I become a god in another world

Chapter 305 Suddenly out of control
Chapter 305
Before Sun Sanniang was about to speak, she tilted her head to light her pipe.

But for some reason, the flame flickered on the tobacco leaves a few times but would never ignite.

She pinched the tobacco twice, a little confused:

"It must be a ghost, why can't it be lit? Is it the tide?"

The tobacco was not damp, and she had roasted it over the fire for a long time, so it was even a little brittle. It should have caught fire immediately, but no matter how she held it to the fire, even the copper pipe was burned and changed color, the tobacco would not catch fire.

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Kuai Manyu.

This evil ghost's dream was extremely strange. As far as we know, Sun and Luo should have died. The fact that they are now "alive" should be due to the manipulation of the evil ghost that can create dreams.

In the ghost dream, they are still alive.

Therefore, these two "people" who are actually ghosts are alive in the dream. They are not aware of their own status and naturally cannot perceive the power of evil spirits.

Under Zhao Fusheng's sight, a ball of strange black and red silk threads coiled around the tip of Sun Sanniang's pipe, tightly covering the tobacco.

The flames could not penetrate the power of the evil spirit, and the tobacco could not be ignited.

The other end of the black and red silk thread was tied in Kuai Manzhou's hand.

As the child's fingers moved, flames suddenly ignited. Sun Sanniang was so close that her eyebrows were singed by the fire.

"Ouch."

She screamed, rubbed her red cheeks, and muttered:
"It's really evil."

Zhao Fusheng touched the back of the child's head with a warning in his eyes.

Sun Sanniang was not a good person. She didn't care how the children played afterwards, but when she was asking about serious matters, she would not allow anyone to interrupt.

Kuai Manzhou pursed her lips and clenched her hands into fists unwillingly. The black air wrapped around her hands broke, and the strange black and red threads wrapped around the pipe also quickly dissipated.

The flame quickly ignited the tobacco, and a large amount of thick smoke surged up along the pipe, choking Sun Sanniang and making her cough.

"Hee hee." The little girl laughed happily because her prank was successful.

"Lao Zhang, give her a bottle of water."

Zhao Fusheng turned his head to look at Zhang Chuansheng and gave orders.

The previous couple, Mr. and Mrs. Luo Liu, had just drawn a few barrels of water, which came in handy at this time.

Zhang Chuanshi stood up, took the water, and handed it to Sun Sanniang with a roll of his eyes.

She was suddenly choked by a mouthful of thick smoke. She was angry and annoyed at the moment. She took the water and took a big gulp. By the time she came to her senses and felt a little regretful, the water had already gone down her throat.

Fortunately, the water did not seem to be drugged. She sat quietly for a moment, feeling relieved, and drank two more sips. She became even more convinced that this group of people were the type who were not wary of outsiders.

Sun Sanniang's mind suddenly changed, and she said with a smile:
"Oh, right? Where were we talking about?" She thought she had figured out some of Zhao Fusheng and the others' personalities, and she relaxed her guard a little:
"Oh, I remember now. We were talking about the Godfather Temple."

"Actually, this matter is a bit complicated and involves many things. Since you asked about the dilapidated temple first, I will start with the dilapidated temple."

Sun Sanniang wiped her mouth and said:
"To talk about this temple, we have to mention Shilipo first. The guest's family is in the spice business, so they must be familiar with the spices here."

When she said this, she deliberately paused for a moment and looked at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng did not speak, Zhang Chuanshi said:

"I know, it's the dragon blood incense."

What he said proved that he did have some understanding of Shilipo.

Sun Sanniang's smile grew wider and she nodded:
"It seems that the guests really understand." She said:

"There is a piece of land on our hillside that is rich in a special tree. We call it the Shenlong tree. If you cut a hole in the tree, blood-red juice will flow out. When the juice solidifies and is mixed, it will become a very special incense."

When Sun Sanniang mentioned the past, she showed regret in her eyes:
"But this sap can't be tapped all year round. Except for special months, the sap tapped at other times is not very useful."

When the harvesting season comes, the nearby villagers have to take turns to wait twelve hours a day, fearing that someone will steal the fruits of their labor.

"I have been awake for days and nights, and there are so many snakes, insects, rats and mosquitoes in the grass cage. It's really a torture—" She sighed:
"I stayed up all night without closing my eyes. By dawn, there was only a small bucket like this."

She stretched out her hand, spread her thumb and four fingers apart, put her palms together, and made a gesture as big as the mouth of a bowl:

"Moreover, these juices cannot be used directly. They need to be precipitated and the excess waste water needs to be poured out. The remaining red pulp needs to be dried and ground into powder before it can be mixed with other spices."

Obviously Zhao Fusheng was asking about the wild temples in the mountains, but she insisted on starting with collecting spices.

Liu Yizhen glanced at Zhao Fusheng and saw that she had no intention of interrupting him. Instead, she was listening very attentively.

Zhang Chuanshi seemed to be accustomed to Zhao Fusheng's style of investigating cases, and he also listened carefully to what Sun Sanniang said.

"After a busy round like this, we can collect about ten kilograms of incense, which can be sold for more than ten thousand taels of silver." Sun Sanniang said.

When Liu Yizhen heard this, he was shocked:
"so much?"

His Liu family was considered a wealthy family in the past, but unfortunately, they fell into decline. When the family was passed down to him, they were already living a tight life. This was also the reason why he was not too resistant to joining the Demon Suppression Division. After all, as soon as he entered the Demon Suppression Division, before he even started working, Pang Qing paid him the salary he owed...

"Running out."

Luo Liu shook his head:

"This is harvested by the whole village, and the money should be divided among the villagers. There are at least more than a hundred households in the whole village. How much can be distributed to each person?"

At that time, each household had quite a few people, and the amount allocated to each individual was not much at all.

"What's more, we have to take a commission." Sun Sanniang grinned:
"After you get the money, you have to pay tribute to the town first. Then the village chief will give some, and some of the big families in the village will also get more. When it reaches every household in the village, it's good to get 40 or 50 taels."

After you get the money, you have to pay taxes first.

Taxes from the Demon Suppression Division are indispensable, and taxes from the imperial court also have to be paid.

There are no fields in Shilipu. The villagers live off the mountains and trees. They don't grow mulberry trees or raise silkworms, or cut hemp or weave cloth. They rely on the money they earn to make a living all year round.

Zhao Fusheng thought about it in his mind.

At that time, the annual tax for each household was at least thirty or forty taels. If the incense collectors in Shilipu could earn fifty taels a year, then after deducting the taxes, there would be a slight surplus in the year.

It's not easy to make money these days.

She handled many ghost cases and saw many poor people, including countless people who sold their children because they could not make ends meet.

Many people work non-stop throughout the year, but may still owe money when they settle their accounts at the end of the year.

Debts accumulated year after year, and by the time of their descendants, they were heavily in debt, and many of them sold their children and even sold themselves into slavery.

The villagers in Shilipu still have some money left after working for a year. Although the money is not much, their lives are indeed much better than those of other people.

"Life there is more relaxed than for other people," Zhao Fusheng said.

Sun Sanniang sneered:

"It's easier, but it's just exchanging your life for money."

Her expression was cold and a bit disdainful, and the implied meaning in her voice made Meng Po, who had been silent, look up at her.

"What do you mean?" In fact, Zhao Fusheng also had a certain understanding of the inside story. Zhang Chuanshi's previous few words had already revealed the cruelty of the bloody competition in Shilipu.

He knew a lot about selling coffins, but it was an extremely scary thing for a village to need so many coffins every year.

As expected, Sun Sanniang said:
"This village cuts dragon blood incense and sells it every year, and the villagers share the profits every year. Your Excellency, do you think others are jealous?"

Liu Yizhen threw a piece of dry wood into the fire and said:

"Of course he's jealous. The Dragon Tree you mentioned has no owner. Anyone who sees it gets a share. Who can monopolize it?"

When Madam Sun San heard this, her eyebrows raised and a vicious look appeared in her eyes.

But Liu Yizhen was strong, so she held back her anger and forced a fake smile:
"This young man is right." After saying that, she changed the subject:
"But there are only so many things. If one person shares it, he will make a lot of money. If two people share it, he will also be rich. But if more people share it, it will not be enough."

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Everyone knows this.

There are more than one hundred households in a village. The tens of thousands of taels of silver are like a big pie, divided here and there. The people at the top exploit them at every level, and there is not much left in the hands of the villagers.

If more people were involved in sharing the money, I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough to work all year round.

This is how competition arises.

'Alas,' she sighed suddenly.

Sun Sanniang looked at her strangely. For some reason, when she heard this sigh, she felt indescribable frustration and anger in her heart.

This emotion is so unreasonable.

She knew that a little impatience would ruin a big plan, so she suppressed her emotion and said:

"So this tree cannot be given away, and the money cannot be divided. If others are jealous, just kick them out." She said coldly:

"Guests, don't think this is a lot of money. After receiving it every year, it is not a small amount to spend."

Sun Sanniang was a little annoyed when she mentioned the past.

She had only wanted to talk about the past of the "Godfather Temple", but she had not expected to bring up these old stories, and talk about them endlessly. She became so angry that she bit her lips and tongue hard. Only after the pain did she calm down again.

"Take my family as an example. If the dragon blood incense harvest is good and the money is high, the most we can get in a year is 56 taels of silver."

The crackling flames licked the firewood, and the heat spread throughout the ruined temple, but as Sun Sanniang narrated, an inexplicable chill lingered around everyone.

"There are seventeen people in my family. I live with my parents-in-law and I have two older brothers—"

When she mentioned her husband's family, she bit her lips tightly again, and her fists clenched unconsciously and placed on her thighs.

Sun Sanniang looks to be over 40 years old. Logically speaking, a woman of this age should have a certain amount of experience. She also looks like she has seen some of the world. She followed Luo Liu to sell mountain products and went from village to village. She is not an ordinary woman and should have a stable control over her emotions.

But when she mentioned her husband's family at this time, she felt an uncontrollable anger. She must have some inside stories involved in this matter, which should have an impact on her life.

"Hu——" She took a deep breath and tried to suppress her anger, but failed. Her legs even began to tremble unconsciously.

Finally she forced a smile:
"Look at me, I'm getting off topic."

She held the pipe tightly in her hand and remained silent for a long while before putting on a mask-like smile again:

"My family was allocated 56 taels of silver a year, but we had to pay nearly 40 taels of taxes a year, so the rest of the money had to be shared by the whole family."

Zhao Fusheng's thoughts changed:
"How much money did you get?"

She asked this on purpose.

Sun Sanniang could not hide her anger when she mentioned her husband's family, which shows that she was not happy living in her husband's family.

The tax money she paid may not necessarily reach her hands.

But this woman is an old hand, has a dirty background, and is very wary. Sometimes, if you want to get the truth out of her, you have to use some questioning techniques.

She can't be allowed to be too calm at this time.

A calm person thinks twice before speaking. Only when stimulated by anger will people act irrationally.

Zhao Fusheng's words seemed to ignite a powder keg. Sun Sanniang's face became even uglier. Her anger, which had not yet completely subsided, was reignited, and she felt a little restless and uneasy.

"How can a daughter-in-law share money when her parents-in-law are around?" She said reluctantly:

"There is no division—"

"Doesn't that mean the money is in the hands of my parents-in-law?" Zhao Fusheng provoked her again subtly.

"Yes, yes." Sun Sanniang forced a smile and nodded.

“Can the parents-in-law divide it fairly?”

Zhao Fusheng said this and deliberately turned to look at Meng Po:

"I have several children, but my parents are still partial to one another. The ten fingers are of different lengths—"

Although Sun Sanniang was a thoughtful person, Zhao Fusheng was no less thoughtful.

Moreover, she is well aware of the darkness of human nature and can strike directly at people's weakest points. Her methods and techniques are far more powerful than Sun Sanniang's.

"Fair shit, fuck it—"

Sun Sanniang's defense was broken for a moment, and she couldn't help but curse.

"..." Upon hearing this, Zhang Chuanshi couldn't help but grin, thinking to himself: The adults are doing bad things again, deliberately making people angry.

"These damn scum, the ass-selling ones--" She was foul-mouthed and cursed for a long time without restraint.

Zhao Fusheng stretched out his hands and covered Kuai Manzhou's ears.

Sun Sanniang cursed for a long time, her expression still very ugly. She completely lost her previous calmness and became a little angry.

Luo Liu pulled her several times before she finally stopped cursing.

After she finished speaking, she looked around, her eyes were red, and she wanted to cry again, but she forced herself to hold it back.

"Sorry about that."

Luo Liu pulled her, and she closed her legs, buried her face in her knees and stopped talking.

After she stopped talking, Luo Liu continued:
"Don't mind it, everyone. She has suffered a lot. After my senior sister's husband got into trouble, her life has been difficult—"

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

She just wanted to stimulate Sun Sanniang to tell the truth, but if it involved her painful past, Zhao Fusheng would naturally stop asking unless it was confirmed that the past was related to the ghost case.

Since Luo Liu had taken over the topic, Zhao Fusheng asked him:

"What happened to Sun Sanniang's man? Is it related to the dragon blood incense?"

Luo Liu nodded.