“Right now Little Ethan is still in a coma, his fate is uncertain!”

“You have to admit, this is really bizarre. In over a hundred years, no one in our Mei Village has ever been struck by lightning. And I heard from my husband that at the time, Little Ethan had drunk quite a bit, and it was Big Grant who was supporting him. The lightning struck both of them, but apart from being unconscious, Little Ethan didn’t have a single scratch on him, while Big Grant—”

“If you ask me, it’s all because of that new bride.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just look at that new bride, she looks like a fox spirit. You can tell at a glance she’s not a good woman.”

“I think she’s a jinx. As soon as she arrived, this strange thing happened.”

Rumors spread, growing wilder and more sinister, evolving from initial sadness and sympathy to schadenfreude, jealousy, and talk of spirits and demons. This kind of ignorant gossip seemed to have persisted all the way into the twenty-first century. Simply put, it was the same old cycle of envy—jealousy—hatred.

How sad!

……

……

As the saying goes, the tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop.

A torrential rain poured down for three days and nights without a single pause.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that the clouds dispersed and the sky gradually cleared. The whole village looked as if it had been washed clean. Sunlight shone down, the water sparkled, and it was truly beautiful.

As noon approached, three or four villagers could be seen walking toward the Han family’s house, chatting as they went, carrying some food in their hands.

“Big Grant was always good to us when he was alive. Now that he’s gone and left behind Little Ethan and his young wife, we can’t just ignore them.”

“Of course.”

“Let’s not talk so much for now. We should take care of Big Grant’s funeral arrangements first.”

“By the way, is the coffin ready?”

“It’s done. He can be placed in it this afternoon.”

“That’s good. Sigh, it’s just that Little Ethan is still—”

But just as they reached the door, they heard someone inside shout, “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me yet, OK—”

“That’s Little Ethan’s voice.”

“Little Ethan is awake.”

The villagers’ faces lit up with joy. They hurried to the door and saw a boy of sixteen or seventeen inside, raising both hands in the air, looking utterly bewildered. Opposite him stood a woman in mourning white—the new bride—who looked at the boy in confusion and said, “Little Ethan, what’s wrong with you?”

“Who’s Little Ethan? I already told you, I’m not Little Ethan.”

The boy pointed at the young woman, then suddenly grinned and said, “Ah—I get it now. This must be some kind of scam. Hmph—hey, beautiful, could you at least be a bit more professional? You’re dressed so conservatively, how are you supposed to trick anyone? Let me teach you: start with a V-neck, show a little cleavage—you’ve got the assets for it. Oh, and shorten your skirt by four-fifths. That way, at least you’ll distract the men. Of course, I’ll look, but it won’t work on me. You’d better go practice some more.”

A villager at the door asked in surprise, “Little Ethan, you—?”

The boy looked up at the villagers standing at the door and chuckled, “You guys really went all out, huh? Where did you find all these extras? Oh, I know, this must be that bastard Peter Johnson’s idea, trying to mess with me, right? Man, this is the worst setup ever.”

Extras? Peter Johnson? The woman and the villagers were all baffled, blinking in confusion at the boy.

“Ah—!”

Suddenly, the boy clutched his head, which was wrapped in white cloth, and cried out in pain. Countless images flooded his mind, as if he were having a split personality. Things that didn’t belong to him were frantically cramming into his brain. His eyes filled with terror, he shook his head violently, “Impossible, impossible, this is absolutely impossible.”

Holding his head, he staggered toward the door.

“Husband.”

The woman hurried forward, perhaps mindful of the villagers outside, so she was careful with her words.

But that one word, “husband,” made the boy fly into a rage. “Damn it! Lady, you’re getting more and more ridiculous. Husband? I’m a die-hard bachelor—where would I get a wife? You’re all crazy!”

The more he spoke, the angrier he got, cursing loudly, his face twisted, eyes bloodshot. He suddenly shoved aside the two villagers standing at the door. Caught off guard, they stumbled back a few steps.

“Ah—!”

The boy suddenly screamed hysterically and dashed out like a madman.

“Husband—”

“Don’t worry, young lady, I’ll help you chase after him.”

Chapter 2: Could This Get Any More Dramatic?

On the west side of Mei Village, there was a small lakeshore. The water was crystal clear, smooth pebbles lay quietly at the bottom, and now and then a small fish would dart by.

A boy stood at the edge of the lake, gazing down at his reflection in the water. Looking at that youthful face, timid expression, and thin body, the look on his face shifted from disbelief, shock, and anger to helplessness and frustration.

Now, the soul inside this body was no longer the original one, but that of a rogue from the twenty-first century.