Home is the last harbor in a person's heart. No matter what troubles one faces outside, returning home can bring solace and shelter.
But now, she has come home!
Li Zhuiyuan, unable to wake Cui Guiying, hurried into the inner room where his brothers and sisters were sleeping on the floor.
“Panzi, wake up!”
“Leizi, hurry and wake up!”
“Sister Yingzi, wake up!”
Li Zhuiyuan ran through the sleeping forms, pushing and calling each one. Yet, like Cui Guiying in the kitchen, they remained unresponsive, trapped in deep slumber.
“Tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock…”
Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the door between the inner room and the kitchen, but the figure of the Little Yellow Oriole did not appear.
“Whew…”
He sighed with relief, but the next moment, he noticed a puddle forming beneath his feet, growing larger and starting to flow over the uneven ground.
“Tick-tock… tick-tock… tick-tock…”
Water droplets fell onto him, soaking his clothes, bringing a sticky, cold dampness.
Out of the corners of his vision, he saw a pair of hands.
Finally, icy hands grasped his neck.
Li Zhuiyuan trembled, a wave of suffocation crashing over him.
Yet soon, that feeling began to fade as those hands did not linger long at his neck, drifting downwards.
A shadow loomed from above, and Li Zhuiyuan struggled to lift his head.
At that moment, the person above also lowered their head, wet hair cascading down, sticking to the boy’s face like a dark veil, inching closer, slowly...
Until it engulfed him.
……
“Lord Han, slow down! It hurts, grr… it really hurts!”
Li Sanjiang, one hand wrapping around Li Weihan’s waist, the other gripping his backside, desperately trying to raise himself up a bit.
“Uncle, stop squirming! If you move too much, you’ll fall!”
“Pah! You’re riding so fast, how can I not move?”
After picking up Li Sanjiang from the funeral banquet, Li Weihan had been pedaling his bike home without stopping.
The narrow paths between the fields, filled with pits, were indeed a struggle for passengers, and besides, Uncle Li Sanjiang was getting older; he truly couldn’t withstand this kind of jostling.
Li Weihan had no choice but to slow down as they got closer to home, discovering the shortcuts became increasingly difficult to navigate.
“Ah, finally…” Li Sanjiang sighed with relief, patting his pants pocket to check for his cigarette case. “Lord Han, let’s stop and have a smoke.”
“We’re almost home, Uncle. We’ll smoke when we get there.”
“Hey, what’s the rush? Didn’t you already call for Liu Xiezi to come? By now, Little Lord Yuan is probably at home, eating and running around.”
“Can Liu Xiezi really help?”
Li Weihan wasn’t entirely convinced of Liu Jinxia’s abilities. He had seen that mother-daughter pair during their toughest times. If she truly had the ability to manage the ways of yin and yang, then why had he sunk to such despair?
In comparison, he trusted Li Sanjiang more; after all, the man had spent his life fishing up corpses, and in his memory, he’d always lived quite well.
“Well, you see, Liu Xiezi was a con artist in her early days. But later, she figured out a few things. There’s an old saying, ‘thin ropes tend to break more easily,’ so where she goes, she breaks them first, and through practice, she gained some experience.”
“What do you mean, Uncle? I don’t quite understand.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Worst case scenario, your Little Lord Yuan has just been afflicted by a curse. This sort of thing, Liu Xiezi can indeed handle, considering the favors you’ve done for her in the past.”
“I’m just worried about the child. I’d rather take the curse upon myself.”
“You, Lord Han, are really biased. Long ago, you spoiled your little girl, and now you spoil your grandson. But that’s understandable; your little girl is indeed capable. This double-barreled approach was set up by her, wasn’t it?
But getting cursed isn’t necessarily a painful experience. Sometimes it can even be quite enjoyable, just like those who hang themselves—before the rope tightens around their neck, everything in sight looks enthralling.”
“Uncle, why does that sound like a good thing?”
“Good thing? Of course not. Just see it as your grandson temporarily catching a bout of fortune sickness. Which village hasn’t had a few playful misfortunes now and then? It’s just a minor illness.”
“By the way, Uncle, what do you plan to do about that dead body?”
“Do?” Li Sanjiang’s tone suddenly grew serious, his expression shifting into something severe. “I think life’s been too peaceful, and now you want to rush me into dealing with something that can walk in water?”
Li Weihan's heart tightened at those words, and he picked up his pace.
“Hey, hey! Slow down! Lord Han, what sort of frenzy are you in? Even if that dead body is powerful, find an escape, and it’ll be nothing serious. Can it chase you home?”
“Here we are!”
The double-barreled bike reached the courtyard, and Li Weihan quickly dismounted to steady it.
Li Sanjiang jumped off the rear seat, rubbing his backside.
“Guiying, Guiying!” Li Weihan called.
“Coming, coming! Keep it down; the kids are sleeping,” Cui Guiying walked out to greet Li Sanjiang first. “Uncle, you’re here.”
“Ah, here.” Li Sanjiang deftly waved his sleeve, “Let’s see the child first.”
Approaching the door panel, Li Sanjiang crouched down to check on Li Zhuiyuan.
“Should I wake the child up?” Cui Guiying asked.
“No need, the child is fine now, the curse is gone. Has Liu Xiezi come?”
“She has.” Cui Guiying explained what had happened that afternoon.
Li Sanjiang nodded after listening: “Looks like Guiying, you were kind-hearted and generous in letting Lord Han come to help that mother and daughter, and this is the result today. Your good deeds are being repaid through your descendants.”
“Uncle, you speak as if it were a big deal; it’s really not.”
“It is indeed a big deal. If it were anyone else in the past, would Liu Xiezi have been willing to lend a hand?
Consider this debt of kindness; no matter how reluctant she is, she must acknowledge it, but surely she feels wronged and regretful. Now she’s likely at home crying over her misfortunes.”
“Uncle, sit down.” Li Weihan offered a small stool underneath Li Sanjiang and took out a cigarette to light for him, then turned to his wife. “Guiying, bring out some food to ward off hunger.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the locked cabinet.
Cui Guiying unlocked it and took out some egg cake and biscuits, laying them out before the two men. She said apologetically to Li Sanjiang, “Uncle, I’ll buy some meat tomorrow. Please come over for a good meal.”
“Ah, what’s the fuss over this? Just put it away. How can I take the children’s food?”
Li Weihan opened a biscuit tin and handed a biscuit to Li Sanjiang, inspecting a metal box and saying, “Guiying, make sure to keep the tin handy after the biscuits are gone. It’ll be perfect for needles and buttons.”
“Got it.”
Li Sanjiang munched a few biscuits, and when Li Weihan offered him more, he waved them away, patting his pants, “Alright, the child is fine now. I'm going home.”
“I'll take you back on the bike.”
“No, no. I won’t ride anymore.”
“Then I won’t ride, I’ll walk back with you. Guiying, bring the flashlight.”
At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan, who had been deep asleep, suddenly twitched, his breathing growing heavy, cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
Li Sanjiang quickly sat back down to check on the child.
Li Weihan anxiously said, “Uncle, what’s wrong with the child...”
“It’s nothing. He’s probably just having a bad dream. It’s normal. At first, when cursed, he may think that dirty thing is quite charming, but once he realizes, he’ll get scared. Don’t worry; the child will forget this in a few days.”
Li Weihan and Cui Guiying nodded; of course, they hoped the child was fine.
“Ah!”
Li Zhuiyuan shouted, sitting up abruptly and gasping for air.
“Little Lord Yuan, Little Lord Yuan.” Cui Guiying rushed over to embrace Li Zhuiyuan, gently patting his back. “It’s okay now; you’re not afraid. Grandma is here, Grandma is here.”
Li Zhuiyuan first looked at Cui Guiying, then at Li Weihan, and finally his gaze fell on Li Sanjiang, whom he met for the first time.
Li Sanjiang pointed to his own nose, smiled, “Little Lord Yuan, I’m your great-grandfather.”
Li Zhuiyuan blinked, as if recalling what he had just dreamed, immediately turned to the back door, pointing, “Little Yellow Oriole! Little Yellow Oriole! She came to our house!”
“Good child, that was just a nightmare. She’s already been chased away by your grandma. She won’t dare come to find my grandson anymore.”
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying with some doubt, “Really, Grandma?”
Li Weihan let out a sigh of relief, “Looks like the boy really did have a scary dream, hehe.”
Seeing everything developing along with Li Sanjiang’s words, Li Weihan and his wife finally felt at ease.
Only Li Sanjiang, following Li Zhuiyuan’s pointing, looked at the back door. His expression gradually grew serious.
“Lord Han, give me the flashlight.”
Li Weihan didn’t give it, saying, “Uncle, I said I’d take you back.”
“Give it to me!”
Li Sanjiang snatched the flashlight from Li Weihan’s hand.
“Uncle, I’ll walk you back. You’ve been drinking, and it’s night….”
“Step aside!”
Li Sanjiang shoved Li Weihan aside, striding toward the back door.
“Uncle?” Li Weihan glanced at his grandson, then immediately followed.
Li Sanjiang stepped past the threshold, arriving at the riverbank directly behind the back door, shining the flashlight at the water below.
“Uncle, is there still something to be done?”
Li Sanjiang spat on the ground, lowering his voice. “The child dreaming about any other thing is normal and not a big deal, but if the dead body came to our house, that’s terrifying.”
“What? It really came to our house?”
Li Sanjiang raised his hand, signaling Li Weihan to be quiet, then continued sweeping the flashlight over the nearby river and the boat, but after searching several times, he found nothing.
“Uncle, there’s nothing at all,” Li Weihan whispered.
“Shhh, Lord Han, can you hear something?”
Li Weihan listened attentively, shaking his head, “Uncle, did you hear anything? I didn’t.”
“Ha.” Li Sanjiang rubbed his nose, “On a summer night like this, by the river, how could it possibly be so quiet?”
Suddenly, Li Weihan understood. Yes, it was too quiet over at his place; usually, the sounds of cicadas and frogs filled the air like a grand concert, yet today, there was complete silence—deathly quiet.
Now, seeing the serene surface of the lake and the floating water plants made Li Weihan feel chills; that dead body could be lurking anywhere.
Li Sanjiang turned back towards the house and said to Cui Guiying, “Guiying, bring me a bowl of yellow wine.”
“Ah, should I fry some peanuts and eggs for you too?”
“Just get the wine, no more chatter!” Li Weihan urged. He knew full well that Li Sanjiang didn’t want to drink here.
Cui Guiying quickly brought a bowl of yellow wine. Li Sanjiang took it and crouched in front of Li Zhuiyuan, smiling, “Little Lord Yuan, it’ll hurt a bit in a while. Don’t shout; just bear with it, got it?”
Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, then nodded at Li Sanjiang.
“Good boy,” Li Sanjiang said.
Pouring the yellow wine over Li Zhuiyuan’s neck provoked a reflexive spasm, and though it hurt, he kept his lips pressed tightly together.
Once the boy’s neck and shoulders turned red, Li Sanjiang leaned in close, drawing in a deep breath of air.
Afterward, he widened his eyes, lightly pushed Li Zhuiyuan away, and stumbled back to the ground.
“Uncle! Uncle?” Li Weihan rushed over to help.
Cui Guiying checked Li Zhuiyuan's neck, feeling a pang of heartache. But knowing the situation had changed again, she didn’t dare say much, only silently patted the child’s head.
“Cigarettes, Lord Han, give me some.”
“Ah.”
Li Weihan quickly lit one for him.
Li Sanjiang inhaled deeply, exhaling smoke.
Li Weihan noticed Li Sanjiang’s hand, grasping the cigarette, was trembling.
“Guiying, take the child inside.” Li Sanjiang pointed toward the inner room. “Close the door.”
“What really happened?” Cui Guiying couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Uncle asked you to do things as he says,” Li Weihan hurriedly gestured for her to comply.
Cui Guiying took a deep breath, then picked up Li Zhuiyuan, carrying him into the room and closing the door.
In the kitchen, only the two men remained.
“Uncle?”
“Lord Han, things have become problematic.
This afternoon, Liu Xiezi definitely cleared the curse off Little Lord Yuan; if she did it, it wouldn’t be left unfinished.
But just now, I caught a whiff of that corpse scent from the child’s neck. I’ve spent my whole life fishing up corpses, and let me tell you; the smell of corpses soaked in water is different from the others. My nose won’t make mistakes.”
Gesturing seriously at Li Weihan, Li Sanjiang continued, “That dead body truly followed you home.”
Hearing this, Li Weihan’s heart dropped, and he jumped up, grabbing the axe for chopping firewood from the cupboard, where such tools could only be kept high because of the numerous kids in the house.
“Damn it, I’ll face off against that thing!”
Li Sanjiang narrowed his eyes and took another puff of his cigarette, slowly saying, “What if it doesn’t come out?”
“What?” Li Weihan didn’t comprehend, “If it doesn’t come out, isn’t that a good thing?”
“It remains by your house, and you can't find it. It’s just watching your family: day after day; first Little Lord Yuan, then Little Lord Pan, Little Lord Lei, Little Lord Hu, and finally Guiying and you.
While others offer their gods and Buddhas for protection, your family hosts an evil spirit.
It won’t be long before someone gets sick, misfortune strikes, and the family falls apart.”
Li Weihan stared blankly, asking, “What do we do? Should I… should I leave and stay at my son’s place?”
“If it can follow you once, why can’t it follow you a second time?”
“Uncle, is there any way?”
“Well, there is a way.” The cigarette butt at the corner of Li Sanjiang’s mouth flickered dimly.
“Uncle, you must help me.” Li Weihan squatted next to Li Sanjiang. If it were someone else saying these words, he would suspect they were trying to scare him for some hidden purpose, but with Li Sanjiang, there was no doubt.
“That dead body in the water carries strong grudges and is not easily provoked. And this one that can come to your home? Even I have never seen its kind before; it’s truly something.”
“But, Uncle, a grievance has its source, and a debt has its owner. What does this have to do with Little Lord Yuan?”
“Ha.” Li Sanjiang sneered, rubbing out the cigarette butt with his fingers. “I suspect she wants the grievance to have a cause, but not finding her enemy, she can only latch onto the first person she encounters for dear life.”
Li Weihan seemed to grasp something, his eyes filled with hesitation and contemplation.
Li Sanjiang continued, “Isn’t that dead body the woman who danced and sang at Big Beard’s funeral yesterday? The one they called Little Yellow Oriole when you picked me up?”
“Rei Hou saw her; I didn’t go to Big Beard’s yesterday, so I’m not sure.”
“It’s definitely Little Yellow Oriole; Rei Hou might have made a mistake, but Little Lord Yuan wouldn’t. He called out her name as soon as he woke up from the dream.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“You mentioned the villagers saw Little Yellow Oriole sneak into the woods with Big Beard’s youngest son last night. The day after, the funeral team caused a ruckus at Big Beard’s home, and he paid them off to settle it.
This has something to do with…"
The word "ghost" was choked back by Li Sanjiang at that moment; he needed to watch his words.
“…This has something to do with an unsettled mind. Ha, that’s how it is. If Big Beard really didn’t have any dirty dealings, why would he be so weak?
Big Beard, oh Big Beard, he's similar to the bandits before liberation in Northeast China—with that kind of rough demeanor, who knows what kinds of evil he’s committed?”
Upon reaching this point, Li Sanjiang paused and reached for a biscuit from the tin nearby, taking a bite and smiling. “This biscuit has a strong milky flavor. It must not be cheap; your little girl must have sent it.”
Li Weihan pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit it, taking a few deep drags. Then he rubbed his forehead and eyes, noticing the veins had popped out in his eyes as he looked back toward Li Sanjiang.
“Uncle, do you not trust my character?”
Li Sanjiang picked up another biscuit but didn’t reply, continuing to eat.
Li Weihan went on, “Uncle, back then when I was trying to marry off my four sons, it was truly difficult.
Not only did you have to let me farm your fields, but you also compensated me for my labor every time I helped you. When Guiying came to help you with the paper and paste, it was so awkward because her skills were so rough. Even then, Uncle, you still paid her.
After we got through the hardest times, I stopped farming your fields because I knew that renting them out would earn you more in return. And as for Guiying, I felt embarrassed to ask her to go again, worrying she would treat it like before when she was part of the village's public division.
Although I really couldn’t take advantage of your kindness anymore, I’ll always remember your kindness, Uncle.
I’ve said it before; when your legs can no longer carry you, I, Li Weihan, will come to take care of you and support you in your old age.
Uncle, you need to trust my character.”
Li Sanjiang nodded.
“Hehe.” Li Weihan chuckled a couple of times, reaching out for a biscuit. He was genuinely hungry as he hadn’t eaten anything since this afternoon.
“Smack!”
His hand was swatted away, and the biscuit fell back.
Li Sanjiang stood up, saying, “Eat? Just save that for offerings.”
Li Weihan was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood; after all, he had helped Li Sanjiang out for a while before.
Opening the door to the inner room, he saw Cui Guiying, holding the child, leaning slightly forward.
As the door opened, Cui Guiying hurriedly fixed her hair around her ears, asking, “Have you finished talking?”
“Guiying, come help arrange the offering table. Little Lord Yuan should rest first.”
At that moment, Li Sanjiang’s voice came from behind, “Leave Little Lord Yuan here for now.”
Li Weihan turned to look at Li Sanjiang, his brow furrowing, but after hesitating, he seemed to have made up his mind, signaling his wife to bring the child out.
Li Zhuiyuan had been sleeping since the afternoon, so he was not sleepy. He obediently sat on a small stool, watching the adults bustle about.
“Are you dim-headed!” Li Sanjiang pointed toward the offering table that Li Weihan had just moved outside, scolding, “Do you want everybody to see?”
He signaled them to move the table inside and set it here!
This is a flat rural area without mountains or tall buildings blocking views. If they lit candles and burned paper money outside, anybody who passed by could see it from afar. Soon enough, the word would spread.
After all, which normal person would perform ceremonies in the dead of night?
Li Weihan quickly moved the table back inside, positioning it against the wall near the back door.
Cui Guiying began preparing the offerings: four plates laid out, with biscuits, egg cake, peanuts, and one plate remained empty.
“Uncle, there’s no meat at home,” Cui Guiying looked at Li Sanjiang, “There’s no salted meat or preserved meat left.”
With over ten children living in the house, it was difficult to have leftovers; even the pickled vegetables were running low.
Li Sanjiang pointed to the locked cabinet where snacks were kept: “Is there any meat floss?”
“There is,” Cui Guiying nodded. “Is that okay?”
“It’s still meat; it’ll do.”
“Understood.”
At last, a plate of meat floss was placed on the table, completing the offering.
Li Weihan brought in a rough iron bucket from outside the house. This time, he didn’t need to be reminded and automatically placed the bucket in the corner of the kitchen.
Ghost money was still a rare commodity at that time; they needed to buy it from a ghost store in town; villagers were often reluctant to use it for small rituals. However, yellow paper and ingots were stockpiled in almost every household.
The gold and silver ingots were made by women folding them up, while yellow paper could be kept in the commode as toilet paper.
Li Sanjiang first lit the two candles on the offering table, then set fire to a few sheets of yellow paper, quickly waving them in front of the table while reciting incantations. He then ran back to throw half-burned yellow papers into the iron bucket as fuel. Cui Guiying immediately added other yellow papers and ingots to burn as well.
Li Weihan poked around with a thin stick to ensure they burned thoroughly before taking the bucket outside to dump the ashes.
When he returned, he noticed Li Sanjiang had pulled out a bell, deftly using his dirty fingers to dig out a cotton ball stuck inside.
“Ding ding ding…”
With a light shake, the sound was crisp.
Li Sanjiang unfastened the bell’s string and walked over to Li Zhuiyuan. “Come, Little Lord Yuan, raise your right hand.”
Li Zhuiyuan obediently complied, watching as Li Sanjiang tied the bell to his wrist.
Next, Li Sanjiang picked up the incense burner from the offering table, contemplating for a moment before significantly shortening the three incense sticks, only leaving a little bit of the tips to insert back into the burner.
“Little Lord Yuan, hold this.”
Li Zhuiyuan stood up, carrying the incense burner.
At this point, Cui Guiying finally understood the situation, instinctively trying to move forward, but Li Weihan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back firmly.
“How could you let Little Lord Yuan…”
Li Weihan sternly glared at his wife.
Li Sanjiang extended his hand, covering Li Zhuiyuan’s ears, then lifted his head to gaze at the couple casually, asking, “Let me ask you one last time, are we doing this or not?”
“Let’s do it!” Li Weihan immediately replied.
“If something happens to Little Lord Yuan…” Cui Guiying jerked her arm, trying to break free from her husband’s grip.
Li Weihan’s voice turned low, “If there’s nothing, he’ll be fine. If there is something, even without doing anything, Little Lord Yuan will also be in danger, because that thing is staring at our Little Lord Yuan!”
Hearing this, Cui Guiying stopped resisting, letting her arms drop.
Li Sanjiang smiled slightly, “Lord Han, you need to think this through. If word gets out here in this village, it won't be easy to deal with.”
Even if there was no dead body and it was all just a nonsensical joke, holding such a ceremony at home could lead to serious consequences if others found out.
“Ha.” Li Weihan scoffed, “Uncle, I’m not afraid of Big Beard’s family. I have four sons too.”
In rural areas, the more grown sons a family has, the more confidence they possess.
While his four sons were far from model sons and there had been plenty of disagreements among the daughters-in-law, when the Li family faced trouble from the outside world, those four sons would undoubtedly unite to defend their family.
“Alright, let’s do it!” Li Sanjiang released his hand covering Li Zhuiyuan’s ears, bending down close to the boy. “Little Lord Yuan, you will follow me in front, you walk behind, slowly, don’t spill the incense burner. Got it?”
“Um, got it.”
“Good boy, obedient.”
Li Sanjiang led Li Zhuiyuan out the back door, turned, and looked back at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, saying, “Stay by the house; don’t follow us. Too many people might draw attention and scare her.”
“Okay, Uncle. Please take care of things.”
“Make sure to close the door at home.”
“Sure, Uncle.”
Li Weihan pulled his wife back inside, shutting the doors and windows tightly.
Underneath the night sky by the river, only Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan remained.
“Wait for me a moment, Little Lord Yuan.”
Li Sanjiang greeted him and jumped down the stone steps by the river, crouching down, repeatedly swiping at the surface of the water while whispering something.
Standing a bit far, Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.
As he spoke, it seemed like Li Sanjiang leaned back a bit, preparing to run multiple times, as if something in the water could jump up at any moment.
Finally, he finished speaking, running back quickly, still panting.
“Alright, Little Lord Yuan, I will go first. You stay close behind; remember, no matter what happens next, and regardless of what sounds you hear, you must hold onto this incense burner and never look back, understood?”
“Understood.”
“Mm, good.”
Li Sanjiang moved ahead, creating a distance of over twenty meters, turning back to wave at Li Zhuiyuan, signaling him to come along.
Yet, Li Zhuiyuan stood still, unable to move.
“Come on, follow me, Little Lord Yuan.”
“But…” Li Zhuiyuan wanted to turn his head, yet remembered Li Sanjiang’s instructions. Instead, he held the already extinguished incense burner with one hand, pointing towards the river, “Aren’t we waiting for her?”
“Waiting for who?”
“For her, Little Yellow Oriole.”
“Little Yellow Oriole? What about her?”
“She didn’t come with us.”
Li Sanjiang was taken aback for a moment, walking back to scrutinize Li Zhuiyuan closely, asking, “Little Lord Yuan, do you know what we are doing?”
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, then nodded.
Li Sanjiang was a little surprised, looking at Li Zhuiyuan and muttering, “You take after your mother; you’re very clever.”
It occurred to Li Sanjiang suddenly, fixing his gaze on Li Zhuiyuan, asking, “Can you sense her?”
“Mm.”
“Where is she… now?”
Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth but didn’t speak, as if he were deep in thought or waiting. Finally, he spoke, “She’s here.”
“Where?” Li Sanjiang’s heart skipped a beat.
“Just a moment ago, she was in the water…”
“Whew…” Li Sanjiang exhaled in relief.
“Now, she’s behind me.”
Li Sanjiang: “…”
Instinctively, Li Sanjiang wanted to shift his gaze from Li Zhuiyuan’s head to look behind him, but he restrained that impulse.
But even without looking, he could smell a pungent odor of decay in the air—an aroma he was all too familiar with.
She had truly come.
Li Sanjiang gulped, feeling nervous. He wanted to stop the whole incident, but with the thought of what the consequences could be… Damn it, why should the Han family bear the burden for the misdeeds of others!
“Little Lord Yuan, remember what your great-grandfather said just now.”
“Mm.”
Li Sanjiang closed his eyes, raising both hands high, slowly standing up; that smell of decay grew stronger.
He turned and walked a distance forward, a distance that was how far he would monitor the floating corpses while fishing.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes, looking back.
Little Lord Yuan stood there, clutching the incense burner. Behind him was a stretch of darkness where moonlight could not reach.
“Little Lord Yuan, stay close, alright?”
“Mm.”
“Mm.”
Li Sanjiang began to walk forward, the sound of “ding ding ding” ringing out behind him.
He did not follow the village path but intentionally walked along the riverside or through small groves. Even though it was late at night with few pedestrians around, he intended to be as cautious as possible, ensuring no outsiders discovered anything.
After a while, Li Sanjiang paused, and the bell sounds behind him halted as well.
Turning to look back, he saw that Li Zhuiyuan was still standing over twenty meters away. Behind the child, he vaguely saw a figure pressing closer.
“Little Lord Yuan, keep up, we are almost there.”
“Mm.”
“Mm.”
Li Sanjiang continued leading the way, intermittently stopping, and the sound of the bell continued ringing behind him.
Finally, just a roundabout away from Big Beard’s front yard, Li Sanjiang arrived in front of the courtyard.
By now, it was late into the night; not only was Big Beard's house dark, but a few nearby houses showed no sign of light either, and no figures could be seen.
Li Sanjiang turned sideways and crouched down, extending his left hand toward Big Beard’s house and his right toward where Li Zhuiyuan stood, speaking earnestly.
“I offer you this today and will send you a sacrifice next year. Is this enough to satisfy you?
Whether in life or death, fairness must be upheld!
If you’ve suffered grievance, seek revenge; if there’s hatred, repay in kind. The world is filled with suffering—do not involve the innocent in it.”
After finishing, he sneaked a glance in Li Zhuiyuan’s direction, noticing that the two figures—one large, one small—remained quiet, standing still.
“Little Lord Yuan, kneel down.”
Li Zhuiyuan didn’t kneel but stood there, holding the incense burner.
“Little Lord Yuan?” Li Sanjiang urged softly.
“Grandfather… I can’t kneel.”
Li Zhuiyuan wanted to kneel, but there was a force from his shoulder holding him up, preventing him from sinking down.
Li Sanjiang took a deep breath, continuing with his invocation.
“This child is still young; he doesn’t understand and owes you nothing. The path guides you, and I point the way. Do you truly wish to ignore reason entirely?”
But nothing changed on the other side, just the same two figures, standing still.
A flicker of anger sparked in Li Sanjiang’s eyes. He pulled back his hands, previously extended to “build a bridge,” and plunged his fingers into the ground, pressing down until his fingernails embedded deep in the muddy earth.
“You walk in water while I float on the surface; if you won’t take the courtesy, and you disregard reason, then fine! Please show yourself, let’s ask the Dragon King for a fair judgment!”
Li Sanjiang’s expression turned grave. He had long wanted to avoid confronting that presence directly, but events had reached a point where he could no longer do so. He couldn’t possibly bring this dead body home after having it emerge.
Suddenly, with a loud creak, the heavy iron gate of Big Beard’s home swung open.
Li Sanjiang turned to look, realizing two figures stood behind the gate—Big Beard and his youngest son—both in large shorts, bare-chested and barefooted.
At that instant, a wave of trepidation washed over Li Sanjiang. What he was doing was already sneaky enough; if they discerned him up close, it would be hard to deal with later.
However, he quickly sensed something was off.
Big Beard and his son were walking with halting steps, not glancing at the figure standing outside but rather dazedly pacing toward the fish pond.
As they passed in front of Li Sanjiang, he observed both men walking on their toes, their heels lifted off the ground.
The father and son staggered sideways together, yet they seemed impervious to falling. Coming to the edge of the fish pond, they did not stop; instead, they continued walking into the water.
The water surface rose to their knees, then to their waists, later to their shoulders, and finally… submerged them entirely.
“Plop!”
Li Zhuiyuan felt himself being released, sitting down on the ground. Witnessing this, Li Sanjiang rushed to his side, shielding the child.
“Child, are you alright?”
Li Zhuiyuan didn’t respond but dazedly pointed forward.
Ahead, the figure of the Little Yellow Oriole appeared, arms outstretched, hands open, groping as she moved slowly, reaching the edge of the fish pond before stepping into the water.
As if sensing the water beneath her, she gradually lowered her arms and began to walk more steadily.
She started swaying her hips, just like she had danced for the pond last night.
Her dance was still unrefined, with stiff joints and imperfect movements, but she was deeply engaged in it.
Under the moonlit night, her figure swayed in and out of view—disappearing and resurfacing, half-hidden, and then visible.
With each reappearance, the water rose higher over her.
Gradually, her legs began to vanish beneath the hem of her qipao; her swaying hips concealed, her modest bosom hidden by the garment.
The water reached her neck, enchanting her long strands of hair. She raised her arms toward the night sky, continually performing.
In no time, her head was submerged, leaving only her arms above the water, then her wrists, finally her hands…
When they too slowly sank beneath the surface, only a tangle of black water plants remained.
At last, along with the final ripple,
everything
disappeared.
Li Sanjiang picked up Li Zhuiyuan, who had just the split moment to escape, and began jogging away, only pausing to lay down the child a distance later, pulling out his cigarette case while rubbing his aching back.
Seeing the child dazed beside him, he reassured, “Just remember, listen to great-grandfather, and treat this like a dream. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll forget everything.”
Li Zhuiyuan nodded obediently but believed that the image he just witnessed would forever be etched in his memory.
Shaking the ashes from his cigarette, observing Li Zhuiyuan’s low spirits, Li Sanjiang teased, “Little Lord Yuan, think of something happy coming up soon.”
“Something happy?”
Li Sanjiang pointed toward Big Beard’s home, responding, “Eating at a feast!”
(End of Chapter)