She glared at Zhang Tianbao and the Zhang Tianfu, her expression full of displeasure. When she heard them begging for mercy, she let out a cold snort.
"You're calling me 'Mom' now? Aren't you afraid I might really turn into some evil ghost?"
"No, no! How could Mother be an evil ghost? We were wrong. We shouldn't have talked nonsense. Please don't be angry, Mother," they replied, voices trembling.
Faced with those icy eyes, Zhang Tianfu shivered uncontrollably. Ignoring the lingering pain, he hurried forward to placate her.
With a temper like that, how could they ever fail to recognize their mother?
What was more, she even remembered clearly all the embarrassing things he had done as a child.
Zhang Tianbao quickly admitted, "I know I was wrong."
Even Zhang Dajun, who was usually a bit foolish, followed his brother and confessed his mistakes.
Zhao Chunhua snorted twice, turning her head away, giving no clear indication of whether she had forgiven them or not.
This left several the boys feeling anxious and uneasy.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the young villagers did not dare to speak.
Zhang Tianfu quietly studied Zhao Chunhua's expression and gently touched Zhang Dajun's arm.
"Da Jun, comfort Mother and help her calm down."
Zhang Dajun suddenly turned his head, puffed his cheeks, and said unhappily, "It's all your fault. You said something you shouldn't have and made Mother so angry."
"I know I was wrong, but that's not enough," he added.
Zhang Tianfu muttered softly, "I also feel that Mom has changed a lot… that's why…"
Although his voice was quiet, Zhao Chunhua heard it clearly.
She snorted again. "I'm being nice to you, and you're still unwilling, huh?"
The three of them quickly shook their heads. "No, no, Mom. We don't mean that."
At that moment, Zhang Tianfu's eyes flicked toward her. Seeing that Zhao Chunhua seemed to have calmed down, he plucked up the courage to ask, "Mother, how come you suddenly know so much?"
Zhao Chunhua glanced at him. She knew her second son was the most shrewd and hardest to fool, and it seemed his suspicions had not yet been entirely dispelled.
However, what they had just said sparked an idea in Zhao Chunhua.
She beckoned them closer.
"In that case… I'll tell you."
The three of them exchanged glances before walking over obediently.
Zhao Chunhua cleared her throat, her voice low and serious. "After I reached the gates of hell, I met an old immortal. He told me that my life should not be cut short, but my soul had been taken by the underworld. To compensate me, he taught me certain skills and sent me back."
The three of them widened their eyes, staring at her in disbelief.
"Mom… you're not making this up, are you?"
After a long pause, Zhang Tianfu twitched the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Chunhua rapped lightly on his head. "How could I lie to you? If it weren't for the ghost that took the wrong soul, why would I have fainted for no reason?"
In fact, the original owner had fainted or rather, had died from hunger.
Yet Zhao Chunhua didn't see any problem in using that as an excuse.
"So… when you fainted back then, Were you possessed?" Zhang Tianbao asked, sounding a bit dazed.
Zhao Chunhua nodded calmly.
The revelation completely upended their understanding. Their heads were spinning, and it all felt like a dream.
Yet Zhao Chunhua appeared entirely composed, giving no hint of lying. With her explanation, everything seemed to make sense.
"The old immortal thought my life had been too hard, so he gave me a chance for an adventure," Zhao Chunhua said, sighing as she spoke.
Then, her tone turned serious, and she warned her three sons.
"This matter with the old immortal must stay within our family. Don't tell anyone else. Understand?"
The three of them slowly came to their senses and nodded blankly.
Zhang Youcai and the other young villagers had been watching the family for a long time, but they couldn't make out exactly what was being said.
It looked as though the family had reconciled.
After glancing at the sky, Zhang Youcai stepped forward. "Aunt Zhao, it's getting late. Let's hurry down the mountain."
Zhao Chunhua nodded and smiled. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you all."
She gestured for Zhang Tianbao and the others to follow.
They hurriedly explained, "We were confused and misunderstood Mother."
No one said anything further.
Zhao Chunhua raised an eyebrow; it seemed that a good scolding had solved the problem.
With her children's concerns finally settled, she felt a sense of relief, and her steps grew lighter.
On the way down the mountain, Zhao Chunhua walked at the front, leaving the others trailing far behind. She also picked some herbs to treat colds along the way.
She removed her coat, wrapped the herbs carefully, and quietly tucked some into her mysterious space when no one was looking.
It had taken a long time to gather the herbs, and by the time they returned to the temple, the sun had already set.
As soon as they arrived, Zhang Ruoan hurried over. "You're finally back! Did you find the herbs?"
In just one day, more people in the team had fallen ill, especially those with fevers, which had increased by five or six at once. They had to rely on the herbs to save them.
"Luckily, Aunt Zhao found some!" Zhang Youcai replied.
Zhang Ruoan clapped her hands excitedly. "Where are the herbs? Quickly make them into a concoction for everyone to drink,many villagers can hardly hold on!"
Zhao Chunhua handed the herbs to the village chief.
"Here it is."
Zhang Ruoan, who should have been overjoyed, froze when he saw the small bundle.
"That's all?" he asked.
Zhao Chunhua nodded. "There weren't many herbs to be found in the mountains, and Dajun was bitten by a snake, so it took longer than expected."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruoan could only sigh and let it go. His brows were furrowed and his face etched with worry.
Even if this small amount of herbs was made into soup, there would be barely enough for each person to take a few sips.
"Let's share it among everyone first, and we'll go find more herbs tomorrow," Zhao Chunhua suggested.
Zhang Ruoan nodded with a wry smile and ordered someone to start boiling the medicine.
As a result, the tiny amount of herbs could only make a single pot of medicine, giving each person barely three or four mouthfuls.
Zhang Defu forced himself to drink it, despite the bitter taste. Yet the soup was not only extremely unpleasant, it also made his cough worse after he finished it.
Fuming, he slammed the bowl onto the table, glared at Zhao Chunhua, and shouted, "Second brother's wife, you deliberately gave us wild herbs to deceive us, didn't you? Why doesn't it help at all? I'm coughing even more than before!"
No sooner had he finished than he began coughing violently again, his body shaking as if his lungs might burst.
Bai Xiaowei quickly steadied her husband and soothed him. "Are you alright, dear? Why are you coughing so badly?"
Seeing Zhang Defu's red, embarrassed face, she felt distressed.
"Second brother's wife, do you have bad intentions? How dare you trick people with weeds! If anything happens, I'll make you pay.
Bai Xiaowei glared at Zhao Chunhua with sharp, accusing eyes.
"That's right. When did you become an expert in identifying medicinal herbs? From what I can see, these are clearly wild plants, picked up haphazardly from somewhere."
The third wife, watching the scene and eager to stir trouble, seized the opportunity.
"Yes, that's ridiculous. What if something goes wrong after drinking it?"
Her husband Zhang Laosan joined in, adding his accusations.
Faced with the two of them ganging up on her, Zhao Chunhua rolled her eyes with disdain. "Who forced anyone to drink the medicine? Stop framing me, or else…"