Courtyard House: Drunk and barging into the Xu family's house, I woke up numb.

"Help! The backyard is haunted! Help!"

"Help! Someone come quick! The deaf old lady has come back to life!"

Although both women fell to the ground, Jia Zhangshi's voice was much louder than that of the deaf old lady.

This woke up many people who were dreaming of a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

Although she was awake, she couldn't hear the whole thing Jia Zhangshi was saying.

Just as Jia Zhangshi was about to get up and leave, a hand reached out from behind the curtain.

"Zhang Cuihua, you dare kick me, I'll..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jia Zhangshi had already conjured up a scene in her mind: a vengeful ghost demanding a life.

Jia Zhangshi looked terrified and pointed at the deaf old woman who had stretched out a hand and peeked out from behind the curtain, shouting loudly.

"Ghost...ghost...ghost...ah!"

Jia Zhangshi's shrill voice echoed through the courtyard once again, but this time the sound stopped abruptly halfway through.

Jia Zhangshi, lying on the ground, was terrified as she watched the deaf old woman crawling out. In the end, her eyes rolled back and she lay down on the ground.

The deaf old lady couldn't see Jia Zhangshi's condition clearly. The door had just been pushed open by Jia Zhangshi, and she hadn't closed it when she ran away.

So the deaf old lady began to crawl out little by little, and when she heard Jia Zhangshi call her a ghost, she said in a deep voice.

"Ghost? What ghost? I'm a person, a person..."

Unfortunately, Jia Zhangshi could no longer hear her words; she had fainted from fright, partly due to her own self-inflicted fear.

Liu Haizhong sat up, lowered his head, and said, trying to wake up.

"Who has offended this Jia Zhangshi again, that she's out summoning spirits in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"If you push me too far, I'll go to the police station right now and call some people to arrest her and send her to the countryside to grow potatoes!"

Second Aunt was also awakened by Jia Zhangshi's ghostly scream. She patted Liu Haizhong's shoulder.

"Old Liu, Jia Zhangshi is causing trouble in the courtyard again. You should get up and go see her."

Liu Haizhong sat on the bed, rubbing his temples which were throbbing slightly.

"Go ahead and make a scene, make a scene on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

“She caused a scene during the day, and now that the deaf old lady has left, she’s still coming to the backyard to make a scene.”

"What, you think my bangs are easy to bully, huh!"

"If I don't teach her a lesson this time, I can't be the second uncle anymore."

Liu Haizhong was actually quite frustrated. During the day, he and the third brother, Yan Bugui, joined forces to win over the entire courtyard by dealing with Jia Zhangshi, and at the same time establish their authority.

Unexpectedly, the old man refused to listen to reason and even turned around and acted like a bachelor.

If it weren't for Team Leader Fan's appearance and his shocking takeover of the rural area, who knows what kind of drama might have unfolded.

What was most frustrating was that he had embarrassed her, and he still had to plead for the old hag to save face for the sake of his hat.

Fortunately, he finally punished her by making her clean the yard toilets "indefinitely," which made him feel a little better.

Unexpectedly, less than a night later, Madam Jia came to the backyard to cause trouble again, and who knows what kind of trouble she will cause this time.

"That's right, Dad, you have to teach her a lesson this time. She even wanted me to kneel down and kowtow to their son today. She really dares to think that way!"

Liu Guangtian came in carrying a lit candle, while Liu Haizhong put on his clothes, got out of bed, and walked out with his hands behind his back.

As soon as he stepped out, he heard the creaking sound of a door opening next to him, and then the light from a flashlight shone on his face.

Cao Xu recognized Liu Haizhong immediately and turned off the flashlight, as shining it directly on someone's face was indeed impolite.

"Oh, Second Uncle, you're up too."

Liu Haizhong was about to get angry, but when he heard that it was Cao Xu who had shaken him, his anger subsided, though his words still carried a hint of resentment.

Whether this anger was directed at Jia Zhangshi, Cao Xu, or both, remains unknown.

"With her causing so much trouble, how could I not pay?"

"Cao Xu, why don't you take her to the security office? This is making too much of a fuss."

Cao Xu smiled.

"Second Uncle, this might not be appropriate."

"Last time, it was because she retaliated by beating the whistleblower and his family. Our security department had a valid reason to arrest her."

"We don't know why this is happening yet. I think we should wait and see what's going on."

As they were talking, the two walked toward the deaf old lady's house. They had only taken a few steps when they saw Jia Zhangshi lying on the ground.

"Jia Zhangshi, stop pretending and get up right now!"

"You've been causing trouble all day long on the first day of the Lunar New Year, haven't you? Let me tell you, if you keep causing trouble, I'll tie you up and take you to the police station!"

By the dim candlelight, Liu Haizhong saw Jia Zhangshi lying on the ground and assumed she was faking her death to cause trouble, so he spoke very rudely to her.

These harsh words were spoken, but Jia Zhangshi remained lying there motionless. Cao Xu turned on his flashlight and shone it over her.

"Oh, Second Uncle, you're really dizzy, it seems like you've been frightened."

By the light of his flashlight, Liu Haizhong saw Jia Zhangshi lying on the ground with drool at the corner of her mouth and her eyes wide open.

Then he remembered vaguely hearing Jia Zhangshi shouting about ghosts, and there was a mourning hall set up nearby, which made Liu Haizhong feel a chill run down his spine and shiver.

"In the sea, help, help...in the sea..."

The deaf old woman's voice came again, and this time not only Liu Haizhong, but also Cao Xu next to him could hear it clearly.

Liu Haizhong was already frightened, and when he heard the deaf old woman's voice, he quickly turned his head to look towards the entrance of the mourning hall.

All he could see was the faint glow of a kerosene lamp shining through the gap in the curtain, and a hand waving incessantly at him.

Liu Haizhong's heart was pounding in his chest. Was he seeing a ghost, or was someone playing a prank?

Just then, Cao Xu's flashlight beam shone precisely on the deaf old woman's face.

"what……"

Liu Haizhong's shout startled Cao Xu, who was standing nearby. Immediately afterward, he saw Liu Haizhong sit down on the ground with a thud.

He looked at the deaf old woman with fear in his eyes, and took two or three steps back, supporting himself with his hand on the ground.

His chest heaved as he breathed heavily, and his voice became distorted.

"Old lady, are you a human or a ghost?"

"We've lived in the same compound for decades, you can't let me get hurt!"

Cao Xu looked at the deaf old woman at the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

Since time travel had already happened, encountering ghosts and gods was also possible—that was his first thought.

However, Cao Xu's eyesight and hearing were far superior to those of ordinary people.

Under the flashlight, he could see the deaf old woman's breathing movements and even the hot breath coming out of her mouth.

Looking at Liu Haizhong, whose voice was distorted and who was sitting on the ground trembling, he spoke calmly.

"Second Uncle, the old lady isn't dead, she's still breathing."

"She's a person, not a ghost. Get up and go take a look."

Cao Xu was puzzled as to why the deaf old woman, who had been dead for a day, would come back to life. This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a thing as resurrection.

So, just to be on the safe side, let Liu Haizhong go and scout ahead.

Liu Haizhong looked in the direction of the flashlight and saw that there was indeed hot air coming from his nose.

He stood up under immense psychological pressure and looked at the deaf old woman again, asking her the question.

"Grandma, you're really still alive? You're not dead?"

He managed to stand up, but his voice was still trembling.

The deaf old woman patted the ground with her hand, looking at Liu Haizhong with an anxious expression.

"Liu Haizhong, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Of course I'm still alive! Hurry up and go inside to check on him, something's happened to Zhonghai!"

Liu Hai felt much more relaxed after hearing the old lady's words.

Now that he'd heard that Yi Zhonghai was in trouble, he suddenly remembered that Yi Zhonghai was supposed to be keeping vigil tonight; it would be strange if something hadn't happened under these circumstances.

He didn't even bother to help the old lady up. He lifted the curtain and saw Yi Zhonghai lying on the ground, his hands and feet twitching uncontrollably.

He went over to take a look, patted Yi Zhonghai's face and when there was no reaction, he immediately called out to Cao Xu outside the door.

"Cao Xu, go quickly and call for help!"

There was no response. When he lifted the curtain and came out, Cao Xu had already gone out through the moon gate, obviously to call for help.

He crouched down, trying to help the deaf old lady up, but he was too weak to do so because he had just been startled and fallen.

In addition, the deaf old lady was not light, so he could only help her to the doorway to lean against it.

"Grandma, hang in there, I'll go get someone."