Chapter 746 - 384: A Scare in the Mourning Hall (2)

Chapter 746: Chapter 384: A Scare in the Mourning Hall (2)

A cold sweat broke out on Juhua. She felt a sinister, bone-chilling wind in the mourning hall and an oppressive cold, as if she could see the Great-Aunt sitting up in her coffin, staring at the west room, beside herself with rage.

Never mind the strange tales she’d heard in her past life about peculiar happenings after death; the fact that she herself had transmigrated here was enough to make her treat tonight’s events with the utmost gravity.

To be honest, she hadn’t set foot in the mourning hall since paying her respects at noon. Yet now that it was night, she had inexplicably found herself running in. ’And where did Pu Pao go? I completely forgot where she went.’

’Has the Great-Aunt really sought me out? But why?’

She swallowed hard, pressed her forehead to the floor, and mumbled, "Great-Aunt, it’s me, Juhua. You always liked me, didn’t you? Please don’t scare me—I’m a coward. I don’t know what you want, so what am I supposed to do? How about... this? I’ll talk, you listen. If I guess right, Great-Aunt, blow another gust of wind."

She spoke, trembling, and peeked up. The room didn’t feel quite so gloomy and desolate anymore. She whispered, "I’ll figure something out. I’ll definitely stop the uncles from fighting. But Great-Aunt, if they want to divide the family property, just let them. You’ve already passed on. It might be for the best if they live apart. Besides, my father is here, and he can help make sure it’s fair. Once everything is divided peacefully for you to see, you can also rest more peacefully."

If anyone had heard her, they would have burst out laughing. But there wasn’t a hint of jest in Juhua’s tone. The moment she finished speaking, she felt a gentle breeze wash over her, nothing like the furious gust from before. ’It’s not wind, really,’ she thought. The lamp flames hadn’t flickered, nor had the hanging drapes stirred, yet she had distinctly felt it.

She took a deep breath and decided to get Qingmu and Huai Zi to intervene. Her father, Zheng Changhe, wasn’t good at persuasion; his efforts had been completely useless. It would be better to have her husband step in.

Lost in thought, she rose to her feet quite naturally, not a trace of her earlier fear and trembling remaining. She slowly walked out of the mourning hall and saw Huai Zi and Pu Pao standing in the middle of the courtyard. Bathed in the light of a torch, they were looking all around, clearly searching for her.

She quickly called out, "Huai Zi!"

Zhang Huai turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing her emerge from the building, he rushed to her side. "Where have you been? Pu Pao and I came looking for you and couldn’t find you anywhere. Pu Pao even searched inside. How come she didn’t see you?"

Pu Pao trotted over as well, nodding repeatedly to confirm she had searched inside for her. "Young Madam, where did you go? I looked everywhere, inside and out, and couldn’t find you. If you hadn’t shown up, I... I was about to..." The little girl looked aggrieved. If she had actually lost the Young Madam, she could only expect a beating upon her return!

Juhua quickly reassured her, saying she hadn’t gone far and was just inside. Seeing Pu Pao’s disbelieving expression, she finally admitted she’d been in the mourning hall.

Seeing Zhang Huai gave her a sense of security, and a wave of delayed fear washed over her. Her legs went weak. She grabbed Huai Zi’s arm and whispered, "Huai Zi, I was in the mourning hall just now. The Great-Aunt... she came looking for me!"

Her vague words startled Huai Zi. Pu Pao began to tremble, her small hand clutching Juhua’s clothes as she huddled close, glancing back toward the main building’s entrance as if the old woman had followed the Young Madam out.

Zhang Huai, of course, was not afraid. He calmed down after the initial shock, comforting her as he asked what had happened.

Juhua glanced around at the few people scattered about, then pulled Huai Zi to a corner of the courtyard and told him everything that had just happened, from start to finish.

While Juhua thought she might just be imagining things and was treating the matter with a "better safe than sorry" attitude, Huai Zi believed her completely. It wasn’t that he was timid; it was just that people in these parts had a natural reverence for the supernatural.

He thought for a moment, then said, "If the Great-Aunt entrusted this to you, then we have to see it through. It’s not that difficult, really. It’s just a few people stirring up trouble. I’ll go get Qingmu. Don’t you run off again. Wait for me, and when I get back, we’ll go in together, resolve this, and then get something to eat. You two must be hungry, right?"

’I didn’t run off,’ Juhua thought. ’I don’t even know how I ended up in there.’ She glanced at Pu Pao and decided not to bring it up again, or the poor girl wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. She nodded and said, "Yes, I’m a little hungry. But I don’t feel like eating the food from the wake. It’s not that I dislike it, it’s just that it’s all cold by the time it’s served. Let’s just make something for ourselves in the kitchen later."

Huai Zi nodded and hurried away.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two men returned. They waved Juhua over, and the group entered the room on the west side together.

The racket inside hadn’t stopped; in fact, it had grown even louder. Wives and children had now joined the fray, crying incessantly. The misery in the air was even more genuine than their earlier wailing during the wake!

Qingmu had come with a tentative attitude, feeling it wasn’t really his place to interfere. With the Great-Aunt gone, the familial bond had weakened considerably. They were basically cousins, and by his generation, the connection was even more distant. But when he entered the room and heard Zheng Changhe shouting himself hoarse—rebuking, pleading, consoling—yet utterly failing to stop the frenzied crowd, while someone else fanned the flames from the side, he became enraged. He and Huai Zi charged forward, their furious shouts overpowering the din.

The crowd had been arguing all afternoon and were long since exhausted. How could they compete with the energy of the two newcomers? They were quickly subdued.

The man who had been stirring up trouble sneered, "My, how impressive! Is this the Zheng Family residence, or the Yu Family’s?"

Qingmu roared back at him, "What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to incite these brothers to come to blows? What’s your motive? Do you have a grudge against the Yu Family?"

The man retorted, "Who’s stirring up trouble? You—"

Huai Zi cut him off. "You’re not stirring up trouble? Then how come, while everyone else is trying to calm them down, you’re always in the thick of it, muttering about how unfair things are? It’s like you’re afraid they won’t fight hard enough. You’re just scared they’ll stop, aren’t you? How they divide their family’s possessions and silver is none of your damn business!"