After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 38

Zheng Fang was paralyzed. When she fell, her head had hit the ground, causing severe brain damage that affected her nervous system and led to paralysis.

When her family arrived at the hospital and heard that the treatment costs would be 100,000 yuan, they hesitated. Their family simply didn’t have that much money. Li Qiang immediately went to find the family who had stacked the junk in the corridor, demanding they pay compensation.

That family was no pushover, and they immediately began quarreling with Li Qiang. Both sides held to their own arguments, eventually bringing in the police. After a long period of bickering, it was finally determined that Zheng Fang bore 70% of the responsibility for her injuries, while the party who stacked the cardboard boxes bore 30%. They were ordered to pay 30,000 yuan in compensation.

How much money do people living in urban villages really have? Upon hearing the situation, that family simply began to act like scoundrels. Both sides dragged the matter out for nearly a month, and Li Qiang only managed to get 5,000 yuan. He took the 5,000 yuan and ran off, leaving the paralyzed Zheng Fang and the two children at the hospital.

Lying in her hospital bed, Zheng Fang was in utter despair, and the two children stood by her side, at a total loss. Finally, fellow villagers who heard the news brought them back. Every cent of the wealth Zheng Fang had “stolen” through her scheme was returned, and she was destined to spend the rest of her life confined to a bed.

When Liu Yi and Jiao Lili found out, they merely sighed for a while and never mentioned it again. It was nothing more than a small interlude on the path of life—though it had once caused some waves, it would ultimately be submerged by time.

Once they were rid of the petty person, Liu Yi and Jiao Lili’s lives gradually returned to peace. Especially in terms of their careers, the numerous difficulties that had been hindering their progress seemed to vanish suddenly. Stagnant projects were restarted, and cooperation opportunities began to emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain—but that is a story for later.

For reasons unknown, the little girl ghost, Panpan, did not dissipate. She said she had no lingering obsessions, and since Xie Chouzhuang couldn’t keep a little ghost by his side forever, he sent her to the Occultists’ Association. There were people there specifically responsible for such matters. With that, his first mission was officially and completely finished.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” Xie Chouzhuang asked with a beaming smile. He had just received a small sum of Spiritual Gold and was in a great mood.

“You’re going to cook for me?”

“You don’t believe me?” Xie Chouzhuang looked a bit suspicious upon catching Ji Sixian’s skeptical expression.

“How could I not?” Ji Sixian looked surprised. “I couldn’t be happier that my Madam is cooking for me.”

Xie Chouzhuang was delighted. He walked over and gave him a kiss. “You’re always the one cooking for me; today it’s my turn to show off my skills. Speak up, then—what do you want to eat?”

Ji Sixian thought for a moment. “Let’s have noodles.”

Xie Chouzhuang gave a soft hum of agreement and walked into the kitchen with a light step. Before long, the crisp clinking of pots and pans echoed from the kitchen.

Ji Sixian walked slowly to the kitchen doorway and leaned against the frame, quietly gazing at Xie Chouzhuang’s busy figure. A few strands of hair fell from his forehead, swaying gently with his movements. The indoor light fell upon him, as if coating his entire being in a soft, golden glow.

Ji Sixian recalled the days of the past, when his friends had fallen into slumber one by one until finally, only five remained in the entire Heavenly Realm. He had always come and gone alone in solitude.

Back then, he often felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness, always feeling that his life was missing something important, yet never being able to say exactly what it was. But at this very moment, watching Xie Chouzhuang busy himself in the kitchen for him, he finally understood: what had been missing all along was precisely this companionship from a loved one.

He couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t met Xie Chouzhuang, perhaps before long, he would have completely dissipated from this world like a flickering candle in the wind. Every time he thought of this, a sense of gratitude surged in his heart.

Recalling when he first met Xie Chouzhuang, Ji Sixian had merely calculated that his birth date and Eight Characters were quite compatible with his own, leading to the idea of a meeting. However, the moment he actually saw Xie Chouzhuang, everything became extraordinary.

Just one look had caused Ji Sixian’s heart—which had been silent for so long—to begin beating violently. In the past, Ji Sixian had always been dismissive of talk about the Old Man under the Moon tying red strings or love at first sight. But at this moment, he deeply experienced that indescribable feeling; some emotions really were that miraculous and defied all logic.

Unknowingly, that feeling had spread as rapidly as a prairie fire. By the time Ji Sixian noticed, he found himself deeply entangled, unable to extricate himself.

“Do you need me to help with anything?” Ji Sixian walked over and asked softly.

Hearing this, Xie Chouzhuang’s movements paused slightly, and he looked up, an involuntary smile appearing on his face. “I’m planning to make tomato and egg noodles. Why don’t you help me process these tomatoes?”

As he spoke, he put down the greens he was washing, turned to open the refrigerator, and took out two large, round, bright red tomatoes, handing them to Ji Sixian.

“Leave it to me.” Ji Sixian took the tomatoes.

The two worked together to prepare dinner. They poured a suitable amount of cooking oil into the pot, and once the oil was hot, they poured in the whisked eggs. Once the eggs solidified, they used a spatula to quickly scramble them before setting them aside. A little more oil was added to the pot, and minced garlic was tossed in to release its fragrance, followed by the tomato chunks. They stir-fried until the tomatoes released their juices, then added salt, sugar, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, continuing to stir-fry until the tomatoes were soft and broken down. A suitable amount of water was added, brought to a boil over high heat, then turned to a simmer for a few minutes. In another pot, they brought enough water to a boil and added the noodles. Once the noodles were cooked through, they were ladled into the tomato broth. The scrambled eggs were added and stirred in evenly. Before serving, a drizzle of sesame oil was added and a garnish of chopped green onions was sprinkled on top.

The aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen. Xie Chouzhuang hadn’t been very hungry, but the scent made his stomach growl.

Ji Sixian helped carry the finished noodles out and poured a glass of fruit juice for Xie Chouzhuang.

“How is it?”

“The taste is excellent.” Ji Sixian took a bite and was somewhat surprised. He had thought Xie Chouzhuang was a young master who never lifted a finger, but it turned out he not only knew how to cook but was also quite skilled.

Hearing his affirmation, a look of pride flashed across Xie Chouzhuang’s face. “Actually, I studied it specifically. Mom said being good at cooking is a plus for a man. My two older brothers both know how to cook too we were just afraid that if we got a girlfriend in the future and couldn’t cook, we’d be disliked by the girl.” Xie Chouzhuang explained, as if sensing what Ji Sixian was thinking.

“Girlfriend?”

“Mine is a boyfriend,” Xie Chouzhuang said with a laugh, catching the imperceptible trace of jealousy in his tone. “My mom probably didn’t expect that what he needed to prepare wasn’t a betrothal gift, but a dowry. When my eldest brother found out about you, he was furious and gave me a real scolding.”

“Yes, I heard it.”

“I was scared to death at the time, being locked up all confused. But then again, if it weren’t for Min Shuang, I probably wouldn’t have met you, right? It could be considered a blessing in disguise.”

Ji Sixian paused almost imperceptibly. “No. You are my fated marriage. Even without him, we would have met in the future.”

“But I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to you at the very beginning. You were threatening me back then, pointing at a rotting corpse and asking—me or him? I didn’t even have a choice.” Xie Chouzhuang complained jokingly.

“I was covered in resentment back then; my temper wasn’t very good.” Ji Sixian felt a bit of regret when he recalled his behavior, feeling that his first meeting with his Madam hadn’t been very pleasant.

“But fortunately, it was you.” Xie Chouzhuang looked at Ji Sixian with squinted eyes and a smile. “Brother, do you want to come home with me during the National Day holiday to meet my parents?”

“Alright.”