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Aunt Hua truly didn't dare to retrieve her money anymore. Not only had she lost more and more, she was afraid that if this continued, she wouldn't even have clothes to wear back home.

It was common knowledge in the neighborhood that Auntie Hua had a habit of hiding money on her person, even tucked securely beneath her waistband, concealed in a small plastic bag tied inside her trousers, reversed to deter any would-be pickpockets.

Imagining Aunt Hua, a dark-skinned and thin middle-aged woman, reaching into the alms box with her right hand while unfastening her pants with her left, it's no wonder that a few people couldn't hold back their laughter on the spot.

Aunt Hua continued, "Not long after that incident, I took the tram on a weekend. It was packed with tourists. After struggling to get a seat, I barely sat for two minutes when a pregnant woman got on. I couldn't help but stand up and give her my seat."

Aunt Hua thumped her chest dramatically and let out a long sigh. "You have to understand, I was up all night playing mahjong and didn't get any rest. I'm exhausted, and on top of that, I have high blood pressure. So when I saw an empty seat, I rushed to grab it. But before I could sit for two minutes, I had to give it away to someone else. Now everyone thinks I'm some kind-hearted soul who saves seats for the elderly, the weak, and the sick."

"Turns out, amidst all the applause, I fainted from high blood pressure and ended up in the hospital," Aunt Hua dramatically sighed, her voice laced with agony. "And that cost me another ten thousand."

The neighbors couldn't hold back their laughter anymore; a chorus of voices echoed through Vegetable Lane.

Aunt Hua couldn't bring herself to smile. Perhaps she could laugh when using others' money for good deeds, but when it came to spending her own, it was like a dagger to her heart.

Recalling the final straw,

Aunt Hua's face darkened, as black as the bottom of a wok. "After spending tens of thousands for no reason, it's now my brother's turn to buy a house. Our family elders expect me to contribute to help him financially."

"I only intended to borrow a hundred thousand. Who would've thought I'd foolishly sell my car too, giving a total of two hundred thousand to my brother, almost causing my husband to divorce me."

Finished with her story, Aunt Hua anxiously looked at Chu Yuening. "Master, could it be that I'm possessed by a ghost? Why do I always end up doing these things against my will?"

" Possessed by a ghost?" Chu Yuening smiled faintly. "Every action you take is a form of atonement. Isn't it just karma catching up to you? What does being possessed have to do with it?"

Under Chu Yuening's clear gaze, Aunt Hua lowered her head, her guilty eyes darting around. "Karma? Why is it karma? I haven't done anything wrong."

The neighbors were puzzled and began asking questions.

"Master Chu, why is it that Aunt Hua is atoning when she does good deeds?"

"Yes, why should she deserve death?"

"You all, as neighbors, should be somewhat aware of Aunt Hua's usual behavior." Chu Yuening counted on her fingers. "Not only is she miserly, but she also loves to morally blackmail others. If there's something she doesn't want to do, it doesn't stop her from persuading others to do it."

"Master Chu…" Aunt Hua clasped her hands together, pleading for Chu Yuening to tone it down.

Chu Yuening raised an eyebrow slightly. "It seems you've also realized that these issues are a result of your own actions."

"A month ago, when you passed by the department store, there was a charity organization collecting donations for the disabled. Many people were lining up to donate. You saw a female office worker in a Louis Vuitton outfit take out a thousand yuan from her purse to donate. You started to provoke, saying it was disgraceful for such a wealthy woman to only donate a thousand."

"The office worker then took out another thousand, but you still found it insufficient and snatched two thousand to put in the donation box. You didn't know that she had recently gone bankrupt and didn't have much money left. Because of the extra donation, she had to survive on pickles for an entire month."

"After that incident, you were on a tram during rush hour. You noticed an elderly person standing without a seat, so you asked the young lady beside her to give up her seat. She said she was tired after a day's work and wanted to rest, but you argued that young people with their health and energy shouldn't be occupying that spot."

"You even coerced others in the carriage to pressure the girl into giving up her seat. Eventually, she had no choice but to get off the tram. As a result, due to exhaustion from work and the stress of the argument, she fainted from emotional distress."

"As for the matter of buying a house," Chu Yuening paused, "weren't you the one who saw a girl being forced by her parents to contribute money for her brother's house, and you commented that since they raised you, it was reasonable for them to ask for some money?"

"Well, now you've fulfilled your wish by contributing for your brother's house too."

Auntie Hua felt deeply embarrassed. "I was just talking, not expecting to have to donate or spend my hard-earned money on my brother's house. Every penny I have is saved from my laborious efforts. How could I use it for such purposes?"

"Isn't the money that others earn also hard-earned?" Chu Yuening's gaze was calm. "Especially that girl forced to buy a house for her brother – she worked extremely hard just to have a place to call her own. Fortunately, she was smart. Her parents only took a small portion of her earnings; otherwise, you would've had to pay much more."

Upon hearing this, the neighbors found the situation absurd.

How could one morally blackmail others to do something they themselves weren't willing to do?

Indeed, nothing under the sun is new.

Aunt Hua was also anxious. "Master, does doing all these mean that my good deeds and wrongs have balanced out? Will there be no more trouble after this?"

"Nothing?" Chu Yuening stretched and massaged the back of her neck. "Originally, doing all these would have balanced out your deeds and misdeeds. Alas..."

"Alas?" Cai Weisheng asked, "What did Aunt Hua do now, Master?"

Chu Yuening put down her hands and looked at the neighbors. "I'm sure you've all heard about the incident in Yuen Long Fortune Plaza yesterday, where someone who owed debts tried to jump off a building, right?"

"Of course, we've heard about it. That person was truly unfortunate. They were swindled in business and even borrowed high-interest loans from the bank. The Hong Kong news channels aired the story," Cai Weisheng said, then felt puzzled. "But what does this have to do with Aunt Hua?"

Chu Yuening stopped her divination and her eyes held a faint glow. "It's very much related. Before the rescue team arrived, Aunt Hua was different from the other neighbors who were trying to persuade the man down. She was watching the scene from downstairs while munching on melon seeds. Seeing the man tremble for a long time without jumping, she started shouting encouragements."