Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 10

It is the first time that Sheng Baobao witnesses such a strange phenomenon. Combining her experiences from past lives, her initial reaction is that Jiang Runzhu has been crossed over by someone else. However, the soul that is struggling to stay in the body looks very similar to the current Jiang Runzhu. Sheng Baobao feels that the other person is more likely to have been reborn.

Her ability seems somewhat extraordinary, as she can even see the bond between the soul and the body. But this situation is a bit odd. Sheng Baobao looks in the mirror every morning and evening, and she has never noticed anything similar to Jiang Runzhu.

Is she special, or does her ability not work on herself? Or was this originally her body…?

Sheng Baobao feels that her repeated crossings can’t be accidental, but what kind of opportunity leads to these adventures? Will she continue to cross over into other worlds? And in which world will she eventually end up? All of these questions remain a mystery, waiting for her to slowly explore.

“Baobao, stop staring at her. We’re best friends.” You Xiaomi sounds a little jealous.

How could Sheng Baobao, who used to only go to the bathroom hand in hand with her, stare at another classmate for so long?

Sheng Baobao realizes she has been staring at Jiang Runzhu for a while, so she quickly turns her head after You Xiaomi speaks.

Jiang Runzhu feels the gaze disappear and can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She can’t remember what Sheng Baobao looks like when she is eight, but the other’s gaze makes her feel as though she is being seen through. It must be because she has watched her parents pretending to be ghosts since childhood!

Jiang Runzhu reassures herself that rebirth is a secretive matter—if she admits it, others will probably not believe her. Because of this brief moment, Jiang Runzhu doesn’t dare to openly look at Sheng Baobao again for the rest of the class.

At lunch, the classroom becomes lively. Students who are close to each other gather their food together and share it. Decades have passed, and Jiang Runzhu has long forgotten her best friend from elementary school. When her deskmate suggests eating together, Jiang Runzhu immediately refuses, so her deskmate goes to find another girl from the same village to eat with, leaving Jiang Runzhu alone at her desk.

Jiang Runzhu’s lunch box is an old aluminum box that has been discarded by her brother. Half of the rectangular box is filled with rice, and the other half contains fried vegetables. Only a few pieces of minced meat are visible. She clearly remembers that her mother cut up some bacon in the kitchen in the morning, but it seems all the bacon has gone into her brother’s lunch box.

She looks down at the dishes in her lunch box. The green vegetables, having been reheated twice, have turned brownish-green and wilted, making them unappetizing.

Although Jiang Runzhu’s life in her previous life was also difficult, the economy had been relatively developed, so she could usually eat fish and meat at every meal. It has been a long time since she has eaten food like this.

When she first returns to this body, perhaps to help her recover, her mother cruelly kills a chicken for her. Additionally, she stays at home and eats with her father and brother every day, so the meals aren’t as bad as this, but still nothing to look forward to.

Jiang Runzhu pokes at the yellow rice and wilted vegetables with her chopsticks. She has no appetite.

She looks around and notices that her classmates’ lunches are not much better than hers. If someone has a boiled egg in their lunch box, it is considered a “rich family.”

“Baobao, your mother really loves you.”

Sheng Baobao and You Xiaomi are surrounded by many classmates holding lunch boxes. The children are still innocent. They might envy each other’s food but won’t simply take it.

Of course, this might be due to the warnings from their parents. Everyone knows that Sheng Baobao’s mother is the famous Lady Hua, and all the classmates’ parents have warned them not to offend Sheng Baobao. They fear that if Lady Hua punishes them, they won’t even have time to cry.

It is better to believe the warnings than risk it. No one dares to take the chance.

“Fangfang, did your mother pack sour bamboo shoots for you? I love your mother’s sour bamboo shoots. Can I trade you for half a poached egg?”

“Xiao Lan, I really like your mother’s Mao Xue Wang. Can we swap?”

Sheng Baobao is generous. Seeing the girls look longingly at her food but still not asking for it, she suggests a trade.

These are classmates who have been close to the original body. They are familiar with each other’s mothers’ specialties, and Sheng Baobao is happy to share.

“Xiao Lan, your mother made Mao Xue Wang. I want to eat it too. I’ll trade you for sausage.”

You Xiaomi is also a foodie. Her mother isn’t much of a cook, so she grows up eating all sorts of boiled vegetables, steamed dishes, and various ready-made meals. To her, the pickled vegetables and stir-fried dishes made by her classmates’ parents are the best.

Sheng Baobao divides the five sunny eggs into three portions, leaving one for herself and one for You Xiaomi. After the exchange, her lunch box is full of various dishes, making it quite a spread.

“Even though you’ve traded your lunch with them, you still have to be number one with me,” You Xiaomi speaks with her mouth full, sounding a bit cautious. Her big eyes are filled with vigilance, as if afraid someone else will take her portion.

“Yeah,” Sheng Baobao nods. This is the first time she has a real childhood friend like this, and it feels really good.

Listening to the cheerful conversation from the other side, Jiang Runzhu finds herself unable to eat the lunch her mother has prepared for her. She is frustrated. Sheng Baobao’s comfortable life is all built on her parents’ deception. She can eat five sunny eggs in a meal, while Jiang Runzhu doesn’t even know if the people who provide those eggs are too poor to afford food themselves. It is only because the owner of those eggs believes in Hua Yingpo’s abilities that they have placed all their property on this slim hope.

Jiang Runzhu feels that Sheng Baobao’s current happiness is a bit too dazzling. When her parents are arrested in her previous life, they had already saved up a million yuan. Excluding the inflation and price increases of the late 1990s, they probably saved tens of thousands of yuan by now. How many people did they cheat to amass that money?

Jiang Runzhu believes her rebirth is meant to change the future. If she exposes the fraud of Hua Yingpo and her husband in advance, will there be fewer people who get cheated in the future?

It would be a good deed. She has the opportunity to be reborn, so she should do more good and accumulate merit for herself.

Jiang Runzhu swallows the dry rice in her mouth. But how can she expose Hua Yingpo and her husband without revealing herself?

She falls into deep thought…

“Deputy Captain, I find a problem. Look, these are some confessions I recorded.”

The atmosphere in the Public Security Bureau is tense. Two major cases have occurred in the county town recently, and the higher-ups are placing great importance on solving them. If the cases can’t be solved quickly, they fear the department will face serious criticism.

Many police officers haven’t been home for days, visiting every possible lead in search of clues.

The first to discover something unusual is the young officer Xiao Ding. Noticing similarities between the deaths of Wang Youyou and Liu Er, he decides to study the two cases together. Upon comparison, he finds a major issue.

“Yu Caifeng, the victim from the previous rape and murder case, was killed between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM on October 15. While investigating Liu Er’s recent activities, his sister-in-law provides a clue. She mentions that Liu Er hasn’t returned home on October 15. When he comes back the next day, his clothes are disheveled, and he appears a little flustered. She notices scratches on the back of his hand and suspects he fought with some bad company.”

Liu Er’s sister-in-law gives this clue to help the police solve the case. She suspects that the person Liu Er fought with that day is the murderer.

Since Xiao Ding has been investigating Yu Caifeng’s rape and murder case around that time, he is particularly sensitive to the date of October 15. He marks this clue during his interview.

He also remembers that the victim, Yu Caifeng, has a lot of flesh under her nails. It had been initially judged that she scratched the murderer during her struggle. Liu Er’s sister-in-law’s statement about the scratches on Liu Er’s hand seems to match.

So, Xiao Ding visits Wang Youyou’s neighbors again to ask if they saw him on October 15.

By coincidence, Wang Youyou had borrowed 20 yuan from his neighbor but never paid it back. On October 15, the neighbor’s brother-in-law hit someone with his bicycle and urgently needed money. So, he visited Wang Youyou’s house multiple times to ask for the money back, but no one answered the door.

The neighbor becomes frustrated, thinking that Wang Youyou is pretending not to be home, so he keeps a close watch on the house.

It isn’t until around 4 AM that he is roused from a light sleep. He goes to the yard and sees Wang Youyou returning from outside. It turns out that he hadn’t been home earlier that day.

The two hooligans, who have a bad reputation, are missing on the 15th. Shortly after Yu Caifeng is killed, both of them die one after another. It is all too coincidental.

Xiao Ding has always been suspicious of the expressions on their faces before they die.

It is terrifying, as if… as if they saw… a ghost…!

“A man should not talk about strange things.” Xiao Ding repeats this to himself several times before sharing his discovery with Lin Zhong, the deputy captain in charge of the case.

This is indeed a significant find. Lin Zhong thinks that, in the absence of other clues, they might be able to investigate along this lead.

He immediately begins mobilizing police resources to investigate the friends of Wang Youyou and Liu Er prior to their deaths. It would be ideal to find out if anyone lacks an alibi between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM on October 15.

As a result of the investigation, the third suspect, Xu Dafeng, is identified.

“Is this the address Aunt Liu mentioned?”

Hua Yingpo hops off her bicycle, casting a critical look at the small second-floor apartment on the street. She is holding Hua Xiaolian in her arms. Since the puppy can’t go to school, the couple has been taking care of it during school days.

Hua Yingpo, who once disliked dogs, has gradually grown fond of the sensation of holding a puppy. They are soft, furry, and most importantly, smart. They don’t shed or make a mess—truly the perfect pet.

“Look at the house number, it’s this one.” Sheng Wukun glances at the small second-floor building.

The location is good, right next to the main street, and the area is large. The first floor could serve as a small store, while the second floor would be spacious enough to live in.

According to Aunt Liu, the house is left to her older brother’s only son, but the child squanders the inheritance within a few years. Now, he is preparing to sell the house to live freely. The asking price is 3,800 yuan, which is a bit high, but considering the location and space, Hua Yingpo and Sheng Wukun think it is worth considering.

They come to view the house today, with Aunt Liu already arranging things with the owner. The owner will be home in the afternoon to meet them.

“Right here.”

Before Sheng Wukun can knock, Lin Zhong arrives with several subordinates.

Coincidentally, the owner of this house turns out to be Xu Dafeng, the third suspect identified by Lin Zhong and his team.

When Hua Yingpo sees Lin Zhong, she approaches instinctively, her professional habit kicking in. She stands quietly nearby, holding Hua Xiaolian in one hand while gently stroking the puppy with the other, her expression unreadable.

Lin Zhong is just as shocked as Hua Yingpo. How could she be standing at the door of Xu Dafeng’s house?

But this isn’t the time to question such things. Lin Zhong knocks on the door, but there is no answer. They know Xu Dafeng is at home and hasn’t left before the police arrive.

Lin Zhong makes a quick decision and orders them to break the door down.

“Bang—”

The door swings open, revealing only a pair of feet swaying. Lin Zhong and his team freeze, slowly raising their eyes to look up.

Xu Dafeng is hanging from the beam, his abdomen slashed open with intestines sprawled across the floor, his bulging eyes staring straight at Lin Zhong as though they have just met in a nightmare.

“Shi*t!”

Lin Zhong is so startled by the scene that he nearly has a heart attack. The young officers behind him rush to the side, clutching their chests, vomiting uncontrollably.

Lin Zhong is the first to regain his composure. As he tries to piece together the connection between Xu Dafeng’s death and the earlier cases, his mind races. Why are Hua Yingpo and her husband standing here?

He remembers Hua Yingpo’s strange expression as she knocked, and the little black puppy she holds. Rumors say the puppy has the power to ward off evil spirits and demons.

Lin Zhong’s world view is severely shaken. He recalls that when he left the Hua family that day, Hua Yingpo promised to take action when necessary…

Lin Zhong’s blood runs cold as he thinks of what this might mean.

If, and only if…

Just as Xiao Ding had guessed, the three dead individuals are connected to Yu Caifeng’s death. Now that they have all died one after another, could it be that Yu Caifeng has truly turned into a vengeful ghost?

Has Hua Yingpo come here because she senses the ghost growing more uncontrollable? Her powers are even more supernatural than the rumors suggest!

Hua Yingpo herself thinks, ‘I just want to buy a house, but the owner commits suicide. Looks like today’s trip is a waste. I just hope there are other better houses available in the county.’

As for how the owner dies, neither Hua Yingpo nor Sheng Wukun is interested. They exchange glances and prepare to leave.

“Wait a minute!” Lin Zhong stops them. “Lady Hua, I owe you an apology for my previous ignorance.”

Lin Zhong quickly orders his subordinates to handle the body and secure the scene. Then, he rushes over to Hua Yingpo and Sheng Wukun, blocking their way.

His eyes are a mixture of excitement and confusion. After such a shocking turn of events, he can still stand before them and apologize calmly—this is the result of many years of experience in law enforcement.

Hua Yingpo and Sheng Wukun, both perceptive, quickly realize that the death of the owner has something to do with the rape and murder case, given Lin Zhong’s strange attitude. Lin Zhong has come to them, convinced that this is the work of vengeful spirits.

The couple, however, doesn’t want anyone to know that they are frauds.