Chapter 164

Pregnant?

On his way back to his hometown, Li Zhuiyuan had actually considered this possibility. That was, after all, the purpose of the Bai family's son-in-law recruitment.

According to the traditions of Baishui Town, once a son-in-law married into the family, his life would end when the Bai family "madam" he married successfully conceived. If a boy was born, he would also be dealt with; only a girl could become a part of Baishui Town.

So, under normal circumstances, Xue Liangliang should have already died by now. The reason he could jump into the river repeatedly, only unable to gain entry but not facing a crisis, was twofold: first, because Uncle Qin had previously infiltrated Baishui Town and was just short of time to completely break through it; and second, because this Bai family "madam" seemed to have sensed his identity and was deeply wary of it.

Among all the sons-in-law who married into Baishui Town throughout history, Xue Liangliang's marital family status was already the highest, due to his extremely powerful maternal family.

"So?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

The bride replied, "Please forgive me, our Baishui Town has its own traditions."

"Oh, so you still plan to kill him?" Li Zhuiyuan retorted.

"Never, nor would we dare," the bride said.

Li Zhuiyuan again questioned, "Then where have your traditions gone now?"

"In special times, it is fitting to act expediently," the bride replied.

Li Zhuiyuan continued to retort, "So, these traditions don't exist at all."

The bride fell silent.

"Answer me," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"My Bai family has already shown sufficient respect and courtesy," the bride replied.

"Not enough!" Li Zhuiyuan declared.

The bride fell silent again, her cold eyes looking through the water curtain at the young man standing on the bank.

Xiong Shan immediately stepped forward and reprimanded, "Presumptuous!"

On the river, twelve straw figures immediately surfaced, all raising their heads and surrounding the bride.

The bride closed her eyes, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "What do you wish to do?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "I can't be bothered to think."

"You are asking for the impossible," the bride said.

Li Zhuiyuan smiled faintly. "Back then, I didn't see you being very reasonable either."

"We had an agreement," the bride said.

"Was that agreement signed with me?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

"With you like this, my Bai family doesn't know what to do," the bride said.

"Because you haven't correctly positioned yourselves yet," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

"Please enlighten me," the bride said.

Li Zhuiyuan bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it towards the river surface. With a "plop," the stone hit the water, splashing.

"From the very beginning, I haven't liked you. In fact, I don't even wish for you to exist in Nantong territory. There are two fences before me. One fence is the Bai family's past declaration that no Bai family 'madam' should ever come ashore again. The other fence is my friend who loves to return to Nantong and jump into the river whenever he has free time.

"The first fence is dilapidated and can't stop me, because I don't like promises from the living. In my eyes, only the dead will keep their word forever. The second fence, however, truly presents a challenge for me. If you are willing to help me remove this second fence, I would be very grateful."

Li Zhuiyuan never forgot his purpose for coming here. He was here to mediate a marital dispute. Conflicts between people need to be resolved through reason, but the premise is that both parties are reasonable. The Bai family, clearly, was not.

Since childhood, Li Zhuiyuan enjoyed observing people, analyzing their behavioral logic to understand and imitate them. He had found that, in reality, people who disliked reasoning often didn't display high intelligence. However, such people were often very sensitive to one thing: an existential crisis. When facing an existential crisis, they would immediately become very clever and vigilant, then rely on instinct to make the most correct choices. In short, if you truly treat some people as human beings, not only will you feel uncomfortable, but they will also feel out of place. Just as Liu Yumei referred to the Bai family: a group of white rats hiding beneath the river, dreaming of becoming immortals.

The bride processed the young man's words and gave him a slight bow: "I, your humble servant, understand."

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that she had referred to herself as "your humble servant" twice. Once at the beginning, when she said she was pregnant. And once here, when she said she understood. These two statements were made in her personal capacity, while the dialogue in between represented the entire Baishui Town. This made Li Zhuiyuan somewhat suspicious: was she doing this on purpose?

She was the Bai family "madam" with the highest status in Baishui Town. Brother Liangliang had mentioned that when he found her, her coffin was placed in the Baishui Town ancestral hall, while the other Bai family "madams" were all seated within the town's residential houses. Moreover, she could issue orders preventing all Bai family "madams" from coming ashore.

But sometimes, even the one with the highest status could be constrained. The legitimacy of her power and status came from the Bai family traditions, so she couldn't take the lead in breaking them, unless, that is, a huge external force intervened, making everyone feel that compromise was an unavoidable reality.

She could have clarified things with Xue Liangliang beforehand, but she chose to say nothing, not even meeting him. Wasn't this forcing Xue Liangliang to seek outside help? If that were truly the case, wouldn't it mean that Brother Liangliang and this Bai family "madam" had actually developed genuine feelings for each other? Such a thing, happening to others, would seem incredible, but happening to Xue Liangliang, it felt quite normal.

Because Li Zhuiyuan himself was definitely one of the most difficult people to get along with in the world. Yet, even so, during an overnight stay at the river levee construction site, he had developed a fondness and curiosity for Xue Liangliang, thanks to his speech: "My future lies in the southwest of our homeland." At the breakfast table that morning, when the old lady heard he was coming to mediate a marital dispute, her expression had been very surprised. Indeed, for anyone else, how could he possibly be willing to make a special trip just to handle such a matter? It just goes to show, some people carry a certain quality that allows them to shine attractively wherever they go.

At this thought, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt a bit disheartened. Because he had likely been used. Furthermore, this kind of manipulation could only be recognized at its conclusion; it was impossible to detect beforehand. Even if one did detect it, one would still have to cooperate. Indeed, you might not even get a clear answer. Because whatever "tender affections" this Bai family "madam" might show Xue Liangliang next could all be explained as submission to the Dragon King family's intimidating power. Even if she admitted it was intentional, it wouldn't matter. Li Zhuiyuan disliked this feeling, yet he was helpless.

At this point, the bride took three steps back, her water curtain following her movement. She knelt down, her upper body held straight, hands clasped in an arch, first raised to her forehead with the right hand outside the left, then lowered to her abdomen. This was a solemn bow. In ancient times, women, adorned with many ornaments, used this particular bow to show respect to elders or venerated individuals.

Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand at her.

The bride's body slowly sank, finally disappearing into the river's surface, leaving the water calm.

"Let's go." Li Zhuiyuan turned and left. Xiong Shan and Lihua exchanged a glance, then followed.

Once in the car, Liu Changping drove everyone back to Li Sanjiang's house. Liu Changping was asked to drive to Shigang Town for gas and to find a hotel to stay in while he was there. Xiong Shan and Lihua, on the other hand, were arranged by Li Zhuiyuan to stay in the west room. The east room, where Ali and Liu Yumei had once lived, remained locked. Great-Grandfather had said that the east room must remain locked until it was certain that the worldly old lady would not marry her granddaughter to his young Master Zhuiyuan. When he was young, Li Sanjiang had not only made a name for himself in Shanghai but also participated in the three major campaigns. It was highly unlikely he genuinely couldn't discern the implications behind Liu Yumei's meticulous demeanor in daily life. In Li Sanjiang's philosophy of dealing with people, talking about money with the wealthy was meaningless; it was better to discuss aspirations and emotions.

As for Xiao Yingying, Li Zhuiyuan had initially thought she would stay in the west room. However, she didn't; she slept in a coffin on the first floor at night. Because Runsheng and Tan Wenbin used to love sleeping in coffins, finding them warm in winter and cool in summer, Li Sanjiang didn't think much of it.

There was a minor twist: Lihua's child was also taken into the coffin by Xiao Yingying. Lihua pushed open the coffin lid and saw her son inside, sleeping soundly on a deceased figure. This child, having traveled the world with his parents since birth, had truly seen things. As Lihua reached out to pick up her son, Xiao Yingying suddenly opened her eyes. However, she didn't try to stop her. Lihua picked up her son, gently rocked him, and kissed him. After playing for a bit, Lihua placed her son back into the coffin. Xiao Yingying's eyes seemed to hold confusion. Lihua smiled and helped them close the coffin lid.

Once you take the first step and accept something new, your level of acceptance can increase at an astonishing rate. During the day, Lihua had found it utterly absurd to have a deceased figure help babysit her child, but by night, she thought it was quite good. With someone helping with the child, she and her husband could enjoy some private time in the west room.

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, and as he passed Great-Grandfather's doorway, he heard his snoring. He estimated that Great-Grandfather wouldn't wake until dawn. In his own room, however, there was no snoring. Pushing open the door, he saw Xue Liangliang sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a steaming cup of tea, sipping it slowly.

"Xiaoyuan? Xiaoyuan! Xiaoyuan..." His emotions shifted from confusion to surprise, then to sadness.

As Xue Liangliang put down his teacup and was about to rush over, Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, gesturing him to stop. "You reek of alcohol, it's foul."

Xue Liangliang smiled awkwardly, then opened the room's doors and windows to air it out. Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room and sat down on a wicker chair on the balcony. Xue Liangliang emerged from the room with a washbasin, humming a tune as he went to bathe. Communication between intelligent people was simple: Xiaoyuan returned late at night and immediately complained about the alcohol smell on him, which meant the matter was resolved.

After showering, Xue Liangliang emerged in clean clothes, looking much fresher, though he had some stubble. Upon closer inspection, in the past six months, he had been traveling with Engineer Luo to various construction sites, enduring all weather. His former youthful scholarly air had been replaced by a weathered, hardened look. The only thing unchanged was the light still in his eyes.

"Brother Liangliang, you have a good tolerance for alcohol."

"Ah, I developed it on the construction site. I used to hear people say drinking helps with fatigue and didn't understand, but now I do. Mine's still good; the frontline construction workers are even harder working."

"It's not easy."

"Don't be quick to pity me; you'll be there soon too. A large project is officially starting after the New Year, and resettlement work is already being prepared in stages."

"Will many people have to move?"

"Yes, many people will leave their homes because of this. Their homes will be submerged underwater, never to see the light of day again."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

Xue Liangliang took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled: "Therefore, our responsibility is immense. If we don't do this project well, we will fail to honor the immense efforts and sacrifices made by everyone involved. Each of those planning blueprints is a burden on our shoulders; it's a tangible sense of mission."

Xue Liangliang flicked the ash from his cigarette, absorbed in his emotions. As he spoke about this, he seemed to have forgotten his original purpose, or perhaps he was too embarrassed to abruptly bring up personal matters within such a serious topic.

"After the next semester starts, you won't have much time in school. Engineer Luo will definitely put you to work."

"Oh." Li Zhuiyuan nodded. He had anticipated this; otherwise, why would he enroll in this university?

Xue Liangliang smoked three cigarettes in a row. By the time he extinguished the third, the emotional atmosphere finally dissipated.

"Uh, Xiaoyuan..."

"You actually managed to hold back for so long."

"It's not contradictory; personal happiness integrates with the nation's construction and development."

"After dawn, you can continue jumping into the river."

"Did something happen?"

"Good news."

"Good news?"

"You're going to be a father."

Xue Liangliang froze for a long time, then suddenly covered his mouth. Afraid of disturbing others, he could only suppress his laughter, bouncing in place. Li Zhuiyuan leaned his head back on the wicker chair, the evening breeze, carrying a chill, rustling his hair.

Xue Liangliang reached out, grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's arm, shook it, and said, "Xiaoyuan, do you know? I'm going to be a father!"

"Ah, really? Congratulations!"

"Hahahaha!" Xue Liangliang again covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking with laughter. With great effort, he finally calmed down, taking deep breaths.

"Xiaoyuan, then why?"

"Don't dwell on it now; the matter has been resolved anyway."

"Okay, I understand." Xue Liangliang nodded.

The two of them sat quietly on the wicker chairs, silently gazing at the moon together. After a long while, Xue Liangliang spoke again: "Xiaoyuan, what do you think my child should be named?"

"Ask Brother Runsheng."

"Let Runsheng name them? Uh, what I mean is, you help me choose first. You've got so many ancient texts in your head. Help me pick meaningful names, one for a boy and one for a girl. Oh, right, the first child will take the Xue surname."

Xue Liangliang cared deeply about this, as it meant he wasn't a live-in son-in-law, even though the woman never came out and he always took the initiative to visit her.

"Brother, you name them yourself. I'm not suited for that."

"Ah, okay." Xue Liangliang sighed. "It's so surreal. I'm actually going to be a father. If my parents knew about this, would they..."

"Be scared to death."

Xue Liangliang smiled, then nodded somewhat helplessly.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up. "I'm going to rest now."

"Okay, you go rest. I'll sit here a bit longer."

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the interior of the house.

"Thank you, Xiaoyuan."

The next morning, after Li Zhuiyuan woke up, he didn't see Brother Liangliang in the room. He was sure Brother Liangliang wasn't home at the moment either.

Carrying a plastic basin, he was about to go wash up when he stepped out and saw Li Sanjiang sitting on a wicker chair, smoking. It was cool in the early morning. Li Zhuiyuan knew Great-Grandfather was aware of his return and was deliberately sitting there, waiting for him to wake up and emerge.

"Great-Grandfather."

"Young Master Zhuiyuan." Li Sanjiang immediately extinguished the cigarette he had just lit. As he picked up the young man, he hefted him with some effort: "Great-Grandfather can hardly carry you anymore."

"You can carry me on your back."

"Heh heh." Li Sanjiang put Li Zhuiyuan down. "Go wash up."

"Mhm."

As Li Zhuiyuan finished brushing his teeth and was pouring hot water to wash his face, he saw Great-Grandfather walk out wearing the formal suit he had bought yesterday, with another set in his hand.

"It fits, it fits perfectly. Our young Master Zhuiyuan knows how to shop. Great-Grandfather likes it very much." Li Sanjiang turned around twice in place facing Li Zhuiyuan and said, "Shall I put on this other set for you to see?"

"Sure."

"Wait here." Li Sanjiang went inside, changed into the other suit, and came back out. "This set looks even more impressive. If I wear this out, people who don't know might think the village head has arrived!"

"Great-Grandfather, there's a fountain pen on my desk. You can take one and put it in your chest pocket; it'll look even more authentic."

"Good, I'll listen to our young Master Zhuiyuan." Li Sanjiang actually went into the young man's room, chose what looked like the cheapest fountain pen, clipped it to his chest pocket, and then, with his hands behind his back, strutted out.

"Hello, Village Head Grandpa," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"Hahahaha!"

Normally, a junior buying a gift for an elder should be a joyful occasion. However, in this world, the proportion of elders who can actively give positive responses and provide emotional value to their juniors is not actually large. Most elders, at such times, would instinctively dampen the mood.

Li Zhuiyuan and Li Sanjiang went downstairs to eat breakfast together. Breakfast was made by Lihua: a large bowl of hot beef rice noodles for each, accompanied by a bowl of egg wine. As for chili, it was added according to individual taste. Xiong Shan's bowl was overflowing with red chili.

Li Sanjiang had gotten drunk the night before and gone to bed early, so he woke up before dawn. It was Xiong Shan and his wife's first day at someone else's home, so to make a good impression, they naturally woke up early. Lihua actively started making paper figures. This craft was considered a basic skill for the couple. The reason they usually used straw figures as puppets when employing Chenzhou talismans was simply because straw was readily available.

However, when Xiao Yingying woke up on time, emerging from the coffin with the child, and saw the row of lifelike creations Lihua had already made, she said coldly: "This style won't sell." Every place has its own folk culture; paper figures of different styles, no matter how well made, would not be bought by people from nearby villages and towns. Lihua could only first take the child, and then learn from Xiao Yingying while breastfeeding.

As for Xiong Shan, he had gone to work in the field behind the house with a hoe early that morning. After a long while, Li Sanjiang informed him that the field behind the house belonged to someone else. Honestly, Li Sanjiang's first impression of the couple wasn't good; he found them a bit foolish. Fortunately, although they didn't do it correctly, at least they were eager to work. Li Sanjiang also understood a principle: don't have mules that are too smart; overly clever mules will be lazy and won't work diligently. Since they were introduced by his young Master Zhuiyuan, he had to accept them.

When discussing wages, Li Sanjiang deliberately quoted a low price. The couple agreed immediately! This, however, made Li Sanjiang feel awkward. Shouldn't wages be negotiated? If he offered a low price, they should counter with a higher one. But since they had already agreed, raising the wage himself would seem a bit foolish. So he just told them to work hard, promising them red envelopes and bonuses during holidays, intending to compensate them for the wages in this manner. Li Zhuiyuan, seeing that Xiong Shan and his wife had integrated into the place, felt relieved. The couple had come here for two reasons: first, to seek shelter, and second, to secure a future for their son. Protection was certainly available here; it was buried under the peach orchard. As for the child... Even Grandma Liu had once brought Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu here to work for Great-Grandfather, solely to seek blessings for Ali. This couple was now essentially enjoying the same treatment as the Dragon King's family once did; they certainly weren't being mistreated.

Very early, Liu Changping had driven his taxi back here. Even as a hired driver, he arrived a bit too early. Because he hadn't wanted to spend money on a hotel room in Shigang Town last night, he had managed overnight in his car. Coming early was also to save on breakfast money.

Then, Liu Changping was conscripted by Xue Liangliang. He hadn't intended to drive Xue Liangliang, as he was hired by the young man, but with Xiong Shan and his wife's corroboration, Liu Changping finally agreed. As per Xue Liangliang's request, Liu Changping first drove him to Nandajie in the city center. This was the city center of Nantong, the busiest area, with dense pedestrian and vehicle traffic, making parking difficult. After parking in a distant lot, Liu Changping simply got out with Xue Liangliang and followed him into the department store.

Xue Liangliang bought a lot of clothes, for both adults and children. He also went to a gold shop and bought the "three golds" (traditional wedding jewelry), plus a pair of gold and silver longevity locks.

Seeing the "three golds," Liu Changping commented with some emotion, "I'm preparing for this myself right now."

"Are you about to formalize your relationship?" Xue Liangliang asked.

"Yes." Liu Changping made a gesture with his hand. "Her family wants this amount as a bride price, and she also has a younger brother."

"Whoa, that's quite a lot."

"I think it's okay, not too much."

"Right, you earn a lot."

"Because my hometown is Jiangxi."

"I understand."

"What about you, buddy?"

"I didn't have a bride price when I got married."

"Oh..."

"I'm not a live-in son-in-law."

"Mmm..."

"It's about being open-minded. After all, it's a new era; those traditions aren't emphasized anymore."

"You're right."

Afterward, Liu Changping drove Xue Liangliang to the riverside. It was the same place they had visited yesterday.

"Buddy, wait for me here."

"Okay." Liu Changping nodded and lit a cigarette.

Xue Liangliang, carrying a large stack of gifts, got out of the car and walked down the slope, quickly disappearing from view. Last night, Liu Changping had followed Li Zhuiyuan's instructions and parked far away, but he was incredibly curious. What was so special about this riverside that they kept coming back repeatedly?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Liu Changping got out of the car, cigarette in mouth. After walking down the slope, he found he couldn't see Xue Liangliang anywhere.

"Huh, where did he go?" It was boundless here; where could anyone hide?

As he searched, Liu Changping found clothes and shoes weighted down by stones on the bank. They belonged to Xue Liangliang.

Oh no! Liu Changping was so scared that the cigarette fell from his mouth. He started running along the riverside, shouting and anxiously searching. He knew how to swim, but on the vast river, even if he wanted to dive in and retrieve someone, he would first need a target. After searching for a long time, Liu Changping despaired. He picked up Xue Liangliang's clothes and shoes, returned to the taxi, and sat there blankly.

With this kind of incident, how was he going to explain himself? The thought of quickly driving back to Jinling even crossed his mind. As for the charter fee... if you've driven someone to suicide, how could you still ask for money? But then he reconsidered: if he just left without explanation, the family might report him for murder.

Just as he was feeling anxious and conflicted, a knock came on the car window. Liu Changping turned his head and was startled. Standing outside the car was a naked Xue Liangliang.

Xue Liangliang got into the car, said nothing, and began to get dressed. Liu Changping noticed that all the gifts Xue Liangliang had bought were gone.

"Where are the things?"

"I gave them to the mother and child."

"Oh." Liu Changping sighed, silently lighting another cigarette. He felt very fortunate; at least his beloved was still alive. Looking at Xue Liangliang again, Liu Changping's eyes showed a hint of admiration. After all, this was a deeply emotional man who still missed his deceased wife and child. Someone less sentimental wouldn't be willing to buy so many expensive new clothes and gold jewelry just to throw into the river as an offering.

On the way back, Xue Liangliang's pager at his waist vibrated. He asked Liu Changping to find a roadside convenience store, got out, and made a call back. Once back in the car, Xue Liangliang said, "Drive fast, let's go home!"

When the car returned to Li Sanjiang's house, the family was having lunch. Xue Liangliang got out of the car, quickly walked over to Li Zhuiyuan, and said, "Engineer Luo just called me. He wants me to go to Gaoyou, Yangzhou, right now. He's also on his way there. Xiaoyuan, are you coming?"

"What happened?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

Xue Liangliang lowered his voice and said, "They say something strange happened on Gaoyou Lake."

"Then I'll go." Li Zhuiyuan looked at Li Sanjiang. "Great-Grandfather, my mentor is over there and has called us to come."

"Of course, of course," Li Sanjiang immediately nodded in agreement.

Xiong Shan spoke up, "We'll go with you, to look after things."

Li Sanjiang nodded again. "Of course, of course."

Lihua packed up the food, and without delay, the five of them got into the car. Li Zhuiyuan sat in the front passenger seat, while Xue Liangliang and the Xiong Shan couple sat in the back. Actually, it would have been more appropriate for the young man to sit in the back, but the problem was that if Li Zhuiyuan sat there, Xiong Shan and Lihua would feel uncomfortable. They would rather squeeze in with Xue Liangliang.

The further they drove towards Yangzhou, the more overcast the sky became. Li Zhuiyuan, however, felt quite relaxed. However, he saw in the rearview mirror that the Xiong Shan couple in the back seat had extremely solemn expressions. From time to time, they exchanged glances, their hands clasped together. There was a sense of solemn heroism, as if ready to face death.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize that the couple had misunderstood. They thought this was a new "wave" of trouble coming for him. Yet, even so, having "lit their lamps twice" to retire completely from their dangerous profession, they still voluntarily stepped forward to accompany him. It seemed they were still thinking about how he should die quickly so they could entrust their child to him.

"This isn't a wave hitting my boat," Li Zhuiyuan said.

Hearing this, the couple looked at each other. What appeared on their faces next was not relief, but disappointment and regret.

"Your child would prefer a complete childhood," Li Zhuiyuan said. "What you consider best might not be what he wants."

The couple immediately nodded in agreement, but he guessed they probably hadn't truly taken it in. Li Zhuiyuan no longer paid attention to them; instead, he asked Xue Liangliang, "Did you go down?"

"Yes," Xue Liangliang nodded. "I bought some things and sent them down to the mother and child."

"You used to go empty-handed?"

"How could I? Every time I came back from an out-of-town project, I would bring two sets of local specialties: one to send to my parents, and one to give to her."

Liu Changping, who was driving, heard this conversation and silently wiped the corner of his eye.

Gaoyou was not far from Nantong; it was about a two-hour drive. Xue Liangliang got out of the car to make another call. After getting back in, he told Liu Changping the exact address. It was a sizable water conservancy construction site by the lake, but what should have been a bustling site was now very quiet. All workers had stopped work for the day and were staying in the temporary shelters. Instead, various types of non-construction vehicles were constantly driving in and out. The outer perimeter of the site was accessible, but the inner circle had roadblocks, and police were conducting security checks.

Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car. Li Zhuiyuan told Liu Changping to find a nearby hotel to stay in, and ordered the Xiong Shan couple to go with him.

"But you can't be left alone." Xiong Shan was unwilling to leave at that moment.

"What danger could I possibly be in here?" Li Zhuiyuan said. "I'll call you when I need you."

The Xiong Shan couple could only agree and continued with Liu Changping in the car to find a hotel.

After waiting a while, a middle-aged man jogged out from inside. "Liangliang, you're here."

Xue Liangliang introduced him to Li Zhuiyuan. "Xiaoyuan, this is Senior Brother Sun."

"Hello, Senior Brother Sun."

"Is this Xiaoyuan?" Senior Brother Sun extended his hand to shake Li Zhuiyuan's, not showing any disdain for the young man's age. "Engineer Luo often talks about you, saying that if you were here, the blueprint progress wouldn't be so slow."

"Then I must be quite unpopular," Li Zhuiyuan said.

"Heh heh." Sun Hongxing took out his ID, showed it to the police, and then led Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan inside.

"What exactly happened?" Xue Liangliang asked curiously.

"Dragon drawing water," Sun Hongxing replied.

"Isn't the 'dragon drawing water' phenomenon quite normal?" Xue Liangliang said.

Sun Hongxing shook his head. "This time it's different. Anyway, you'll know once you go in and watch the video tape."

Inside, many work tents had been set up, and the people moving through them were quite varied. As he brushed past several people in blue work uniforms, Li Zhuiyuan heard the sound of bells coming from beneath their clothes.

"Engineer Luo is in a temporary meeting, and he's not chairing it," Sun Hongxing said. "We can't go in right now. Let's wait over there; there's a video playing."

Lifting the curtain, they entered. Many people were seated inside. Some held documents, others held blueprints, and a group stood with their arms crossed, exuding a formidable aura. Inside the tent, there was a television connected to a VCR, repeatedly playing a local TV news report, with the station logo in the upper left corner. The incident had occurred yesterday afternoon; this was the news broadcast last night.

On screen, the phenomenon of "dragon drawing water" appeared over Gaoyou Lake. "Dragon drawing water," also known as a waterspout or "dragon suspending water," occurs over sea or water surfaces. It can be understood as a tornado appearing over water, with one end connected to the water and the other to the sky, pulling water upwards when formed. The "dragon drawing water" in the footage was over a thousand meters high, very spectacular, its top disappearing into the grey clouds. This wouldn't have been anything special; it would simply be considered a sporadic natural phenomenon. But as the footage continued to play, a long black figure soon appeared in the grey clouds, dancing within them.

Those already inside surely weren't seeing it for the first time, but as the scene replayed, everyone instinctively craned their necks and widened their eyes. The long black figure's appearance was brief, less than ten seconds in total. The footage was also very blurry, only showing black with no details. The problem, however, was that its flight path and movements were incredibly graceful and natural, full of a spiritual quality. Almost without prompting, a normal person, upon seeing this scene, would have only one word come to mind... dragon. On the television, the presenter's voice also spoke of the "dragon" figure that suddenly appeared in the clouds, attracting citizens to gather and watch.

Several people in front of him, exuding a formidable aura, whispered among themselves. Their voices were very low, but Li Zhuiyuan, with his keen hearing, still caught them. They were saying: "How does it feel?"

"Very similar."

"Compared to the one in Qinghai Lake?"

"The one in Qinghai Lake was clearer."

People continuously moved in and out of the tent. After Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang watched five times, they finally walked out.

Xue Liangliang leaned close to Li Zhuiyuan's ear and whispered, "Xiaoyuan, do you think this is real?"

"I don't know."

"If it's real, that's incredible! Are there really creatures like dragons in this world?" Xue Liangliang asked.

Li Zhuiyuan retorted, "Isn't it even more incredible that your partner can get pregnant?"

"Uh..." Xue Liangliang blinked. "Now that you put it that way, it suddenly seems very reasonable."

Engineer Luo emerged after the meeting.

"Xiaoyuan."

"Teacher."

"Come, both of you. Let's proofread the design blueprints again." Engineer Luo led everyone to another tent. "Everyone remember, don't talk about what happened here outside. Most of you are still very young, and you will inevitably encounter similar things in your future work."

Xue Liangliang teased, "The TV station already broadcast it..."

Engineer Luo said, "What the TV station does is their business, but the words cannot come from our mouths. Even if you want to say it, you'll have to wait another ten years. Then, when you're drinking or having tea, you can brag all you want. Alright, we were only called here to provide advisory observations. First, help me re-organize this place; it needs to be ready as a backup."

Everyone began to get busy. The work itself wasn't complicated, just a bit lengthy in process, similar to a big cleanup before a supervisor's inspection. But sometimes, seemingly repetitive and meaningless work is unavoidable and serves as a form of preparation.

After working late into the night, the tasks were finished. Engineer Luo was called to another small meeting, and when he returned, he announced that everyone should go to the guesthouse to rest. Xue Liangliang went to explain their situation to Engineer Luo, who said, "Since you booked your own hotel, you should definitely go there; it's certainly better than the guesthouse's conditions. Remember to get receipts and bring them to me." And so, Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan left the construction site.

Liu Changping professionally parked the taxi outside, and Xiong Shan and Lihua were also waiting outside the car. As Li Zhuiyuan got into the car, a sedan happened to drive by. Li Zhuiyuan saw Yu Shu sitting in the passenger seat of the sedan through the rearview mirror. The young man immediately ducked down, avoiding any potential gaze from the other person. After the sedan drove inside, Liu Changping started the taxi and drove everyone to the hotel.

They booked a total of three rooms: one for the Xiong Shan couple, one for Liu Changping, and one for Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang. However, the Xiong Shan couple would keep watch, one inside and one outside the hotel.

In the room, Li Zhuiyuan went to shower first, while Xue Liangliang turned on the television. While showering, Xue Liangliang called out, "Xiaoyuan, come out and see this!"

Li Zhuiyuan walked out, drying his hair. The TV was showing local news, specifically yesterday's "dragon drawing water" footage. It was the exact same video material, at least for now, even the presenter's voice was unchanged. Logically, old news from yesterday shouldn't be replayed tonight, but if it were major news, repeated broadcasts would be normal.

However, as it continued to play, the footage no longer showed the long, complete black figure. Instead, it showed three large birds flying side by side. The presenter's voice also changed accordingly: "Viewers, after the 'dragon drawing water' phenomenon occurred, three large birds appeared in the clouds. This scene attracted many citizens who gathered to watch."