Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 15

Lin Yaping’s fingertips brush against the exorcism talisman in her pocket. The intense heat startles her, and she immediately pulls her hand back. The sharp sensation clears her mind, making her think more clearly.

How can a normal talisman paper feel so hot?

Lin Yaping still remembers how Hua Yingpo handed the talisman to her—it had seemed so ordinary, just like the kind of talisman you could find in incense shops or during sacrificial offerings.

But the burning sensation on her fingertips makes it clear that this is no ordinary talisman.

“What’s going on?”

Jiang Huiling is equally startled by the sight before her. She doesn’t even consider Lin Yaping for the moment; her focus is entirely on her mother-in-law’s sudden health issues. She has no idea what is wrong with her this time.

“It hurts, Mom, it hurts so much!”

The old lady’s voice is high-pitched and shrill, almost childlike, as if she is crying out in pain.

Lin Yaping is taken aback. She doesn’t expect the old woman to show such a childish side, calling out for her mother when she is in pain. At her age, her parents must have long passed away.

“I’m sorry, Yaping, I need to take my mother to the hospital.”

Jiang Huiling is also shocked. When she married into this family, her mother-in-law’s parents were already gone. She has never heard the old lady speak of them, so hearing this now is unexpected.

But there is no time for contemplation. Jiang Huiling’s focus returns to the black-and-purple blisters on her mother-in-law’s arm. The sight of them makes her stomach churn. She needs to get her mother-in-law to the hospital as soon as possible.

“Sister Ling, I’ll go with you. I can help you with the queue or anything else.”

Lin Yaping also sees this as an opportunity to speak with Jiang Huiling about the exorcism talisman. She feels that the old lady’s condition might not be a disease at all but the result of evil spirits.

At that moment, Lin Yaping no longer feels afraid. She is confident the talisman will work and that she will be safe.

“Why is she injured like this?”

Jiang Huiling’s mother-in-law has already been a frequent patient at the People’s Hospital. Doctors from all specialties have been called to examine her, yet when they see the new problem on her body, they can’t help but gasp in shock.

The black and purple blisters have shriveled by the time they arrive at the hospital, leaving behind a strangely ulcerated wound, emitting a pungent stench.

None of the doctors present have ever seen such a wound on a living person. Eventually, an experienced doctor pinches his nose and carefully cuts away the rotten flesh from the old lady’s skin, applying medicine and bandaging the wound afterward.

Before the procedure, the doctor gives her a heavy dose of anesthetic, but the old lady continues to scream in pain. A group of young nurses has to hold her down to finish the treatment.

Unable to bear the sight of her mother-in-law’s suffering, Jiang Huiling steps outside to take a breather.

Her heart weighs heavily. The red spots on her mother-in-law’s body haven’t even been cured yet, and now there is this new problem. Even a daughter-in-law as dutiful as Jiang Huiling is starting to crack under the pressure.

In just over three months, they have spent nearly 5,000 yuan—enough to buy a small house with a yard. Almost all of their savings have gone toward her mother-in-law’s medical bills.

Money is one thing, but in order to take her mother-in-law to various doctors, the couple has to take turns taking leave. This has caused great dissatisfaction with her boss. Her husband is still in the early stages of his career, and Jiang Huiling has no choice but to sacrifice her own career. This month, she has taken far too many days off, and if she continues, she fears her boss will push her to take an extended leave.

Though there are only a few people in the department store’s management, Jiang Huiling knows all too well how fierce the competition is. She worries that by the time she returns from her leave, someone else will have replaced her.

“Sister Ling, I want to tell you something.”

Lin Yaping approaches Jiang Huiling and takes the exorcism talisman out of her pocket. The talisman’s temperature has returned to normal, and now it looks just like any other ordinary piece of talisman paper.

“This is the exorcism talisman I got this morning from a very famous Huangxin exorcist. At first, I thought these things were just for psychological comfort and didn’t take them seriously. But just now, I realized this talisman might actually have some real power.”

Lin Yaping isn’t foolish enough to tell Jiang Huiling that she has believed her mother-in-law is possessed by evil spirits from the beginning and has asked for the talisman as a result. She simply explains that she originally got the talisman for her own protection, but after seeing the situation with the old lady, she begins to suspect that something more sinister is at play.

“The injury on your mother-in-law might be connected to this talisman.”

Lin Yaping’s words are vague, but Jiang Huiling immediately understands their meaning.

She quickly recalls some details in her mind. The new wound on her mother-in-law’s body seems to have appeared when Lin Yaping supported her, and it is exactly where they touched. Looking back, her mother-in-law’s expression was full of pain, and her screams were especially shrill.

“The talisman on my body was so hot at that time. The more I think about it, the more I feel something is wrong. Sister Ling, do you think the old lady is not sick but possessed by evil spirits?” Lin Yaping asks cautiously.

When Jiang Huiling hears these words, she goes momentarily numb.

It isn’t the first time someone has suggested that her mother-in-law might be possessed by evil spirits. After multiple unsuccessful treatments, she has considered that possibility herself. However, both she and her husband are intellectuals—she graduated from technical school, and he is a rare college graduate. With their relatively high level of education, they are skeptical of feudal superstitions.

Moreover, her mother-in-law has always been resistant to such things. Jiang Huiling has only dared to sneak to the nearby temple to buy a few talismans, secretly placing them in her mother-in-law’s room. But during that time, her mother-in-law’s condition remained unchanged, so Jiang Huiling abandoned the idea of taking her to see a temple master.

Now, Lin Yaping’s words bring that old idea back to her mind.

“Maybe it was just a coincidence earlier. Sister Ling, why don’t you take this talisman? It might help you.”

Lin Yaping hands the exorcism talisman to Jiang Huiling, pressing it into her hand.

Jiang Huiling, being quick-witted, soon realizes that the talisman Lin Yaping has given her was specially obtained for her. While she understands Lin Yaping’s intentions, she appreciates the effort. Lin Yaping has gone to the trouble of finding a reliable practitioner and obtaining a talisman, so Jiang Huiling decides to accept it.

“Mother Xu’s family.” A nurse comes to the door, calling for help.

Jiang Huiling places the talisman in her pocket and walks over after responding. She wants to try it out.

“Your mother’s injury has been treated.” The nurse steps aside to let her pass.

“It hurts, it hurts,” the old lady continues to cry weakly, her body still in pain. She has been forced to dress when she went out, and now every part of her body that touches the fabric feels like needles pricking her skin.

“Mom, let me help you,” Jiang Huiling says, mentally preparing herself and summoning the courage to reach out and assist her mother-in-law.

She is very careful, trying to touch only with her fingertips.

“Ah—!”

The familiar sharp scream echoes again. For a brief moment, Jiang Huiling feels like she is hearing two voices. One is clearly her mother-in-law’s, but the other seems familiar yet unfamiliar.

The medical staff cover their ears and squat down, stunned by the horrifying scream. The young nurse closest to the old lady even feels nauseous, as though she might faint from the intensity. Has the old lady practiced Lion Roar when she was younger? That is the only thought running through the heads of the medical staff present.

Jiang Huiling’s brief touch causes the black-and-purple blisters to appear once again on the spot where they made contact.

The doctor is puzzled. However, as the discomfort from the sonic wave attack begins to subside, he resumes treating the old lady’s wound.

“It hurts, Ling’er, Mommy hurts!”

“It hurts, Mommy, it hurts!”

The old lady continues to scream in pain. Her throat has become raw, and her dry vocal cords scratch at her voice, but she never seems to tire, like a broken record that repeats endlessly.

Jiang Huiling is asked by the nurse to step outside the treatment room. As she stands at the door, she reaches into her pocket.

The heat from the talisman nearly makes her retract her hand, but her curiosity pushes her to persist. With a determined expression, Jiang Huiling pulls out the still-hot talisman paper from her pocket.

“Ah!”

She watches as the talisman paper catches fire for no reason the moment she takes it out. Her fingertips burn from the flames, and Jiang Huiling has no choice but to let it go.

The yellow talisman turns into a ball of black ash.

Jiang Huiling is horrified and can’t calm down for a long time.

Because he is a transfer student, Chunming sits in the corner of the last row. He is a few years older than his classmates and a little taller than the tallest boy in the class. Sitting in the last row doesn’t block the view of other students.

Classmates look at this new student curiously, especially the girls. Though they are young, they already know how to appreciate beauty.

Although Chunming wears the patched, old clothes that Sheng Wukun wore when he was young, his fair and handsome appearance, along with his unique temperament, completely outshines the darker, rougher-looking boys in the class.

During class, many girls secretly turn their heads to look at him, and after class, these glances become more blatant.

The blush on Chunming’s face never fades. Only then does he realize how subtle and kind the look from the Benefactor last night was.

“Runzhu, are you going to the toilet?” After class, Jiang Runzhu’s deskmate nudges her with her elbow.

“No.” Jiang Runzhu shakes her head. Girls of this age are too childish. They still enjoy the activity of going to the toilet together.

“Hmph, why are you like this? I won’t accompany you to the toilet next time,” the girl says, a little angry.

Since Jiang Runzhu returned from sick leave, she seems different. She no longer eats lunch with her deskmate and repeatedly refuses her invitations to go to the women’s toilet. The other girl feels like Jiang Runzhu doesn’t want to be friends anymore.

The girl has a temper. She immediately invites the girl at the front table instead. The other girl agrees happily, and the two of them run off to the toilet hand in hand.

Jiang Runzhu doesn’t pay attention to her deskmate’s temper. Maybe they were good friends in the past, but in a few years, they will lose contact. Why waste time trying to please her?

Right now, she is worried, her mind full of thoughts about the new transfer student.

Why can’t she remember a transfer student joining her class in third grade? The boy was brought by Sheng Baobao’s father, and it was said he would stay at Sheng Baobao’s house this semester. There’s no reason for her not to remember something like this.

Or maybe it’s because Sheng Baobao is alive, causing a deviation in the future?

Jiang Runzhu grits her teeth. If Sheng Baobao dies, Hua Yingpo and his wife definitely won’t be in the mood to entertain relatives or friends’ children in the short term. Perhaps this is why Chunming didn’t appear in her previous life.

She feels very unsettled. The deviation surrounding Sheng Baobao’s family is too big. Will the future in her memory really develop in the original direction?

Jiang Runzhu, who has always regarded her rebirth experience as a golden finger, can’t help but feel anxious.

At lunch, Sheng Baobao pulls Chunming into the food-sharing group.

“Master Chunming is a devout Buddhist. He doesn’t eat meat, and he avoids anything with onions, ginger, garlic, leeks, or chives.”

Sheng Baobao opens their lunch boxes. Chunming’s lunch box contains only two vegetarian dishes, looking very simple.

“Wow, you’re like my grandma, but you don’t eat meat. How can you grow so tall?” You Xiaomi is shocked. There are actually people in the world who don’t like to eat meat, even though meat is so delicious.

She looks at Chunming’s tall stature, then at the simple greens and cabbage in his bowl, and falls into deep thought. Could it be true that eating more vegetables makes you taller, just like her mother said?

You Xiaomi, who has always dreamed of growing up quickly, suddenly has the idea of eating more vegetables. She even gives up the idea of throwing her blanched greens into Sheng Baobao’s bowl.

“This is snow vegetable made by XX’s mother—it’s delicious. This is vegetarian chicken made by XX’s father. It tastes like meat, but it’s actually vegetarian.”

Afraid that Chunming might be reserved, Sheng Baobao takes a lot of vegetarian dishes from her friends’ lunch boxes and adds them to Chunming’s bowl. She also scoops a lot of mushrooms from her own bowl and puts them in his.

“Master Chunming, can I have some of your mushrooms?”

A round-faced little girl asks shyly. These mushrooms were bought by Hua Yingpo from the villagers. Many of them are rare varieties that aren’t found in the market, and they taste very fragrant. Even when simply stir-fried with vegetables, they taste as delicious as meat.

“Okay, okay,” Chunming agrees.

Chunming isn’t quite used to this kind of closeness in a group. The feeling is strange, but not unpleasant. He rarely has such an experience. When he was young, the memory of his whole family eating happily together is already faint. Since he’s old enough to understand, he has lived with his master, sometimes staying in the temple. When eating, the monks are very well-behaved. Each person has a meal in front of them, and they rarely communicate during meals.

He doesn’t understand how these children, who are about the same age as Benefactor Bao, have so much to say. They can make four or five exclamations about a dish, turning the meal into an entertainment activity. And Benefactor Bao seems different…

Originally, he thought she was like a little adult, but now she’s just a real child. When chatting with girls of the same age, she is full of energy and shows a freshness that he doesn’t have.

Chunming rarely speaks and only answers briefly when he’s mentioned. He accepts all the dishes that Sheng Baobao brings over, and when the lunch box is empty, he is unexpectedly full.

Chunming realizes later that Benefactor Bao seems to have put all the vegetarian dishes she doesn’t like into his bowl.

Being picky about food isn’t a good habit. Chunming decides to have a good talk with Benefactor Bao after returning home. He can’t help her eat her vegetarian dishes tomorrow.

“Burp—” Chunming burps, but the girls who are chatting happily don’t seem to hear it.

He lowers his head shyly and looks at the tips of his shoes. These are also the old shoes that Uncle Sheng wore. They are a little too big, and the boy who has always worn the straw shoes woven by the old monk feels a little uncomfortable.

The soles of these shoes are so soft, and the uppers don’t rub his feet at all. Chunming thinks that when he grows up, he will buy two pairs of cloth shoes for the old monk to wear alternately.

“You’re saying our mother is possessed by evil spirits? Huiling, you’re not mistaken?”

At night, Jiang Huiling’s husband comes home from work. Before he has time to change his shoes and go inside, his wife tells him what happened during the day.

“I saw it with my own eyes and experienced it myself. How could it be wrong?”

Jiang Huiling takes out the talisman ashes. What could be more certain than her own experience?

“Lin Yaping said it’s not easy to invite that Lady Hua. She’s no longer a fortune-teller. If her daughter and Lady Hua’s daughter weren’t good friends, she might not have been able to ask for this talisman paper.”

Jiang Huiling has also gone to the temple to ask for talisman paper to exorcise evil spirits before, but it didn’t work at all. It’s clear that there are still very few people with real skills in Buddhism and Taoism. That Lady Hua must have real skills, but if they really can’t invite her, where should they go to find a reliable Taoist priest?

“You said… that person’s surname is Hua…”

The man, who was originally skeptical, suddenly freezes after Jiang Huiling finishes speaking.

As the secretary of the county official, he knows a lot of things that outsiders don’t, such as the murder cases that were solved before. Outsiders only know that the criminals were caught by the police, but they don’t know that a monk and a witch were involved. In those murders, the real culprit was even a fierce ghost.

When he saw the case file at the time, he thought he was being fooled by the public security bureau. How could there be such a bizarre thing?

Who knew that not long after the case was submitted, two people from above came, transferred the case file, and ordered it to be sealed?

The person who was responsible for receiving the two officials was himself. It was at that time that he learned there are some strange energies in the world that can’t be explained by science.

But at that time, he never connected these things with his mother’s illness.

If he remembers correctly, the witch who subdued the fierce ghost mentioned in the case file happens to be surnamed Hua, known as Lady Hua.

“I’ll take a day off tomorrow and go with you.”

The man tugs at his tie and finally agrees.

The next day, a car stops at the door of the Hua family.

“Are they here to see Lady Hua again? Look at this car, it’s really impressive.”

“Who else would they be here for? I’ve seen people driving to see Lady Hua several times recently. Once before, it was even a police car.”

The villagers point in the direction of the Hua family and chat.

“Alas, it’s a pity that Lady Hua doesn’t perform magic anymore. Have you heard that Huang Xian, whom Lady Hua worships, has ascended to heaven?” someone says mysteriously.

In fact, this is a rumor that Sheng Wukun deliberately spreads.

“Ah, is that true?” People call Huang Xian a deity, but in reality, she is at most a local spirit, still far from being a true deity. The idea that the Huang Xian Lady Hua worships has ascended to heaven and become a real deity is truly remarkable.

“Yes, that’s why Lady Hua can’t contact Huang Xian anymore, so she decided to retire. Haven’t you noticed that everyone who comes asking for help lately gets rejected? Now, even getting a talisman from Lady Hua is difficult.”

Seeing that everyone’s eyes are focused on him, the speaker becomes more proud and talks even more enthusiastically. Everyone in the area knows Lady Hua’s abilities. Whether or not she is good at feng shui and face reading is uncertain, but if a child gets frightened and loses his soul, Lady Hua can help immediately.

Generally speaking, when someone is scared, medicine or treatment at the health station doesn’t always work. It’s probably because their soul has been frightened away. At times like these, Lady Hua is the right choice.

The country people aren’t foolish. If Lady Hua were truly incapable, they wouldn’t keep going to her. But because of their repeated experiences, they firmly believe in her abilities.

The last time the Yu family’s child narrowly escaped death, Lady Hua became even more deified.

Now, with her retirement announced, everyone feels uneasy. Without Lady Hua, who can they turn to when they encounter supernatural troubles in the future?

“Hahaha, weasels can become immortals! Hahaha, don’t make me laugh.” A young man passing by feels like he has just heard the biggest joke and covers his mouth, snickering.

“Shut up, apologize to Huang Xian.”

The old man walking beside him slaps him on the back of the head, then bows in the direction of the Hua family.

“Don’t blame Lady Hua, don’t blame Lady Hua,” the old man mutters to himself.

Now that Lady Hua is protected by the immortals, it’s said that she holds the rank of a seventh-rank official before the prime minister. Lady Hua used to be the messenger of a spirit, but now her master has become a deity. Doesn’t that make Lady Hua even more powerful than before?

How can someone like that be casually offended?

The old man’s behavior influences the nearby villagers, and they gradually come to their senses. When they look in the direction of the Hua family, their eyes are filled with even more respect and fear.

Now, Lady Hua is truly a Lady.