After a hearty breakfast, Li Sanjiang and the others prepared to set off.
At home, there was a human-powered tricycle with a long platform at the back, typically used for transporting chairs and tables for both joyous and somber occasions. However, Runsheng didn't know how to ride it, and the elders were hesitant to let him learn today.
As a result, Runsheng took a cart from the storage room. It had a broad front, and after Li Sanjiang, Liu Jinxia, and Old Man Shan settled down, Runsheng grasped the handle and leveled the cart, then steadily pushed the three elderly down the slope.
It must be said that after a good meal, Runsheng's strength was quite impressive.
Yet, watching them leave, Li Zhuiyuan felt a knot of anxiety in his heart. After all, it was undeniable that they still formed a very standard… combination of the elderly, weak, ill, and young.
Back at home, tranquility returned.
Uncle Qin was chopping wooden strips in the yard to make paper figures, while Aunt Liu colored the newly crafted paper people on the first floor. Liu Yumei sat sipping tea at the door of the east room, and on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li were reading books.
Just like the previous couple of days, he kept track of the time, taking Qin Li downstairs for restroom breaks, water, and some snacks. As they passed Liu Yumei, he would smile and greet her, eliciting a smile in return.
Liu Yumei noticed that after reading for a long while, the boy earnestly began to do a set of calisthenics above her.
However, half an hour before lunch, Li Zhuiyuan closed his book. Instead of going indoors to fetch another, he seriously looked at Qin Li and said, “Ah Li, I’m worried about Great-Grandpa and the others. I have to go check on them. Can you wait for me at home?”
Qin Li did not respond.
Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs, and though Qin Li followed him down, Li Zhuiyuan took his keys and entered the basement, while Qin Li went to the east room.
Liu Yumei asked, somewhat surprised, “What’s wrong?”
Her granddaughter had been getting up quite early these past few days, which made her, as a grandmother, begin her daily routine of preparing and dressing up earlier too.
Wasn’t the purpose to meet up with that little Lord Yuan to read together early in the day?
But it was still before noon; why did her granddaughter want to return to her room?
Did the two kids have a quarrel?
Not her little Ah Li; could she be the type to argue?
Then Liu Yumei saw Little Yuan emerge, holding a peachwood sword, revealing that it seemed they weren’t fighting after all. What had genuinely angered her granddaughter? That boy should still be bouncing around.
Li Zhuiyuan approached Uncle Qin and said, “Uncle Qin, I want to go to the town to buy something.”
“Alright, just tell me what you need, and Uncle will go get it for you.”
“I want to choose it myself. Uncle, please ride me there.”
Uncle Qin put down the wooden strips, clapped his hands, and nodded. “Very well.”
However, he asked once more, “Is it Shinan Town?”
“Shinan Town is too small; let’s go to the neighboring Shigang Town instead.”
Shinan Town only had a small crossroad with a few shops, which couldn’t compare to the bustling Shigang Town, known for its department stores, dance halls, and other entertainment venues. Villagers from nearby areas would go to Shigang Town for larger purchases or leisure.
The Niu family lived in a village right beneath Shigang Town, which was also the intended destination for Li Sanjiang and the others.
Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan and suddenly smiled, “Since it’s busy today, let’s go to Shigang tomorrow instead.”
“No, Uncle Qin, I want to go now.”
“Do you want to visit your great-grandfather?”
“Yeah, and also buy a few items.”
“Little Yuan, your great-grandfather is busy with work. Uncle’s job is to farm, help make paper, and deliver tables and chairs. Uncle won’t interfere with your great-grandfather’s work.”
“Yeah, I know.” Li Zhuiyuan raised the peachwood sword and said, “Great-Grandpa told me to remind him to take this last night, but I forgot in the morning. I just remembered, so please take me to Shigang. I need to give it to him; it’s his treasure; he can’t do without it.”
In Li Zhuiyuan's words, the peachwood sword seemed to be a mighty weapon used to slay demons and uphold justice, but he carefully covered the bottom of the sword's handle, hiding the marking from “Shandong Linyi Furniture Factory.”
Uncle Qin was taken aback; delivering items was indeed part of his duties, but he could sense another layer of intent from the boy's words.
“Alright then, hand me the sword, and Uncle will deliver it to your great-grandfather.”
Li Zhuiyuan moved the sword away and said, “Uncle, didn’t you forget? I want to go buy things too. I have to follow you.”
“Then wait a moment.”
Uncle Qin walked over to Liu Yumei, softly spoke to her, and when Liu Yumei looked up and saw Li Zhuiyuan standing far away, a smile crept into her voice as she said, “That Li Sanjiang is a rough man who doesn’t know how to cherish his blessings, but this child is quite perceptive. He can see that our family has some unusual circumstances… no, he can see deeper than that.”
Seeing their family's decent condition was just surface-level; recognizing their underlying background was another thing altogether.
“What should I do then?”
Liu Yumei didn’t rush to answer but lifted her teacup and took a sip.
This child seemed to have made up his mind early on, yet he still remained calm enough to perform the same tasks as the previous days. Clearly worried about his great-grandfather’s safety, he hardly revealed any signs of impatience or anxiety.
Recalling how he smiled and greeted her as he took Ah Li to the restroom, Liu Yumei felt waves ripple through her tea.
This child had a mind that was… far too mature for his age.
“Just accompany him for now.” After a pause, Liu Yumei added, “But make sure to clarify some things along the way.”
“I’ve got it.”
Uncle Qin walked up to Li Zhuiyuan and said, “Little Yuan, wait a moment, let me bring the cart out.”
“Okay, Uncle.”
A vintage two-eighty tricycle was ridden out by Uncle Qin. Li Zhuiyuan tried to hop on the back but was pulled up onto the front bar instead.
As the two raced downhill, Qin Li instinctively started to move in that direction, only to be stopped firmly by Liu Yumei.
The girl’s eyelashes began to flutter.
“Ah Li, Grandma knows you want to play with Little Yuan, but he has his own things to do now. You should wait at home for him to finish up and come back.
If you keep sticking to him, it'll only make him feel tired and annoyed. He might not want to play with you anymore.”
Hearing this, the girl turned her head to look at her grandmother, and in her gaze, a trace of subtle confusion flickered.
But Liu Yumei caught it, feeling both joy and sorrow;
It had been a long time since she sensed any other emotions from her granddaughter, and now that she finally did, it was through reminding her about these things.
“Ah Li, Grandma doesn't mean that Little Yuan will really dislike you. When he comes back, I’ll help you dress up nicely so you can go play with him, alright?
In truth, Little Yuan cares about you a lot. That boy is clever; he could’ve insisted on taking you along to find his great-grandfather and force us to comply.
But he didn’t do that.
So, Grandma will simply return the favor.”
…
The ride on the two-eighty tricycle was smooth, and sitting on the front bar, surrounded by Uncle Qin’s arms, made Li Zhuiyuan feel safe.
With a peachwood sword in hand, his gaze wandered over the muscular arms of Uncle Qin.
Looking at his own slender arms and legs, which were clearly more delicate but far less useful, he felt a twinge of inadequacy.
“Uncle Qin, have you trained before?”
“Hmm.”
Uncle Qin was slightly taken aback. He had intended to have the boy sit in front to seize an opportunity to talk, but to his surprise, the boy spoke first.
“Uncle Qin, can you fight?”
“Uncle can’t.”
“No way?” Li Zhuiyuan pointed and squeezed Uncle Qin’s forearm, finding it firm but not as rigid as it looked.
“I’m not lying to you, Little Yuan. An uncle doesn’t hit others.”
“Do you still practice?”
“Between work and farming, I’m quite busy. I don’t have time to practice separately, but after you get into the basics, you can train with whatever you do.”
“I want to learn.”
“Little Yuan, do you think this is like watching 'Shaolin Temple'?”
The film starring Jet Li had long been a hit across the countryside and was a constant favorite at outdoor movie screenings.
“Uncle, I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m not afraid.”
“It’s not just tough. The times have changed. No matter how good your skills are, can you outmatch a bullet?”
“Exercise is still good for the body.”
“Haha.”
“Uncle Qin, will you teach me when you have time?”
While 'Records of Strange Tales in the Martial World' was just an introductory encyclopedia on the characteristics of the dead, through constant reading, Li Zhuiyuan discovered that many corpses generally exhibited traits of great strength. Under peculiar and eerie circumstances, one sometimes had to rely on the physical abilities of the corpse retrievers to force their way through.
The book also marked many weaknesses and attacking methods against the undead. Fighting them was not just a matter of using talismans or spells; one really had to engage physically.
The most commonly mentioned and useful techniques included grappling, wrestling, and joint locks…
Some illustrations depicted what seemed was not traditional close combat, as the figures clearly demonstrated styles tailored for combating the undead.
Moreover, yesterday’s encounter with Runsheng had helped clear the fog of confusion in Li Zhuiyuan’s mind.
Despite appearing to have a big appetite and some odd quirks, Runsheng was indeed the epitome of a standard corpse retriever physique.
Plus, his great-grandfather was in excellent health; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry corpses all the way from Shanghai to now, and even at this age, he could still stroll easily through the countryside paths with him.
Seeing Uncle Qin remain silent, Li Zhuiyuan pressed further, “Uncle?”
Uncle Qin looked down at Li Zhuiyuan. “We’ll have to ask your elders if they agree.”
“Okay, I’ll ask as soon as I get home.”
Though Uncle Qin's mention of 'elders' was vague, Li Zhuiyuan knew he meant Liu Yumei.
“Little Yuan, there’s something I have to clarify with you beforehand.”
“Uncle, go on.”
“I’m a lazy person who only does what's required. Anything beyond that is off-limits for me.”
“How could that be? Uncle is clearly hard-working.”
Even in the contemporary countryside, Uncle Qin was remarkably diligent, farming, working, and delivering, rivaling the elderly laborers’ abilities.
“I mean it; if it’s not my duty, even if the soy sauce bottle spills right before me, no matter how much pours out, I won’t reach out to help.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.
Uncle Qin sighed within; he often felt that talking to this child was akin to conversing with a clever person; he sensed that the boy understood his meaning.
After a long pause, Li Zhuiyuan finally responded, “Uncle, I understand.”
“Hmm.”
Siyuan Village was situated at the northern end of Shinan Town, right next to Shigang Town. Given that Uncle Qin was riding down smaller paths through the village, it saved even more time.
Upon reaching the road belonging to Shigang Town, Uncle Qin continued riding toward their destination.
“Uncle, do you know where it is?”
“Of course. I’ve delivered tables and chairs there before.”
“Oh.”
“Or do you want to stop by the department store first?”
“No, let’s head straight to where Great-Grandpa is.”
“Alright.”
After passing through the town and into the village, the road narrowed.
Before long, they spotted a place in the distance where a funeral was taking place.
“Uncle, we can stop here.”
“Almost there.”
“I’m tired.”
“Rest when we get there; you can also have some water.”
“I need to pee; I can’t hold it.”
“Fine.”
Uncle Qin stopped the cart, and Li Zhuiyuan jumped off, finding a spot under a willow tree to relieve himself. He then squatted near the ditch to wash his hands.
Qin Li had expected the boy to get back on the cart after finishing, but to his surprise, he saw the boy sit down on a smooth stone next to the field, pulling out a drink, some cookies, and two books from his pocket.
He recognized the gourd-shaped drink; it was what he had bought for the boy after hearing Li Sanjiang's instructions.
No wonder the boy looked so bulky when he got on; he was clearly hiding quite a bit of food away, not intending to leave but ready for an impromptu picnic and reading session.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m tired and taking a break. Uncle Qin, you should sit too.”
“Aren’t you going to deliver the sword to Great-Grandpa? It’s just ahead, so hurry up; then I can return to work. Aunt Liu can’t finish everything alone at home; the deadline is tight, and if we don’t deliver, Great-Grandpa will get angry and scold us.”
“He won’t; Great-Grandpa said he’d leave his inheritance to me. If something happened to him, I’d be the little boss; I won’t get angry and scold him.”
“You little brat…”
“Uncle, sit down! Look how tired you are from working all day; let’s take a break and balance work with rest.”
Uncle Qin approached the boy. He realized that Li Zhuiyuan was doing this on purpose; as long as the sword wasn't handed to Li Sanjiang, he'd still have to accompany the boy here.
What shocked Uncle Qin even more was that the boy seemed to have already prepared for his earlier mention of “not lifting up the soy sauce bottle.”
Was this really a child? He felt more like a monster wearing a child’s skin!
Suddenly, Uncle Qin let go, realizing why Ah Li was cold to everyone else but friendly with him.
He bent forward, planning to use brute force to carry the boy and complete the task.
“Uncle, our two families living together is quite heartwarming; Grandma Liu is very kind, and Aunt Liu is gentle.”
Uncle Qin squinted.
“The books say that harmonious human relationships are built on a foundation of respect.”
“Ha, are we not harmonious?”
Li Zhuiyuan turned his head, looking at Uncle Qin, who was unexpectedly close, and smiled, “We are, aren’t we?”
Uncle Qin closed his eyes and stood up straight, feeling as if he had been figuratively pinched by the child.
After a while, Uncle Qin asked, “Little Yuan, if I hadn’t agreed to take you here, would you have come alone?”
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “I’m just a kid; I can’t be of any help. I wouldn’t have come alone because I would just make a mess.”
“Okay, then go find your great-grandpa. I won’t return, but you must remember, if the soy sauce bottle spills, I still won’t help.”
“Okay, thank you, Uncle.”
Li Zhuiyuan quickly packed his things and walked back to the two-eighty tricycle, urging, “Uncle, hurry up! We’re almost there!”
…
“What happened?” Li Sanjiang glanced at Li Zhuiyuan before looking toward Uncle Qin, “Why did you bring the boy here?”
“Great-Grandpa, I missed you, so I begged Uncle Qin to bring me to find you; he couldn’t refuse me.”
“Little Yuan, is this a place you should be? Go on, let’s take you back.”
“No, I won't leave! I want to stay here!”
Li Zhuiyuan clung tightly to Li Sanjiang's clothes, his face showing a hint of grievance.
Li Sanjiang initially wanted to say something harsher to send him away, but seeing the boy like this, an elderly man who had never married or had children felt a soft spot deepen inside him.
Thus, when it came to doting on the child, sometimes… he really let go of his principles, especially with grandchildren.
“Alright, Uncle Lei, keep an eye on the child; don’t let him run around.”
Uncle Qin nodded, “Mm, I will.”
Li Zhuiyuan successfully remained, and he began to observe the ongoing funeral rites.
The ceremony was being held at a vacant area in the village, previously a communal threshing field. A smaller funeral crew was busily working.
Eight actors dressed in Daoist robes were performing rituals, each holding a talisman and chanting while circling around the offering table.
On the altar, offerings were laid out, with a black-and-white portrait of Old Lady Niu at the center.
The placard bore the Niu surname.
Since the old lady had been a young girl raised into marriage, she had no maiden family nor a name, so when village registration was conducted, she simply used her husband's surname.
The filial sons and daughters knelt on mats, their heads wrapped in white cloth, dressed in hemp clothing, with black sashes around their arms, crying as they tossed paper money into the fire bowl at their feet.
Niu Fu and Niu Rui merely howled, occasionally wiping their tears, their movements present but devoid of emotion.
In contrast, their younger sister Niu Lian was not only expressive in demeanor but her tears flowed uncontrollably, her words pouring out.
“Mother, our father left early; you raised us three through hardship; woe!”
“Mother, back in those hard days, you hardly ate a bite, feeding us all instead; woe!”
“Mother, we three just grew up; you didn’t get to enjoy any blessings, yet you left us; woe!”
Each “woe!” at the end served as both a conclusion to the previous sentence and a prelude to the emotions for the next, also allowing moments to breathe.
Though they were mourning, it sounded like singing, perhaps making them the pioneers of modern performance art in the country.
Niu Lian’s expression inspired her two elder brothers, who repeated her emotional cries with each of her lines, like harmonizing singers.
Li Zhuiyuan found it all rather amusing; additionally, having previously interacted with the old lady, he found the idea of her children claiming they hadn’t had enough time to repay her kindness when they were barely adults utterly paradoxical.
Had they only just entered adulthood? They all were already grandparents themselves; if they genuinely wished to be filial, how could it be that time was too short?
Recalling the last time at Big Beard’s house during the white funeral, the children had cried so passionately for their mother by day, yet at night, they had snuck away for acts that didn’t even compare.
So, this afternoon performance could never compare with the significant morning ritual, which was a true test of acting.
Still, it was a strange thing that the wake was happening so quietly—as it was customary to provide food during these ceremonies.
Li Zhuiyuan approached Li Sanjiang, who was smoking, to ask, “Great-Grandpa, why are there so few people? Aren't they providing food?”
Yet not far away, he could see the cook bustling about.
Li Sanjiang sneered and said, “Half a year ago, when the old lady just passed away, these three siblings didn’t even invite the funeral team, much less provided food; what they cooked was just a thin broth, barely nourishing. Villagers contributed as best they could, yet it didn’t even fill their stomachs. This time, with the memorial service, the villagers won’t come; it’s simply improper.”
Li Zhuiyuan understood; it turned out these siblings had treated their mother's funeral as a means to collect (money).
In the countryside, collecting contributions for funeral arrangements originated from the belief that everyone would help the host family with these matters; even if some wanted to be stingy, they wouldn’t end up missing out.
Never did they expect to encounter such brazen individuals.
At that moment, Liu Jinxia was seated behind the offering table; smoke from the fire had her dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, yet she continued to recite the scripture, occasionally pulling out specific talismans and giving them to the mourning family to burn.
Her place was meant for mediating between the living and the dead, allowing communication between them.
Old Man Shan had spread out a tattered mat in the northwest corner, holding a water pipe and puffing away.
Li Zhuiyuan recalled content from the book: as for the offering table, Old Man Shan was precisely located at the break point of the exorcism. If any dark energy wanted to seep through, it had to pass through there.
Runsheng hadn’t rested either, constantly moving to twist the banners, a physically demanding job that required keeping the banners upright.
On the contrary, Li Sanjiang remained under the shelter sipping tea; Li Zhuiyuan felt his knowledge inadequate, unable to discern which position his great-grandfather held.
But it must have been quite important.
They had already eaten lunch, so during the afternoon session, the funeral team's performers changed into monk robes and began tapping wooden fish while chanting.
Some were bald, appearing quite convincing.
Runsheng was back from the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks, feeling hungry. While others were enjoying afternoon tea, he was ready for an evening meal.
He kindly invited Li Zhuiyuan to eat too, and Li Zhuiyuan was not modest; he accepted an empty bowl and began to pile on food.
As for Uncle Qin, he was called over, but he wouldn’t eat.
Since arriving, he had remained near the edge of the shelter, hardly moving.
As Runsheng inserted incense into the dishes, waiting for the incense to burn down, he mentioned, “I told my grandfather you’ve been reading those books; he said you are much smarter than I am and asked me to talk to you more often.”
Unlike Li Sanjiang, who firmly believed his great-grandson must attend university in Beijing, Old Man Shan had recognized early on that Li Zhuiyuan was a promising candidate for a corpse retrieval career.
“Sounds great! You can come visit me often.”
To Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng was an excellent link between theory and practice.
“Really? That sounds perfect! You don’t know, my grandfather’s health isn’t good, so he often needs medication, and our household is tight-fisted, and I’m such a big eater, sigh.
By coming to your house, not only can I eat well, but I can also relieve my grandfather’s burden. If there’s work, I can return home to help him catch corpses—that way, neither of us would suffer.”
“Want to live here permanently?”
“Ah, is that not okay?” Runsheng touched his head.
“That's something I’ll need to check with my great-grandfather.”
“Then I’ll have my grandfather speak to your great-grandfather. According to him, after he’s gone, I’ll start working for your great-grandfather.”
“Mm.” Li Zhuiyuan nodded; it would be nice for Runsheng to take over later since his great-grandfather was aging.
After all, corpse retrieval was his great-grandfather’s main profession, as well as his crucial image. The other businesses he had stemmed from being a corpse retriever, which guaranteed a steady flow of business.
As the incense burned out, Runsheng eagerly mixed the food with the ash, devouring it in great mouthfuls.
Li Zhuiyuan curiously asked, “If you don’t burn incense, can you really not eat?”
“Yeah.” Runsheng answered, swallowing, “If I don’t smell it, not only does it taste bland, but I’ll also feel sick.”
“Have you eaten…?” Li Zhuiyuan hesitated before asking, “Have you eaten a corpse before?”
Runsheng froze for a moment, quickly lowering his voice, “Grandpa warned me; I can’t say I’ve eaten it outside.”
“Then you need to keep your grandpa’s warning in mind.”
“Of course, I remember it all the time.”
Li Zhuiyuan soon finished his meal, watching as Runsheng continued to enjoy his feast, thinking that had Runsheng come a few days earlier, he could have enjoyed the old lady’s puppet birthday banquet all to himself.
As the afternoon faded away and dusk approached, everyone began packing things up. Some grabbed flags, others held banners, and others collected scriptures, blankets, and pillows.
They formed a line walking along the ridge road toward Old Lady Niu's grave.
The last two in the line were throwing firecrackers joyfully while moving effortlessly; after lighting them, they tossed them into the fields, sending them snaking upward.
Li Zhuiyuan helped Runsheng with a flag and as for Uncle Qin, he hadn’t moved but maintained his distance, trailing the group by a hundred meters.
Old Lady Niu’s grave was small. Though cremation had already been promoted in cities, and strict regulations were applied to burials, traditional burials remained common in the countryside, though grand tombs and cement enclosures were now seldom seen.
Instead, small houses replaced them, the oldest being two-story, with red bricks and green tiles; some were three-story or even courtyard houses.
A stranger might mistakenly think they had entered an exhibition of “rural architecture” upon walking through these grave clusters.
Old Lady Niu's grave was merely a mound, dug out of the adjacent mud with a shovel, creating a small earthy cap.
At the funeral, Niu Fu as the eldest, lifted the earthy cap first, while Niu Rui dug a new one with the shovel. After the rites were over, Niu Lian would replace the new cap.
As they laid out incense and candles, burned paper currency, and blood scrolls, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion under Liu Jinxia’s guidance.
When the ceremony concluded and the new cap was placed atop, everyone returned home without incident.
Yet, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Liu Jinxia didn’t seem relieved, because by tradition, this funeral service had to continue late into the night. Previously, it was divided into different times, but now it had unified to midnight.
Only after midnight was the service considered completed, equivalent to keeping vigil; however, the corpse had already been buried, so it hadn’t remained there.
While daytime was manageable, what might happen when darkness fell was anyone’s guess.
After dinner, the few villagers who couldn’t escape came to help, and the three siblings from the Niu family sent their family members and children home. They should have been there to keep watch as well, but they were forcibly sent away by the three siblings.
After the funeral team packed up and left, the surrounding mourning hall seemed unusually empty.
The three Niu siblings still knelt on the mats, no longer crying but quietly continuing to burn paper.
Niu Lian’s voice had turned hoarse, while Niu Fu and Niu Rui, losing their sister’s motivation, could only fall silent.
Liu Jinxia remained in her old position, visibly anxious.
Old Man Shan still occupied his position for exorcism; his tobacco was long gone, and he continued to smoke the rolled cigarettes given to him by the host family.
As for Li Sanjiang… Li Zhuiyuan noticed his great-grandfather had already leaned against the railing, fast asleep, his body swaying gently with the sound of snoring.
Runsheng had somehow acquired a deck of cards, smiling as he said, “Let’s play Landlord.”
“Don’t we need four people?”
“Then ask him.” Runsheng pointed at Uncle Qin.
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head; he knew Uncle Qin wouldn’t come over. Deep down, he felt grateful; while Uncle Qin wouldn’t intervene, just having him stand there made Li Zhuiyuan feel a lot more secure.
Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng played a simplified three-player version of Landlord.
With a single deck of cards, dividing them into three was easy.
Runsheng’s card skills were poor, and the level of the next player was average too, which meant that no matter whether Li Zhuiyuan was the farmer or the landlord, he would always win.
As they played, they lost track of time until Li Zhuiyuan finally inquired, “What time is it?”
Runsheng shook his head, “I don’t know; where would there be a clock?”
The next player said, “It’s eleven o’clock.”
Li Zhuiyuan responded, “That means it’s almost over, just one more hour to go.”
Runsheng said, “Indeed; I wonder if the host will treat us to another meal afterward.”
The next player replied, “They should; they prepared a lot of food today, and not many people came.”
Li Zhuiyuan soon picked up a good hand as the landlord, and this round lost all meaning.
However, just as he was about to play his card, he glanced at Uncle Qin’s position, only to find that Uncle Qin was suddenly gone.
His anchor had vanished, sending a shiver down Li Zhuiyuan’s spine, waking him up from his daze. Suddenly remembering something, he clutched the cards tightly.
Runsheng asked, “What are you thinking about, Little Yuan? Hurry up and play!”
The next player added, “Yeah, hurry up, we know you have good cards.”
Li Zhuiyuan played a big joker.
Runsheng widened his eyes, “What kind of trick is this?”
The next player said, “Is this too good, then let’s lay it out?”
Li Zhuiyuan asked, “Can we lay it out?”
Runsheng replied, “If you want to lay it out, go ahead; good cards can’t be helped.”
The next player warned, “You need to think carefully; laying it out can be risky.”
“Then let me think.” Li Zhuiyuan clutched his cards, his peripheral vision darting toward his napping great-grandfather, the three siblings from the Niu family sitting on mats, and Liu Jinxia and Old Man Shan.
What had once seemed normal now bore an inexplicable thrill. He could hear various sounds around, yet they were all perfectly still.
Even Li Sanjiang, whose snores had not echoed out of sync with him, seemed as though they were emanating from thin air.
“Runsheng?”
“What’s up? Have you made up your mind? Do you want to lay it out?”
Li Zhuiyuan slightly nodded. Runsheng was normal, but this demanded laying it all out; the only hope of action relied on Runsheng.
If Runsheng wasn’t there, what could the old folks do?
“Lay it out!”
Li Zhuiyuan laid out his hand.
Runsheng questioned, “Hey, your cards aren’t that great. I thought you had a wild card?”
“Let’s play; big joker; do you want it?”
The next player said, “You play.”
Runsheng said, “No.”
Li Zhuiyuan said, “Three sevens beating a five.”
The next player said, “I want it.”
Li Zhuiyuan said, “Three tens beating a seven.”
Runsheng exclaimed, “Little Yuan, don’t rush to play; my previous player wants it!”
Li Zhuiyuan slammed the small table and shouted at Runsheng, “Open your eyes and look; where are our previous and next players?!”
Runsheng was stunned, and instinctively wanted to argue, but looking left and right, he suddenly woke up, realizing, “Right, there are only two of us! How can we play three-player Landlord?!”
At that moment, a chilling wind swept through.
Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng both shivered, then simultaneously noticed that the two who had been inside the wake tent playing cards hadn’t realized when they had ended up sitting on a grave.
The surroundings were filled with green and red lights from the small houses, and next to them lay Old Lady Niu’s grave, still covered with a mound of fresh earth.
“I want three eights beating a three! I want three eights beating a three!”
From beside them came a voice engaged in a card game, a woman’s voice, sharp and piercing.
Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng exchanged glances, with Runsheng shielding Li Zhuiyuan behind him as they traversed to the back of the grave.
Here, they discovered an irregular hole, with bloody handprints remaining at the entrance, as though a person had clawed it open.
Getting closer to the cave, they saw a woman lying within, her blood-smeared hands clearly empty, yet her left hand posed to hold cards, while her right appeared to flick them:
“I want three eights beating a three!”
She shook her hair and dirt off her face passionately, revealing Niu Lian, the youngest daughter of Old Lady Niu.
She had dug into her mother’s grave and burrowed herself in.
Yet within that grave, apart from the overwhelmingly stench of decay and murky water, they saw nothing but a tattered straw mat—with no trace of Old Lady Niu’s bones.
Normally, even for a burial, a coffin would be used; nowadays, it’s not the pre-liberation era where one might end up in a mass grave. However, since Old Lady Niu had been without one, it indicated she was borrowed for her wake but replaced when buried, clearly for the sake of saving on a coffin.
Li Zhuiyuan instinctively covered his nose, suppressing the urge to retch at the foul odor while Runsheng, on the contrary, showed no signs of being disturbed.
At that moment, with the card game over, Niu Lian seemed to come towards her senses a bit, but only slightly.
“Are we not playing anymore? Are we not playing anymore? Then I’ll get back to work.”
Niu Lian acted as if she was throwing down her cards, then turned back to continue digging with her hands.
If she kept going at it, this hole could collapse any moment, possibly burying her alive.
“Hey, don’t dig anymore, it’s dangerous! I’ll save you!”
Li Zhuiyuan suddenly pulled Runsheng back.
“What’s wrong, Little Yuan?”
“We need to check on your grandfather; they might be in danger!”
“Ah, right! But her…”
“Who’s more important?”
“Grandfather is important!”
Without hesitation, Runsheng yanked Li Zhuiyuan as they dashed towards the wake shelter.
When they reached the front, Li Zhuiyuan was breathless, only to find that neither of the two Niu siblings was in sight.
Liu Jinxia was crawling around the offering table, while mimicking a cat’s meow. The elderly woman’s palms were already raw, leaving behind a series of handprints on the ground.
Old Man Shan, on the other hand, was barking “Woof, woof!” while crouched before a tree, lifting one leg and peeing like a dog.
The urine streamed down, soaking his clothes, creating an unsightly sight.
Once finished, he even began to claw at the earth with both hands and feet.
“Grandpa!” Runsheng hurriedly called, “What’s happening to you?”
At that shout, Liu Jinxia and Old Man Shan instantly turned their attention toward them.
Both behaved like animals, moving quickly on all fours with menacing looks directed at Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan.
Runsheng opened his arms, shielding Li Zhuiyuan while shouting, “Little Yuan, step back!”
Li Zhuiyuan obediently retreated, feeling it wasn't enough, so he took another step back.
In the next moment,
Liu Jinxia lunged at Runsheng, her legs clamped around his waist, scratching and biting at his chest;
Old Man Shan bit down on Runsheng’s leg, tearing off a chunk of flesh as he chewed, two of his aged teeth falling out in the process.
“Grandfather! What’s wrong with you? What’s going on?!”
Runsheng didn’t fight back; he watched anxiously as his grandfather continued to gnaw at him frantically.
Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan shouted, “You need to fight back; don’t just stand there!”
“But he is my grandfather; how can I hit him?”
Li Zhuiyuan quickly urged, “Remember what you read in the book? It says that corpse demons have the ability to confuse people, just like how we played cards earlier. The way to break free from their influence is to slap their faces, to hit them hard!”
In reality, the book listed many more methods beyond that, such as pure yang black dog blood, exorcism talismans, enlightened tools, and so forth.
However, black dog blood might very well be present here, but was it purely righteous… Li Zhuiyuan had doubts; after all, the village's dogs were notorious for being out of control.
As for the talismans, Li Zhuiyuan had no knowledge of their nature yet; he was far from that part in his book.
The enlightened tools truly referred to objects nurtured and sanctified by ascended beings, genuine exorcism artifacts. Li Zhuiyuan didn’t believe the peachwood sword made in the Linyi Furniture Factory had undergone any such consecration.
Thus, only the most straightforward and brutal method was left—the books also mentioned the essence of slapping one awake; if one slap didn’t work, then multiple slaps were in order.
Runsheng said, “But… can this really work?”
Even while being bitten by two elderly individuals acting like wild animals, Runsheng’s tone remained calm, as if he were not the one suffering injuries.
Li Zhuiyuan insisted, “You’re saving them! If you don’t wake them, the harm they suffer only increases! Hurry!”
If Runsheng didn’t wake them, Old Man Shan gnawing at his legs would soon leave him toothless!
“Okay, Little Yuan, I’ll listen to you!”
Runsheng nodded vigorously. Once he determined to do something, he committed wholeheartedly without hesitation. He grasped Liu Jinxia by the neck with one hand and lifted her up.
Liu Jinxia flailed with her arms and legs, but the old lady’s limbs were simply too short to reach him.
Then, Runsheng unleashed a flurry of slaps to her face.
“Smack!” “Smack!” “Smack!” “Smack!”
Liu Jinxia’s face visibly swelled, her lips breaking and bleeding; yet, as a result, she calmed down, her fierce eyes becoming clouded by cataracts once more.
“Where… are we…?”
“Little Yuan, you’re really amazing!”
After complimenting Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng lifted his leg and kicked Old Man Shan away.
When Old Man Shan hit the ground, he landed face-first, sliding a distance across the ground.
Once he regained his footing, Li Zhuiyuan witnessed Old Man Shan touching his face, looking confused as he murmured, “I… what is… no…?”
Before he could collect his thoughts, he saw his grandson march over, followed by a large slap landing on his face.
“Smack!” “Smack!”
The bond between grandfather and grandson proved strong; Runsheng delivered four slaps to Liu Jinxia but only two slaps to his grandfather before pausing to gauge the response.
“Grandpa! Are you awake now?”
“Pah!”
Old Man Shan spat on Runsheng's face, losing two more aged teeth along with it.
“Not awake yet?”
Seeing his grandfather still exhibiting aggressive tendencies, Runsheng raised his hand again.
Old Man Shan panicked, exclaiming, “Stop! I’m awake! I’m awake!”
“Grandpa, you’re finally awake! I was so frightened just now!”
Runsheng embraced Old Man Shan.
Old Man Shan: “…”
Seeing both Liu Jinxia and Old Man Shan regaining their senses, Li Zhuiyuan immediately set off to search for his great-grandfather, as he was the person he cared about most.
Soon he found him.
But when he saw his great-grandfather, Li Zhuiyuan felt disbelief.
Not because of how cruelly he was treated, but rather, Li Sanjiang was still leaning against his former spot, sleeping soundly, the snoring steady and deep.
It seemed as though the happenings around him were entirely unrelated to him, not bothering him even the slightest.
While relief washed over Li Zhuiyuan at the sight of his great-grandfather being safe, the contrasting treatment he had received compared to both Liu Jinxia and Old Man Shan left him deeply puzzled.
Suddenly, Li Zhuiyuan recalled previous occurrences on the first floor of his home, a vague theory formed in his mind:
What if the cat-faced old woman truly feared his great-grandfather too much to make a move on him?
(End of Chapter)