Chapter 58 'Token of Love' Shoe Rack
Within days, the news of the haunted public toilet spread throughout several nearby courtyards. Almost everyone knew that there was a female ghost who had died unjustly and was looking for revenge, which was quite eerie.
Lately, everyone has been on edge when using the toilet during the day, not to mention at night. They've all started keeping a chamber pot at home at night.
Nowadays, most people live in cramped conditions. With small rooms and large families, the smell after one night is... well, you know.
It was incredibly sour and refreshing.
But there was no other way; compared to having a terrifying and romantic encounter with a female ghost, everyone was willing to endure this feeling.
It's a bit sour, but it won't kill me! That female ghost is here to take my life!
When Yu Junsheng arrived at work today, his colleagues were already discussing this matter.
A young man with a buzz cut said mysteriously, "Hey, did you guys know? There's a public toilet over at Xiaohuaihua Alley that's haunted. It's haunted by a female ghost who died unjustly. I heard she's come back to take revenge on that adulterous couple!"
"Really?" Another round-faced young man asked skeptically. Why was he so skeptical?
The young man with the crew cut, Sun Zhengye, shook his head. "They're making it sound so real; I don't think it's fake."
"I've never seen what a ghost looks like." He was quite eager to see.
A short-haired woman wearing glasses looked up from the book and disagreed, saying, "There are no ghosts in this world; we should believe in science."
Sun Zhengye scoffed, "Comrade Zhao Ying, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
Zhao Ying frowned, but ultimately said nothing.
Just then, Yu Junsheng arrived. Sun Zhengye's eyes lit up, and he quickly waved.
"Hey, Yu Junsheng, you seem to live around there, right? So, do you know anything about it?"
Yu Junsheng: "..."
He naturally knows the "insider information" better than anyone else, but can he tell?
Absolutely not!
Yu Junsheng gave an awkward smile and mumbled, "That's all I heard. I slept so soundly last night that I didn't hear anything."
Both Sun Zhengye and Yao Qinglin looked disappointed.
Just then, Wang Xiaowu arrived, and Sun Zhengye's eyes lit up again.
"Wang Xiaowu, don't you live with Yu Junsheng? Do you know about that female ghost?"
Wang Xiaowu's eyes lit up immediately. He had been holding back a lot of things to say and was just worried that no one would tell them. So he immediately started to tell all the stories that the aunties in the courtyard had imagined.
The people in the office were stunned, and it felt like the office temperature had dropped three degrees instantly.
Even Zhao Ying felt a bit cold.
Sun Zhengye rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. "Joke, that sounds really creepy!"
He was scared for a moment, then asked curiously, "Who do you think that adulterous couple is? Can that female ghost take revenge?"
Wang Xiaowu looked helpless. "Sigh, the aunties in our courtyard have been analyzing it all morning, but they still can't figure it out!"
Yao Qinglin stroked his chin, pondering, "I'm just curious how that adulterous couple was discovered, and how they killed that female ghost?"
Yu Junsheng: "..."
Yu Junsheng's lips twitched. What a story about a female ghost seeking revenge and adulterous couples—it sounded so real.
These people can be just as gossipy as the aunties in the courtyard.
The two were still huddled together, whispering and analyzing, when suddenly a shout rang out:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Where is this place? How can you talk about these things? This is an insult to science and a disrespect for our work! Can people like you even do research?!"
Section Chief Liao stood at the office door with a dark face, glaring at them with eyes as sharp as knives.
Everyone immediately shrank back and fell silent.
Yao Qinglin and Wang Xiaowu kept their heads down, pretending they didn't exist.
Sun Zhengye's face stiffened. He was the one who had brought up this topic, and he felt that Section Chief Liao's words were directed at him. His face burned with embarrassment.
Section Chief Liao's gaze swept around the office before finally settling on Yu Junsheng, and his expression softened somewhat.
"Yu Junsheng, come to my office."
Yu Junsheng paused for a moment, then immediately followed.
The others looked at each other in bewilderment.
The department is currently preparing for a new project, and it is said that they plan to select one or two new employees to help out.
Because the bonuses are not only substantial but also very helpful for future advancement, the newcomers all hoped to be selected.
At this point, Section Chief Liao called Yu Junsheng into his office for a private talk. The reason for this was self-evident.
Sun Zhengye's face darkened.
...
Section Chief Liao did indeed seek out Yu Junsheng to discuss getting into the project. Even though Yu Junsheng had some prior suspicions, he was overjoyed to hear the news.
He even made a special trip back to the compound after get off work at noon to tell Cheng Jiajia the good news.
Good news is best shared with family for maximum joy.
There wasn't enough time for lunch, so they just made a simple meal. Cheng Jiajia promised to cook him a big meal in the evening to celebrate.
The two were having dinner when an uninvited guest arrived at their home.
"Hey, you guys are eating."
Cheng Jiajia and Yu Junsheng exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.
Jiang Qiubai knew he was unpopular, so he stood at the door with an awkward smile and tried to smooth things over for himself.
"Xiao Cheng, I didn't mean to disturb your meal. It's just that you two are both very busy people, and I only see you in the morning, noon, and evening. I can only come over at this time to see you, so please don't mind."
As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on the corner to the right of the entrance to the main room.
After several days of observation, and through intentional and unintentional inquiries in the yard, Jiang Qiubai finally confirmed that the shoe rack in the Yu family's house was made from black wood strips taken from a scrap yard.
Why are all the ones I bought made of cement?
Maybe it's because Yu Junsheng and his companion took the gold long ago!
Jiang Qiubai felt that his guess was quite reasonable.
The problem now is how to get that thing over here.
She discussed it with Haiyang and felt that stealing or robbing it was not a reliable idea. Yu Junsheng and Cheng Jiajia were as cunning as monkeys, and they were not confident that they would not be discovered.
Then the only option is... to buy it with money!
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Jiang Qiubai gritted his teeth, suppressed the pain in his heart, and pretended to be surprised, "Xiao Cheng, your shoe rack is really nice. Where was it made?"
They're here! They're here!
Cheng Jiajia was eager to get started.
A few days ago, Yu Junsheng took some time to make a shoe rack. Cheng Jiajia deliberately placed the rack in the most conspicuous place at the entrance of the main room, so that people outside could see it at a glance.
After all, so many people in the courtyard saw her and Yu Junsheng come in with that black wooden strip that day, and sooner or later it would reach Jiang Qiubai's ears. Since that's the case, rather than waiting for her to come to the house to test him, it's better to put it out in the open.
Who knows, they might even make another profit.
Yesterday, when Cheng Jiajia saw Jiang Qiubai glancing at her own main room intentionally or unintentionally, she knew that the fish was about to take the bait!
Sure enough, this person couldn't wait to come over at noon today.
What a beautiful shoe rack!
Yu Junsheng knew this thing wouldn't stay in his house for long, so he didn't put much effort into making it.
When they ran out of wood, they simply chopped up firewood from the kitchen to make do. The result was a beautiful interplay of black and natural wood tones.
It's not that it's ugly... it's just that it's ugly in a unique way.
Even Cheng Jiajia, who has a strong bias against Yu Junsheng, couldn't bring herself to say a single good-looking word about this ugly thing. It's really a pity for Jiang Qiubai.
Cheng Jiajia tried hard to suppress her excitement. Just you wait, if she didn't take a good bite out of Zheng Haiyang and Jiang Qiubai, the two main characters in the original book who "crossed the line of morality and fell madly in love", she wouldn't be Cheng!
Sure enough, Jiang Qiubai asked with an expectant look on his face.
"My family needs one, but the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have any. Can you sell me yours?"
"I'm not selling."
"How much...what?!" Jiang Qiubai couldn't help but raise his voice.
Why won't you sell?
She should be grateful if she's willing to pay for this ugly thing. Why won't Cheng Jiajia just deliver it?
Cheng Jiajia glanced at Yu Junsheng, her face immediately filled with tender affection, like a young girl in love.
She said shyly, "This was specially made for me by my husband Junsheng. Every screw and every piece of wood inside is filled with his love for me. It's a symbol of our love! It's extremely important to me, and I plan to keep it to pass down to my grandchildren. So, I can't sell it!"
Jiang Qiubai: "..."
Jiang Qiubai's face turned green.
Bah! It's just a broken shoe rack that they're passing down to their grandchildren!
Does this ugly thing even deserve to be called that?!
No matter how ugly it was, she had to get her hands on it.
Jiang Qiubai forced back his nausea and said, "Xiao Cheng, I know, I know you cherish the things Yu Junsheng made for you. How about this, you sell this to me and have him make you a new one, okay? As long as it's made by his own hands, it's full of his feelings for you, it's the same."
Cheng Jiajia stomped her foot shyly, "How can they be the same? This is the first thing he made by hand, so it has a different meaning!"
After saying that, Cheng Jiajia quickly covered her mouth with her hand, quietly turned her face away, and yum...
Yu Junsheng's eyelid twitched. "That's enough, that's enough. If you keep acting like this, it'll look fake!"
Then he added, "That's right! This shoe rack is a token of our love that I gave to my wife. It has great sentimental value and I can't sell it!"
Jiang Qiubai: "..."
Jiang Qiubai didn't understand, and he was deeply shocked.
This ugly thing, you call it a token of love?!
Her face contorted uncontrollably, and her gaze toward Yu Junsheng was filled with contempt.
Pah! This sly guy is such a cheapskate, all he knows is how to use sweet talk to fool young girls!
I'm so glad I didn't marry him!
Jiang Qiubai glanced at Cheng Jiajia, who seemed to be lost in a girlish fantasy, with a complicated expression.
I never would have guessed that Cheng Jiajia, who usually seems so shrewd, would be so clueless when it comes to men.
If anyone were to give her such a piece of junk as a token of love, she would definitely tell them to get lost!
But it's none of her business!
Anyway, she doesn't like Cheng Jiajia, so let her continue being stupid!
Jiang Qiubai mentally prepared himself again and again before speaking once more:
“Xiao Cheng, don’t think like that. This shoe rack will just be a shoe rack if it’s left at home. If you sell it to me, I can get some money. Wouldn’t that make better use of its value? You can also have Yu Junsheng make one for you by hand. They’re both full of his feelings for you, so they’re the same.”
Before Cheng Jiajia could refuse, she grabbed Cheng Jiajia's hand again and pleaded:
"Xiao Cheng, I have a large family, and the house has been a mess these past few days. I really need this shoe rack to store my shoes. Otherwise, my mother-in-law will definitely scold me when she comes back."
“You know my mother-in-law, she’s not only vicious with words, she… she also hits people. Xiao Cheng, please help me out and sell this to me.” Jiang Qiubai even sobbed at the end.
Cheng Jiajia thought for a moment, then, as if finally unable to bear it, withdrew her hand and reluctantly said, "Alright, alright, seeing how pitiful you are, I'll sell you the token of our love."
Without even blinking, she blurted out, "Thirty yuan, take it or leave it!"
Jiang Qiubai, who was pretending to cry, suddenly looked up, her voice cracking, and exclaimed, "Thirty yuan?! Why don't you just rob me?!" Thirty yuan was a worker's monthly wage. Was this woman crazy for money?
Cheng Jiajia frowned, "Fine, if you don't want it, then forget it!"
"This shoe rack is filled with Yu Junsheng's affection for me; it's our token of love! I'm going to pass it down to my grandchildren!"
She gave me a look that said, "How can you be so ungrateful?" I'm only giving you this discount because we're neighbors. Otherwise, I wouldn't sell it to you no matter what. This is priceless to me.
"Seeing how deep your feelings are for Zheng Haiyang, I thought you could understand me, but I didn't expect... sigh!"
Cheng Jiajia shook her head and stopped talking, making a gesture as if she wanted to kick people out.
Jiang Qiubai panicked. She hadn't even received the goods yet; how could she leave?
She hurriedly said, "Hey Xiao Cheng, wait, wait!" But Cheng Jiajia didn't listen and pushed her out directly.
Jiang Qiubai was really anxious. He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, "Thirty it is! You wait, I'll go back and get the money!"
Thirty yuan is expensive, but if she doesn't buy it, what if these two people discover what's inside after a while? Wouldn't she lose even more money?
I'm sure Ocean Brother can understand himself.
As soon as Jiang Qiubai finished speaking, he was about to run to the other side when Cheng Jiajia quickly suppressed the corners of her mouth and called out to him, "Hey, wait, I haven't finished speaking yet!"
Cheng Jiajia said, enunciating each word clearly, "Listen to me, it's like this, right now they're cracking down on speculation and profiteering, we can't do anything illegal or criminal, so I won't sell this shoe rack, I'll exchange it for thirty yuan worth of grain."
"Then we'll sign a note specifying the items to be exchanged, the time, and that the exchange is voluntary and that neither party will back out."
Jiang Qiubai was stunned and not very happy. "It's just a shoe rack. Why bother exchanging it and signing documents?" She had a feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Naturally, this is to prevent you from getting angry and reporting them for speculation after discovering there's no gold inside.
But these words cannot be said.
Cheng Jiajia, blinded by love, said righteously, "What if you buy it and then think it's not worth it, and come back to return it? You've already used it all, and you've ruined the fruit of your love, so we won't give you a refund!"
Jiang Qiubai: "..."
Jiang Qiubai understood, and remained silent.
Okay, fine, being love-struck is terrifying!
However, after her explanation, Jiang Qiubai readily agreed to sign, after all, she was afraid that Cheng Jiajia, being love-struck, would regret it and ask her to take back her "token of love".
Cheng Jiajia continued, "We'll exchange the grain in one hand and the shoe rack in the other."
Without the slightest hesitation, and fearing that Cheng Jiajia might change her mind, Jiang Qiubai immediately took the document back to Zheng Haiyang for his signature.
Zheng Haiyang didn't think there was anything wrong with Yu Junsheng and his wife asking him to sign a note.
After all, in his memory, Yu Junsheng was such a cunning, scheming, and calculating person. He would have found it strange if Yu Junsheng hadn't pulled this stunt.
He just felt the price was a bit high and wanted to bargain. How could such a broken thing be worth 30 yuan?
Even 3 yuan is too much!
Jiang Qiubai was at a loss for words. "Cheng Jiajia said it was a token of love between her and Yu Junsheng, a priceless treasure that she wanted to pass down to her grandson. Haiyang, I can't persuade her otherwise. Why don't you give it a try?"
Zheng Haiyang: "..."
He was rendered speechless by that statement.
He thought his wife was already stupid enough and easily fooled, but he never expected Cheng Jiajia to be even stupider? Was her brain filled with mush?
God the hell!
Could this woman have been tricked into marrying Yu Junsheng in this way?
Zheng Haiyang just muttered a few complaints to himself; he had no confidence that he could persuade such a stubborn and foolish woman.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, he gritted his teeth and signed.
Jiang Qiubai immediately took the note to Cheng Jiajia.
Zheng Haiyang went to buy grain as soon as he got off work.
That very evening, they went to the east wing and replaced the shoe rack that was their "token of love".
...
Late that night, in the west wing of the second courtyard, only a dim kerosene lamp was lit.
Zheng Haiyang, Zheng Haicheng, and Jiang Qiubai huddled together in the inner room, their eyes shining as they stared at the unusually ugly shoe rack in front of them.
Gold, gold! They're about to have gold!
They're about to make their fortune!
"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"
After Zheng Haicheng swung his axe a few times, the black wooden strip was finally chopped in half.
Then it cut off.
It's broken.
It broke in two.
The group was dumbfounded.
Zheng Haiyang roared, "Jiang Qiubai, where's my gold?!"
...
That night, everyone in the courtyard, who were half asleep, was awakened by a roar.
Aunt Cao rolled over and muttered, "Is it haunted again tonight?"
Half-asleep, Grandpa Guo grumbled, "What a greedy bastard! Gold? What a load of rubbish! I don't even have any. What kind of son of a bitch is dreaming about this!"
The two continued to sleep soundly, completely unaware that a war was raging next door.
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