Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 69 (Part 1)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Chapter 69.1 Dominion Properties was probably in a mess now
It was the morning of the new year. As soon as Xiao Chi got up, he heard his mother and his father, who was reading the newspaper on the sofa, discussing the the latest news of their neighbors in the compound, "Aiyo, I heard that the Shi Family’s kid just got discharged on the thirtieth but fell again at the door of his own house. His tibia is now fractured. What a mess... His family and Qi Family hadn’t had a peaceful new year in a while."
The old lady was wearing her reading glasses and embroidering another peace amulet, one stitch at a time. The craftsmanship was not very good, so she often mended over her loose stitching. Hearing her daughter-in-law’s words, she interjected without raising her head, "They must have encountered an evil spirit. Let their family come to our place to worship Bodhisattva..."
Yu Shuyuan didn't believe in Buddhism, so she had no choice but to say, "Mom, don't talk drivel."
The letters sent by the sentry box early in the morning were all piled up on the table, of which laid a thick kraft paper envelope that no one seemed to mind. Xiao Chi saw it when he went downstairs. After approaching, he picked it up and weighed it in his hand, instantly aware. "It's here again?"
These should be the same photos of him and Lin Jingzhe that were taken and sent over last time. Since the perpetrator did not not see any outrage in their house the first time the photos were sent, they probably thought that Xiao Chi had destroyed the evidence before the elders discovered it. Anyway, not long after that, the second and third copies were delivered to their house.
Yu Shuyuan glanced at the envelope in his hands and hummed in affirmation. She then complained, "That person must have some problems. He keeps sending and sending. We've received several copies in less than two weeks, we’re running out of space to put them. So lacking in common basic respect, do they not know how to send a photo album?”
Xiao Chi laughed. He walked to sit on the armrest of the sofa and rubbed his mother's shoulders. Xiao Shenxing looked out from behind the newspaper and asked, "Do you know who did it?"
Xiao Chi had this matter investigated, the sender was very careful and had strong anti-reconnaissance measures. The address the envelope was sent from was outside Yan City, leaving no clues to trace back to. However, even without evidence, Xiao Chi already knew it in his heart, so he replied calmly, "Shi Nanxing or Qi Kai, most likely Shi Nanxing."
But these two people mixed together all the time, the action of one of them was enough to represent both people, so it doesn't make a big difference which one of them did it.
The old lady’s face, which usually was all smiling, became imposing when she heard her grandson’s speculation. And even Mother Xiao rolled her eyes; the reputation of Shi Nanxing and Qi Kai in the compound had always been quite lacking.
Xiao Shenxing frowned slightly, solemnly put away the newspaper, and fell into deep thought. After a while, he told his son, "Stay away from those two people. I heard some news a few days ago, Shi Nanxing has become restless again. There will be people keeping an eye on them."
*******
As promised, Lin Jingzhe arrived at Shen Family’s House on the 1st. Shen Tiantian got up at six o'clock to wait for him, and as soon as he arrived, she stuck to him with her disheveled hair, telling him about the interesting recent events.
She was wearing a nightgown, sitting next to Lin Jingzhe's arm, her thin body curled up into a ball. Lin Jingzhe reached out and gathered her long hair scattered on her cheeks behind her ears, with a very patient attitude, he replied, "Is that so?"
"He deserves it! I hope he slips to death!" Shen Tiantian was spoiled by him, feeling like a pampered little princess. She turned around and found that her mother and stepfather were not in sight, so she immediately expressed her true opinions without any scruples, " Big brother, you don’t know this but Shi Nanxing and Qi Kai are bad guys! They always robbed my things when we were younger! Qi Kai, a stinky hooligan used to lift my skirts up. I wished they would reinstate that hooliganism law and have them arrested!"
At the corner of the stairs, Shen Juanying and Lin Runsheng looked out quietly and saw their children sitting on the sofa talking affectionately. The independent and capable Shen Juanying showed a soft expression. "That stinky girl! She just knows how to cling to her brother and gossip away! What is there to hide from her own mother? "
But this situation gratified her, and that her painstaking arrangements had finally paid off.
Lin Jingzhe didn't want to see outsiders, so she declined all the calls in the morning from the people who wanted to visit to give their New Year's greetings. This year, the Shen family was probably the quietest corner of the entire compound. But only with such careful protection, could the fragile connection of their reorganized family continue to last.
In the living room, Lin Jingzhe took out his sister’s New Year's gift. And in the midst of Shen Tiantian’s joyful exclamation, he put the pair of extra beautiful earrings in her ears.
The precocious and restrained little daughter was happily jumping barefoot on the ground with her unkempt appearance. She raised her hair and repeatedly asked her brother if she looked good with earrings. Lin Jingzhe just leaned on the sofa and smiled with a gentle gaze.
Shen Juanying, who saw this scene, sighed in relief. She relaxed her body and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder.
******
Only the Qi Family’s atmosphere was different from the rest of the celebrating houses in the compound.
The house was noisy and chaotic, the house doctor who came in for the examination left the room sleepily, and the people who had been guarding the door rushed into the room. Shi Nanxing's bedside was immediately surrounded by anxious family members, but he just continued to stare at the chandelier on the ceiling with dead fish eyes. His head, which was spot shaved when he was hospitalized earlier, still looked extremely comedic, and his once dislocated leg was now placed in a plaster cast, suspended above the bed. An IV was attached to his arm and he was also made to wear a cervical collar on his neck, his whole person looked extremely miserable. The elders of the Shi Family were so distressed, they wiped their tears and scolded, "Look at yourself! Your injuries weren’t completely healed, yet how could you get out of the car on a snowy day? Couldn’t you just peacefully sit in the car until you reach the house?!"
Shi Nanxing felt it was really not his year, or how could he be hit with misfortune one after the next?
Without any strength to refute, he simply closed his eyes wearily—Why did he get out of the car on a snowy day? How could he answer that question?
In order to investigate the purpose of Lin Jingzhe's coming to the compound, he slipped like a brainless idiot… Shi Nanxing would never say such a shameful thing.
The Shi Family didn't live in Yan City, so they could only stay together with the Qi Family. Elder Qi didn't seem to have any objections– after all the family had been crowded with visitors in the past. But after Qi Kai's accident, the bustling scene settled down, and many people of the compound avoided their house. The old man who had lived his whole life immersed in the lively chatter couldn't bear the loneliness. It became more and more unbearable nearing the new years, their desolate house contrasted all the other houses in the compound. So even though he knew all kinds of their misdeeds, Elder Qi still couldn't let go of his prosperous in-laws, the Shi Family.
Shi Nanxing seemed to have become a mute, paying no heed to all their concerns and inquiries. This only child had been stubborn since he was young. The Shi family had no choice but to ask Qi Kai, who had arrived in the same car as Shi Nanxing.
Qi Kai sympathized with his hapless uncle, but he was just as confused as his elders. How would he know what Shi Nanxing was doing when he got out of the car? Therefore, he could only truthfully relay what he saw happen last night. "After getting out of the car, uncle walked with his back hunched. He walked towards the front of the car, his buttocks were raised high, and his eyes were fixed on the ground, as if he was looking for something. I asked him what he was doing, but he ignored me. He then suddenly stood up straight and laughed coldly, and then fell shortly after."
It was quite creepy and Qi Kai felt goosebumps develop on his skin even as he was recalling it now. Shi Nanxing’s face showed a complex expression; it looked to be a pejorative and arrogant smile. Who in their right mind would stare at the snow on the ground during the night of the New Year's Eve and laugh like this?
Shi Nanxing, who seemed to have lost his soul on the bed, finally reacted. He turned his head over and rolled his eyes desperately as if he was going to faint in the next second, and at the same time he said to Qi Kai angrily, "Shut– Shut up. "
The Shi Family was so frightened by the whites of his eyes that they didn't dare to speak for a while. They then gathered together in a panic, expressing their opinions based on what Qi Kai had just revealed——
"Could he be possessed?"
"He’s been riddled with bad luck recently… I think he must have touched something evil!"
"How could such a thing happen during the New Year!" The old lady of the Shi Family wiped her tears and cried until her voice cracked, "He broke his hand last time, and this time he fractured his leg. What are we going to do if his brain becomes damaged the next time!"
Shi Nanxing rolled his eyes until his eyeballs almost popped out, but his legs hurt so badly that he couldn't speak anymore, so he could only lie on the bed and pant heavily. Even a materialist like Elder Qi couldn't help being a little scared when he looked at him, so he also joined in the Shi Family’s conversation. "If all else doesn’t work, let's find someone to perform an exorcism for him."
"I heard that the old lady of the Xiao Family can do divination?" Shi Nanxing's mother spoke a little enviously, "I think it should be quite effective, look at how harmonious their family is! From their offspring, career, and family harmony, there’s nothing to pick at! Let’s go ask them for help! Nothing is going to be solved if we leave this unattended!”
It would have been better if she didn't mention the Xiao family, but now that Mother Shi mentioned the Xiao family, Shi Nanxing, who was lying on the bed, almost sat straight up. No one knew where he got the strength to do so, but the sudden movement caused the IV bag to shake around furiously. Shi Nanxing breathed loudly like a madman as he slammed on the bed rail, "Scram! Scram!"
But the more he behaved like this, the more abnormal the family members felt he had become. The tears of the elders of the Shi Family gushed out like an endless waterfall, and even Elder Qi couldn't help but shake his head.
He was an intelligent, healthy kid, how could he have suddenly changed?
Soon, only Qi Kai remained in the room. He carefully straightened the hanging IV drip for him as he consoled Shi Nanxing with words of encouragement, "Uncle, don't worry. Grandma and the others will definitely help you find a way."
When Shi Nanxing met his sympathetic eyes, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. This is all your f*cking fault for speaking nonsense! It took quite a long time before he was able to calm himself down. Still a bit agitated, he turned his head and looked out of the window. The greenery in the compound was well arranged, and each house was a sizable distance from one another. From his position, he could only see a small part of the Xiao Family’s roof from behind the dense branches and leaves in the distance.
But that was enough to cause an aberration in his mentality. Shi Nanxing stared at it for a long time before withdrawing his eyes, and asked Qi Kai softly, "Has anything happened… at Xiao Chi’s... house recently...?"
Qi Kai thought about it for a while, then answered, "They lit up fireworks last night. And the firecrackers they set off seemed to be 2,000 count strips?"
Shi Nanxing's face was pale white, and his lips quietly moved for a while. Qi Kai leaned closer to listen with concern and heard intermittent words: "...Get out...F*ck…you......"
"???" Qi Kai straightened up in a daze. Why was Uncle so angry?
