Lu Guanchang's ex-wife was named Zhao Qiuyun, and she was from Wild River Ditch Village near Binhai.
After divorcing Lu Guanchang, she took her daughter and returned to her maternal family.
But because of the divorce, she wasn't well-received by her maternal family. After all, in that era, it seemed as if divorce was always the woman's fault, leading to disdainful looks and gossip.
To prevent her daughter from being wronged, Zhao Qiuyun took her daughter, Lu Hongxia, and left Wild River Ditch Village for the neighboring city of Ci'en.
Ci'en was located in the southwest of Qiong Sea, adjacent to Binhai, and possessed unique natural conditions, a rich cultural character, and a superior geographical location.
It had ample sunlight, was unaffected by monsoons, and its cost of living was far lower than that of Binhai City, which was a tourist city.
They say poverty breeds change.
Zhao Qiuyun, who wasn't highly educated, started a street stall to support her daughter, selling cooling drinks and snacks like Qing Bu Liang, Sweet Potato Jelly, and Old Salt Fruit Juice to beat the summer heat.
Because she started early, she was among the first batch of individual business owners, so there was little competition, and she actually managed to earn quite a bit of money.
Zhao Qiuyun was actually a very capable woman. Before, she had a husband who gave her a monthly allowance, so she never had to worry about making a living.
But now, she had to plan for her and her daughter's future in every aspect. So after earning some money, she didn't just settle for being comfortably well-off, but successively opened a restaurant, a supermarket, a clothing store, a housekeeping company, and so on.
She strived her whole life, and although she didn't become fabulously wealthy, she did accumulate some assets. During this process, she remarried.
Her husband treated her extremely well, and they had another son and daughter. Now, she has long since handed over her businesses to her children and is enjoying her grandchildren at home, living a very happy life in her later years.
As for Lu Guanchang's daughter, Lu Hongxia, she had long since changed her name to Zhao Hongxia, taking her mother's surname.
Zhao Hongxia experienced family turmoil from a young age and drifted from place to place with her mother, so she seemed more sensible and mature than her peers since she was a child.
Her environment forged her strong-willed character. Therefore, whether in her studies or her work, she was exceptionally outstanding.
After taking over her mother's business, not only did it not decline, but it thrived and reached new heights.
When Lu Guanchang spoke of his ex-wife and daughter, his tone subconsciously carried a hint of complacency, as if he shared in their glory.
Shen Siyuan didn't understand what he had to be complacent about. Did their current achievements have anything to do with him at all?
'He can't possibly think that the mother and daughter's success today is thanks to him abandoning them back then, can he?'
"So, do you think there's any need to disturb them? Do you think they'd still care about those assets of yours?" Shen Siyuan asked in return.
"But… but I can't accept this."
Lu Guanchang's face twisted.
He had toiled his whole life, not only raising children and grandchildren for someone else but also having his home taken over. How could he possibly be resigned to it?
It was a good thing ghosts couldn't harm the living, or else he would have skinned them alive to vent the hatred in his heart.
Appearance Reflects the Heart. His mouth split to the base of his ears, his body and belly swelled, and sitting there, he looked like a great toad with its mouth wide open, ready to devour something at any moment.
"Wow, Grandpa Lu is so scary."
Doudou hid behind Sister Xiaoyue, acting all sneaky and peeking out, looking indescribably cute.
"Didn't you say he was a good person?" Yin Xingyue said, glancing sideways at her.
"Mom said you can't think someone is not a good person just because they're not good-looking," Doudou argued.
"You can't judge a book by its cover."
"Right, right, that's it! How did you know that too? You're amazing, sister."
Yin Xingyue was still an elementary school student, after all, so hearing Doudou's praise made her feel a little happy.
"We're ghosts now, not people, so you can't judge things like a person. Let me tell you, the less human something looks, the more evil it is…"
"Wow, so they're all bad guys? I thought they were all big monsters.
I was scared they would catch me, so I stuck close behind Mom and Dad and avoided them. I saw a lot of them when I was flying in the sky, too.
So there are that many big bad guys?"
Doudou's eyes widened in utter surprise.
"You don't have to be afraid of them now.
They should be afraid of you," Yin Xingyue said.
She held out her right hand, and small blue flames immediately appeared on her five fingertips.
Seeing this, Doudou immediately stretched out her own short, chubby little fingers in delight. She pursed her lips, staring intently at her fingertips, seemingly putting her whole body into the effort.
But her little fingers showed no sign of movement. It was a good thing she was a ghost and not a person, or she might have squeezed out a few farts from the strain.
"Concentrate, use your mind."
Hearing this, Doudou had a look of sudden realization.
"Oh, so that's how! I was thinking with my bwain."
Then she continued to stare at her fingertips.
After a long while, she held her small head in frustration.
"My bwain won't listen! It keeps thinking about little monkeys, big bananas, big tigers, and eating meat…"
Yin Xingyue, who was introverted and rarely smiled, was now also amused by her.
Seeing Sister Xiaoyue laugh at her, Doudou got angrier and angrier. Just then, her whole body whooshed into flames, as if she were burning.
"Waaah… Sister, Sister… I made fire! So all I had to do was get angry," Doudou said, her face full of joy.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Siyuan looked over at the two of them.
Lu Guanchang, who was off to the side, naturally saw it too. Despite the distance, he still felt his heart pound in terror and a sharp pain in his soul.
The anger that had clouded his mind and made him look like a toad instantly vanished, and he calmed down, returning to his human form.
"Great Master, I beg you, please let me see my… my daughter one last time.
Whether she is willing to seek justice for me or not, I will finally be able to give up. Otherwise, I truly cannot rest in peace and will be trapped here forever, unable to find release…"
As Lu Guanchang was overcome with emotion, the fleshy tumors on his face seemed to fade considerably, revealing his originally kind and gentle features.
"Your daughter is far away in Ci'en. I'm only free on Saturdays and Sundays to make a trip over…"
"That's alright, I can wait," Lu Guanchang said hastily.
Shen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "Do you know her address? I could write a letter and mail it. It would be best if she could come to Binhai, of course…"
"That's a great idea," Lu Guanchang said, overjoyed to hear it.
"In that case, come with me," Shen Siyuan said, standing up.
Lu Guanchang hurriedly followed Shen Siyuan upstairs into his rented apartment.
Shen Siyuan found some paper and a pen and said to Lu Guanchang, "You dictate, I'll write."
Hearing this, Lu Guanchang lowered his head in thought, unsure for a moment how to begin.
Shen Siyuan paid him no mind, poured himself a glass of water, and walked to the window to look down below.
He saw the two little ones downstairs, chasing each other and playing around.
It was already nighttime, and it was hard to see clearly even with the streetlights.
But the Netherfire on Doudou's head was just too conspicuous, like a firefly in the night, so eye-catching.
The reason he hadn't let the two of them come back with him was mainly that he was worried they would be in the same room as Lu Guanchang and accidentally set him on fire. Netherfire uses Karmic Force as fuel; the more sins one has, the longer it burns.
As long as the sins remain, the Netherfire will not be extinguished.
"Great Master, I've thought of what to say."
Lu Guanchang's voice interrupted Shen Siyuan's thoughts.