Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

These things are not needed for the cooking process, but the person cooking is hungry.

How can I cook on an empty stomach?

Even if you go to a temple to worship Buddha or gods, you should at least burn a few sticks of incense, right?

Whether it's a Bodhisattva or a deity, they haven't even had a full stomach, so how can they have the power to help you with your work?

Jia Zhangshi said that made sense—the words may be rough, but the principle is sound!

------------

After Wang Pozi had eaten and drunk her fill and everything was ready, she began to "mix" the talisman water, which had a very strong smell...

They chose an "auspicious time"—noon, because it was said that the yang energy was strongest at that time, which could suppress all yin and evil!

"That's right! The sun is at its strongest at noon!" Jia Zhangshi exclaimed, "That makes perfect sense!"

Granny Wang dipped a willow twig in cinnabar water and scribbled on yellow paper, creating crooked and illegible symbols that seemed to be the spells of some deity. She then burned a handful of the twigs and mixed them into a bucket of special talismanic water. She wrapped copper coins in red cloth and buried them under the threshold of the Jia family's house, finally scattering a handful of glutinous rice while chanting a tune no one could understand: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, may the evil spirits quickly dissipate, may the Jia family always be at peace..."

Madam Jia joined in the commotion, waving a small twig and muttering incantations, looking even more engrossed than a sorceress. Luckily, they were doing it in a side room of the Jia family's house, where no one could see them, or they would have been arrested on the spot.

But Qin Huairu, who was outside the door, heard this and looked helpless—[If this really worked, I'd burn incense for the sorceress every day from now on.]

This is a scam!

The sorceress was in the climax of her ritual when she suddenly heard the ringing of a bicycle bell. It turned out that Qin Jingru and Zhang Dabiao had returned from school. Around five or six o'clock this morning, Zhang Dabiao had delivered bread and other things over there. The tea stall over there had been handed over to A Xiang, so Zhang Dabiao had to show his face at the school.

Seeing Qin Huairu carrying Xiao Dang and wandering around in the courtyard, Qin Jingru propped up the car.

"Sis, what are you doing holding Xiaodang in the yard in this freezing weather? Aren't you afraid the child will get cold?"

Qin Jingru picked up Xiao Dang and hugged her tightly.

Little Dang babbled, "Auntie, Uncle Da Biao, Grandma is in the house... playing with poop."

"Scared, smelly."

Qin Jingru was stunned. What did that mean?

Is Jia Zhangshi playing with excrement in the house?

What's going on?

Qin Huairu didn't know how to explain it, so she could only laugh awkwardly.

How the hell do you explain this?

Zhang Dabiao also caught a faint smell of feces in the air...

Has this Jia Zhangshi gone mad?

Why play with shit when there's nothing else to do?

Just as he was wondering, the door to the Jia family's house burst open, and Jia Zhangshi rushed out like a madwoman carrying a pot of "soup"—

"Here comes the chicken soup!"

"Nephew Da Biao! Drink some chicken soup!"

The old woman behind her was going crazy—[That's for painting walls to ward off evil spirits?!]

[I meant splashing water on the wall, not on people!]

Zhang Dabiao's hair stood on end!

Holy crap?

The stewed chicken soup that Jia Zhangshi gave me? Something's fishy!

Jia Zhangshi used excrement to make chicken soup for me?! It's poisonous!

He immediately picked up half a brick from the ground and smashed it without hesitation!

Even a second's delay is disrespectful to the readers!

The pot was smashed over, and the whole jar of inexplicable stuff was poured directly onto Jia Zhangshi, causing her to fall hard on her bottom. The hot soup scalded her, and she cried out in pain!

Zhang Dabiao came back too early; the soup was only around 60 degrees Celsius. If he had come back five or six minutes later, things would have been quite funny.

Then, the entire Intermediate People's Court erupted in chaos!

People in the courtyard all came out to watch.

Some people initially wanted to accuse Zhang Dabiao of beating the old man, but after seeing the chicken soup and the taste...

There was no chicken at all, just a few chicken bones, some twigs, and—cooked poop, and some dark gray bits of food.

Who in their right mind would drink this stuff?

And Little Dang is complaining that his grandma is cooking poop for fun...

The case is solved; nobody's stupid!

Boil shit to feed Zhang Dabiao?

What kind of deep-seated hatred could there be?

Besides, Zhang Dabiao isn't stupid. Who in their right mind would drink that stuff?

So everyone let Jia Zhangshi lie on the ground wailing and no one paid any attention to her. Zhang Dabiao was also full of questions. Was there something wrong with Jia Zhangshi's brain?

He spat a mouthful of saliva near her and returned to the side room, still feeling lingering fear.

What was her purpose in doing all this?

I can't figure it out no matter how hard I try!

Granny Wang didn't dare go out and stayed inside, so no one knew that they were practicing feudal superstition.

No one paid any attention to Jia Zhangshi, who was trembling with anger and cold!

Qin Huairu said helplessly, "Mom, get up first, I'll boil some water for you to take a bath..."

If I go to the public bathhouse looking like this, they won't let me in.

Jia Zhangshi planned to wait for Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu to return before causing trouble, as she was too weak and alone to do so.

After cleaning up, he went to find Granny Wang to discuss how to continue.

She, Jia Zhangshi, was not convinced!

Granny Wang also looked helpless: "Aunt Jia..."

"What I just said about splashing..."

"It's worth splashing water on the wall..."

Jia Zhangshi: "..."

Why didn't you say so sooner?!

Why didn't you say so sooner!

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Why didn't you say so sooner?

"..."

Granny Wang – [How the hell was I supposed to know you'd be so excited?]

So, Madam Jia cooked another pot, secretly in the west wing of the Jia family home. Oh, the taste...

Qin Huairu couldn't stop her, so she had no choice but to go to the house in the front yard to wait.

After it was cooked, I solemnly used a small brush to scrub the wall that I shared with the Liu family, meaning to remove bad luck.

The rest was used to draw talisman paper, and forty-nine talismans were drawn for Jia Zhangshi!

As for the remaining "talisman water," store it in a glass jar in case it gets damaged again. Under normal circumstances, just like she did today, painting the wall is enough.

In severe cases, whoever in the Jia family is harmed should heat up this talisman water and drink a sip to ward off evil spirits!

One talisman is pasted on the wall every day for a full forty-nine days. After that, the evil aura surrounding the Jia family will be dispelled, and Zhang Dabiao will suffer a backlash.

Of course, this is fake. It's just to make it seem more professional by taking a longer time. If something unfortunate happens to the person in the middle, then it will become Wang Pozi's credit.

It's normal to fall or get sick during 49 days, isn't it?

It was freezing cold.

Finally, he took 5 yuan and 5 jin of cornmeal from Jia Zhangshi and then pretended to take it back.

But Jia Zhangshi wouldn't have it. She not only wanted Zhang Dabiao to suffer a "backlash," but she wanted it to be effective immediately!

Granny Wang was at her wit's end, she had a way to deal with it, but—

You have to pay more!

Jia Zhangshi added two more dollars, and Wang Pozi had no choice but to fool her a little. She taught her a mnemonic, drew a few talismans, and prepared some incense, candles, dog blood, human flesh, and yellow chicken bones. She could perform the ritual at the entrance of the small courtyard in the side room, but it had to be done in the dead of night.

In less than three days, Zhang Dabiao will be in trouble!

If you find poop, incense ash, chicken bones, and other things at your doorstep as soon as you step out in the morning, isn't that bad luck?

Why is it the middle of the night?

Nobody's here! It's safe!

Only then was Jia Zhangshi satisfied and sent Granny Wang away.

As she left the courtyard house, Granny Wang was still pondering a question—[Zhang Dabiao? That name sounds familiar...]

Why can't I remember?