huo raised her voice again and pointed to the notice board next to her.
"It clearly says one hundred per divination!"
“For an ordinary person, one divination yields a hundred results, but Miss Huo, you are not an ordinary person.”
Before Chu Ci could finish speaking, Miss Huo suddenly stood up and interrupted him.
She stared at Chu Ci with a cold smile: "So, you mean you're going to try and raise the price?"
Chu Ci: "..."
Seeing her angry face, Chu Ci remained expressionless.
"Your divination result is definitely worth the price."
"Really?" Miss Huo smiled through gritted teeth.
But in the end, I still chose to pay the divination fee.
"Then tell me, why is my divination worth this price?"
Chu Ci counted the money she was given, made sure the amount was correct, and put the money into the drawer.
He looked up at her and smiled, "Miss Huo and Director Rong, are you just fake friends?"
One sentence almost ruined the expression on Miss Huo's face.
Even Linda couldn't help but look over, her gossipy gaze undisguised.
But it was this one sentence that immediately silenced Miss Huo.
She sat down again in front of Chu Ci, her arrogance completely gone, like a deflated balloon.
Her tone even softened considerably. "Master, I'd like to ask about my marriage with my fiancé."
She took out a photo of her fiancé from her wallet and handed it to Chu Ci.
“I was supposed to marry my fiancé next month, but lately I’ve suddenly felt that something’s wrong with him.”
Linda, who was next to her, stared wide-eyed, as if she wanted to burn a hole through her.
Isn't this exactly what she just said?!
Miss Huo completely ignored Linda's gaze, her head lowered, her bangs concealing the unease in her eyes, utterly absorbed in her own emotions.
“These past few days when he came home, I always smelled an unfamiliar women’s perfume on him, and I also found long female hair on his shirt.”
She touched her jet-black curly hair. "My hair is pure black, but the longer strands are golden."
“In addition, he became increasingly indifferent to me and always ignored my feelings.”
"Master!" She leaned forward, resting her head on the table, her eyes filled with trepidation. "Do you think I'll be able to get married smoothly?"
Chu Ci looked at the photo.
She probably knew beforehand, and the photo she brought was also recently taken.
After staring at the photo for a couple more seconds, Chu Ci nodded, "A smooth marriage is no problem..."
"That's good, that's good."
Miss Huo interrupted Chu Ci, patted her chest, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’ve been dating for over a year, and our relationship has always been quite stable. I’m really afraid that something will happen to our relationship.”
She talked to herself for a while before noticing Chu Ci's hesitant look.
Her heart skipped a beat. "Master, is there a problem?"
Chu Ci nodded. "Yes, it's a big problem."
She pointed at the man in the photo with her fingertip, "This man is a womanizer, a scumbag, and...he has quite a few children. If you marry him..."
Miss Huo blushed inexplicably and interrupted her again.
"Master, are you saying we'll have several children after we get married?"
She seemed completely oblivious to Chu Ci's earlier use of the words "womanizer" and "scumbag," lost in her own world.
"Although I am not opposed to having children, I feel that two children at most would be enough."
"But if he really wants two more children, I..."
Seeing the shy look on her face, Chu Ci pursed her lips, glad that she had asked for a few hundred more yuan earlier.
For the sake of those five hundred yuan, she interrupted Miss Huo's fantasy and said bluntly:
"Ms. Huo, if I may be frank, your health is not very good right now, and you may not be able to have children in the future."
She pointed to the photo, "His child wasn't born to you."
Miss Huo's shy face turned deathly pale.
She suddenly looked up at Chu Ci, her expression changing several times before she finally slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"What did you say?!!!"
She pointed at herself in disbelief, "You're saying... I can't have children?"
Seeing Chu Ci nod affirmatively, she grabbed the bag beside her and was about to throw it at him.
"You liar! You lying liar!"
Seeing that Chu Ci had caught the bag, she looked around, as if she was looking for something to throw at someone.
As soon as Linda looked over, she quickly slung her bag over her shoulder, not giving Linda a chance to snatch it.
But the store had just been renovated, so there wasn't much to throw at people.
Miss Huo tried to move a chair, but Chu Ci stepped on it.
She looked at Miss Huo's face, which was slightly distorted with anger, and said, "Just talk, don't hit me."
However, Miss Huo was so angry that her eyes turned red and she wouldn't listen to anything she said.
"You liar! How dare you say I can't have children? How dare you say my husband is unfaithful!"
She tried hard to snatch the chair from Chu Ci's feet, but to no avail.
Chu Ci: "You don't need to be so angry. If you don't believe me, you can go to the hospital for a checkup."
She easily snatched the psychic chair from Miss Huo's hands, saying, "With today's advanced science and technology, this kind of thing can be diagnosed at any major hospital."
"You're right, you're absolutely right!"
Miss Huo's facial muscles twitched incessantly.
"You just wait! I'm going to the hospital for a checkup right now!"
"If what you say is different from what the hospital found, just wait for me to smash up your shop!"
She turned to leave, but Chu Ci called out to her, "Miss Huo."
Miss Huo turned around angrily, "What, you want to change your mind? Too late!"
Before she could finish uttering the word "了", a bag was suddenly thrown down into her arms.
It was her own bag.
Chu Ci: "You forgot your bag."
Miss Huo: "..."
Her haughty eyes flashed red. "You want to humiliate me? Fine, you just wait!"
She walked out of the store with heavy steps.
I'll smash your shop sooner or later!
Watching her resolute retreating figure, Chu Ci kindly reminded her:
"Miss Huo, remember to go to a reliable hospital. Be careful that the test results aren't tampered with."
But all she got in return was Miss Huo's retreating figure, never turning her head.
"I'm so sorry, Master!"
Linda apologized to Chu Ci repeatedly.
"I know Miss Huo has a bit of a strange temper, but I didn't expect her to be so rude."
"fine."
Chu Ci waved his hand dismissively, "Hurry up and catch up, she's about to get on the bus."
After Linda apologized again, she quickly followed Ms. Huo into the car.
Chu Ci looked at the photo left on the table, and at the dark aura faintly surrounding the man's brows, then lowered her eyes thoughtfully.
After hesitating for a moment, she put the photo into the drawer.
-
As evening fell, Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu entered with wine and food.
Chu Ci closed the shop early and saw them continuously carrying bag after bag of incense, candles, and paper money into the house.
By the time they finished moving everything, the house was almost completely filled with stuff.
Looking at the room full of paper money, Chu Ci remained silent for a moment.
"So many?"
Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu wiped the sweat from their brows.
Perhaps the day's busyness had eased the sadness in both of them, and Master Qiu spoke with much more energy.
“My Shuangshuang has never suffered any injustice in her life. I don’t want her to have to worry about money when she gets to the underworld.”
Uncle Qiu nodded, "Yes, it's always good to prepare more."
Chu Ci looked at the large bags crammed together and scratched his head.
"Then we'll need to prepare a larger iron basin."
If we used her brazier, with so much stuff, it would probably take forever to burn it.
Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu went around buying suitable iron basins, and by the time they returned, it was already dark.
The group ate their meal absentmindedly, while Chu Ci kept folding gold ingots, all waiting for midnight to arrive.
"Time is up."
As soon as the clock struck twelve, Chu Ci told them to leave and lit a brazier in the shop.
As countless gold ingots and paper money were consumed by the flames, the familiar thick fog once again spread.
"Young man, you're really punctual!"
Bai Yinchai emerged from the thick fog, exuding an aura of yin energy.
"Hey, Old Hei is late today? Then I won't be polite."
Seeing the food on the table next to Chu Ci, a sinister smile appeared on his face, and he quickly found a seat.
Chu Ci sat by the brazier, smiling as she responded, and continued adding paper money to the fire.
Bai Yinchai couldn't wait to take a sip of wine. After finishing the cup, he smacked his lips and couldn't help but sigh.
"Tsk, the wine from the mortal realm tastes the best!"
After downing several drinks, he finally noticed a pile of large bags next to Chu Ci. He walked over to take a look:
Wow! So much incense and paper money!
"Um."
Chu Ci glanced at his shining eyes, "The person who was reincarnated this time is the only daughter in the family, and her parents are worried about her."
"So I prepared extra things, hoping she wouldn't be wronged after her death."
Bai Yincha rummaged through the plastic bag for a while, then couldn't help but click his tongue, "In your area, there aren't many families who would dote on their daughters like this."
His voice quickly changed, "But she won't need any more. We can send her to be reincarnated tonight."
Chu Ci readily agreed: "Then it would be a waste. Why don't you take it, senior? If you don't take it, it will benefit those lonely ghosts."
Bai Yincha is waiting for this sentence.
"Very well, young man, you are right!"
He couldn't wait to reach into the brazier and take out all the gold ingots and various kinds of paper money.
He shook off the dust, took a look, and grinned, "Wow, the quality is pretty good!"
Just as he was frantically picking up money, the underworld messenger arrived.
Seeing how happy he was about to fall for the money, I rushed over in a flash.
"Old Bai, what are you doing! Didn't you say you'd wait for me?!"
The old man with the white hair who was picking up the money didn't even look up. "There are still several big bags over there that haven't been burned yet, what's your hurry!"
The black-clad man looked in the direction he was pointing and couldn't help but let out a "ho!"
He rubbed his hands together excitedly, shouting, "I'm going to be rich! I'm going to be rich today!"
While waiting for Chu Ci to burn paper money, the two of them enjoyed a delicious meal and ended up getting a little drunk.
Chu Ci frowned as she watched the two of them, arms around each other and unsteady on their feet.
"Can these two seniors really send someone to be reincarnated like this?"
As she spoke, she threw paper money into the brazier.
A flush appeared on the dark-skinned man's pale face as he waved his hands haphazardly, "Don't worry, there's no problem!"
After eating and drinking their fill, the two of them took the still-grown Qiu Shuangshuang downstairs and came back up in less than half an hour.
When they came back up, they were both much more sober.
It's like you push me, I push you, and everyone wants the other person to speak first.
Chu Ci's heart skipped a beat. "Seniors, has something happened?"
The Black Yin Messenger was ultimately kicked out by the White Yin Messenger.
He glanced at Chu Ci's face, then at the leftover food on the table, and felt troubled.
"Sister Chu, it's not that we accepted the gifts and didn't do anything, it's just that..."
He spread his hands with a bitter face, "It's just that your friend's soul is too thin!"
Chu Ci's heart skipped a beat. "So..."
Bai Yinchai chimed in, "So there's no problem with her reincarnation, but her like this..."
Black Yincha: "You won't be born into a good family, and you might even be born disabled."
He covered his eyes, touched his legs, and touched his hands.
"Going blind in one eye, losing a leg, or having underdeveloped hands!"
"Any of these are possible; it's also very possible that he won't live past the age of three."
Qiu Shuangshuang, in her sparse human form, stood behind them, listening to their words without uttering a sound.
Chu Ci opened his mouth, looked at the unusually silent Qiu Shuangshuang, and then closed it again.
The white ghost messenger quickly said, "But we've tried our best. We told the ghost messengers who are arranging our reincarnations that we don't want to go too far."
"The ghost messenger arranged a relatively close reincarnation point for us, very close to where you are!"
Whether out of guilt or something else, the two underworld messengers quickly announced that time was up.
"Sister Chu, we can't delay any longer. If we miss this chance to be reincarnated, we'll have to wait for the next one."
The black-clad messenger bound the iron chains around Qiu Shuangshuang's body. "Do you see that school over there?"
"We're taking her over there to be reincarnated. You can come along if you want!"
After they finished speaking, a thick fog engulfed them.
When the thick fog dissipated, the two underworld messengers and one ghost had vanished.
Chu Ci called upon the anxious Master Qiu and her husband, and asked:
"Where's the car I asked you to prepare?"
"Over here!"
Uncle Qiu took out his car keys and pointed to the location downstairs in the building.
"Hurry up, let's go to the school over there."
Chu Ci pointed in the direction the Black Yin Chariot had just indicated, "The place where the two were reincarnated is over there!"
Looking at the location of the school, Master Qiu felt a vague unease.
How could it be a school?
By the time they arrived by car, Qiu Shuangshuang had already been reincarnated.
Two underworld messengers stood at the school gate, pointed in the direction of the teaching building, and then disappeared into the thick fog again.
"Let's go, we have to go in."
Chu Ci led Master Qiu and her husband through the difficult climb into the school. After walking for only a few minutes, they saw a female student walking towards them.
The female student was thin and small, carrying a heavy schoolbag, her back bent, as if she was about to be crushed by the schoolbag.
His face was as white as paper, and cold sweat dripped down his face like water.
Upon seeing Chu Ci and the other two, she paused in surprise, clearly not expecting anyone to still be at the school at this hour.
But after only a moment's hesitation, she turned and ran.
Hey, classmate!
Chu Ci called out to her, but the student ran even faster.
Seeing her running with a limp and in a strange posture, Chu Ci's expression changed.
"classmate!"
She grabbed the female student's arm and saw her clutching her stomach; her pupils trembled.
"you……"
"Let me go!"
The female student's voice was hoarse, and cold sweat streamed down her face like water.
"Who are you! If you don't let go of me, I'm calling the police!"
Chu Ci stared at her pale, bloodless face for a while, and the female student, feeling uneasy under her gaze, quickly stopped struggling.
Chu Ci didn't know if she was too weak to struggle or too lazy to struggle.
Turning to the bewildered Master Qiu, he instructed:
"Keep an eye on her, don't let her get away."
After saying that, she quickly went upstairs.
They searched floor by floor and finally found a newborn baby in a bathroom on the first floor.
The baby was tiny, not even as big as a brick.
She was soaking wet and cried softly, her voice barely louder than a cat's meow.
One foot is deformed, with only half a foot remaining.
"Who are you people? Why won't you let me leave?!"
When Chu Ci wrapped the child in her coat and went downstairs, the female student was arguing with Master Qiu and her husband.
Her face was frighteningly pale, her bangs were stuck to her forehead, and she spoke with a sob in her voice.
Whether it was because she was too weak or worried about attracting the school security guards, she spoke softly even when arguing with someone.
Looking at her, Master Qiu didn't dare to argue with her at all.
He gently comforted her: "Little girl, don't worry, wait a bit, okay?"
"We are not bad people, and we will not hurt you."
"Since the master has asked us to keep an eye on you, it must be something important!"
"Wait a minute..."
Seeing that the two men weren't being forceful, the female student clutched her stomach and tried to force her way in.
"I don't know you, get out of my way, I want to go home!"
Uncle Qiu stepped forward to stop her, "Daughter, wait a minute! We really mean no harm!"
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The female student shuddered, her pupils constricted as she stared at Uncle Qiu, and suddenly screamed in terror.
She suddenly pulled a bloodstained knife from her schoolbag, held it tremblingly in front of her, and her weak voice suddenly rose.
"What do you want to do? What exactly do you want to do?!"
"I don't know you. If you don't move aside, I'm really going to call the police!"
"Ah Nu, calm down!"
Master Qiu was surprised by her strong reaction and quickly pulled her husband behind her.
"Don't be afraid, I won't let him pass. Be careful, don't hurt yourself."
But the female students dared not relax in the slightest.
He gripped the scissors tightly with both hands, his reddened eyes fixed warily on Uncle Qiu.
Seeing her looking like she had been traumatized, Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu exchanged a glance, their faces full of embarrassment.
But the female student thought they were communicating in secret, and her hand holding the scissors began to tremble, her knuckles turning white.
Her heart was pounding, and she instinctively started to back away, only to trip over a stone behind her.
After finally regaining his balance, the scissors in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ah girl, don't be afraid."
Master Qiu stepped forward to help her pick up the scissors.
However, her actions, which she thought were well-intentioned, terrified the female student.
The moment she lifted her leg to walk this way, the female student turned and ran.
However, as soon as she turned her head, she saw Chu Ci holding a child and standing on the steps at the entrance of the teaching building.
Upon seeing the child in Chu Ci's arms, the female student instinctively took two steps back, as if she had seen a monster.
"I……"
She stared at the child in Chu Ci's arms, panting heavily.
In the blink of an eye, tears rolled down from her trembling eyes.
Just as I was about to say something, a bright light suddenly came from behind me.
The security guard, flashlight in hand, strode over and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Who are you? What are you doing at school so late!"
-
Ten minutes later, Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu stood in the security room, holding their newborn baby girl in their arms, stunned.
The light was dim, but they could still see the child in their arms very clearly.
Most newborn babies look the same.
With its pink, wrinkled skin and sparse hair on its head, it looks like a little monkey that can only make noise.
They also thought their only daughter was ugly when she was born.
But looking at it now, I find the child incredibly adorable.
Master Qiu gently held the baby girl's soft hand, and hot tears fell onto the baby's face.
The baby girl whimpered twice as she was hit by tears, then opened her eyes to look at her.
“Old Qiu,” Master Qiu excitedly grabbed her husband’s arm, “Look, Shuangshuang is looking at us!”
Uncle Qiu looked at the child in Master Qiu's arms and nodded repeatedly.
His eyes were red, and despite his best efforts to hold back, tears still streamed down his face, falling in a steady patter onto the baby girl.
"Yes, Shuangshuang is watching us..."
Seeing the two of them holding the child, laughing and crying intermittently, the security guard next to them, who was asking Chu Ci and the female student to sign autographs, was full of questions.
After verifying Chu Ci's identity, he glanced down at the signed paper, his voice rough and gruff:
"It's so late at night, and instead of taking your sister home, you're bringing your parents to the school."
"Especially with this newborn child, what are you trying to do!"
After speaking, he glanced at the pale-faced female student and cautiously asked:
"Are you really her sister?"
"Really." Chu Ci nodded with a smile, pointing in the direction of his own building, "That tallest building, see it? That's where I run my shop."
The security guard's expression softened when he saw the direction she was pointing.
But he still asked the female student who had been keeping her head down, "Is she really your sister?"
The female student gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and nodded quickly, "Yes."
Looking at her sweat-soaked hair, the security guard paused for a moment, then softened his voice.
"Daughter, don't be afraid. Your uncle fought in wars abroad before, so dealing with these few fry is no problem for him."
“If they are not your relatives, tell your uncle and I will take them to the police station.”
"..."
The female student glanced quickly at the security guard, pursed her lips, and forced a smile.
"No need, uncle, they really are my family."
The security guard's eyes darted back and forth between the group of people.
"But you all don't look like a family..."
Chu Ci put his arm around the female student's shoulder. "How could that be? Uncle, you must have something wrong with your eyes."
“When she was little, I would take her out, and the neighbors would all say that we looked alike!”
Seeing how naturally she spoke, and the fact that the female student didn't seem afraid, the security guard hesitated before nodding.
"Alright."
He opened the school gates and let them out.
Seeing the female student about to get on the bus with them, the security guard asked another question:
"Ah, are you sure everything's alright?"
"No problem, uncle."
The female student smiled shyly, and when she was about to get on the bus, she turned around and thanked him again.
"Thank you, uncle."
The security guard was a little embarrassed by her sincere thanks and smiled.
"If there are no problems, then hurry up and go back to your family."
"If you don't do well on exams in the future, you won't be able to stay at school on your own anymore."
"The school is deserted and so dark at night, it's so dangerous!"
The female student nodded quickly and, at Chu Ci's prompting, sat in the passenger seat.
As soon as she sat down, the female student's face turned even paler.
All the discomfort that had been deliberately ignored suddenly came rushing back.
Her thin eyebrows furrowed together, and cold sweat instantly covered her entire face.
Chu Ci glanced at her quickly, started the car, and said, "Master Qiu, I'll take the two children to the hospital first."
Master Qiu held the baby girl, who was whimpering in her arms, tightly and nodded.
"Okay, let's take them to the hospital first. They all need to be checked out."
Uncle Qiu nodded, but the female student grabbed Chu Ci's hand, weakly sobbing:
"No, I'm not going to the hospital."
Her hand, which she placed on the back of Chu Ci's hand, was icy cold, and her fingertips trembled slightly.
“I’m not going to the hospital,” she emphasized weakly. “I don’t have any money, I’m not going to the hospital.”
"My daughter, you need to go to the hospital."
Seeing her complexion growing increasingly pale, turning faintly bluish, Master Qiu grew anxious.
"Don't worry about the money. Your uncle and I have money. We'll cover it."
The female student glanced at them in the rearview mirror and shook her head with difficulty.
"No, I have to go back and cook for my dad."
She slumped in her seat, biting her bloodless lips, enduring the pain in her body.
“I didn’t go home tonight, he’s definitely angry.”
"If I don't get breakfast by tomorrow morning, I'll definitely get beaten up..."
Master Qiu was angry: "Your father is a grown man, he's not without hands and feet, why do you have to cook for him?"
"Even if he can't cook, can he go out to eat when he's disabled?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she instinctively hugged the child.
The light in her eyes dimmed when she thought of her child's tiny foot, missing half a foot.
The female student shook her head haphazardly and struggled to turn around to open the car door.
"No, I have to go down. I absolutely have to go back..."
But she pried open the door for a long time without success.
She turned to look at Chu Ci and said weakly, "I want to get off the bus."
"You can't get off the bus now, you need to go to the hospital."
Chu Ci looked at her face, which was faintly bluish, and her attitude was not as gentle as that of Master Qiu.
"If you run around right after giving birth, and it gets too late, even the King of Heaven can't save you."
She uttered a phrase that no one in the car dared to say, and the car fell silent immediately.
Only the baby girl in Master Qiu's arms kept whimpering.
The female student lowered her head and bit her lip hard, turning her already pale lips white.
Her long hair fell down, obscuring her bewildered face.
Her fingers gripped her skirt tightly, her fingertips icy and trembling.
Chu Ci drove very fast and soon arrived at the hospital entrance.
Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu held the baby girl, looking at her like she was the apple of their eye.
Chu Ci then picked up the female student who had difficulty moving, and amidst her exclamation, carried her horizontally into the hospital.
Seeing her running around so quickly, the nurse on night shift hurriedly pushed the hospital bed over.
"Quick, quick, put him on the bed! What's wrong with the patient?!"
Chu Ci: "I just gave birth and then went through strenuous exercise."
Nurse:"???"
She glanced at the female student still wearing her school uniform on the hospital bed, then at Chu Ci, who was panting heavily.
He frowned deeply. "Have a child? You?"
Chu Ci pointed at the female student: "Her!"
The nurse was speechless when she saw the pale-faced female student who dared not meet her gaze.
"I see."
She quickly called her colleagues, who pushed the hospital bed into the emergency room.
Master Qiu and Uncle Qiu took the child to the pediatric ward.
The two watched with bated breath as the doctor placed the kitten into the machine.
"Doctor, how is the baby?"
The doctor lifted his eyelids and glanced at them. "The child is not fully developed and is relatively weak. He cannot be discharged from the hospital for the time being."
"Judging from the situation, the child may need to stay in the hospital for half a month. You should go and pay the fees first."
Master Qiu pressed further, "Is the child out of danger?"
"There's no danger to his life, but he'll need to be well cared for. He'll get sick frequently before he's three years old."
Upon hearing that the child was alright, the two thanked them repeatedly.
After paying the money and asking Uncle Qiu to look after the child, Master Qiu came to find Chu Ci.
"Master, how is the girl? Is she alright?"
Chu Ci shook his head and pointed to the door of the ward beside him.
"It's alright, the situation isn't serious, you can be discharged tomorrow."
After she finished speaking, she pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Master Qiu was in a good mood and smiled, "Master, just say what you have to say."
"Since you put it that way, then I'll be frank."
Chu Ci looked up at her, "Do you want to raise the child that Shuangshuang was reincarnated as?"
"Yes, of course I want to!"
Master Qiu's hands trembled involuntarily, and her eyes reddened once again.
"Master, I've been dreaming about this!"
She glanced at the door beside Chu Ci and lowered her voice:
"Master, I'm not trying to be mean."
"The girl in here is still a child herself, wearing a school uniform. How can she be a mother?"
"Especially since both of our legs are now disabled, the doctor said that when our child grows up, he will either be in a wheelchair or use crutches."
"I noticed that the girl's inner clothes were all pilled from washing, so her family must be poor."
“Even if things are good, if her family encounters this situation, they still have to send the child to an orphanage.”
Master Qiu's voice choked with emotion as she wiped away her tears.
"Both of us are disabled and were sent to the orphanage. Without anyone to protect us, we would be bullied to death."
"Besides, what can you learn in an orphanage? It's not like outside, where you can go to school properly or at least learn a trade."
"Given our circumstances, if we can't support ourselves, what will happen to her when she grows up!"
Chu Ci waited quietly for her to finish speaking, and once she had calmed down, she asked:
"So, you want to keep this child, is that right?"
Master Qiu nodded emphatically, "We want to keep this child."
She pointed to the ward next to Chu Ci.
“Master, look at that student, she looks only fifteen or sixteen years old. How can such a big child be a mother to another child?”
"Besides, this kind of thing is disgraceful. If people find out that she's so young..."
"How will she live her life after this? If she doesn't go to school, is she supposed to have to work at such a young age?"
"Things are different now than before; dropping out of school to work is a dead-end job!"
Master Qiu clenched her fists. "Anyway, no one knows about this now. Let us raise the child."
"Once the student recovers and goes back to school, we'll keep this matter to ourselves!"
She thought her plan was excellent, but Chu Ci remained silent.
"Master T?" Master Qiu asked somewhat nervously. "Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing the panic in her eyes, Chu Ci shook her head, "No."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Aren't you curious about who the baby girl's father is?"
Master Qiu pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.
"No matter who the father of the child is, she will always be my and my husband's daughter!"
Seeing her trembling fist, Chu Ci smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
She stood up and patted Master Qiu on the shoulder.
"Master Qiu, I'll leave the hospital to you. I have some other things to attend to, so I'll come back tomorrow during the day."
"Okay, okay."
Master Qiu was in a good mood. "Master, I'll see you out."
When Chu Ci returned home, he happened to meet his grandmother getting up in the middle of the night.
Seeing her take off her coat, Grandma turned her head and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Aci, it's already three in the morning, and you're only just getting back?"
"Yeah, something came up."
Chu Ci hung up his coat and urged his grandmother to go back to sleep.
"I'll take a shower and then go to sleep. Grandma, you can go back to sleep too."
That's what she said, but after taking a shower and lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
She tossed and turned in bed for several hours, and the next day, just as dawn broke, she went to Wujiangxue's house.
Before she even knocked, she could hear the cat's lazy meowing through the door.
A moment later, Wu Jiangxue opened the door, still wearing her pajamas.
Seeing Chu Ci, he seemed a little surprised, "You were looking for me?"
Chu Ci nodded, her gaze passing over her shoulder to look into her dimly lit home.
"Can I come in and talk?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Wu Jiangxue opened the door and let her in, and also drew back the curtains.
The light rushed in all at once, and she closed her eyes uncomfortably.
As she slowly opened her eyes, her muddled mind cleared up.
"Did you come so early? Is there something you need?"
As she picked up her clothes that she had carelessly tossed on the sofa, she pointed to a clean spot.
"Please, sit wherever you like."
When the big fat cat saw that the sofa had been cleared out, it was the first to jump on it and lie down to reserve a spot.
Chu Ci sat down next to the big fat cat, and seeing Wu Jiangxue sit down, he said:
"I want you to help me look up someone."
She briefly recounted what had happened the previous night, and Wu Jiangxue's brows furrowed deeply.
"That girl is only fifteen or sixteen years old?"
“Yes,” Chu Ci nodded, “She just gave birth, so there are many things I can’t ask her.”
"But from what she said, it seems like she's very afraid of her father, so I'd like you to investigate him."
Wu Jiangxue had been in this line of work for quite some time, and she immediately understood what she was saying.
"You suspect her father?"
Reality is more exciting than fiction. Fiction is supposed to be logical, but many people in reality are worse than animals.
"Yes, but it's just a suspicion, not a certainty."
Chu Ci frowned as he recalled the female student's somewhat weak personality.
"It could be a student or teacher at the school; both are suspects."
"Okay, I understand."
Wu Jiangxue was no longer sleepy. She stood up and said, "I'm going to the police station now. I'll contact you if I need anything."
The two communicated quickly. Wu Jiangxue quickly changed her clothes, picked up the big fat cat who was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open, and went to the police station.
Chu Ci was about to buy breakfast when, by sheer coincidence, she ran into someone collecting protection money.
She'd been in this world for so long, and this was the first time she'd ever seen someone demand protection money.
As she watched the group of shady-looking young men approach an old woman's stall, her eyes narrowed, and she was about to go over when Baozhiliang grabbed her shoulder.
"Wait! Master, wait!"
The newspaper-wearing man gripped her shoulder and whispered to stop her.
"Master, they're from the White Tiger Gang, we can't afford to offend them!"
Chu Ci watched as the old lady, with trembling hands, pulled out a handful of coins from her pocket and counted them with unsteady steps.
But those shady-looking youths snatched them all away, and he almost lost his temper.
"Hey! Master!" Newspaper Liang stopped her, "We can't get into a conflict with them!"
He wasn't worried that Chu Ci would suffer a loss, after all, he had witnessed the master's skills firsthand.
He whispered, "These are all breakfast stalls; if a fight breaks out, people could easily get caught in the crossfire."
"If we accidentally damage the tools that everyone uses for their livelihood, it would be a huge loss!"
"People would rather pay protection money than have their stalls vandalized!"
Chu Ci clenched his fists and forced himself to hold back.
To her surprise, the group of shady-looking young men snatched the old lady's money, counted it, and then returned the majority of it.
The young man had a head of dazzling yellow hair, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and smoke clouded his face, obscuring his features.
He mumbled incoherently to the old lady, "Grandma, please count, we didn't take any extra!"
The old lady took it shakily, nodding repeatedly: "I'm watching, I'm watching, I didn't take any more."
The young man stuffed the protection money into his pocket and then went to the next house.
When he turned around, Chu Ci immediately recognized the familiar face under the blond hair.
That was the first face she saw after she came into this world, and she remembered it clearly.
"Wang Qiang?"
She tentatively called out, but before Wang Qiang could speak, his henchmen jumped out.
"Who are you to dare call our boss by his name?"
"Everyone on this street calls our boss 'Brother Qiang,' you've got some nerve!"
However, before the younger brother could finish speaking, Wang Qiang slapped him to the side.
Wang Qiang also recognized Chu Ci, and his expression was full of surprise: "Chu Ci, Master Chu!"
He laughed and opened his arms, walking over to hug Chu Ci.
"Master, I've been looking for you all this time! Why did you suddenly move?"
Chu Ci slapped his hand away and frowned: "It's all because you went to my house and made a scene, I can't stay here anymore."
Wang Qiang chuckled twice, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and rubbed his hand, which had been slapped so hard. He wasn't angry.
Instead, he laughed and said, "Oh dear, Master, you can joke too! How could I possibly make a fuss? I'm more than grateful to you!"
He told his other henchmen to continue collecting protection money, and then pulled Chu Ci to a food stall to sit down.
"Master, I really have to thank you! If you hadn't reminded me, my sister-in-law and nephew would have been in trouble."
"Thank goodness you reminded me in time, otherwise I would have missed it by a hair's breadth!"
As he smoked, he described the thrilling scene to Chu Ci, and finally laughed as he said:
"The day after I saved my sister-in-law and my nephew, I went to your house to look for you, but your landlord said you had moved out."
“I asked around, and all your neighbors said they didn’t know where you moved to.”
"I even specially made a banner for you, Master, that says 'Divine Strategist,' but I've been looking for you for so long and haven't been able to give it to you yet."
"Master, where are you staying now? I'll have someone deliver it to you in a bit!"
Chu Ci wasn't interested in his banner; he kept his eyes on the thugs collecting protection money.
"Have you been collecting protection money here all this time?"
"yes."
Seeing that she looked unwell, Wang Qiang stubbed out his cigarette and leaned forward.
"But don't worry, Master, after what happened to my sister-in-law, I understand now."
"We will absolutely not collect more protection money, and we will try our best not to fight with these merchants, so as to accumulate more good karma for ourselves."
He exhaled the last puff of smoke and said with a smug smile, "I still often take my brothers to do charity work!"
Chu Ci glanced at him and said, "With all this fighting and killing every day, it's no use doing any more charity."
"It's better than nothing!" Wang Qiang grinned.
But he eventually found out Chu Ci's address.
When the banner was delivered in the afternoon, Wu Jiangxue had just arrived at Chu Ci's store and was keeping up with Chu Ci's information.
"That female student's name is Wang Jiali, and she is 16 years old this year."
When Wang Jiali was 8 years old, her biological father died in a gang fight.
When she was 10, her mother remarried a single father with two sons. When she was 13, her mother passed away.
"For the next two years, Wang Jiali lived with her stepfather and two stepfathers."
Chu Ci frowned more and more as she listened to her words. A little girl living with three men who were not related by blood?
How old are her two stepbrothers?
“One is 18 years old, and the other is 16. The older one has already dropped out of school, and the younger one is in the same high school as Wang Jiali,” Wu Jiangxue replied.
She stroked the fat cat in her arms, and the fat cat tilted its head back and let out two "meows".
Wu Jiangxue was stunned for a moment, and was about to speak when a burst of firecrackers suddenly came from outside the door.
Chu Ci looked over and saw a black van parked in front of the store.
Two young men dressed in a slick, unruly manner each held a stick with firecrackers hanging from it, making quite a racket.
The van door was pushed open, and Wang Qiang stepped out aggressively, casually adjusting his glasses.
Two henchmen followed behind, carrying a large plaque.
"Divine wisdom and ingenious calculations, immeasurable merit."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
