Li Lan hoped to form her own emotional anchor by having a normal son, but unfortunately, her son was afflicted with the same illness as hers.
Despair gripped her heart.
Yet Li Zhuiyuan felt he had done nothing wrong.
Even the mightiest church could not sell indulgences to those who had yet to be born.
When the boy deep in his heart changed the way he referred to “mother” as “Li Lan,” it meant he had severed their bond.
Continue to suffer and struggle, if you desire; I can’t be bothered to watch.
Instead of exhausting oneself internally, it is better to expend others.
Li Zhuiyuan set down his cup, preparing to leave.
“Smack!”
Like the sudden pull of an electric light cord in a home, Li Lan’s entire being extinguished.
She became cold and indifferent, and deep in her eyes, it seemed that something was quickly peeling away.
She raised her head once more, looking at the boy standing before her.
In that moment when their gazes met, Li Zhuiyuan felt his heart pounding violently, pain coursing through him, as if it would leap from his throat at any moment.
Images of himself in the mirror flashed in his mind.
It was her, and it was him.
He recognized the “person” before him, for within his own body resided another, and after that fateful ritual, he seemed to have transformed, turning “Wei Zhengdao” into “False Zhengdao.”
In truth, Li Lan had long since lost.
Whoever spoke first would be the loser.
The frantic call made to Aunt Zhang’s convenience store six months ago was Li Lan’s final bout of madness.
She had turned from an occasionally ill person into a patient who was only sometimes normal.
This was her most terrifying fate, and perhaps, it was her true fate.
“Strangeness and stimulation can easily elevate the threshold; when your threshold rises and can no longer be satisfied, you’ll choose to become like her.”
The voice that echoed was still Li Lan’s, the tone softer, yet it felt like she was commenting on a poorly designed machine.
She even regarded herself as such a machine.
Li Zhuiyuan clenched his teeth, bracing himself against the table, his expression shifting constantly, his body trembling.
“You must have chosen an anchor too. She is a vessel; what are you? Supportive, coexisting?”
Li Lan leaned closer to Li Zhuiyuan, scrutinizing his face. “You should be able to hold on longer than she can.”
Li Zhuiyuan said nothing, already digging his nails into the red paint on the table.
Li Lan reached out, gently stroking the boy’s head. “You keep playing; when you get tired and can’t play anymore, my true son will come find me.”
Li Zhuiyuan pushed the table hard with both hands, stumbling back several steps, his back pressed against the cupboard to avoid falling.
He stared horrified at the woman before him.
Li Lan no longer looked at the boy, instead rising and walking to the sink, meticulously washing her hands. “You really are a pair of mother and son. You, like the previous her, always thinking of leaving some dirt behind. Would it be better to be clean? Being human, how dirty it is.”
After washing her hands, she organized the documents and reports on the table, placing them into her briefcase.
Then, she left.
The sounds of two consecutive “clicks” marked the opening and closing of the door.
Li Zhuiyuan leaned against the cupboard, slowly sitting on the ground, clasping his head in his hands.
Just now, Li Lan had shown him the aftermath of the illness’s total outbreak.
A strong sensation of suffocation washed over him, as if he had been tossed into a sealed glass bottle, no matter how hard he hit, it remained muted and soundless.
He felt he might go mad, the weight of oppression threatening to crush him.
The boy's gaze fell upon the kettle on the dining table; he stood up, moved toward it, gripping the kettle with his left hand, tilting it as his right palm opened beneath it, ready to catch any that flowed out.
Inside was the freshly boiled water.
As the kettle continued to tip, steam and scalding hot water spilled out.
“Pat pat pat…”
Hot water splashed to the ground.
The boy retracted his hand just in time.
“You can’t do that, Ah Li will be angry.”
“Whew… whew… whew…”
In an almost suffocating space, a hint of fresh air seeped through, and the boy breathed it in greedily.
He stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him.
“Click!”
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hands, touching his face; the sound of the door closing felt like a stapler, nailing this layer of human skin back onto his face.
Not long after, the boy opened the door and closed it again, repeatedly.
“Click! Click! Click!”
Ah, let’s nail it a few more times.
Seeing Li Zhuiyuan emerge, Wu Xinhang and Teacher Yan bade farewell to the professors, exchanging contact information, hinting at future lectures at the school.
Next, they were to feast on roast duck.
Initially, they had only ordered one duck and two dishes—enough for them.
But recalling Li Lan's words, “Being human, truly dirty,” Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but shove the duck meat-laden crepe into his mouth with vigor.
This prompted Wu Xinhang to order half another duck.
The next morning, Wu Xinhang and Teacher Yan rose early, intending not to disturb Xiao Yuan, allowing the boy to sleep longer.
However, as soon as they opened the door, Xiao Yuan’s door across the way opened as well.
Then, Li Zhuiyuan was taken by them to savor stew, followed by purchasing some local specialties.
Upon reaching the airport, they boarded the plane, and both Wu Xinhang and Teacher Yan fell asleep.
Li Zhuiyuan gazed through the window at the blue sky and the thick white clouds below.
He hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
When the plane landed, a school vehicle came to receive them, and before dark, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his grandfather's house.
There was a celebration in the village to the west, and Grandpa took Runsheng and Yinmeng to attend, while Tan Wenbin returned home.
He headed directly to the second floor, entering his room, where Ah Li was using a small tool to carve a memorial tablet.
On the floor beside her lay a whip, half already wrapped in the tablet’s covering.
Whenever the boy wasn’t home, the girl would either draw or assist him with these crafts.
When Li Zhuiyuan stood at the threshold, the girl lifted her head, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
But soon, she seemed to notice something, and her expression fell.
“Look, there’s nothing.”
Li Zhuiyuan spread his hands, showing there were no wounds in the palms of his hands.
“Neither do I, I held back, truly, I did it.”
The boy was striving to prove himself, as if boasting of his “test results.”
By comparison, any competitions in advanced mathematics seemed trivial at this moment.
The girl’s vanished smile returned at last.
Upon seeing her, the taut string within Li Zhuiyuan finally relaxed.
He walked to the bedside, lying down, his eyes fluttering twice before slipping into a deep sleep.
In this dream, he had many scenes, sometimes featuring himself, sometimes Li Lan, sometimes being led away by Li Lan, sometimes standing side by side with her, gazing at a distant pair of a mother and child holding hands as they walked.
Morning dawned, and the boy awoke.
The girl sat at the bedside, watching him.
Just as he had once been exhausted, she once again kept watch over him through the night.
Liu Yumei felt that encountering the boy in Li Sanjiang's home was Ah Li's stroke of luck.
Li Zhuiyuan felt that meeting Ah Li in Grandfather's house was his own fortune.
Two doors, meant to slowly close, met and jammed each other, as if striving to support one another.
Aunt Liu’s voice drifted up from downstairs, sounding like the temple bells that cleanse the soul, marking the conclusion of this trip back to the capital.
“Breakfast is ready!”
…
The students had begun their winter break, signaling that the New Year was near.
Aunt Zhang's convenience store had stocked up on numerous new snacks, and colorful firecrackers were displayed out front of the shop.
Throughout the year, this was the time when children had stronger purchasing power; from morning till night, groups of children would come along to buy things.
Li Zhuiyuan also strolled over to buy some snacks.
“Brother Yuanzi!”
“Brother Yuanzi!”
Huzi and Shitou waved enthusiastically at Li Zhuiyuan.
The two of them had also received their New Year’s money, but usually, they had limited funds, and as soon as they got money, it often disappeared just as quickly.
They had spent it all.
At this moment, the two were accompanying children who still had money, actively recommending which firecrackers were good fun, hoping that after buying, they themselves could have a turn to play.
Seeing Brother Yuanzi was there for firecrackers, the two quickly stood beside him, acting as advisors.
Li Zhuiyuan grabbed a few boxes of firecrackers and sparklers, then asked, “What do you guys want? Pick for yourselves.”
Their eyes lit up instantly, but each only took the cheapest box.
“Choose a few more.”
Upon seeing Brother Yuanzi’s generous spirit, they felt less shy and selected a few boxes they liked.
After Li Zhuiyuan paid, he left.
Huzi and Shitou, holding their firecrackers, went to show off in front of the other kids.
Once back home, Li Zhuiyuan approached Runsheng, who was busy crafting a paper figure.
“Brother Runsheng, can I have two joss sticks?”
“Sure.”
Runsheng lit two incense sticks and handed them to the boy.
The boy took one stick and approached Ah Li, offering her one.
Then, the boy and girl began placing firecrackers around various spots, lighting them with their incense.
The sound of the firecrackers could be heard now and then in the courtyard and the garden below.
Yinmeng stepped out of the house with a marking tool, stretching her neck to observe the two playing below, momentarily lost in thought.
“They are truly amusing.”
Runsheng responded, “You want to set off firecrackers too?”
Yinmeng nodded, “Of course, it’s New Year after all.”
“Wait here.”
Runsheng put down his rattan baton and entered the back room, returning with eight firecrackers clutched in his arms. “Let’s set them off.”
“Set this off?”
“Yeah, if we don’t light them now, they’ll expire; they should still make a sound.”
“My dad’s calling me, my dad’s calling me!”
Tan Wenbin was strutting out, with a pager strapped to his waist, pointing at it and strutting as if his pelvis were misaligned.
His father, Tan Yunlong, had bought him a pager due to his good grades on the final exam, and since then, he continually wore it, even picking up a new pair of jeans and a belt to match.
Runsheng asked, “Is your dad calling you out?”
“Ha, I know you’re just jealous.”
Tan Wenbin continued to swagger out of the courtyard like a crab.
This made Yinmeng, who followed behind, and Liu Yumei, sitting on the steps sipping tea, smile.
Tan Wenbin jogged over to Aunt Zhang’s convenience store to return a call, then ran back, calling Li Zhuiyuan, who was still playing with Ah Li in the garden.
“Brother Yuan, my dad said someone from the police station will come to pick you and Grandfather Li up. They said a strange corpse has been brought down to the station for you to take a look at.”
“Alright.” Li Zhuiyuan nodded, leaving the garden with Ah Li to wash their hands by the well on the path.
Tan Wenbin asked, “Should I call Grandfather Li back?”
Liu Jinxia had been asked to take on a task, asking Li Sanjiang to go discuss it, and he hadn’t returned yet.
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, “No need, we can go.”
“Okay.” Tan Wenbin agreed, it didn’t matter whether Grandfather went or not.
Runsheng asked, “Xiao Yuan, are we going?”
“Brother Runsheng, I will call you if needed.”
“Mm.” Runsheng walked to the edge of the courtyard and tore open the firecracker packaging, pulling out the fuses.
Before long, a police three-wheeled motorcycle arrived, and Tan Wenbin yelled “Uncle Liu” while guiding Li Zhuiyuan onto the motorcycle.
Once they left, Yinmeng lit a firecracker with an incense stick.
“Boom… pop!”
After setting one off, Yinmeng looked at Runsheng, “I wonder how come it’s so peaceful here?”
Runsheng pointed toward the direction of the large bearded man’s house, “Xiao Yuan said it’s because there’s a big guy lying there who hasn’t died yet.”
“When will he die?”
“Not sure, and it doesn’t matter anymore; in another semester, Xiao Yuan will be off to college, just bear with it a little longer.”
At that very moment, on the motorcycle, Tan Wenbin was rubbing his fingers, feeling that after intense excitement, the long period of dullness was weighing heavily on him.
Upon reaching the station, Tan Yunlong personally came out to greet them.
Tan Wenbin pulled out two cigarettes, first handing one to Uncle Liu, who drove the motorcycle, then offering one to Tan Yunlong. “Here, Team Tan, have a smoke.”
Tan Yunlong took the cigarette, asking, “Picked it back up again?”
Tan Wenbin stuffed the cigarette pack back into his pocket, laughing, “No way, it’s just that New Year is coming soon; it was given to me by Grandfather Li.”
“Xiao Yuan, come with me.”
“Sure, Uncle Tan.”
Tan Yunlong led Li Zhuiyuan to the forensic room, with Tan Wenbin following closely behind.
“Team Tan, what is this…?” A young female forensic doctor was taken aback upon seeing two young boys.
She remembered discussing things with an elderly body recovery expert who provided a lot of ideas and insights last time.
Shouldn’t that old man be the one they invited this time instead of the two boys?
“Doctor Wang, let’s start.” Tan Yunlong offered no further explanations.
Doctor Wang led everyone to a gurney and, grabbing the edge of the white cloth, asked with some concern, “Team Tan, is this really okay? I’m worried it will scare them.”
Tan Wenbin shrugged, “Don’t worry; it’s just the giant view; not a big deal.”
Though the body was covered by a white cloth, the exposed feet were heavily swollen, indicating that it had been soaking for some time.
“It’s not just a giant view.” Doctor Wang unveiled the cloth, revealing a bloated corpse with a hollow chest, as if a spoonful of pigskin jelly had been scooped out.
Initially, Doctor Wang thought it would terrify the two boys, but to her surprise, they were curiously inspecting it from both sides.
“Hey, this is interesting, Brother Yuanzi.”
“Mm.”
“What’s going on in the middle, it’s round and curved; how did that happen? Could it be that?”
“It’s not.”
“Then is it that?”
“Neither.”
Doctor Wang listened in confusion.
Tan Yunlong couldn’t help but glare at his son: “Speak plainly.”
Tan Wenbin grumbled, “I told you to study better.”
Tan Yunlong: “…”
Seeing his father seemed genuinely annoyed, Tan Wenbin hurriedly explained, “Dad, this is the terminology I learned from Grandfather Li.”
He had read the “Strange Tales of the River and Lake,” recalling the terms “mother-child named dead” and “parasitic named dead,” but both had been dismissed by Xiao Yuan.
Li Zhuiyuan pointed toward a green mass in the hollow area of the corpse.
“Is it aquatic grass?” Doctor Wang asked.
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, “No, it’s animal hair.”
Tan Yunlong: “Doctor Wang, haven’t you tested it?”
“I…” Doctor Wang felt a bit ashamed, “It was my oversight; I didn’t notice it.”
“Uncle Tan, where was this body found?”
“By Tongxing River. We’ve already sent someone upstream to investigate the recent disappearances of middle-aged men.”
“Is it upstream closer to us or downstream?”
“What does that mean?” Tan Yunlong was somewhat confused.
Tan Wenbin spoke up, “Xiao Yuan, I know that river; it passes by here before going to the next town.”
Li Zhuiyuan replied, “Uncle Tan, so let’s check downstream; don’t bother with upstream anymore.”
“The corpse can’t go upstream?”
“Perhaps it got carried along by a boat; that could happen, right?”
“Alright then, I understand.” Tan Yunlong still didn’t quite grasp it but decided he’d at least try according to the suggestion.
Regardless of whether it was for show or the ambiance, Doctor Wang now seemed to acknowledge the two a bit, gesturing to the body, “Also, this corpse has an odd amount of water absorption.”
Tan Wenbin perked up upon hearing this: “That’s great! I’ll bring the gear when we head back.”
“It’s nothing; that is normal.”
Doctor Wang asked, perplexed, “That’s normal?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
After leaving the forensic room, Tan Yunlong called for Xiao Liu to take the two boys back.
Once they got off the vehicle at the village road in front of their house, Tan Wenbin finally couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Yuan, what is that thing?”
“A corpse demon.”
Similar to the earlier situation with the Cat-Faced Old Lady, a creature formed from the fusion of an animal’s corpse filled with resentment and a human corpse.
“Oh?” Tan Wenbin gestured in a circular motion with his hands, “So the missing part is the demon’s essence?”
“Mm.”
“The body is here, where did it go?”
“It was scared off.”
“Scared off?” Tan Wenbin turned to look towards the direction of the big-bearded man’s house, “It is here, and even the corpse demon was scared off? No wonder you wanted my dad to check downstream; that makes sense, since this corpse demon, being frightened, must have originally intended to come here.”
Normal corpses can only drift downstream, but it isn’t surprising at all for a corpse demon to flow against the current.
“So that hollow corpse can’t turn into a dead person?”
“Mm, it can’t.”
Tan Wenbin laughed helplessly, “I think this should be dismantled; we should establish a temple; it’s truly a guardian for peace and prosperity.”
“Brother Binbin.”
“Hmm?”
“Study well.”
“Or else what? Sigh, aside from striving for progress, it seems there’s nothing else to do.”
Once back home, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Weihan had come, bringing a lot of things.
These were sent from the capital by Li Lan.
Every holiday, Li Lan would send things home, including remittances each month—never stopping.
This year’s New Year gifts were particularly plentiful, mainly because it included an additional “son.”
New clothes, new shoes, new stationery, and various snacks—two big burlap sacks.
Li Weihan laughed as he said to Li Zhuiyuan, “Young Yuan, your mother has always been thinking of you.”
Li Zhuiyuan could only respond with a similarly joyful expression, showing off in front of his grandfather.
Indeed, he knew she was reminding him that she still cared about him in this way.
On the eve of the New Year, at noon, Li Zhuiyuan followed Li Sanjiang to Li Weihan’s home for a reunion dinner.
Originally, Li Sanjiang planned to invite Li Weihan and Cui Guijing over to his home for the New Year’s Eve dinner, but with the winter break here, Li Zhuiyuan’s uncles had sent their kids over to their parents’ houses, which meant his own place started a school of its own.
Li Weihan felt uncomfortable taking all the kids home to eat dinner at Li Sanjiang’s, so he chose this compromise.
After dinner, leading Li Zhuiyuan out, Li Sanjiang couldn’t stop scolding the white-eyed wolves.
They didn’t go straight home but stopped by the big-bearded man’s house as it was also under Li Sanjiang’s name, and it was said that they had to clean it before the New Year.
Runsheng and Yinmeng had come earlier to tidy up for a while; now, Li Sanjiang picked up a broom and joined them.
Even Li Zhuiyuan picked up a rag to help wipe down the tables and chairs.
When they finished, it was already dusk.
Li Sanjiang stood with his hands on his hips, jokingly complaining, “Ah, having such a large household isn’t exactly a good thing; it’s really exhausting to clean up, ha-ha.”
At last, Li Sanjiang placed two tower incense sticks in the courtyard.
These were made by Aunt Liu herself; if they had to buy them, it wouldn’t have come to him to light.
As the incense smoke swirled, Runsheng took several deep breaths nearby.
Li Sanjiang waved to him, “Go on, go on; this is for honoring the Buddha; let’s hope for good luck in the coming year.”
Hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng, and Yinmeng couldn’t help but look over toward the nearby peach orchard.
Indeed, they were truly grateful for its protection; thanks to it, they collectively safeguarded their peace.
Yet these slight grievances could only be kept within; at most, they could only complain a little verbally—it wouldn’t do to carry on too long, after all, regardless of anything, being alive and well was always a good thing.
During the New Year’s Eve dinner, Li Sanjiang distributed red packets; everyone except Liu Yumei received one, after all, they were either his descendants or his workers.
As for Zhuanzhuang’s, he already handed it over earlier, the morning before the New Year.
Liu Yumei also gave out red packets.
Then, Ah Li handed over the two red packets she received to Xiao Yuan.
The girl remembered how the boy had once struggled financially.
Holding Ah Li’s hand, Li Zhuiyuan entered the east room, opened her collection box, and placed all four red packets inside.
That night, everyone gathered around the television watching the Spring Festival Gala.
When the countdown hit midnight, cheerful sounds erupted from the television, and outside, the crackling of fireworks could be heard.
Locals generally do not keep track of specific months; they age loosely according to the concept of “New Year.”
Li Zhuiyuan held Ah Li’s hand, standing at the edge of the courtyard, gazing at the fireworks barely visible in the distance.
“Ah Li, we both grew a year older.”
(The End of the Chapter)