Chapter 1407: The Psychic's Smooth Progress
Lin Sanjiu's heart trembled, and she instinctively clutched the baby monitor in her pocket. After holding her breath for over a dozen seconds, seeing that Goldie's eyes remained fixed as if they were frozen, she whispered, "Are you awake?"
A few seconds passed after her words fell, and Goldie slowly blinked, seemingly activated by the question.
"Elizabeth? Did you come to see me?" she murmured unclearly. "I... have been watching the door all this time. I didn't see you coming."
All Lin Sanjiu could do was nod in response.
Ever since their last tea party, she had become the most trusted person in the neighborhood for Goldie. Goldie couldn't understand why, despite her every action being on point, everyone still thought she had mental issues. Just like how many people turn to religion in desperate times, she increasingly relied on Elizabeth. And the more people looked at her with pity, the more desperately she clung to Elizabeth.
"I'll get food for you," Goldie said, sitting up with an annoyed look. "The baby next door is so noisy; I can't sleep properly."
She had completely forgotten that the baby was her own.
Lin Sanjiu knew she was taking advantage of someone with a mental illness, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to distract Goldie so she could steal the baby monitor.
As soon as Goldie stepped out of the room, Jet darted in before she even closed the door. "What did you say to her?" His eyes bore into Lin Sanjiu, not in anger but with flushed excitement. "She hasn't gotten out of bed for two days. And she won't eat anything I cook. What did you say to make her go to the kitchen?"
It seemed he genuinely cared for his wife. Lin Sanjiu felt compelled to help them both. Lately, she had gotten the feeling that Goldie might take drastic measures against her husband.
Being the opportunistic Elizabeth, she thought this was a perfect chance to gain Jet's trust.
"In your eyes, this is severe postpartum depression causing her mental issues, making her forget even her child," she said in a low voice. "But to me, an evil presence has wrapped itself around Goldie, causing her mind to get lost in a thick fog, fragmenting it... It's an ancient curse that often lingers around new mothers. I can help her, believe it or not."
At this point, suspicion and distrust were thick on Jet's face.
"I won't charge you for this, as it's a neighborhood matter," Lin Sanjiu said, gesturing dismissively. Her demeanor became solemn. "The reason I'm poor is that I only help those who truly need it, without profiting from it. I can't stand by and watch her continue to be ensnared by this evil aura, harming herself and this home."
Jet leaned in closely, asking in a low voice, "What do you mean harming this home?"
At this critical moment, Lin Sanjiu closed her mouth and just nodded.
"I knew something was off," Jet said, frowning deeply. "She seems wary of me... not only refusing to eat the food I cook. Last night, when I woke up to go to the bathroom, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw her sitting beside my pillow, her eyes wide open, staring down at me."
Lin Sanjiu nodded again.
Growing more anxious, Jet asked, "Did she talk to you? What does she plan to do? What is she thinking?"
"That's not important," Lin Sanjiu said. Knowing it must be painful for Jet to ask a stranger about his wife's thoughts, she changed her tone to be more comforting. "Her current thoughts are influenced and manipulated by evil forces. Be cautious on your end. I will drive out the evil presence in her soon. Then, she will revert to the Marigold you once knew."
Here it was again. Desperate people cling to even the most ludicrous and unbelievable words if they're filled with hope, as Jet was doing now.
This was truly a situation where she benefited from both sides, and even Lin Sanjiu felt that Elizabeth was utterly lacking in ethics. Just as she was pondering this, Goldie returned empty-handed. Casting a cold glance at Jet, she said to Lin Sanjiu, "Since you're here, why not join us for lunch?"
"Sure, sure. I'll warm up the food," Jet hurriedly said. "Please wait a moment!"
Watching her husband rush out, Marigold snorted. "Don't blame me for suddenly inviting you to stay. With him here, I can't sneakily pack food for you. Why not stay and eat and also help me check if there's anything wrong with today's meal?"
This was the lie Lin Sanjiu had told her—she claimed she carried an amulet that could resist all external malice, meaning even if there was poison in the food, it wouldn't affect her. After observing Lin Sanjiu eating without harm for a week, Marigold had complete faith in this "amulet" and never considered that her husband might not have poisoned the food.
"What did he say to you just now?" Marigold inquired.
"He was trying to figure out what you were thinking," Lin Sanjiu said, feeling guilty. "He's already noticed that you're becoming suspicious of him..."
"How could that be?" Marigold asked, growing anxious. "What should I do now?"
"Actually, I divined for you before coming here," Lin Sanjiu said, seizing the opportunity. "The vision I received showed two masks: one laughing and one crying. In spiritual divination, this represents acting or drama. You need to put on a façade and hide your true feelings and thoughts."
All these spiritual visions and masks were just her fabrications. Her plan was straightforward. On the one hand, she would tell Marigold how she should pretend so that her husband would lower his guard and others would believe her to be sane; on the other hand, she'd tell Jet, "Look, I performed a ritual on your wife, and doesn't she seem much better?" In this way, both parties would believe in her supernatural abilities, fulfilling her two-fold objective.
Such a two-sided deceit couldn't last forever, but Lin Sanjiu only needed to maintain it for 30 days—no, only three weeks from now.
'Who should I bamboozle next?'
Lin Sanjiu schemed while gobbling down her food. She had already stealthily swiped another listening device from beside the baby's crib when the couple wasn't looking. Now, she had to find an opportunity to discreetly place this listening device in someone else's house. Suppose the psychic Elizabeth became aware of some information she shouldn't have been privy to after performing a ritual. Wouldn't that provide the greatest evidence of her spiritual power?
She only had one listening device, so she needed to start with the most challenging person to maximize its utility. If even the most stubborn and distrustful individual started to believe in her abilities, then persuading other neighbors would become much easier.
Lin Sanjiu's mind immediately conjured an image of the scornful Ms. Chen.