Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

Two o'clock in the morning.

This is the time when the body's biological clock is most fatigued and yang energy is at its weakest. The entire courtyard is shrouded in deathly silence, with only the occasional monotonous chirping of insects.

In the Jia family compound of the Central Court, the snoring was deafening.

After suffering seven days of torment in the detention center, Jia Zhangshi returned home and vented her anger. She was fast asleep. She lay sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed), the quilt half-kicked off, her harsh old face still bearing the grotesque expression of her dream.

Just then, Jiang Chen, lying on the bed in the backyard, had a slight thought.

[Environmental simulation module activated: Local temperature control.]

[Target Area: The main house of the Jia family in the Intermediate People's Court.]

[Settings: Temperature drops by 10 degrees Celsius.]

Although the system cannot directly alter large-scale celestial phenomena, it can easily create temperature differences within a small area.

Almost instantly, the air inside the Jia family's house seemed to freeze. A bone-chilling cold, like invisible ice water, silently seeped through the doors and windows, penetrating every corner.

"Achoo!"

Jia Zhangshi, who was happily munching on a pig's trotter in a dream, suddenly shivered and woke up groggily. She instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around herself, muttering, "Why is it so cold... this awful weather..."

She wanted to continue sleeping, but the chill wasn't just a normal drop in temperature; it felt like an ice cube was pressed against her back, seeping into her bones. The atmosphere in the room also became unsettling, eerily quiet, so quiet that even the sound of the wind rustling through the window paper could be clearly heard.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound broke the silence.

That was the sound of long fingernails scraping against glass or window paper, one stroke after another, slowly and rhythmically.

Jia Zhangshi's scalp instantly tingled.

She suddenly opened her eyes and stared intently at the dark window. The sound was right next to her ear, as if something was peering out the window, trying to pry open the thin paper and get in.

"Huai...Huai Ru..." Jia Zhangshi's voice was trembling as she reached out and pushed Qin Huai Ru beside her.

Qin Huairu was fast asleep after a long day when she was woken up. She mumbled sleepily, "Mom... what's wrong? It's the middle of the night..."

"Listen... isn't someone there?" Jia Zhangshi pointed to the window, her voice trembling.

Qin Huairu opened her eyes with difficulty and listened intently. At that moment, the sound of the window scratching suddenly stopped, and only the sound of the wind outside continued.

"There's no one there, Mom. You must be having a nightmare. That's just the wind blowing the branches." Qin Huairu turned over and pulled the blanket over her head. "Go to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow."

"Wind? No... that's the sound of fingernails..." Madam Jia swallowed hard, her heart pounding. She had done too many bad things in her life, and this was the kind of noise she feared most.

Just as she was filled with suspicion and preparing to lie down again...

call--

A gust of cold wind suddenly rose up, and the temperature in the room dropped again. Even the glass shade of the kerosene lamp on the table made a crisp cracking sound.

Immediately afterwards, a figure slowly appeared on the window paper.

That wasn't an ordinary human figure, but rather a fleeting silhouette with only the upper body visible.

"Zhang Xiaohua..."

A shrill, sinister voice, as if it were exploding right next to her ear, suddenly rang out.

At that moment, Jia Zhangshi's blood froze completely. That voice... that call... who else could it be but that old ghost who'd been dead for over a decade?!

Before she could even scream, something even more terrifying happened.

The figure in the window ignored the window frame and the wall and walked right through!

A cold, eerie blue light shone in the darkness, and a pale, paper-white face with bulging eyes appeared, hovering less than a meter above the kang (a heated brick bed), staring intently at Jia Zhangshi.

Even if that face turned to ashes, Jia Zhangshi would still recognize it.

It was her dead husband, Old Jia!

"ah--!!!"

Jia Zhangshi opened her mouth wide, wanting to scream, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she could only make gurgling sounds. Her whole body stiffened, her eyes widened even more than the ghostly figure, and a surge of heat instantly welled up in her crotch, followed by a pungent, fishy smell.

"You spendthrift woman..."

The holographic projection of "Old Jia" slowly approached, his eyes, filled with bloody tears, almost touching Jia Zhangshi's face. The directional sound waves amplified the terrifying sound effects to the maximum: "You abused my grandson... You offended a powerful person... You've ruined our family's fortune..."

"Old Jia... Old Jia, I was wrong..." Jia Zhangshi finally broke down. She desperately shrank into the corner, waving her hands wildly. "Don't look for me... Don't look for me! It was Jiang Chen who ruined our family! Go find him!"

"Still dare to be stubborn!"

The ghostly figure suddenly roared, its previously pale face turning bluish-purple in an instant. A withered, wiry hand shot out and grabbed Jia Zhangshi's neck: "Since you show no remorse... then come with me... go down and keep me company..."

Although the hand was made of light and shadow, under the psychological suggestion of extreme fear, Jia Zhangshi actually felt a chill on her neck, as if an icy hand was slowly tightening.

"Help! A ghost! Old Jia is coming for me!!!"

At that moment, fear finally broke free of the restraint in her throat, and a piercing scream shattered the silent night sky of the courtyard.