Read Novel Full Chapter 102
Chapter 102 : Supernatural Events
Jiang Changyi came home to inform Jiang Hongmei and Jiang Li about the death of Old Mrs. Zhou and instructed them to return home.
Chen Xianyun was reluctant to let Jiang Li go, worried that the Jiang family was full of trouble and that Jiang Li might be bullied or blamed if she went. However, Jiang Changyi insisted, threatening to visit her at the factory and publicly accuse her of being unfilial for not attending her grandmother’s funeral.
After some thought, Jiang Li decided to go. She suspected Jiang Changyi was hiding something.
Qin Xiaoting, concerned, tried to dissuade her. “Lizi, be careful. That family is hard to deal with. Let me go with you. At least I can keep you company.”
Jiang Li shook her head. “You’re pregnant, don’t come. It’s considered bad luck.”
“I’ll go with you,” Qi Shaoqiang volunteered. “I’ll ask for leave from the factory.”
Qi Shaoqiang quickly took leave and accompanied Jiang Li back to the countryside. Before they even reached Dashuping, they heard cries coming from the Jiang household. A sign was hung at the door, and villagers were busy helping with the funeral arrangements.
Although the Jiang family wasn’t well-liked, a funeral was a communal affair, and villagers lent a hand where they could.
The moment Jiang Li arrived, Wang Juhua spotted her. Seeing Jiang Li dressed in fine clothes, Wang Juhua’s hatred flared. She blamed Jiang Li for taking away her daughter Hongmei’s potential marriage and seethed with resentment.
“You heartless woman! Your grandmother was seriously ill, and you didn’t even visit her! All you care about is living comfortably while ignoring your family. Are you even human?”
As soon as Jiang Li stepped through the door, she was accused and insulted. But she replied calmly, “She has a son, a daughter-in-law, and a beloved grandson. It’s not my place to care for her.”
Li Jingui chimed in, standing up for Jiang Li. “It’s the custom here for older generations to live with their sons and grandsons. A married daughter isn’t expected to support them. Are you trying to shame yourself by saying this? Besides, speaking of unfilial daughters, Jiang Hongmei hasn’t even shown up yet.”
Inside the house, Jiang Changyi was preparing Old Mrs. Zhou for burial. He drew a basin of water and told Jiang Tianci, “Wash your grandmother’s body.”
Jiang Tianci knelt before the old lady, trembling and unable to move. His face was pale, and he seemed terrified.
Noticing something was wrong, Jiang Changyi wiped his tears and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so scared? Your grandma loved you the most. She’s gone now, what is there to fear?”
Jiang Tianci, shaking, glanced at the old woman’s stiff face. Her eyes were wide open, fixed on the ceiling as if unwilling to rest in peace.
Trembling, he moved closer to touch her cold, rigid skin, and a wave of goosebumps spread over him. Overwhelmed, he suddenly vomited, splattering the edge of the bed.
Enraged, Jiang Changyi raised his hand to hit him. “You useless fool! Look at the mess you’ve made! Clean it up now, or I’ll beat you to death.”
At that moment, Old Mrs. Zhou’s stiff arm dropped, striking Jiang Tianci on the head. Startled, he screamed and jumped back, shouting in terror, “Grandma, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to push you! Please don’t haunt me!”
Jiang Changyi froze in disbelief. Grabbing his son by the collar, he demanded, “What did you just say? Did you kill your grandmother?”
“No, I didn’t!” Jiang Tianci cried, his face streaked with tears and snot. “I didn’t want to kill her! I just wanted to see what was in the locked box she kept. Grandma wouldn’t let me have it, and we fought… Before I realized it, this happened…”
“I didn’t mean to, Dad! You have to believe me, I didn’t mean to kill her!”
Jiang Changyi roared in anguish, but his cry was cut short. He glanced toward the courtyard, where a crowd of villagers had gathered. If word of this got out, it would ruin Tianci’s life.
Jiang Tianci crawled to Jiang Changyi’s feet, pleading, “Dad, please help me. I won’t dare to do it again. I really know I was wrong.”
Jiang Changyi kicked Jiang Tianci aside and sat on the bed. Parting his mother’s hair, he revealed a gruesome wound on the back of her head. The blood had dried and clotted, but anyone who saw it would immediately suspect foul play in her death.
“Quick, change your grandma’s burial clothes. Once the body is buried, nail the coffin shut. No one will ever know about this,” Jiang Changyi ordered.
Trembling, Jiang Tianci complied, helping with the burial preparations. The villagers who came to assist saw the family’s grief and offered comforting words.
“When someone dies, it’s like a candle going out,” they said. “Though Old Mrs. Zhou wasn’t a saint in life, she’s gone now.”
Several strong men carried the body, but Qi Shaoqiang, observing Old Mrs. Zhou’s stiff expression and Jiang Tianci’s trembling legs, felt something was amiss. Whispering his concerns to Jiang Li, she too found the situation suspicious.
That night, during the vigil, it was customary for close relatives to burn paper money in front of the coffin. Jiang Li refused to partake, and Jiang Tianci knelt, his face pale as death despite the mild March weather.
A black cat’s shrill cry echoed through the night. Jiang Tianci bit his lip until it bled, trying to suppress his fear, while Jiang Changyi held him down to prevent him from fleeing.
Meanwhile, Qi Shaoqiang scattered some crumbs of cat food nearby, attracting more cats. Slowly, he approached Jiang Tianci and said, “They say if someone dies unjustly, their eyes can’t close even after death.”
Hearing this, Jiang Tianci recalled his grandmother’s wide-open eyes earlier that day and grew even more terrified.
“Stop spouting nonsense! Don’t stir up trouble so late at night,” Jiang Changyi scolded Qi Shaoqiang.
More cats began gathering on the roof of the Jiang family home. Suddenly, a black cat knocked over Old Mrs. Zhou’s spirit tablet, its glowing green eyes fixated on Jiang Tianci. The wind extinguished the candles, and the white mourning banners fluttered eerily. Then, a sorrowful female voice echoed in the air, sobbing, “Tianci, my grandson, you’ve caused me so much pain!”
Jiang Tianci covered his ears, his body burning with fear. A yellow puddle of urine formed beneath him, its stench spreading across the room.
“Grandma, I didn’t mean it! Please forgive me!” he cried.
Jiang Changyi tried to silence him, but it was too late. Jiang Tianci confessed everything, kowtowing before the spirit tablet. “Grandma, my mom abused you too when you were alive. Go seek revenge on her, it wasn’t all my fault!”
The mourning hall was suddenly illuminated as Li Youtian stepped in, shouting, “So it was you, Jiang Tianci! You killed Old Mrs. Zhou!”
Behind him were several members of the commune, their faces stern and grim.
“Call the police!” Zhao Jingui screamed, horrified. “Living next to a murderer, we’ll never sleep peacefully again!”
The commune leader was soon summoned. Upon inspecting the wound on Old Mrs. Zhou’s head, Jiang Baoshan let out a long sigh.
Wang Juhua collapsed in front of Jiang Tianci, wailing, “Captain, this can’t be true! Tianci has always been an honest child. This must have been an accident!”
But no matter how much Wang Juhua cried and begged, the commune members refused to harbor a murderer in their midst. The militia quickly reported the incident to the authorities.