The shops in the front yard were in complete chaos, with cries and shouts mingling together. The fire had already spread to the eaves of the second shop, and it was too late to pour buckets of water on it.
Before Jin Shanyao's eyes, flames soared into the sky. Her voice, imbued with Spiritual Power, cried out, " Brocade Workshop is beyond saving! The second shop will fall too!"
Everyone, listen to my command: close the doors and windows of the third shop and pour all the water onto the third shop.
Not an inch could be dry! The woman took out all the cotton quilts in the house, soaked them, and spread them out from the roof down.
The sound of the Jin Shanyao was like a heavy hammer, waking everyone up. They instantly abandoned Brocade Workshop and began to rescue the other shops.
Wow... Jiang Jinshu stood alone on the street, covered in dust and grime, wailing loudly.
Jin Shanyao pulled out a soft whip, wrapped it around Jiang Jinshu's waist, and pulled her into his arms. Then he lashed the awnings of the second and third shops with the whip.
The whip, imbued with Spiritual Power, instantly separated the two shops, smashing the awning sign to pieces. The crowd was momentarily stunned before frantically pouring water on the stalls.
With two lashes, the fire was extinguished. The emerald green whip remained untouched by ash. The child in her arms, clutching the Jin Shanyao, sobbed softly.
Tears soaked my collar, clinging damply to my neck, making me feel uncomfortable.
When Su Wenqian arrived, the fire had already been brought under control. Two shops had been burned to the ground, and the third shop was soaking wet and covered with quilts. Everyone was slumped on the ground.
The air was deathly silent, then suddenly a heart-wrenching wail rang out.
"Wake up, my husband! Wake up, you damned devil! I told you not to come in, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened—you've kicked the bucket and left! How am I, a widow and my orphan, supposed to live?"
Everyone stared intently, and saw that it was Madam Jiang, the proprietress of Brocade Workshop, who was lying on a charred corpse, crying and screaming, her eyes filled with despair.
"The shop is burned down, the goods are gone... Now I have to compensate my neighbors for their losses, how am I supposed to pay that? I'd rather just die..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and rammed it against the wall, but was stopped by someone with quick eyes and hands.
After inspecting the location of the fire, Su Wenqian asked, "What caused the fire?"
"My daughter has a tabby cat. When it was catching mice, it accidentally crawled into the stove pit. Who knew..." Madam Jiang burst into tears, only to realize halfway through her sobs that her daughter wasn't there.
She panicked and called out in all directions, " Jinshu... Jinshu..."
"Mother..." Jiang Jinshu stumbled to her feet and ran towards Madam Jiang. The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly. Madam Jiang looked to be only in her twenties.
Such a sudden and drastic change was hard to accept, and I almost went mad.
Jin Shanyao returned to the shop and saw Qing He and Qing Yang with bundles on their backs and a pile of books at their feet. Qing He was also holding a cow rope, looking ready to flee at any moment.
Looking again at Meng Anzhi, she saw that she had brought out the family's money box, and the three of them were staring at her.
"Has Auntie's fire gone out?"
"Destroyed..."
Qing He and Qing Yang, who had been holding their breath, immediately relaxed and threw the large bundle on the ground. "I was so scared! I thought our family was going to be implicated."
Seeing their determination to risk their lives rather than leave their valuables, Jin Shanyao laughed in exasperation, "From now on, if there's a fire, don't take anything with you. Escaping is the most important thing, understand?"
Qing He subconsciously straightened up and stammered, "I saw that the fire was still some distance away from us, and the wind was blowing from the west, so I wanted to bring more."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and she didn't even dare to look her master in the eye. Qing Yang quickly chimed in, "Master, don't worry, if something similar happens again, we definitely won't take anything."
"It's alright, let's put the things back first," she said, picking up the books and rushing towards the study. Qing He saw her sister running off and hurriedly followed.
Meng Anzhi, clutching the money box, was at a loss for what to do. "Um... um, I think... I can run fast..."
Jin Shanyao looked into her eyes and said calmly, " Shopkeeper Jiang was killed when a beam fell on him while he was trying to get the money box..."
Meng Anzhi gasped, "Auntie, don't worry, I'll never hold the money box again!" She hurriedly put the money box on the ground, making a firm statement.
Jin Shanyao. "When a person is alive, life is the most important thing... Once a person dies, everything is gone."
Meng Anzhi nodded in agreement, her mind made up, afraid that Jin Shanyao wouldn't believe her.
The flood at Brocade Workshop affected the entire street, and no business came in all day. Meng Anzhi and her family ground medicinal powder to make face cream, and before they knew it, it was evening.
When Meng Anci returned home after school, he saw the mess on the street from afar. Without thinking, he ran home like a madman and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his whole family was safe.
"You scared me to death! I thought something had happened to our house," he said, and was about to head towards the study when Jin Shanyao called out to him, "Where are you going?"
"He reads books..." Doesn't he read books every day when he comes home?
Jin Shanyao, "Come here and help me grind the medicine powder."
Meng Anci thought for a moment, "Auntie, I've been challenged to a battle. Do you know how powerful those two people are? They've pooled their resources to defeat me."
If I don't study now, I'll fall behind, you know that???
He stared intently at the Jin Shanyao, hoping his aunt could understand his predicament.
Jin Shanyao her head in confusion, "You really enjoy reading?"
"Of course..." Meng Anci straightened her small body, raised her chin slightly, and adopted an attitude of "I am proud of my studies".
But in that instant, his expression changed. He didn't like reading, but he loved the feeling of dominating everyone else...
He wanted to trample all the students of the academy under his feet and manipulate their grades at will.
He wanted to see them fear him, be afraid of him, and live in constant fear and unease whenever they saw him.
This kind of oppression strikes straight to the heart and is more damaging than any verbal violence.
Of course... he's still his aunt's good boy!
In the evening, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the backyard of the Anzhi Hall, making the window panels creak and groan.
" Shopkeeper Jin, I died a terrible death..." Shopkeeper Jiang's sinister voice drifted in from outside the courtyard.
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci couldn't hear the ghosts talking. The two little ones were playing chess on the kang (a heated brick bed), and whoever lost had to pour out the foot bath water.
" Shopkeeper Jin... I died a terrible death, please help me," Shopkeeper Jiang's ghost lingered, chanting the Great Compassion Mantra endlessly towards the back door of the Anzhi Hall.
The noise made Jin Shanyao ache. She stood up, attracting the attention of the two little ones. "Auntie, where are you going?"
"The manager of Brocade Workshop wants to see me... You'll all come out with me."
Meng Anzhi's expression froze. If she remembered correctly, Shopkeeper Jiang should be dead, right? "That aunt, I know I was wrong... Can I not go to see the ghost?"
Meng Anci held the chess piece, "Auntie, if one person makes a mistake, shouldn't everyone be held accountable?"
Meng Anzhi slapped him across the face. "We're in this together, neither of us can escape. Get down and put your shoes on."
She can see ghosts, but she will never allow her brother to live alone.
Meng Anci muttered under his breath, "You're scarier than a ghost..."
As soon as the three stepped out of the house, a chilling aura crept into their clothes through their collars, making the two little ones shiver. They clasped their little hands tightly together and looked around warily.
Jin Shanyao the back door and pressed her face close to Shopkeeper Jiang's, "What are you shouting... trying to call back your soul?"
Seeing that their aunt was talking to thin air, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci moved even closer together.
Shopkeeper Jiang fell silent immediately after being yelled at. He was covered in black soot, but his eyes shone brightly. Dressed in tattered clothes, he stood in the shadows, looking like a roasted quail, not daring to make a move.