Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

A gust of wind blew by, stirring up a few specks of ash that swirled in the air.

As Lin Xiuer added paper money to the fire, she continued chanting, "If you have a grievance, go find whoever you need to find. Don't stay here."

"I'm just a small business owner, powerless and helpless, I can't help you in any way, and there's no point in you staying here."

Wu Liangcai, who was standing next to him, felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously moved closer to Chen Mingxuan.

The last few gold ingots were thrown into the fire, the flames flickered and then gradually died down.

After the incense burned out, Lin Xiuer gathered up the things on the ground, dusted off her hands, stood up, and bowed again to the crooked gate.

That's all I have to say. I've done my part in terms of courtesy. From now on, let's go our separate ways.

The people behind him looked at each other, none of them daring to utter a sound.

Ping An stepped forward and stood beside Lin Xiuer, his gaze sweeping lightly over the dark doorway.

Hu Yidao coughed lightly: "Little sister, shall we go in now?"

Lin Xiuer glanced back at them, a slight smile playing on her lips: "What, scared?"

"Who's afraid!" Wu Liangcai puffed out his chest, but his voice was a little weak.

"I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but what you just said, Sister Lin, sounded quite plausible."

Chen Mingxuan nodded in agreement: "Yeah, it gives me the creeps, it makes my skin crawl."

Just as Lin Xiuer and the others finished their prayers and were about to push open the door, they saw two figures walking towards them from afar.

One figure was slender and graceful, and looked familiar. The other was slightly thinner, with a steady gait.

Wu Liangcai, with his sharp eyes, shaded his eyes with his hand and looked around: "Hey, someone's coming."

Chen Mingxuan glanced at it twice: "It looks like... Miss Ruyan?"

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the slender woman was indeed Liu Ruyan. Today, she had changed into a simple dress, and her hair was still braided, making her look neat and refreshing.

Walking with her was an elderly man who looked to be about fifty years old.

"Sister Lin!" Liu Ruyan stepped forward with a smile, gave a graceful curtsy, and said with a hint of apology, "I'm so sorry to have bothered you."

She stepped aside to let the old man pass and introduced him, "This is my father, Liu Songnian."

Liu Songnian? Lin Xiuer was taken aback. The storyteller from Wanfu Teahouse!

The story of "The Ghost Encounter in the Seven Fiends' Desolate Garden," which has been the talk of the town these past few days, originated from him.

Liu Ruyan turned around and introduced them to Liu Songnian one by one: "Father, this is Sister Lin, Lin Xiuer, whom I mentioned to you. And that is her husband, Brother Ping An."

"You know these two young masters, Mr. Chen and Mr. Wu, and this is Brother Hu Yidao."

Lin Xiuer quickly wiped the dust off her clothes and hands, and greeted them with a smile: "Miss Liu, Mr. Liu."

Liu Songnian smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, his gaze gently surveying the people before him.

He had a thin face, a few long wisps of beard, and wore a slightly worn blue cloth robe, looking like a refined gentleman.

"Madam Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Liu Songnian had actually met Lin Xiuer and the others before, but he had to pretend it was their first meeting.

When he opened his mouth, his voice had a unique storyteller's intonation, which was pleasant to listen to.

"Today, I heard from the tea drinkers at the teahouse that Madam Lin bought this abandoned garden in the west of the town, so I thought I'd come and take a look."

"I've been thinking to myself that the storytellers of the past all heard rumors from others. The wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves, the drifting of white shadows—though the stories were told in great detail, they were all just hearsay."

He looked up at the dilapidated gate and walls, his eyes filled with emotion, "Today, thanks to Madam Lin, I can finally see with my own eyes what this abandoned garden looks like inside."

He smiled, his tone carrying a hint of candid curiosity that didn't come across as offensive.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuer quickly waved her hand.

The neighbors were able to accept her moving into the garden thanks to the books the old gentleman had told them in the teahouse.

Evil will be punished, do not have a heart to harm others, be a good person and you will have nothing to fear from ghosts and gods.

If he hadn't been constantly encouraging people to do good, how could those neighbors have changed their minds so quickly?

She smiled and said, "Mr. Liu, you're too kind. I'm overjoyed that you came."

She looked back at the crooked gate and the overgrown vegetation inside. "It's just that the garden must be in terrible disrepair. I hope you don't mind."

Liu Songnian waved his hand with a smile: "Haha, Madam Lin, what are you saying? No matter how dilapidated this garden is, it was built by a wealthy family back then, so its foundation is there."

"Go inside and take a look; you might find some traces of what it used to be like."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the dilapidated door, and something flashed in the depths of his eyes, too fast to be caught.

Lin Xiuer didn't think much of it and stepped aside to make way: "Then let's go in and take a look together."

Just as the group was about to step forward, Liu Ruyan gently tugged at Lin Xiuer's sleeve.

"Sister Lin," she said in a low voice, pointing to the basket in Lin Xiuer's hand, "were you... burning paper money at the door just now?"

Lin Xiuer nodded: "Yes, let's say hello. After all, it's been empty for so many years, and we've suddenly come, so we should at least let you know."

Liu Ruyan was stunned for a moment, and then a complex expression appeared in her eyes.

"Sister Lin is so thoughtful." Her voice was very soft, making it impossible to discern any emotion.

Hu Yidao stepped forward and pushed open the crooked door.

"Squeak—"

The door hinges made a jarring sound, startling several unknown birds in the grass, which fluttered away towards the distant treetops.

The group stepped across the threshold and into the garden, which had been deserted for countless years.

The garden during the day is completely different from what you see at night.

Without the embellishment of moonlight and the glow of will-o'-the-wisps, it was just a dilapidated old house, standing there quietly.

When they came at night before, I was too busy scaring them to take a closer look.

She knew the garden was big, had many trees, and was gloomy. But now, seeing it in broad daylight, good heavens, it's even more dilapidated than she imagined.

"This...this is too dilapidated!" Wu Liangcai stood in the front yard, looking left and right, somewhat dumbfounded.

Chen Mingxuan followed behind him, looking around and muttering to himself, "Is this the place we came to that night? It looks completely different."

The weeds grew to waist height, and the withered wormwood stalks leaned haphazardly, making a crunching sound when stepped on.

The path was paved with bluestone bricks, and wild grass grew in the cracks between the bricks. The further you walked in, the more you felt that the garden had been ruined.

The flowerbeds on both sides of the road are no longer recognizable as they were, with weeds and wild vines intertwined and spreading haphazardly.

Several sections of the courtyard wall had collapsed, but a few old trees had grown thick and strong, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun and filtering the sunlight into shards of gold, which were then scattered on the ground.

The small garden on the west side is where Liu Ruyan played the zither that day. There is a small pond inside, but the water in the pond has long since dried up.

Half of the stone railing on the side had collapsed, and the remaining few bars were leaning precariously and covered with moss.