https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-49-The-Chen-Family-s-Unfortunate-Turn-of-Events/12606666/
Chapter 50: Nightmare in the Rainy Night
Chapter 50: Nightmare in the Rainy Night
Tian Cuihua felt that lately, nothing had been going right for her family.
She secretly consulted a shamaness, who performed a divination and gave her some talismans to infuse into drinking water.
A few of her sons refused to drink the talisman water, but Tian Cuihua forced it down their throats.
After they drank the infused water, Tian Cuihua felt somewhat relieved.
However, the very next day, she tumbled down a hillside, her face bruised and bloodied.
The physician said she was lucky; if the rock had struck her eye socket just a finger's width closer, she would likely have lost her right eye!
Because of this, Tian Cuihua stood in the courtyard, covering her eyes and cursing for half the day.
And then, the following day, Chen Dalang had his other leg broken by intruders.
Tian Cuihua: ?
Tian Cuihua had quite a bit of silver in her possession.
Of course, their family, relying on farming, couldn't save up much money.
But when Chen Sanniang returned home back then, she had brought a substantial amount.
Through theft and robbery, Tian Cuihua made that money her own.
She had over a thousand taels of silver, as well as some jewelry, which, if exchanged for silver, would probably amount to several hundred taels.
In recent years, Tian Cuihua had been reluctant to spend it.
But this time, she spent a large sum, causing quite a stir.
Tian Cuihua felt that the shamaness's talismans were ineffective.
So she specifically went to the shamaness's house and scolded her for half a day, hands on hips.
Then, that very night, her youngest son developed a high fever and nearly lost his life!
Feeling that nothing was going her way, Tian Cuihua ran to Chen Sanniang's grave to curse her.
Chen Sanniang had died unmarried.
Naturally, she wasn't allowed to be buried in her maiden family's cemetery.
Out of consideration for the silver, Chen Dalang and his wife buried her in the backside of the mountain.
It was just a simple small mound.
When Tian Cuihua went there, she almost got the wrong place.
In the end, whether she found the right spot or not, she wasn't quite sure.
But Tian Cuihua thought that as long as she got her message across, it didn't matter.
Tian Cuihua cursed Chen Sanniang, cursed her daughter, cursed the pair of them as jinxed stars, causing trouble even in death, still trying to stir up trouble for her family.
"When you were alive, you were already no match for me. Now you dare to come back and cause trouble?"
"Pui!"
"Just you wait until I find an even more powerful shamaness. Let's see what you two dead ghosts will do then!"
...
In the latter half of the night, it began to rain.
The rain came swiftly and urgently.
Before long, the only sound left outside was the pattering of raindrops.
With both his legs now immobile, Chen Dalang had them splinted by the physician.
The physician said: "If you don't want your legs to become useless, then honestly keep them fixed and don't mess around."
With his legs injured, Chen Dalang's temper worsened!
The rainy season brought heavy humidity, making him even more uncomfortable and irritable.
In the middle of the night, Chen Dalang woke up his wife and children with his shouting.
The whole family got into a fight right there on the bed.
After the heavy rain came flashing lightning and crashing thunder.
A clap of thunder startled Sui-Sui awake.
The little girl bolted upright, her face filled with terror as she looked around.
Sui-Sui didn't know what she was searching for.
She just instinctively felt afraid.
Fenghuan Rui was awakened by the thunder, originally intending to turn over and continue sleeping.
Hearing his sister stirring, he mumbled open his eyes to check on her.
He saw his sister hugging her knees, curled up in the corner of the bed, and Fenghuan Rui was startled. He sat up and moved closer to Sui-Sui, his voice still raspy from sleep, "Sister, what's wrong?"
In the darkness, it was difficult to make out each other's expressions.
But Fenghuan Rui could feel that his sister was trembling.
The little girl was shaking violently, the bedcovers rustling with her movements.
As soon as Fenghuan Rui drew near, Sui-Sui gently grabbed hold of his clothes.
Fenghuan Rui thought that Sui-Sui was afraid of the thunder.
Fenghuan Rui slowly approached his sister, awkwardly but gently embracing her in his arms and softly patting her back. "Don't be scared, Sui-Sui. Your brother is here."
Sui-Sui's fear was instinctive, and her body couldn't stop trembling.
With Fenghuan Rui's comfort, the little girl finally lost control, burying her face in her brother's neck and sobbing aloud.
Seeing his sister cry, Fenghuan Rui's eyes also became watery.
He thought to himself, "I'm the older brother; I need to be strong!" His small hands continuously patted Sui-Sui's back, and the hand embracing her was exceptionally gentle.
Fenghuan Rui's thoughts continued, "My sister needs me, and I'll always be here for her!"
He uttered comforting words, his voice still immature in this aspect, but his hands never stopped moving, gently caressing his sister's back.
When Doctor Liu heard the sound of thunder, he became concerned about the two children.
So, he got up, wrapped himself in a cloak, and made his way over.
Qing Shan, who was keeping watch, heard the commotion and stood up, feeling a bit lost as he realized there was nothing for him to do.
When he saw Doctor Liu, he felt as though a savior had arrived. He quickly took a few steps forward and whispered an update on the situation: "The young miss is afraid of the thunder, but Young Master Fenghuan has been comforting her."
Doctor Liu was about to say that it was quite normal for children to be afraid of thunder.
However, the words caught in his throat as he suddenly recalled something.
At that moment, Doctor Liu remembered a piece of information that War had discovered during his investigation. Chen Sanniang had died on a rainy night, amid crashing thunder and pouring rain. At that time, Sui-Sui had just turned three years old, an age of innocence and confusion.
Although it hadn't been long since that incident, Sui-Sui probably didn't remember it clearly.
Yet, the memory of losing her mother on a rainy night had undoubtedly left a deep impression on her young mind.
That was why she was more afraid of rainy nights and the sound of thunder than other children her age.
Thinking of this, Doctor Liu felt a surge of heartache.
In his mind, he criticized the Chen family: "That Chen clan is truly despicable! You should know that even when Chen Sanniang was alive, the life Sui-Sui led in the Chen household was worse than that of a pig or a dog! Yes, yes, you resented the fact that Jin Yang Hou left you and didn't take you back to the capital.
But why take your anger out on an innocent child instead of the man himself?"
Doctor Liu's inner monologue continued, "It's true what they say—birds of a feather flock together. Chen Sanniang and Chen Dalang are indeed siblings, and their essence is not that different! Aside from finding satisfaction in bullying the weak, what else are they capable of?"
Fenghuan Rui had been comforting his sister for a while, but Sui-Sui was still crying.
The little girl seemed to be in the throes of a night terror, and no amount of soothing could calm her.
Just as Fenghuan Rui was at a loss for what to do, Doctor Liu entered the room.
Seeing the doctor, Fenghuan Rui's tears also began to fall uncontrollably.
However, he didn't let go of his sister, allowing her to cling to his neck as she sobbed softly.
At that moment, Fenghuan Rui was more concerned about whether his sister's incessant crying would harm her.
The young boy's voice was choked with emotion, and his face reflected his deep concern.
Doctor Liu could probably understand that Sui-Sui's fear was rooted in her subconscious.
He shook his head gently at Fenghuan Rui and then raised his hand, lightly patting Sui-Sui's back.
In truth, Doctor Liu could have easily administered an acupuncture needle to make Sui-Sui fall into a deep sleep.
However, that would only be a temporary solution, addressing the symptom without curing the underlying fear.
The next time it rained, the little girl would still be consumed by terror and helplessness.
Therefore, it was crucial to comfort her properly.
Sui-Sui needed to understand that rainy nights weren't as scary as they seemed and that she now had many people who cared about her and would protect her.
She was no longer the pitiful child with no one to rely on.
(End of Chapter)
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