?39: Chapter 39 The Corpse Changed 39: Chapter 39 The Corpse Changed Wang Dajiao looked at Cheng Rurong as she collapsed to the ground, even more proud of herself than a monkey admiring its own reflection, shaking her head and saying, “Well!

    Rurong, how did you end up collapsing on the ground so quickly?

    Could this really be...” She was about to say “a stone curse,” when she saw Qin Yue step out and immediately shuddered, asking, “Wi...

    Qin Yue, what are you going to do?”

    Qin Yue clenched her teeth, smiling, and said crisply, “What am I going to do?

    You old women, all babbling nonsense here, I’m going to wash your mouths out, keep it up!”

    With a splash, the yellow water stank to heaven and Earth; Wang Dajiao, standing right in the middle of the courtyard, was doused with a thoroughly bone-chilling splash, looking like a crow dragged out from a filthy ditch from the tips of her hair down to the soles of her feet.

    With that basin of stinking water thrown, not a soul wanted to stick around to watch the drama unfold; covering their noses, they cursed and ran without a care about cursing themselves with the Stone Man or anything of sorts.

    “Get in quickly, you bastard!” said Qin Yue as she went into the house, carrying Cheng Rurong.

    “Bang!”

    Liu Hun had barely stepped inside when Du Yueling slammed the door shut.

    He still had no idea what was going on when suddenly the sound of Wang Dajiao cursing and swearing came from behind.

    It took a while for this noise to gradually fade away.

    “Hahaha...

    How about that?

    My plan wasn’t too bad, right?” Qin Yue, hands on hips, playfully smiled at Liu Hun.

    “Impressive?” Liu Hun gave Qin Yue a thumbs up, thinking that such a shrew needed to be dealt with by a woman like Qin Yue.

    “But, Wang Dajiao learned her lesson this time.

    Surely she won’t let it go at that.

    We can’t just keep doing this, can we?

    What will we do in the future?” Du Yueling asked, quite worried, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward Liu Hun.

    How could Liu Hun allow Du Yueling to become disappointed?

    He pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, “I have an idea!”

    “What idea?” Qin Yue, ever impatient, immediately asked.

    “Someone dies.”

    The next day, the news that Cheng Rurong had been driven to her death by her mother-in-law spread quickly throughout Wanbao Village.

    From early morning, people arrived at Cheng Rurong’s home—to offer condolences, to rubberneck, and to secretly rejoice.

    Cheng Rurong was a widow with no children, so the funeral arrangements for the first day fell upon Ye Canghai, the village chief.

    While Ye Canghai and his wife, along with Qin Yue and others, were busy receiving guests, Wang Dajiao opportunistically appeared at the entrance to Cheng Rurong’s home, feigning sorrow as she walked up to the courtyard gate.

    “What are you doing here?

    You drove Rurong to her death.

    Do you even have the shame to come?” Qin Yue asked Wang Dajiao with a sidelong glance.

    “What are you talking about, you girl?

    I’m her mother-in-law.

    How could I not be here?

    Besides, what does her death have to do with me?” Wang Dajiao retorted to Qin Yue, watching her with the feeling that she seemed like a reincarnated spirit of a vixen from a fox.

    In her heart, she couldn’t wait for Cheng Rurong to die, just to stop ruining her good fortunes.

    Wang Dajiao didn’t want to talk much with Qin Yue and pulled Ye Canghai aside to ask, “Is she really gone?”

    Ye Canghai nodded, thinking that Wang Dajiao’s hatred for Cheng Rurong was such that heaven and Earth could not contain it, somehow making him feel like he was more involved in Cheng Rurong’s affairs than an outsider should be.

    “Is she...

    really gone?” Wang Dajiao pressed once more, showing a hint of schadenfreude akin to a blind cat finding a dead rat.

    “She’s gone,” Ye Canghai simply said.

    Wang Dajiao looked around, noticed Liu Hun wasn’t present, and felt much relieving.

    If it were true her hard-to-please, barren daughter-in-law was gone, then the matter of leasing the mountain could be settled.

    She thus suggested to Ye Canghai, “How about...

    I take a look inside?”

    “Go ahead, go ahead,” Ye Canghai quickly waved his hand impatiently.

    Wang Dajiao, feeling smug inside, walked into the main house.

    Upon entering, she saw Cheng Rurong covered with a white cloth from the waist down, only her head was exposed, her lips deathly white and no different in color from other corpses.

    At that moment, the visitors who had come to pay their respects exited the room.

    Wang Dajiao, emboldened, took a few steps closer to look at Cheng Rurong’s face, thinking the widow was rather attractive.

    It seemed such a waste now that she was dead.

    She couldn’t help but whisper, “Ah, Rurong, why put yourself through this?

    If you’d just listened to me, all would be well.

    Look at you now, not only did you fail to leave us with an heir, but you also hexed my son to death.

    Now you’re disrespectful and unfilial towards me.

    Could you possibly end up with a good fate?

    Now that you’re gone, just stay quiet over there and stop causing trouble...”

    “Bang!” Suddenly, before Wang Dajiao could finish her sentence, a loud sound of a door closing came from behind.

    Wang Dajiao’s legs went weak, and she whirled around to see, fearing the worst.

    Without a second thought, she shot towards the door, pulling at it several times but failing to open it.

    Cold sweat broke out on Wang Dajiao’s forehead as she instinctively felt a strange chill seeping through the room.

    Slowly turning back, she saw Cheng Rurong on the bed, eyes closed, motionless, easing her heart somewhat.

    Suddenly!

    The Cheng Rurong lying on the bed cracked her pale lips into a smile at Wang Dajiao, who rubbed her eyes in disbelief, thinking to herself, My dear mother, what’s happening?

    Yes!

    Cheng Rurong laughed again, and this time she not only grinned but also slowly opened her eyes.

    “Dear mother!

    She’s feigning death!

    Help!

    Help!” Wang Dajiao frantically knocked on the door behind her, wailing to the heavens as if mourning the death of her own father, her despair amplified by the utter silence from outside.

    With a deathly pale face, Cheng Rurong threw off the blanket that covered her and stepped out of bed, advancing step by step towards Wang Dajiao.

    “Rurong...

    Rurong...

    don’t come any closer!

    Don’t come any closer!

    No...

    no, it wasn’t me who killed you, you committed suicide!

    I’m your mother, Chun Sheng’s mother...

    don’t come any closer!” Wang Dajiao flailed her hands in front of her eyes, worried that Cheng Rurong might pounce on her at any moment, feeling relief that Cheng had stopped moving a meter away.

    “Wang...

    Da...

    Jiao,” Cheng Rurong slowly opened her mouth, her voice eerily drawn-out, like a mountain wind blowing through.

    “Rurong...

    what do you want?

    Don’t...

    don’t call my name.” Wang Dajiao’s face turned deathly pale, her trousers unknowingly soaked through.

    “Who placed the stone effigy?” Cheng Rurong continued to question Wang Dajiao.

    “If...

    if I tell you, will you promise not to come after me?” Wang Dajiao was still trying to negotiate with Cheng Rurong, worried that she might wake up one night to see Cheng’s face.

    “Speak!” Cheng Rurong barked at Wang Dajiao.

    “I...

    I...

    it was me.

    I had someone bury it in your backyard at night, and I had someone carve those words on it.” Wang Dajiao was terrified, confessing everything in one breath.

    “Why did you do it?” Cheng Rurong persisted.

    “It was Sun Xing from the neighboring village who gave me money, he...

    he wanted to cut down the trees in his backyard to sell...

    Aiyah!” Wang Dajiao was mid-confession when suddenly the door behind her was kicked open.

    She tumbled forward, face-first onto the ground at Cheng Rurong’s feet, her hands instinctively grasping Cheng’s legs.

    Realizing Cheng was already dead, she looked up, only to meet Cheng Rurong’s hateful eyes.

    With a splutter, Wang Dajiao felt a warmth in her groin, as if a bowl of watery porridge had spilled into her trousers, a hot clump spreading.

    “Wang Dajiao!

    How could you, an elder, concoct such lies just for a bit of money, framing Cheng Rurong?

    What else do you have to say for yourself?!” Liu Hun’s stern voice sounded from behind Wang Dajiao.

    If not for the fact that he was concerned about her being an old woman, he wouldn’t have resorted to this feigning death trick and would have taken direct action.

    Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Dajiao turned her head sharply, only to see Liu Hun, Qin Yue, Bai Lian, and the couple of the village chief all standing at the door.

    Even a fool like Wang Dajiao could grasp what was happening.

    “What the...

    you were all trying to hoodwink me!

    Damn it, Cheng Rurong didn’t even die!” Wang Dajiao exclaimed, leaping to her feet, the stool and urine she had scared out of her running down her legs.

    “If it weren’t for Hunzi, Rurong would almost have been killed – and it was you who drove her to it!

    Now that your grotesque true colors have been revealed, what else do you have to say?!” Qin Yue angrily interrogated Wang Dajiao, unable to believe that Wang had colluded with Sun Xing to harm her own daughter-in-law.

    Looking around at the few people present, seeing Cheng Rurong in such a state was indeed frightening.

    Stammering, Wang Dajiao said, “Well...

    at least she’s not dead!

    Everyone...

    let’s disperse.

    My heart’s all aflutter.”

    Ye Canghai, upon realizing that this was all a play arranged by Liu Hun, felt relieved.

    Torn between fearing Wang Dajiao might ask for his help and being indecisive, he was also eager to return to his card game, so he sneakily made his escape.

    Now that the charade was clear, Wang Dajiao called after the village chief several times.

    Ye Canghai, rolling away like a winter melon, moved quickly and ignored her cries, leaving Wang Dajiao to curse in her heart, helpless and itching with fury.

    “Everyone’s fine, what more do you want?

    I’m getting on in years.

    If something happens to me, who among you can bear the responsibility?” Wang Dajiao addressed the crowd, eager to leave as quickly as possible.

    Liu Hun wasn’t really worried about Wang Dajiao’s well-being.

    He said, “Wang Dajiao, I need you to promise you won’t go after Cheng Rurong’s contracted forests anymore.

    And you must write a big-character poster to inform the whole village of your deceit.”

    Wang Dajiao, seeing the determination in the others’ faces, realized she had no choice but to nod in agreement if she wished to leave.

    “Alright, alright!

    I promise you, Hunzi!

    Can I go now?”

    “No!” Liu Hun still blocked her way, then pulled out a big-character poster that he had already prepared and pointed to a spot on it, saying, “Sign here and press your fingerprint.

    Once you’ve signed and pressed your fingerprint, you can go.”

    Wang Dajiao glanced over the proclamation, which detailed all the swindling deeds she had committed – it was as exposing as having her skin flayed to reveal rotten insides.

    “Smack!” Qin Yue slammed a carrying pole on the table and demanded, “Are you going to sign or not?!” She knew Liu Hun couldn’t lay a hand on Wang Dajiao, but that didn’t stop her.

    Facing the looming carrying pole held by Qin Yue, Wang Dajiao felt an involuntary twinge of pain, bit her lip hard, and scrawled her name in a wobbly hand.

    Under the insistence of Liu Hun and the others, she bit her finger and pressed a bloody fingerprint onto the poster, then left Cheng Rurong’s house with her trousers full of filth.

    Wang Dajiao, clutching at her stained crotch, dripped a trail of yellow as she tentatively took a few steps, only to hear barking behind her.

    Turning, she saw the lame dog from the village entrance chasing after the scent.

    Wang cried out in alarm and ran towards home, heedless of everything else, as the villagers along the way nearly doubled over with laughter.

    After the feigned death incident, Liu Hun’s image in Du Yueling’s mind became even clearer.

    She had always thought of Liu Hun as someone who relied on brute strength to resolve problems, but this encounter showed her that Liu Hun’s intellect was far from simple.

    In the night, the moonlight, like liquid silver, shone on the paper window, while Du Yueling lay in bed reflecting on the day’s events, feeling that there was something inside her, just out of reach, that was irritatingly itchy.