“Old shoes, old hat, the robe I wear is worn out; You laugh at me, he laughs at me, my fan is tattered…”
Xue Liangliang raised his hand and increased the volume.
The next moment, everyone in the car, except for Li Zhuyuan, sang in unison:
“Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha…”
The TV show “Ji Gong,” performed by You Benchang, had been released for several years but remained immensely popular.
When the song ended, the car finally settled into silence.
Yin Meng asked, “How much longer until Jinling?”
Xue Liangliang replied, “About an hour or so.”
“Well, that’s quite close to the provincial capital.”
“Close?” Xue Liangliang chuckled, “Although Jinling is the capital of Jiangsu, for many cities within the province, it’s not exactly nearby. It’s actually easier for folks from my hometown in Anhui to get to Jinling.”
“Isn’t that still considered close?”
“Maybe it is…” Xue Liangliang recalled that Yin Meng was from Fengdu, where the capital was Rongcheng. “Indeed, compared to your place, it’s much closer. But usually, folks there won’t go to Rongcheng; it’s more convenient to head to Shancheng.”
“Last time I came back with you all, we passed by, and that was the first time I’d ever visited Shancheng.”
Tan Wenbin slapped his forehead and lamented, “Why didn’t you mention it earlier? If I’d known, we would have stayed in Shancheng a couple more days to hang out with you.”
Yin Meng sighed, “I thought Nantong would be more fun.”
She had actually stayed at Li Sanjiang’s home for quite a while.
At first, she had visited the city center and sightseeing spots, but found them rather dull.
Especially right after the New Year when Li Sanjiang went to Langshan to burn incense, and Yin Meng tagged along; she didn’t even break a sweat climbing the mountain before reaching the top.
So, even when she had time without any tasks later on, she preferred to stay home watching television and practicing her skills rather than going out.
Yin Meng asked again, “Is Jinling fun?”
Xue Liangliang said, “You shouldn’t expect too much from the natural scenery; it can't compare to your hometown. But there are many cultural attractions. By the way, last time when Xiaoyuan came to Jinling for his exam, he didn’t have time to enjoy himself, and now he can show you around—it’ll be like a guided tour.”
Li Zhuyuan nodded, “Yeah.”
Tan Wenbin opened a bottle of soda, took a sip, and said, “Whether the attractions are good or not doesn’t matter as much; it mainly depends on whether there’s enough excitement. It’s not easy to leave our hometown, so we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Liangliang, do you know where we can find some fun spots near our school?”
Xue Liangliang replied, “That’s a strange question. If I knew that, I wouldn’t still be here, would I?”
Tan Wenbin then turned to Li Zhuyuan and asked, “Xiaoyuan, can you find some good fishing spots?”
Li Zhuyuan thought for a moment and said, “Actually, from the perspective of feng shui and luck, it’s relatively easy for us to come across some mischievous spirits when we’re all together.”
“Ah?” Tan Wenbin scratched his head. “Why does that sound like a math problem?”
“Sort of. There are just four of us ghost hunters here.” Li Zhuyuan glanced at Xue Liangliang, who was driving, “And one son-in-law from the Bai family.”
Xue Liangliang remarked, “Do you have to emphasize ‘son-in-law’?”
Li Zhuyuan spread his hands, “If five clean balls are placed together, the surrounding area becomes too clean, naturally attracting some nasty things.”
Tan Wenbin understood and said, “So what you’re saying is that as long as we’re together, the chance of encountering something nasty is much higher than that for regular folks?”
“Exactly.” Li Zhuyuan nodded, “And if you actively try to look for them, that chance increases even more.”
Tan Wenbin clapped his hands and said, “Perfect, then I’ll switch my morning runs to night runs by the river.”
Xue Liangliang shook his head and sighed, “Bingbing, you’re really starving for excitement.”
Tan Wenbin shot Xue Liangliang a sidelong glance, “Liang Ge, you’re just a satisfied person who doesn’t understand the hunger of others.”
“Xiaoyuan, enjoy your time before school starts; once classes begin, you can experience university life. Once the teachers finish their tasks, we’ll start a new project and bring in people from the school; you’ll surely be part of that.”
“Okay.”
Tan Wenbin asked, “What about me?”
Xue Liangliang teased, “Aren’t you going for those night runs?”
“Liang Ge~ I was just joking!”
“Little Xiaoyuan hasn’t even started school yet, but he has already done who knows how many drafts of his graduation project.”
“I’ve been busy with the college entrance exam! Can I catch up on my major classes now? But I don’t have a sharp mind like Xiaoyuan…”
“Don’t worry; I was just scaring you. I or Xiaoyuan will talk to the teachers; every project team has its share of labor. The only requirements are being from the same university and having all limbs intact. Funny enough, you meet the criteria.”
“As long as I can get in. Uh, will it be like last time in Wanzhou, where I won’t have to stay in school for classes?”
“Yep.”
“Wow, the difference in freedom between university and high school is really vast.”
“That’s the distance from a boss’s perspective.”
After the truck entered the city of Jinling, it drove straight to the school's north gate, where the security guard stopped them.
Xue Liangliang poked his head out of the window and shouted a few “Uncle” calls.
The security guard laughed and opened the gate, skipping the registration step.
Inside the north gate is the residential area, where the cafeteria and dormitories are located.
Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin lived in the same dormitory, on the third floor of Block B, in the very corner.
This dormitory was quiet and different from the other six-person rooms; it only had two beds.
“Wow, this is so nice.” After dropping off his luggage, Tan Wenbin couldn’t help but praise it.
“Having the lodging benefits was part of Xiaoyuan’s early admission conditions; it’s just that I arranged for you to become his roommate.”
“The teacher is so kind.”
“Don’t thank the wrong person; teachers don’t care about these things. I used my connections to arrange it for you.”
“Liang Ge, is your influence that strong in school?”
“I’ve started a few small businesses in school, so I know some people.”
Everyone worked together and quickly cleaned the dormitory.
After tidying up their beds and organizing their daily necessities, they left the dormitory.
Xue Liangliang led everyone to a two-story building with a sign hanging on the left side saying “University Activity Center” and “Affordable Store” on the right.
The store was quite spacious with a wide variety of goods.
Because it was still summer vacation, there weren’t many students around.
Just one fair-skinned boy was reading at the counter, and an aunt was sitting nearby cracking seeds.
When Xue Liangliang arrived, the two put down their books and seeds to greet him.
“Senior, you’re here.”
“Yeah, Zhihua.” Xue Liangliang patted the boy’s shoulder with his right hand while taking out two supply invoices from his pocket and handing them to him.
Upon receiving the invoices, the boy’s eyes widened immediately.
“Senior, let me explain! I…”
“Do you know? If I report this matter to the school, you won’t graduate for sure.”
“Senior, I’m sorry! I apologize! I’ll return the money…”
“No need to return it; just tidy up the accounts and then get out. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
“Thank you, Senior, thank you!”
The boy placed the accounts book and keys on the counter, then grabbed his book and left hurriedly.
Xue Liangliang picked up the key and handed it to Yin Meng, “Here, you’ll manage this store.”
Yin Meng quickly waved her hands, “I can’t manage it…”
“Didn’t you say you used to run a shop?”
“I did, but it was about to close down.”
“No worries, I just renewed the contract with the school earlier this year; we have three more years. This is an exclusive store for Block B. You just need to sit at the counter to collect the money.”
“Well, alright.”
“Since it’s summer vacation, there aren’t many people around. Once school starts, we’ll need to pick seven or eight impoverished students from the list the school gives us to help out with moving goods.”
Runsheng said, “I can help carry the goods; no need to hire anyone.”
Xue Liangliang waved his hand: “That won’t do; providing work-study positions is a political assignment. Do you think it’s that easy to sign an exclusive contract here?”
“Then I’ll stay and help too.” Runsheng felt that working here would keep him closer to Xiaoyuan.
“Alright then.” Xue Liangliang pointed downstairs, “The upper floor is a practice room where some students will rehearse activities ahead of time. The lower floor has a half-basement; I’m using it as a warehouse. I've set up a few small rooms down there—all the essential utilities are available—though the lighting isn’t great. Aunt Sun usually stays there.”
The aunt who had been cracking seeds smiled and said, “That’s right, I live here.”
Xue Liangliang continued, “What I mean is, you both can look at the conditions below. If you find it suitable, you can stay there. This is a place I rented outside the school; I’ll give you the keys and address. It’s mainly for those who live far away; going in and out of the school gates can be cumbersome.”
Xue Liangliang handed a set of keys along with a note with the address to Runsheng.
Runsheng didn’t take it and pointed below, “Then we’ll stay downstairs.”
“Take the keys for the house outside as well; I have more.”
“Alright.”
“Let’s move our things first, then we’ll go eat. The cafeteria is mainly closed, with just a few small windows operating, but there’s not much food. There’s a Sichuan restaurant outside the north gate that serves authentic food.”
The half-basement rooms had the drawbacks of poor lighting and being prone to dampness, but these weren’t problems for Runsheng and Yin Meng; after all, they were ghost hunters who weren’t easily frightened.
Tan Wenbin was especially satisfied with the room; if it weren’t for needing to stay in the dorm to be with Xiaoyuan, he would’ve wanted to sleep here.
After all, after such a long time, he had gotten used to sleeping in a coffin.
In fact, if not for the consideration of Yin Meng being a girl, someone like Runsheng could have gone right into the dorm; at most, they would’ve had to check with the dorm manager, and as for student council inspections—they didn’t count for anything.
The little black dog they had raised at home had grown up, yet it spent its days eating and sleeping, living an even more leisurely life than Li Sanjiang.
Runsheng unloaded it along with its dog cage from the truck and moved it to his room in the basement.
They exited the north gate and arrived at the Sichuan restaurant.
The large sign said “Old Sichuan,” and the smaller sign read “Wanzhou Grilled Fish.”
Though it was the holiday, there were still several tables occupied in the restaurant, which was quite an accomplishment for a restaurant beside the school.
Most shops on the nearby street were already closed, reopening only after students returned to school.
When Xue Liangliang walked into the restaurant, the owner, his wife, daughter, and son-in-law all came out to greet him, showing excessive warmth.
Yin Meng heard the familiar dialect and felt quite happy, so Xue Liangliang let her go to the kitchen to help order food.
After all, it was still the off-season, and there wouldn’t be too many prepared dishes; they couldn’t just order from the wall menu in a casual manner.
Tan Wenbin picked up the teapot on the table to pour water for everyone and then asked Xue Liangliang, “Liang Ge, it seems you’re actually a regular here.”
Li Zhuyuan raised his tea cup and said, “This restaurant is actually owned by Liangliang Ge.”
Tan Wenbin blinked hard in surprise, “Liang Ge, is that true?”
Xue Liangliang nodded, “After I returned from Wanzhou last time, I invested in this place. The owner and his family work here, but they also have a stake in it; they’re not just working for me.”
“Liang Ge, you’re really amazing! Why don’t you do business full-time? I bet you could earn big money that way.”
“Why don’t you go create ‘The Secrets of Zhu Yuan’?”
“I…”
“Making money isn’t as joyful as repairing dams.”
Li Zhuyuan took a sip of tea and quietly placed the cup down.
After getting used to Liu Yumei’s tea leaves, he now held a good-leafed one.
The dishes came out quickly, including a plate of grilled fish.
“Hey.” Xue Liangliang lifted his chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish meat, “The main reason I invested in this place is to have the convenience of eating here myself.”
Runsheng chimed in, “Then it should be located by the Yangtze River, so it’s more convenient.”
Xue Liangliang turned around and shouted to the kitchen, “Cook another pot of rice; we have someone with a big appetite here. One pot won’t be enough to satisfy him.”
After eating, Xue Liangliang drove the truck away; he needed to report back to Luo Gong.
Runsheng and Yin Meng went to the shop to start familiarizing themselves with things now that it was the off-season.
Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin returned to the dormitory.
While hanging up their clothes, Tan Wenbin said, “Xiaoyuan, do you think the student who originally ran the shop was deliberately removed by Liang Ge?”
“Yeah.”
“I even suspect that Liang Ge specifically sent someone to entice him with kickbacks to get him fired. But why do that? If that person’s hands weren’t clean, why not kick him out sooner?”
“Liangliang Ge doesn’t have the energy to manage school affairs anymore; someone else in charge could be corrupt too, but this person would likely be a bit less greedy.”
“Wow, Liang Ge is really generous; he gives us a shop right from the start. From now on, whatever we eat or drink, we can just get it from Runsheng’s place, haha!”
Li Zhuyuan sat down at his desk but didn’t hurriedly open the book in front of him.
Instead, he turned his head to look at the trees outside the window.
He still remembered the first time he met Liangliang Ge was on the riverbank of his hometown during the “river cleaning” activity.
Back then, Liangliang Ge had already shown a distinct aura different from others, yet he still carried a hint of naivety and shyness.
Over this past year, Liangliang Ge had traveled widely with Luo Gong, truly becoming mature and competent.
In fact, everyone had changed.
For example, Tan Wenbin, after hanging up his clothes and changing into a tank top and shorts.
“Bingbing Ge, are you really going for a night run?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why did you wash up earlier?”
“I was afraid you’d feel awkward washing alone.”
“Oh.”
“I'm leaving, Xiaoyuan.”
“Be safe.”
“What kind of talk is that? How can you run into something nasty on the very first day of moving into school before classes even start?”
“Don’t say that.”
“Hey, I was just joking.”
After Tan Wenbin left the dorm, he saw the dorm manager moving some items, so he went to help.
Then he got invited to the office for a cup of water and a chat.
By the time he ran out of the dormitory building, it was already ten at night.
The lights were still on at the nearby affordable store.
Tan Wenbin began to run the opposite way, planning to loop back around, and if Runsheng and the others were still there, he’d grab a bottle of soda from the shop.
Places he had seen during the day looked different at night, and since it was still the holiday, the school felt quite empty and quiet.
Tan Wenbin ran to a small artificial lake.
Although called a lake, it was more like a large pond.
After running along the lake for a while, he heard the sound of someone else running behind him.
And that person called out, “Hey, classmate, hello!”
Tan Wenbin immediately quickened his pace, shifting from a run to a full sprint.
“Hey, classmate, why are you running?”
After a considerable distance, he could finally slow down and stop.
When he turned back, he found no one in sight.
“Right, why am I running?”
Clearly, he’d come out hoping to jog his luck, but when he actually might have encountered something, his first instinct was to run.
“I must have been living too comfortably for too long, not in the right mindset. Yeah, I’m definitely not a dragon’s friend.”
In the dormitory, Li Zhuyuan was reading under the desk lamp.
The new environment provided a great background for reading.
“Tick tock… tick tock… tick tock…”
Footsteps approached from far to near in the hallway outside the dormitory.
Li Zhuyuan looked up; it wasn't Tan Wenbin returning since Bingbing wouldn’t be wearing high heels to go running.
“Tick tock… tick tock… tick tock…”
The sound grew closer until it stopped at the end of the floor’s hallway.
Shortly after, a light scraping sound followed.
That was someone turning around, facing the dorm door.
“Knock… knock… knock…”
The knocking came, each thud muffled, echoing in the cold hallway.
“Bingbing Ge, you really don’t need to run at night.”
Li Zhuyuan closed the book, opened the desk drawer, and took out a purple whip.
The demon-suppressing whip was made in four colors; the rest were black, but Li Zhuyuan’s was unique in purple.
This was because Ah Li had scraped away the old skin from the leftover tokens and painstakingly wrapped it around.
Holding the whip, he stood up.
“Crack!”
Li Zhuyuan turned off the desk lamp, and the light in the dorm room dropped suddenly.
A too-bright light could easily break the atmosphere.
As a result, the knocking sound at the dorm door paused for a moment.
Li Zhuyuan walked towards the dorm door, turning off the overhead light on his way; darkness enveloped the room, creating the best background color.
The knocking from outside slowed down.
The boy stood at the door and said, “The door isn’t locked.”
The knocking stopped.
The boy reached for the doorknob, opened it without hesitation with a creak, revealing an empty corridor outside.
Li Zhuyuan held the whip and stepped out of the dormitory, intentionally closing the door behind him.
“Bang!”
From the other end of the hallway came the sound of “tick tock… tick tock…” high heels, yet no shadow was to be seen.
Li Zhuyuan took the initiative to walk toward that direction.
Realizing he still hadn’t closed the gap between him and that sound, the boy gradually started to run.
“Tick tock! Tick tock! Tick tock!”
The high heels grew more frantic and distant until they completely vanished.
Li Zhuyuan halted.
It had run away.
(End of Chapter)