Chapter 044 Meeting and Haunting
Although there were some incidents in between, the four of them still arrived at the state-owned hotel quickly.
As a recent time traveler, Zhou Zhixing was visiting this era's "tavern" for the second time, and he was deeply curious. His first visit was a hurried one, to see off two comrades from the army. He hadn't had time to observe it properly, so now, on his second visit, he had to take a closer look.
The oilfield's state-owned restaurant, located on the same street as the supply and marketing cooperative, was a large, square building. Inside, there were fifteen tables, all large enough for four people. It was considered a fairly large state-owned restaurant.
The brightly lit banner on the wall that read "Don't assault customers without reason" was a real eye-opener for Jiang Nan, a first-time visitor. She'd only seen it in period novels, never imagined it could actually happen. It was truly an eye-opener for her.
The food in the state-owned restaurant is not cheap, but today is the day when the salaries are paid and the oil field workers are generally living a good life, so there are still many people in the state-owned restaurant.
The four of them waited for half an hour before they were seated. The state-owned restaurant had a lot of food on hand today, as it was payday; otherwise, they'd be out of food by now. They ordered a serving of braised pork, a plate of steamed fish, a bowl of scrambled eggs with green onions, and six steamed buns, spending a total of four yuan and thirty cents.
Only after paying and getting a number did the ordering process complete. At this point, you had to go to the window to get your food. The waiters only collected your money, not served your food. They were the Eight Great Members, so arrogant.
Soon, the four of them were called. Despite the large portion, the food was still quite generous. Jiang Nan happily took a bite of the braised pork with his chopsticks and sighed contentedly, "The braised pork at this state-owned restaurant is truly exceptional."
"That's because you're short of oil and water." Jiang Mancheng also picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and chewed it quickly. There was no way. Even if the Jiang family usually ate well, it was still incomparable to the two of them in their previous lives.
Yes, Jiang Mancheng's past life and Jiang Nan's past life. Jiang Mancheng was a eunuch in his past life, but he was the eunuch of a favored concubine, with so many people fawning over him, so naturally he ate well. As for Jiang Nan, even young women in the 21st century, even those born in the poorest rural areas, would eat better than they do today. Not to mention, in her past life, Jiang Nan was born into a middle-class family.
Zhou Zhixing had plenty of money in his previous life. He was born into an aristocratic family, and later in life, he mingled with the imperial harem, living a carefree life. But now, after just a few days, he's already feeling overwhelmed. While the Cao family is well-off, they don't spend nearly as much on food as the Jiang family. His aunt, Huang Yuxiu, is known for her ability to manage the household. The Cao family only eats meat once every ten days, a far cry from the Jiang family's three or four-day diet.
Less than ten days later, Zhou Zhixing was already craving meat. As he ate the braised pork, he exclaimed the same way as Jiang Nan: "It smells so good."
The four of them were so engrossed in their food that there was no sound for a moment, but then they heard a noise coming from the next table.
They weren't eavesdropping, it was the man's foul voice that was unrelenting and the sound was drilling into their ears.
"Xiao Ru, I know you come from a wealthy family and are quite proud. This is both your strength and weakness. As we're dating, I hope you can get to know my mother better. My mother..."
The man's voice was a little choked. "It wasn't easy for my mother to raise me. When I was a child, my family was poor, and my mother left all the delicious food for me, reluctant to eat or wear anything herself. She also loved me, so she hoped that my wife could take care of me. I... Although I don't agree that wives have to serve men, I swore since I was a child that I would treat my mother well when I grew up. Just now, after you finished eating, you didn't help my mother clear the dishes. My mother was too worried about me, so she was rude to you. I hope you can understand and try to do something for me. I... Just think of it as doing it for me, okay?"
The woman's voice was a little aggrieved: "Brother Jianhua, I only ate a few pieces of meat during dinner, and your mother turned her face towards me, I..."
The man's voice was filled with pain. He said, "I know, I know everything, but my mother just loves me too much. You don't know, since I was little, all the good things in the house have been mine. My mother couldn't bear to eat them. She thought you were the same. Don't blame her, okay? She is the most traditional Chinese woman. Her heart and eyes are full of me, her son."
He seemed to be struggling, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I... I must be filial to my mother. If you think it's inappropriate, we..." He paused, as if he was trying hard to restrain something.
The woman became excited: "Brother Jianhua, don't be angry. I know everything. I...I will try to understand my aunt in the future."
Jiang Nan rolled her eyes and glanced at her father.
Who was Jiang Mancheng? He was the kind of man who doted on his daughter to the heavens. He could tell what she wanted with just one look. He immediately coughed lightly and turned his face to Zhou Zhixing: "You want to date my Xiaonan, right? From now on, you'll have to do all the housework. You'll have to wash the clothes, cook the meals, sweep the floor..."
Zhou Zhixing was also a wise guy. He looked up in surprise and said, "How can that be possible? No grown man would do this. And my family..."
"What do you mean by 'your family'?" Jiang Mancheng rolled his eyes, his voice filled with impatience. "Since you're attracted to my family's conditions and want to live off me, you have to act like one. What? You want to live off me by force? That depends on whether Xiaonan's mother and I agree. From now on, your family's affairs have nothing to do with Xiaonan. If there's anything, you go and solve it. Don't bother my Xiaonan at all."
Although Chen Jinhua didn't know why Jiang Mancheng suddenly brought this up, she believed in her man unconditionally. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the right time, perfectly demonstrating the power of Tiger Aunt.
"This..." Zhou Zhixing was a little embarrassed. "Xiao Nan is my daughter-in-law after all. It wasn't easy for my mother to raise me since I was a child..."
Jiang Mancheng: "Oh, it's not easy. Then why don't you show filial piety? You only pay lip service to it, right? Tell me, what have you done to show filial piety to your mother?"
Seeing Zhou Zhixing remained silent, Jiang Mancheng snorted, thinking the boy was quite perceptive. He continued loudly, "So, just to get married, you're pushing all the filial piety stuff out of the picture. You don't actually have to do anything, and you can just sit back and reap the rewards and gain a reputation as a filial son, right? Why are the abacus beads clicking so loudly? You're actually being filial, aren't you? You're outsourcing it!"
The man next to him was a little panicked, as if his secret thoughts had been exposed. He calmed himself down and said softly, "Xiao Ru, the meal is over, let's go..."
The woman next to them seemed not to hear anything and listened to the conversation thoughtfully.
Jiang Nan added a drastic measure at the right moment: "It wasn't easy for your mother to raise you, and it wasn't easy for my parents to raise me either. I'm an only child, and even though we're dating, I must be filial to my parents. From now on, I won't force you to be filial to my parents, and please don't force me to be filial to yours. It's just right for us to each be filial to our own parents, isn't it?"
The woman suddenly realized something and looked at the man opposite her with hatred in her eyes: "I was wondering why you keep talking about your childhood lately. It turns out you want me to be filial to your parents on your behalf! Jianhua, you really disgust me!"
The man looked flustered, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "You...you're going to marry into our family. Isn't it your responsibility to be filial to your parents-in-law?"
Jiang Nan: "We are all independent individuals. Great men say that women hold up half the sky. It's not impossible for me to be filial to your parents. So, tell me, what can you do? You don't think that if you marry me, I will be your parents' slaves, and you don't have to do anything, and then you can just blame me for what I did, right? No way, no way, you don't really think that, do you?"
Jiang Nan sneered, "Is this what you keep saying, that you're a filial son? Did you do that, or did I? What a joke! I'm a pampered little princess in my own family. To marry into yours and be treated like a slave, am I crazy or stupid?"
"Enough!" The man next to her stood up angrily, pointing at Jiang Nan and saying viciously, "When a woman marries a man, she must work hard, be filial to her parents-in-law, take care of the housework, and be willing to work hard and be willing to be complaining..."
"Oh, really?" Jiang Nan crossed his arms, pointed his index finger at the woman across from him, "But she doesn't seem willing. You just said she's well-off, and a well-off woman marries you just to be willing to work hard and be patient."
The woman also stood up with a bang, her face flushed. "Sun Jianhua, I was blind to think that you had it so hard. So that's what you think! Let's break up. I don't want to marry into your family and be a slave. You better take care of yourself and stop harassing me. Otherwise, I'll tell my dad and you won't even be able to keep your job!"
After saying that, the woman left angrily. The man tried to stop her but couldn't. He turned around and glared at Jiang Nan, then turned around and trotted off to chase her.
Jiang Mancheng snorted, "He wants to be a gigolo and he wants to dominate the woman. Why doesn't he just go to heaven?"
Zhou Zhixing shrugged and didn't respond. He knew what his father-in-law's family did.
But he likes it.
Zhou Zhixing wasn't one to follow the rules, and he didn't want to live a comfortable life. This was perfect, a lid that matched the pot.
They made quite a noise, and although it was late, there were still people in the state-owned restaurant, so of course some people were unhappy and pointed fingers.
"You're so restless, little girl! How can a woman be like that?" an older woman with small eyes and thick lips said. "Auntie, let me advise you. What that young man said just now makes sense. A woman should not only have a job, but also be filial to her parents-in-law at home, take care of the housework, and be a good woman both at home and abroad. That's what a good woman is."
The aunt curled her lips in disdain and looked at Zhou Zhixing with eyes full of pity: "Young man, this woman must be taught a lesson if she is disobedient. You can't spoil her too much..."
Jiang Nan finally saw the power of "Bai X Cancer" and rolled her eyes. She couldn't help rolling her eyes today, but after all, she'd encountered so many strange people. She was very skilled at it.
"Oh, Auntie, then you can go find a good daughter-in-law like this. Mention your requirements to the matchmaker and see what she says, right? But I advise you not to ask for too much. After all, these days, working women are tough and may not meet one ten-thousandth of the standard of a good daughter-in-law you are talking about. Unless you have an exceptionally good family background, but, tsk tsk tsk."
Jiang Nan decided to defeat the magic with magic. He looked at the aunt with disdain in his eyes: "I don't think you look like an official. You'd better choose one. It's not easy to have both. Besides, my man thinks I'm a very good candidate for daughter-in-law, right?"
Zhou Zhixing quickly raised his hands to express his opinion: "Yes, my Xiaonan is very good. Auntie, you don't know me, so don't talk nonsense. My Xiaonan is a very good woman."
Jiang Nan had an expression that said, "You better know what's best for you," and those who wanted to speak were so angry that they shut up in disappointment.
The woman helping him was even more furious, her face red and her neck thick. She had seen women who couldn't stand up, but she had never seen a man who couldn't stand up like this. Her good intentions to help him were in vain.
It was getting late, and after a brief moment of watching the excitement, everyone got up and left. The four of them, however, remained unfazed and began their first meeting. Of course, when the four of them were out for dinner, they had to discuss the main quest and Zhou Zhixing's safety.
By this time, the State-Owned Restaurant was already quite empty, but Jiang Mancheng lowered his voice and spoke first, "Let me start, Zhou Zhixing. Tell me the truth. When you arrived, was the original Zhou Zhixing still around? You have to tell the truth. This concerns whether Zhou Zhixing existed in the original world. It's a very serious question."
Zhou Zhixing nodded and said seriously, "I know, Uncle Jiang. When I came here, I couldn't sense the original owner's soul. But I've observed the original owner's physical condition, and he shouldn't be dead. So I guess the main system must have tampered with it and swapped our souls. I don't know where the original Zhou Zhixing went, but even if I didn't come here, this person should have existed in the original world."
The three of them looked at Jiang Nan, who had a blank expression on his face. "The system said that the original Zhou Zhixing's whereabouts are a secret and cannot be revealed. However, the system has assured us that the original Zhou Zhixing agreed to the exchange and went to a place he wanted to go more."
With no other options, Jiang Mancheng could only inform Zhou Zhixing of the latest developments. He said, "The current probability of an explosion is 94%. We suspect Qiu Pan'er, Fan Taohua, and Wu Chunli are the perpetrators, as they have the greatest influence on the probability. Of course, we also need to continue observing Cheng Gaigai."
Zhou Zhixing scratched his chin and hesitated, "Is it possible to have Wu Chunli replace Cheng Gaigai to go to the countryside? I understand, but I think that between Wu Chunli and Fan Taohua, Wu Chunli is the most likely. After all, Fan Taohua is quite capable of handling the job she's currently doing. But Wu Chunli is different. She's young and might think that her mother is to blame. If she becomes resentful, she might also think her father is at fault. If something happens again in the future, she might become cynical and do something impulsive."
He gathered his thoughts and continued, "It just so happens that Cheng Gaigai doesn't want to go to the countryside, so Wu Chunli can go in her place. Wouldn't that keep her away from Fan Taohua and all her dirty business?"
"But Chunli is so young. If she encounters something while going to the countryside, she might turn evil later on." Jiang Nan was a little worried.
"Of course, it's possible. But the degree of darkness she's experiencing isn't as deep as being stabbed by her closest relatives, right?" Zhou Zhixing analyzed. "Besides, we're just presenting her with this choice; it's up to her to decide. Don't you have legal education programs for educated youth there? We can first think of a way to get her to a rural area where conditions aren't as harsh, and then give her some self-defense gear. I think she'll be able to live well even in the countryside."
"That's fine." Jiang Mancheng nodded. "I've thought about it, but the specific implementation needs to be planned in more detail. Qiu Pan'er is dealing with the Phoenix Man issue, which is difficult to handle right now. Qiu Pan'er is in a state of rage, and good words can't persuade a damned ghost. It's useless to persuade her at this time."
"Find someone to seduce the Phoenix Man?" Jiang Nan suggested.
Chen Jinhua patted her daughter's head and looked up at her future son-in-law. Seeing that he didn't care, she felt relieved, but still said, "Xiao Nan, stop talking nonsense."
"No, Xiaonan isn't talking nonsense. But it's hard to find someone better than Qiu Pan'er." Jiang Mancheng sighed. "In the eyes of Phoenix Men, Qiu Pan'er is a poor family with both parents working. Where can you find someone more suitable for sucking blood? Even a peerless beauty won't work. This kind of man only cares about money and power, not women. Or maybe not right now. Once he has the money and power, then he can enjoy women with peace of mind."
"What about revealing Qiu Xiangdong's true identity?" Jiang Nan continued, "We all know that Qiu Xiangdong has an illegitimate child. If Phoenix Man finds out, Qiu Paner's parents might not be able to get their jobs."
The four of them pondered over this, and soon it was closing time for the state-owned restaurant. They had no choice but to hastily end their first meeting. By this time, it was already dark, and the four of them stopped discussing and went home to rest.
Early in the morning, Zhou Zhixing was waiting for Jiang Nan downstairs when he was greeted by a few unfamiliar elderly men and women. They also lived in the family compound, but in a bungalow. Seeing Zhou Zhixing, they stood at a distance, not daring to approach. Despite Zhou Zhixing's cheerful laughter with Jiang Nan, he was actually quite cool around strangers. The original owner's appearance was also quite deceptive, and the elderly men and women were afraid to approach.
Seeing Jiang Nan coming downstairs, everyone came over and started reporting the case one after another.
One of them, an old man named Wang, spoke the loudest. He shouted, "Xiao Nan, you've got to check this out! This public toilet was haunted last night. We live in a bungalow and don't have a toilet. When we went out to relieve ourselves at night, I heard a woman crying in the toilet from a distance. It was so creepy."
"It wasn't a woman crying," said another elderly woman surnamed Zheng. "I heard a child crying. It was so shrill, we could hear it from far away. We didn't even dare to go to the bathroom last night. Aren't they saying ghosts are just feudal superstitions? How can they still exist? Xiaonan, you're a police officer, you have to investigate thoroughly."
Well, I can’t go to work so early in the morning, so I’ll go to the public toilet first.
Jiang Nan had rarely used the public restroom in the family compound. The dry toilets at that time were the most unaccustomed thing to her in her two lives. When she was little, she didn't live in a tube-shaped building, so she had no choice but to endure it. But since moving into the tube-shaped building, she would rather hold it in for a while than go to the public restroom.
There's nothing she can do about it now that she's working, otherwise she would never go.
The smell was overwhelming upon entering. She held her breath, pinched her nose, and searched the women's restroom while Zhou Zhixing went to the men's restroom next door. In broad daylight, there was definitely nothing there, not even a trace of footprints or handprints.
The two of them quickly came out and comforted the elderly. Jiang Nan said, "Uncle Wang, Grandma Zheng, don't worry. Zhou Zhixing and I have checked everything, and there's nothing wrong at the moment. I guess someone just had something sad happen last night and was crying in the bathroom. Don't worry, there's definitely nothing fishy going on."
"Will you see it tonight? There will definitely be no ghosts in broad daylight, as ghosts only come out at night." Someone in the crowd said.
Although it's forbidden to promote feudal superstitions, the elderly are old and have long been accustomed to these things. If you insist on it, it will be embarrassing. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing also understood this. Moreover, they both have secrets and believe in some mysterious powers.
Jiang Nan pretended not to hear. She thought for a moment and said, "Well, after work, I'll tell the team leader about this. We'll come over tonight and take a look. We'll definitely catch the person crying in the bathroom and give everyone an explanation, okay?"
Only then did everyone let the two go. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing breathed a sigh of relief and rode away on their bikes.
After they were far away, Jiang Nan told him about how Old Cheng was a thief and hid treasure in a public toilet. She continued, "I guess it was Old Cheng who did it, but I don't know why. I saw him fine before and never saw him trying to steal from a public toilet."
Zhou Zhixing's mouth twitched, and he sighed that the tube-shaped building was truly full of hidden talents. He said, "I know why. When I got home yesterday, my uncle was scolding Zhidao. He and the Sui family kid had a fight in the public restroom and almost knocked down the inner wall. I guess it was because of this."
The public toilets in the family compound were built differently than those in later times. After entering, there was an inner wall, about 1.5 meters high, which served as a barrier. You had to go around the inner wall to get to the squatting pit. Because it was just a barrier, the inner wall wasn't very thick, only about a layer of square bricks. If you hit it hard, it could collapse.
Jiang Nan suddenly realized. No wonder. Old Cheng's treasure was inside the inner wall. When this public toilet was built, Old Cheng hadn't retired yet and was a bricklayer. He had built this wall.
However, Jiang Nan was puzzled: "Why is Zhou Zhidao fighting with the Sui family kid? Aren't they on good terms?"
"Well, young man, what else could it be?" Zhou Zhixing didn't hide anything for his cousin. "I knew she was interested in Cheng Gaigai, so she came back from the bathroom and heard the Sui family kid and a few others chatting in there, so she started fighting."
"I see. You know you like to make changes, I didn't notice that before."
"He's just unrequited love. The girl doesn't fancy him at all." Zhou Zhixing grumbled quietly, "But that old Cheng is also weird. Why doesn't he keep those things at home? He puts them in the public toilet. Isn't he afraid of losing them?"
Seeing that there was no one on the road, Jiang Nan whispered, "He hasn't told Grandma Liu yet, so he probably hasn't even met Cheng Dazhu. And there's a four-year-old kid crawling around at home, so he's probably worried."
Jiang Nan was also guessing whether he was relieved or not, but since it was the first time they were late for work, they still explained it to Guan Shun. Hearing that the public toilet was haunted, everyone was still very interested, especially Wen Qiang, who was a foolhardy person. He wanted to go to Courtyard No. 1 immediately, but was stopped by Guan Shun: "Didn't Xiaonan say it was at night? Why are you in such a hurry now?"
It's no wonder that Wen Qiang was anxious. Even Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing, who knew what was going on, wanted to leave work early so that they could go back and see how Old Cheng was playing tricks.
But Old Cheng was not a fool. He knew the police were coming, so he naturally didn't go out at night.
Although he was a master thief back then, he didn't commit his crimes in Baishui City, but in the provincial capital. This is easy to understand. Before the discovery of the oil field, Baishui City was an insignificant and poor place, so naturally there were no wealthy people for him to prey on.
The provincial capital was different. After the Republic of China, it became a center of heavy industry. Coupled with the escaped Qing Dynasty veterans, there were many wealthy people, and Old Cheng was like a fish in water. He stole from those who dared not report it, such as corrupt officials, traitors who exploited the people, and Qing Dynasty veterans who stole antique calligraphy and paintings from their masters. He didn't know what calligraphy and paintings were, so he exchanged them for gold at the ghost market. After he had collected a total of 24 large yellow croakers, he stopped, returned to his hometown of Baishui City, got married, and lived the life of an old man.
Thieves are always selfish. For decades, he kept his wife and children in the dark. But Dazhu, the bastard, must have guessed something, spending lavishly and never saving. Old Lady Liu, the woman, was a simpleton, sharing the same bed with Old Cheng for years, yet she hadn't guessed anything.
The reason Old Cheng had put the gold in the public toilet was, as Jiang Nan had guessed, because he was worried about keeping it at home. Also, Dazhu was a troublemaker. After his wife fell ill, women often came to see him. Old Cheng was afraid his son was easily deceived and would steal from home again, which would be a loss for him. That was why he decided to put the gold in the public toilet.
There had been no problems until recently, but with the recent commotion surrounding the exploration team, the family compound had become crowded, with some even fighting in the restroom. Old Cheng was getting worried. His plan was to find an opportunity to dig the yellow croaker out of the restroom. He'd bought a few large flower pots for his home a few days ago and planted some onions, garlic, and other crops. Once the yellow croaker was brought home, he'd place it in the pots, unnoticed.
In his plan, haunting the place was just the first step. He'd wait until everyone was terrified of the restroom before he could strike. But before he could solidify his reputation, those two bastards, Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing, arrived with the police.
Really, being a policeman is so great. I really hope I can save them from death.
Old Cheng cursed inwardly, but he had remained quiet for the past three days. He had to be quiet, because how could he, alone, fight against six groups of five people?
The result of the silence was that Group 6 watched for three consecutive nights and found nothing. Helplessly, Group 6 could no longer endure it and had to rest for a day.
But just like that, the ghost came back that night. Everyone said that because the police were so upright, the evil spirits didn't dare to come forward, but when the police didn't come, the ghosts came back again.
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