Chapter 751 - 387: Hulu Saw the Great-aunt

Chapter 751: Chapter 387: Hulu Saw the Great-aunt

She glanced at her eldest cousin-uncle, who was watching her nervously. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes in her mind. ’Does he really look like he’s going to give the money back to Dad? It’s just like Dad to be so honest, declaring his position before the other person even finishes. If he were dealing with someone cunning, they would’ve just taken his words at face value and let him suffer the loss in silence. What would he have done then?’

She glanced at the others in the room. Men and women alike, all of them were tense. She sighed inwardly. ’I suppose it makes sense. Seventy or eighty taels of silver is no small sum. You could buy dozens of acres of wasteland with that.’

So, she furrowed her brow and pretended to think hard. ’I just said I couldn’t remember. If I speak up right away, it’ll give me away, won’t it?’

After a long moment, she clapped her hands and said, "I remember! Grandma Gu said—" Everyone instantly perked up, listening intently. "—that most of this silver was a gift from her nephew out of filial respect. It’s her personal money. Unlike the house and fields, which can only be divided among the sons of the Yu Family—married-out daughters get no share—this money is for every child she gave birth to! Those with more children should get a larger share, and those with fewer children should get a smaller one."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Her second cousin-uncle remarked, "That sounds like something Mother would say. She was always so reasonable and clear about everything."

Juhua pursed her lips, thinking, ’Why didn’t you just discuss it and divide it this way yourselves? In the end, it all comes down to greed. You all just wanted a little more.’

So she deliberately cried out, "Stop arguing... I’m remembering something else. It was... it was... Oh, right! She said, ’Brothers and sisters should be harmonious and help each other. You all came from the same womb; even if you break a bone, you’re still joined by sinew. If I didn’t care for my brother back home, where would this silver from my filial nephew have come from? Squabbling all day, refusing to yield an inch—that’s how a family falls to ruin. When trouble strikes, your brothers won’t come to help, and you’ll act like enemies, making a spectacle of yourselves for others to laugh at...’ That’s all I can remember."

Her cousin-uncles began to cry silently, wiping away their tears. The eldest one said to Juhua, "Thank you, Juhua. Wife, give Mother’s comb to Juhua as a keepsake. The fact that she entrusted you with her last words shows she must have been very fond of you."

A woman with a sallow complexion quickly turned and rummaged through an old sewing basket. She picked out a yellow wooden comb with one broken tooth. It had been worn incredibly smooth and shiny, though it was impossible to tell what kind of wood it was made of. She handed it to Juhua.

Juhua quickly accepted it with a respectful air. After bidding them farewell and giving Zheng Changhe a few last-minute instructions, she finally left the inner hall. Standing out in the sunlight, she let out a long breath. ’I finally got through that.’

The mood on the way back was completely different. The old will eventually die. Aside from those closest to them, who would grieve and remember for a time, everyone else would quickly forget. Juhua and Qingmu weren’t particularly close to Grandma Gu, let alone Huai Zi and Liu Yunlan. As a result, the journey back was filled with chatter and laughter.

Liu Yunlan and Qingmu were both shocked when Juhua told them what had happened the previous night.

Liu Yunlan said with utter conviction, "That must have been Grandma Gu’s angry spirit showing itself. Think about it! How strong could a gust of wind blowing in from the main door be? Strong enough to knock over an oil lamp? Grandma Gu’s coffin was in the inner hall, far from the entrance! And another thing, Pu Pao is just a little kid. She was terrified last night. How would she suddenly find the courage to crawl under a coffin?"

Even under the bright sun, Juhua shivered. "I’d forgotten about that. The wind really was strange—it shouldn’t have been able to blow into the mourning hall. Ugh, let’s not talk about it, or I’ll never get to sleep tonight. Last night, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like Grandma Gu was standing at my bedside, watching me."

As she spoke, she grabbed Huai Zi’s arm and held on tight.

Pu Pao nodded repeatedly. "I’ve never met Grandma Gu, but I keep seeing an old lady wandering around!"

Qingmu and Huai Zi immediately started making conversation to comfort them, worried the topic would leave them feeling uneasy.

Liu Yunlan laughed. "You’ll be fine once you’re home. I’ve heard that not everyone can see spirits. Otherwise, why wouldn’t Grandma Gu have just appeared and given her sons a good scolding? Ghosts don’t dare get close to places with strong ’yang’ energy, so as long as Huai Zi is with you, you have nothing to fear. I bet the first time you went into the hall, Grandma Gu’s spirit was really there. She’s the one who knocked over the lamp in a fit of anger. The second time, once everyone else went in, she was powerless. That’s why she had to use little Pu Pao to do her work..."

Qingmu nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. It has always been said that the living and the dead walk separate paths. If there were no rules, wouldn’t there be chaos?"

Juhua nodded. "That’s what I was wondering, too. Even though I knew perfectly well that Pu Pao was behind the mischief the second time, the first time was genuinely different. How do I describe it? At that moment, I really felt a chilling wind, and the hair on my arms stood on end. I wanted to run but I couldn’t move. I just kept feeling like Grandma Gu was right there beside me..."