Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

The names Lin Xiaohua and Yan Ruyu reminded him of an old movie he had once seen called "Happy Ghost".

"Happy Ghost" tells the story of a scholar named Zhu Jinchun during the Xianfeng era who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.

His family was already poor, and his decision to take time off from work to pursue scientific research made them even poorer.

His wife had had enough of this endless misery and ran off with a passing merchant.

Unable to bear the blow, Zhu Jinchun took off his hemp rope belt in a dilapidated temple on an outlying island and hanged himself from the roof beam.

Because of his resentment, his ghost was unable to be reincarnated.

He remained attached to the hemp rope from which he hanged himself, living in a daze in the dilapidated temple for decades.

Decades later, several female students, including Lin Xiaohua, Yan Ruyu, and Lin Qingqing, went camping on an outlying island.

A sudden storm arose along the way, and the tent was blown away by the strong wind. Several girls ran into the dilapidated temple where Zhu Jinchun had hanged himself in order to escape the rain.

One of the girls accidentally took the ghost-possessed rope while packing, and Zhu Jinchun's ghost followed them home.

What followed was a series of hilarious and absurd stories.

Lin Yi suggested going along, partly because she genuinely wanted to accompany Qingqing to get away and relax.

On the other hand, it was for Zhu Jinchun, the failed scholar.

This guy isn't just any ordinary vengeful ghost; his peculiarities are unique in the entire supernatural world.

He pulled off a bizarre maneuver involving past and future lives, and the concept of a human and a ghost being one—a feat unprecedented and likely to remain so.

According to the movie's setting, Zhu Jinchun was later personally guided by the Great Sun Buddha and became the Happy Buddha.

You must know how powerful the Six Paths of Reincarnation are. No matter how powerful a demon or monster is, once it enters the cycle of reincarnation, it can only obediently reincarnate, and its past life will be wiped clean.

Ironically, Zhu Jinchun's freakish ghost form was able to continue existing even after reincarnation.

It's as if a time branch occurred within him, allowing two timelines to coexist in the same world.

He is Zhu Jinchun, the Happy Ghost, and he is also Kang Sengui, the reincarnation of the Happy Ghost. The two "he"s live in parallel without conflict, and neither of them gets in the way of the other.

If it comes down to the time factor, then it makes perfect sense that Vairocana Buddha recruited him.

As the representative of the Human Book faction, Mahavairocana Buddha, like Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, wields the power of the laws of time.

Of course, it is also possible that he was only reincarnated as a fragment of his soul, but this possibility is very small, since Zhu Jinchun did enter the reincarnation channel completely.

Lin Yi was very interested in Zhu Jinchun's situation, after all, that was a matter of time!

Moreover, the Underworld General Leopard Tail, who oversees the souls of beasts in the underworld, is very suitable for him, since he later turned a dog into a human, which shows that he is indeed connected with beasts.

……

Meanwhile, several of Mi Nianying's classmates were chatting at Lin Qingqing's house.

Lin Qingqing's parents don't live here; this is her own little haven.

The apartment, over 90 square meters, has three bedrooms and a living room, and is decorated warmly and neatly.

Several recent female graduates took off their school uniforms, changed into their favorite casual clothes, and occupied every corner of the hall, sitting or lying down.

"Nianying kept it a secret from us for so long, only telling us that her brother-in-law was Boss Lin right after graduation."

Yan Ruyu sat on the sofa, holding a glass bottle of cola in one hand and shaking the straw in the other, her tone carrying three parts reproach and seven parts envy.

Lin Qingqing leaned to the other side, her two delicate white feet raised, her fingers twirling a strand of hair by her ear, and said leisurely:

"Who says otherwise? The boss of Umbrella is much better than my family's lousy garment factory."

Most of the students who can attend Nalan Girls' Middle School come from well-off families.

Only a few girls from ordinary families were specially recruited as a facade because of their good grades.

Nianying's deskmate, Li Lingling, was the former.

Her family runs a business selling goods from both the north and south of China. They own several shops in Kowloon and live a comfortable life.

She sat cross-legged on the wicker chair by the window, flipping through a newly published fashion magazine, and interrupted without looking up:

"I heard that Lin Yi's net worth has already exceeded 100 million, surpassing Li Xihe and becoming the new richest Chinese person in Hong Kong."

The tabloids have been living off his stories for the past two months; they've written over twenty articles just about how he made his fortune through tomb raiding.

Unbeknownst to Li Lingling, the moment she uttered the name "Lin Yi," Lin Yi in the Kowloon Tong villa had already sensed it.

The image of these young girls chatting and chattering in the lobby naturally came to mind.

He leaned back in his chair in the study and subtly observed them for a moment.

I thought to myself, these young girls are dressed too casually. They're all so old, yet they don't even wear glasses.

However, it must be said that the girl named Lin Xiaohua really looks too much like Qingqing, they're practically twins.

Yan Ruyu's family was significantly worse off than the others, and her conversations always revolved around money.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaohua, who looked like Qingqing, sat quietly in the corner.

She listens to others with a slight smile on her face, occasionally chiming in with a word or two, her voice soft and gentle.

She was one of the "prestige students" who were specially admitted to the school because of her excellent grades.

Her father was just an ordinary dockworker, and happened to work at one of the Lin family's docks.

My mother is a housewife, and she also has a younger brother who is studying at San Yu Middle School.

If Nalan Girls' Middle School hadn't waived all her tuition fees, her family wouldn't have been able to afford even the nearby non-profit San Yu Middle School.

Now that they've graduated, Nianying has been admitted to the University of Hong Kong Island, while the other classmates, who come from well-off families, are also preparing to attend university preparatory classes under the arrangement of their families.

Lin Xiaohua's grades weren't good enough for the University of Hong Kong, but she was qualified to enroll in the pre-university program.

However, the preparatory course is not free, and the cost is not low, at five Hong Kong dollars per month, not including room and board.

Her family favors boys over girls, and her father has made it clear that he will no longer support her and wants her to start working as soon as possible to help support the family.

Although her mother loved her daughter dearly, she never had any say in the family.

Lin Xiaohua might be able to borrow money from these classmates to finish her preparatory course, but that would inevitably make her look inferior to her friends.

She was originally a poor student who was specially admitted, and she had been spending several years with these rich girls. Although on the surface they had a good relationship.

But she knew in her heart that some things money couldn't buy, and some gaps couldn't be bridged no matter how good her grades were.

Moreover, even if you complete a foundation program, you are not guaranteed admission to the University of Hong Kong. The money you painstakingly borrowed may end up being wasted.

She heard that Mr. Lin had several wives.

If... if I could win the other person's favor...

Her face suddenly flushed, as if burned by the thought that had just popped into her head.

She quickly shifted her gaze to the window, pretending to admire the night view.

"Xiao Hua, what are you thinking about?" Yan Ruyu suddenly turned around and called to her.

Lin Xiaohua's shoulders trembled slightly, a fleeting look of panic crossing her face, before she forced a smile and replied:

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just thinking about going to the outlying islands tomorrow, and I'm kind of looking forward to it."

"You're probably thinking about tuition fees again, aren't you?"

Yan Ruyu put down the Coke bottle, leaned over and put her arm around her shoulder, giving her an expression that said, "I know you too well."

"Don't worry, have a good time tomorrow, and we can talk about everything else after we get back from our fun."

There's always a way out. If all else fails, we'll lend you some.

Lin Xiaohua smiled but didn't reply.

Yan Ruyu had already guessed most of her thoughts, but she dared not tell anyone the other half.