Chapter 76: The Old Woman's Grievance
Chapter 76: The Old Woman's Grievance
Despite the commotion, the matter was eventually resolved.
Hu Ma listened to the village elders berate Li Dabotou for his filial ingratitude, having starved his own mother to death. He heard the neighbors smashing the windows of Li Dabotou’s house, and the Dong couple blocking the entrance, demanding compensation for their lost pig.
Gradually, Hu Ma pieced together the entire story, but he found himself at a loss for words.
The evil spirit had indeed caused trouble, but the real culprit was a human.
The woman who had been dragged from the ground was on her last breath, and the villagers recognized her as Li Dabotou’s wife.
But it wasn’t a living person craving food and stealing the pig feed.
The villagers who had arrived in time heard a cry from Li Dabotou’s wife before she fainted. The voice was unmistakably that of Li Dabotou’s mother.
The situation was clear: the spirit causing the trouble was indeed Li Dabotou’s mother, but the one eating the pig feed was his wife.
Li Dabotou’s mother had been mistreated by her son and daughter-in-law, often going hungry. Every night, she would hear the Dong family’s pigs being fed, while she herself starved, her envy growing until it turned into a grudge after her death.
In life, she had been mistreated by her daughter-in-law, who was now possessed by her spirit. At night, the spirit would take over her body to fulfill her unmet desires.
However, it wasn’t a powerful entity. The shock and the villagers’ anger quickly dispelled it.
Of course, Li Dabotou’s wife, having been possessed by the spirit, would likely fall gravely ill from the ordeal.
"Master, I apologize for this spectacle. Who would have thought such a heinous act could happen in our village..."
The village elder, who had seen Li Dabotou’s mother’s body, could no longer deny the truth. After berating Li Dabotou, he hurried over to Hu Ma and bowed. "Rest assured, we will not let him off easily."
"His mother raised him well, always thinking of him when there was something good to eat. But he grew up to starve her to death!"
"I will punish him, and our village will not forgive him either."
"..."
Hu Ma could only nod in agreement.
Perhaps Li Dabotou’s neglect of his mother was no secret in the village.
Initially, it was a matter of his own family, and outsiders didn’t meddle. But once his mother’s spirit began to cause trouble, they could no longer ignore it.
If they did, who knew what greater calamity might follow?
"You must keep an eye on things, burn some incense, and offer more sacrifices."
Hu Ma said softly, "She didn’t get enough to eat in life, so at least let her have a full meal in death."
"That’s right, that’s right..."
The elder agreed, "This incident will spread, and everyone in the surrounding villages will know of our village’s filial ingrate..."
"Who would dare marry into our village after this?"
"..."
Hu Ma thought the elder’s concerns were valid, but what could he say?
As he pondered, the elder sighed deeply and finally got to the point, "We are grateful to you, Master. We will go to the Red Lantern Lady and offer our thanks, but regarding the offering fee..."
"Offering fee?"
Hu Ma recalled that when the old shopkeeper dealt with the weasel spirits, he had mentioned something similar.
The offering fee was essentially the payment the villagers gave in return for the resolution of the evil spirit problem.
It wasn’t a big deal, and he had already been well-fed and treated. He could take it or leave it.
But remembering the shopkeeper’s approach, Hu Ma nodded, "Just give it to the headman and send it to the village."
"Yes, yes!"
The elder agreed and offered to host another feast for Hu Ma and his companions.
But with the matter resolved, Hu Ma didn’t want to linger. He called for Zhou Datong and the others and left the village that night.
When they returned to the village, the inner courtyard was already dark. Hu Ma didn’t want to disturb anyone, so he went to bed early. The next morning, he reported the previous day’s events to the old shopkeeper.
The old shopkeeper seemed numb to such matters, listening quietly while sipping tea.
Finally, he asked, "How did you handle the offering fee?"
Why would he ask about that?
In a small village, the fee wouldn’t amount to much, and the old shopkeeper’s interest surprised Hu Ma.
But he replied, "It was my first time, so I didn’t know the exact amount. I told them to follow the previous arrangement and give it to the headman, who would send it over."
"Very well done."
The old shopkeeper’s face lit up with a rare smile, "You’re a quick learner."
Hu Ma wasn’t sure what to make of the compliment and didn’t know how to respond.
The old shopkeeper seemed to read his confusion and chuckled, "Are you curious why we collect the offering fee?"
Hu Ma didn’t hide his curiosity and nodded.
Not to mention the shopkeeper, even the helpers at the Red Lantern Lady’s shrine received a decent monthly stipend.
Of course, for ordinary helpers, it was less than half a tael of silver, which wasn’t much.
But compared to the average household in the village, it was a decent sum.
"Why do we collect these offerings?"
The old shopkeeper, in a good mood, explained to Hu Ma, "Because if we don't, it will be even more troublesome."
"Whether it's big or small matters, they'll all come to you. We work for the Red Lantern Society, so do we handle all these things?"
"We can't handle everything, and we'd just get complaints!"
"..."
Hu Ma understood this and nodded.
"Moreover..."
The old shopkeeper chuckled, "If we don't collect, then we'll be doing all these villages a favor."
"They already come to the village outskirts to burn incense and kowtow to the red lanterns. If we start handling all their problems, even giving them jobs when they have no means to live, they'll not only burn incense but build a temple for the Lady of the Red Lanterns."
"Ah, this..."
The first reason made sense, but the second one was surprising.
Building a temple for the Lady of the Red Lanterns seemed like a good thing, right? If the head of the Red Lantern Society found out, wouldn't they just reward the village?
Hu Ma tried to digest the old shopkeeper's words, sensing there was more to it.
"Hehe, it's a deep, murky water here..."
The old shopkeeper smiled faintly, "Building a temple is easy, but she has to be able to bear it!"
But he said this last part very quietly, and Hu Ma didn't quite catch it. The old shopkeeper changed the topic, "We can't offend the people in the surrounding villages, but we can't be too lenient either."
"Next spring, we might need them for something. If they're too far, they won't help us willingly. If they're too close, they'll cause problems and won't work efficiently."
"I still have a lot to learn."
Hu Ma smiled, "I need the shopkeeper to teach me more."
"Doing more work will help."
The old shopkeeper smiled faintly, looking at Hu Ma, "You're from the village, but you handle things steadily."
Hu Ma felt a chill and quickly replied, "My elders taught me to be careful in all things."
The old shopkeeper smiled, "Your elders seem to be wise."
This conversation seemed to come out of nowhere, but Hu Ma had practiced it many times in his mind. He answered honestly, "My grandmother was a spirit walker in the village. She passed away before I came here, but she taught me many things while she was alive."
"Oh?"
The old shopkeeper seemed to have guessed this already and wasn't surprised. He asked, "Then why didn't you learn the ways of a spirit walker?"
"I couldn't learn them."
Hu Ma explained, "I was born timid. I still get scared when I see evil spirits. Besides, my grandmother said there was nothing good to learn from it."
"She spent twenty years as a spirit walker in the village and didn't gain much from it!"
"..."
Hu Ma had long understood the role of a spirit walker. In this area, including the old Yin Mountain, there were many spirit walkers who treated illnesses and dealt with evil spirits, much like the witch doctors of his past life. Mentioning this didn't seem unusual.
Of course, Hu Ma knew that his grandmother, who could cut the blood of a teratoma alone, was different from the others. But he wouldn't tell anyone about her abilities, even the old shopkeeper might not believe him.
"Hehe, that's true..."
The old shopkeeper seemed unexpectedly moved by Hu Ma's words and smiled faintly, "Spirit walkers are the most entangled in karma."
Hearing the old shopkeeper's sigh, Hu Ma felt a stir in his heart and bravely asked, "Then... what about us, the New Year Keepers?"
"..."
The old shopkeeper looked at Hu Ma, sighing softly.
At that moment, Hu Ma felt the old shopkeeper's gaze was heavy and complex. He also sensed a pair of eyes watching him from behind the wooden lattice window of the inner courtyard.
Was it that woman?
"Our New Year Keepers..."
The old shopkeeper paused, then whispered, "In theory, we are the least entangled in karma."
"But living in this world, who can truly avoid it?"
"Focus on your training and learn your skills. You've just started, and the troubles are still far off..."
"..."
The most entangled in karma and the least entangled in karma...
Hu Ma pondered the difference, seeing that the shopkeeper had no intention of elaborating further. He left, still mulling it over.
He felt that the old shopkeeper would have asked these questions eventually. Now that he had been initiated and asked, it happened later than he expected.
Answering truthfully made him feel lighter.
Now that he had revealed he was the grandson of a spirit walker, it would be easier to talk about other things in the future.
He had received the method, the old object, and the shopkeeper was satisfied with his work. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But, there was a vague feeling that he had forgotten something...
He thought for a moment...
...Red sugar eggs?
(End of Chapter)
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