"Oh, they are finally here. I can't hold on any longer!" Zhong Hongyan threw the bucket to the ground and ran towards Zhong Jiudao and others.
It's not easy for him. In order to prevent being disturbed by noise from outside, Zhong Jiudao put up sound insulation stickers in the room, so that no matter how loud the noise outside is, it can't be heard in.
Zhong Hongyan knew that this job was not easy. The master of the house was injured last night, so it was okay tonight. Starting from 8 o'clock this morning, after breakfast, the people from each room would come one after another to cause trouble. He knew that if those people came to him forcefully, he would definitely not be able to handle it. So he asked the dead ghost in the peach forest where the stinky water was. The filth was so filthy that even ghosts were afraid. The dead ghost pointed to a stinky ditch, and Zhong Hongyan brought a few buckets over to take charge.
If a senior wanted to enter the door, he would just pour water on him; on the contrary, since they were of the same age, he was not afraid of conflict.
If an elder were to come in and be rude to him, Zhong Hongyan would make up his mind to pour the water on himself, and then hug the elder's waist crying and shouting, which would scare the person away immediately.
The stalemate lasted until noon. Zhong Hongyan's biological father, the third son of the Zhong family, finally couldn't stand his son's crazy behavior anymore. He ordered someone to bring a water pipe. He and a group of people stood ten meters away from Zhong Hongyan, holding water pipes and loudspeakers and shouting: "Fuck this evil creature! If you don't get out of the way, I'll flush it with the water pipe!"
Zhong Hongyan still had three buckets of stock. He held up one bucket and said, "Go ahead, pour it! After you pour it, I'll come up and continue pouring!"
Zhong Hongyan knew in his heart that once the water pipes were put up, he would not be able to hold on for long. In an hour at most, his stock would be used up, and if Zhong Jiudao and others did not come, they would be doomed.
Fortunately, his delaying technique worked. When Mr. Zhong walked out of the room and saw the sunlight outside, he squinted his eyes somewhat unbearably and blocked the sun with his hands. It was obvious that there was nothing wrong with his eyes.
When Zhong Hongyan saw his savior coming, he excitedly dropped the bucket and rushed over. Zhong Jiudao, like a person, showed an expression of "what the hell is this" and covered his nose with his sleeve, obviously unwilling to associate with Zhong Hongyan.
Zhong Hongyi was standing at the back. She hadn't opened the door yet when her brother rushed over. Seeing this, she quickly grabbed something from the room and threw it at Zhong Hongyan: "Stop, don't move. Go take ten showers and throw away all the clothes on your body before coming back!"
What hit Zhong Hongyan was a rope knot hanging by the door. It didn't hurt, but Zhong Hongyan was very sad. He made such a great sacrifice, but in the end he was treated like this by his companion. It was really sad.
"You guys wait for me to take a nice shower!" He said harshly and rushed into the room to take a shower.
Seeing that man leave, both Zhong Jiudao's side and the group of people on the opposite side relaxed their guard. Even Zhong's mother, who had remained calm in the face of major changes, wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The head of the Zhong family saw so many people gathered below, each of them had three or four heads, and immediately said unhappily: "Why are you all gathered here? Don't you have anything to do?"
Zhong Lao San hurriedly said, "Brother, we are also worried about you and want to see you. Who knew that Hong Yan knew that you were receiving treatment but he didn't tell us. He is so ignorant."
"Are you worried about whether I'm okay or not? Who will take over this family in the future?" Old Man Zhong snorted coldly.
His influence was still there, so naturally those messy side branches of the Zhong family didn't dare to say anything. Old Man Zhong said, "You're all sitting here, so you have nothing to do, right? If you have nothing to do, hold a meeting in the living room and call the second son's family. Don't think he can get away with this by pretending to be dead!"
After that, I asked Zhong Jiudao to push the wheelchair to the living room. The people below looked at me. I looked at them. Some of the seniors who were not worthy of entering the living room ran away directly, some went to call the second wife's family, and some made the excuse of changing clothes to get rid of the stench on their bodies.
When Zhong Jiudao and others walked towards the living room, Qian Duoqun was a little at a loss. He stepped forward and tugged at Zhong Jiudao's sleeve, saying in a low voice: "I will not get involved in your family's affairs. I am just an ordinary person, it is not good to know too much. I will leave now, and my family is still waiting for the New Year."
Old man Zhong, who was sitting in a wheelchair, asked: "Who is this?"
"My work partner came to give me something. It's not appropriate for me to get involved in family matters, so I left with him." Zhong Jiu said.
“That job… is it the director job in the entertainment industry? He is also in cahoots with those people…” Old man Zhong looked at Qian Duoqun, and paused there without saying the word “in cahoots with those people”.
In his mind, he felt that Qian Duoqun and Zhong Jiudao's broken dreams were the same, and he was angry when he mentioned them, and wanted to pick up a broom and drive this man out of the house. But when he saw Qian Duoqun, the message his eyes conveyed to his brain was that this young man was poor but self-reliant, started from a low point but was motivated, and had gone astray but returned to the right path. He was a very good person to get along with, and he felt pleasing to the eye when he saw him.
"Huh?" Qian Duoqun tilted his head, waiting for Old Man Zhong to scold him. He was used to being humble, so being scolded by his elders was nothing.
He locked eyes with Old Man Zhong, and looking into those eyes, he actually tasted a hint of relief from Brother Eyeball before he left.
Old man Zhong changed his words abruptly: "This young man looks quite well-mannered. Since he is here during the Chinese New Year, as an elder, we should give him some greeting gifts. Jiudao, before you send him off, go get him a belt with five emperor coins, to bring good luck in the new year."
Everyone: “…”
Qian Duoqun is a guy who is too thin. He looks like a weasel that has been hungry for a whole winter. In addition, he hasn't slept for days and nights and had a hangover last night. He looks haggard today. His appearance cannot be described as handsome.
Moreover, they have to give Qian Duoqun a meeting gift. This is really the sun setting in the west.
Qian Duoqun thanked Old Man Zhong, looked at those eyes reluctantly before leaving, and then left with Zhong Jiudao.
Zhong Jiudao took the Five Emperors Coin Belt from the storeroom and gave it to Qian Duoqun, saying to him, "This is a good item for praying for blessings and warding off disasters. Even if it's inconvenient to wear, fold it and put it in your bag to carry with you. Put it next to your pillow when you sleep to ensure that you won't be disturbed by evil spirits and bad luck will stay away from you."
"There aren't many ghosts in modern society, except for the ones in that villa," Qian Duoqun put away his belt, "but it's a good thing that bad luck stays away from me. Thank my uncle for me."
Zhong Jiudao looked at the belt that was inexplicably sent to him, and a hint of doubt arose in his heart.
"Why do you have that expression?" Qian Duoqun asked.
"I originally thought that by extracting the soul of the eyeball ghost, those eyes would not affect my father's spirit, but now it seems that they still have some impact." Zhong Jiudao said.
"Is it a bad influence?" Qian Duoqun asked with concern.
"Not really," Zhong Jiudao shook his head. "What remains in those eyes is the obsession of wanting to see a new world where doors are unlocked at night and people do not steal on the streets, and the sense of responsibility that makes him willing to sacrifice his life for it. Even if this obsession affects some of my father's thoughts, it is not a bad direction."
"Mr. Zhong is a very righteous person," Qian Duoqun said, "but he is a bit stubborn and a bit feudal, which matches his eyes."
"That's right. Let's go." Zhong Jiu said.
"You don't have to see me off. It's hard to go home. Just stay and celebrate the New Year." Qian Duoqun said.
"No need. If I stay there, someone will ask me to temporarily take over the position of head of the family when my father's injury is not healed. Once the position is attached to me, it can't be shaken off. If I'm at home, they have an excuse to take the place of the father, and it will also affect my mother's participation in ancestor worship. I won't add to the trouble. I'll come back home after I'm done with the work after the New Year." Zhong Jiudao said.
"Oh, then where are you going to celebrate the New Year? Do you want to come to my house? I have a lot of family members. I have never seen so many relatives in my life." Qian Duoqun asked.
Before "The Family" became popular, Qian Duoqun's family was only visited by close relatives. When his parents compared with each other, he was still at the bottom. When asked, he was found to be a low-class person after more than ten years in the film and television industry, and could not be accepted by the upper class.
As soon as I got home this year, a group of cousins, uncles, my third uncle's family and other relatives surrounded me, and many people said, "I held you in my arms when you were young." If Qian Duoqun hadn't been extremely slick in various film crews, he really wouldn't have been able to handle this situation.
"Someone even pushed his child in front of me. He was studying dance and asked if I could help him get into the three major film and television academies. Uh, I was stunned. I don't have that ability." Qian Duoqun complained, "There was also someone who wanted to be the lead in a new movie. His child just graduated from college and couldn't find a job, so he asked me to help him find one."
Zhong Jiu said: "If you think they are suitable, you can arrange for them to audition. Next time, you will be the film director or producer and will participate in the casting."
"It's better to go ahead. I can join the next movie." Qian Duoqun said, "But forget about them. They are unreliable. We still have suitable actors for filming. We can arrange auditions together after the New Year. By the way, where do you plan to spend the New Year? In a villa?"
"Let's go there first. I suddenly remembered something just now." Zhong Jiudao pointed to the ground with a hint of intention.
When the two of them left the Zhong family mansion, a family meeting had already started in the hall.
The second son of the Zhong family knew that he had made a big mistake. He brought his wife and daughter to the main hall, and in front of the important people and ancestors of the family, he said to his daughter Zhong Hongqian: "Kneel down!"
Zhong Hongqian was thin and pale, and looked weak. When she heard her father's words, her body trembled and she knelt down tremblingly.
"She is such a taciturn person who never says a word. She didn't tell us that she had three miscarriages, causing my eldest brother to miss important news. I'm leaving this daughter to my eldest brother. Let the family rules deal with her!" Zhong Laoer waved his hands and said.
When Zhong Hong saw his cousin kneeling on the ground, his body trembled. He wanted to rush over to help her up, but his mother held his hand.
Mother Zhong lowered her eyes and focused on the wheelchair of the head of the Zhong family. She thought that if the old man still couldn't tell right from wrong this time, she would push him off the wheelchair and let the real patient sit on it.
Old Man Zhong only saw Zhong Hongqian three times a year, and the child always kept his head down, so he had almost never seen what her face looked like.
At this moment, Old Man Zhong stared at the thin woman kneeling on the ground. He felt uncomfortable no matter how he looked at her. He pointed at Old Man Zhong and said, "It's almost the New Year. What year is it this year?"
Zhong Lao Er counted on his fingers: "Today is the end of the Xinchou Year, and soon..."
"What's the meaning of Xinchou? It's 2022!" Old Man Zhong said angrily. "It's already this era, and you just kneel down when someone tells you to. Do you really think you're living in the Xinchou year 120 years ago?"
Zhong Laoer looked at the head of the family in confusion. They had calculated the years in this way before. Was there anything wrong with it
"Get up," said Old Man Zhong, "Move a chair and sit down. What era is this? The police interrogate people by sitting on chairs, but we are still kneeling!"
He blinked his eyes vigorously. He was really unhappy. Why did he dislike everyone in the family
Well, the wife next to him and the divorced man Zhong Hongyi next to him are slightly better.
Old man Zhong felt a little strange now. He was thinking that he should kneel and be punished, but his eyes just felt uncomfortable. Seeing Zhong Hongqian kneeling weakly, he felt his eyes hurt, as if the past hundred years had been wasted, and he was not even a hundred years old.
Her eyes hurt so much that Old Man Zhong could only get angry and ask Zhong Hongqian to sit up. He saw Zhong Hongyi move a chair for her to sit down and poured her a cup of wolfberry ginger tea. He saw Zhong Hongqian drink the water sip by sip, and then the pain in her eyes went away.
"Thank you, Master." Zhong Hongqian said.
"No need to thank me, this is what we should do," Old Man Zhong waved his hand majestically, "We don't do lynching, but if you really colluded with Wu Xingze to do evil, we must have legal means. At least Wu Xingze killed his father, and you may be an accomplice. Sending you to the police station is enough to sentence you."
“I didn’t!” Zhong Hongqian looked up in panic. She had a delicate and gentle body, the appearance of a beautiful girl from a noble family, which was completely different from Zhong Hongyi’s domineering personality.
“Whether it’s there or not, you can find out by sticking the sincerity talisman on it.” said Old Man Zhong.
This talisman will not harm people once it is pasted on, but you cannot tell lies during the period when the talisman is effective. When Zhong Jiudao rented a house, he used this talisman on the agent, which saved him a lot of rent and helped him avoid many pitfalls.
Even with the talisman stuck on her body, Zhong Hongqian did not show any fear. She looked at the head of the family calmly.
She was not afraid of the true curse, she was afraid that the master of the house would not even give her a chance to speak.
She was the only child of the second branch of the Zhong family. Even though she worked hard to practice magic, the second son of the Zhong family always kept yelling at her and calling her a money-loser, and always wanted her to take in a concubine to give birth to his children.
Later, it was unclear whether Zhong Laoer took a concubine or not. On the contrary, he never had a second child and gradually gave up the idea of having a second child. He thought about finding a son-in-law for Zhong Hongqian to take care of him in his old age. By then, Zhong Hongqian had developed a character of obeying the words of the men in the family.
Even though Zhong Laoer found a man with paralyzed lower limbs for her, Zhong Hongqian accepted it obediently. After marriage, Wu Xingze treated her very well. Apart from having to go down the mountain to treat her legs every once in a while, there was nothing wrong with her.
Gradually, Zhong Laoer treated Wu Xingze better than his biological daughter, as if Wu Xingze was his biological son. Zhong Hongqian communicated less and less with her parents and almost only spent time with Wu Xingze.
She soon became pregnant with her first child. She was very happy and thought that no matter whether it was a boy or a girl, she must treat the child well and let him/her grow up happily.
After Wu Xingze found out, he advised her not to reveal the news to outsiders, as the custom in her family was not to reveal the news to outsiders within three months.
Zhong Hongqian didn't do anything, and soon her first child miscarried. She was very sad, but she felt lucky that she didn't tell anyone. Otherwise, if her father knew that she didn't keep the child, he would probably scold her again.
The Wu family practiced both witchcraft and medicine. Wu Xingze prescribed medicine for her, and she recovered soon after drinking it. Under his persuasion, Zhong Hongqian never told anyone about the matter.
Then came the second and third children.
The third child was born only half a month ago. Zhong Hongqian said: "At first I wanted to wait until the baby was stable before trying again, but later on, I didn't dare to try again."
Her father already hated her to the extreme. If he had known that she had failed to keep the child three times and would not be able to leave any descendants for the second wife, he would have definitely abandoned her and adopted a child from a distant relative to raise.
Zhong Hongqian's thoughts were partly caused by Zhong Laoer's constant scolding of her, and partly by Wu Xingze's intentional or unintentional words after marriage. She became a transparent person in the family, gradually unable to speak, and dared not speak.
As for Wu Xingze knowing about Old Man Zhong's plan, it should be that he saw clues from Old Man Zhong's eyes, words and expressions, and checked it out privately, and only then did he find out the truth.
Zhong Hongqian was not involved in this plan from beginning to end, so there was no way it could be leaked.
"I'm really happy that the head of the family gave me the opportunity to clarify things today." Zhong Hongqian, with a true love talisman on her face, expressed all her thoughts over the years and cried silently.
Old man Zhong looked at her tears and his eyeballs hurt so much that he wanted to dig his eyes out. It was already this day and age, and such a thing could still happen in his family. What was the use of his eyes!
"You didn't control your husband, and you blame me!" Zhong Lao Er pointed at his daughter and shouted, "You are so stupid..."
At this time, Mrs. Zhong stuffed an inkstone into her husband's hands. Old Man Zhong finally grabbed the thing and threw it at Old Man Zhong: "Shut up! It's too early for me to enforce the family rules just now. Come on, enforce the family rules!"