"What? My grandpa broke his leg!"
Runsheng was completely stunned. He had been picked up by Grandpa Shan by the riverside. Although they often lived a life of hunger one moment and fullness the next, breaking a meal was something they both endured together, forging a genuine and deep bond.
Tan Wenbin's eyebrows jumped with excitement, as if he could almost pirouette on one foot, wishing to see the moment of his death himself!
Li Zhuiyuan felt a twinge of guilt. Calculating the time, it coincided with when he went to Xiting Town to gamble and won some money. At that time, Grandpa Shan had taken half of his winnings.
Alas, it seemed that dirty money was truly hard to spend.
"What are you still dawdling for!" Li Sanjiang shouted at Runsheng, "Quickly get your things ready and set off!"
"Oh, okay!" Runsheng immediately ran inside to gather his things. This time, not only was he going to see his grandfather, he also had work to do.
"Uncle Li, I want to go too! Take me with you."
Tan Wenbin wanted nothing more than to cling to Li Sanjiang, fearing that he might be left behind again.
"Alright, alright, I’ll take you with me."
Li Sanjiang agreed right away because the call had mentioned that the deceased was drifting in a certain stretch of water. Several villagers had seen him, but when they gathered to search, he couldn't be found anymore. Such a case was not particularly dangerous, but it required a lot of effort to find someone. Having an extra pair of hands would definitely help.
"Great-grandpa."
"What is it, Xiaoyuanhou?"
"I want to visit Grandpa Shan."
"Of course. Let’s all go."
Eager to return and see his grandfather, Runsheng pedaled the tricycle as fast as he could.
The three people sitting in the back held on tightly to the edge of the cart. In the middle, three bundles of items took up too much space.
Li Sanjiang's items, Li Zhuiyuan's items, and Runsheng's own belongings were all packed in.
"I say, Runshenghou, why did you bring so many things? We're going to fish a corpse, not to build houses for you."
Runsheng didn't reply; he was riding too fast, the wind roaring past him drowned out their complaints.
Li Sanjiang was too lazy to say more. He took out his compass from his pocket and began to check it seriously.
Li Zhuiyuan picked up a purple compass from his bag and also started to calibrate. Since they were going to find a body, this thing was essential.
As for the one in his great-grandfather's hands, it wasn't useful for finding bodies; its only purpose was to take everyone to the South Pole to find penguins.
Upon arriving outside Grandpa Shan's house, he could see him sitting in the yard from behind the half-collapsed wall, his leg in plaster propped up on a side bench. He was peeling and eating a sweet potato with his dentures resting beside him.
Li Sanjiang got out of the cart, and before he could even arrive, his voice could be heard.
"I told you, Shan Pao, even if your teeth are poor, you shouldn't be drinking thin soup!"
The sweet potato in Grandpa Shan's hand dropped to the ground. He realized that old rascal had heard about his accident right away. His face turned red, and he hurriedly grabbed the cane nearby and attempted to get up and slam the door shut.
But he was too hasty; he lost balance and fell straight to the ground.
Now, footsteps were approaching from behind.
Furious, Grandpa Shan pounded the ground with his fist, biting his lip tightly!
Li Sanjiang reached out to help him up and made him sit down, then dusted off the mud from his body.
Grandpa Shan glared, "Who asked you to come!"
Ignoring his angry words, Li Sanjiang chuckled, "Shan Pao, if something happens, you still have to let me know! We’ve been good pals for years. Seriously, you can't just disappear without a word. I'd feel lonely."
His words were heartfelt, and Grandpa Shan's expression softened.
"Li Sanjiang..."
"You can't die in a pit toilet! If someone finds you early, that's fine, but if you float around for a night, when I come to handle your funeral, I still have to hold my nose to change your shroud. How embarrassing!"
Grandpa Shan: "..."
Li Sanjiang pulled out two cigarettes, putting one in his mouth while handing one to Grandpa Shan. Then he glanced, calling out, "Zhuangzhuang."
"Coming!"
Tan Wenbin took out a matchbox, struck a match, and lit one for himself and one for Grandpa Shan.
"Shan Pao, come stay with me until your leg heals, then come back."
"I won’t go. It’s just a broken leg; I can still eat and drink myself. It’s no big deal."
"Then let Runsheng come back to look after you?"
Grandpa Shan hesitated for a moment but shook his head. "No need. Runsheng staying with you is better. He eats well, sleeps well, and he's stronger now. He deserves a good life, so why should I hold him back?"
This sentiment sounded quite touching, but Li Sanjiang waved his hand. "Runshenghou, hurry and check the rice jar and the oil can."
Runsheng ran into the house and quickly came back out, astonished. "Grandpa, did you really sell all the rice and oil I bought for you last time?"
That stuff had to be scraped out from jars and sold piece by piece. Just how desperate was he to do that?
Grandpa Shan exhaled some smoke rings, hoping to use it to mask his embarrassment. "I don’t know what happened those days. I kept losing and would see hope, only to lose again. It’s really bizarre."
"Ah, so you don’t want Runsheng back because you’re afraid that if he comes back, you won't have enough sweet potatoes to eat, right?"
Grandpa Shan turned his head and said nothing.
"I say you old Shan Pao, at least being a grandfather, you should leave something for your grandson, right? Don't be so wasteful. When Runshenghou wants to date in a few years, look at this shack of yours. Which girl in this district would want to marry him?
Look at me, I’m saving up for my little Yuanhou, when it comes to the city, who knows, but in the countryside, with the girls around, my family little Yuanhou won't have to pick and choose?"
Grandpa Shan caught onto the critical point and asked, "What happened? Is little Yuanhou unable to return to the capital?"
Li Sanjiang’s expression changed, heavily smoking his cigarette.
"What did you do? The child’s household registration in the capital is gone?"
"Shut up!"
"Don’t talk about me. If I’m not allowed to speak, then I won't. Otherwise, I’ll be discussing the benefits of household registration with you."
Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Grandpa Shan and asked, "Grandpa Shan, is your leg serious?"
"Not serious, not serious; it will get better with care." Grandpa Shan waved his hand sheepishly.
He hadn’t realized what happened last time he took the money until he returned to the card table and heard clearly later. It turned out it was mainly the kid playing cards, not the older folks. Runsheng had just run errands, while the capital was little Zhuiyuan, yet he had managed to take away half the money.
But that money was already lost, and he couldn’t return it. Thinking of what he had done was truly embarrassing.
"Runshenghou," Grandpa Shan said looking at Runsheng, "You should listen to little Zhuiyuan."
With no money to pay back, he could only offer trouble instead.
Runsheng nodded, "Grandpa, I understand."
"Have we arrived? Are we there yet?" A shout came from outside, it was the local village chief, who had made the call earlier.
Grandpa Shan was still unclear about the matter and asked, "What happened?"
Li Sanjiang said irritably, "If it weren't for you bunch having a corpse drifting around, we wouldn’t even know you broke your leg."
"Then go take care of your business. Get the work done."
"Mm."
As Li Sanjiang was about to stand up, his great-grandson said, "Great-grandpa, you stay here and talk to Grandpa Shan. Runsheng and I can go."
Grandpa Shan worriedly asked, "Is Runsheng still steady enough?"
Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Grandpa Shan, Runsheng wasn’t steady before, but ever since he's been with my great-grandpa, he's different now. Just wait and see."
Grandpa Shan made a face, "You little Yuanhou."
Li Sanjiang felt happy hearing this, patting his knee, "Okay, then let Runshenghou go find that corpse first. If there’s any problem, come back and call me immediately."
Successfully coaxing his great-grandfather to stay home, Li Zhuiyuan waved to Runsheng.
Runsheng understood at once, shouldering a set of body recovery tools and tossing the other set to Tan Wenbin.
The three of them followed the village chief to a section of the river. The river wasn’t very wide, but both banks were wooded, and the reeds on the banks were thick, obstructing visibility severely.
"This is the stretch! Many people told me they saw a dead person floating around, but when I brought people here a few times, we couldn’t find anything. It’s really strange. Why don’t you all start searching, and if you find anything and need more help, just come get me. I still have some urgent matters to tend to."
Runsheng nodded, "Okay, village chief. You go handle your affairs."
The village chief took out a cigarette and offered one to Runsheng, who declined. Since Little Yuan was too young, only Tan Wenbin took one and tucked it behind his ear.
After the village chief left, Li Zhuiyuan stood by the river, holding the compass.
The village chief presumably left because he didn’t hold much hope of finding a floating corpse today. He had likely organized searches for this stretch of the river before, but it had all been in vain. Bringing in body recovery workers was akin to throwing a dead horse in place of a live one, but at least it gave the villagers some closure.
Tan Wenbin was fully engaged, asking seriously, "Xiao Yuan, should I and Runsheng split up to walk along the riverbank?"
"Go ahead, Tan Wenbin. Runsheng will stay with me."
"Is it because my insight capabilities are stronger than his?"
"It's because I’m afraid of being in danger by myself with Runsheng not around."
"Then... I’ll stay with you to protect you."
Li Zhuiyuan knew he was being overly cautious. Nothing strange had happened in the village, and those villagers who saw the corpse would have left safely, proving that floating sign was most likely a common corpse.
But since the town had seen water burials dating back to the Southern Liang period, he felt it wise to not be overly confident and proceed with caution.
Carrying the compass, he walked slowly along the riverside. They covered quite a distance, but didn’t notice any abnormalities in the geomantic signs; naturally, they didn’t find any corpses.
Tan Wenbin asked, "Could it have drifted to another section?"
"It’s possible." Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the water's surface. "It's also possible that a certain spot in the river has a leak, pulling the body down."
"A leak can exist?"
"Like the plug at the bottom of a bathtub."
"Then wouldn't that mean we need to dive to look? I mean, with all this gear, why didn’t you guys think to bring oxygen tanks?"
Runsheng replied, "These tools are specifically for that kind of body that moves."
"Oh, good stuff." Tan Wenbin patted the burlap sack on his back.
Unknowingly, they had reached a bend in the river, with a newly constructed bridge ahead.
Li Zhuiyuan stopped. They had completed a walkover of the area described by the village chief and still found nothing.
Tan Wenbin nudged Runsheng's arm, asking, "Hey, have you ever encountered a situation where you went looking for a body but couldn’t find it?"
"Yes, I remember when my grandpa and great-grandpa were around. They would set up an offering table and perform a ritual to ‘call the spirit’, allowing it to float up."
Hearing this, Tan Wenbin leaned closer to Li Zhuiyuan, "Xiao Yuan, do you know how to do that?"
Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly.
Tan Wenbin immediately added, "It’s fine if you don’t. You’re still the most capable in my eyes, brother."
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head; he indeed knew how.
In the books from Wei Zhengdao and the Qin Liu families, there were numerous methods documented for 'calling spirits'. The problem was that his great-grandpa and Grandpa Shan may have only learned the formality. If they succeeded, it was because of their profound skills; if not, it was due to the corpse being peculiar, mainly reliant on luck.
But for him, he could genuinely attract spirits based on the readings of geomantic signs.
However, the more he knew, the more hesitant he was to use it indiscriminately. Perhaps that corpse had already drifted away and might not even be here anymore? Moreover, there were plenty of graves nearby, and he wasn’t clear on the river's situation. If he performed the rites, what if he didn’t draw that floating corpse but attracted something inexplicable instead?
"Let’s cross the bridge and walk back from the other side."
Li Zhuiyuan stepped onto the bridge. It was a cement board bridge without railings, made of three cement slabs.
As they reached the middle of the bridge, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt a change in the surrounding aura and looked down to see the compass pointer erratically spinning.
He silently recited the 'Liushi Wangqi Jue' while turning around in place, then stopped to observe the pointer inside the compass’s circles as it began to measure.
Runsheng stood silently beside him, while Tan Wenbin peeked over curiously. He thought Li Zhuiyuan looked very cool as he spun the compass, but it was a shame he was too young. If he grew a bit more, this kind of composure would surely impress many a merchant inviting him to spin the compass before their businesses opened.
Li Zhuiyuan stamped his foot. He hadn’t noticed anything unusual while walking along the riverbank, but once he stood on this bridge, he realized that it was precisely located at a critical feng shui spot.
Even though it was a small river, the 'jiao' was almost unbearably small, yet its configuration was intact.
Looking at the surrounding environment, it was indeed quite rare for bridges to be built at bends of rivers; generally, they were found along straight sections.
However, even if it was a critical feng shui spot, it didn’t seem to hold anything special, let alone be a situation of ‘killing aura.’
But if he wanted to utilize it and intentionally turn this place into a malevolent spot...
Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the concrete slabs beneath his feet and said, "Runsheng, go look underneath the bridge by the river from where I’m standing."
"I’ll do it!"
Tan Wenbin dropped his things and quickly ran down the bridge. When he reached the riverside, he barely glanced and directly stepped into the river without hesitation.
Though it was a small river, it certainly had a deep spot in the middle. If there were a leak or a pit below, it could easily pull an adult down.
Runsheng squatted at the edge of the bridge, warning, "Be careful, or we’ll have to fish you out next."
"This river has very deep muck! I’m just at the riverbank." Tan Wenbin said cautiously, inching forward. His current mindset was that he had finally bought a ticket to the amusement park and had to take the initiative to experience every thrill.
Finally, he couldn't bring himself further, though he was still quite far away; he could see clearly underneath the bridge, looked up, and suddenly staggered back a few steps, yelling up at the others, "Xiao Yuan, there are large iron nails stuck on the underside of the bridge, right at your feet!"
"Are there seven of them?"
"Huh?" Tan Wenbin moved a couple of steps forward, maintaining his balance while counting, "Yes, there are seven."
"Around the nails, is it red?"
"Yes, it’s red, as if painted with red paint."
Just as expected.
That initially ordinary feng shui point was directly transformed into a bloodletting dragon.
Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked towards the bend in the river. The life energy of this stretch was leaking out, while the malevolent qi was blocked. Essentially, a feng shui trap had been set up here using the natural environment.
But why hadn’t he sensed anything unusual while walking here earlier?
Li Zhuiyuan immediately thought of a possibility: the malevolent qi had been sucked away by the corpse!
It was a cycle of succor and suction, creating a dynamic loop here.
No wonder the villagers saw the corpse only to find it gone again; because once it floated after sucking in the malevolent qi, it would sink back down after finishing!
Hence, this wasn’t merely a simple case of recovering a floating corpse; someone had orchestrated a scheme to cultivate a corpse here!
Li Zhuiyuan realized that by placing himself on the side of evil and reverse engineering the results, the success rate seemed high.
Yet, he felt less joy and more frustration; why was it so easy to place himself in the opposing side's shoes?
Plus, this feng shui arrangement was rather petty.
As his great-grandpa often said during meals: "Hello, you’re only losing this bit, are you training fish?"
If he were to set things up, he could have expanded the operation more broadly, at least bring in the external malevolence to create a counter-active force. Now, this technique only served to preserve corpses.
"It seems the quality of the books you read isn't quite good."
Li Zhuiyuan smacked his forehead. No, what am I even thinking?
No, this is not my fault; it's Wei Zhengdao's fault.
In the past, he only grasped concepts from books without deepening his understanding. When he truly began to practice, the sense of discomfort appeared. Wei Zhengdao’s books were filled with 'orthodox principles,' teaching only how to suppress corpses by representing the right path.
However, the way this fellow narrated and arranged the content had much that was reverse-engineerable. Many upright taboos or mistakes could be turned around for a different disastrous effect.
This guy was obviously flying the flag of the righteous path while undermining it!
"Xiao Yuan, are you alright?” Runsheng asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Runsheng. This place has been set up by someone..."
"Wait for me, wait for me! Let’s wait until we get there to discuss!"
Tan Wenbin shouted while waving his arms, rushing as if afraid he would miss out on this scene.
However, as he ran, his shoes and pants got soaked, and in his haste, he tripped, losing balance, and crashed right into Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng.
If Runsheng hadn’t been strong enough to hold him, they might have all fallen into the river.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry." Tan Wenbin squatted down, squeezing his pants, saying, "Now we can talk."
"This bridge is a feng shui trap set up by someone. That corpse likely wasn’t a random drowning, but it was placed here to cultivate corpses.”
“Cultivate corpses?” Tan Wenbin's mouth gaped open in awe. “Wow, that sounds exhilarating.”
Runsheng asked, "So Xiao Yuan, what should we do now?"
"There are two choices. One, I break the trap and then the corpse would float up. The other, we go directly to his home."
Runsheng was about to ask how to find him but kept silent.
Tan Wenbin, unable to hold back, asked, "How do we find him?"
Li Zhuiyuan pointed to a stone tablet near the bridge pillar. "The name of the person who donated to fix this bridge is written there."
Tan Wenbin tapped his head in realization, "Oh right! Why did I feel so dumb?"
Runsheng acknowledged with a sound.
Fixing roads and bridges has always been an act of accumulating virtue, especially in villages where financial allocations were insufficient. Often, roads and bridges had to be funded by their own initiatives. If the costs were shared by the entire village, that was one thing, but if the major portion was from a single donor, their name would typically be engraved on a stone tablet.
Li Zhuiyuan approached the tablet; one name was written there, affirming that the bridge had been funded entirely by him… Zhou Yong.
"Let’s ask the village chief; this person should live in the village. He can’t just throw a corpse here and go far away."
"I know where he lives," Runsheng pointed in a direction. "He lives at the north corner of the village." Tan Wenbin asked, "Is his family wealthy?"
Runsheng shook his head, "In the village, there are families living worse than mine. Not that many; his family is one of them."
Li Zhuiyuan thought for a moment. "Then let's go to his house. Lay everything out clearly. It’s best to prevent him from tossing another body into the river once we manage to pull one up."
Tan Wenbin blinked, muttering, "This isn’t a fish fry."
Runsheng replied, "Xiao Yuan means that if we only handle the body and not the person, it could lead to follow-up trouble."
With Runsheng leading the way, the three of them headed towards the north corner of the village.
Along the way, Tan Wenbin asked, "Hey, should I call my dad to come over?"
Runsheng retorted, "Do you want your dad to know that you’re not studying at Uncle's house but are here to recover a corpse?"
Tan Wenbin’s voice dropped slightly, "Isn’t that a homicide? Isn’t it under the police’s jurisdiction?"
"Tan Wenbin, this isn’t necessarily a homicide. He’s cultivating a corpse. You can think of it as utilizing feng shui to preserve the body. If he did commit murder, there’d be no reason to go through this much trouble."
"Oh, I see. Now I understand."
"Runsheng, be prepared. If something unusual happens, act immediately to ensure our safety."
"Mm, don’t worry, Xiao Yuan. I got this."
Since Liu Yumei and Uncle Qin were considered "family," this was still Li Zhuiyuan's first encounter with a peer on the outside. He felt a bit nervous.
Zhou Yong's house was worse off than Grandpa Shan's. At least Grandpa Shan had a dilapidated yard, while Zhou Yong's house had no fence, and he lived in a mud house.
Currently, villagers struggled to build two-story houses, and anyone still residing in a mud house in this day was truly at the bottom echelon of the village's living standards.
Tan Wenbin questioned in confusion, "Someone like this funded the building of a bridge all by himself?"
Runsheng responded, "He used to be a worker at the Xingren Agricultural Machinery Factory. Later, both his wife and child fell sick, so he couldn’t work and farmed at home to take care of them."
Tan Wenbin asked, "Are his wife and child still around?"
"They are. The last time I rode past their door, I saw his wife and child sitting outside, basking in the sun."
While speaking, Runsheng turned to Li Zhuiyuan, "It was when I was waiting for you at home while I went to the town market to buy rice flour for your great-grandfather. I passed right by their place and saw them."
Li Zhuiyuan nodded.
The three arrived at a small compound, which had a well topped with a large straw hat, looking quite tidy. Of course, that was primarily because there was very little in there.
The door was closed; Tan Wenbin licked his lips and pushed against it, but it wouldn’t budge. After a couple of tries, he heard the clinking sound of the door lock from within.
He looked back at Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng, shrugging, "Looks like we came at the wrong time. The residents are likely out, and the door is locked inside."
Li Zhuiyuan shot him a glance. "Isn’t it strange that the door is locked from within?"
"What's strange about that? My house locks from the inside too... Oh, wait, how could that be?"
The locking mechanism for village wooden doors is different from multi-family apartment key locks.
"Tan Wenbin, try calling again."
"Alright!" Tan Wenbin knocked on the door while calling out, "Hey! Is anyone home? Is anyone home?"
No one responded from inside.
At that moment, Runsheng sniffed and spread his hands, "Tan Wenbin, be quiet."
Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately stepped back a few paces.
He knew Runsheng’s sense of smell was exceptional.
"Xiao Yuan, there's a faint smell of corpse."
Tan Wenbin asked urgently, "Is that a dead body?"
Runsheng shook his head, "It’s unclear; the smell is too weak. It could also be from something else."
Tan Wenbin speculated, "Could it be that after securing the door from inside, someone committed suicide?"
Immediately, the two turned to look at Li Zhuiyuan.
Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the window beside him, "Let’s try inside to check, if we find a corpse, we’ll call the police. If not, we’ll just apologize and settle."
Tan Wenbin approached the wooden window and tugged it, "It's locked too."
Runsheng came over, pushed him aside, grabbed the edge of the window, and with a forceful pull, the whole window came off.
Then, Runsheng squeezed himself inside.
Seeing this, Tan Wenbin finally gritted his teeth and followed.
"Creek!"
The lock on the wooden door clicked open, the door swung open, revealing Runsheng standing behind it.
"Xiao Yuan, the key is on the table. I just opened it directly."
"Runsheng, what are you doing? If there is a corpse here, you are ruining the scene, and how can we witness this?"
Li Zhuiyuan walked in through the front door, saying, "It’s fine. Your dad will help us cover up."
"But this isn’t under my dad's jurisdiction."
"You were playing cards in the village. Your dad takes a leave and comes disguised to the village to catch you. He encounters this room and becomes the first witness."
Tan Wenbin gulped, "That’s very reasonable."
The room was not small, but the ground was filled with small mud puddles and not paved with bricks.
Moreover, many wooden beams were rather low, requiring even adults to duck carefully.
The layout was standard for housing; the kitchen was on the far east side with a stove, the middle was a hall, where a long cabinet with a spirit table was placed against the wall. The western end was the bedroom.
There were many items inside the house, most of which were so broken but still not discarded, and all arranged in an orderly fashion.
Tan Wenbin and Runsheng went to different sides, while Li Zhuiyuan stood in the hall, observing the mounted spirit images above.
On the left was Avalokiteshvara, on the right was the Jade Emperor, and in the center was Jesus.
It was understandable for villagers to hang spirit images. Mixing Buddhism and Daoism was commonplace, and Confucianism could also be represented. For instance, his great-grandfather hung a portrait of Confucius at home.
But having Jesus hung here felt somewhat out of place, as it was clearly not in line with the adjacent images; discerning people could easily spot the awkwardness.
Li Zhuiyuan moved towards the cabinet, discovering that the incense burner in front of Avalokiteshvara and the Jade Emperor had long been unused, covered in a thick layer of dust instead of the ash of incense.
However, the incense burner in front of Jesus was filled to the brim with ash, suggesting it was used frequently.
But did Jesus really receive incense offerings?
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand intending to open the long cabinet, which resembled a coffin design.
Each lid had a groove design that fit together like a puzzle. Typically, they needed to be opened piece by piece, serving as storage for miscellaneous items or grains.
However, he eventually lowered his hand again, deciding it was safer to wait for Runsheng.
Runsheng and Tan Wenbin returned.
"There’s no one in the bedroom."
"And there’s no one in the kitchen either."
Li Zhuiyuan inquired, "Runsheng, can you tell where the corpse reek is coming from?"
Runsheng shook his head, "Once I entered, I couldn’t identify, the smell was faint everywhere."
Tan Wenbin mocked, "So you’re saying that there’s a corpse living and moving in this house, leaving the smell behind? Are you serious?"
"Tan Wenbin, are you merely a ‘dragon lover’?"
"Huh?" Immediately, Tan Wenbin remembered the purpose of coming here, and images of a corpse moving inside surfaced in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Runsheng, let’s open the lid and see inside."
"Okay."
Runsheng opened the lid smoothly, using both hands to push aside, and then lifted it.
Li Zhuiyuan stood on his tiptoes to take a look inside. It was full of rice bags, and a slightly pungent odor of fumigation hit the nose, likely meant to prevent the rice from going moldy.
It appeared that nothing was hidden in this hall since the only storage capability was this long cabinet.
Li Zhuiyuan made his way to the kitchen while Runsheng and Tan Wenbin followed.
The kitchen was organized in a very standard rural mud stove kitchen layout, with a considerable amount of dried grass and wood stacked behind the stove.
Tan Wenbin pointed over there and said, "I checked there before, there’s nothing hidden among the hay."
Li Zhuiyuan started lifting the lids of the water jar and the rice jar. The water jar was full, and the rice jar was filled with rice.
Tan Wenbin added, "I looked at this earlier as well and found nothing. Still, despite their poverty, their rice jar is fuller than Runsheng’s family."
Li Zhuiyuan took a step back and retreated a few paces, coming to stand behind Runsheng and Tan Wenbin.
He pointed at the rice jar and noted, "They’re a family of three. With such a large rice jar, filled to the brim, it indicates their situation."
City families would run out and buy rice if it ran low, but rural households often had some grains stored, taking only a portion for daily use from the rice jar, going back to replenish only when it was nearly empty.
Runsheng looked at Tan Wenbin, then at the rice jar, indicating, “Do you want to check or should I?”
Tan Wenbin trembled but still gritted his teeth and nodded, stepping forward to the rice jar, reaching in to dig through the rice.
As he dug deeper, Tan Wenbin suddenly let out a piercing scream:
"Ah!!!"
Then he collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward on both hands and feet.
Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng rushed over to see what had happened. In the concave spot in the middle of the rice jar was a clump of black hair.
In the rice jar… there was a person!
No wonder Tan Wenbin was so scared; this scene would frighten anyone.
Especially the thought of a person curled up beneath the rice.
Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes but quickly opened them again, trying to calm his emotions. "Runsheng, verify it again."
"Okay."
Runsheng didn’t hesitate, reaching in to dig further. Finally, the forehead beneath the hair appeared, confirming it was indeed a person, a girl.
As he continued pulling, he could see the girl's eyes.
Her eyes were wide open.
The girl’s eyes were completely filled with grains of rice, so full that they appeared swollen.
Tan Wenbin had just stood up, inching closer to take another look, but he was quickly shocked into retreating again.
Li Zhuiyuan averted his gaze. This time, he didn’t fault Tan Wenbin for being timid; even he was finding it hard to bear those eyes.
"Xiao Yuan, I'm unable to continue. We can either scoop the rice out or try to pull her out."
"Don’t worry, leave it as it is for now."
"Alright."
Li Zhuiyuan pinched his nose; he caught a whiff of something putrid.
"Runsheng, did you notice?"
"Uh, no. It’s still the faint smell of a corpse. Xiao Yuan, do you smell something?"
"I smell a hint of fragrance."
"Fragrance?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, glancing at the water jar. This water had likely been unchanged for a long time, coupled with the house's dim ambiance, so it wasn’t clear but appeared murky.
"Tan Wenbin."
Tan Wenbin immediately shook his head madly, calling out to Runsheng, "Runsheng!"
Without hesitation, Runsheng, wearing a tank top, stretched his arm into the water jar, cautiously stirring it.
Finally, he pulled out his damp arm, shaking it off, "Nothing in there."
Tan Wenbin suggested, "Shall we head out first?"
Runsheng shot him a glare. "You were the one who insisted on coming! And now that you're here, you’re scared out of your wits."
Tan Wenbin protested, "Isn’t that just a normal human reaction?"
Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the bedroom as Runsheng followed, while Tan Wenbin cast one more glance at the girl’s eyes in the rice jar…
And immediately spun around, racing out after them.
In the bedroom, there were two beds, one large and one small, both draped with blue mosquito nets, the beds laid with bamboo mats.
The large bed had a neatly folded quilt, while the small bed had a blanket laid over it.
Both beds were cushioned with several layers of thick bedding underneath the mats to make sleeping softer and more comfortable.
Runsheng pointed at the corners under the beds and the surrounding wardrobes, "Xiao Yuan, I've already checked these places. There’s nothing irregular."
Tan Wenbin pointed at the quilt, "The quilt! How come it’s so thick in the summer?"
Runsheng approached, lifted the mosquito net, and pulled the quilt over to unfold it; indeed, it was just a thick quilt.
Tan Wenbin exclaimed, "Uh..."
"Runsheng, lift the mats from both beds."
"Okay."
Runsheng first lifted the mat from the small bed, discovering several layers of cotton stuffing underneath.
As Runsheng prepared to lift the mat from the large bed, Tan Wenbin eagerly stepped in front, quickly exposing the mat, then he gripped a corner and started tiptoeing and swaying as if he were getting spooked.
This was… getting startled.
Under the large bed mat, just as expected, was a thick layer of cotton stuffing.
But sandwiched within was a person, an adult woman, very thin.
Most of her body was covered by the cotton; only her face, stomach, and feet were exposed.
She too was staring wide-eyed, her eyes filled with so much cotton that they appeared slightly swollen.
Additionally, the cotton around her eyes protruded, resembling new cotton sprouting out.
"Let it go, Tan Wenbin."
"Okay."
Tan Wenbin released his grip, letting the mat fall back down again over the stuffing and the woman beneath.
Then, Tan Wenbin walked towards Li Zhuiyuan, only for Li Zhuiyuan to back away. Left with no other choice, Tan Wenbin approached Runsheng, reaching for an embrace; he needed comfort right now.
He was on the verge of tears, in fact, tears had already welled up in his eyes.
His voice trembled as he asked, "Xiao Yuan, what should we do next?"
"Don’t be scared, Tan Wenbin."
"I’m not scared..." Tan Wenbin took a deep breath stubbornly, only to be suddenly shoved by Runsheng.
Stumbling, he fell backward onto the large bed mat.
"Ah!"
Just thinking about what was below him, he sprang back up like a spring.
"I’m afraid, I’m afraid!"
Li Zhuiyuan patted Tan Wenbin’s arm, "Don’t be scared, Tan Wenbin. Let's call your dad."
"Dad…"
Indeed, when the image of Tan Yunlong appeared in his mind, Tan Wenbin's fears eased significantly. Even if his father were to take off his belt in front of him right now, he would see it as a warm and familiar embrace.
Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of the mud house, and Runsheng planned to reattach the window he had just removed; however, he heard Tan Wenbin calling to wait.
Then there was a "click" as he locked the wooden door from the inside.
Right after, he crawled out of the window as Runsheng installed the window back.
"Hehe, Xiao Yuan, I locked the door and wiped the lock and key too. This way, there won’t be any fingerprints left from when Runsheng unlocked it, lessening our troubles."
Tan Wenbin felt his actions were quite professional.
"When your dad comes, Runsheng can unlock it again. Also, you didn’t just wipe Runsheng’s fingerprints; you wiped all fingerprints on it."
"This..." Tan Wenbin realized he had done something futile.
"Let’s go call your dad."
Logically, one should stay back to keep watch, but leaving anyone behind felt inappropriate, so finally, all three of them walked out together.
After quite a while, they heard someone behind calling: "Hey, Runshenghou! Runshenghou!"
The three turned back to see the village chief biking down the road they had come from, waving at them from afar. "Runshenghou, did you find anything yet?"
Runsheng raised his hand, replying, "Not yet!"
At that moment, the three saw the village chief, who was cycling closer, suddenly making a gesture to turn left while greeting with his hands, smiling and saying something.
That was typically how people greeted those at roadside houses.
In that location, and in that direction, was Zhou Yong's house.
The three stared at Zhou Yong's home.
Though at some distance, they could vaguely see on the small compound, a mother and daughter pair sitting.
(Chapter End)