She is so beautiful.
The water ripples gently, bending light and shadow just right, and with the little yellow oriole's graceful movements, it feels like a layer of filter has been added.
Li Zhuiyuan had been taken by his parents to see many performances before, where he had seen many professional singers and dancers. However, the impact of the little yellow oriole's performance yesterday was no less than that of his brothers.
Under his parents' teachings, he had always understood and followed the rules. Yet, the little yellow oriole under that simple shed showed him a different kind of wild charm.
It was flirtatious, it was free-spirited, it was earthy, and it was not something to be taken seriously, but that scent was truly delightful.
She came closer, closer, like a person stepping out of a painting, moving towards the painting again.
At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan had forgotten his situation, as if he no longer remembered he was in the water, ignoring the panic of not being able to breathe and the water that kept choking him.
Until she reached out her hand.
Yesterday, when he was squeezed in the front to watch the performance with his brothers, the little yellow oriole had swayed her waist and sung her way to him, even reaching out to touch his face because Li Zhuiyuan looked as pure as a porcelain doll among the group of children.
Originally, Li Zhuiyuan had hoped she would touch him again.
But this time, she stretched out both hands.
Both hands grabbed his shoulders tightly.
"So cold... so painful..."
In an instant, the atmosphere twisted and tore apart, the strange and inexplicable fascination vanished.
Fear finally showed in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, like a person waking from anesthesia, suddenly feeling pain again.
He wanted to break free, to hide, to escape, but those hands held him tightly, no matter how he struggled, he couldn't get away.
At that moment, a force came from behind.
Li Zhuiyuan felt himself being pulled, like playing tug-of-war at school, but this time he was the rope.
Finally, with some kind of release, he was pulled up.
In his line of sight, he floated up, higher and higher, while the little yellow oriole below grew smaller and smaller.
Her arms were raised towards him, and between them, an impossible abyss gradually formed.
"Hey!"
Fortunately, his grandfather, Li Weihuan, was pulling him up by the bamboo basket he was carrying.
Heavy, it felt like he was struggling with a lovesick plow ox, even though he was just a child.
There was a force below that wouldn’t let his grandson come up.
At this time, Lei Zi also came to help, hugging Li Weihuan's waist and pulling back.
Finally,
"Splash!"
When Li Zhuiyuan was pulled out of the water, the resisting force suddenly disappeared, and Li Weihuan, Lei Zi, and the just-rescued Li Zhuiyuan all fell onto the boat.
"Go!"
Li Weihuan shouted at Panzi without having time to get up.
This time, Panzi didn’t mess up. He used all his strength to push the pole and quickly turned the boat to the other side.
"Grandpa, she’s coming, she’s coming!"
Lei Zi pointed ahead in panic.
Li Weihuan looked over and saw that with the boat's movement, a mass of black hair on the water was coming towards them.
She is chasing!
"Lei Hou, go help Pan Hou with the boat, hurry!"
"Okay, Grandpa."
Lei Zi got up and ran over, and the two boys shouted in unison, working together to increase the boat's speed.
Li Weihuan picked up a fishing rod, his expression serious. When he noticed that the mass of hair was getting closer to the boat, he shouted loudly and jabbed the fishing rod at a spot just in front of the mass.
The fishing rod went into the water, it should have poked something but met no resistance, instead, a huge force pulled the rod down.
"Ouch..."
Li Weihuan exclaimed, luckily he let go of the rod in time, or he would have been pulled into the water by that terrifying force.
The hair was even closer now.
Standing at the edge of the boat, Li Weihuan could see the silhouette of a woman in a black cheongsam under the water.
The river was flowing east, yet she was moving against the current.
She was walking, she was really walking!
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
The boat began to shake, gradually becoming more intense.
Li Weihuan couldn’t imagine what would happen if the boat capsized and he and his grandsons fell into the water. This was no longer just a matter of swimming ability; it was very dangerous!
At that moment, Li Weihuan's gaze fell on the fishing net under his feet. Without thinking much, he quickly grabbed the net and threw it over the hair that was now less than two meters from the boat.
The net first covered the water's surface, quickly sinking halfway.
At first, the net was dragged along, but gradually, its speed slowed down, and finally, it stopped.
It worked, it caught her!
Li Weihuan rushed to the back of the boat, grabbed the bamboo pole, "You guys go check on Xiao Yuan!"
"Okay, Grandpa."
Panzi and Lei Zi were just big kids, and the earlier effort of pushing the boat had already tired them out. As soon as Li Weihuan took over, they ran to Li Zhuiyuan's side.
"Yuanzi, Yuanzi? Yuanzi, wake up, wake up!"
"Grandpa, Yuanzi won’t wake up."
While Li Weihuan pushed the boat, he continued to look at the fishing net that was gradually drifting away, shouting back, "Is he breathing?"
"Yes, Grandpa, he is!"
"Give Xiao Yuan a pat on the back."
The two boys immediately did as told, one propping Li Zhuiyuan up while the other patted his back.
But after a long time, Li Zhuiyuan still didn’t wake up.
"Grandpa, it’s no use!"
Li Weihuan didn’t respond, just gritting his teeth and continuing to push the pole, not daring to wipe the sweat that dripped into his eyes.
Finally, the boat reached home. Li Weihuan tossed the bamboo pole aside, not bothering to tie the boat, and jumped down while holding Li Zhuiyuan. He was so tired that he stumbled when he landed, and to protect his grandson, he had to brace himself against the blue brick steps with his knee.
"Hiss..."
He scraped his knee, but the next moment he forced himself to stand up and carried the child inside.
"Guiying, Guiying!"
"So early back?" Cui Guiying was cleaning the ashes behind the stove. Hearing the noise, she stood up and saw her husband holding a child, immediately shouting in panic, "What happened, what happened, what’s wrong with the child?"
Li Weihuan first placed the child on a mat in the inner room. With so many children in the house, there wasn’t enough room to sleep, so in summer, they all slept on the floor together.
Cui Guiying lifted Li Zhuiyuan’s head, gently patting his face, but found that the child wouldn’t wake up no matter what, and she immediately cried out, "Oh my child, oh my child, what’s wrong with you?"
"Stop crying!" Li Weihuan kicked Cui Guiying's calf, "Quick, change the child into dry clothes."
Cui Guiying quickly wiped her tears and got up to get clothes.
"Panzi, go call Doctor Zheng!"
"Okay, Grandpa."
Zheng Datong, whose real name was Zheng Huamin, was the village doctor in Siyuan Village, also known as the barefoot doctor. He liked to scare children with his big syringe, and the kids first gave him that nickname, which eventually stuck with the adults too.
"Lei Zi, go call Liu Xiezi."
"Okay, Grandpa."
Liu Xiezi, whose real name was Liu Jinxia, lost her parents early and was arranged to marry over from Si'an Town by her uncle. In her first year of marriage, her in-laws died one after the other, making many women in the village envious.
The next year, her husband fell into a latrine while drunk and drowned, leaving behind a newborn daughter.
At that time, rumors spread in the village that Liu Jinxia had a tough fate.
Being a widow with a child was hard, so Liu Jinxia took on farming work while also starting a fortune-telling business. The more rumors spread about her, the more people believed in her abilities.
In those days, farming could only barely provide for basic needs, so to live a little better, one had to rely on other means. Liu Jinxia managed to find a husband for her daughter, Li Juxiang, through her fortune-telling business.
However, just two years after her son-in-law came to the family, he suddenly died of a heart attack while planting rice.
Now, Liu Jinxia was left with her daughter and a newborn granddaughter.
At this point, not only the village but also people from surrounding areas believed that Liu Jinxia had a tough fate, and her business thrived even more.
She decided to rent out her farmland to others, allowing her daughter to buy a tricycle from town. Wherever there was business, she would let her daughter Li Juxiang ride the tricycle to take her.
A few years ago, Liu Jinxia developed cataracts and couldn’t see clearly anymore, which somewhat completed her personal business image.
Meanwhile, as soon as Cui Guiying changed Li Zhuiyuan's wet clothes, she saw her husband pouring a scoop of well water over his knee to wash off the blood, then opening the locked cabinet to take out three packs of cigarettes.
He tossed one pack to Cui Guiying, instructing, "When Doctor Zheng comes, open it and take one, and take another one when he leaves. Put the medical fees on credit."
Then, Li Weihuan tossed over another pack, "Give Liu Xiezi a whole pack, don’t talk about anything else."
Cui Guiying reminded, "I heard that Liu Xiezi charges a lot for a visit now."
Li Weihuan shook his head, "She may be blind, but she shouldn’t lose her conscience."
Liu Xiezi’s husband had grown up playing in the mud with Li Weihuan. In the years after her husband passed, when Liu Jinxia and her daughter were struggling, Li Weihuan often helped them with supplies and would lend a hand during busy farming seasons, even though he faced gossip for it.
Even though the two families didn’t see each other often now, if Liu Xiezi dared to charge them, Li Weihuan would spit in her face.
The last pack was placed into Li Weihuan's pocket.
Cui Guiying was surprised, "Are you going out?"
Li Weihuan nodded, "I’m going to find Uncle Sanjiang."
"What! What did you run into?"
Li Weihuan glanced at the children around and glared at his wife, "I’ll talk when I get back."
After saying that, Li Weihuan pushed the old bicycle out the door.
Cui Guiying sat back down by the mat, gently stroking Li Zhuiyuan and continuously calling his name.
A little granddaughter curiously asked, "What happened to Brother Yuanzi?"
Huzi immediately said, "I know! Brother Yuanzi ran into a water monkey and got pulled down to be a substitute ghost!"
For a moment, the other children showed fearful expressions and retreated.
"Smack!"
A handprint appeared on Huzi's face.
Cui Guiying scolded, "Pah! You’re being foolish, go outside and see if the people we invited have arrived!"
"Okay! I’ll go now!"
Huzi didn’t hesitate. Although the slap hurt, he didn’t take it to heart and ran outside with Shitou to check.
Cui Guiying instructed her eldest granddaughter, Yingzi, to help her bring a bowl of water and a needle. She took the needle and scratched it several times on Li Zhuiyuan's forehead and top of his head, then placed the needle flat in the bowl.
There’s a local custom that if someone has a headache or feels unwell, they use this needle to "call" them.
Before long, a voice came from outside, "Doctor Zheng is here! Doctor Zheng is here!"
Zheng Datong entered the house carrying a wooden medical box.
"Doctor Zheng, please check on the child, check on the child."
Cui Guiying took out a cigarette, opened it, and handed one to him.
Zheng Datong took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, squatted down, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and asked, "What happened to the child?"
"He fell into the water and hasn’t woken up."
"He fell into the water?" Zheng Datong first opened Li Zhuiyuan's mouth and nose, then checked his eyelids, and took out a stethoscope to listen carefully.
When he put away the stethoscope, Cui Guiying leaned in and asked, "Doctor, how is he?"
Zheng Datong frowned, propped Li Zhuiyuan up, and Cui Guiying quickly reached out to help.
He patted the child's back and observed for a moment, then laid the child back down, took the cigarette from his ear, and bit it.
Cui Guiying hurried to the stove to get matches, but saw that Zheng Datong had already lit one himself and took several puffs.
"How is it, doctor?"
Zheng Datong looked at Cui Guiying, "How long has the child been in the water?"
Cui Guiying looked at Panzi.
Panzi replied, "Just a little while. Yuanzi fell in and was pulled out by his grandpa right away."
Zheng Datong frowned and took a big puff of smoke. After blowing out some smoke rings, he said, "Auntie, the child didn’t drown, nor did he choke on water. He’s fine."
"Then why isn’t he waking up?" Cui Guiying asked.
"Take the child to the health clinic in town for a check-up. It might be something else." Zheng Datong packed his things and stood up, saying he couldn’t do anything more.
Cui Guiying pulled out another cigarette and handed it to him.
"I won’t smoke, I won’t smoke." He said this while taking the cigarette and tucking it behind his ear.
Then, as he was smoking the one in his mouth, he threw the butt on the ground and whispered, "Did you ask Liu Xiezi to come?"
"Ah, I did." Cui Guiying felt a bit embarrassed.
Zheng Datong nodded. Panzi had told him some things on the way here, and now he could only advise, "If he doesn’t wake up by tonight, take him to town tomorrow morning."
"Alright, alright, you’ve worked hard, thank you."
At that moment, Lei Zi ran in, wiping the sweat off his face, and said to Cui Guiying, "Liu Xiezi is here."
Cui Guiying scolded, "You little brat, call her Liu Grandma!"
Zheng Datong knew it was time for him to leave. As he walked out, he saw a tricycle coming from a distance, with an old woman sitting on it.
"Ah..."
Zheng Datong suddenly remembered the various new medicines that had been sensationalized in the newspapers recently. Hadn’t he just participated in that? What was it called again?
Oh, right...
Integrating Chinese and Western medicine.
Lei Zi ran back home to notify them, and Li Juxiang pedaled the tricycle behind, complaining, "Mom, you shouldn’t have taken so long. You should have come earlier."
Earlier, someone from the neighboring Shigang Town had come to discuss the arrangements for her mother's memorial service. They could have waited at home, but her mother insisted on finishing that person's business before going to the toilet and dawdling.
Sitting on the small bench at the back, Liu Jinxia blew out a puff of smoke and said irritably, "Why are you in such a hurry? We won’t get any money from them anyway."
"Mom, are you really going to take their money?"
"Pah! If he wants to give it to me, I’ll take it."
"I remember when I was little, Uncle Han helped us a lot."
"He has four sons, why hasn’t he sent one to me?" Liu Jinxia shook off the ash, "None of them are suitable. I don’t want his bride price. He wouldn’t even want a daughter-in-law for free, ha!"
"How can you blame Uncle Han for that?"
"I’m saying, Xiang Hou, it’s fine if others talk nonsense about us, after all, it’s their faces. But why do you have to belittle yourself like this?"
Li Juxiang bit her lip.
"Xiang Hou, Xiaocui Hou is still young, and your mother doesn’t have many years left. In the future, Xiaocui Hou will still depend on you. What’s wrong with not having a man? I, Liu Jinxia, will prove that we can still live well without one!"
"We’re here, Mom."
The tricycle reached the Li family’s doorstep.
Cui Guiying stepped forward to help Liu Jinxia down, and Liu Jinxia patted Cui Guiying's hand and said, "Oh, how can I let you help me? Your Han Hou is my benefactor."
"Child's grandma, come see the child. He still hasn’t woken up."
Liu Jinxia said, "I heard from Lei Hou that he ran into something in the water?"
Cui Guiying replied, "His grandpa has already gone to find Uncle Sanjiang."
Hearing this, Liu Jinxia's heart tightened. She grabbed Cui Guiying's hand and urged, "Quick, take me to see the child."
Earlier, when Lei Zi came to deliver the message, he had said some things, but at that time, they thought he was exaggerating. Now that Li Weihuan had gone to find Li Sanjiang, this was really serious!
Liu Jinxia still remembered how good Li Weihuan had been to her in the past.
Upon entering the house, they heard a group of children chattering. Liu Jinxia, whose eyesight was poor, felt like she had walked into a duck pen and waved her hand, scolding, "You little brats, get out of the way! Don’t disturb the kitchen god!"
Cui Guiying hurriedly called the older children to take the younger ones outside and closed the door.
"Where is he?" Liu Jinxia asked.
"In the inner room." Cui Guiying prepared to take her inside.
"Bring him to the kitchen; there’s a stove here."
"Okay, I’ll go get the child."
With Li Juxiang's help, Li Zhuiyuan was placed on the kitchen table.
Liu Jinxia's old hands first touched Li Zhuiyuan's leg, then moved up to his face, stopping at his shoulder and gently pressing down.
Her hands, stained with the smell of smoke and vinegar from daily use, had an even stronger odor.
Even standing nearby, one could smell it. If someone got close enough to sniff, a regular faint might actually wake them up.
After feeling for a while, Liu Jinxia asked, "Guiying Hou, have you called him?"
"I have, I have." Cui Guiying quickly brought over the bowl with the needle, but then she gasped, "Ah!"
The needle in the bowl was not only rusty but had red rust around it, forming a halo at the bottom.
Seeing this, Li Juxiang quickly leaned in to describe it to her mother.
After hearing this, Liu Jinxia took a deep breath, her expression serious, "Sister, the child has been cursed."
"Ah?" Cui Guiying was startled again, immediately pleading, "Please save him, save him. This is my only grandchild; I can’t let anything happen to him."
As she spoke, Cui Guiying took the pack of cigarettes from her pocket and handed it to Liu Jinxia.
Liu Jinxia pushed it away and sighed.
"I’m telling you, you can smoke this. We’ll settle the money later..."
Liu Jinxia interrupted, "I won’t take your things; I can’t take anything that’s too hot to handle."
"I’m telling you, sister, please don’t say that. My child..."
Liu Jinxia turned to her daughter, smiling bitterly, "Did you hear? It’s your Uncle Han’s favorite little girl’s son."
"It’s Lan Hou’s son." Li Juxiang added, "Lan Hou used to be very good to me."
Lan Hou was Li Lan, Li Zhuiyuan's mother.
At that time, the villagers thought Liu Jinxia's family was unlucky, and parents would advise their children not to play with Li Juxiang. So, Li Juxiang's childhood was lonely; she couldn’t run around like other kids because adults would roll their eyes at her when she visited.
Li Lan didn’t care about this and often invited her to play. This friendship lasted until Li Lan went to college and left the village.
Liu Jinxia closed her eyes, silent.
Li Juxiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan and said to Cui Guiying, "This child is really good-looking; he looks just like Lan Hou."
Cui Guiying agreed, her attention still on Liu Jinxia, unsure if Liu Jinxia was pushing her away or trying to negotiate.
Li Juxiang continued, "Xiaocui Hou was just saying the other day that there’s a brother named Xiao Yuan who gave her chocolate and went to the creek to pick up stones with her."
Having been isolated as a child, Li Juxiang’s daughter, Li Cuicui, could only stand at a distance and watch other children play.
Cuicui didn’t dare to get closer; if she did, the kids would say their parents told them not to play with her, and then they would scatter.
The other day, Cuicui came home very happy, saying that a very handsome brother had played with her all afternoon, and even though the other kids told him not to play with her, he didn’t mind and even gave her chocolate.
Liu Jinxia opened her eyes, looking helpless and pained at her daughter, then turned to Cui Guiying, "Sister, let’s be honest with each other."
"Go ahead."
"Usually, out of twenty businesses, fifteen are really nothing. I’m just going through the motions, and they just want peace of mind.
Of the remaining four, while they seem a bit serious, they end up being nothing.
So, at most, there’s one that might have a little substance, but it’s not hard to deal with.
I won’t take your money because your husband helped us before. I can’t take your money; and for the usual business transactions, there’s no need to take any money for something like this."
"This, you, the child, you must save him, sister."
"I’ll help him." Liu Jinxia smiled and said, "Get me some stove ash."
"Okay."
The local stove has many grooves, and one groove is usually at the back, with a small incense burner placed on it.
Cui Guiying took down the incense burner and brought it to Liu Jinxia.
Liu Jinxia grabbed a handful of ash and held it in her hand, mumbling something.
No one could understand what she was saying, but she chanted for quite a while.
Liu Jinxia said, "It’s covered up now."
Before Cui Guiying could understand, Li Juxiang quickly covered Li Zhuiyuan's mouth and nose with her hand.
Liu Jinxia smeared the ash on the child's neck and shoulders, rubbing it like applying talcum powder.
But gradually, a frightening scene unfolded, causing Cui Guiying to cover her mouth.
Because she saw two purple marks appearing on her grandson's shoulder, looking like two handprints!
Liu Jinxia exclaimed, "So fierce... Daughter, let’s start."
"Okay."
Li Juxiang answered and went outside to get some things from the tricycle. She returned with an empty bowl and a brush, pouring ink into the bowl. Then she pulled out a ball of red thread that looked like it was for knitting but emitted a fishy smell when unraveled, leaving a lot of red on her palm.
Next, Li Juxiang tied one end of the red thread to her wrist and the other end to Li Zhuiyuan’s wrist, standing a distance apart.
Liu Jinxia dipped the brush in ink and began drawing circles on Li Zhuiyuan's forehead, continuing to chant.
At first, everything seemed normal, and nothing happened.
But as Liu Jinxia's speed of chanting and drawing increased, the red thread began to tremble.
Cui Guiying instinctively wanted to see if the other end of the thread was being pulled by Li Juxiang, but as she raised her head, she saw Li Juxiang’s mouth open in pain. Then, with a "thud," she knelt on the ground, leaning forward as if being pressed to bow.
Liu Jinxia glanced at her daughter with concern but did not slow her speed or pace.
"Ah... ah... ah..."
Li Juxiang fell to the side in pain, rolling on the ground, her legs kicking wildly, drooling from her mouth, her eyes wide open, and her face turning blue.
Cui Guiying stood by, worried about her grandson and concerned that Li Juxiang might get hurt.
However, as the pain reached its peak, Li Juxiang gradually calmed down, finally lying on the ground, breathing heavily.
Liu Jinxia also stopped, swaying a bit. Cui Guiying quickly reached out to support her.
"Go get a basin of hot water to wipe the child down."
"Okay."
Cui Guiying immediately complied, taking a basin and lifting the lid off the small stove in the middle, scooping out hot water with a wooden spoon.
After wetting a cloth, she began to wipe the ash off Li Zhuiyuan.
Not only was the ash wiped away, but the two purple handprints also faded like paint dissolving.
Cui Guiying looked at the cloth and saw that no purple marks had been left on it.
"Sister, is the child... better now?"
Liu Jinxia took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep puff, and began to cough violently, tears and snot streaming down her face from the smoke.
However, even though Cui Guiying didn’t get a timely answer from Liu Jinxia, she noticed that her grandson, who had been unconscious, was slowly opening his eyes.
"Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan, you’re awake!"
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying in confusion, then glanced around, finally hoarsely calling, "Grandma."
"Ah, you finally woke up! Thank the Buddha, thank the Buddha."
Beside them, Li Juxiang got up from the ground, took a clean bowl, and poured herself some water, sipping it slowly.
Li Zhuiyuan reached out, grabbing Cui Guiying's arm, leaning slightly to get into his grandmother's embrace.
Cui Guiying quickly held Li Zhuiyuan in her arms, comforting him, "My child, my little Yuanzi, my good child..."
Liu Jinxia said, "You take care of the child; let him sleep a bit more. He’ll be fine when he wakes up."
Li Juxiang walked over, helping her mother out the door.
Cui Guiying said, "When Han Hou comes back, I’ll talk to him..."
Liu Jinxia waved her hand, "Let’s wait until the child is completely well. We’ll go home first; don’t see us off."
Cui Guiying really couldn’t see them off any longer and could only continue to hold her grandson.
At that moment, in the comfort of his grandmother's embrace, Li Zhuiyuan began to fall asleep again, but this time, his sleep was much more peaceful, unlike before when he had been tightly pursing his lips and furrowing his brows, making people anxious.
On the way back in the tricycle, Liu Jinxia half-squatted, pulling down her daughter's collar to check the bruise around her neck, asking, "Does it hurt?"
"Mom, sit properly, don’t fall off."
Liu Jinxia sat back down, and after a long while, she slapped her thigh and cursed, "Xiang Hou, are we really destined to be worthless!"
...
Li Weihuan was still not back, so Cui Guiying sent Huzi and Shitou to find Li Sanjiang. When they returned, they reported that the servant at Li Sanjiang's house said he had gone out to deliver paper, and Li Weihuan had gone to look for him.
Cui Guiying understood; Li Sanjiang had gone to deliver the paper offerings. According to custom, the host would leave a meal, and since he liked to drink, who knows how long he would have to wait. Her husband must have gone to hurry him.
For dinner, Cui Guiying had the older children help her prepare. After dinner, Li Weihuan still hadn’t returned, so she arranged for the kids to sleep in the inner room.
She set up a door board to sleep in the kitchen with Li Zhuiyuan, who slept soundly.
While Cui Guiying fanned the child with a fan, she wiped her tears in pain, feeling that the child had truly suffered.
She also thought about her daughter, who had just gotten divorced, wondering how she was doing now.
Unlike other families that favored boys over girls, Cui Guiying and her husband had always favored this little girl.
The girl wanted to study, and she did well, so they supported her, ignoring what others said about girls’ education being useless and that it was better to marry early.
This favoritism toward their daughter naturally extended to their grandson.
Li Zhuiyuan had a dream where he was in a class for young students. The old professor at the podium closed his book and said, "Alright, class dismissed."
He followed his deskmate out of the classroom, weaving through a crowd of tall adults.
They entered the restroom and stood on the steps of the urinals.
His deskmate had already unbuttoned his pants and started to pee, urging him, "Zhuiyuan, you pee too, what are you waiting for?"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded, just as he was about to pull down his zipper, he suddenly woke up.
That dream ended, and he opened his eyes. In the moonlight outside, he saw his grandmother still holding the fan beside him.
That was close; he almost wet the bed.
Li Zhuiyuan's memories of the day were becoming hazy. He quietly climbed up, preparing to go to the restroom.
The restroom was a separate small building quite far from the main house, with a pit dug underground and a large jar buried in it. Above the jar was a hollow wooden seat. When Li Zhuiyuan first saw it, he thought it looked like a dragon throne from a movie.
Therefore, locals referred to using the restroom as "going to the porcelain jar."
At first, Li Zhuiyuan also went there to pee, but later, with his brothers' guidance, he finally understood that as long as he left the house and yard, he could mark his territory anywhere.
If he went out the front door, he would have to walk a bit further, so Li Zhuiyuan chose to go out the back door and headed to the river, which was closer.
Just as he was getting ready, he suddenly heard a "thud... thud... thud..." sound.
He looked down and saw the boat they had parked on the shore rocking.
Li Zhuiyuan’s mind flashed with images; it seemed like he had gone out fishing with his grandpa and brothers during the day?
Then, did they catch any fish? What did they have for dinner? Why couldn’t he remember anything?
"Thud... thud... thud..."
The boat continued to rock, but there were no waves on the river, and there was no wind.
Finally, Li Zhuiyuan recalled the events of the day, remembering the black hair, recalling his fall into the water, and the underwater... along with the fear.
Li Zhuiyuan's body softened, and he stumbled, sitting down on the ground. Instinctively, he reached for his shoulder, as if cold hands were still gripping it.
It was this sitting motion that changed his height, allowing him to see the boat's bottom, which had previously been hidden from view.
"Thud... thud... thud..."
It turned out there was a person under the water. Her head occasionally bobbed up, hitting the bottom of the boat before going back down, then resurfacing again, repeatedly, tirelessly.
Suddenly, the thudding stopped, and the boat stopped rocking.
That head surfaced again, no longer hitting the bottom of the boat, but slowly turning, with wet black hair sliding to the sides, revealing a small portion of a striking woman’s face.
Her face was very pale, so pale it seemed like it might dissolve under the moonlight at any moment.
At this moment, she seemed to have found the person she was looking for, her lips curling into a slow smile.
Her lips were still bright red, somewhat dazzling in the quiet night.
Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes hard, and when he looked again, he found that the upper half of the woman had emerged from the water, her arms hanging down by her sides.
Not daring to delay any longer, Li Zhuiyuan scrambled to his feet and ran towards the house. He tripped over the threshold and barely managed to grab the door frame to steady himself.
Looking back, the little yellow oriole, who had only been half-submerged in the river, was now standing on the lowest stone step.
"Grandma! Grandma!"
Li Zhuiyuan ran to the door board bed and pushed Cui Guiying, but she continued to sleep, holding the fan.
"Grandma, wake up! Grandma, wake up!"
Li Zhuiyuan kept calling, but Cui Guiying showed no signs of waking up.
"Drip... drip... drip..."
The sound of dripping water came from behind him.
Li Zhuiyuan turned around and first saw a pair of red high heels, then a fair, swollen ankle. The black cheongsam tightly wrapped around her body, with water droplets continuously dripping from the hem and her hair.
She stood there, straight and tall at the threshold!
(The chapter ends here.)