Chapter 14: Who Gave You the Guts to Trespass?

Wang Cuihua didn’t believe in ghosts. She helped Zhang Jianjun sit up on the heated brick bed and said, “What ghost? It’s just the wind outside. You must have misheard.”

Zhang Jianjun shook his head frantically. “No way, Mom! I definitely didn’t mishear it—it was a woman’s laughter! So eerie!”

“I’ll go take a look.”

Zhang Qiang and Wang Cuihua exchanged glances. Then, Zhang Qiang put on his coat, grabbed a flashlight, and headed into the courtyard. He also turned on the courtyard light and did a full lap around the yard but found nothing unusual.

Just to be sure, Zhang Qiang checked the front door—it was properly latched. Feeling uneasy, he went to inspect the backyard as well, even checking the outhouse, but still found nothing out of place.

He figured Zhang Jianjun must have just had a nightmare.

When he returned inside, Zhang Jianjun was still trembling. Zhang Qiang glanced at the clock—it was almost 3 AM. “It’s fine. Go back to sleep. I checked everything; there’s nothing there.”

Zhang Jianjun was skeptical, but he was too scared to sleep alone. “Dad, Mom, can I sleep with you guys? I’m terrified.”

“You’re a grown man, and you’re this scared?”

“Fine, come on.”

Zhang Jianjun grabbed his bedding and squeezed in with his parents.

As he walked, his legs were still shaking. He didn’t dare look toward the windows or the door, afraid he might see something unclean.

Though Zhang Qiang reassured Zhang Jianjun, he still felt something was off. His mind wandered back to what the fortune-teller had said.

The family finally fell asleep after a long while.

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Jing Xi hid inside her space, watching the three of them sleep soundly. Once she was certain they were deep in slumber, she emerged.

Just thinking about how much rice, flour, and pork she had taken tonight made her want to laugh.

She felt like she could wake up laughing from a dream.

Careful and silent, she made her way out, gently closing the door behind her before quickly leaving.

But she didn’t bother locking the Zhang family’s door—she only shut it.

When she got home, she changed clothes, wiped herself down quickly, and climbed onto her heated brick bed to rest. All the heavy lifting tonight had worn her out.

After a night of physical labor, she slept soundly.

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Around 8 AM, Jing Xi woke up.

The first thing she did was light the stove to heat water.

Winter in the village was slow-paced, with little to do, but today, she planned to go to town to buy some necessities.

She had just finished washing her face and brushing her teeth when she heard a noise at the door. Recognizing the familiar voice, she hurried over to open it. Sure enough, it was Aunt Liu.

“Aunt Liu! Come in!”

Zhang Rui entered and got straight to the point. “Xiao Jing, do you have any plans today? Want to go to town with me?”

Jing Xi immediately agreed. “Of course! I was just thinking about going! What a coincidence!”

“That’s great! Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Not yet. I just reheated some porridge from last night.”

“Alright, you eat first. I’ll wait. No rush—the bus comes to the village entrance at nine. Plus, in winter, the market starts late and only ends in the afternoon. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Jing Xi nodded and suddenly remembered the pickled vegetables in the corner.

“Auntie, you came at the perfect time! The pickled dihuan (earth ring vegetables) are ready. Try some!”

She took out a clean dish and served a small portion for Zhang Rui.

Zhang Rui took a bite, and her eyes lit up. “Wow! Xiao Jing, what did you put in this? It’s so good!”

She took the small bowl and kept eating.

“Is it too salty, Auntie? I’ll get you a bowl of porridge to go with it.”

Aunt Liu wanted to decline, saying she had already eaten breakfast, but the pickled dihuan was just too delicious—perfectly seasoned, crisp, and refreshing. The texture was incredible.

“Alright then, but just a little! I already ate this morning, but your pickled veggies are just too good. What seasonings did you use?”

“Just salt, soy sauce, and water. Nothing else.”

Jing Xi was delighted. She served Aunt Liu a big bowl of porridge. Though Aunt Liu kept saying it was too much, she still polished off the dihuan without hesitation.

While eating, she said, “This is amazing, Xiao Jing! Tomorrow, your Uncle Liu and I will bring all our dihuan over so you can pickle them too. Otherwise, they’ll just go to waste at our place. We also have two big vats at home—should be plenty for pickling!”

Jing Xi was happy she wouldn’t have to buy vats now. “Sounds great, Auntie! Hey, do you think we could sell this pickled dihuan at the market? There’s no way we can finish two whole vats ourselves! If we manage to sell it, we can split the earnings. The vegetables and vats are yours, so I’ll just take a small cut—maybe 10%.”

Zhang Rui loved the pickles, but she wasn’t sure if they would sell. After all, she had never done business before. “I can’t say for sure, but if you want to try selling them, go for it. Let’s see how it goes.”

Jing Xi nodded. “Alright, tomorrow I’ll come by your place to pick up the vats and start pickling!”

After finishing their meal, they dressed warmly and headed to the village entrance to wait for the bus.

Soon, the bus arrived. It wasn’t too crowded, but as soon as they got on, Jing Xi was hit with the pungent smell of diesel.

The childhood memories of getting carsick on diesel buses came rushing back.

Zhang Rui found two seats near the back door and let Jing Xi take the window seat. “Xiao Jing, you sit by the window. I remember you get carsick.”

Jing Xi nodded. As she recalled past trips to town with the village ladies, she realized she really used to keep to herself. She would greet acquaintances but rarely spoke beyond that—nothing like now.

“Auntie, you have a great memory!”

“Hah! Us old ladies only have this kind of thing to remember.”

Once they settled in, the bus started moving.

After walking for about ten minutes, Jing Xi noticed a police station motorcycle speeding past. The two officers riding it were the same ones from yesterday.

Could it be that the Zhang family discovered something missing and called the police again?

They sure acted fast.

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the town.

The sandy roads in the village were difficult to navigate, making the ride bumpy, but Jing Xi didn’t feel carsick.

She wondered if it was because she drank the spring water from her space daily. Perhaps her constitution had improved significantly.

She looked at her hands. The original owner of this body had suffered from frostbite and never took care of her skin, never even applying a drop of oil. But now, her hands had almost healed. They weren’t particularly delicate, but as long as they didn’t develop sores, that was good enough.

The town wasn’t big. The entire street was lined with vendors and people bustling about, all gathered for the market fair.

People wore colorful clothing, and many women had scarves wrapped around their heads to protect against the wind. There were bicycles, factory work uniforms, and all sorts of daily goods on display. To Jing Xi, the scene had a unique charm.

This was what an 80s northern town looked like.

Although life was tough and most people were thin, everyone’s face was full of energy and vitality.

Life still held hope.

After getting off the vehicle, Zhang Rui asked Jing Xi what she wanted to buy.

Jing Xi wanted to buy everything, and she had plenty of money now. However, she couldn’t use that money just yet.

So, she only picked out the essentials—white sugar, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, pencils, a pair of cotton gloves, two pairs of thick socks, and a bottle of glycerin.

She bought a lot of salt and soy sauce because she needed them to pickle vegetables.

She had to admit, the soy sauce from this era smelled incredible—rich, flavorful, and not overly salty. It was all homemade, ensuring quality and authenticity.

Aunt Liu bought even more. She got fabric, wool, candy, and some snacks, filling the entire basket she had brought along. After spending nearly all her money, she had only two yuan left, and all her ration tickets were used up.

At noon, the two of them had wontons at a street stall. Zhang Rui insisted on paying, and Jing Xi couldn’t refuse her. In the end, she secretly stuffed the wonton money into Zhang Rui’s basket.

By the time they took the bus back home, it was already three in the afternoon. Carrying their purchases, they walked back toward their houses.

Before reaching home, they saw a commotion ahead—a crowd gathered in front of Jing Xi’s house.

Jing Xi immediately had a bad feeling.

That was her doorstep.

“Oh no, what’s happening now?”

“Auntie, I’ll hurry ahead and check it out.”

Zhang Rui nodded and went home first to drop off her things.

However, feeling uneasy and curious, she soon followed Jing Xi to her house.

As Jing Xi neared her home, she saw that the front door was wide open. Pots, bowls, and pans had been thrown outside, bedding was scattered across the ground, and what little grain she had was spilled everywhere. It was obvious that someone had done this on purpose.

Seeing her return, the crowd parted to let her through.

Jing Xi walked closer and saw the Zhang family—Zhang Jianjun, his parents, and Wu Dazhuang—all rummaging through her house.

Just as she was about to step inside, Zhang Qiang walked out, holding a jar of pickled vegetables.

“See! I told you she stole it! Otherwise, where would she get pickling rings to make pickles? Tell me, where did you hide the rest of the stolen goods?”

After speaking, Zhang Qiang turned and saw Jing Xi standing at the doorway, carrying her shopping bags. His face darkened instantly.

Seeing this, Wang Cuihua rushed up to her. “You still have the nerve to come back?! I knew it was you who stole our stuff!”

She raised her hand to hit Jing Xi.

Jing Xi dodged, and at that moment, Zhang Jianjun’s voice came from inside the house.

“Dad! Mom! There’s no money! We turned the place upside down! No rice, no flour—there’s nothing!”

The surrounding crowd immediately began murmuring.

Zhang Jianjun and Wu Dazhuang also came out of the house. The four of them stood at the entrance, staring at Jing Xi, who remained silent.

“Speak! Where did you hide the stolen goods?! If you don’t confess, I’ll burn this damn house down and make you sleep in the graveyard!” Zhang Jianjun threatened aggressively.

Jing Xi recalled how cowardly he had been the previous night and then compared it to his current arrogance. She found it laughable.

Coldly, she retorted, “What pickling rings? Who stole from your house? Do you have any proof? What gives you the right to break into my home and throw out my belongings? Who gave you the audacity to trespass into a private residence? Do you even realize that’s illegal?”

“You still won’t admit it, huh? Then explain to me where these pickling rings came from!”

Jing Xi shot a glance at Wang Cuihua.

“What does that have to do with you? One thing’s for sure—it didn’t come from your house, so you can rest easy.”

Just as she finished speaking, a hurried voice called out from behind.

“Oh my, what’s going on here?! I gave those pickling rings to little Jing Xi for making pickled vegetables! What does that have to do with your Zhang family?!”