Chapter 1 Ripples

Ding-dong…

It sounded like a stone falling into the water, crisp and melodious, the original calm rippling outwards.

Zhou Ze found himself lying on a pool of water, the surface beneath him like glass, supporting his body.

Everything around him was initially blurred, but slowly began to sharpen, becoming familiar.

In the distance,

the road to the Yellow Springs was always bustling with people, because even without world wars or plagues, people were dying every moment in this world.

Many TV dramas often had a line: I'm afraid you'll be too lonely on the road to the Yellow Springs, so I (or someone else) will go down to accompany you.

In fact, there's no need to worry about that at all.

When you go down, you'll find the road to the Yellow Springs very crowded, and you'll be surrounded by many white brothers, black brothers, men, women, old and young, all present.

Whether you're plump or slender, handsome or ugly, these outward appearances can't stop the inevitable fact that you will die.

Kings and generals rise in glory, only to end up as a mound of earth.

However, most people don't feel loneliness after descending to the Yellow Springs. Everyone is like a soulless zombie, moving forward little by little, following the flow.

If the Yang realm is compared to a factory workshop, then hell is the subsequent factory for waste collection and raw material conversion. Compared to the dazzling Yang realm, hell emphasizes rules and order,

a kind of order that makes you despair, makes you helpless, yet exists like iron.

Zhou Ze slowly stood up.

This must be a dream.

He,

shouldn't be dead.

There weren't many memories in his mind, only remembering that he had almost died in front of his sister-in-law, and then, like being drunk, he blacked out again.

Just like last time on the rooftop, as if he had handed over his body, handed over everything.

Zhou Ze didn't want to die, especially now. If he had a choice, Zhou Ze would rather choose to be like those "soulless zombies," walking numbly until the next end or beginning.

But now, he wasn't numb, nor was he muddleheaded. If he was dead, he would have to endure the torment of utter loneliness in his right mind.

Like undergoing a long and protracted major surgery,

and the doctor tells you,

I'm sorry, we're out of anesthesia.

His palm pressed against the surface of the water.

The water was empty, and he could see the bottom at a glance, all around, crystal clear.

The Faceless Woman hadn't returned yet, but things there were about to come to a conclusion.

Little Loli, the Faceless Woman, Rongcheng, there would eventually be a result.

Looking around,

Zhou Ze didn't see the man with the cat he had seen the last time he dreamed of this place. In fact, Zhou Ze was looking forward to seeing him again.

He didn't know why, but that man seemed to have a special magic, being with him made people feel at ease.

Perhaps, this was the charm of personality?

Walking on the water, a mist began to rise around him, a hazy feeling slowly encroaching, enveloping everything.

Returning to this old place, there was no surprise, no accident. Everything seemed unchanged, but Zhou Ze knew that something had changed, and it seemed to be himself.

For example, this time, when he dreamed of this place again, he seemed much calmer.

When the thick fog completely enveloped everything,

Zhou Ze felt a pain in his eyes, and then he smelled the earthy scent.

Damn it,

this smell of soil again.

Opening his eyes, Zhou Ze saw that he was lying in the bedroom on the second floor of the bookstore. The old Taoist and the monkey were sitting there playing with mud, and then they started smearing it on him.

"Hehe, this is how you mold it properly, watch closely, I'll sculpt some big pecs for him!"

The old Taoist boasted to the monkey while molding a steamed bun, then prepared to stick it onto Zhou Ze.

Turning healing into a vulgar game was something only the old Taoist could do.

However, when the old Taoist was about to stick it on, he saw that Zhou Ze on the bed had actually opened his eyes, and was immediately startled, then held the mud bun in both hands, somewhat at a loss.

"Delicious?"

Zhou Ze asked.

He didn't know why,

but this time the injury seemed much lighter than last time. Although he didn't know how long he had been unconscious, at least he could speak directly after waking up.

Delicious?

The old Taoist was still frozen in place.

"Delicious?" Zhou Ze asked again.

The old Taoist grimaced, lowered his head, took a bite of the dirt bun, and then nodded with tears in his eyes.

"Fragrant, so fragrant."

Zhou Ze turned his face away and didn't look at him anymore.

The old Taoist hurriedly spat out the dirt in his mouth, then offered his flattery, "Boss, you're awake! You really scared me to death, you've been unconscious for three days!"

Only three days?

How long was he unconscious last time?

But why did they have to smear mud on him every time?

Zhou Ze looked at the dirty stains on the bed and the dirt on his body. For someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was really unbearable:

"Call Bai Yingying here."

"Boss, are you hungry?" the old Taoist asked.

"I want to take a shower."

"Let me help you, Boss! When I used to exorcise ghosts and save the world in bathhouses, I've scrubbed people before, my skills are top-notch!"

The old Taoist patted his chest.

"............" Zhou Ze.

The monkey on the side covered its mouth, "Squeak, squeak" laughing.

Zhou Ze really wanted to say, look, even the monkey is laughing at you,

why don't you have any self-awareness right now?

"Call Bai Yingying."

"No need, Boss, come on, I'll carry you to the bathroom on my back, I guarantee to scrub you until you're fair and tender."

As he said that, the old Taoist eagerly prepared to pick up Zhou Ze and get him out of bed.

If Zhou Ze had any strength left, his nails would have already grown out,

and he would have opened up several new vents on the old Taoist.

Unfortunately, the current Zhou Ze was just a frail patient.

Fortunately, Bai Yingying happened to push the door open at this time, holding tea in her hand. Seeing that Zhou Ze was awake, Bai Yingying put down the things in surprise and walked to the bed.

Zhou Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

............

With the experience from last time, Bai Yingying seemed very natural this time helping Zhou Ze take a bath.

"How are things with the Lin family?"

Zhou Ze asked.

"Boss, when we went there, you were already unconscious on the ground. The Lin sisters weren't seriously injured, but their house was a mess, especially the bathroom, the glass and tiles were all broken.

We brought you out. Later, no one from the Lin family came to ask about anything. I know what you want to ask. The Lin younger sister is back to school normally, and the Lin doctor is back to work."

Zhou Ze nodded, looked in the mirror, his hair seemed to have grown a bit, and said to Bai Yingying, "Help me get a haircut, cut it shorter."

"Okay."

Bai Yingying went out to get scissors and came back to give Zhou Ze a haircut.

After everything was cleaned up, Zhou Ze was placed in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was new, shiny, and electric, with a joystick, like a bumper car in an amusement park.

"Who bought this?" Zhou Ze asked with a dark face.

"Boss, do you like it? This was specially prepared for you by this poor Taoist, thinking that you'll probably need to use it often in the future,

so I simply got you one.

Boss, look here, this button can be pressed!"

The old Taoist pressed the button for Zhou Ze like he was offering a treasure,

and then the whole wheelchair started to glow, with all sorts of colorful lights.

"Woooo wooo wooo"

There was also a train whistle sound effect.

The old Taoist thought Zhou Ze would definitely be satisfied,

but little did he know that if Zhou Ze's body wasn't so weak right now,

he would have died twice today.

Choosing not to sit in the wheelchair, Zhou Ze chose to sit on a soft sofa by the window in the bookstore.

Xu Qinglang wasn't in the store. It seemed like something had happened at his house, so he went back, but he left a lot of juice,

saying that Zhou Ze could drink it if he woke up.

Life seemed to have returned to its familiar rhythm.

After all the trouble, in the end, nothing had changed.

The truth was ridiculous, yet it had really happened.

Perhaps,

the truth about the ghost servant's wandering soul on his sister-in-law's body would have to wait until Little Loli came back to be clear. As a ghost servant who was originally in the same city, it was obviously impossible for Little Loli to know nothing about that ghost servant.

Of course, the premise was that Little Loli could still come back.

Zhou Ze leaned on the sofa basking in the sun through the glass, while Bai Yingying was in charge of greeting the customers. Although Xu Qinglang wasn't there, Bai Yingying had already learned how to make ordinary pastries and drinks.

At the table next to Zhou Ze, two long-haired women were sitting, but their voices were a bit hoarse and a bit awkward. The two women were flipping through fashion magazines and chatting, and the more they chatted, the more excited they became.

"Let me tell you, I recently discovered something that's really worrying me."

"Tell me, tell me quickly."

"Last week, I noticed that the stockings and bra I left on top of the washing machine in the bathroom at home, waiting to be washed, had been touched."

"Ah, who touched them? Someone broke into your house? Could it be a thief?"

"But nothing was stolen from the house. At first, I also thought it was a thief, but I found out it wasn't."

"Then who touched them?"

"It was Xiao Wen. I noticed it that time. It was Xiao Wen. He went into the bathroom after I took a shower, and when I went back in, I found that my stockings, bra, and other underwear had been rummaged through, and there were wet marks on them."

"Ah."

The other woman covered her mouth.

"How could Xiao Wen do this?"

"I'm also very troubled."

"It's okay, maybe Xiao Wen has just grown up and is a little curious about women's things. Most boys go through this stage."

"I've looked it up online, and if it was just these problems, then so be it."

"So be it? You can't say that! You have to try to guide him and help him establish the right values."

"I originally planned to have an open and honest talk with him, but then I discovered something else. One weekend, I came home early from work, and I saw Xiao Wen in my bedroom, wearing my usual stockings, bra, and skirt, standing in front of the mirror looking at himself."

"This..."

"If it was just the previous things, then so be it. I think I could still guide him a bit, but now things have become very serious. He's actually wearing my clothes and looking in the mirror. This is clearly not a problem of a boy's adolescence."

"Oh, my son's calling, I'll answer it."

The woman answered the phone, then said to her friend, "Sorry, my son said he's hungry, I have to go back and feed him."

"Okay, go back quickly."

"Waiter, check, please."

Bai Yingying walked over and gave them the bill.

Zhou Ze watched the two long-haired women walk out of the store, lost in thought.

"Boss, do you want me to add some hot water to your tea?" Bai Yingying asked.

"No need." Zhou Ze shook his head and picked up his teacup.

Bai Yingying put one hand on her hip and held the money in the other, saying helplessly:

"Those two guys just now were really sick, right? They're clearly men, but they dress up like women. Luckily, I have a sharp eye."

"Cough cough..."

Zhou Ze, who was drinking water, suddenly choked.