In the heat of summer, at this time every day, the sweltering air would begin to soften; even the breeze blowing in from the rice fields carried a hint of coolness.
Li Zhuiyuan faced the direction of the rice fields, closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths earnestly.
"Little Lord Yuan, what's wrong? Is there a smell coming from your great-grandfather?"
"No, Great-Grandfather, I can smell the fragrance of rice."
"Oh, did you smell it?"
"I can't smell it. It’s different from what’s written in the books. They say rice fragrance is very pleasant."
"Silly child, your timing is off. Wait until the fertilizing or pesticide spraying is done, and then you can smell it. I guarantee that smell will knock your socks off!"
"Great-Grandfather, you are teasing me."
"Hahaha." Li Sanjiang twisted his neck and continued walking along the ridge path, carrying the child on his back. "Right now, they don’t smell much, but when the harvest comes, when it’s dried, husked, and turned into steamed rice and rice cakes, with hot steam rising, that fragrance will be wafted from far and wide!"
"Great-Grandfather, you’re right."
Li Sanjiang stopped and turned to look at the rice fields. "Actually, what the articles you read say isn’t wrong. For us farmers, when we see the crops growing well, and the granary filled with grain and rice in the pot, not having to worry about hunger, our hearts feel secure. Wherever we stand, closing our eyes and taking a deep breath, it's all sweet."
"I understand now."
"No, you don’t understand, Little Lord Yuan. You’ve never really experienced hunger; you can't truly grasp that feeling. For us, being able to eat our fill at every meal hasn’t been so long ago.
But no matter how it is, it can’t be compared to before the liberation."
"Huh?" Li Zhuiyuan asked in surprise. "Before the liberation, did everyone have enough to eat?"
"Yes, before the liberation, everyone could eat their fill—no one went hungry."
"Great-Grandfather, what you say seems wrong."
"That’s because livestock don’t count as people."
"Huh?"
"Little Lord Yuan, before liberation, your great-grandfather was also someone who braved the Bund."
"Did Great-Grandfather know Xu Wenqiang?"
"Xu Wenqiang? Who's that? I don’t know. Your great-grandfather went by boat. It was quite convenient since Nantong and Shanghai are just across a river.
Back then, thinking about the big Shanghai, finding a job would certainly be easier. No matter what, it was better than working the fields for the landlord at home.
I was lucky; as soon as I got there, I found work right away."
"What kind of work did Great-Grandfather do?"
"The corpse retrieval team."
"Did Great-Grandfather work in a funeral home?"
"Haha, there were funeral homes back then, but regular folks couldn't go there. If you went in horizontally, you’d have to sprint back out; the dead couldn’t afford to die.
I was in the corpse retrieval team. Back then, the city government allocated some funds, and some wealthy merchants donated. My job was… every early morning, we collected corpses, carrying the bodies found on the streets and in alleyways and sending them to the nearby mortuaries for processing.
When times were good, we could get a few donated coffins, but not everyone got one coffin; many people were stuffed into one.
I still remember once, several children like you were collected; it took a lot of effort to fit them in.
Oh, it didn’t budge, it didn’t budge at all.
Do you understand what I mean?"
"Is it because the coffin was too heavy outside and too tightly packed inside, so it wouldn’t budge?"
"Exactly. That was when times were good enough to get a coffin; when times were bad, the corpses would just be wrapped in a straw mat for gathering. Not enough time to burn or bury them, they were just dumped on the outskirts, feeding the wild dogs.
When winter came, oh my, that was truly exhausting.
Every morning on the streets, you could see many families huddled together, frozen stiff.
Little Lord Yuan, that was big Shanghai back then! It was a big city, and everyone was wealthy. Just a small trickle of money dropped by a random person would be enough for an ordinary family to eat grains for days.
But your great-grandfather worked all year long without a break, having more work than one could finish.
At that time, I thought…
Even though there were so many foreign cars on the streets, and in that bustling area, everywhere you looked were dance halls and theaters, with people dressed in Western attire coming and going, you could still find starving people every day in the alleys and cracks.
After thinking for a long time, I finally realized one thing.
Everyone has two eyes, one nose, and two legs to walk, but only a small handful were considered people. The others… no, the others were just worthless livestock.
Hmm, no, even livestock has value; when they are hungry, they can still be given a handful of fodder. But those people, not even a single coffin board to their name; once they die, the only reason someone bothers to collect their body is that it might affect the city’s appearance."
Li Zhuiyuan tightened his embrace around Li Sanjiang's neck, pressing his face against his great-grandfather’s back. "So, was that when Great-Grandfather learned his skills?"
"I suppose so; back then, carrying corpses all day only earned me enough to fill my belly for that day; now, retrieving one corpse lets me eat and drink well for a while.
Liberation is good; people have finally become people and have also become valuable."
"My grandfather also said that when he was young, he was beaten by a whip while working for a landlord."
"Hearing Lord Han talk nonsense, he was barely out of his childhood when we were liberated. All those landlords were… hey, Little Lord Yuan, you’re not talking about Lord Han, are you?"
"It’s my Northern grandfather."
"Hahaha, the one from the capital, your father’s father?"
"Yes, he said that if it weren’t for not being able to live, he wouldn’t have followed the crowd and joined the revolution."
Suddenly, Li Sanjiang stopped and turned to look at the boy behind him.
"What?"
"What’s wrong?"
"Did your Northern grandfather fight in the war?"
"Yeah."
"Is he still alive?"
"He is."
"Did he fight against the Japanese first?"
"No, that came later."
"Ah, ah, ah!"
"What’s wrong, Great-Grandfather?"
"Little Lord Yuan, do you have a good relationship with your Northern grandfather?"
"During the holidays, I would return home with my mom and dad to have dinner."
"How about on regular days?"
"I don’t go."
"Oh, you don’t keep in touch?"
"No, Grandma and Mom don’t get along."
Li Sanjiang: "..."
"My uncles and the Northern Grandfather and Northern Grandmother live together, and my mom, dad, and I live outside. Mom won’t let me go to the Northern Grandfather’s place, and Dad sneaks back home sometimes without letting Mom know."
"What is that Lan Lord thinking?"
Li Sanjiang didn’t understand. He knew that conflicts between mother-in-laws and daughters-in-law were normal, but it should depend on the family!
With such a family, wouldn’t you want to flatter and serve them well?
But thinking again, Li Sanjiang felt that this was indeed something Li Lan might do.
In a house full of honest and simple folks, suddenly a golden phoenix emerged.
If it weren't for the ancestral graves of Li Weihan and his family being side by side, he would suspect that Li Weihan's ancestral grave caught fire and was so smoky.
That girl was sweet-spoken and well-behaved when she was little. As she grew older, she could make her four older brothers fear her; even the most unruly men and the gossipy women in the village dared not tease her. Just a glance from her, although her face wore a smile, could chill their hearts.
He remembered that year when she brought her partner home, Han Lord and Guiying were so tense they couldn’t bear to look at anyone. But Li Sanjiang, having seen the world, stared for a long time and even took the initiative to chat with him;
He noticed that the young man in front of Lan Lord seemed so disciplined in front of her that he could only nod like a little chick pecking for grain. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think this fair-faced boy was a poor wife who had just been trafficked into the village.
Li Sanjiang was also aware of the divorce of Lan Lord; otherwise, Little Yuan wouldn’t be stuck here temporarily. Usually, when a man and a woman divorced, public sentiment would lean toward the woman, but with Lan Lord's divorce… Li Sanjiang actually felt a bit of sympathy for the man. To endure for over ten years, that wasn’t easy.
"Little Lord Yuan, did you change your surname?"
"Yes."
"Sigh."
Li Sanjiang sighed. It was one thing to get divorced, but to change the child’s surname back meant that if they didn’t change the surname, the child would still be considered part of that family.
"Little Lord Yuan, listen to your great-grandfather. When you return to the capital, find opportunities to get closer to your Northern Grandfather and Northern Grandmother. Do you understand?"
"I won’t go."
"Stop being disobedient! Your great-grandfather wouldn’t harm you."
"I can’t go. Mom will be unhappy."
"You…"
"If Mom is unhappy, she won’t want Little Yuan either."
"Sigh… What you said is nonsense. You two are mother and son; your mom will always love you, no matter when."
"She won’t." Li Zhuiyuan's voice was low, yet very certain. "If I make her unhappy, she won't want me. I understand her."
Li Sanjiang had to change the subject. "Little Lord Yuan, did you bring your homework with you? Tomorrow I’ll let your grandma bring back your homework and books."
"I didn’t bring any."
"Haha, you little clever one! Did you purposely not bring your books back to play freely in the countryside during summer vacation?"
"Yes, it's really fun."
"You still need to study hard. Only by doing that can you live better in the future. Once these few days pass, I’ll have your sister Ying come and tutor you, and you must learn from her."
"Okay."
"That's a good boy."
The grandfather and grandson chatted as they walked towards a riverbank, where farmland lay beside it. Following the small path along the river, after a while, they suddenly opened up.
Li Sanjiang's yard was several times wider than Li Weihan's family house.
Three houses stood: the middle one faced south, a new two-story building, but unlike the square architectural style of Cui Cui's house, Li Weihan's new house was quite wide, elongated from east to west.
Though there was a second floor, it held only a few individual rooms, like a large platform with a few blocks placed on it.
On both sides of the new house were single-story buildings facing each other.
"Great-Grandfather, your house is so big!"
"Of course!" Li Sanjiang replied with pride.
In addition to collecting corpses, he also engaged in making paper offerings, which required a spacious venue to store raw materials and finished products. Additionally, he rented out tables and chairs.
Whenever someone nearby had a wedding or funeral, they all rented from him. His fees weren’t high since he had long recouped his costs; now this was just a steady income stream.
Thus, the first floor of his new house essentially served as a large warehouse, while the second floor just had three rooms, empty and looking like a rooftop. But he didn’t care; living alone was enough for him.
Li Sanjiang set Li Zhuiyuan down from his back, took his hand, and led him into the middle room. Inside, the space felt even larger, like a small workshop.
The west side was neatly stacked with tables and chairs, while large baskets were overflowing with various plates and bowls;
The east side stood tall with paper figures, paper houses, and paper horses… Li Zhuiyuan even saw a paper-made Santana.
A simply dressed woman, about the same age as his mother, was painting. She held a palette in her left hand and a brush in her right, moving quickly and smoothly.
Noticing the visitors, she turned and looked at them, her gaze lingering over Li Zhuiyuan before asking:
"Uncle, who is this child? He looks so delicate and fair."
"Ting Auntie, let me introduce, this is my great-grandson, Li Zhuiyuan. Yuan, this is your Aunt Ting."
"Ting Auntie."
Li Zhuiyuan felt that the kinship seemed a bit off, but in front of those with no familial connection, it was all about titles.
"Ah, you’re such a good boy." Liu Manting put down her things and came over, bending down to gently touch Li Zhuiyuan's face. "So adorable."
Li Zhuiyuan took a step back, shyly smiling.
"Uncle, you never brought children over to play."
"Haha, children never dared to come play with me before." Li Sanjiang took out a cigarette from his pocket. "Aunt Ting, this child will stay with me for a while. Can you help tidy up the room for him? Oh, right, Little Yuan, will you be afraid to sleep alone in a room?"
"I'm not afraid, Great-Grandfather."
"Mm. It’s fine; your great-grandfather will be sleeping next door. Haha. Alright, Aunt Ting, I’ll leave it to you. I need to use the restroom."
Li Sanjiang lit his cigarette and went outside.
"Come, Little Yuan, let’s go upstairs."
There was so much stuff piled on the first floor that the stairs were almost blocked, making it difficult for newcomers to find their way around.
Li Zhuiyuan noticed there were stairs leading down from the staircase and asked, "Aunt Ting, is there another level below?"
"Yes, there’s a basement below. It’s about the same size as this."
"Is it filled with the same things?"
"No, it’s filled with things your great-grandfather couldn’t bear to throw away, so he dug down a level just to store them."
"Oh, I see."
"And by the way, Little Yuan, you can just call me Aunt Liu."
"Aunt Liu, you’re not from around here?"
"I’m not; I came from elsewhere to help your great-grandfather with the paper offerings."
"Is it just you, Aunt Liu?"
"My husband is here too; he rents the land from your great-grandfather, and he usually helps with the paper-making, delivering tables and chairs, etc. He should be back from the fields soon; when you meet him, you can call him Uncle Qin.
Also, my daughter and mother-in-law are here; we live in that east-side flat you saw when you came in. My husband and I live in the west.
Our whole family is here, relying on working for your great-grandfather to make a living.
Before liberation, we would all have to call you young master."
Perhaps because he had just heard from Li Sanjiang about the corpse retrieval team, Li Zhuiyuan felt uncomfortable with this joke and instinctively shook his head:
"That’s feudal rubbish."
"Huh?" Liu Manting was taken aback. Such words from a child were indeed surprising.
"Aunt Liu, just call me Little Yuan."
"Alright, Little Yuan. I’ve heard your great-grandfather talk about you; you came back from the capital, right?"
"Mm, yes."
"Are you getting used to living here?"
"Very much. It’s nice here."
"Don’t you find it dull and boring?"
"No, there are many fun things here."
"That’s great! I paint paper people every day, and my hands get sore."
"Auntie, you paint very well; it seems very professional."
"What professional? I’m just doing this to get by; I know nothing about painting."
But your posture with the palette and brush is exactly like an art academy teacher.
"If Little Yuan wants to paint, you can help Auntie; coloring isn’t hard."
"Sure!"
Since returning to his hometown, this was the first time he communicated fully in Mandarin, no longer tangled in Nantong dialect or the many titles.
Even his brothers and sisters, who were in school, would only use Mandarin to "translate" for him at first, but as soon as they turned to talk among themselves, it naturally shifted back to dialect.
Upon reaching the second floor, Liu Manting opened a room door. Inside, the furnishings were simple: an old-fashioned bed and a wardrobe; aside from that, there wasn’t even a stool. But the place was very clean; it must be often tidied up.
"Little Yuan, you’ll live here. Your great-grandfather is next door. You stay here for a bit, and I’ll get you the washbasin, towel, and chamber pot."
"Thank you, Aunt Liu."
"This child is so polite."
Liu Manting left, and Li Zhuiyuan glanced around his room and walked out because there really wasn’t much to see.
The second floor was like a large terrace, with three rows of clothes drying poles in the center, but there were no balconies or railings all around.
Walking to the edge, he had a perfect view of the yard in front, while in the distance were the small river and fields.
Li Zhuiyuan thought, this is a good spot to place a chair; sitting here daydreaming would surely be enjoyable.
Not far away on the ridge, a middle-aged man was approaching with a hoe slung over his shoulder. The man was tall; parts of his white tank top couldn’t cover his strong physique, glistening under the setting sun.
He must be Aunt Liu’s husband, Uncle Qin.
It seemed Uncle Qin also didn’t farm before.
Though farmers are generally strong, due to their diet and lifestyle habits, it’s rare for one to have such muscular build; they are usually slim and lean.
Lowering his gaze to the left.
"Mm?"
When he first came in, the pile of firewood in the yard blocked his view, so he didn’t see the door of the east-side flat. Now, standing at a higher vantage point, he caught sight of it.
Inside the flat door sat a girl about his age.
She wore a red embroidered top and dark trousers with white patterns, her hair styled in a bun, and her feet adorned with light green embroidered shoes.
This outfit was very retro, with no modern elements, yet it didn’t appear out of place at all.
This wasn’t a piece of fabric casually turned into clothing by her mother; the details on her clothes were exquisite, clearly requiring considerable effort and thought, and the overall ensemble was very harmonious, showcasing an air of modest elegance.
Most importantly, the girl had a fair complexion, her eyebrows like crescent moons; though she had an oval face, it was perfectly round with baby fat; she looked like a finely sculpted work of art, without a single place that one could feel needed changing. Any more detail added would seem sacrilegious and sinful.
At this moment, she perched on the threshold's stool, her feet resting on the threshold, gazing straight ahead.
The last slant of sunlight, stubbornly refusing to dip below the horizon, cast a line of light shadows just across the doorstep, right where her feet rested.
Li Zhuiyuan bowed his head; staring intently at someone was impolite behavior, although… she was really beautiful.
She must be Aunt Liu’s daughter.
When he looked back up, he found she still retained that posture, staring forward.
Logically speaking, standing at the higher position of the second floor, with such a large presence looking down at her, she should be able to notice at least a glance at him.
Could she really be so lost in thought?
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and waved, confident that such a gesture would surely gain her attention. But… nothing happened.
The girl remained seated, her feet resting on the threshold, motionless, not raising her head or turning around, not even blinking.
Could she be blind?
Li Zhuiyuan felt a wave of deep sadness rise within him.
A child of this age possesses a clean and pure heart, devoid of adult thoughts, just like Li Zhuiyuan himself.
He felt pure heartache; if this girl before him had any disability, it would be like beautiful things being violently scarred with a bloody cut. No matter who it is, adults or children, one would feel a profound regret.
"Little Yuan."
Aunt Liu’s voice sounded from behind him as she walked over to Li Zhuiyuan's side, smiling as she said, "Little Yuan, this is Auntie’s daughter, Qin Li."
Li Zhuiyuan nodded.
"Alright, Little Yuan, let’s go inside. Auntie will help you set up your things."
Li Zhuiyuan was slightly surprised because Liu Auntie only introduced her daughter by name without any further details. Generally speaking, it should involve asking about their age, distinguishing siblings, and adding a suggestion that they could play together in the future.
There weren’t many things, so once organized, Liu Auntie clapped her hands and said, "The toilet is at the back of the first floor. You can use the chamber pot at night in your room."
"Okay, I understand, Aunt Liu."
"This child is really polite."
Once again stepping out of the room and returning to the second-floor terrace, Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze inevitably fell back to the girl.
She stayed in the same position, still staring forward as though frozen in place.
Just then, he saw Uncle Qin kneel down in front of the girl, speaking gently to her.
But throughout, she stayed in that position, not once shifting her eyes, not even glancing at her father.
It gave the impression that, although she was there, she was completely disconnected from the world around her.
Uncle Qin seemed to notice Li Zhuiyuan, waving at him: "Hello, little friend."
Li Zhuiyuan responded, "Hello, Uncle."
"Little Lord Yuan, dinner is ready!" Li Sanjiang's voice called from downstairs.
Li Zhuiyuan was somewhat surprised. Was it that fast?
He went downstairs, navigating through the gaps between the paper figures on the first floor, to find two square wooden stools pushed together to serve as a dining table, with a platter of marinated pig head, a platter of marinated pig ears, a platter of cold kelp, and a platter of fried peanuts arranged on top.
No wonder it was prepared so quickly; it was all bought from the market earlier that day.
"Sit." Li Sanjiang opened a bottle of liquor and poured himself a large glass.
Li Zhuiyuan sat down on the small stool opposite him, staring at the large bowl of rice piled high before him.
"Great-Grandfather, I can’t eat this much."
"Haha, of course I know," Li Sanjiang chuckled. "You eat first; the rest is mine."
"Oh."
Li Zhuiyuan began to eat.
Li Sanjiang handed over the cup and asked, "Little Yuan, do you want to have a drink?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "Children can’t drink alcohol."
"Exactly, that’s right." Li Sanjiang was just joking around, returning the cup to himself, taking a big gulp, and then throwing several peanuts into his mouth one after another, "In Han Lord’s house, they don’t have these good dishes, do they?"
"Grandma's pickled vegetables are also delicious."
"Haha."
Li Sanjiang picked a piece of pig trotter and placed it in Li Zhuiyuan's bowl,
"Your grandparents are foolish; they spoil those little rascals. If you ask me, managing their generation is enough; they still have to take care of the grandchildren. Their mother has spent most of her life being a servant to her children.
In fact, if your grandparents didn’t have so many kids and mouths to feed, they wouldn’t need to drink thin soup every day; they could have a bit of liquor every night."
Li Zhuiyuan silently ate, not replying.
"You are different." Li Sanjiang waved his hand. "Your mother paid for you, while your uncles and aunts are the real ingrates, shameless little things."
Li Zhuiyuan continued to eat.
"The soup is here." Liu Auntie brought in a big bowl of loofah egg drop soup and placed it on the wooden stool. "You two eat up."
Then, she left, and Li Zhuiyuan just realized that Liu Auntie’s family wasn’t eating with Great-Grandfather.
"Little Lord Yuan, I need to remind you of something; while you’re living here, you can wander around everywhere, but just stay away from the east room."
The east room was where the girl had that position earlier.
"Why?"
"The Ting Auntie’s daughter is in the east room." Li Sanjiang poked his own forehead with the end of his chopsticks. "That little girl has problems; don’t get too close to her, or you could get scratched or bitten."
Scratched or bitten?
Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to imagine that the girl named Qin Li would do such things.
"Don’t underestimate it. When they first moved in here two years ago, I even gave her a piece of candy, and who knew that just putting the candy in her hand would send her into a frenzy? She simply started clawing and biting me like a madman, and I’ve never seen anyone so fierce."
"I got it, Great-Grandfather."
Good to know! So, she wasn’t deaf or blind.
"Okay, keep eating. After the meal, I’ll sit with you."
Li Zhuiyuan finished eating first, placing his chopsticks down just as Li Sanjiang also wrapped up his drinking, taking over the rice bowl.
The restroom was at the back of the house. Li Zhuiyuan left first and walked in a roundabout way through the yard, just in time to see that little girl being led by an old lady to sit at the dining table inside.
She must be Aunt Liu’s mother-in-law.
Looking at this old lady, Li Zhuiyuan thought he saw a glimpse of his Northern Grandmother, with an elegant charm reminiscent of her.
The little girl sat at the table but didn’t pick up the chopsticks. The old lady stood nearby, softly coaxing her.
When Li Zhuiyuan returned from the restroom, he saw the little girl finally beginning to eat. She only touched the food in her bowl while the old lady used a little plate to serve her vegetables.
He noticed the old lady briefly glanced over him, but she didn’t greet him. Li Zhuiyuan hesitated and refrained from saying hello.
Upon returning to the room, he found that Li Sanjiang had already finished eating, and Liu Auntie was tidying up.
"Little Yuan, the bathing area is in the room at the back on the top floor. Auntie has already drawn hot water for you; it might be a little hot, so just add some cold water yourself."
"Thank you, Aunt Liu."
"This child really is very polite."
On reaching the second floor, Li Sanjiang was already lying on a rattan chair that had somehow ended up here, holding a toothpick in his left hand and a cigarette in his right, humming a little tune while burping from the alcohol.
Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze lingered on the rattan chair.
"Haha, tomorrow I’ll have Li Hou go to the market and get you one."
Li Hou must refer to Uncle Qin.
"Alright," Li Zhuiyuan smiled, as he truly wanted one.
"The bathing area is over there." Li Sanjiang pointed, "You wash, and I will wash next."
"Got it."
The bathroom was narrow, seemingly an annex that was hastily added later, with a rubber hose connected to a water tank.
Li Zhuiyuan tested the water temperature; it was a bit hot but manageable without needing extra cold water.
Once he quickly washed up and stepped out, Li Sanjiang stood up: "Wait for me in my room."
"Okay."
At this moment, it was completely dark outside, with the moon hanging in the sky.
Li Zhuiyuan glanced again at the east room; the flat door was closed, and the light inside was on.
He opened Li Sanjiang's room door and walked in, reaching out to find a rope on the wall by the door and giving it a tug.
"Drip."
The light turned on.
The furnishings in Great-Grandfather’s bedroom were almost a replica of his own room: an old bed and a wardrobe.
However, in the middle, where it should be empty, there was a circle of dense patterns and a row of small candles, with an open book lying on the floor beside it.
Li Zhuiyuan picked up the book, and he realized that it wasn’t printed but handwritten.
On the cover, it read: "Golden Sands Scripture."
Flipping through the contents, he found it mainly filled with magical formation patterns and some annotations, drawn carelessly with messy handwriting; most importantly, the calligraphy was truly ugly.
It was far below the standard set by Grandpa Xu from the community who specialized in making Dongpo pork.
Quickly, Li Zhuiyuan found a formation illustration in the book that looked exactly like one drawn on the floor; it was labeled — "Misfortune-Transferring Formation."
Its effect was to transfer the malevolent energy from one person onto another, with the note: can harm others.
Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the picture in the book and then at the one drawn by Great-Grandfather on the ground.
"Why does it feel like… there are a few places that differ?"
But the illustration in the book was also hand-drawn and crooked, making it hard to compare.
"It’s possible that Great-Grandfather didn’t draw it wrong; perhaps the picture in the book isn't standard."
Both were expressive styles; even when drawn of the same thing, comparison was really challenging.
Just then, Li Sanjiang walked in after finishing his bath, shirtless and only wearing blue shorts.
Seeing Li Zhuiyuan looking at the book, he couldn’t help but laugh, "Haha, can you understand it, Little Lord Yuan?"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded. "I can understand it."
"Good, good! You understand; our Little Lord Yuan is the smartest."
Li Sanjiang ruffled Li Zhuiyuan's hair, took the book from his hands, and tossed it aside.
This book was filled with hasty cursive traditional characters that flowed together. To understand it, Li Sanjiang had had to consult the retired village teacher a few times; that man loved calligraphy.
Eventually, Li Sanjiang stopped going because the last time he visited him, he brought along his paper figures;
It was free, no payment needed, and the man's kids were continually thanking him.
So, how could he believe that Li Zhuiyuan, a ten-year-old child, could understand these words?
"Alright, Little Yuan, sit there and don’t move."
Li Zhuiyuan obediently sat in the designated spot while Li Sanjiang bent down to light all the candles on the ground. Then he took out three black strings, tying one around Li Zhuiyuan's wrists, his ankles, and his neck. After he sat down, the other end of the three strings was tied around his own corresponding positions.
The candlelight flickered as Li Sanjiang began to chant something, speaking very quickly, using Nantong dialect as he did.
Li Zhuiyuan listened carefully but couldn’t understand.
However, he felt the tone was similar to the little tune Great-Grandfather hummed as he lay on the rattan chair after having his fill.
After chanting for a while, Li Sanjiang finally stopped, smacking his lips as if he had a dry throat, but this wasn’t the time to drink water; he could only clear his throat a bit, then reached behind to feel for something, coming back with a talisman.
Li Zhuiyuan felt a bit curious. Where could Great-Grandfather have kept this talisman while wearing only shorts?
After bringing the talisman to the candlelight to ignite it, Li Sanjiang began to wave the burning piece of paper.
"Sizzle!"
Almost burning his fingers, Li Sanjiang placed the talisman paper right between himself and Li Zhuiyuan.
"Bang!"
In an instant, all the candles went out, and the incandescent bulbs in the room flickered a few times before returning to normal.
Li Zhuiyuan glanced left and right and then lowered his head to look at the black strings tied around him:
Was that it?
It felt like nothing at all.
"All done!"
Li Sanjiang stood up and walked to Li Zhuiyuan’s front, lowering his head, using his teeth and hands to pull off the excess lengths of the three strings. But the black loops remained on Li Zhuiyuan's neck, wrists, and ankles.
"Little Lord Yuan, keep this knot on tonight. Sleep with it like this; when we have breakfast tomorrow, I’ll cut them off for you."
"Okay, Great-Grandfather."
"Mm. You go to sleep now."
"Goodnight, Great-Grandfather."
"Goodnight, goodnight."
Li Zhuiyuan stood up and had just reached the door when he heard a "thud" behind him. Turning around, he saw Li Sanjiang had fallen to the ground, holding his foot.
He must have tripped while trying to bite off the strings around his ankles that he had just helped him cut.
Li Sanjiang had his legs crossed, one hand propping up the back of his head, the other waving at Li Zhuiyuan:
"Get going and sleep!"
"Oh."
Li Zhuiyuan returned to his own room and lay down on the bed. Previously not feeling so tired, he instantly felt drowsy as soon as he touched the bed.
He covered his stomach with the thin blanket and fell into a deep sleep.
Next door.
"It should have worked, right?" Li Sanjiang murmured to himself. "It surely worked, the light bulb flickered after all; it can’t just be a circuit problem."
Then, he glanced at the book discarded on the ground, doubting himself: "No, the writer of this book shouldn’t have seen a light bulb back then, right?"
But soon, Li Sanjiang found new evidence: "What nonsense am I thinking? The candles went out, so it definitely worked."
With that, Li Sanjiang stretched and lay down beside the bed.
"Oh no, I'm utterly exhausted today. Time to sleep… sleep."
He had done too much today, moving and retrieving corpses, then drawing formation diagrams—his age made it hard to keep going.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell straight into a deep slumber.
However, in the middle of his sleep, Li Sanjiang flipped over, murmuring a few words, and slowly furrowed his brow.
He was dreaming.
In the dream,
he found himself sitting on a white jade stone terrace, surrounded by towering palace walls and grand halls.
To his front right was an archway, and to his left, a vast open area that extended to a pond and a dragon bridge.
"Damn it, is this the Forbidden City?"
Li Sanjiang had never been to the capital and naturally hadn’t visited the Forbidden City, but he had seen it in calendars and open-air movie screens; wasn’t it the place where the emperor lived?
Hey, how interesting that he was having such a dream.
Instinctively reaching for a cigarette in his pocket, he thought, "Why not take a puff?"
But as he reached down, he felt something furry and, looking down, saw a ginger cat sprawled across his legs.
The ginger cat seemed to have just been asleep and, disturbed, rolled over in annoyance.
"Get out of here."
Li Sanjiang cruelly nudged the ginger cat aside.
The cat landed and rolled over, standing up, seeming quite displeased as it meowed at him:
"Meow!"
Li Sanjiang paid it no mind, brushing the remaining cat hair from his legs, then took out his cigarette box, pulled one out, bit down on it, and struck a match to light it.
At that moment, a dull scratching sound came from the front, likely from the palace gates opening.
Li Sanjiang took a puff of the cigarette: "I remember hearing that you need tickets to enter the Forbidden City; am I going to get caught for fare evasion and fined?"
Then, he slapped the back of his head: "What the hell, I’m dreaming! Why buy a damn ticket!"
He puffed out a perfect smoke ring, delighted:
"This is truly a steal. To go to the Forbidden City, one would need to take a long trip by train to the capital and buy tickets to enter. I’m on a free tourist visit in my dream."
The rasping sound from the gates finally ceased, and from the three archways ahead came the sound of marching footsteps, muffled and rhythmic.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Li Sanjiang leaned slightly forward, puzzled: "Do you have to line up and march in step when visiting the Forbidden City?"
But soon,
Li Sanjiang froze in place because emerging from the three archways were not tourists, but three lines of people dressed in Qing dynasty official dress, their faces pale and wearing feathered hats, all jumping out in sync.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Li Sanjiang’s cigarette, he didn’t know when, had slipped from his hand.
In a split second, they all halted, frozen into silence and stillness.
The next moment,
they collectively turned left, facing Li Sanjiang.
(End of this chapter)