Li Zhuyuan was still in the stage of exploring and learning this method of controlling death, so he found himself somewhat at a loss regarding the current situation. However, one thing was certain: Ah Li was definitely not dead.
So, was I the one who was dead?
Li Zhuyuan gave his childhood a serious thought and confirmed that he merely shared the same mental illness as Li Lan. He had not been expelled or classified as dead.
Then what exactly was happening here?
This was the downside of self-study through books. Without a teacher to guide him, and without a complete teaching plan, he lacked a comprehensive theoretical framework. Sometimes, he could solve complex problems at a high level, but when faced with simple concepts, he felt completely stumped.
Moreover, under such circumstances, those with better learning talent often strayed further off course.
But since he was here now...
Li Zhuyuan looked ahead at Ah Li, who was enveloped in darkness, and took a step forward.
As his foot fell, everything around him began to swirl rapidly, overwhelming him with a sensation thousands of times stronger than motion sickness, stimulating his consciousness like mad. Fortunately, everything rushed at him and then just as swiftly calmed down. Li Zhuyuan found himself sitting on a small stool, his feet resting on the doorstep.
This sitting posture was very familiar to him; for a long time, the girl had sat like this during the day.
“Wuu wuu wuu... wuu wuu wuu…”
It sounded like crying, but also like the lowing of an animal, varying in distance.
Just outside the door, barely a breath away from the threshold, was a vividly realistic perspective filled with an ink wash painting’s strange style.
A small figure, only a few inches tall and dressed in yellow, rode on a small horse, rushing past with a yellow-covered cart, before turning a corner and dashing into the depths of the dark clouds.
A python slithered through the grass just before the door. It had only one head, but two serpentine shapes extended beneath, twisting and entangling as it moved.
In the vegetable field ahead, a few farmers were toiling away, holding hoes, their water bottles tied to the left of their waists and their heads tied to the right.
By the riverbank in the distance, several women squatted there washing clothes, hammering away with their hands. But instead of dirty clothes, they hammered crying infants.
The environment outside the door was dynamic; whenever he moved his eyes, what he saw began to change.
In an instant, various spirits and monsters appeared within view. Some were recorded in ancient texts, while others were unheard of.
Li Zhuyuan lifted his gaze to the dark, looming clouds above, where something large seemed to flicker in and out of sight.
He tried to capture it with his gaze, but still could not see it clearly.
Turning his head, Li Zhuyuan looked behind him, where a small offering table was adorned with tablets.
At first glance, an inexplicable sense of security surged up within him.
But soon after, a thick sadness enveloped him.
The tablets had no shine, nor did they seem to offer any hope; instead, they were filled with terrifying cracks.
Li Zhuyuan felt that since they could appear here, they should serve some purpose.
But in fact, they were functionally useless. Each tablet had an oil lamp in front of it, but there was not a drop of oil within, and it was obvious they could no longer illuminate anything.
Suddenly, Li Zhuyuan sensed that the outside grew eerily quiet, and the light dimmed.
He turned back to the doorway and discovered a pockmarked wall closing off the front door entirely.
Buzz!
In the next moment, a crack split down the middle of the wall and then tore open violently, revealing a gigantic, slanted eye.
Li Zhuyuan's mind shook violently, and a deafening roar rang out in his ears.
All the images before him dissolved as if he had awakened, yet he could neither see nor hear.
On the second-floor balcony, a boy opened his eyes in confusion, rising from a rattan chair. He began to sway left and right, getting closer to the edge of the balcony.
At that moment, a small hand grasped his, pulling him back.
Li Zhuyuan stumbled back into the chair, staring blankly ahead.
He didn't know how long it took, but the boy regained some awareness, only to be met with a terrible headache. He wrapped his hands around his head, bowing down in pain.
Gradually, he calmed down and turned to look at the girl by his side.
She was looking at him too, her eyes revealing a hint of expectation, as if waiting for his opinion.
He had just visited the girl’s “home” and witnessed horrors that could haunt a lifetime.
But instead of comforting or feeling pity for her, the boy smiled, his mouth curving into a gentle arc, and spoke in a dry voice:
“Really interesting.”
The girl tilted her cheek slightly, a faint dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth.
She was genuinely happy.
Ordinary children might feel a bit nervous and unsettled when bringing friends home to play, but her home was terrifying, yet still, it was hers.
At this moment, sympathy, consolation, and encouragement were not what the “host” sought; that would only heighten the awkwardness.
Thus, the best attitude for a guest was to relax and treat it lightly.
A smile played on Li Zhuyuan's face as he reached out and gently brushed his fingers over the girl’s nose.
She observed his hand seriously, then slowly raised her own hand.
The boy leaned forward a little, and the girl lightly grazed his nose, so soft and tender.
Once again picking up that black-covered book, Li Zhuyuan began to review the entire process he had just gone through. He felt he had executed the method successfully, even though the outcome was a failure.
Moreover, it seemed he had found a way to train, with Ah Li acting as his sparring partner.
Although he vaguely sensed that this partner's skill might be above the standard level, the greater the challenge, the faster his progress would be. After all, a headache was manageable.
“Ah Li, shall we try again?”
The girl nodded.
Then, both of them lay down, closing their eyes.
The same beginning, the same process, the same images… and the same splitting headache.
Just as Li Zhuyuan was recovering from the second round, Aunt Liu’s voice came from downstairs:
“Breakfast is ready!”
This felt reminiscent of those days when he used to wake up early and play a few rounds of chess while waiting for breakfast.
Li Zhuyuan felt he had found a new game to play with the girl.
Breakfast was porridge, but with various kinds of pickled vegetables, both traditional from Nantong and favorites from Grandma Liu's side.
Plate after plate lay neatly arranged on the small table, giving off a sense of ceremony.
Of course, if not considering Runsheng and Binbin, that was.
Runsheng always ate like this; at every meal, he had to scent the food. He would fill a bowl with porridge, throwing all sorts of pickled vegetables in, mixing them thoroughly before using a soup spoon to drink. Every scoop was a balanced mix of porridge and vegetables.
As for Tan Wenbin, he dove fully into the meal.
Li Sanjiang crossed his legs, while Runsheng crossed the other, both single-handedly cradling their bowls, slurping along the rim before fishing out some pickled veggies to chew on, scratching themselves with the chopstick tails while gazing into the distance.
After the meal, Li Sanjiang lit up a cigarette.
Tan Wenbin took the initiative to grab a match and light it for Li Sanjiang, then hastily lit one for himself before tossing away the matchstick, shaking his hand.
Li Sanjiang glanced at him but said nothing.
He didn’t understand the term “rebellion,” but he had seen enough in his many years to know that this boy was at that stage.
Typically, as children grew, they would go through this phase, feeling that simply becoming an adult was a grand thing.
But when he turned his gaze toward Li Zhuyuan, Li Sanjiang smiled again, knowing that his little Yuanyou would definitely not be so childish.
Li Zhuyuan pulled out the money he had exchanged for the gold ingots, handing the bag to Li Sanjiang:
“Grandfather, Mr. Ding and the others came this morning. They said it was urgent and had to rush back. Out of concern for disturbing your sleep, they didn’t wake you but asked me to hand the money over to you.”
“Oh? They left in such a hurry?”
Li Sanjiang took a look at the black plastic bag and immediately took a few quick puffs from his cigarette.
“Wow! Quite a sum, isn’t it?”
“Grandfather, it should be enough, right?”
“Enough is definitely enough. Once we settle the contract money, the rest will be used to plant peach trees. If there’s more money, plant them close together; if less, plant them a bit apart.
Okay, I’m off to find the village head to sign the contract, then I’ll go into town to inquire about saplings. Tinghou, I won’t be back for lunch. Ah, if it weren’t for the matter with the house, I wouldn’t want to bother with such troublesome things.”
Li Sanjiang took the bag and walked out. Just as he stepped off the embankment, he heard his voice:
“Little Cuihou, are you here to find Xiaoyuanhou to play?”
“Mm.”
“Then go ahead.”
Quickly, Cui Cui approached the embankment, her gaze sweeping over Li Zhuyuan and Ah Li, her face breaking into a radiant smile.
“Brother Yuanyou.”
As she ran over, Li Zhuyuan took Ah Li’s hand.
“Brother Yuanyou, today is my birthday. My mom is going to buy me a birthday cake. Will you come to my house for lunch?”
Cui Cui’s eyes brimmed with anticipation. She had always dreamed of having friends celebrate her birthday with her.
“Sure, I’ll come.”
“What about Sister Ah Li?”
Li Zhuyuan turned to Ah Li and asked, “Do you want to go?”
Ah Li looked at the boy and nodded.
Li Zhuyuan was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Ah Li to agree at all.
In the distance, Liu Yumei, still slowly finishing her breakfast, looked up in surprise, her face lighting up with joy.
“Then Ah Li will go too.”
“Yay! That’s great!”
“But Cui Cui, you need to tell Aunt Xiang to prepare a small table separately. Ah Li can’t be too close to strangers.”
“I understand! I already mentioned Ah Li’s situation to my mom last time. I’ll make sure she prepares it right.”
“Then I will go too.” Tan Wenbin raised his hand.
“Brother Yuanyou, who is he?”
“Zhuangzhuang.”
“What Zhuangzhuang? My name is Binbin!”
Li Zhuyuan looked at him and said, “I thought you had already acknowledged that.”
“I just couldn’t be bothered to argue with you, old man.” Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes.
“Fine then, Zhuangzhuang bro… oh no, Binbin bro, you should come too.”
Cui Cui naturally wanted as many people as possible to come to her birthday party.
Tan Wenbin shouted toward the corner, where Runsheng was still busy eating: “Runsheng, are you going? There’ll be cake.”
Runsheng looked at Li Zhuyuan, and seeing him nod, replied, “I will go!”
Li Zhuyuan said to Cui Cui, “By the way, Cui Cui, don’t forget to tell your mom to cook an extra pot of rice.”
“Okay, I will! Then I’ll head back now. You all have to come for lunch, okay? Brother Yuanyou, Sister Ah Li, Brother Runsheng, Brother Zhuangzhuang, goodbye!”
Cui Cui hopped off cheerfully, looking so happy she seemed like she could sprout wings and fly.
Tan Wenbin approached and said, “Xiao Yuan Ge, shall we head to town to pick out gifts now?”
Li Zhuyuan nodded, “I’ll go upstairs to get the money.”
“Don’t worry, I have some here.” Tan Wenbin patted his pocket.
To avoid being a burden at someone else's home, his parents had given him an unprecedented amount of pocket money.
“Alright then, Runsheng, let’s take a tricycle to town.”
“Coming!”
Runsheng finished his porridge, scraped the last bit into his mouth, then went to wash his face at the well before bringing out a tricycle.
“Ah Li, are you going to town?” Li Zhuyuan asked.
Ah Li shook her head.
Li Zhuyuan didn’t insist; there were too many people in town, and it wasn’t suitable for Ah Li to go.
“Wait a moment.” Liu Yumei called out to Li Zhuyuan, taking off a pair of earrings from her ears and handing them over, “This is a gift for Ah Li from our family.”
Li Zhuyuan didn’t reach out for them, saying, “Grandma, that’s too precious.”
“It’s not for you.”
“But it really isn’t appropriate.”
“Just wait.”
Liu Yumei turned and walked into the house, pulling out a wad of money and placing it on the coffee table:
“Go help Ah Li buy a gift too.”
“Okay, Grandma.” Li Zhuyuan didn’t take it all; he just pulled out a single bill.
As the three boys rode the tricycle down the embankment, Aunt Liu approached with a bottle of hot water, preparing to help Liu Yumei brew tea. Upon seeing the money on the table, she asked with a smile:
“Did he refuse it?”
Liu Yumei shook her head somewhat helplessly: “This child, I guess he’s afraid our money will prick his hand.”
“Xiao Yuan is attentive; he tends to think a lot.”
Liu Yumei shook her head: “He doesn’t even look at that girl’s life being so tough, even if he gets pricked by our money, she would still spend it.”
“I know about that girl; everyone in the village talks about how her family has a hard life, but Xiao Yuan probably doesn’t believe in these things.”
“He doesn’t believe?” Liu Yumei lifted her teacup, “He’s read those books made of faux skin, do you think he doesn’t see that girl has a hard life?”
“It’s also possible. That child seems to quietly understand a lot of things.”
“We're in a special period now; we can’t intervene. Once Ah Li’s illness is completely cured, that chain on us will loosen. I plan to take him as my named disciple then.”
“Oh? What are you planning to pass on to him? The Liu family’s or the Qin family’s?”
Liu Yumei chuckled, answering matter-of-factly: “Of course, it’s the ‘Liu Clan’s Qi Observation Technique.’”
“You might not be able to choose then.”
“Why’s that?”
“Given how close he is to Ah Li, once she gets better, won’t he just ask her to teach him whatever he wants?”
“Useless, every family has its own way of teaching. Even if these legacies are clearly written down, without a master leading the way, he’ll only be able to scratch the surface and won’t truly learn anything.”
At this point, Liu Yumei suddenly felt an urge to tease her granddaughter a bit since she had agreed to attend someone’s birthday party.
She walked into the room and took out a book titled ‘Liu Clan's Qi Observation Technique.’
The girl sat on the stool, her feet resting on the threshold, but this time, she didn’t just stare ahead but slowly glanced around.
“Ah Li, do you think I should show this book to Xiao Yuan in the future?”
Last time when she found out that boy was short on money, her granddaughter had brought all the gold bars and cash at home to him.
This boy loved reading; would her granddaughter not want to give this book to him?
However, her granddaughter's reaction confused Liu Yumei; Ah Li actually ignored the book in her hand.
Did she not see it clearly?
Liu Yumei moved the book closer to Ah Li.
“Smack!”
Ah Li swatted the book to the ground.
Liu Yumei, puzzled, bent down to pick it up, blowing off the dust on top. Rather than being pleased, she grew somewhat nervous:
Hey, why is my granddaughter’s elbow not pointed outside again?
“Xiao Yuan, are we going to Shinan Town or Shigang Town?”
Tan Wenbin slapped Runsheng on the back and said: “Of course, we’re going to Shigang Town! There are only a few shops in Shinan Town!”
“Runsheng, then we’ll go to Shigang Town.”
“Alright!”
Tan Wenbin propped his hands on the edge of the tricycle, facing the wind, brushing aside his bangs, “Don’t worry; I'm familiar with Shigang Town. I’ll definitely help you pick good gifts.”
As they entered the territory of Shigang Town, they passed Shigang Secondary School’s gate. Shinan had a junior school but no high school, so Yingzi, Panzi, and Lei Zi were all studying here.
Tan Wenbin pointed at the school gate and said, “Brother Yuanyuan, look, this will be your future alma mater.”
This was the first time Li Zhuyuan had ever heard “future” placed before “alma mater.”
On the first teaching building of the school hung two banners: “Today I take pride in my alma mater; tomorrow, my alma mater will take pride in me.”
“Binbin, you’ll be going back to school in a few days, right?”
“Don’t worry, that’s not happening. Everyone has already written a letter to report on the extra classes during summer to the education bureau.”
“Were you the one who organized it?”
“Hehe.” Tan Wenbin swung his head with the wind angle, “That would be me!”
Runsheng asked, “Xiao Yuan, do you want to come study here in the future?”
“Of course! You just found this out.” Tan Wenbin jumped in to answer right away.
Runsheng replied: “Great, then I’ll ride my bike to pick you up for school every day in the future.”
Tan Wenbin responded: “The school has dorms.”
Li Zhuyuan stated: “I don’t want to live in the dorms.”
Grandfather’s house was not too far from here, and with Brother Runsheng picking him up, going home meant having good food, good drink, a spacious bed, and Ah Li.
“Then how about your morning and night self-study? Our morning study starts at six, and night study doesn’t end until ten. Have you thought about what time you would have to wake up and how late it would be to get home?”
“Then I just won’t go to morning and night classes.”
Tan Wenbin: “…”
Tan Wenbin suddenly felt that Xiao Yuan had a point.
If he dared to say the same thing to Tan Yunlong, that would definitely earn him a beating.
“Brother Yuanyuan, then on days when you’re in a bad mood or when the weather is poor, just don’t come to school.”
“Sure!”
In Li Zhuyuan’s view, how could he allow something like attending school to delay his chance to snag that fatal death?
“Damn, I’m really jealous of you! Why can’t I do that!”
Runsheng: “You don’t have that brain.”
“Shut up and focus on riding your bike.” Tan Wenbin started to ponder, “Brother Yuanyuan, do you have any study秘籍 to teach me?”
Runsheng remarked: “Did your dad only find out you’ve been living over here for several days when he first brought up studying?”
“Ah, just shut up!”
“Binbin, as for studying, I don't really know how to help you.”
“For example, your study method?”
“Study… does it really require a method?”
Tan Wenbin spread his hands, his expression contorted, and with a raised voice, asked in a strange tone: “Study… doesn’t need a method?”
“Of course, snagging that death requires a method.”
“Ah…” Tan Wenbin planned to accept reality, “So can you help me with some problems?”
“I can write out the process for you to make it quicker. Then, I can also give you some problems to work on.”
Tan Wenbin silently took out a cigarette, not lighting it but rather sniffing it. He nodded: “Thank you, Brother Yuanyuan. I will work hard to get into the same university as you.”
Runsheng remarked: “And I’ll ride my tricycle to take you both to college.”
“Let’s not talk about college yet; you’ve missed your turn — the department store is behind, quickly turn!”
The vehicle stopped in front of the department store, and Runsheng took off the lock from the chain.
Then, the three of them entered the building, which was crowded.
Under Tan Wenbin's guidance, the three soon bought gifts.
Li Zhuyuan bought a music box, he also purchased a glass ornament as a gift for Ah Li, and furthermore, a silk scarf for her.
After finishing shopping, Tan Wenbin led the two to a small alley nearby, where there were a few stalls selling fried skewers.
“Boss, chicken skewers….”
Before he had a chance to finish ordering, Tan Wenbin spotted a skinny classmate surrounded by four boys deeper in the alley.
“Don’t think just because you have Tan Wenbin supporting you, you can act all high and mighty. I’m telling you, you’re overthinking it.”
“Others might be afraid of Tan Wenbin; I’m not! Even if his dad comes along, I wouldn’t care!”
As they beat and kicked him, the slender classmate quickly ducked into a corner, covering his head with both hands.
Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuyuan: “Xiao Yuan Ge…”
“Is he your classmate?”
“Yeah, my deskmate. He’s a good person, but just a bit too soft-hearted, easy to bully. Among those four guys, two are from other classes, and two are from a different school; they often ask him for money.”
“Oh.”
“Xiao Yuan Ge, Runsheng, pretend you don’t know me.”
After saying that, Tan Wenbin dashed toward them, uncaring of the four individuals, delivering a flying kick to one: “Damn you!”
This kick carried a certain family legacy, making Li Zhuyuan wonder whether Tan Uncle usually hit Binbin or taught him martial arts.
After knocking one down, the other three immediately rushed in to retaliate, and Tan Wenbin was immediately caught in a brawl.
Mainly because he was too quick for his own good, he punched and rushed before Li Zhuyuan had a chance to say anything.
“Runsheng bro, help Binbin fight!”
“Alright!”
Li Zhuyuan turned to the skewer owner and said, “Boss, twenty chicken skewers and three servings of fried tofu, all with sweet and spicy sauce.”
Having received Li Zhuyuan’s order, Runsheng strode forward, tightening his fists, cracking his knuckles rhythmically.
Scenes from various gang movies flashed through his mind.
But because he was considering the plot, he moved slower, allowing Binbin to take several more hits.
However, after he joined in, the situation immediately turned.
First, he reached out to grab one, swinging them up and delivering repeated slaps to their face, blood and teeth began to fly.
He remained cautious, knowing that he couldn't kill anyone; hence reluctantly, he let go, and that person slumped to the ground.
Such a fierce scene left the other three stunned, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
Runsheng took the initiative to dispel their doubts, lunging forward with arms outstretched like a charging bull, and knocked two down hard onto the ground.
Then, delivering a kick to each side, both were genuinely sent flying, crashing against a wall and rolling down.
The last one, seeing this, immediately turned to flee, but he was too slow. Runsheng accelerated to catch up, grabbing his neck in a flip, sending him tumbling onto the ground.
“I’m coming!”
Tan Wenbin shouted, rushing up to rain down punches and kicks on this guy.
Seeing that the time was about right, he then ran back to the previous three to deliver some closing hits.
Runsheng watched, seeing Binbin repeatedly shout "Ah Da, Ah Duo!"
Because Runsheng knew that if he joined in again, things would get out of hand.
“Phew…”
Tan Wenbin finally finished pounding the four, all of them groaning on the ground.
“Damn, that felt awesome, so satisfying!”
Tan Wenbin raised his arms high; although he hadn’t seen death, this exhilarating beat-down felt worth it.
After Tan Wenbin calmed down that classmate, he and Runsheng ran back. At this point, Li Zhuyuan was already seated at the stall, enjoying his skewers.
He was completely unperturbed; after all, Brother Runsheng could physically take on ordinary deathlike situations.
Tan Wenbin sat down and excitedly said, “Xiao Yuan, really, Runsheng is suited for the dark underworld. He could certainly carve out a territory and become the big boss!”
Li Zhuyuan set down the skewer and pulled out a napkin to wipe his mouth: “And then get thrown into jail by your dad.”
“Uh…” Tan Wenbin was momentarily choked, lowering his head to eat his skewers.
Runsheng, lighting a cigarette, said, “Xiao Yuan already said there’s no future in the underworld.”
“Earlier, Zheng Haiyang wanted to thank you and was going to invite us for skewers, but I turned him down. His parents are sailors, and he usually lives with his grandparents.”
Since they were going out for lunch, this meal was merely a snack.
In any case, eating fried skewers as a meal was quite a luxury these days, as most kids could afford only a piece or two to satisfy their cravings.
Upon arriving home, Li Zhuyuan saw Liu Yumei sitting there, looking troubled.
What happened now?
As Li Zhuyuan approached, Ah Li stood up and went to meet her.
Seeing this, Liu Yumei finally relaxed; she had worried that like last time, her granddaughter would ignore the boy and that her condition would worsen again.
Now it seemed her worries were unfounded.
She thought it was quite difficult for her to be concerned about her granddaughter not moving items for the boy.
“Ah Li, here’s the gift I bought for you.” Li Zhuyuan handed Ah Li the glass ornament, “And this is the silk scarf I got you.”
The scarf wasn't expensive; it was a relatively popular traditional style from mainland television and movies, and Li Zhuyuan felt it perfectly suited Ah Li's temperament. How to match it up was no longer his concern.
After Aunt Liu tended to Tan Wenbin’s wounds, everyone set off for Cui Cui’s house. Li Zhuyuan held Ah Li's hand, walking behind, while Runsheng and Tan Wenbin walked ahead.
From a distance, they spotted Cui Cui eagerly waiting on the embankment.
“Brother Yuanyou, you’re here!”
“Cui Cui, this is my gift, and this is for Ah Li.”
“This is ours.”
“Thank you, thank you, everyone.”
The lunch was practically a repeat of Li Sanjiang's family feast, with Li Zhuyuan and Ah Li sitting at one table, Runsheng at another, and the only one sitting at the main table was Tan Wenbin.
Li Juxiang cheerfully divided the dishes here and there.
Liu Jinxia raised a cup to drink; she genuinely enjoyed the lively atmosphere of her granddaughter’s birthday but was also accustomed to being a bit caustic, grumbling:
“Looks like a meeting of radishes.”
After the meal, everyone had to stay for a little while, all gathering on the embankment. Cui Cui pulled out a rubber band, propped it up with two long benches.
Originally, she intended to invite Ah Li to jump with her, but Ah Li shook her head in refusal.
Eventually, it was Tan Wenbin who leaped with Cui Cui. He did so quite well. During this time, there weren’t many forms of entertainment, and jumping rubber bands was not exclusive to girls; boys played too.
In the midst of the fun, a man led a little boy onto the embankment, coming for business.
Liu Jinxia and Li Juxiang invited the pair into the inner room.
Before long, the boy came out, standing by, watching Tan Wenbin and Cui Cui.
“Do you want to join us?”
The boy shyly nodded his head.
At first, Li Zhuyuan felt indifferent, and Ah Li didn’t particularly look at the boy, which suggested he was clean.
But as soon as the boy's shyness showed, it made Li Zhuyuan lower his eyelids.
Being adept at observation and performance himself, he noticed that the boy’s change in expression was heavily laden with theatrics.
As expected, after jumping with the rubber band, the boy started actively chatting with Cui Cui. In the process of their talk, he revealed a lot about Liu Jinxia’s family situation.
Li Zhuyuan thought to himself that he was playing the child.
However, he didn’t think the boy shared his illness. His and Li Lan’s condition was indeed rare, even the psychologists in the capital hadn’t encountered it, and the only one who might be considered the third was Wei Zhengdao.
Li Zhuyuan began to seriously examine the boy’s appearance. In his mind, the database for “The Essence of Yin Yang Physiognomy” flashed into view. Even if he didn’t read fortunes, he could certainly do a matching comparison.
Sure enough, there was something wrong. Even though the boy looked to be around ten years old, the details—his eyebrows, skin, ears, and teeth—showed signs of “age rings.”
He wasn’t a child at all; he was a dwarf!
An adult with the mindset of a child, disguising as a little one to engage in conversation with a little girl—what could possibly be his motive?
“Wuu wuu wuu… wuu wuu wuu…”
The boy crouched down, starting to cry.
Yet, even as he cried, no one paid him any attention, as the people on the embankment largely listened to Li Zhuyuan’s words.
The boy stopped crying, stood up, and walked up to Li Zhuyuan.
“Brother Runsheng.”
“Hey!”
Runsheng promptly stepped forward, lifting the boy up, taking him further away, and then pointed at the boy, silently warning him.
The boy no longer dared to make a fuss and lowered his head, standing still.
After a moment, the man emerged. The two looked quite similar, and in the eyes of outsiders, they appeared to be father and son.
However, in reality, the identities of this father and son had to be swapped.
Liu Jinxia and Li Juxiang also came out, seeing this so-called father-and-son pair off the embankment.
“Binbin, let’s observe them for a bit on the way out, don’t get discovered.”
“Understood.”
Though he didn’t understand the reason, Tan Wenbin still followed. He could easily find himself fitting into the atmosphere.
“Grab the soda.” Liu Jinxia took a box of soda and placed it on the embankment.
Li Zhuyuan asked: “Aunt Xiang, what were they here for just now?”
“The man’s wife has been gone for a year, and he’s preparing a small death anniversary for her. He asked me and Cui Cui's grandma to go to their house to hold a ceremony.”
The meaning of a small death anniversary is to perform obligations without holding a feast, usually just burning some offerings at home for family.
“How strange! They’ve invited you but aren’t holding a feast.”
“Perhaps the man doesn’t have good connections in the village to manage it. That man has a bit of a strange temper.”
“What happened?”
“Cui Cui’s grandma asked him some specific things, and he couldn’t answer. After a few more questions, he grew increasingly hurt, almost like he was about to cry; such a big man acting this way, tsk-tsk.”
“Aunt Xiang, is it possible to not go to his house for the ceremony?”
“What do you mean, how can you not go? They’ve already accepted money.”
Tan Wenbin came back, frowning as he reported to Li Zhuyuan: “Xiao Yuan, guess what I just saw! They had barely gone far when the father lit a smoke for the son!”
“Oh.” Li Zhuyuan wasn’t particularly surprised, “Did you hear what they said?”
“It was not great to get close on the road. They came here in a tractor, which has parked at the intersection a bit ahead; they've already left.”
Li Zhuyuan entered the house, pushing open the door of the inner room. Liu Jinxia was sitting behind the table with a pen calculating something.
“Xiao Yuanhou, what’s up?”
Li Zhuyuan approached the table and glanced at the eight characters written on the paper before Liu Jinxia. He picked up another pen and wrote down the result for her.
Liu Jinxia glanced at it, puzzled: “What nonsense are you writing?”
Clearly, Liu Jinxia didn’t recognize the right answer; she had been calculating based on her own format, where it was less about whether it was right or wrong and more about putting in the effort.
“Grandma Liu, were that pair really father and son?”
“They can’t be anything else; they’re an exact mold in their eyebrows and eyes. It’s a pity that boy's mom passed away early.”
“Grandma Liu, that man is his son, while that boy is actually the dad. He’s at least fifty years old; he is a dwarf.”
“A dwarf?”
“A person who doesn’t grow tall.”
“Oh… really?”
“Just now, Binbin followed them out and overheard their conversation. The man called that boy ‘Dad,’ while the boy sweetly referred to the man as ‘good son.’
I didn't believe it at first, but Binbin said he could swear it was exactly how they talked.”
“This…”
“So, their father-son relationship is reversed. What kind of ceremony are they trying to hold for a woman?”
“Exactly.”
“Grandma Liu, just to be safe, you might want to skip the ceremony with Aunt Xiang and refund them the money.”
Liu Jinxia’s expression turned serious as she slowly nodded: “Alright.”
Her agreement caught Li Zhuyuan off guard; he wasn’t used to this.
Perhaps it was due to staying too long with his grandfather, making him somewhat accustomed to not listening to whatever his grandfather said.
“Are you really not going? You’re not just trying to fool the kids here?”
Liu Jinxia opened a drawer and pulled out the money she had just received, slapping it on the table, indignantly saying:
“Everything I’ve learned about family relations has been wrong; isn’t it clear there are issues with sincerity in holding the ceremony? How could I go to his house with Aunt Xiang? Who knows what might happen!
Only a fool would go!”
Li Zhuyuan suddenly felt quite comfortable.
“Xiao Yuanhou, thank you for telling me these things.”
“Grandma Liu, shouldn’t you ask Binbin or find someone to check their village for more information?”
“No need. What’s most important in our line of work is to aim for smoothness and auspiciousness. Even if everything you just said is made up, the moment this observant little fellow told me so right after I took the job, even if it’s false, it’s enough for me not to dare to go.
This worthless life of mine can’t afford to take any risks; I still hope to live a few more years to help you Aunt Xiang and Cui Cui save up for the future, unlike your grandfather, who could do whatever.”
Li Zhuyuan nodded; he thoroughly agreed.
After parting ways with Cui Cui and heading home, Li Zhuyuan was in good spirits, swinging the girl’s hand unconsciously.
Before long, the girl responded, adding force to their swing, and they began to swing together.
Tan Wenbin looked back and suggested: “Brother Yuanyuan, it’s still early. I see there are fishing rods in the house, shall we go fishing now?”
“No.”
“Oh, then I’ll go fish with Runsheng.”
Runsheng: “I’m not going either.”
“I’ve noticed that whatever Xiao Yuan Ge says, you follow along like a little tail.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Tan Wenbin: “…”
Upon returning home, Li Sanjiang was sitting on the embankment. He stood up and said to Runsheng: “Runsheng, the shop called just now. Let’s go, we’ve got work to do. We need to go to Xiting Town to catch some deaths.”
“Okay! Huh? Didn’t my grandpa go?”
Runsheng’s family was in Xiting Town, and that was a normal task for his grandpa to casually grab.
“Speaking of which, it makes me mad. I just found out from the phone; after playing cards last week, your grandpa went home and, on the way to the neighbor’s house to use the restroom, fell into the cesspit. It was the neighbor who heard the noise and pulled him out.
Though he’s fine, he broke a leg.
That stupid man was too embarrassed to tell us; he actually kept it a secret!”
(End of this chapter)