My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother furrowed her brows after hearing my recollection. "That should have worked, right? So how did you end up having to go on blind dates and even digging up my grave?"

Because the pesky Nathan shared a video in the family group chat that showed many young people using my trick!

After my scheme was exposed, my mom cursed for three days and arranged twenty blind dates over seven days for me, bringing the total to 250 with the ones from previous years.

My great-great-great-great-grandmother cursed in anger.

I earnestly asked in my mind, Great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, can you access the internet in the afterlife too?

Although I couldn't see her, I had a strong feeling she rolled her eyes. "What nonsense! Ours is a modernized afterlife. Apple's already released the iPhone 30 here. We're way ahead of you."

What?!

"We have all sorts of fun things to do here, just like you do. Would you like to come visit?"

I was so scared that I sat up straight, my mind racing.

Great-great-great-great-great-grandma, this can't be rushed. I am still young. This one-time-only trip has to be taken at the right time.

I'll take it slowly.

A chuckle sounded.

Suddenly, I realized a problem.

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother said she and my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather were buried together in that tomb to ensure our family's prosperity.

But my ancestors were very poor, with three of them living in poverty.

...

It was only in my father's generation, with three brothers, that we managed to start a small business and improve our situation.

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother laughed again. "Oh, finally figured it out, huh?"

I frantically asked in my mind for the reason.

"Because your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather wasn't buried with me. He fell in love with someone else before I died."

A shocking family secret was unearthed.

I immediately got up, grabbed some snacks, and small stools.

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, more than ten people were already gathered.

My grandmother, mother, father, Nathan, and a bunch of others crowded in the corner, exchanging glances and signaling each other to stay quiet.

They were waiting for the show to begin.

"Get lost."

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother stopped talking.

My world suddenly became quiet, with only the occasional sound of roosters crowing and cows mooing.

It was as if everything had been a figment of my imagination.

Feeling a bit lost, I pulled out my phone and opened an erotic story.

The story made my heart race and my face flush.

Oh my, the male lead is so sexually vigorous. The forced love trope is oddly compelling.

While I was blushing from the steamy story, my family, who had been squatting by the wall, had dispersed due to the long silence.

But then my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother's voice suddenly reappeared. "Enjoying a good read behind my back?"

Startled, I quickly turned off my phone screen.

I just embarrassed myself in front of my ancestor.

But my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother wasn't pleased. "It looks so steamy! Why did you turn it off?"

I stayed silent.

Then she said, "Actually, the male lead's experiences are quite similar to those of your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather."

Suddenly, the story didn't seem so enticing.

In fact, it made me feel a bit nauseous.

The story was about a handsome and outstanding teacher in the town who fell in love at first sight with his student's older sister, a resilient farm girl. The teacher neglected his wife and son for love and threatened the farm girl with her brother to make her his plaything.

Reading fiction without a moral compass is one thing, but this is real life.

I fell silent.

Sensing my low spirits, my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother comforted me. "That was a different, harsh era, a time when men having multiple wives was normal. I've long since come to terms with it."

How do you get along in the afterlife?

"This place much more advanced than the human world. As soon as I arrived, I was able to divorce your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. He's been stuck in the Blood Pool Hell for a hundred years, paying for abandoning his wife and child and forcing women against their will."

What about the farm girl?

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother's voice turned shy. "I helped Agnes a bit when I was alive, and she was grateful to me. So, she joined me in the afterlife, and we started a small business together."

I was excited, feeling that their relationship might evolve into a deeply intimate lesbian bond.

Then what? Are you two together now? No one objects?

"Why would anyone object?"

Even now, there are still objections to it.

"Our country has always had its fair share of same-sex love and sworn brotherhoods. Haven't you heard of kings with male lovers? It's ironic how some ideas regressed as the world progressed."

Outside the wall, my second cousin, Chris, suddenly cried.

I stuck my head out to take a look and said, "What's the matter with you, crying in the corner like a wretched soul?"

His wails grew louder.

Chris, just a few months older than me, had always been close to me. He now worked in New York City.

At this moment, he was crying so hard.

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, burning with curiosity, urged me, "Emma, ask him what's wrong!"

I wasn't in a hurry and casually blew dust off my freshly painted nails.

Finally, Chris stopped crying and spoke up. "Emma…"

I looked up. "Spit it out."

"Actually, I like men."

"That was pretty obvious."

My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother burst into laughter. "It really was."

Chris looked shocked.

I added, "Don't be shocked. Just tell me why you're crying."

He replied, "Grandma found out and has been brewing herbal medicine for me, claiming it can 'cure' me."

Something didn't feel right.

The topic and the recent conversation in my mind seamlessly connected. My heart skipped a beat.

Chris continued, "I came here to tell you that relocating the ancestral grave wasn't just because of your endless failed blind dates, but also because my brother wants to be childfree, I like men, and one of our uncle's daughters is a lesbian while the other claims she will never get married."

I was dumbfounded.

So was my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.

Well, this story just got interesting.

I grabbed some snacks and said as I ate, "Go on. Why are you looking at me?"

Chris glared at me. "You're such a nosy woman. Don't you know that Claire likes you?"

Claire is my lesbian cousin.

I couldn't believe I was getting involved in this.

I choked on the snacks, coughing like crazy.

Chris patted my back and clarified, "Just kidding. Don't die on me."

Thanks, now I want to cut ties with you all.