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

Lin Xiuer's words were half true and half false, with a hint of joking, which finally silenced Chen Mingxuan's resentment.

The slightly awkward atmosphere inside the room relaxed a bit.

Hu Yidao chuckled, "Young Master Chen, don't try it. What if you really get brain damage? Who's going to keep track of your rice shop's accounts then?"

Liu Sanzhen smiled and shook her head, continuing her needlework.

Liu Ruyan took in all these subtle interactions, covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her voice as clear as a spring striking jade: "Young Master Chen, please don't tease Madam Lin."

She looked at Lin Xiuer with clear and open eyes, "I am Liu Ruyan. This must be Sister Lin. I have often heard Young Master Chen mention you."

"I usually sing and play music in teahouses. It is my honor to meet Sister Lin and everyone else today. Young Master Chen has already explained the situation. Although I am of limited ability, I am willing to do my part."

Seeing that she looked perfectly normal, Lin Xiuer felt a little relieved and returned the greeting politely, saying, "Miss Liu, you are very kind."

After the joke was over, the group quickly composed themselves, and the atmosphere in the room became serious and focused.

The group sat down at the table, and Lin Xiuer cleared her throat, her gaze sweeping over the people sitting around her.

"Business is important. Let's discuss how to entertain those guys from the Black Fish Gang."

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes revealing a calm calculation: "The highest level of intimidation is not for us to rush up and scare them directly, but for them to get scared in their own minds first, to scare themselves."

"So the first step is to unsettle their minds."

"Let's make some noise first," she said, counting on her fingers, "like an unusual wind, and a faint, intermittent sobbing."

"It would be even better if there were a few more mournful meows and the cries of night owls."

She turned to Ping An and said, "Husband, you are the most agile. Could you get onto their roof and, when they are being suspicious, break a tile or two or throw it down and smash it?"

"With such a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, they can't help but believe in superstitions."

Ping An met her gaze and nodded calmly: "Okay."

Lin Xiuer calmed herself down and continued, "We need to hang a paper figure on the old tree in the yard and drape it in white gauze first."

"When they are lured out to investigate, the night wind will blow, causing the white gauze to flutter and the paper figures to sway wildly, which will keep them suspicious for a while."

"Then," a sly glint flashed in her eyes, "we'll use this."

She carefully took out a small oil paper packet from her bosom, inside which was a small piece of slightly yellowish white phosphorus.

"This is white phosphorus. Just rub a little bit of this on the paper money and let it float in the wind."

"White phosphorus ignites easily in the wind, drifting and floating, clusters of eerie green and blue will-o'-the-wisps fly towards them, I bet their legs won't go weak!"

Her description was so vivid that Hu Yidao and Liu Sanzhen listened attentively, nodding repeatedly. Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan also held their breath, as if they could already see the terrifying scene.

"At this moment," Lin Xiuer looked at Liu Ruyan, who was sitting quietly to the side, and softened her tone, "we will have to trouble Miss Ruyan."

The girl hid in the shadows, and, in time with the flickering "ghost fire," she let out some hesitant, plaintive, and desolate cries.

It doesn't need to be too loud; the key is that barely audible, yet chilling sound. Adding a girl's crying will definitely double the terror.

Liu Ruyan listened quietly, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.

Hearing this, she raised her eyes, her clear and cold gaze meeting Lin Xiuer's, and nodded slightly, "Ruyan will do her best."

Lin Xiuer breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Once they're distracted by the crying and will-o'-the-wisps, the sound of chains will follow."

"Old Hu, Brother Liu, a few of us are hiding in different places, dragging the iron chain intermittently. The sound comes from different directions, so they can't tell where it's coming from."

"By this point, even if they were incredibly brave, they would know that tonight's events were anything but ordinary."

Hu Yidao rubbed his hands together excitedly, "I'm an expert at this! I guarantee I can pull the chain out in all sorts of ways!"

Liu Sanzhen rolled up his sleeves and said, "Then we'll join in by yelling 'Give me back my life!' a couple of times!"

Lin Xiuer smiled, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Liu Ruyan, "Oh right, Miss Ruyan."

"I remember that many storytellers and singers like you also know some kind of ventriloquism, like imitating bird calls or something. I wonder if you, young lady, have ever learned it?"

Liu Ruyan was listening quietly as Lin Xiuer laid out her plans, but the waves in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

The sounds of wind, crying, cat meowing, broken tiles, paper figures, will-o'-the-wisps, chains... the interplay of reality and illusion, layer upon layer, perfectly captures the fear in people's hearts.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of self-reflection and regret.

For years, Uncle Songnian and I have been lurking here, guarding the old house and only thinking about how to seek justice. Why didn't we think of using these more vivid methods to deal with those thugs who occupy the garden?

Both she and Uncle Songnian are skilled in ventriloquism, and Uncle Songnian is an expert in it. Why didn't she think of how to make use of this skill before?

This Lin Xiuer is indeed extraordinary.

She was there to fan the flames, so naturally she hoped to achieve the best effect, completely terrify the thieves, and drive them away.

When it comes to control over her voice, she considers herself more professional than the others in front of her.

When Lin Xiuer asked, Liu Ruyan nodded without hesitation and took out a flat whistle about the width of a little finger from a plain brocade pouch she carried with her.

"Sister Lin," her voice was still gentle, but with a hint of seriousness, "perhaps we can try using this for the sounds you just mentioned."

All eyes were focused on the uniquely shaped little whistle in her palm.

Liu Ruyan handed the small whistle to Lin Xiuer: "Put this in your mouth and breathe in it to imitate some special sounds."

For example, the cooing of an owl, the intermittent crying of a baby, or even the whistling of the wind blowing through a narrow crevice.

With practice, it can become more realistic, but if you just want to create simple, strange noises of indistinguishable origin, it's easy to get started.

Lin Xiuer curiously took the small whistle, still warm from the woman's body, and found it slightly cool to the touch. She looked at Liu Ruyan with some surprise, not expecting that there really was such a tool.

"Miss Ruyan, this..."

Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding Ping An's unintentional glance, and explained calmly.

"Sister Lin is right. People like us who make a living in teahouses always need to know some acrobatic skills to make people laugh. Ventriloquism is one of them."

"This whistle was made for me by my father when I was young, so I could practice with it."

Hu Yidao and Liu Sanzhen listened with astonishment. Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan found it even more fascinating and came over to take a look.

"Now I'll teach you how to use it."

Liu Ruyan no longer held back. She took the whistle, demonstrated by placing it between her lips, her tongue lightly touching it, and exhaling gently—

"Waaaaah..."