The moment Jiang Han stepped across his threshold, he suddenly let out a sneeze.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yu hurried out of the kitchen, her face full of concern.
“Brother, why are you sneezing? Did you catch a cold? Should I brew a bowl of ginger tea to chase away the chill?”
Jiang Han didn’t think much of it. “I’m fine. Where’s Xiao He?”
“He went to gather firewood and will be back shortly. Brother, do you want to eat first?”
“We’ll eat together in a bit.”
“Alright! Go wash your hands while I fry up the pork.”
Yet Jiang Han remained standing right where he was, unmoving.
Little Jiang Yu was somewhat surprised.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
Meeting his younger sister’s concerned gaze, Jiang Han remained silent for a moment.
He knew this sister of his had the most delicate intuition, and more importantly, her lips were sealed tight—she was never one to stir up trouble.
After a couple of seconds of deep thought, he asked with total seriousness, “Tell me, is it possible for a person to instantly turn into a completely different individual?”
“What?”
Jiang Yu didn’t understand.
“For instance, say you’re talking to me right now, but in the blink of an eye, I become someone else… To be precise, my physical appearance hasn’t changed at all, but my expressions, tone of voice, personality, and even my intellect—everything becomes completely different and remarkably sharp…”
“Brother, what on earth is going on with you?” Before Jiang Han could even finish, Jiang Yu burst out laughing. “How could a person just suddenly change out of nowhere? What you’re describing sounds so eerie—it’s almost like a spirit or demon in a storybook! When those spirits possess a mortal’s body, isn’t it exactly like what you’re describing?”
“Still, Brother, you mustn’t say things like that out loud. If outsiders hear you, it’ll be branded as feudal superstition, and that’s no small matter.”
Before she could finish her sentence, she caught a whiff of something scorching, and hurriedly turned back into the kitchen to check on the dish in the wok.
As a result, she failed to notice the deep, contemplative look that crossed her older brother’s eyes after hearing her words.
So, has Sheng Xia been possessed by a spirit?
Then where did the original Sheng Xia go?
It wasn’t entirely Jiang Han’s fault for thinking this way; the whole situation was simply too outlandish.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes and experienced it firsthand, Jiang Han would never have believed that a female educated youth—who used to be delicate, spoke in a soft whisper, and could only cry helplessly without a mind of her own—could transform into someone bold, razor-tongued, sharp-minded, and decisive.
More importantly, the old female educated youth used to stick to Zhou Zexi like glue whenever she caught sight of him.
Yet the Sheng Xia earlier had avoided Zhou Zexi like the plague, as if he were some ferocious beast, terrified of having anything to do with him.
Jiang Han couldn’t see through what this spirit was trying to accomplish.
What was her motive for taking over the female educated youth’s body?
Could it really be just to… with him?
Remembering the passionate entanglement from that morning, Jiang Han’s ears turned bright red.
His heart couldn’t help pounding wildly in his chest.
He could almost smell that intoxicating, soul-captivating fragrance emanating from the spirit, sending ripples through his very soul.
Jiang Han pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, suppressing the turbulent agitation in his heart.
Storybooks always said that the shortcut for spirits to cultivate a human form was to absorb the male essence to nourish their female nature.
Reflecting on Sheng Xia’s aloof attitude, she clearly didn’t take him seriously.
In other words, besides him, she might very well go looking for other men.
At this thought, Jiang Han’s face instantly darkened, radiating a lethal, sinister aura.
It so thoroughly terrified Jiang He—who had just returned home hauling firewood—that he stayed dead quiet, not daring to let out a single peep.
Jiang Han shoveled down his meal in two bites, stood up, grabbed the sickle hanging beneath the eaves, slung a basket over his back, and prepared to head out.
Jiang Yu hurriedly called out: “Brother, it’s already dark. Are you going out again?”
“Autumn harvest is coming up soon. I’m going into the mountains to fetch some game. Don’t leave the door unbolted for me tonight.”
With those parting words, Jiang Han made his way into the dark mountains under the dim moonlight.
The moment their older brother left, Jiang He finally breathed a massive sigh of relief.
“Sister, what happened to Big Brother today? He scared the living daylights out of me.”
Jiang Yu shook her head: “I don’t know either. He was completely fine when he came home this afternoon.”
Jiang He asked: “Could it be that someone in the village bullied Big Brother?”
Jiang Yu let out a gentle smile. “Who would dare bully us these days?”
Thinking it over, Jiang He realized she was right, and a wide grin broke across his face.
“Too true! If Big Brother claims to be second in this village, nobody dares claim to be first! Even the kids in the village have to listen to me now, calling me their boss!”
Jiang Yu smiled softly without saying a word.
Yet a faint trace of worry settled in her eyes.
As his younger sister, how could she not realize that her older brother was furious?
It was just that if he didn’t want to speak of it, it wasn’t her place to press.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yu turned to Jiang He: “Xiao He, if Big Brother catches some wild game tonight, he’ll definitely head to the county town tomorrow. Can you tag along with him when the time comes?”
In these times, relying solely on communal grain distribution wasn’t enough to fill one’s belly.
What was worse, Jiang Yu was in poor health, and Jiang He was still young, earning work points that couldn’t even match a single adult’s pay.
Fortunately, Jiang Han was extraordinarily capable. Going into the mountains to dig up medicinal herbs or hunt wild game to sell on the black market brought in a considerable income.
Still, it was a business carried out on the edge of a blade.
If anyone ever caught them, the entire family would be ruined.
Jiang He naturally understood the stakes involved, and nodded in firm promise: “Don’t worry, Sister! I’ll definitely keep my mouth shut tight and help you figure out why Big Brother was so mad.”
Jiang Yu gave Jiang He’s head an affectionate pat and scooped a piece of meat into his bowl.
“Eat more meat.”
“You eat some too, Sister.” Jiang He grinned broadly.
This prematurely mature young lad only let loose and acted like a happy child when he was around his family.
Remembering his sister’s instructions, Jiang He went to sleep early that night.
The next morning, he crawled out of bed before the sky had even turned light.
With his sharp ears, he caught the faint sound of movement.
Pushing open the window to look out, he saw the woven basket beneath the chicken coop stuffed to the absolute brim.
He snatched up his clothes, leaped off the kang, and ran outside.
Catching sight of what was packed inside, his face lit up with pure joy.
He ran under Jiang Yu’s window and called out in a low whisper: “Sister? Sister?”
Jiang Yu had also just woken up. She pushed open her window and lowered her voice: “Why are you up so early? Big Brother just went to bed, don’t wake him.”
Jiang He hurriedly made a hushing gesture, keeping his voice down while his eyes shone with bright excitement: “Sister, there are six rabbits and two pheasants in total! We’re rich!”
“We aren’t selling today’s catch.”
Just as Jiang He finished speaking, Jiang Han opened his door and stepped outside.
He turned to his sister and instructed: “Stew a chicken this morning, and prepare a dish of rabbit meat as well. Keep the rest alive for now—I have a use for them.”
Jiang Yu nodded: “Alright.”
Only then did Jiang Han say to his younger brother: “It won’t be too late to sell the next batch of games.”
Jiang He nodded without pressing any further.
If Big Brother did things this way, he definitely had his reasons.
However, later that morning while everyone was working hard at work in the fields, Jiang Han stopped halfway through his task, claimed he needed to relieve himself, and headed back home.
Seeing this, Jiang He’s eyes darted back and forth.
Since when did Big Brother ever go home just to use the toilet?
There was definitely something fishy going on.
Remembering his promise to his sister last night to figure out why his brother was angry, he quietly slipped away to follow him.
He watched as Jiang Han returned home and went straight into the kitchen.
A moment later, he emerged carrying two bowls covered with small plates.
Instead of taking the front door, he slipped out through the back door, making his way toward the western end of the village.
He didn’t stop until he reached the educated youth point.
Jiang Han looked up at the wall that stood as high as a man. Extending his long arm, he set the two bowls atop the edge of the wall, then leaped lightly, scaling right into the educated youth compound.
Immediately after, the two bowls resting on the wall were whisked away.
In no time at all, Jiang Han vaulted back out over the wall, returning to the fields as if nothing had happened to continue his labor.