CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 159: I WON’T LET YOU OFF! (3RD UPDATE)

Song Wei took Wen Wan to the town to consult a doctor. The doctor said there were no major issues, just the young lady’s body was a bit weak and needed timely nourishment.

Song Wei picked up some fetus-preserving medicine and also bought bird’s nest and several pounds of fresh fruit, preparing to take his young wife back home.

Just as they arrived at the town entrance and hadn’t yet boarded the ox cart, Wen Wan had a premonition.

——This matter starts from last year when Da Lang’s wife’s family came to propose a marriage exchange, but it didn’t work out.

Initially, this bad idea was suggested by Limp Wang to Da Lang’s wife’s mother, Mrs. Wang He.

When the marriage proposal failed, Song Wei soon passed the scholar examination. Mrs. Wang He realized she couldn’t rely on the Song family, felt angry, and went to the entrance of Limp Wang’s house to scold him from outside the courtyard wall.

Limp Wang blamed Song Wei for this and added the grievance of Song Wei allegedly stealing his beautiful bride, combining old grudges with new ones.

He heard gossip from the Upper River Village women that Wen Wan might be pregnant, got angry, and knowing Granny Song was superstitious, he spent a big sum to hire an old Taoist priest who was full of nonsense. He went to the Song family when Song Wei, Wen Wan, and Old Song were not home. The priest claimed he was just passing by and came to ask for a bowl of water. Upon seeing the roof of their house covered in a layer of dark bad luck, he said if not removed, they wouldn’t have offspring for ten years. Even if they did, they’d die in the womb due to the bad luck.

Granny Song was particularly sensitive to her family’s bad fate, coupled with her daughter-in-law now being pregnant. She was afraid the incident with Da Lang couple would happen again and immediately panicked, asking what to do.

The old priest directly asked for fifty silver pieces, claiming the bad luck had been there for at least thirty years and removing it would exhaust his power and shorten his life. He couldn’t do it without enough money.

Fifty silver pieces!

Last year, when Song Wei went to Beijing, Granny Song gave all her savings to her son. Where could she find fifty silver pieces?

Coincidentally, Mrs. Wang He suddenly visited, saw a guest at the Song house and casually asked about it. Upon learning the Song family needed money for the ritual but couldn’t afford it, she pulled Granny Song aside privately, saying her son Wang Xiaolang could help find the money but the interest was high.

Granny Song had never engaged in high-interest loans before and didn’t intend to in the future, deciding to wait until her husband returned at night to discuss finding the money together.

The old liar and Mrs. Wang He were both in cohorts with Limp Wang. Would they let her succeed? They said the matter must be known only to the three of them. If a fourth person found out, it would leak divine secrets, and even if he had heavenly skills, the priest could not remove the bad luck from the Song family’s roof, making it worse instead.

Granny Song, worried, completely lost her bearings over the matter with her Third Son, without properly contemplating many details, solely focused on driving away bad luck for her son. She was tempted by Mrs. Wang He’s "kindness" and took out a high-interest loan of fifty silver pieces. When signing the document, it bore Song Wei’s name. Granny Song, illiterate, simply placed a handprint.

Not long after, Limp Wang personally led a group to demand repayment, fifty silver pieces principal plus interest, totaling one hundred twenty silver pieces, threatening that if the Song family couldn’t repay, they’d cut off one of Song Wei’s hands as compensation.

...

This premonition involved a lot, and the content was complicated. It took Wen Wan a long time to explain clearly.

Song Wei, understanding, asked her if it was today?

Wen Wan nodded. It was indeed today. Her father-in-law wasn’t home, she and her husband were out, leaving only her mother-in-law at home. That old liar seized the opportunity to come.

Song Wei didn’t hesitate, helped Wen Wan onto the ox cart, intending to inform his mother before the old liar arrived.

The young couple arrived home to find Granny Song was bent over the chicken coop gathering eggs.

Seeing them return shortly after leaving, Granny Song asked if they saw the doctor and what the doctor said?

Song Wei replied they saw the doctor, and there was nothing major.

Granny Song asked why they didn’t buy more things, saying Wan Niang was pregnant and needed nourishment. The house only had cheap local goods, which couldn’t make her gain weight.

Song Wei didn’t have time to explain, "Mother, please sit down, I have a very important matter to discuss with you."

Granny Song put the eggs in a basket padded with straw, washed her hands, sat down, and looked at Song Wei expectantly.

Song Wei carefully relayed Wen Wan’s premonition to her.

Granny Song was dumbfounded, looked at Wen Wan, then at Song Wei, "This... Wan Niang can really foresee this?"

It was like listening to a theatrical story.

Song Wei said she could see it.

"How could I be so foolish?" Granny Song still didn’t believe it; she had been sharp all her life, could she be fooled by an old liar?

Song Wei found it amusing seeing his mother’s fiercely anxious expression, "You’ll find out whether it’s true very soon."

Knowing his mother was quick-witted, Song Wei didn’t say more and just pulled Wen Wan up, saying, "Mother, we’ll step outside, if the fortune-teller really comes, handle him as you see fit."

Granny Song saw his all-serious demeanor, and even if she didn’t believe it, she couldn’t help but believe a little. She waved her hand for them to go out, saying that if the premonition were true, she had her ways to deal with that old bastard.

Not long after Song Wei and his wife left, the gate of the Song family courtyard was indeed knocked on.

Granny Song opened the door and saw an old Taoist priest standing outside, wearing a Taoist robe and holding a fortune-telling flag.

"This poor Taoist was passing by and is extremely thirsty. Could the benefactor spare a bowl of water?"

The old liar was performing with great dedication, and his parched and dry appearance was convincing. If it hadn’t been for the Third Son’s earlier warning, Granny Song might have really thought he was just passing through for a drink.

She hurriedly invited him into the courtyard, pulled out a stool for him to sit on, and went inside to fetch water.

The old liar took the bowl, drinking water while glancing around. After his eyes wandered, his face changed, and the bowl in his hand trembled and shattered into pieces on the ground.

Granny Song was displeased, "Are you looking to pick a fight? I kindly poured you a bowl of water and you not only don’t have a decent word, but you also smash the bowl? Who are you trying to show face to?"

The old liar: "..."

After a moment of being at a loss for words, the old liar regained his composure, pointed with a trembling hand above the main room, and said, "Your, your house..."

Granny Song bent down to pick up the broken porcelain pieces, stood up and looked in the direction the old liar was pointing, and asked, "What’s wrong with our house?"

"Oh dear, it’s terrible. Your main room’s roof is covered in a layer of bad luck, seemingly for decades. If you don’t find a way to drive it away, it will likely affect future generations. In the next ten years at least, don’t expect to have any children. Even if you do, they’ll be stillborn from this bad luck."

Granny Song had a sudden realization, "Ah, so that’s why the roof of our house is always dark and never sees the sun. Turns out it’s covered by bad luck. Master, do you have any way to drive that thing away?"

"..." The old liar looked at Granny Song, "You can see it?"

Granny Song: "Isn’t that a stupid question? Why else would I have a pair of eyes? With everything so ominous, how could I not see it?"

The old liar coughed, stroking his goatee, "When even an ordinary person like you can see it, it shows how serious this matter is. Very serious indeed."

Granny Song eyed him, "Master, don’t just talk about seriousness. Give me a suggestion on how to get rid of it?"

The old liar sighed, "Such an extraordinary phenomenon, this poor Taoist has never seen before in his life. To thoroughly dispel it, one must perform a ritual, but..."

"But what? You’re about to drive me crazy!"

The old liar was mysterious for a moment, then said gloomily, "To expel bad luck changes the fate of your family; such a ritual depletes too much power. If not careful, it could shorten one’s life. I think it’s best to forget about it!"

"Don’t be like that!" Granny Song said, "You’ve already taken on the burden, you should weigh how much it is yourself. Just tell me, will silver do the trick?"

The old liar coughed, saying it’s not about money.

Granny Song continued, "How much? Just name your price, we aren’t short of money in our family."

The old liar: "..." How could this old lady not follow the script?

Before he could react, Granny Song had already stuffed a broom into his hand.

The old liar was a bit confused.

Granny Song moved a bamboo ladder under the eaves and turned to him, "Since performing rituals depletes power and shortens life, don’t give me those useless things. I’ll move the ladder for you, you take the broom, get on the roof, and directly sweep away the bad luck. Whenever you finish, I’ll pay you. Just go up, we of the Old Song Family aren’t short of money."

The old liar: "...!?"

Seeing him not move, Granny Song raised her voice and asked, "Why are you standing there dumbfounded? Can’t you do it, or are you a fraud?"

The old liar, fearing her loud voice might attract people from outside, shuffled forward a few steps.

Granny Song urged him, "Hurry it up. If the bad luck has nowhere to go, it’ll end up coming for your head."

The old liar swallowed hard, trembling as he held the broom and climbed the bamboo ladder.

As soon as he steadied himself on the roof, Granny Song took the bamboo ladder away and laid it flat on the ground.

The old liar: "!!!"