Li Zhuiyuan felt hungry after reading for a while, but Aunt Liu hadn't called everyone for a meal yet. She was still busy in the kitchen, preparing dishes. Breakfast had been pushed forward due to Xue Liangliang's loud shout, and lunch had been delayed because of Runsheng's arrival. By now, everyone must be hungry.
Li Zhuiyuan went to his room and picked out some snacks, placing them between himself and Ah Li. He mentally noted to remind Uncle Qin to buy snacks in pairs next time because Ah Li liked to eat the same ones as him.
Last night, on their way back on the tractor, Grandpa brought him a box of Jianlibao. Li Zhuiyuan took out two bottles and opened them in front of Ah Li. Ah Li held the drink with both hands, looking at it intently.
"Drink it and don't keep it," Li Zhuiyuan said immediately.
Ah Li lowered her head further.
"If you like it, I'll get you another unopened bottle later."
After all, this drink has a long shelf life and is sealed. Li Zhuiyuan figured that Grandma Liu, having endured the assault from stinky duck eggs, would easily accept a can like this.
Ah Li took a sip from the drink, mimicking Li Zhuiyuan, and then licked her lips with her tongue.
"This is your first time drinking this?"
Ah Li looked over; her expressions weren't varied, but Li Zhuiyuan could always understand them.
"If you like it, I have a whole box. You can drink one and take another each time. Once it's finished, I'll ask Grandpa to buy more."
Ah Li quickly took another sip. Though she didn't show any peculiar behavior, Li Zhuiyuan could almost see in his mind: a cute little girl happily kicking her legs, holding a Jianlibao with her eyebrows curved into a sweet smile.
"Shall we play chess?" Li Zhuiyuan suggested.
Upon hearing this, Ah Li promptly took out a small chess box that had been by her side all along.
They set up the board and began to play. Both of them usually played fast-paced chess, but this time, as the game reached the middle stage, it became a close match, with both sides equally matched. In the end game, Li Zhuiyuan barely lost.
It was the toughest win Ah Li had ever achieved against him, and the girl looked at Li Zhuiyuan with even brighter eyes. Li Zhuiyuan smiled despite losing. He had cleverly applied part of the calculations from the "Theory of Fate Calculation" to Go, resulting in unexpectedly good strategies.
Although the chessboard remained the same, it came alive for Li Zhuiyuan, enabling him to employ more flexible and varied strategies. However, as they started the second game, Li Zhuiyuan noticed Ah Li's style had changed too.
Having told her before not to deliberately lose, she wasn't intending to let him win this time but enjoyed playing more. Winning mattered less, and she valued the process. Yet this time, Ah Li's style turned unexpectedly steady, giving him no room for opening or chance. No matter how flexible or varied he became, it was useless against a mountain before him.
He was defeated, overwhelmed by the strength of the girl's chess.
Indeed, whether reading faces or fortune-telling, it's just another perspective of seeing the world. In essence, one remains oneself. Having an extra perspective is beneficial, akin to gaining an extra pair of eyes or ears, but immersing oneself too deeply in it can be as ridiculous as a little ant on an elephant's head thinking it has grown tall and mighty.
Seeing Li Zhuiyuan silent, Ah Li gently tugged his sleeve.
With a warm smile, Li Zhuiyuan explained, "I was just pondering something from the book, not because I lost the game. How could I not be happy losing to Ah Li?"
Just as he reassured the girl, Aunt Liu finally called everyone for the meal. They still dined at separate tables, but with Runsheng's presence, Li Sanjiang finally had a companion in solitude.
Li Zhuiyuan first served Ah Li her small portion and, after taking a few bites himself, turned to the sound of "grumble, grumble," much like distant thunder in the dry land.
He saw Runsheng in the corner; his stomach was rumbling. In front of him was a bowl with a large incense stick that Aunt Liu had prepared, which was currently burning. He was waiting for the incense to burn through before eating.
Once hunger passes a certain point, it often becomes less pressing, but when delicious food is right before you, the dormant hunger returns tenfold. For Runsheng, the anticipation was torturous.
Curious, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Brother Runsheng, do you have to wait until the incense finishes burning?"
"Yes, I have to," Runsheng swallowed hard and made a stirring motion with his hand, "I have to mix the ashes with my food to eat it."
Li Zhuiyuan remembered this habit, as Runsheng had mentioned it before, but he wanted to ask, "Brother Runsheng, is there much of a difference between mixing it with the finished ashes and eating it directly?"
"Huh?" Runsheng was taken aback, "I never thought about it. Doesn't everyone wait for the incense to finish burning?"
"But do normal people mix incense ash with their food?"
"Well...shall I try?”
Runsheng pulled the incense stick out of the bowl, took a bite from the untouched end, and as he chewed, his expression didn't show discomfort but rather spread into satisfaction, seemingly finding it unexpectedly delicious.
He then picked up his chopsticks and hurriedly shoveled several mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. After swallowing, he looked at the incense in his hand with delight and exclaimed, "I ate it without feeling sick, Little Yuan!"
Aunt Liu made the incense using an ancient method. While it wasn't intended for consumption, eating it shouldn't cause too many issues—especially considering Runsheng's stomach. Any potential effects would be nearly negligible.
Runsheng cheerfully bit the incense, enthusiastically eating his meal as if the incense were a big green onion that perfectly complemented his food.
Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Brother Runsheng, do you want some sauce?"
"Sauce?" Runsheng thought for a moment then nodded vigorously, "Yes, I do."
Aunt Liu went to the kitchen and brought him a bowl of salty sauce often served with early morning porridge, placing it next to him.
Runsheng dipped the incense into the sauce before taking another bite, his eyebrows rising in delight.
"Little Yuan, you're amazing! It's much tastier than waiting for the incense to burn down."
Runsheng seemed to have discovered a whole new culinary world, thoroughly enjoying his unprecedented dining experience.
Li Sanjiang smacked his lips while sipping his white liquor, watching Runsheng eat with such enthusiasm, and couldn't help but laugh-mockingly say:
"Darn it, I'll have to find some authentic Dongbei sauce for you. That stuff tastes good with anything."
Li Zhuiyuan drank some soup and asked, "Grandpa, have you been to Dongbei?"
Li Sanjiang wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaned back into his chair, and struck a heroic pose:
"Of course! When I was drafted, I was sent there, but later I escaped cleverly, sneaking out into Shanhai Pass."
Once he began sharing stories from the past, it took some time before he finished. Munching on another sip of liquor, he continued:
"After sneaking through the pass, I followed the railway southward, trying to get home. However, I didn't get very far before getting caught again!
"Then I got smart, made a break for it when the officer was drunk, sneaking an entire squad out one night.
"By the time I reached near Xuzhou, almost at our hometown, darn it, I got caught again.
"But that time, luckily, we were scattered within three days. Someone tried to regroup our unit, but I stirred enough trouble from the bottom to break us apart again.
"From then on, I learned a lesson—not daring to stick to main roads, traveling only where the paths were small and sparsely populated, safely returning home.
"Safe at home finally, I lay low, never going out wandering again until things settled."
"Grandpa, you're incredible." Li Zhuiyuan exclaimed.
Grandpa had joined all three major battles, albeit inadvertently aiding the frontlines while being on the opposite side.
Touching his bristled chin, Li Sanjiang humbly replied, "Well, I managed, haha."
Runsheng had downed half a bowl of rice by then, pausing briefly to join in:
"On the way here this morning, I saw a group showing films. They're screening 'Recon Missions' tonight at the town square. Little Yuan, you want to watch?"
"Brother Runsheng, after eating we have to visit the Niu family in Shigang."
"No worries, no worries." Li Sanjiang reassured, waving his hand, "A quick detour over there shouldn't keep us too late; you may get back in time."
Looking at Ah Li, Li Zhuiyuan knew she couldn't handle crowded events.
"We better not go; I'll just read at home. Brother Runsheng, you and Grandpa should go."
Suddenly, Liu Yumei interjected, "Ah Li has to go. Even if she sits far, she must see this movie."
After respectfully inviting Li Sanjiang into the house, everyone began to cry and plead.
Li Sanjiang comforted them and then started the ritual. After completing the first set, he repeated the words to ward off bad luck. Niu Rui’s son promptly offered another red envelope, so Li Sanjiang performed another ritual.
Before leaving, Niu Rui secretly slipped another red envelope to him, praying for Li Sanjiang to exorcise evil and cure his illness. Li Sanjiang accepted it and promised to light a long-burning candle for him after returning. However, he also reminded Niu Rui to take his medicine on time and keep visiting the doctor, no matter what.
This is part of the professional ethics of those in the fringe occupation—taking money to offer blessings, providing some psychological comfort, but one must continue medication and seek medical help.
However, this advice would likely further intensify the conflicts between Niu Rui and his family. Li Zhuiyuan knew well that Niu Rui's illness was incurable, which would become a bottomless pit, constantly giving hope and bringing deeper despair.
Niu Fu had become fully dependent after being paralyzed, hence his swift fall in status, but Niu Rui was still struggling. Although things weren't too dire for Niu Rui yet, if the current conflicts kept building up, they would inevitably explode into a spectacular disaster in the future.
Look at the hatred rising in the eyes of his family—they won't disappoint in how this ends.
Hence, when the Black Cat passed by, Li Zhuiyuan just nodded calmly.
When they arrived at Niu Lian’s home, Li Sanjiang was again respectfully invited inside by the family. Li Zhuiyuan couldn't find Niu Lian in the main room, so he checked the woodshed, but she wasn't there either.
Finally, he found Niu Lian chained next to the pigsty, beside the family toilet. It meant that every time her family came to use the toilet, they could chat with her sitting on the "throne." They were quite considerate of the elderly by not wanting her to be lonely.
Her food was placed in a bowl right next to the pig trough, with a scoop beside it used for feeding pigs—it seemed like when feeding the pigs, they would also feed her by the way.
As long as the pigs had a mouthful, she wouldn't miss even half.
She was wide awake, not numb, and when she saw outsiders coming, she covered her face with her hands to hide her shame.
Li Zhuiyuan saw her grandchildren, one with a bandaged head and the other with a bandaged arm, likely injured when Niu Lian had an episode. The two kids spat at her while throwing stones, not playfully, but aiming at her body.
Their parents saw this but did not stop them. Instead, they looked on with hatred in their eyes.
The Black Cat walked out from under the eave above the pigsty. Li Zhuiyuan did not speak. He walked farther away when Niu Lian cried out again, pleading that her illness was cured and asking her children to release her. She was met with curses from her children and kicking from her son in anger.
Niu Lian was kicked into a corner, screaming like a dog.
Clearly, they believed before and got "deceived."
The Black Cat leaped down step by step from a height until it arrived at Li Zhuiyuan's feet, rubbing its face against his pant leg.
Li Zhuiyuan bent down and patted its head.
The Black Cat enjoyed it, leaning close and exposing its belly.
Grandpa started a ritual, collected another red envelope, and helped redirect the misfortune to those two families.
As they left Niu Lian's house headed home, Runsheng pushed the cart with one arm steadying it while using the other hand to count fingers:
“Grandpa did rituals for all three families. They each asked him to pass on their bad luck, so isn’t it as if bad luck hasn’t gone anywhere?”
Li Zhuiyuan corrected, “Runsheng, it’s different.”
“How’s it different?”
“Because Grandpa collected three extra payments.”
“Oh right, Little Yuan, you're right!”
Back home, it was just time for the evening meal. After supper, Li Sanjiang yawned while waving his hand. “I won’t be joining the movie; I’ll take a bath and go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”
Today's rituals were intense. Even young people couldn’t handle dancing six rounds in an afternoon, but Grandpa pushed through. There’s no denying his stamina.
Uncle Qin brought many stools, and Aunt Liu didn't bother with cleaning as usual, setting aside chores temporarily to wait. Liu Yumei changed into a qipao with jewelry and put on rouge. At her age, makeup was more about showing respect than beauty.
The movie was screened at the town square and hadn’t started yet, but people were early to grab spots. Uncle Qin and Runsheng squeezed in and set up their stools to carve out space forcibly. With their frames, others could only resign and make room.
Then Uncle Qin offered candies to the children and cigarettes to the adults around. People accepted cheerfully without complaints.
Liu Yumei and Aunt Liu sat between the two. Despite being older, Liu Yumei remained graceful, contrasting distinctly with her surroundings.
Li Zhuiyuan, however, chose to sit with Qin Li in a quiet corner farther away from the screen. Though viewing wasn’t optimal from there, it was peaceful, suiting Qin Li, who was unsuited for crowded places.
Some small vendors set up stalls behind, selling cheap snacks and toys, common sights at any gatherings, be it weddings or funerals—always where crowds gathered.
While some children bought goodies, others could only watch enviously, offering opinions to those buying.
Li Zhuiyuan touched his pocket. While living with Li Weihan's family, Cui Guiying would occasionally give him some pocket money separately, which he usually spent collectively with his siblings at Aunt Zhang’s mini-mart for snacks to share.
After being sent to Grandpa’s place, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying visited him on the second day, bringing clothes and some money too—a notably larger sum this time.
Moreover, Li Sanjiang would also give him pocket money sometimes, yet Li Zhuiyuan had little to spend it on, thus saving it up.
In the children's circle, this made him quite affluent.
“Ah Li, wait here for me.”
Li Zhuiyuan went to a vendor stall and got two bubble-blowing toys.
Returning, he handed one to Qin Li while keeping one for himself.
As the movie played, they tirelessly blew bubbles at the back. Ah Li had a great time, quickly using up a pot. Considering her penchant for collecting, Li Zhuiyuan bought her three more.
While scanning the three stalls, he also picked up a pair of hand ropes.
The stalls offered many accessories like bow hair clips, colorful headbands, but considering Ah Li’s daily outfits designed by Grandma Liu, adding these might be mismatched.
Most importantly, he knew she would wear whatever he gave her, yet he didn’t want to take away Liu Yumei’s daily joy of dressing her granddaughter each morning.
Ah Li admired the red hand rope on her wrist, showing her fondness as she paused from blowing bubbles.
Soon, she shifted her gaze towards Li Zhuiyuan’s wrist.
He lifted his hand to reveal his blue hand rope, finally satisfying her as she resumed blowing bubbles.
When the movie ended, Liu Yumei and the others emerged.
Runsheng talked excitedly about movie lines, lamenting the lack of wars now, wishing he could enlist as a scout crossing the river.
Li Zhuiyuan humorously agreed, thinking it fitted Runsheng, and his professional skills more or less qualified him.
Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu stayed silent, like having attended a relative’s funeral.
Meanwhile, Liu Yumei had a handkerchief, wiping tears as she walked.
Li Zhuiyuan respectfully inquired, but seeing Liu Yumei reluctant to discuss, he let it go.
As they hurried back from the town square, Aunt Zhang from the convenience store rushed towards them from the opposite village road:
“A call came in, a call came in, it’s for you, Little Lord Yuan!”
...
The on-board seminar on the river ran much longer than anticipated. The local comrades seized every opportunity to actively push the project, and Luo Tingrui leveraged his expertise to elaborate on its key challenges to the surrounding leaders.
Though most aboard weren’t versed in water conservancy and engineering, it didn’t deter their keen interest.
For this bridge project, besides technical concerns, it involved aligning navigational needs, urban planning, highway construction, even military factors.
Foremost was societal development pace. Similar lessons weren’t new, what once seemed bold and pioneering plans quickly revealed their conservatism once completed.
Finally, as night descended, the seminar concluded.
The boat turned toward shore, and everyone started sharing cigarettes among themselves.
Xue Liangliang didn’t smoke. Alone at the ship’s side, he felt uneasy knowing he stood possibly above Bai Family Town.
Suddenly, he heard a noise from beneath the river surface.
Looking down, he thought he saw a silhouette below the water.
Then, a hand clapped his shoulder and startled him.
Turning, he found Luo Tingrui.
“What’s up, Liangliang, you’ve seemed out of it all day.”
“Director, I’m fine.”
“Not a fan of such meetings?”
“That’s not it, Director; I might just be tired. I understand the importance of these meetings.”
“Hmm, since you plan to enter this field, you need to adapt. We in technical roles might look down on administration, but without efficient organization, many tasks remain unachievable. Sometimes, the more professional you are in one area, the more amateurish you appear in others.”
“I understand, Director.” Xue Liangliang knew Luo Tingrui meant to advise him.
“Come on, we’re landing. Get a good rest on the way back; don’t miss tomorrow’s class.”
“Sure, Director.”
Once ashore, Xue Liangliang sat on the back of the bus. As it set off, he quickly dozed off.
In his sleep, he suddenly felt a chill below. Opening his eyes, he was stunned to find himself sitting with water filling the bus up to his waist.
Looking ahead, he could see the people sitting in front and hear their soft conversations, the cabin light faintly illuminating them.
“The bus is taking in water! Driver, mister, the bus is flooding!”
Xue Liangliang shouted, yet no response came; everyone seemed oblivious.
“Driver, stop! The bus is flooding! Sir! Director!”
Still, no one answered.
Gradually, the water rose to his chest. He tried opening the window but faced only darkness outside, and the window wouldn’t budge.
Suddenly, a figure seemed to flash across the darkness, so quick he thought he imagined it.
Yet soon, it appeared again, pressing against the window.
Under the bus’s dim light, the face appeared indistinct in the gloom, hard to discern gender.
“Click...”
Then suddenly, the window opened wide on its own.
Next instant, the water surged like finding an outlet, rushing out on his side.
Xue Liangliang felt the current force him out and into darkness, as his body floated uncontrollably.
“Splash...”
Who knew how long he drifted, like being tossed ashore by the river waves, until an intense ache below him and awareness returned.
Lowering his head, he found himself by the riverbank, lying on jagged stones with his hands, arms, chest, and thighs scratched and bloodied.
No major wounds, but the numerous abrasions were agonizing.
Enduring the pain, he struggled to stand, scanning the foggy surroundings under moonlight.
But roughly, he discerned it was the riverbank, not too far from where they boarded for the seminar.
How had he returned when he should’ve long left Nantong by bus?
Bewildered, he suddenly saw a woman ahead.
In a blue dress, with a ponytail, she carried a porcelain vase in her left hand and held a black umbrella with her right.
Why was she holding an umbrella?
As he had this thought, Xue Liangliang noticed heavy rain pouring, the large drops painfully striking him.
Was it raining all along?
“Hey, who are you!”
He shouted at her.
The woman seemed not to hear, walking directly toward the river’s edge.
Closer, Xue Liangliang glimpsed her face. Her makeup and brows held a worldly vibe, though she looked young.
Since leaving Siyuan Village for the hospital then the river, he hadn’t checked police bulletins, else he’d have seen her photo under police warrants for her arrest.
Seeing her continue stepping toward the water, Xue Liangliang grabbed her umbrella arm:
“What are you doing? Don’t think like that, you can’t go further!”
Unheeding, she kept moving forward.
“Splash...”
Incredibly, she exerted a force pulling him off balance.
Then he found his hand immovably stuck to her arm as they headed riverward.
The posture was extremely uncomfortable, preventing balance and scraping his lower half on stones.
Reaching the river, he barely found balance by buoyancy, but soon faced drowning helplessness, a terror much worse.
He fought desperately to no avail.
Underwater, she walked on the riverbed in blackness, while he floated with a hand still bound to her arm, drifting above as she moved below.
Every cry for help choked him with water instead.
Desperate, he grabbed her hair with his other hand, pulling it tight.
Despite his force, she stayed unaffected, steady as before. His upward tugging turned into hugging from behind, as she bore him along.
Her hair impossibly lengthened, so tough that even with just a few strands, he couldn’t tear free. The more he struggled to separate, the tighter it entwined.
Finally, he ended up clinging to her, practically riding her as she moved.
The agonizing suffocation persisted. Xue Liangliang couldn’t count how long he hadn’t breathed, suffering intensely, yet somehow remained conscious.
Far from a blessing, it prolonged his torture, until he wished to drown quickly for relief.
Eventually, in front of them appeared light.
Light beneath the Yangtze?
He spotted faint silhouettes of buildings as well.
Not only was there illumination below, but indeed a submerged village.
Suddenly, the hair bondage loosed, freeing his hand from hers too.
He didn’t float up but settled on the ground.
The woman marched ahead, led by the light, toward the shadowy settlement.
Horrified, Xue Liangliang noticed more figures in the murky depths. All women in long hair and different attire styles, from across eras even.
They moved emotionlessly like the undead, all toward one destination.
The currents felt vectored, dragging his prone body along helplessly.
Instinctively clawing for any anchor, his efforts failed—stones flipped, mud slipped away.
Reluctance and resistance were futile as he was pulled inexorably.
At last, nearing the light, more than a glow, it revealed a collection of red and white lanterns.
Approaching, the village emerged in detail, its orderly homes each bearing an altar with ever-burning lamps casting eerie greenish light.
Straight ahead stood a grand old archway, thick with moss.
Two rows of hanging lanterns flanked above, from large to small.
The left side bore red lanterns, for joy; the right, white for death.
Centering on the archway, Xue Liangliang read the three characters:
Right to left, "Bai Family Town."
(The chapter ends)