Chapter 43

Normally, lines like “You’ve been discovered by me” or “So this is where you were” are what ghosts say in horror films—and when those lines appear, the main character is usually scared out of their mind.

But now, it seems the roles have been reversed?

Livestream audience: Why is that line coming out of Shi Jian’s mouth?!

The ghost woman, robbed of her line, looked a little stunned. She even subconsciously stepped back. Now that she’d been discovered… was she supposed to run?

No, the one running away, of course, was Shi Jian.

After cracking a joke, Shi Jian promptly flung the water bucket at the red-dressed ghost woman and then fled at full speed in her Barbie-pink high heels.

The moment Shi Jian saw the red-dressed ghost in the well’s reflection, her heart leapt to her throat. Though she hadn’t encountered a ghost the night before, here she was—bumping into one in broad daylight!

Luckily, the red-dressed ghost didn’t chase after her. She simply stood silently by the well, as if she were certain Shi Jian would return.

…

Shi Jian returned to Granny Yu’s courtyard empty-handed. Before even stepping inside, she bumped into Granny Yu, who was outside sun-drying grains.

Granny Yu looked surprised. “Girl, why are you back? Done fetching water?”

The ghost was still waiting at the well for Shi Jian—how was she supposed to fetch anything? Shi Jian tried to negotiate, “Can I switch to a different task?”

But Granny Yu showed none of her previous warmth. In fact, she even seemed a little cold-hearted, refusing her outright.

“No.”

“I need the water vat filled. There’s no other job for you.”

“Didn’t we already agree? I provide food and shelter, and you all work it off... It’s only just begun, and you’re already too delicate to continue?”

It wasn’t that Shi Jian couldn’t do it. She told Granny Yu directly, “I saw a ghost woman at the well.”

Shi Jian gestured—yes, a ghost!

She wanted to see how the villagers reacted to the presence of ghosts. Did they know about the female ghosts in the village—or were they one of them?

Granny Yu’s gaze flickered, but she still said, “What ghost woman? You must’ve been seeing things!”

“Don’t say that kind of stuff to scare an old lady like me. If you can’t do it… I’ll find a young man from the village to help you?” she offered another option.

Shi Jian refused with her usual cool aloofness. “No need.”

Granny Yu insisted on having Shi Jian fetch the water. Now that Shi Jian had calmed down, her livestream viewers were anxiously brainstorming countermeasures. Whether going to the ancestral hall was suicidal or not was still unknown—but the ghost woman really was waiting for Shi Jian at the well.

Shi Jian even peeked around stealthily to check—the red-dressed ghost was still stubbornly there.

Shi Jian looked like she was talking to herself, but the audience knew she was interacting with them.

“The whole village doesn’t only have one well.”

There were plenty of wells.

If the mountain won’t move, then I will.

It’s like when a luxury boutique is closed for the day—Shi Jian could just shop at another.

Granny Yu’s house wasn’t short on water buckets. And even if they were, Shi Jian would find a way—she could always borrow one.And so the viewers in the livestream saw Shi Jian carrying the cheapest water bucket to another well. Yet because she was beautiful and carried herself with such poise, even fetching water looked like she was strolling through a luxury boutique.

Shi Jian even picked which well to draw from—she passed by one and didn’t choose it.

Eh, just having fun. There were plenty of wells anyway!

Meanwhile, the red-dressed ghost woman was still by that well, staring at the water bucket Shi Jian had discarded, waiting bitterly for Shi Jian’s return.

…

【Hahahahahaha, I’m laughing so hard the whole village’s next generation will need hearing aids. Is there any streamer near the ghost? I want to see the red-dressed ghost woman!】

【? Is something wrong with me? Why do I feel like there’s a hint of tragic romance in this? Scumbag Shi Jian x naive red-dressed ghost? The ghost woman fell in love at first sight with Shi Jian at the village well, wanting nothing more than to push her in, ignoring all the other streamers. Yet Shi Jian, the scumbag, threw down her ‘token’—the bucket—and left without looking back. The red-dressed ghost turned into a “waiting wife stone” by the well…】

【??? I want to see this. Hand this queen a pen—start serializing immediately.】

【LMAO, “just wants to push Shi Jian into the well”... I guess that counts as deep, single-minded devotion too? (dog head emoji)】

Viewers in Shi Jian’s personal livestream were so curious about the red-dressed ghost’s reaction that they started hopping between channels, which ended up bringing a wave of traffic to whichever streamer was even slightly closer to the ghost.

Their chaotic movement caught the attention of the public livestream viewers as well. Once they found out about the situation, they too flooded into Shi Jian’s personal channel.

The public stream was meant to provide a big-picture view, usually focusing where most streamers were gathered. The other streamers were discussing the strange happenings in Xingfu Village.

But Shi Jian had become her own strange happening.

Shi Jian’s water-fetching from other wells went smoothly. Even when some villagers voluntarily rushed to help her, the red-dressed ghost woman was still by that well, waiting for someone who would never return.

Over the next two days, aside from the required tasks, Shi Jian actually found things going rather smoothly.

On the first day at Xingfu Village, there had indeed been many frightening scenes, and the villagers gave off a strange vibe. Shi Jian herself had nearly been pushed into the well—but no one had died.

In her past three game instances, there had always been streamers who died right at the start.

Now Shi Jian finally understood Granny Yu’s intentions.

After her earlier lukewarm attitude, Granny Yu once again became warm and enthusiastic, practically clinging to Shi Jian’s arm.

“Girl, fetching water these past two days must’ve tired you out, right?” Her gaze was full of affection.

Shi Jian replied, “Not at all. It wasn’t hard.”

And she was telling the truth.

Most of the water-fetching had been done by villagers on their own initiative. Shi Jian couldn’t stop them even if she tried—they almost came to blows over who got to help her.

After some idle small talk, Granny Yu finally got to the point. “These past couple days, with all the men coming by my place… was there anyone suitable?”

Shi Jian recalled that quite a few men had indeed dropped by Granny Yu’s house lately. She asked, “Are you looking to start a second spring? Congratulations.”

She said it with genuine well-wishes. From what she knew, Granny Yu’s husband had passed away long ago, and her grandkids were already grown. If she wanted to open her heart again, Shi Jian thought it was wonderful.

But Granny Yu’s face immediately darkened. She frowned in irritation. “What nonsense are you talking about, girl?”

“What does it have to do with me?”

“I’m asking if any of the men who came were a good match for you?”

【??? So Granny Yu’s trying to set the streamer up with someone?!】【SOS! What the hell is this?!】

【I didn’t look too closely, but those men—forget about their appearance for now—just by age alone, they’re no spring chickens.】

Shi Jian now fully understood and sharply questioned Granny Yu, “Suitable? Suitable for what?”

“You mean in terms of gender?”

“What you just said is what’s not suitable.”

【Well done!】

【Love how direct the streamer is.】

【She didn’t say a single curse word, yet every sentence feels like a slap. Who knew the word ‘suitable’ could be used like that.】

Granny Yu, trying to suppress her irritation, spoke in the tone of someone more experienced, trying to persuade her: “Girl, don’t be so resistant. I know you might not be interested in them right now, but they do have their good points.”

Shi Jian: Oh ho? Let’s hear this nonsense.

Granny Yu began her brainwashing campaign: “They’re a bit older, have good tempers, and know how to care for people.”

Shi Jian responded with exaggerated indifference, “Those are such great qualities… You should keep them for yourself.”

Granny Yu snapped, “What would I keep them for? You’re talking nonsense… Sure, they’re not much to look at, but in the end, it’s about living life together. Good looks don’t fill your belly.”

Shi Jian: “Nope.” She had to correct that.

On this point, Shi Jian spoke with absolute authority: “Good looks can fill your belly. And not just fill it—you can eat very well.”

Shi Jian thought Granny Yu might eventually say something persuasive, but it was just the same old clichés, so she immediately lost interest in listening.

Granny Yu didn’t expect Shi Jian to be so blunt. She was furious.

This was immediately reflected in the food Shi Jian was given—downgraded from meat dishes to plain corn and sweet potatoes.

“Our family’s conditions aren’t great. This is all we have,” Granny Yu said with a forced smile.

In reality, she was still making the same food as before—just not giving it to Shi Jian.

Shi Jian looked at the coarse food and nearly wept: So pissing off Granny Yu is how you get to eat actual human food?

If only she’d known earlier!

She’d rather starve than touch Granny Yu’s cooking. Coarse grains are a female celebrity’s dream—delicious, filling, and won’t make you fat.

Granny Yu had no idea how delighted Shi Jian was. In her mind, she imagined Shi Jian gnawing corn in deep regret.

She also snapped at the villagers, “Tell everyone to stop helping Shi Jian with her chores! Why are you all acting like lackeys? Never seen a pretty woman before?”

But someone immediately responded, “We really haven’t seen one this pretty.”

Granny Yu: “…”

…

Granny Yu’s petty moves did have some effect—no villagers helped Shi Jian carry water anymore. Even though they still looked eager, they held themselves back after thinking it over.Shi Jian didn’t really mind, but Granny Yu forcibly changed her task to grinding at the mill.

Shi Jian had always been pampered and adored since childhood, raised in luxury, and had barely done any physical labor. Hauling water could be done slowly, but grinding grain completely stumped her.

Staring at the heavy millstone, Shi Jian fell into deep thought—why did she have to go through all this?

She was supposed to be gracing magazine covers, praised by all, moving through elite circles. Even when her manager booked her on variety shows, they had to consider whether it involved any physical exertion.

Now, seeing her next to a millstone was both hilarious and pitiful to the viewers. The audience cried out, “Wife, let me do it for you!” “Baby, you’ve suffered!” “My poor darling!”

But none of them could actually help.

The female streamer sharing a room with Shi Jian wanted to lend a hand. Shi Jian appreciated the gesture, but the other girl didn’t have much strength either, and she had her own tasks to do.

“You go take care of your stuff. Don’t worry about me.”

Crushed under the weight of labor, Shi Jian’s despairing eyes locked onto the female ghost not far away.

She had no idea when the ghost had appeared.

This time, the ghost had changed clothes—wearing blue—and her hair still hung in front of her face, obscuring her features.

Maybe because they’d seen each other several times recently and Shi Jian hadn’t actually been harmed, when she saw the ghost, only one thought popped into her head.

And she really said it out loud:

“You—are you strong?”

The ghost was confused, silent as ever, her silence echoing the stillness of this morning’s Xingfu Village.

Shi Jian, having broken the ice, got bolder and continued negotiating, “If you’re strong, could you help me grind this?”

The ghost growled, a threatening hiss rising from her throat.

Shi Jian quickly calmed her, “Don’t get mad—I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ll pay you.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a thick wad of cash from her phone app’s inventory.

“If that’s not enough, I can give you more.”

She pulled out another stack, the pile of bills growing thicker in her hands.

The ghost seemed thoroughly provoked. She charged at Shi Jian as if enraged, and Shi Jian was ready to bolt—pink high heels locked and loaded.

But the ghost stopped by the millstone, grabbed it, and started turning it at a blistering speed. What had been unbearably heavy for Shi Jian spun like a toy under the ghost’s hands.

The ghost flashed Shi Jian an OK hand sign, meaning—

Boss, deal!

She wasn’t angry—she was just eager to start working.

When the female streamer who shared a room with Shi Jian came to the backyard, she was met with a chilling sight that nearly made her jaw drop.

Shi Jian was sitting comfortably on a small stool, relaxed, while a blue-clad female ghost was huffing away at the millstone. A big sack of soybeans was nearly ground through.

Hearing the noise, Shi Jian looked up and waved, “You’re back?”

She casually explained, “Money really can make a ghost grind grain.”