"Brother Zhang, is he faking being unconscious?"
Zhang Dabiao sneered, "I've never seen someone who's fainted with their eyelids still twitching."
As if on cue, the moment Zhang Dabiao finished speaking, Wang Tie Zhu scrambled up and began kowtowing to us.
"I was wrong, I don't want any compensation. Please, Granny, just leave quickly, I was truly wrong..."
Wang Tie Zhu was crying, snot and tears streaming down his face, his forehead hitting the ground with a resounding thud that made one wince in sympathy.
His outburst made the already grim-faced Old Mrs. Wang even more displeased. I suspected she was now contemplating how to kill Wang Tie Zhu herself; he had truly brought shame upon their entire lineage.
Seeing Old Mrs. Wang's face as dark as the bottom of a pot, I quickly helped Wang Tie Zhu up. "Alright, stop kowtowing. If you keep this up, you'll become a complete fool."
Wang Tie Zhu cautiously raised his head and glanced at Old Mrs. Wang not far away.
"Get up, you useless brat!"
Indeed, Old Mrs. Wang's words had more effect. Wang Tie Zhu immediately stood up, but he hid behind Zhang Dabiao, his head bowed, occasionally peeking at Old Mrs. Wang.
It seemed Wang Tie Zhu was genuinely terrified of Old Mrs. Wang. I figured if we weren't present, he might have been scared to death.
"Granny, I..."
Old Mrs. Wang let out a cold snort and turned her head away, clearly disappointed in her grandson for engaging in such disgraceful acts of extortion.
Observing the timid Wang Tie Zhu and the flickering yang energy on his shoulders, I signaled to Old Mrs. Wang to leave. If she remained, not only would it accelerate the dissipation of Wang Tie Zhu's yang energy, but it would also prevent him from speaking freely.
Although Old Mrs. Wang was reluctant, after Old Ghost whispered something in her ear, she left with him.
Once Old Mrs. Wang was gone, Wang Tie Zhu slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. I couldn't fathom why he was so afraid of Old Mrs. Wang.
The current Wang Tie Zhu was like a puddle of mud on the ground, devoid of the arrogance he displayed earlier.
"Wang Tie Zhu, right?"
Hearing me call his name, Wang Tie Zhu glanced at me and grunted.
I sneered, "If you don't want your grandmother to visit you often, I advise you to sit down properly and let's talk. Answer whatever I ask, or I'll call your grandmother out again."
The moment I finished speaking, Wang Tie Zhu's face turned green. He looked around in panic. "Don't call my grandmother, please don't call her. I'll answer anything you ask, alright? I don't want the mental distress compensation anymore!"
Heh...
Even now, he's still thinking about money?
This guy is truly someone who would trade his life for money.
"How did you know your grandmother had passed away?"
"Someone called and told me."
"Old Man Sun from the convenience store?"
"Mhm."
This made my heart sink. Could Old Mrs. Wang's death truly be related to Old Man Sun?
"What's your relationship with Old Man Sun?"
Wang Tie Zhu paused for a moment before replying, "No relationship."
"No relationship? It seems you still haven't learned your lesson! Old Mrs. Wang, I'll have to trouble you to come out again and speak to your grandson..."
Before I could finish, Wang Tie Zhu leaped up from the ground like a rabbit being chased by a fox, grabbing my leg. "Brother, I'll call you brother, okay? Please don't let my grandmother come out, it's terrifying!"
Seeing the genuine fear on his face, I found myself puzzled. Why would he be afraid of his own grandmother after her death?
Even if Old Mrs. Wang had become a ghost, she had no intention of harming Wang Tie Zhu, only disappointment in his methods.
"It's not impossible to not call your grandmother out. But you tell me why you came to cause trouble for me, and what's your relationship with Old Man Sun?"
This time, Wang Tie Zhu didn't hesitate and directly explained their connection.
It turned out that after dropping out of school, Wang Tie Zhu had stayed in the county town, mixing with unsavory characters. He only returned home when he was out of money.
Every time he went home, he had to endure Old Mrs. Wang's nagging. After a long time, he started to dislike returning home and wanted to make a name for himself before doing so. It wasn't until noon today that Old Man Sun called him to say Old Mrs. Wang had passed away, prompting Wang Tie Zhu to rush back.
Since Old Mrs. Wang was murdered, he only took a brief look before being tricked by Old Man Sun into coming after me. Old Man Sun had promised him 50,000 yuan as a reward if he could get me and Zhang Dabiao thrown into the police station.
Wang Tie Zhu, who was barely making a living on the streets, couldn't refuse such an offer. He made a phone call, gathered a few people, and under Old Man Sun's guidance, came directly to cause trouble.
After listening to Wang Tie Zhu's account, I couldn't help but frown. Why would Old Man Sun, with whom I had no prior enmity, try to harm me like this?
Was it simply because I was inquiring about the old house on the west side of the village?
Could there be other secrets hidden here?
"Do you know where Old Man Sun is now?"
"No, after we left the police station, he left with someone else and didn't give me the money, which is why I came... to find you." Although he spoke the last part in a low voice, I still heard it clearly.
I looked at him with a cold, disdainful expression. "Your grandmother was murdered, and you're not focused on finding the killer, only on money. You're truly filial."
Wang Tie Zhu lowered his head and remained silent, as if in penance.
I asked Wang Tie Zhu a few more questions, but he was clueless. Threatening him with his grandmother also yielded no answers. It seemed he genuinely didn't know.
After I sent Wang Tie Zhu away, Old Mrs. Wang reappeared before me.
"Thank you."
I understood what Old Mrs. Wang meant and gave a wry smile. "It's nothing. He's just a pawn being used by others."
"Don't you have anything you want to ask?"
I shook my head and remained silent.
Old Mrs. Wang hesitated for a moment. "Don't you want to know about the old house on the west side of the village anymore?"
I looked at Old Mrs. Wang in surprise. "Are you willing to talk now?"
"I think you're a good person. You didn't do anything to my grandson after he wronged you. I'm just very curious, why are you inquiring about the old house on the west side of the village?"
I didn't hide anything, explaining how Sun Chuang's soul was thrown into the old house on the west side of the village by someone else.
"So that's how it is."
"Mhm!"
"If I told you that the deaths of my husband, son, and daughter-in-law, and my current state, were all caused by the old house on the west side of the village, would you believe me?"
Upon hearing this, I was stunned. "Did you go inside?"
"Go inside?" Old Mrs. Wang let out a cold laugh. "I didn't just go inside; I got married and had children there. I spent almost the first half of my life there. Do you think I've been inside?"
After she said this, I noticed a powerful resentment emanating from Old Mrs. Wang.
This sent a shiver down my spine.
"Such immense resentment."