Chapter 1: Did the Original Owner Commit Suicide for Love?
My niece's wife truly loved my nephew. She committed suicide for love—so what? Well, well, they're finally reunited. He has a companion over there now, so my eldest nephew won't feel so lonely. It's an honor for our Liang family to have such a virtuous woman!
Mingxuan, good boy, don't be sad. Even though your sister-in-law is gone, you still have your uncles and aunts. From now on, you'll live with us. We'll treat you well and won't let you suffer any grievances.
The woman's story was so tragic and sorrowful that it made people weep and sigh.
Another woman quickly interrupted, Sister-in-law, let's talk about other things later. First, let's deal with our nephew's wife. Minglang died on the battlefield of the Western Expedition, thousands of miles away from our Xijiang Province. I think the best thing would be to cremate our nephew's wife. A cremated soul becomes light and can fly far, so she'll be able to travel west and reunite with Minglang.
This—
Madam Bai, the second wife of the Liang family, shocked everyone with her idea. Cremate her? Burn Xu?
Why did that sound so disturbing?
Xu Zhichun was also startled. Didn't the ancients always believe in burial? And this second aunt actually wanted to cremate her? Did the lightness of the soul that flies away really exist? Why didn't she believe it?
Forget it, better survive first.
Otherwise, it would be a bit strange to hear them debating whether to burn or bury her.
Xu Zhichun vaguely remembered that the original owner had fallen off a mountain. As for whether she had jumped on purpose, she wasn't sure.
Her head was still a little dizzy, probably from the excessive loss of blood. Her hands were weak, and she tried to lift the white cloth covering her, but her trembling fingers couldn't manage it.
Suddenly, a young woman screamed, Ah! Her voice pierced the air. A scam! A scam! A scam!
Everyone was stunned.
Madam Bai, who had been trying to convince everyone of the benefits of cremation, was especially frightened. Startled mid-sentence, she grew furious and glared at the young woman.
What are you doing? My nephew's wife, what is all this shouting about?
Mao, the Liang family's eldest daughter-in-law, was on the verge of tears. Trembling, she pointed at Xu Zhichun and cried out in horror, She's come back to life! She's come back to life!
What?
What nonsense are you talking about?
A zombie? What kind of zombie? someone asked. Then another person saw clearly and screamed even louder, Ah! A zombie! A real zombie!
The scene turned to chaos—people shouting, crying, fleeing, terrified, shoving one another.
Xu Zhichun was so irritated by the noise that her head felt like it was going to explode.
Afraid of being trampled to death amid the panic, her weak body suddenly burst forth with strength. She finally managed to lift the white cloth, propped herself up on one hand, sat up, and began coughing uncontrollably.
Silence! Silence! Be quiet! What is all this nonsense? Minglang's wife isn't dead! Minglang's wife isn't dead! Quickly—two women, help Minglang's wife up and take her back to the house to rest! Mother of Minghai, bring a bowl of hot water! Minghai, take the ox cart to Quanshan Village and fetch Doctor Jiang!
Xu Zhichun looked at the old man giving orders. It was Liang Lizheng, the village head—a good man.
She looked at him with gratitude.
Under Liang Lizheng's directions, the chaotic scene gradually returned to order.
Everyone looked at the bright sun outside and felt a surge of courage. Then they turned back to Xu Zhichun and slowly relaxed.
Yes, it was a sunny day in March—the sun still blazing in the sky. How could such a horrific thing as a corpse resurrection happen now? It wasn't even midnight!
That Mao really was ignorant and unreliable. Her noisy behavior had panicked everyone.
A false alarm.
Two or three women came forward and quickly helped Xu Zhichun up, leading her back to lie down on the bed.
Xu is very lucky.
Yes.
How could such a thing go wrong?
Who knows! But thank goodness she's still alive.
That's true.
This really is one of those cases where you survive a great disaster and then receive future blessings.
Why…
It was a common saying, but when applied to Xu Zhichun, it didn't seem to fit. Having lost her husband so young, with no in-laws to care for her, a younger brother-in-law still a child, and no children of her own—even surviving the disaster, it would be hard for her to live a good life.
Everyone in the village knew what kind of people her elder and second uncles were. They'd soon see.
Would you like me to continue polishing the rest of the chapter (the part starting from The aunties Zhang and Bai exchanged glances… to the end) in the same fluent and consistent format?
Aunt Zhang, Second Aunt Bai, and the families of the two uncles exchanged awkward glances. Then, regaining their senses, they rushed to show concern, showering her with sweet words.
The village head's wife, mother of Liang Minghai, handed Xu Zhichun half a bowl of warm water and watched her slowly recover. However, due to the heavy loss of blood, her face was still pale, and she looked terribly weak.
The village head's wife said, Mrs. Xu needs to eat something nourishing. Auntie, could you make her a bowl of egg soup?
Second Aunt Bai silently stepped back, looked away, and pretended not to hear.
Aunt Zhang laughed awkwardly. Well… the stove's cold right now. It'd take too long to light it again. Does anyone nearby have a fire going? Maybe we could borrow it?
Of course, whoever lent the stove would have to do the cooking, so it wouldn't be her problem. As for the eggs, either the owner would have to provide them, or she could ask Xu herself. No way she'd give her own.
Zhang felt a bit pleased with herself, thinking she was quite clever and resourceful.
The village head's wife looked at her with mild disdain but said nothing.
She was about to ask her daughter-in-law to go back and prepare the egg soup when Aunt Zhu'er, who lived next door to Xu Zhichun, smiled and said, My stove's already lit. Wait a moment—I'll go make it right away.
From the original owner's memories, Xu Zhichun knew that her two uncles' families were not good people. The two aunts refused to help and still pretended to care—it was all about not wanting to part with a few eggs.
She nodded weakly and smiled faintly at Aunt Zhu'er. Thank you, Aunt Zhu'er. When I get better, I'll return the eggs to you.
Aunt Zhu'er waved her hands. It's just two eggs, no need to return them! Don't even think about it.
Then she turned and went on her way.
The village head's wife didn't even bother looking at Zhang and Bai's faces. She smiled and said to everyone, Alright, her aunts and I will stay here. The rest of you can go. With so many people crowding around, it's hard for Xu to rest. If you're worried about her, you can come visit later when she's feeling better.
The room was small, and since the person had already woken up, there was nothing left to see. Everyone comforted Mrs. Xu briefly and left one by one.
Time to start digging!
(End of Chapter 1)