I took a cold shower in the bathroom, but as I showered, I couldn't help but recall the erotic scenes from last night, and my small body became as hot as an iron again.

Coming out of the bathroom, I saw Dad hurriedly walking in from outside.

"Something's happened!" Dad said.

"What happened?" Mom rushed out of the kitchen anxiously.

"The pair of gold earrings buried in the ancestral hall by Master Ku have been stolen!" Dad shook his head repeatedly.

Those earrings were cursed with death; Zheng Jun was a cautionary tale, dying in such a bizarre and tragic manner. Yet, someone dared to covet those earrings. Were they tired of living?

Grandpa was furious. "Damn it! They've lost their minds! If those earrings end up in the wrong hands, more lives will be lost! Come on, let's go to the ancestral hall!"

I followed Grandpa quickly to the ancestral hall.

There were already quite a few people gathered at the entrance, and all six or seven kids from Guicu were inside the hall, with their parents.

Master Ku stood with his hands behind his back, his face solemn.

Grandpa's face was cold, as unpleasant as a soaked rag.

The children stood in a row, all looking nervous, because the atmosphere in the ancestral hall was too heavy.

Grandpa's gaze was sharp, sweeping over each child's face. He said, "Those earrings are cursed objects that will bring death. Zheng Jun's death is a prime example. You little rascals, after Master Ku saved you at great effort, someone dares to steal those earrings. I'll ask one last time, who stole the earrings, confess now!"

The children looked at each other, none of them admitting to stealing the earrings.

"My child has been raised well and wouldn't steal!"

"Yeah, even if the earrings were stolen, they'd be useless!"

"Mayor Yu, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

The parents of these children started murmuring, none of them wanting to believe their children were thieves.

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Grandpa scolded sternly, "Shut up! Only these children knew about the earrings being buried in the ancestral incense burner. If it wasn't them, who else could it be? Who stole the earrings, confess now! As long as you honestly hand over the earrings, I won't punish you!"

At that moment, I saw Fatty trembling as he raised his hand.

I was shocked. Could it be? Was Fatty the one who did it?!

Grandpa pointed at Fatty and demanded, "Shen Fatty, did you steal the earrings?"

Fatty quickly shook his head. "It wasn't me!"

Grandpa's beard bristled with anger. "If it wasn't you, why did you raise your hand?"

Fatty mumbled, "When I went out just now, I... I think I saw those earrings!"

"Where did you see them?" Master Ku stepped forward in a single stride, startling Fatty.

Fatty stuttered, "My aunt was wearing a pair of earrings this morning that looked very similar to the ones that went missing..."

Grandpa said, "Go and fetch his aunt. We'll know the truth once they're face to face!"

Fatty's dad nodded and volunteered, "I'll go get my sister-in-law!"

Grandpa paced around the ancestral hall with his hands behind his back, the children all keeping their heads down, afraid to speak.

After about fifteen minutes, Fatty's dad came into the hall, panting heavily, his expression grim.

"Where is she?" Grandpa asked.

Fatty's dad said angrily, "That woman is very rude, she even scolded me and kicked me out!"

Grandpa stomped his foot and stormed out of the ancestral hall, with everyone following him, heading towards the Shen family.

Fatty's aunt was known throughout the village for her foul temper; she frequently got into fights and arguments with people. Previously, there had been a huge quarrel over an acre of land between her and Fatty's family, with Fatty's dad eventually giving in.

Fatty's uncle was a henpecked man, unable to say a word at home. He had no dignity as a man; whatever his wife told him to do, he would do. The villagers laughed at him behind his back.

As the group arrived at the Shen family's house, Fatty's uncle was chopping wood in the yard. Seeing Grandpa approaching, he darted into the house like a mouse fleeing from a cat, refusing to face anyone.

Grandpa demanded, "Shen Lao Yao, if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. What are you hiding from?"

Shen Lao Yao dared not come out, but his wife, brazen as ever, emerged. I looked up at her ears and indeed saw a pair of ancient-looking gold earrings. I immediately recognized them as the "Death Earrings" buried in the incense burner. This woman was reckless, daring to steal even cursed objects and flaunting them on her ears. I wondered if she'd been kicked in the head by a mule.

Ku Lame-eyed, with sharp eyes, immediately said to Grandpa, "Those are the earrings!"

Grandpa, enraged, demanded that the woman hand over the earrings. Unexpectedly, she turned rogue, boldly claiming that these were earrings Shen Lao Yao had bought from the city, and why should she give them away for free? She accused Grandpa of slander and demanded proof of the earrings' origin.

Facing this brazen and unruly woman, Grandpa was furious, his beard bristling. "Fine, you won't hand over the earrings, huh? When disaster strikes you, it'll be your own fault. No one will sympathize with you!"

The woman put her hands on her hips and started cursing, "You old fart, didn't you brush your teeth this morning? Why does your breath stink so much? I think you're the one who's in trouble!"

I couldn't believe this woman dared to insult even the venerable Grandpa, her attitude extremely arrogant and defiant, provoking everyone's indignation, and a quarrel broke out.

This woman loved to argue, and the more she argued, the more spirited she became, displaying the demeanor of a master debater.

Suddenly, Ku Lame-eyed rushed forward and tried to snatch the earrings from her.

Unexpectedly, the woman acted like a drama queen. Before Ku Lame-eyed could even touch her, she fell to the ground, wailing loudly, "Waaah, you crippled old man, you old pervert, you dared to take advantage of me! Shen Lao Yao, you useless wimp, your wife is being bullied and molested, and you just stand by?"

"Oh my!" Shen Lao Yao, holding a wood-chopping knife, rushed out of the house like a fool, waving the knife aimlessly. "Who dares to bully my wife? I'll kill him!"

Faced with such a shameless couple, there was nothing the crowd could do; condemning and reviling them was futile.

In fact, most people in the mountains were still very simple-minded; no one dared to steal from the ancestral hall. Shen Lao Yao was simply a stupid donkey, not only stealing from the ancestral hall but also daring to steal cursed objects. Ignorant and greedy people would definitely not have a good end.

Ku Lame-eyed sighed, "They're digging their own graves, and no one can save them!"

After a pause, Ku Lame-eyed said to Fatty's dad, "Shen Lao Da, go back and prepare two coffins; they're not far from death!"