Chapter 29: Ancestral Tombs Emit Smoke

When Wang Ying said that, I found it made a lot of sense. That’s right! If I did that sort of thing with her body now, it wouldn’t really be with her, but with someone else. In that case, wouldn’t it be a betrayal of our love?

“All right then, I’ll listen to you. It’s getting late, let’s rest. But I want to hold you.” This time, although I didn’t intend to go further, I still wanted to sleep with her in my arms. I didn’t want her to disappear again.

Wang Ying nodded and softly leaned over to kiss me on the lips. Her kiss stirred up my feelings, and I wanted to kiss her back, but her fingers blocked my lips. “Darling, that’s enough for now.”

Looking at her mischievous, enchanting expression, my heart filled with joy. No matter what, Wang Ying had come back. Now I could finally be at ease. If she didn’t want a kiss, so be it—as long as she was in my arms.

Slowly, I lay down, holding her voluptuous, soft yet cool body. It still felt like a dream. I pinched my thigh a few times in secret, only to realize this was real. Wang Ying caught my hand. “Honey, what are you doing? Doesn’t it hurt to pinch yourself?”

“Heh, I just can’t believe this is reality.” Lying face to face with Wang Ying in the dim shadows, I looked at her delicate features, knowing this wasn’t a dream.

She reached out and stroked my cheek. “Sweetheart, sleep. It’s late. This is all real. I’ve been thinking—once my soul recovers in a few days, I want you to come with me to my hometown to visit my family.”

Of course, I wouldn’t refuse. Going to see my father-in-law with my wife was a given. But I overlooked a problem: Wang Ying was now a ghost. What would her family think or do if she went home?

That night, I woke up several times, and each time I gently shook Wang Ying. Only when she opened her eyes was I reassured. The next morning, when I woke again, she had already prepared breakfast. This time, she didn’t cook chicken—I had warned her not to touch the neighbors’ things.

As usual, Wang Ying asked me to call Wei Qi for breakfast. When I arrived at Wei Qi’s house, I ran into Yingzi, carrying a basket with two steaming plates of dumplings. She smiled sheepishly. “Brother Wang, I won’t come over. Take this to eat with Seventh Brother. You two have been busy and troubled these days, so I’ll just cook for you.” With that, she shoved the basket into my hands and turned away. Watching her walk off, I couldn’t help thinking, with her looks and figure, she was more than enough for Wei Qi.

When I walked in, I saw Wei Qi struggling to pull on a pair of trousers. He quickly asked, “Dachuan, was last night a dream or real?”

“What do you mean?”

“I remember being at your place drinking with you last night, and then Wang Ying came back. When I woke up this morning, I realized it was just a dream. Dachuan, don’t overthink it—my condolences.”

“Seventh Uncle, Yingzi made these dumplings for you. Wang Ying made breakfast at my place as well; eat whichever you like.” I set the basket on his table.

Wei Qi paused, then smiled. “Dachuan, are you saying Wang Ying really came back?” The joy on his face almost made me jealous, but I knew he was truly happy for me.

I nodded in affirmation.

Wei Qi picked up the basket. “Let’s go eat your wife’s cooking. And remember, if Yingzi brings food again in the future, we shouldn’t accept it.”

“Why?” I looked at him in puzzlement. He’s always been a carefree, unconventional guy, but he’s also warm-hearted. This seemed unfair to Yingzi.

“She’s a nice girl, but she’s not my type. I don’t want to owe her too much.” As he spoke, his cheeks reddened. Then he added, “Dachuan, I think I’ve fallen for Shang Xiaoyun.”

I punched him on the shoulder and teased, “Are you crazy? Shang Xiaoyun is forty—you looking for a mother?”

He was honest. “Actually, I’ve lacked parental love since I was a child. When I’m with Shang Xiaoyun, I feel a kind of maternal warmth.”

Since he’d said so much, I couldn’t argue. I had no right to judge—after all, he at least liked a living woman, while I was with a ghost. Still, I had a feeling their chances weren’t great.

After eating Wang Ying’s nourishing breakfast, Wei Qi drove his Happy Prince towards town. He wanted to buy some daily necessities and look for a small shop to open, which would help him get more funeral business—survival is a necessity, after all!

Crossing the little bridge, Wei Qi suddenly sucked in a breath and stopped the car at the bridgehead, peering toward a small grove not far away.

This guy is always mysterious—what’s so interesting about a grove of trees? I wanted to hurry to town to buy supplies and get back home—leaving Wang Ying alone made me uneasy.

But Wei Qi frowned and motioned for me to follow. Heading west from the little bridge, there was a drainage ditch, then a cornfield, and past that, a small grove of willows growing thickly. It was a burial ground, now covered in summer grass.

I wondered what he was up to. Despite my doubts, I sensed something was off. Besides the wild grass, the burial mounds seemed shrouded in a faint mist. And though the surroundings were stifling hot, this spot felt damp and cold.

After watching for a while, Wei Qi didn’t say a word but pulled me back to the bridge.

“Seventh Uncle, what’s going on?” Seeing his serious expression, I was confused.

“There’s a heavy yin energy here—there must be an evil spirit in those graves. That’s strange! I never noticed it before.” Hearing this, I turned to look. Sure enough, a mist hung over the willows. In this humid summer, that could be normal, but I trusted Wei Qi’s abilities.

On the way, Wei Qi grew silent, his brow furrowed, obviously preoccupied with the graveyard.

When we got to town, he handed me a bank card. “Take it. This is from the village chief and Director Zhang—one hundred thousand.” Only then did I remember this matter.

I didn’t take the card. “Seventh Uncle, I don’t want this money. Lend me enough for food and necessities. My parents always taught me not to take ill-gotten gains, and that’s what this is.”

Wei Qi forced the card into my hand. “Take it. Wang Ying nearly lost her soul to get us this. Besides, this money was squeezed from the villagers by those bastards. If we spend it, it’s just returning it to the people.”

That made sense, but I still didn’t want to just accept it. “Seventh Uncle, you keep it. I’ll ask you for money if I need it.”

Wei Qi shook his head with a laugh. “Dachuan, you’ve got it backward. I can’t keep money on me. If I do, my whole body itches. It’s punishment for my greed in a past life.”

I took it as a joke, but since we were as close as brothers, it didn’t matter—the card would just be there for whoever needed it.

We bought a lot of supplies in town, found no suitable storefront, and, worried about Wang Ying, hurried home. At the village bridge, Wei Qi stopped the car again.

“Dachuan, there’s a heavy, hostile energy here. What do you think we should do?” He looked at the misty burial mounds, hesitating.

I still didn’t get it. In the countryside, this is common—some mounds, a few trees, a bit of mist in sultry weather. “Seventh Uncle, what do you mean?”

“We’ll talk at home. If I’m right, that’s the ancestral grave of the village chief’s third uncle. Looks like his family is in for big trouble.”

I found it odd. People say smoke from an ancestral grave is a good omen—how could it mean trouble? But looking at the mist-shrouded mounds, there was something eerie about it.

As soon as we parked at my door, the village chief marched over with three or four strong men, his face furious. “You two con artists! Where did you find a woman to fake a death and scam us? One hundred thousand! You dared trick me and Director Zhang out of a hundred thousand! I’ll have you both arrested!”

Seeing his aggressive manner, I realized at once: Wang Ying must have gone out and been seen by the villagers. Her body had been cold yesterday, but today she was alive and well, going in and out—of course the chief thought we’d swindled him.

I regretted it—I should have told Wang Ying not to go out before I left. Now I had no idea how to explain.