They Say I Can Curse People (5)

Chapter 36

Chang Fang flipped back through the pages.

She calculated it all over again.

The result remained the same.

Chang Fang reread every single word, fearing that her lack of education might have caused her to misunderstand something. There was no mistake.

Finally, she whispered the soul-stirring words of this destiny once more, allowing the beautiful fate to truly settle upon her.

She was destined for wealth and honor¹.

She turned her head and smiled at her younger sister beside her. “Sister, they were wrong. I don’t bring bad luck to people.”

“Grandma, Grandma, our family was wrong. I don’t bring bad luck to people.”

“This…” The old man was about to speak, but the old lady quickly tugged at him. She herself didn’t know what to say anymore.

Given the old couple’s life experience, it was impossible for them to have made a mistake.

But at this moment, the child was in a state of great joy. If she were plunged back into deep sorrow, it would be truly pitiful.

Chang Fang was simply happy. She shouldered her original bundle of quilts and clothes, still holding the Song of Bone Weights in her hand. She said to the old couple, “Grandma, can you lend this to me?”

Seeing her so happy and knowing she believed it, the old lady felt a stir of emotion. “This is our family heirloom.”

Chang Fang immediately assumed the woman wouldn’t lend it to her. Her heart felt as if the sky had fallen. How was she going to explain things clearly to her Eldest Aunt, her Second Aunt, and her mother…

The old lady continued, “I’m not an easy person to talk to. I can lend this to you, but you must return it in person.”

Twenty minutes ago, this heirloom had been lying at the bottom of a cabinet, used to plug a hole gnawed by rats.

Chang Fang immediately beamed with joy. “Okay, I will definitely come back to return it to you.”

“Grandma, take these Lime Mushrooms. My sister and I picked them. We’re going home now.”

The old couple watched the girl leave happily, walking toward the road that led to town.

Wait, the old lady remembered the police officer saying their relatives were in Laoma Village, but their own home was in Jinshan Village.

“Are you going to town now or going home?”

“Going home!” Her tone was light and cheerful.

“Do you know the way back?”

Chang Fang stopped, only then remembering she hadn’t asked for directions. She had been too excited just now and had been walking aimlessly.

The old lady said, “Go up this road. Above us is Sanli Village. Once you pass the fourth group of Sanli Village, further ahead is Jinshan Village.”

The sisters committed it to memory, changed direction, and continued forward.

The old couple didn’t feel it was unsafe. For one thing, it was normal for children this age in Tonglin Town to run all over the mountains. For another, if the two sisters kept going up, they would definitely run into the police officers who were supposed to head back today.

Beneath the old couple’s eaves lay a pile of Lime Mushrooms…

Lime Mushrooms were everywhere on the back mountain, but they never picked them. Previously, it was because they didn’t have the leisure time; now, it was because the mushrooms around their house included Sanba Mushrooms and frozen mushrooms. Both of those were top-tier delicacies, unlike Lime Mushrooms which relied heavily on chili for seasoning.

“It’s the thought that counts. Don’t throw them away. Since there are so many, we’ll boil them and dry them out. They’ll be good to keep,” the old man said.

The two of them took a large pot, put the mushrooms directly inside, added water, and boiled them thoroughly before pouring them out to wash.

As the old couple washed the Lime Mushrooms, their thoughts were on the Chang sisters.

“What do you think their family was thinking? With such a good destiny, why would they send her away?”

The old man had followed his father to tell fortunes when he was a child. He speculated, “There used to be a saying that if a daughter’s destiny is too good, it will suppress the boys born after her, and no boys will come to reincarnate² into that family.”

The old lady considered herself to have seen everything in this life, but she still found this matter incredibly strange!

Chang Fang walked upward. As she walked, her heart was full of joy. This emotion filled her heart, making her feel whole and comfortable.

As she moved forward, she couldn’t help but think about the fortune’s commentary.

She didn’t know why, but in the past, she had truly believed she was a Lone Star of Heavenly Terror. She thought she had harmed her mother, harmed her sister, harmed Second Aunt’s son, and burdened her Eldest Aunt and Third Aunt. She felt she was the worst kind of person and that she should die.

But now, knowing her life was precious and favored by heaven and earth, she couldn’t help but search her past life for evidence-

Evidence that she was indeed so precious, born with a destiny of wealth and honor.

She remembered some small things. When she was little and visiting her Eldest Aunt’s house, there was a time when the whole family was asleep, but the embers in the fire pit hadn’t been fully extinguished. In the middle of the night, a fire started. She had seen it when she got up to use the bathroom and quickly woke her aunt! They owed their safety to her that time.

There was another time when she was gathering firewood in the mountains and a sudden torrential rain hit. She was carrying the wood on her back on the way to her Second Aunt’s house when her foot slipped and she fell down a slope. It was so high, yet she wasn’t hurt at all.

And more, even though she didn’t have a Hukou, she had been allowed to study at school, and the teacher even praised her for writing good essays.

The most important thing was the twelve hundred yuan she had on her. She took it for granted now that heaven couldn’t stand to watch her suffer anymore, so it had specifically given her that money.

How could things be so good? The more she thought, the more she felt she was lucky and happy.

Chang Fang walked faster and faster. She wanted to tell everyone, tell everyone that she had a great destiny!

She also felt a bit of hesitation. What if they didn’t believe her?

“Sister! Sister! There are police up there!” Huanhuan was walking fast in front and soon saw people coming. Children had good eyesight and she recognized them from a distance.

Police? Chang Fang was instantly pulled out of her own world. No, no, they didn’t have Hukous yet; they couldn’t let the police see them.

Chang Fang grabbed her sister. Not daring to continue upward and not wanting to go back, she took a small side path into the mountains.

Nearby was a bamboo forest. It didn’t have bushes to hide in like a regular forest, so the sisters found a hollow in the ground and lay flat inside, waiting for the police to pass before coming out.

Chang Fang thought that once her family knew about her destiny, they wouldn’t keep her as a Black Household³ anymore. She had such a good destiny.

Perhaps in the past, everyone had pushed all their problems and everything that happened onto her fate.

And Chang Fang had believed them.

Now that she knew her fate wasn’t what she had thought, she naturally began to fantasize about living a normal life.

Soon, they heard the police heading down.

Chang Fang waited a little longer, and only after the sounds had completely vanished did they emerge from their hiding spot.

The two sisters now had hope in their hearts. They walked faster and faster, never losing their way again.

Before dark, they returned to Jinshan Village, to their own home.

The moment Chang Fang’s mother saw her eldest daughter, she panicked.

“What are you doing back here now?” She was furious. She felt that Chang Fang was doing this on purpose. The last time she came back was when she was pregnant with Huanhuan, and as a result, Huanhuan was born a girl. After that, she hadn’t been able to conceive for several years. Now that she was finally pregnant again, Chang Fang was back!

Chang Fang didn’t care about her mother’s dark expression and pulled out her evidence. “Mom, they got it wrong. My fate doesn’t bring misfortune to others.”

Chang Fang’s mother waved her hand dismissively. “Stop talking such nonsense. Fangfang, do you have any idea how worried your Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt are? Hurry up and go back to your Second Aunt’s house.”

“No, Mom, listen to me! I have a very good fate. I’m destined for wealth and honor, not to be a curse! Second Aunt’s child dying wasn’t because of me…”

“Chang Fang!” her mother roared. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Chang Fang blinked. she didn’t quite understand. In the past, they had always talked about her fate, so why wouldn’t they look at what her fate actually was now?

Actually, at this moment, if Chang Fang had taken out the money, she might have been able to convince people.

But Chang Fang touched the money and couldn’t bear to let it go.

This wasn’t just money; it was the proof that she was destined for wealth.

She wouldn’t give it to anyone. It was hers.

Across from her, her mother was urging her to leave quickly, saying, “Once your younger brother is born, you can come back.”

If it were the past, she would be feeling sad right now. But today, she didn’t feel sad at all. She simply stood at the door and said, “Mom, I don’t want anything else. I want to be on the Hukou.”

She didn’t bring misfortune to others, and she hadn’t harmed anyone, so she had to have a Hukou.

When Yun Song and the other two came up again, what they saw was Chang Fang at her own doorstep, wailing and crying, insisting that she be registered on the Hukou.

Translator’s Notes