Once, Panzi and Leizi had boasted to Li Zhuyuan that some stars, even when fully clothed, they could still vividly imagine them in their naked forms. Now, as Li Zhuyuan looked at the lively figures of Ding Dalin and Secretary Jin before him, his mind was filled with grotesque images of their skinned bodies, blood splattering and writhing.
It was summer, and the morning sun shone brightly, yet a sudden chill crept in, making one shiver unexpectedly. Ding Dalin bent down, his face breaking into a kind smile as he asked, "What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me anymore?"
Li Sanjiang laughed and replied, "How could that be? This kid just told me about you, saying you..."
At that moment, a wave of fear shot down Li Zhuyuan's spine, making him feel cold all over. However, Li Sanjiang's words were already on the verge of spilling out, and there was no stopping them. "…said that you gave him a huge red envelope last time, praising you for being such a great grandpa."
"Oh, really? Hahaha!" Ding Dalin laughed heartily.
Li Zhuyuan felt dizzy; the sensation of narrowly escaping from doom surged through him like a raging river.
Li Sanjiang gently patted Li Zhuyuan's head and said, "This child remembers who treats him well; unlike other kids, who can forget you the moment your back is turned."
Ding Dalin nodded, "That’s true about people."
"Exactly! Some kids, they are born ungrateful, no matter how much care you give them, they won’t appreciate it."
"Sanjiang Hou," Ding Dalin straightened up, shifting his gaze away from the boy to Li Sanjiang. "Come on, let’s go sit at my place. We can have lunch at noon."
"How can I accept that?"
"What’s there to feel bad about? I have plenty of leftovers from yesterday’s banquet; don’t be picky, come help me finish them."
After a banquet, there would always be some leftover dishes. If they spoiled too much, they’d open a few small tables the next day for close relatives to finish them off. These meals weren’t as fancy, just cold dishes piled together and warm familiar dishes, simply prepared but still good wine and food.
Li Sanjiang replied, "Having lunch? We don’t need to go that early, do we?"
At this moment, Li Zhuyuan managed to stabilize his expression, confirming that he wouldn’t tremble while speaking. Just as he prepared to make excuses to reject the invitation for his great-grandfather, he looked up to meet the gaze of Secretary Jin.
She smiled softly, but there was an emptiness and coldness flickering in her eyes.
It was hard for ordinary folk to notice, but Li Zhuyuan had a habit of observing and imitating others. After reading "Essentials of Yin-Yang and Physiognomy," he had become even more adept at noticing subtle expressions. The defensive walls he had just erected began to crumble once again.
She stayed silent, possibly just his imagination, but he genuinely felt as though he received a silent warning. Was it directed at him? Or at the great-grandfather? Or perhaps, at anyone who could see through their facade?
"It’s like this; I want to contract a piece of land. I’ll pay the rent all at once, but it must be under your name."
"How big is the plot?"
"More than ten acres."
"And for how long?"
"Thirty years."
"Then you have to go!" Ding Dalin teased, "Oh, you Sanjiang Hou, you think I won’t live that long, huh?"
"Thirty years? How could we live that long? At our age, if we lasted for another thirty years, our skin would likely crack and fall apart."
"Haha, we are both old enough, not like young people who care about their appearances; if the skin cracks, it cracks, can’t we just stitch it up?"
Li Zhuyuan felt a lurch in his heart. He feared that his great-grandfather would accidentally blurt something out that would really provoke others.
Though he knew his great-grandfather had blessings, Grandma Liu had also mentioned that luck had to be earned through connections and environments. If they met a hard situation, even luck might not help.
The harrowing events at the big bearded man’s house last night had already exceeded Li Zhuyuan’s imagination. What he was experiencing now only pushed the bizarre and terrifying circumstances further into his mind.
Faced with such situations, Li Zhuyuan felt his great-grandfather’s luck wouldn’t hold.
"Alright, let’s go." Li Sanjiang stroked his chin and looked down at Li Zhuyuan beside him. "Coincidentally, at this time, I should also set up my will."
"Oh, Sanjiang Hou, you old bachelor with no children, who are you planning to leave it to?"
"I may not have children, but I have great-grandchildren. After I’m gone, of course, whatever I leave will go to our little Yuan Hou here."
Ding Dalin bent down to the boy again.
Li Zhuyuan felt a strong sense of rejection towards this action, yet he managed to force out a shy smile.
Such expressions were very beneficial for a child, whether it was for people or spirits.
"Little Yuan Hou, look how precious your great-grandfather treats you. When you grow up, you must treat your great-grandfather well, okay?"
"Mm, I will."
Ding Dalin straightened up, pausing for a moment.
Secretary Jin reached out to support him.
Li Zhuyuan noticed that Secretary Jin's right hand was gripping the back of Ding Dalin's neck, while her left hand firmly grasped his lower back, not just gently holding but clutching, fingers tense and strong.
It felt as though she was forcefully trying to mend something that was about to fall apart.
"What’s wrong, Lin Hou?"
"My old back, it can't take it anymore."
"Then don’t roll around in bed at night."
"You old Sanjiang Hou, let's go, come with me."
With that, Ding Dalin reached out to Li Sanjiang.
Li Sanjiang naturally accepted and supported him.
The two old men chatted as they walked along together.
"Let’s go, little brother?" Secretary Jin placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"But I haven’t finished my summer homework yet..."
"You must go today because your great-grandfather is setting up a will."
"...I haven’t bought an eraser; I don’t know where the last one went."
"Come, Aunt will buy for you."
"No, I have money."
The route to the big bearded man's house led conveniently by Aunt Zhang’s small shop, and upon getting closer, Secretary Jin paused.
Li Zhuyuan approached the counter, preparing to request an eraser when a figure bounced out from behind the small shop—Tan Wenbin.
This guy, looking for shortcuts, didn’t take the village path and instead came through the fields.
"Yo, Little Yuan, what are you buying? Let me pay for it together."
"An eraser."
"Aunt, give me an eraser and a bottle of oil."
Aunt Zhang handed the items over; Tan Wenbin paid, then hurriedly unscrewed the cap of the oil, applying it to his neck and arms.
"Last night, I saw you scratching a lot, and now I feel a bit itchy too. I suspect you caught it from Runsheng."
"Binbin, you should go back and tell Runsheng and Grandma Liu that my great-grandfather and I are going to Grandpa Ding's for lunch."
"What? You’re going to the water… oh oh oh!"
Li Zhuyuan caught Tan Wenbin’s hand and twisted the flesh on his palm hard.
At that moment, Secretary Jin came closer from a distance.
Tan Wenbin, who had just appeared behind the shop, hadn’t noticed she was nearby and continued shouting, "…oh oh oh!"
Secretary Jin closed in.
"Oh, you want water, right? Let me buy you some, Aunt, get me two bottles of Jianlibao." While speaking, Tan Wenbin glanced at the approaching Secretary Jin, "Sis, want a bottle?"
Secretary Jin shook her head.
"Hehe." Tan Wenbin paid again and then handed a bottle of Jianlibao to Li Zhuyuan.
"Thanks, Binbin. Now you go back; remember to tell your family that my great-grandfather and I won’t be having lunch at home, so don’t cook for us."
"Okay."
At that moment, Secretary Jin suddenly spoke, "Let’s go eat together."
Tan Wenbin was taken aback.
Secretary Jin continued, "I saw you enjoyed the dishes from the banquet yesterday; there’s still some for lunch, let’s eat together."
"Is that appropriate..."
"Come on, they’re going to walk far."
Secretary Jin placed her hands on the shoulders of both boys, urging them to move forward.
It was an attitude that brooked no refusal.
Li Zhuyuan hadn’t expected that Tan Wenbin’s eating mannerisms during the banquet yesterday would leave a significant impression.
Had he just acted more refined yesterday, perhaps there wouldn’t be any current situation.
However, it appeared that Tan Wenbin only knew the initial message about the water monkey.
That was something he had told him before heading to the big bearded man's house with Runsheng last night.
After returning last night, he wanted to know exactly what had happened but didn’t want to recount the horrors, so he let Tan Wenbin ask Runsheng.
Runsheng should be in the same situation as him, temporarily not wanting to mention that terrifying scene, and likely hadn’t had the chance to tell him.
Otherwise, if he had known, upon seeing Secretary Jin, he would probably jump up in fright.
As they walked, Secretary Jin said, "Is there anyone else at home? They should come over to eat at noon; no need to cook."
Li Zhuyuan quickly refused, "No need. There are only a few people left to work for my great-grandfather, not counting as relatives."
"Alright then."
As they continued on the road, Tan Wenbin gradually relaxed and even took the initiative to start a conversation.
Li Zhuyuan felt that Binbin should be feeling quite proud of himself.
He likely felt he was a policeman’s son, with inherited instincts for counter-surveillance, able to chat easily in front of the water monkey.
Actually, this was quite good; he could perform and not show fear.
They walked all the way to the big bearded man's house; as they stepped onto the courtyard, Li Zhuyuan’s gaze froze.
Right before him lay a fish pond, the water was abundant, just like it had been during the day before.
The pond that should have been drained and excavated had been restored; those who should have been skinned and dead were all alive again one by one.
The images from his memory leaned increasingly towards a nightmare when twisted real logic set in.
When the world reveals itself in an utterly irrational manner, people usually begin to self-doubt.
However, Li Zhuyuan was certain—it was definitely not a dream; the scene from last night had truly occurred.
The pond had likely been refilled overnight; the dead were simply dead; as for who was alive now—it was beyond his understanding.
The village chief and a few elders arrived, and everyone sat in a circle on the long benches on the courtyard, chatting.
Secretary Jin brought out a small tea table, with sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candies.
Li Sanjiang quickly took two handfuls, handing one to Li Zhuyuan and the other to Tan Wenbin.
Ding Dalin said to them, "Go watch TV upstairs; there are some rooms with it. I’ll call you down when it’s time for dinner."
Li Zhuyuan shook his head. "We have a TV at home; my great-grandfather bought one."
Li Sanjiang puffed up his chest and proudly said, "That’s right! I bought the boy a TV, but this kid loves to study and doesn’t watch it much, leaving it for the mule at home to guard it every day."
In fact, Li Zhuyuan didn’t want to separate himself from the group.
Though entering here meant danger and the old people sitting together didn’t have much actual use, at least it provided some psychological comfort.
Emotion pulled him into fear upon seeing them, but reason told him there was still a chance to navigate the situation.
After all, neither he nor the village chief and the others had come up to the courtyard and been skinned directly.
If their intention was merely to lure them in for slaughter, they could have attacked earlier.
To sit here and chat, and even discuss the details of land contracts indicated they had their own plans in preparation.
So long as they didn’t violate the rules, perhaps he, his great-grandfather, and Binbin could return safely.
At that moment, the village chief started to speak, looking a bit awkward, "However, contracting for thirty years, wouldn’t that be a bit too long? It won’t be easy to explain to the village."
Ding Dalin replied, "The contracting fee can increase yearly; just give me a final figure."
Li Sanjiang was very enthusiastic about this matter; he believed Ding Dalin wouldn’t live for too long, nor would he. Thus, after the land contract, wouldn’t it still belong to Little Yuan Hou?
"I say, if they want thirty years, then let them have it; at worst, the specific contract can be made public in the village, and everyone will know about it. Then, no one will gossip about it later."
At this point, Secretary Jin had returned indoors, likely to prepare lunch. Since it was just her and Ding Dalin at home, she was the only one available to be busy.
Ding Dalin shifted his focus away from Li Zhuyuan, causing a sense of relief in the boy.
He dared not leave without permission, as any unusual actions would be exceedingly dangerous at this moment.
If they were truly driven to desperation, at worst, they would just skin everyone on the spot; since they were capable of reviving the theater troupe, reviving the village chief should likewise be quite simple.
It wouldn’t even delay the matter of land contracting.
Ensuring he remained visible within their sight, Li Zhuyuan walked down from the courtyard and began to circle in the open space before the fish pond.
He knew he couldn’t keep walking in circles; otherwise, he would look foolish.
Now, a game would be most suitable, but the issue was he never carried trinkets that kids played with in his pockets.
Fortunately, he had someone who did.
Tan Wenbin seemed to have understood Little Yuan Hou’s meaning; he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of colorful marbles.
"Little Yuan, let’s play with these."
"Okay!"
For the first time, Li Zhuyuan discovered that childishness could also transform one into an angel.
A soon-to-be third-year high school boy, and yet he had marbles in his pocket—no wonder his dad bought him jelly to eat!
The two of them bent down and began to play marbles.
Li Zhuyuan intended to take this opportunity to observe the fish pond closely; he believed that even with the perfect restoration, it had only been half a day, and there would surely be traces left behind.
Yet as they played, Tan Wenbin gradually got into the swing of things, hitting each shot perfectly; he clapped and cheered for himself each time.
The noise drew the attention of a group of elders sitting on the courtyard.
They pointed and chuckled, smiles adorning their faces.
Most children shared similar experiences: while playing with friends, there were always adults watching from the side for an extended time.
What they observed was their own childhood.
However, Li Zhuyuan didn’t wish to create such a warm atmosphere. Finally, he couldn’t resist flicking a marble towards Binbin's nose.
Binbin winced in pain, holding his nose, but then relief washed over his face, soon followed by embarrassment for becoming too absorbed in the game.
With intent, Li Zhuyuan purposely began to flick marbles towards the fish pond, and Tan Wenbin followed in suit, both chasing the marbles to the edge of the pond.
Time was of the essence, and he quickly scanned his surroundings.
He noticed that the area along the edge of the pond had been turned over, revealing fresh soil.
This fish pond had indeed been refilled!
Not wanting to linger at such a sensitive spot, Li Zhuyuan swiftly flicked another marble, distancing himself from the pond.
"Haha, Binbin, I won this round!"
"Little Yuan, you’re amazing!" Tan Wenbin wore a big brotherly smile.
As Li Zhuyuan leapt with joy, his gaze slipped over to the courtyard, just in time to catch Ding Dalin turning his head back.
Was it his earlier approach near the pond that had made them sensitive?
Next, Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin kept getting closer to the courtyard.
"Binbin, I’m tired; let’s take a break."
"Okay."
Not caring about the dirt and stones on the ground, Li Zhuyuan simply sat down.
As he shifted his weight, his shoe brushed against some stones, displacing a few. Underneath the stones appeared a red hue—blood stains.
Li Zhuyuan hurriedly recoiled his foot and flipped the stones back in place with his shoe.
Rapidly recalling the details from last night, he realized the spot he currently occupied was precisely where Ding Dalin had been pecked by a chicken.
He remembered vividly that Ding Dalin’s palm had been pierced by the hen’s beak.
"Little Yuan Hou."
"Ah, great-grandfather."
Li Zhuyuan hurried up to the courtyard toward Li Sanjiang.
The discussion about the land contract had mostly wrapped up; now they were discussing establishing the will, and the village chief was writing with pen and paper.
One elder beside him spoke up, "Sanjiang Hou, won’t it be inappropriate to give everything directly to the child? You still need to leave something for your retirement."
"I’ve made arrangements for that."
"Is that reliable?"
"Absolutely."
These were all elderly individuals; there was no need to avoid such topics.
Li Sanjiang fully trusted Li Weihang’s character, but he had many sons and grandsons. If he left his inheritance to Li Weihang, there was a high chance it would be divided among those ungrateful descendants, which he wanted to avoid.
The village chief finished writing and said, "Now that the involved parties and witnesses are all here, let’s press our fingerprints right away; does anyone have ink?"
Ding Dalin said, "It’s in the drawer of the bedside table upstairs; I’ll go get it."
"Let the child fetch it; Little Yuan Hou, go and bring it down."
Li Zhuyuan wanted to refuse, but as Ding Dalin stood up only to sit down again, it would be unreasonable for him to resist now.
"Alright, great-grandfather."
Li Zhuyuan dashed upstairs; Tan Wenbin wanted to follow but was called by Li Sanjiang:
"Zhuangzhuang."
"Uncle Li, my name is Binbin."
"Go help in the kitchen; little Secretary is busy alone."
Tan Wenbin didn’t want to be alone with that water monkey, but he faced the same predicament Li Zhuyuan had earlier. He could only nod and head toward the kitchen with a polite smile.
Upon reaching the second floor, Li Zhuyuan found the space had been cleaned up nicely, the balcony and corridor looking tidy.
He didn’t hurry into the room but went to the small courtyard beneath the awning, where a ladder leaned against the wall.
His own flag and Runsheng’s body-pulling tools should still be on the roof.
The problem was that even if he moved the ladder to the rooftop to retrieve those items, he couldn’t take them away because they were too heavy.
Even leaving them behind would be risky; they would easily attract attention.
Ultimately, Li Zhuyuan turned around, pushed the door open, and entered the bedroom.
The furnishings in the bedroom were rich; Ding Dalin had likely bought everything when he bought the house to save time.
Arriving at the bedside table, he opened the drawer.
There was indeed a box of ink, along with another item Li Zhuyuan hadn’t anticipated... a compass.
A purple compass, on the main circle’s outer edges were five small subsidiary circles.
Li Zhuyuan picked up the compass and gently twisted it. He soon grasped the meanings represented by the five subsidiary circles.
There were similar styles of compasses recorded in "Records of Proper Path and Demon-Subduing," but the production process was incredibly complex, requiring many special materials, so it hadn’t been within Li Zhuyuan’s consideration before.
Now holding it, he genuinely adored it.
With it, when observing Feng Shui patterns, it was akin to having a calculator during an exam.
Li Zhuyuan increasingly realized that he couldn’t rely on rigorous mental calculations like before; his body couldn’t take it.
With this tool, alongside the "Liu Clan's Qi Watching Techniques," he could examine the Feng Shui of the fish pond without overstraining himself and getting nosebleeds.
The real Ding Dalin was dead; therefore, it became an object without an owner. Taking it wouldn’t be stealing.
Yet... it was still too risky.
All the other possessions of that group of water monkeys had been packed and removed, yet this item was left behind, indicating its significant value.
It should be able to sense who entered the room, and if the item went missing, it could definitely be traced back to him.
Forget it, he couldn’t take it.
Despite its advantages, his life was still more important. Just as Li Zhuyuan prepared to return the compass to the drawer,
"Have you found it?"
came Secretary Jin's voice from the doorway.
Li Zhuyuan was startled again, but he steadied himself, holding the compass in his left hand and the ink box in his right: "I found it."
"I thought you wouldn’t be able to find it, so I came to check."
"What is this, Aunt Jin?" Li Zhuyuan asked, holding the compass, "It looks really nice."
"Just a toy. If you like it, I’ll give it to you."
Li Zhuyuan’s first reaction wasn’t joy but suspicion: was this a test?
"Now that you have the items, come downstairs."
After Secretary Jin finished speaking, she turned to leave.
Li Zhuyuan hesitated for a moment but still took both the compass and the ink box and went downstairs.
After handing the ink to the village chief, he gestured for everyone to come and press their fingerprints.
Li Sanjiang caught sight of the compass and asked, "Little Yuan Hou, what’s this?"
Ding Dalin interjected, "Just a little gadget at home; the child likes it, so I’ll give it to him as a toy."
Li Sanjiang took it first, examining it up and down, confused: "Why are there so many circles; what a useless item."
Having belittled it, Li Sanjiang casually tossed the compass back to Li Zhuyuan.
Li Zhuyuan really wanted to remind his great-grandfather that this was the professional one and that the one he normally used was merely a compass.
"Little Yuan Hou, remember to thank your Grandpa Ding."
"Thank you, Grandpa Ding."
"Haha, good child." Ding Dalin reached out and patted Li Zhuyuan’s head.
Li Zhuyuan felt a shiver down his spine but bore it, afraid to avoid the gesture.
The will was finalized, in duplicate; one copy was handed to the village chief for safekeeping in the village office, and the other was carefully folded by Li Sanjiang, solemnly placed in his breast pocket, even touched gently.
Lunch was ready, and everyone took their seats.
The dishes were plentiful, and a large plate of boiled shrimp was placed before Li Zhuyuan.
Upon seeing the shrimp, he felt a bit nauseous.
"Everyone eat up. Please forgive the lack of delicacies." Ding Dalin raised his chopsticks and called to everyone.
They all picked up their chopsticks.
"Come on, Zhuangzhuang, have some shrimp; this is what you liked most yesterday."
Li Sanjiang directly scooped a third of the shrimp from the plate and placed them in front of Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin, then spun the table.
Tan Wenbin made no effort to hold back, taking a shrimp, first removing its head and peeling it, he dipped it in vinegar and slurped it up, then deftly peeled the body to reveal the entire shrimp meat.
After pulling out the shrimp vein, Tan Wenbin dipped it in vinegar and put it into Li Zhuyuan’s bowl.
Li Zhuyuan picked up his chopsticks and clamped the shrimp meat, the flesh bright red.
As he placed the shrimp in his mouth and chewed, the horrific scene from the previous night flooded his mind once again.
This was the first time he had eaten something that was both delicious and difficult to swallow.
In the end, he forced it down, feeling it was even more torturous than the "food" served at the granny's birthday banquet.
Seeing Tan Wenbin wanting to peel more for him, Li Zhuyuan quickly said, "Binbin, you eat instead; I don’t like shrimp too much."
"Really?" Tan Wenbin asked curiously. "Then I’ll eat it myself."
"Yeah."
Secretary Jin brought out a large bowl containing a stewed chicken.
Ding Dalin poked at it a couple of times and asked, "Isn’t it a hen?"
"We have no leftover hens."
"This won't do."
Ding Dalin shook his head disapprovingly.
Li Sanjiang smoothed things over, saying, "Lin Hou, look at you being spoiled; what’s the difference between eating chicken, male or female? Back in the day, it was hard to even get a bite of meat."
As he spoke, Li Sanjiang personally removed one of the plump chicken legs and placed it into Li Zhuyuan’s bowl.
Li Zhuyuan stared at it, hesitating to move his chopsticks—not out of pretension, but because this chicken seemed oddly familiar.
How could it be that even in a rooster soup, there was not a single piece of chicken skin?
"What’s the matter? Don’t you want to eat?" Ding Dalin asked.
"I do want to eat." Li Zhuyuan clamped the chicken leg and took a big bite, finding it a bit tough.
"How's the taste?"
"Delicious."
Ding Dalin nodded with satisfaction. As he rose to grab more food, Li Zhuyuan noticed a black gauze wrapped around the joint of his right hand.
This meal was warm and friendly, too normal for Li Zhuyuan to feel like the odd one at the table.
No matter what, this time Li Zhuyuan didn't jump down from the table right after he finished eating; he stayed seated until the meal ended.
After the meal, everyone began smoking and chatting, setting the stage for the final goodbyes.
The village chief stood up first, gently patting his pants and saying, "Well, that’s it for today. Your land contract needs to be discussed further in the village; don’t worry, you’ll get a response soon."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work." Ding Dalin stood up and shook hands with the village chief.
Everyone left the table, stepped out of the hall into the courtyard, shared their cigarettes, exchanged a few more words, and then the village chief and several elders headed down from the courtyard.
Li Zhuyuan was anxious since Li Sanjiang hadn’t left yet; he was still beside Ding Dalin, both of them holding cigarettes in their mouths.
"I didn't manage to ask when the village chief was here. You’re not planning to grow peach trees on land you contracted that won't be used for grain farming?"
"Yes, peach trees can bear peaches."
"Peaches won't sell, right? Who would buy them? They used to have canneries to collect them, but now I hear those canneries aren’t doing well themselves."
"Even if they can’t be sold, it’ll be nice just to see the blossoms."
"I say, Lin Hou, what’s wrong with you?" Li Sanjiang reached out to touch Ding Dalin’s forehead. "Why does it feel like you’ve changed into a different person today?"
Li Zhuyuan's heart tightened once again.
Tan Wenbin began to embellish his role, saying, "Uncle Li, you don’t understand; our Grandpa Ding is pursuing the beauty of this ambiance, but just imagine—when all the peach trees are planted here, how beautiful it will be when the blossoms bloom!"
"What about this fish pond?" Li Sanjiang asked.
"Filled it in, and we’ll plant trees."
"I say, Lin Hou, how much money did you make abroad to treat this land so carelessly?"
"Isn’t earning money what’s it for, to do enjoyed things with?"
"I don’t understand you; forget it, do what makes you happy."
"Oh, by the way, the theater troupe said they had a set of audio equipment broken and wanted me to cover the repair costs. I didn’t feel like dealing with that, so I just bought it for cheap as second-hand."
"Are you stupid? What kind of theater troupe is that? How can they dare ask the main household for repairs for their own broken equipment?"
"It was pretty cheap after all; I fiddled with it last night, and it turns out it wasn’t broken, just had a loose connector. It’s fixed now.
I don’t need that stuff; you’re in this business, maybe you can rent it out later and earn money."
"Okay, let’s go have a look."
Li Sanjiang followed Ding Dalin into the dim back room on the first floor, and Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin exchanged glances, contemplating whether to follow.
"You little friend, you forgot to take this." Secretary Jin’s voice came from behind, presenting the purple compass before the boy.
Earlier, he had intentionally left it on the chair edge of the dining table, not wanting to appear too eager.
Li Zhuyuan reached out to take it, surprised, "You’re really giving this to me?"
"This item, can you play with it?"
"Of course, I can!"
Li Zhuyuan held the compass, spinning it continuously, watching the needle inside twist and turning with glee.
"Secretary Jin, come over and tune it a bit." Ding Dalin’s voice called from inside.
Secretary Jin rested her hands on Li Zhuyuan’s shoulders, saying, "Let’s see."
At that moment, when her hands fell on his shoulders, Li Zhuyuan felt stunned.
Instead of rushing away, he slowly lifted his head.
At this moment, Secretary Jin lowered her head as well, and their eyes met.
After a long while, Ding Dalin’s urging voice echoed again, "Why aren’t you coming? I’m waiting on you."
"Let's go."
"Mm."
Li Zhuyuan walked ahead, with Secretary Jin’s hands gripping his shoulders as she followed behind.
Though this distance was brief, Li Zhuyuan felt it was a long one.
In the end, the two of them approached the inner room, one before the other.
Secretary Jin released her grip and adjusted the sound system, then picked up the microphone.
"Testing... hello, hello..."
It had slightly muffled audio, but overall it sounded good.
Ding Dalin glanced at Li Sanjiang and then turned to Secretary Jin, "Come, sing a song to try it out."
Secretary Jin nodded and asked, "What song should I sing?"
"Anything is fine; Sanjiang Hou, what song do you want to hear? My secretary knows plenty of songs. Just name it."
"Heh, I’m not as thick-skinned as you to call a young girl to sing. Little Yuan Hou, why don’t you say what song you’d like to hear?"
Li Zhuyuan shook his head, "I’m fine with anything."
Secretary Jin looked at him, "Little buddy, you choose one."
"I don’t have a particular one in mind; Aunt, you sing one you’d like."
Secretary Jin nodded, picking up the microphone, and without accompaniment, started singing:
"Looking back slowly, those nights we belonged to each other.
Still red is you, the gift you gave my heart, bright as the sun..."
The singing flowed smoothly, not quite accurate in Cantonese, but it was extremely beautiful.
It was "Thousand Thousand Songs."
(The chapter ends)