Damn it, Yang Jiabo thought. He was just watching the show. Why was he being dragged into this? “Old ladies, watch your words. Did I ask for any food? Don’t think that just because you can chant a few scriptures, you’re some kind of master. What you’re doing is fraud under the guise of superstition.”
“What does a child like you know? Your parents clearly didn’t teach you well. We’re not chanting anymore. Let’s pack up and leave.” The more hot-tempered old ladies immediately started gathering their things, while others muttered curses under their breath.
“I taught my son, and he’s just fine. He’s better than you old ladies who can’t even practice what you preach. When you’re in someone else’s home, you should act like guests. Overstepping your boundaries doesn’t reflect well on your upbringing.” Yang Jianjun put down the bamboo he was using to make the paper sedan chairs and pulled Yang Jiabo to his side.
Hearing the commotion, Li Guizhen ran out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand, ready to fight. “You old hags! You’ve taken so much money from us, eaten our food, used our things, and you’re still not satisfied? My son wants a piece of steamed cake, what’s wrong with that? It’s our stuff! He hasn’t even had any, and you’re trying to take it all? Where’s your shame, you shameless old witches?”
Li Guizhen was crude and didn’t hold back. The self-proclaimed compassionate old ladies were no match for her and turned pale with anger.
Standing behind his parents, Yang Jiabo felt a twinge of gratitude. He just hoped the feeling would last, because his mom had a way of ruining the moment in seconds.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Grandma Yang was called over and panicked when she saw the ‘masters’ preparing to leave.
One of the old ladies snapped, “Your family is kicking us out. We’re not the type to stay where we’re not wanted.”
“Yeah, you’re not the type to stay, but you’re the type to cheat. If you want to leave, return the money you took,” Yang Meizhen said coldly.
The old ladies turned to the one in charge of the money, who said, “We only took a 300-yuan deposit from your mother. It’s already been used for the rituals. There’s no cheating here.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Everything you’ve eaten and used these past few days was bought by our family,” Yang Meizhen shot back.
“Stop causing trouble. Let the masters finish the rituals so I can have a proper 60th birthday, okay?” Grandma Yang scolded her family and then begged the ‘masters’ not to leave.
Seeing Grandma Yang grovel like this infuriated the family. They had never agreed to this in the first place, but Grandma Yang was adamant. Now, seeing how things had turned out, they were even more opposed.
Fortunately, a few of the old ladies were reasonable. They stepped in to mediate, acknowledging that some of them had gone too far. Although the situation was tense, Grandma Yang’s persistence eventually led to an agreement to finish the rituals.
After the matter was settled, it was time for the reckoning. When Grandma Yang found out that the whole incident had started because Yang Jiabo wanted a piece of steamed cake, she immediately blacklisted him.
“You little glutton! Who do you take after, lazy and greedy like this? You little troublemaker, always causing problems. No wonder you keep getting into trouble, it’s all your own doing!” Grandma Yang scolded and cried.
Yang Jiabo was utterly confused. Who am I? Where am I?
No, no, he wasn’t going to take the blame for this. He was just curious and wanted to watch. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have stayed in his room. Yang Jiabo felt utterly hopeless. Life was just too hard.
“Who are you calling names, old woman? Don’t think I don’t know you’re pointing fingers at me! The whole family has been bending over backward for you. What more do you want?” Li Guizhen couldn’t take it anymore and started arguing with Grandma Yang.
Yang Jiabo looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. Things were moving too fast, and his head which was still recovering, couldn’t keep up.
“Enough! Do you want the neighbors to see us making a scene?” Grandpa Zhang, who had been silent until now, finally exploded. It turned out that Grandpa’s “fire extinguisher” was still effective, though sometimes it failed.
After Li Guizhen and Grandma Yang finished their fight, it was Yang Jiabo’s turn to suffer. Li Guizhen dragged him into the house and spanked him. After all, it was his greediness that caused the trouble, even though he never lacked food at home. Yang Jianjun also thought Yang Jiabo needed to curb his gluttony, so he pretended not to see what was happening. Yang Jiabo felt utterly wronged, as if snow had fallen in June, he was more wronged than Dou E.
Auntie, you scheming woman! You definitely did this on purpose.
Yang Jiabo refused to admit that his past behavior had left an indelible impression on everyone. And what impression was that? Of course, it was his gluttony.
Cream cakes were still a rarity at the time, and Yang Jiabo always asked for one on his birthday. He would inevitably eat too much and end up with a stomachache. Although Yang Jiabo hadn’t done this since his rebirth, his past actions still haunted him.
After being spanked, Yang Jiabo developed a fever the next day. Yang Jianjun and Li Guizhen were terrified and rushed him to the hospital for a checkup. It turned out he was just weak and had caught a chill. There was nothing seriously wrong.
Grandma Yang’s 60th birthday rituals were eventually completed. The old ladies burned ten sedan chairs’ worth of gold ingots for her and half of the underworld bankbooks. The other half was saved for when Grandma Yang passed away, so she wouldn’t have to worry about money in the afterlife.
Hah, I’ve heard of people owning fish ponds, but this is the first time I’ve heard of someone owning an underworld bank.
The rituals cost the family 800 yuan, and the materials added up to nearly 1,000 yuan. This was no small sum, Auntie’s two-story house with a courtyard had only cost 25,000 yuan. It was clear that Grandma Yang’s 60th birthday was a “luxurious” affair.
The Yang family finally had some peace, but the grapevines and flowers in the yard had been killed by the incense smoke. Only the two resilient peach trees and the little fleeceflower remained unharmed. And now, it was time for Yang Jiabo to return to school.
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