Lu Guanchang’s ex-wife, named Zhao Qiuyun, was a native of Yehegou Village near Bin Hai City.
After the divorce from Lu Guanchang, she took her daughter back to her parents’ home.
But due to the divorce, she was not well-received by her family; after all, in that era, divorce seemed to always be the woman’s fault, and she was subjected to disapproving looks and gossip.
To prevent her daughter from suffering, Zhao Qiuyun left Yehegou Village with her daughter, Lu Hongxia, for the neighboring city of Ci’en. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
Ci’en is located in the southwest of Qionghai, adjacent to Bin Hai, with unique natural conditions, rich cultural characteristics, and advantageous geographical position.
It has ample sunlight and is not affected by the monsoons, and the cost of living is much lower than that of the tourist city Bin Hai City.
There’s a saying that necessity is the mother of reinvention, and Zhao Qiuyun, who lacked formal education, set up a stall to make ends meet, selling cool beverages and snacks such as herbal jelly, sweet potato jelly, and salted fruit juice to beat the heat.
Since she started early and was among one of the first self-employed vendors, the competition was less fierce, and she actually made quite a bit of money.
Zhao Qiuyun was actually quite capable. Previously, with a husband who provided her monthly expenses, she never needed to worry about living costs.
But now, she had to plan for the future for herself and her daughter, so after earning some money, she didn’t just settle for a modest comfort but opened a series of businesses, including restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores, and domestic service agencies.
After a lifetime of hard work, though not exceedingly wealthy, she had amassed a modest fortune. In the process, she remarried, her husband was very good to her, and she gave birth to a son and a daughter. Nowadays, she had already passed the businesses to her children and was spending her old age enjoying her grandchildren, leading a very happy life.
As for Lu Guanchang’s daughter, Lu Hongxia had already changed her name to Zhao Hongxia, taking her mother’s surname.
Zhao Hongxia had experienced family upheaval from a young age and had lived a vagabond life with her mother, thus she seemed more considerate and mature compared to her peers.
The environment shaped her strong character, and whether in study or work, she was extremely successful; so much so that when she took over her mother’s business, not only did it not decline, but it actually prospered and went to a whole new level.
When Lu Guanchang talked about his ex-wife and daughter, his tone unconsciously carried a bit of smugness, as if basking in their glory.
Shen Siyuan couldn’t understand what he had to be proud of; after all, their current success had nothing to do with him, right?
He couldn’t possibly believe that their current achievements were thanks to him abandoning his wife and daughter years ago.
"So, do you think there’s still a need to disturb them? Would they even care about that bit of asset of yours?" Shen Siyuan retorted.
"But... but I can’t let it go."
Lu Guanchang’s face twisted slightly; he had worked his entire life, not only supporting others’ children and grandchildren but also been pushed out of his own home. How could he possibly be reconciled?
Lucky that ghosts can’t harm humans, otherwise he would have swallowed those two alive to quell the hatred in his heart.
As the saying goes, the face is a reflection of the heart; his mouth split towards his ears, his body and belly swelled, as he sat there like a giant toad with its mouth agape, ready to swallow something at any moment.
"Wow, Grandpa Lu is so scary."
Dou Dou hid behind Sister Xiao Yue, looking timid and peeking out, endearingly adorable.
"Didn’t you say he was a good person?" Yin Xingyue looked at her sideways.
"Mama said that just because someone is not good-looking, it doesn’t mean they’re not a good person," Dou Dou argued.
"It’s not right to judge by appearance."
"Yes, yes, that’s the phrase, how do you know it too? Sister, you’re amazing."
Yin Xingyue, still a primary school student, felt somewhat happy at Dou Dou’s compliment.
"We’re ghosts now, not humans, so we can’t use human standards, let me tell you, the ones who do not look human are the worst..."
"Wow, so they’re all bad people? I thought they were all big monsters; I was afraid they would catch me, so I stayed close behind Mom and Dad, hiding from them, and while flying in the sky, I saw a lot; there are so many big baddies?"
Dou Dou widened her eyes in shock.
"You don’t need to be afraid of them now; they should be afraid of you," Yin Xingyue said.
She stretched out her right hand, and immediately, little blue flames sprouted from the tips of her five fingers.
Upon seeing this, Dou Dou immediately extended her own stubby little fingers joyfully, pursing her lips and staring intently at her fingertips, as if she were putting all her effort into it.
But her little fingers remained still, showing no sign of activity. It was fortunate that she was now a ghost and not a human, otherwise, she might have involuntarily let out a few farts.
"Concentrate, focus with your heart."
Dou Dou revealed a look of sudden realization upon hearing this.
"So that’s how it is—I was using my head to think."
She continued to gaze at her fingertips, but after a while, she held her head in frustration.
"My head is so disobedient, always thinking about little monkeys, big bananas, big tigers, eating meat..."
Yin Xingyue, who was reserved and seldom smiled, couldn’t help but laugh at this.
Seeing Sister Xiao Yue laugh at her, Dou Dou grew even more irritated. Just then, her body suddenly burst into flames, as if her entire body was ablaze.
"Wow... Sister, Sister... I’ve produced fire! So you just have to get angry," Dou Dou exclaimed with delight.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Siyuan looked towards the two of them.
Lu Guanchang, who was nearby, also saw it. Even though he was a distance away, he was still shaken to the core, feeling a piercing pain in his soul. Previously enraged to the point of being mindless, his toad-like countenance instantly calmed down, and he reverted to his human appearance.
"Master, please, I beg you to let me meet my... daughter just once. Regardless of whether she is willing to seek justice for me or not, I will be at peace and give up completely. Otherwise, I will really be left with resentment and trapped here forever, unable to find liberation..."
As Lu Guanchang spoke with deep emotion, the lumps of flesh on his face seemed to dimly dissipate quite a bit, revealing his naturally kind and benevolent appearance.
"Your daughter is far away in Ci’en. I only have Saturdays and Sundays free to help make a trip there..."
"That’s no issue, I can wait," Lu Guanchang hastened to say.
Shen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "Do you know her address? I can write a letter and send it over. If she can come to Bin Hai City, that would be best..."
"That really is a good idea," Lu Guanchang said, delighted upon hearing this.
"In that case, come with me," Shen Siyuan stood up.
Lu Guanchang hurriedly followed Shen Siyuan upstairs to the room he rented.
Shen Siyuan found some paper and a pen and said to Lu Guanchang, "You dictate, and I’ll record."
Upon hearing this, Lu Guanchang lowered his head in thought, but found himself at a loss for words.
Shen Siyuan didn’t bother him, poured himself a cup of water, went to the window, and looked downstairs.
He saw the two little ones playing chase downstairs, fooling around with each other. It was already night, and even with street lights, it would have been hard to see clearly.
But the Netherworld Fire on Dou Dou’s head was too conspicuous, like a firefly in the night, so eye-catching.
The reason he didn’t want them to follow back with Lu Guanchang was mainly out of concern that if they were in the same room, they might accidentally ignite him. The Netherworld Fire uses karma as fuel; the greater the sins, the longer it burns. If the sins are not exhausted, the Netherworld Fire will not extinguish.
"Master, I have thought it through,"
Lu Guanchang’s voice interrupted Shen Siyuan’s thoughts.