Something Happened to Dou Dou

"That woman even mentioned her workplace, saying that if a kind person found the money, she hoped they could send it there. When my father came home and told my mother, she refused to return it. She even said the woman was forgetful and deserved to lose the money as a lesson. My father never returned those hundred thousand yuan."

He Guangzhi lowered his head further. After his father found the money, he had called a family meeting. His mother had been vehemently opposed to returning it. He and his wife felt uneasy, but they didn't object, letting his parents make the decision.

"What happened to the woman who lost the money?" Jiang Hanyan asked in a cold voice.

He Guangzhi trembled, and his wife’s face turned deathly pale. Their expressions made it clear that the woman's end was not a good one.

"She... she’s dead. She took poison to commit suicide."

He Guangzhi’s voice shook. His father had gone to that workplace to inquire. The factory didn't believe the woman had lost the money; they thought she had embezzled it and demanded she pay it back. With no way to prove her innocence and no money to pay, she took poison. She left a suicide note that read:

"I did not take the money. Whoever took my money will not die a natural death and will descend to the eighteenth level of hell!"

The incident caused a huge stir, and the He family was terrified for a while, but they soon calmed down. After all, they hadn't killed her; it was her own lack of mental resilience and her forgetfulness. They told themselves it was her own fault, not theirs.

"You enjoyed her money without a care in the world. When things started going wrong after you moved into this house, instead of reflecting on yourselves, you tried to harm others. A family like yours would have met with retribution even if you hadn't moved here," Jiang Hanyan said coldly.

The reason He’s father died a miserable death was that he had become entangled in the karma of the woman who committed suicide. His act of keeping the money directly led to her death, and her dying curse carried immense resentment. Even without this house, He’s father would have faced retribution.

The mother was an accomplice, and since she had done many other unscrupulous things, she ended up bedridden. He Guangzhi and his wife were also accomplices because the house was bought with that money, and they lived in it. Naturally, they were stained by the karma, but because they hadn't directly caused the death, their backlash was less severe.

"Grandmaster, please save our family! I'll do anything you say, as long as you can save us!"

He Guangzhi turned pale and knelt on the ground, pleading piteously. He didn't want to die, nor did he want to lose his job; he wanted to live a good life.

"It’s simple. Move out of this house. From now on, do good deeds to accumulate merit, don't do anything against your conscience, and pay her family twenty thousand yuan in compensation!"

Jiang Hanyan stated the solution. The He family certainly couldn't live in this house anymore.

He Guangzhi looked troubled and stammered, "This is the only house my family has. If we move out, we’ll have nowhere to live. Besides, we spent so much money on this house; it would be a waste to leave it empty."

Previously, they had lived in housing provided by his workplace. After buying this house, they had returned the unit, even boastfully declaring to his colleagues that they would never return to that cramped, shabby place. If they had to move back now, how could they show their faces?

Moreover, the house couldn't be sold now. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about their family's troubles, and the gossip was nasty. He had asked a real estate agent to sell it, but as soon as the agent heard which house it was, they said it would be very hard to sell and told him to drop the price to three hundred thousand yuan—a loss of two hundred thousand. He certainly wouldn't agree to that. Now his whole family was stuck, and they didn't have much cash left. If they didn't sell the house, they couldn't manage.

"I’ll buy it for five hundred thousand yuan."

Jiang Hanyan spoke up. She wasn't going to take advantage of this man, but...

"After selling the house, return one hundred thousand yuan to that woman’s parents and children. If you dare to pocket this money, you will die as miserably as your father."

He Guangzhi was terrified and swore he wouldn't dare keep it, promising to return the hundred thousand to the woman's family.

"The money your father embezzled must be returned to the public funds, every single cent. In addition, pay the twenty thousand yuan in compensation to that family. All of this must be done properly. If you dare to go against this, your family will be cursed with bad luck for a lifetime—your mother will remain bedridden, you will lose your job, and your wife will suffer continuous miscarriages and never be able to bear a child."

Jiang Hanyan’s voice wasn't loud, but her words left the couple looking ashen. He Guangzhi’s wife, in particular, could barely stand. Although she was selfish, greedy, and calculating, she desperately wanted a child. Losing her four-month-old fetus had hurt her more than anyone, and she still frequently dreamed of the baby, waking up in tears.

"We will do it. We’ll listen to everything the Grandmaster says."

He Guangzhi’s wife agreed immediately. When He Guangzhi hesitated slightly, she kicked him and barked, "Do you want to end our bloodline?"

Like a bolt of lightning, He Guangzhi snapped out of it and nodded repeatedly. He also wanted a child; he didn't want his line to end.

The next day, He Guangzhi went to the police station to reclaim the ten thousand yuan, added another ten thousand of his own, and gave it to Liu Lingna’s parents as compensation. The house was sold to Jiang Hanyan for five hundred thousand yuan. Afterward, he tracked down the deceased woman’s family, left one hundred thousand yuan for her parents and children, and returned the remaining four hundred thousand to the public funds.

Once everything was settled, the He family moved out and into a rented apartment. Although their house and money were gone, their family situation gradually improved. While Madam He hadn't fully recovered, the new leadership at He Guangzhi’s workplace stopped being so stern and even assigned him a new project, finally putting his mind at ease.

Liu Lingna’s parents didn't want the twenty thousand yuan, believing they shouldn't take money they hadn't earned. They insisted the money should go to Jiang Hanyan for saving their lives. Jiang Hanyan, of course, refused. For saving Liu Lingna’s parents, she only accepted a symbolic two hundred yuan, as taking nothing would go against the rules. After much persuasion, the parents finally accepted the twenty thousand. Soon after, they brought their youngest son and daughter up from the countryside. Jiang Hanyan helped them contact a school so they could enroll when the term started.

August in Shanghai was so hot that even the dogs were suffering, so Jiang Hanyan rarely went out. During the day, she occasionally went shopping with Sheng Baojun, and in the evening, she called Dou Dou. The boy was having the time of his life and wouldn't be back for another ten days or so.

Lu Chen was out at the construction site every day under the sun, yet his skin remained fair, unlike Lei Ming and the others, who had turned as black as coal. They had all bought houses in Shanghai, and Lei Ming had even brought his younger siblings over to attend school there. Lin Xianghong had also brought his widowed mother, and everyone's lives were getting better by the day.

That evening, Jiang Hanyan and Lu Chen were sitting on the sofa watching TV. She was holding half a watermelon grown in her space; it was sweet, crisp, and tasted wonderful. She scooped a spoonful for Lu Chen and then one for herself.

They were watching a video tape Jiang Hanyan had rented—Stephen Chow's *Forbidden City Cop*, co-starring Carina Lau. She used to think Carina Lau wasn't that beautiful and her acting was mediocre, but in this movie, she was stunning and her performance was excellent. Jiang Hanyan had seen it several times in her past life, but watching it again still made her laugh; such was the unique charm of Stephen Chow.

The phone rang. It was right next to them, so Lu Chen reached out his long arm and pressed the speakerphone button. It was President Rong’s voice, sounding very urgent: "Miss Jiang, something has happened to Dou Dou."