HLnovel Chapter 66 The Guide Paper Doll
Chapter 66 The Guide Paper Doll
These days, Xiangping's great-grandfather is treating his mother's illness for free and also giving her ten doses of medicine for free.
Grandpa Village Chief and Grandma Yang took them in after seeing that their roof had collapsed, providing them with food and lodging.
After his mother died, he also asked that a mourning hall be set up here.
When the villagers saw that his mother had died, they all came to give him silver foil, help him fold paper ingots, and return the paper money. More than a hundred households each gave him a hundred coins, which was enough to buy a coffin for his mother.
He has received so much help from people these days, which makes him feel that even though he has lost his family and his mother has died, everyone will still help him.
It wasn't until Zhao Taohua rejected him this time that he felt inexplicably ashamed and humiliated, and that he was useless!
But then he suddenly realized that it wasn't a given that others should help him.
Zhao Shenglin pressed his fingerprint on the IOU and then handed it to Zhao Taohua.
After Zhao Taohua put away the IOU, a single incantation caused Zhao Shenglin to suddenly activate his Yin-Yang Eyes.
Immediately, he saw Xu Shi standing right behind him!
Her body was like a layer of mist; Zhao Shenglin tried to touch her but found he couldn't reach Xu's body.
Although Zhao Shenglin did not understand metaphysics and Taoist magic, he felt that Xu's soul looked very weak.
He hurriedly asked Zhao Taohua, "Sister Taohua, what's wrong with my mother?"
"After she died, she did not immediately go to the underworld with the ghost messengers, and her lingering in the mortal world caused damage to her soul."
If she doesn't go to the underworld within seven days, she will be trapped in the mortal realm, or she may not even have the chance to be trapped, and her soul will simply dissipate.
Zhao Taohua explained.
Xu was already in poor health, and her soul was weaker than that of ordinary ghosts after death. It's quite remarkable that she remained in this state for six days in the mortal world.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shenglin was horrified and immediately pleaded, "Mother, please leave quickly!"
Madam Xu never expected to have another chance to speak with Zhao Shenglin. She gave him some instructions:
“Shenglin, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, just ask your village chief grandpa and Grandma Yang, they will help you.”
The thought that Zhao Shenglin would become an orphan after she left caused Xu a sharp pain in her heart.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shenglin rejected her this time:
"Mother, I am nineteen years old now, not a nine-year-old child."
Shen Ming became an orphan at the age of twelve, but over the years he has not only taken good care of himself, but also built a brick house.
Although I am not as strong as him, nor do I have his hunting skills, I believe that if I work hard and am willing to endure hardship, I can also make a living.
At least it wouldn't have ended like this, with the roof collapsed and nowhere to set up Mother's mourning hall, forcing her to be placed at the village chief's house.
As Zhao Shenglin spoke, he felt deep regret. If he had joined everyone in clearing land and planting medicinal herbs a few months ago, things wouldn't be like this now!
Mrs. Xu looked at Zhao Shenglin in shock, unable to believe that he would say such a thing.
She cried and then laughed, nodding and saying, "Mother believes you."
"Mother, don't worry, I will take good care of myself from now on. You can go to the underworld in peace and don't stay in the mortal world anymore."
Zhao Shenglin looked at her increasingly weak soul and was very worried about her.
Seeing that Zhao Shenglin seemed to have grown up suddenly, Mrs. Xu felt much more at ease.
However, she now doesn't know how to get to the underworld.
When she died, and the ghost messengers came to take her away, she secretly hid.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Shenglin immediately turned to Zhao Taohua and said:
"Peach Blossom Sister, I'll get you another IOU, and then you can send my mother to the underworld, okay?"
Zhao Taohua nodded; he now knew to proactively sign IOUs to ask her for help.
After putting away Zhao Shenglin's second IOU, Zhao Taohua found a piece of paper, cut it into a small paper figure, wrote Xu's birth date and time on the paper figure, and then infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy.
After Zhao Taohua burned the paper figure to ashes, the paper figure immediately appeared in front of Xu Shi.
It beckoned to Xu, as if to say: Come with me.
Zhao Taohua explained, "This is a guide paper figure, Aunt Xu. It will lead you into the underworld."
Hearing this, Madam Xu felt much relieved: "Peach Blossom, thank you."
Xu took one last look at Zhao Shenglin before leaving with the little paper figure.
Zhao Shenglin watched her departing figure, called out "Mother" reluctantly, and stopped after taking only one step forward.
The coffin of Ms. Xu was laid to rest the next day, and the funeral of Ms. Xu was considered to have come to a satisfactory conclusion.
"Thank you all for your help, uncles, aunts, grandpas and grandmas. Originally, since you offered paper money, the host family should have provided two meals, but I couldn't because I didn't have the money. I'm really sorry."
When I have the chance in the future, I'll definitely treat everyone to a good meal.
After the last shovelful of mud was patted onto Xu's grave, Zhao Shenglin addressed the crowd.
Although it was just a sentence, it made people feel much better.
The village chief felt that Zhao Shenglin seemed to have grown a lot in one day. He was still staying at his house as before, but he knew to take the initiative to help and was more observant.
He patted Zhao Shenglin on the shoulder: "Take care of your own life first. We can talk about treating everyone to dinner later."
Zhao Shenglin nodded.
He borrowed two taels of silver from the village chief, first repaired the roof, then bought some materials to seal the cracks in the walls, and the yard was also piled high with firewood.
As time went by, the snow in the medicinal herb field began to melt, and everyone picked more perilla leaves each day than before.
Because everyone picked so much fruit, the clinics in Qingshui Town and nearby towns, as well as the county clinics, couldn't handle it all.
The village chief and Zhao Xiangping hadn't expected everyone's yield per mu to be so high, so they could only ask everyone to pick a little less each day and take turns selling it.
However, no one wanted to give up such a money-making opportunity, and everyone wanted to rush to sell herbs to earn money.
Cao said with dissatisfaction, "Village chief, when I bought the perilla seeds, you said that as long as they were grown, they would definitely be sold, so I planted them."
Now you won't let us sell, so I won't be able to make any money?
"We need money for everything around the house. My daughter-in-law's medicine costs money, and with the New Year approaching, we need to make several new cotton-padded coats. Without money, how am I supposed to buy them?"
Cao's daughter-in-law, Yan, lowered her head in shame, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Zhao Xiangping glared at her: "Shut up, it's not just you who can't sell herbs, it's a matter for the whole village now."
Didn't the village chief tell you back then that you could earn at least 2.5 taels of silver per mu? Didn't you earn that much?
The herbs you sell now are extra profit.
Cao rolled her eyes indignantly after being scolded by Zhao Xiangping.
She crossed her arms and said, "I don't care, I'm going to pick perilla leaves every day to sell, my family needs the money!"
When Grandma Feng saw that Cao was not following the rules set by the village chief, she was so angry that she stepped forward, pointed her finger at Cao's nose, and scolded her:
"If you act so recklessly, what will happen to the people who were originally supposed to pick the perilla leaves? Won't they be unable to sell them and end up picking them for nothing?"
Cao pouted: "What does this have to do with me!"
Grandma Feng, who had been a powerful figure in Zhao Family Village for half her life, was so rude to Cao that she immediately started arguing with her.
However, Cao was younger and stronger.
Seeing that Cao was getting impatient and about to push Grandma Feng out, Yan Zhenzhu was so frightened that she quickly stopped her.
"Mother, please calm down. Grandma Feng is old and her bones are brittle. You can't push her!"
In the end, Cao's hand didn't push Grandma Feng, but instead pushed Yan Zhenzhu away.
"What's it to you? Now look what happened, you fell down by yourself!"
When Cao saw Yan Zhenzhu fall to the ground, she not only did not help her up, but also made a sarcastic remark.
Zhao Taohua stepped forward and helped Yan Zhenzhu up: "Sister-in-law Zhenzhu, are you alright?"
Yan Zhenzhu shook her head embarrassedly. She had been married to Zhao Shengde for four years but had no children. In her husband's family, she was not even as good as a dog.
Even if you fall and hurt yourself, how dare you utter a sound?
Looking at Zhao Taohua, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. Zhao Taohua was wearing a light pink cotton-padded jacket with exquisite embroidery, which made the fourteen-year-old Zhao Taohua look bright and full of vitality.
Thinking back to when she was still a girl at home before she got married, she was just as free and carefree, loved by her parents, and her eyes were even more lively and bright than Zhao Taohua is now.