Patting his full stomach, Chu Hao felt it was too early to go to bed, and he couldn't sleep anyway. Why not take a walk? Today has been a lucky day for me; I can't waste it by staying put, he thought.
With that, he stepped out the door.
The villa was indeed very large. Tomorrow was the grand birthday celebration for Luoyang, the family's patriarch, so his children, grandchildren, and various other relatives made for an exceedingly large crowd.
As Chu Hao wandered about, he was immediately noticed by some people, who pointed and whispered about him.
"That's the kid, acting all high and mighty, as if he doesn't even care about our Luo Family's old master."
"He's the first one to come to our Luo Family's place and still be so arrogant."
"I hope he can still leave here alive tomorrow."
The speakers were three young men: two around twenty years old and one about thirty. Chu Hao, unbothered, approached them. "Hey, hey... this villa is really boring. Isn't there anything fun to do?"
Chu Hao's interjection left the three youths somewhat dumbfounded. This guy really has thick skin, they thought. Couldn't he hear us bad-mouthing him?
One of the older ones, the thirty-year-old, sneered, "Of course, there's fun to be had. Have you heard that Ghosts reportedly haunt the back hill of the villa?"
Chu Hao's eyes lit up. "You're not pulling my leg, are you? There are Ghosts in the Luo Family villa? Would your old master even stay in such a place?"
One of the twenty-year-old youths retorted, "What do you know? Our old master fears no Ghost Gods! Who in Longxi City doesn't know this? Only an insignificant nobody like you wouldn't."
Chu Hao replied with disdain, "Wow! Well, why don't you take me to see? I've never actually seen a Ghost before."
Seeing his reaction, the three gritted their teeth and said, "Fine, ."
The three of them walked ahead. The youngest one asked the other twenty-year-old, "Are we really taking him to the temple on the back hill?"
The Luo Family Descendant replied, "Why not? Big Brother, go get ready. You can dress up as a Ghost to scare him later."
The thirty-year-old, their Big Brother, laughed. "Heh heh... good idea."
With that, those two went off to prepare.
Chu Hao followed the remaining young man along a narrow path. After a while, he lazily asked, "Are we there yet?"
"Almost. What's the rush?" the youth replied.
Suddenly, they heard strange moans coming from the nearby bushes. Chu Hao and the Luo Family Descendant exchanged curious glances and slowly crept closer.
Moving through the underbrush, they saw a tall, middle-aged man embracing a young, pretty girl. He whispered amorously, "Little Li, I can't take it anymore. I think about you every day."
"Really? I've been thinking about you too," the young girl replied, her face blushing as she looked at him with hopeful eyes.
The middle-aged man said excitedly, "There's no time to waste. Let's do it right here."
That tall, middle-aged man was actually Luo Shuai's father.
The woman called Little Li was young and quite attractive, definitely having the potential to be an eight-out-of-ten beauty. Chu Hao had initially thought she was just a servant in the villa.
But the youth next to him gasped, "Li... Sister Li?"
Chu Hao, curious, asked, "Isn't that woman just a servant here?"
The youth inadvertently revealed the woman's identity, "She... she's my Big Brother's wife."
Poor Big Brother, the narrator mused. He's been set up to dress as a Ghost to scare someone. It's a good thing he isn't here; seeing this would be devastating.
The youth immediately regretted speaking. Chu Hao was an outsider; he had just exposed his family's disgrace!
Chu Hao's mouth hung open in disbelief.
Holy cow! he thought. I've heard that rich families can be messy, but I had no idea it was this chaotic.
An uncle and his nephew's wife getting together? Isn't this the very definition of scandalous?
Like father, like son. That Luo Shuai is just the same, fancying his older cousin Luo Yan. Turns out he truly learned from his father!
Chu Hao felt his entire worldview shift. "Your family is really something else," he said.
The young man's face was a picture of gloom. "Are you insulting us?"
He cursed inwardly, Second Uncle, you're really messing around! It was bad enough that we younger ones saw it, but now an outsider has. He might go around spreading rumors!
In fact, he was also quite alarmed. Sister Li was getting it on with Second Uncle! If Big Brother found out, wouldn't he want to kill Second Uncle?
The two in the dark were moaning and groaning. Chu Hao couldn't help but say, "I really want to tell his wife."
The young man turned pale with fright and whispered, "Don't cause trouble! Let's get out of here, quickly."
Chu Hao watched, feeling like he hadn't seen enough. Those two in the dark were clearly having the time of their lives, not daring to make a sound, which seemed thrilling.
I wonder if Luo Shuai's mother would fly into a murderous rage if she witnessed this scene, Chu Hao thought.
Too bad there were only two spectators, he mused.
Eventually, the youth dragged him away.
The young man was also gritting his teeth, deciding to pretend he hadn't seen anything. Big Brother, he thought, it's not that I, your little brother, don't want to tell you. I'm just afraid you couldn't handle the blow. It's better if you don't know. Original content can be found at novel-fire.net
"It's just up ahead," the youth said.
To Chu Hao's surprise, there was an old temple on the back hill of the villa. It was very ancient but clean, clearly tended to regularly.
It was a small temple. The moment Chu Hao drew close, he felt something watching him.
The young man looked around, trying to see if his accomplices were in position, planning to startle Chu Hao.
He immediately saw a dark figure in a tree, holding a large watermelon. He swiftly signaled for the person in the tree to hit Chu Hao with the watermelon first.
Excited, the young man signaled to the person again and then said to Chu Hao, "Let's go this way."
Chu Hao followed the youth, genuinely not noticing the person in the tree. As they drew nearer, the youth could barely contain his excitement.
The youth leading the way suddenly stopped.
Chu Hao asked, "Why have we stopped?"
The young man looked around and said, "Just enjoying the scenery! Isn't it beautiful here?"
What scenery is there to enjoy in this pitch-black darkness? Chu Hao wondered.
The young man looked at Chu Hao and flashed a grin.
"What are you smiling about?" Chu Hao was utterly confused by his antics.
With his hands behind his back, the young man gave the impression of a poet in the night—though, in reality, he seemed more like a lunatic.
Then, the young man announced, "Suddenly, I feel Yue Liang tonight is so round, and I want to recite a poem."
Before Chu Hao could express his speechlessness, the youth began, "The night is dark and the wind is high, the wind howls through the trees."
The first half isn't bad, Chu Hao thought. This lad, with his scholarly demeanor, seems quite talented. It seems the Luo Family Descendants aren't all incompetent; a higher education really makes a difference.
Chu Hao couldn't resist wanting to hear the next line.
The young man spread his arms as if embracing Yue Liang and declared, "Ah! Yue Liang, you are a watermelon."
Chu Hao was speechless.
I take back what I thought earlier, he inwardly groaned. Are you a monkey hired by a jester?
The young man looked up as if gazing at Yue Liang and exclaimed, "Ah! Watermelon, you fall from the sky."
Chu Hao felt like hitting him.
The lad in the tree was thrilled, interpreting this as the signal. My cousin has really mastered the art of putting on an act! he thought. What expression will Chu Hao have when that watermelon falls from the sky and smashes him in the face?