Chapter 303

Li Sanjiang leaned forward, his bottom suspended, half-kneeling on the tiled floor marked with circles. He watched the young man sitting cross-legged in a circle opposite him, his hands continuously gesturing.

Look at those earnest eyes, that serious expression, and those constantly changing hand gestures, one set after another, never repeating.

Hey, don't just say it, but when his own young Master Li performed these rituals, it really looked convincing!

A feeling of pride, knowing he had a successor, immediately swelled in Li Sanjiang's heart.

But soon, Li Sanjiang himself suppressed this thought, reflecting on what he was even thinking.

Was his profession a good one? He couldn't possibly let the child follow in his footsteps, could he?

Yet, these words of caution, just as they reached his throat, were swallowed back down.

After all, you could actually advise other children dabbling in this, but his own young Master Li had long since been admitted to university and had been interning for quite a while. So the child was just bright and had picked up a few things by observing him during his rituals.

Hmm, it was just superficial, not to be taken seriously.

At this moment, the child was doing it earnestly, even knowing it was pretend. He wanted to pray for good fortune for him and show his devotion, so Li Sanjiang might as well just graciously accept it and let the child feel content and happy.

He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Li Sanjiang cast off all the burdens in his heart and simply watched his great-grandson continue to perform the ritual with effort.

He wasn't sure if it was the aging light bulb overhead, the smoke he exhaled not dissipating quickly enough, or his own failing eyesight, but why did his young Master Li seem to have a halo around him?

Li Sanjiang licked his lips. "That's good lighting," he thought. "If I could have light like that when I perform rituals in the future, wouldn't the hosts feel even more at ease?"

"Great-grandpa, matches."

"Oh, alright."

Li Sanjiang tossed the matchbox over.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled out a match, struck it, and then lit the yellow paper in his hand.

Li Sanjiang, with a cigarette between his fingers, began to instruct, "Young Master Li, you can't light this yellow paper from the corner. It burns too quickly that way, and you won't have time to complete the gestures..."

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the yellow paper in his hand onto the ground.

"Thud."

Li Sanjiang's gaze unfocused, his body slumped forward, and he fell face down onto the tiles, fast asleep.

It worked.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and helped his half-asleep, half-unconscious great-grandpa onto the bed, covering him with a blanket.

After tidying up the room a bit, refilling his great-grandpa's teacup, and cleaning the ashtray, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his own room, picked up his washbasin, and went to the shower room outside to bathe.

When he came out after showering, he heard his great-grandpa's snoring grow louder, as if his vigor had returned.

After standing at the doorway for a while, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, got into bed, closed his eyes, and prepared to dream.

The dream came quickly. Li Zhuiyuan found himself on a floating bed again, but the black water below was steadily receding until the bed eventually ran aground.

He looked around; the familiar Forbidden City environment, but it seemed as if everything, inside and out, was stained with black ink.

In the dream, Li Zhuiyuan pulled the blanket back over himself and continued to sleep.

As the first hint of dawn appeared, the light in the east room was already on.

Liu Yumei helped her granddaughter get ready, gently pressed her cheek against hers, and looked at the grandmother and granddaughter in the mirror.

After admiring the sight, Liu Yumei said:

"Come, Grandma will change your dressing."

She took out the medicine box, and as she reached for her granddaughter's hand, the granddaughter pulled it back.

Liu Yumei didn't insist, saying, "Then take the medicine box upstairs, and let Xiao Yuan change it for you when he wakes up."

A-Li then extended the hand she had pulled back, offering it to her grandma.

Liu Yumei was amused. "You don't want to trouble Xiao Yuan, but it's okay to trouble Grandma, right?"

She unbandaged it, reapplied the medicine, and when she re-bandaged it, Liu Yumei tied a beautiful knot.

A-Li shook her head.

"Alright, alright."

Liu Yumei untied the knot and tied one just like Xiao Yuan's.

A-Li held the back of her hand in front of her and looked at it, still seeming not entirely satisfied.

The same knot, but tied by a different person, just felt different.

Liu Yumei pretended not to notice.

After A-Li pushed open the door and left, Liu Yumei turned to look at the array of ancestral tablets on the offering table, then pointed towards the doorway where A-Li had just exited.

On that offering table, every single one, regardless of whether they were from the Qin or Liu family, was an elder of A-Li's.

So, this wry smile shouldn't be hers alone.

For Li Zhuiyuan, waking up every day after returning home was filled with anticipation.

His punctual body clock woke him at a fixed time. He turned his head and opened his eyes.

A-Li, dressed in green, stood before the drawing table. The girl wasn't painting yet, but preparing her pigments.

Having returned in a rush yesterday, the experiences of the previous wave hadn't been recounted yet. Today, they certainly would be, and then she would begin her painting.

Li Zhuiyuan sat up, and the girl also turned her head to look at him.

Clothes of this style were often unsuitable for young girls because they were typically cut in adult proportions, making them appear old-fashioned when worn by teenagers.

However, A-Li's clothes were all personally designed and custom-made by Liu Yumei, so this problem naturally didn't exist. They looked youthful and spirited, yet elegant and beautiful.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that in the 'Jade Void Daoist and the Great Fish' wave, he had seen a portrait of the female Dragon King of the Liu family. The attire of that Dragon King in the painting was somewhat similar to what A-Li was wearing now.

After washing up, the young man walked back. A-Li was sitting in a wicker chair by the door, holding two cans of Jianlibao.

Li Zhuiyuan lay down on the adjacent wicker chair, playing chess while recounting his experiences from the previous wave.

Their chess game lasted until closing time, and his account of the previous wave had reached the point where Aunt Liu's soup was bubbling on the stove:

"Breakfast is ready!"

Li Zhuiyuan led A-Li downstairs. Just as he sat down and finished peeling a salted duck egg, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo, ah!"

Li Sanjiang first stretched with a big yawn, then tilted his head back, making a series of guttural noises, and spit a powerful stream of saliva out towards the courtyard.

Although he still leaned forward when walking and couldn't quite straighten his back, his former spirit had completely returned.

Aunt Liu: "Uncle Sanjiang, you look really well today. It seems your great-grandson's return is more effective than any miracle elixir."

Li Sanjiang laughed heartily and said, "Indeed!"

After breakfast, Li Sanjiang wanted to go out for a stroll. He had been cooped up at home recovering for a while and was feeling restless.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped forward and advised, "Great-grandpa, you've just recovered. It's better to rest for a couple more days."

Li Sanjiang shook his head. "In the village, it's not good to lie down for too long. If I keep lying around, people will start asking if they should prepare paper money for me in advance."

So, Li Zhuiyuan accompanied his great-grandpa for a walk.

As soon as the two of them walked from the small path onto the village road, they heard the sound of a tricycle behind them. It was Runsheng riding out.

"Runsheng Hou, are you going to Xiting to see Grandpa Shan?"

"Yes, to get some grain for my grandpa, and also the money he'll lose playing cards."

"Alright, go ahead. Be careful on the road."

"Okay, Grandpa Li."

Runsheng looked at Xiao Yuan, smiled, and then rode off on his tricycle.

Arriving at the village below Xiting Town, Runsheng saw the cooking smoke rising from his own chimney from a distance.

He parked the tricycle in the yard, walked into the house, and lifted the lid of the stove. Sweet potato porridge was simmering inside, but no one was by the stove.

Runsheng then checked the rice jar; there was still rice inside. Salted fish and sausages hung from the roof beams.

Grandpa Shan, who had been at a neighbor's house early in the morning to use the latrine, walked in through the small kitchen door, tying his drawstring pants as he came.

Seeing Runsheng there, he immediately stepped back two paces, hid behind the wall to quickly tie his drawstring and tuck it into his pants, before re-entering.

"Runsheng Hou, you're back."

"Yes, I'm back, Grandpa."

Grandpa Shan deliberately said loudly, "Heh heh, these sweet potatoes used to give me heartburn when I ate too much, but now I haven't eaten them for a while and I eat fine grains every day, and I actually miss them. Luckily, I've cooked a lot, so let's all three have some to nourish our stomachs."

He had indeed cooked a lot. In the past, during busy farming seasons, villagers liked to cook a large pot of porridge in the morning. Once it cooled and solidified, they would use chopsticks to divide it into several portions, serving as fixed meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Of course, Grandpa Shan didn't do this because he lacked time for farm work; he was simply lazy.

Runsheng served two bowls of porridge, placed them on the table, added two pickled cucumber slices and a salted duck egg to his grandpa's bowl, and lit an incense stick for himself.

Grandpa Shan walked around the yard, shook his arms, then swung his legs, and said:

"Ai, eating fine food every meal, my body actually feels weaker than before. People just can't enjoy too much comfort; too much comfort makes the body soft. I've been smoking light cigarettes these days, but yesterday someone gave me a strong one, and damn it, I can't even smoke it anymore, it scrapes my throat, haha!"

After speaking, he waited, and seeing no response, Grandpa Shan walked back into the house with some confusion:

"Runsheng Hou, has Mengmeng walked to the town's supply and marketing cooperative? Isn't the tricycle still in the yard?"

Then, seeing the two bowls of porridge on the table, Grandpa Shan scratched his head, let out an "oh," and said:

"Mengmeng didn't come today, no wonder."

Grandpa Shan was like a student with recent good grades waiting for praise, but who found that their parent hadn't shown up this time, and couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.

After sitting down, he rummaged in his pocket and placed the money on the table.

It wasn't much money, but the banknotes were neatly folded, and the coins were stacked, clearly organized beforehand.

He had played cards and lost, but not all of it, and the food and drink at home hadn't run out. Compared to before, this was indeed significant progress.

Picking up his chopsticks, he took a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, then put the chopsticks down again and said to Runsheng:

"Runsheng Hou, when you go back, tell Mengmeng that this time I have money left over and grain left over..."

Grandpa Shan frowned and waved his hand, saying:

"No, don't say that. That girl will think you're intentionally siding with me, colluding to trick her."

He paused, then Grandpa Shan asked again, "Did you bring money, Runsheng Hou?"

Runsheng nodded and took two sums of money from his pocket: one for daily expenses, and another, much thicker stack, for money lost playing cards.

Grandpa Shan smiled, took the money, organized it, and said:

"How about this: in a couple of days, I'll go to Sanjiang Hou's place, check on that old geezer, and while I'm at it, buy some things for Mengmeng to take over. I won't go empty-handed. Runsheng Hou, what does that Mengmeng girl like, do you remember? She definitely wouldn't want an old man like me buying her clothes. Oh, that girl likes snacks, so I'll buy a bit of everything at the supply and marketing cooperative. Zhang San Hou goes to work in the city every day. I'll find him tonight and ask him to help buy a few bags of hotpot base from the city; that girl definitely loves that."

Grandpa Shan rambled on, making his plans.

He had never married in his life. When he took Runsheng in, he didn't really know how to be a good grandpa (or father). Runsheng had been resilient since childhood; if he fell or got bumped, he'd just rub it and get up. He never got sick. When food ran out, the two of them would endure hunger together, and Runsheng Hou would fall asleep listening to his stories in bed.

When Runsheng grew up and his appetite increased, Grandpa Shan effectively "dumped" Runsheng Hou with Li Sanjiang. That old man knew how to make money and lived a comfortable life, so Runsheng Hou could eat and drink well with him.

He thought he could finally relax, but in the end, the responsibilities he was meant to bear still couldn't be escaped.

Sometimes, Grandpa Shan genuinely wished Runsheng Hou would be like other young men in the village: forget his parents once he married a wife.

He could fend for himself, and no matter how tight his finances were, it would be impossible to starve to death in the village fields.

But Runsheng Hou happened to be a filial person, and that Mengmeng girl didn't intervene. If he wanted to bring him living expenses, why did she just let him?

Let him bring it then... At first, Grandpa Shan was happy to take it, but that girl would always scold him indirectly every time she came.

Oh, when a daughter-in-law, bought with a dowry, scolds her father-in-law at home, most fathers-in-law wouldn't dare talk back. How could he, a destitute old man, possibly talk back? He could only lower his head and endure it.

At first, some villagers even asked him if he and Runsheng had bought a wife from a broker, or else, what respectable girl would ever consider their old Lu family?

The rumors circulated for a while before dying down. It wasn't that rumors stop with the wise, but that the old Lu family didn't have a damn penny to buy a wife!

Li Sanjiang hadn't reprimanded him lightly for this matter, but he hadn't taken it too much to heart either, until Mengmeng specifically provided money for his gambling losses and stopped scolding him.

This thoroughly shamed Grandpa Shan. He reflected deeply, endured, and after much effort, finally managed to have a surplus.

The meaning of trying to do well was to prove that even if he couldn't help Runsheng, and was a burden... at least he wasn't a bottomless pit of a burden.

"Grandpa."

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"Mengmeng won't be returning to Nantong for now. She's staying in her hometown, Shancheng, for a while."

"A while... how long is a while?"

"Two or three years, maybe."

Hearing this, Grandpa Shan felt as if struck by lightning, sitting bolt upright on the long bench.

Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had at least seen a pig run. Grandpa Shan knew what it meant for a couple to be separated for two or three years; it didn't even take two or three years. Being apart for more than three months meant they had completely broken up.

After finishing his porridge, Runsheng rode his tricycle to the town's supply and marketing cooperative to buy daily necessities for his grandpa. When he returned, he found his grandpa still sitting on the long bench, his bowl of porridge untouched.

Runsheng didn't know how to comfort him; he didn't have that kind of sensitivity.

So, he went to the yard and started splitting firewood.

Actually, Runsheng didn't understand what "dating" meant. He wasn't even sure if he and Mengmeng were dating, nor did he know exactly when they started.

He felt that although Xiao Yuan and A-Li were young, they were a perfect match, practically inseparable when at home. They could even sit on the terrace, pointing at the stars while playing chess.

A-Li couldn't speak, yet when they were together, it was as if they had endless things to say.

He had also seen how Tan Wenbin and Zhou Yunyun got together: high school classmates who then got into the same university.

When Tan Wenbin was home, he often mentioned his class monitor, who had a loud voice, a bad temper, and frequently picked fights with him, reporting him to the teacher. He would always end with: "She's just alright-looking."

Then, the two started dating. Both sides met each other's parents, and everything proceeded naturally, just waiting for graduation.

When Runsheng used to work at the university store, he often saw university couples. They were very natural and open, sometimes not hesitating to be intimate even in front of many people.

He had seen many examples, but Runsheng just couldn't find an example that corresponded to his own situation.

Runsheng didn't understand what "falling in love" truly felt like.

Although, he had witnessed it in Lin Shuyou when Lin Shuyou was about to write a love letter to Zhou Yunyun.

But he hadn't felt that way when he first saw Yin Meng at the coffin shop on Fengdu Ghost Street, and even now, he still didn't.

It was as if, one day, he just found himself wanting to hand her a jar of cool boiled water with patchouli leaves when he saw her busy and sweating; wanting to find her snacks when her mouth was idle; adding more chili when cooking if he saw she liked spicy food; and giving her his monthly earnings to buy clothes when he saw her envying those brightly dressed female university students.

And then, Yin Meng would also buy him clothes when she saw his were torn or old. When everyone was injured, she would be the first to check his wounds, naturally prioritizing him in everything. She even offered to accompany him to buy daily necessities for his grandpa.

There was none of Xiao Yuan's subtlety, nor Tan Wenbin's beautiful shared youth. For Runsheng, there was only a mutual understanding.

I will subconsciously be good to you, and you will subconsciously be good to me.

The feeling of "falling in love" should be vibrant and lively, but here, it was a bit rough.

Rough, it could grate against the hand, it could be touched, one could know it truly existed. Not jumpy or lively, it also meant it was unlikely to spoil.

"Thwack!"

"Thwack!"

"Thwack!"

One small log after another was neatly split by Runsheng. When the firewood was burned, it had to be split; after being split, it had to be burned. Round and round, day after day.

Let alone passionate romance or tender affection; in fact, most people's lives rarely make a ripple, nor are they particularly prosperous.

Fireworks are beautiful, but usually, only a few people set them off; most people stand on the periphery, looking up.

Once the wood was split, Runsheng neatly stacked it against the wall.

He clapped his hands, turned, and looked into the house.

Only to see Grandpa Shan already in tears.

"Grandpa, you..."

"Runsheng Hou, I've been a burden to you!"

"No, Grandpa, it has nothing to do with you."

"If it's not because of me, then what could it be? You couldn't possibly be arguing with that Mengmeng girl; I know you. It must be because of me, just like Sanjiang Hou said. I'm worthless, holding you back from settling down, oh dear!"

"Grandpa, you think too highly of yourself."

Grandpa Shan: "..."

Runsheng scratched his head. He wasn't mocking his grandpa, but Yin Meng couldn't return because of the Great Emperor of Fengdu. What did that have to do with an ordinary, elderly corpse salvager from Nantong?

Grandpa Shan's emotions were interrupted by Runsheng. He stopped wailing and instead asked:

"She stayed in her hometown, so why did you come back to Nantong?"

"I will go pick her up, but right now I don't have the ability. I'll have to wait until I'm well-established."

Grandpa Shan's face fell. "Well, it's still because our family's circumstances are too poor, still because of me."

"Runsheng Hou, why don't you go to Shancheng again, try harder, plead with her? Girls are soft-hearted, maybe..."

"Grandpa, I can't push it right now."

With the eighteen layers of hell lying across the path, he couldn't go there yet.

Grandpa Shan stopped drinking his porridge, walked into the bedroom, lay down on the straw mat, facing inward, with his hands as a pillow and his legs curled up.

"Grandpa, everything's done. I'm heading back now; there are still things to do at Grandpa Li's."

Grandpa Shan raised his hand, waved, and then put it back down.

Runsheng rode off on his tricycle.

After lying there for an unknown amount of time, someone outside called out: "Uncle Shan, Uncle Shan, it's time to play cards! Come play cards!"

Grandpa Shan didn't react at first, so the person outside moved from the main door to the bedroom window, shouting through the screen:

"Uncle Shan, why are you sleeping in the middle of the morning? Let's play cards!"

Grandpa Shan suddenly shot up, his eyes red, and shouted at the person outside the window:

"Cards, cards, play dead man's cards! I'm never playing cards again!"

After his morning walk, Li Sanjiang felt more energetic, but his tailbone hurt even more.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

When he sat down, Li Sanjiang cried out in pain, but seeing young Master Li, he immediately suppressed it, fearing reprimand.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't reprimand him. After helping his great-grandpa lie sideways on the wicker chair on the terrace, he went back inside to get a pillow for him and placed it underneath.

This way, his great-grandpa could prop his head with his right hand, hold a cigarette with his left, enjoy the scenery, and chat with villagers walking along the village road across the wheat field.

Often, they couldn't actually understand what the other person was shouting, but since there was nothing serious to discuss anyway, the purpose of the conversation might have simply been to have conversed.

Li Zhuiyuan walked into his room. A-Li was standing behind the desk, already beginning to draw.

Without the intrusion of Dog Lazydog and the main body, the composition of this wave was quite simple.

Li Zhuiyuan could already discern the background's outline: a tiny version of himself standing on a platform, with the enormous and majestic Great Emperor of Fengdu before him.

Considering that this painting needed to be collected and easily viewed, the head of the Great Emperor of Fengdu would not appear in it. The top of the scroll featured a layer of gray clouds and the faintly visible neck of the Emperor, while his feet could be depicted below. However, the Bodhisattva further down would be replaced by golden light.

Ultimately, it was all about Li Zhuiyuan.

In the past, the river-walking record scrolls weren't so troublesome; almost everything that could be drawn on them had been killed by Li Zhuiyuan.

These two deities, the young man currently lacked the ability to deal with.

A-Li continued drawing, while Li Zhuiyuan walked to his desk, bent down, and pulled out a volume of "Records of Orthodox Demon Subjugation" from underneath.

The young man had practically memorized all the books he had read, but Wei Zhengdao preferred to write on Buddhist parchment paper. The sensation of flipping through it was incomparable to simply recalling the content; just the fragrance alone was intoxicating.

Wei Zhengdao was proficient in a hundred arts. What Li Zhuiyuan focused on browsing was the chapter on Talisman Armor.

Li Zhuiyuan used to think Talisman Armor was not cost-effective. First, its crafting process was very complex, and the materials were difficult to acquire. Second, it required a "spirit" to control it, making it insulated from the outside world.

In other words, once Li Zhuiyuan unfolded the Talisman Armor, he would have to find a powerful spiritual entity to enter it and control it. During this time, he would lose control of that spirit and be unable to directly infuse the Talisman Armor with power.

Not to mention, a prerequisite for using Talisman Armor was that the caster needed a profound mastery of puppetry.

All these restrictions combined meant that this Talisman Armor was no longer just something of little value but not entirely useless... it was only suitable for specific situations, like making a special dumpling just for it.

Now, Li Zhuiyuan had found the right sauce for it.

Three pieces of Talisman Armor, when not activated, could be stored in small boxes. Their volume was equivalent to three decks of playing cards, making them very convenient to carry.

This was perfect for the "Two Generals of Increase and Decrease."

Once the Talisman Armor was deployed, it would become a self-sustaining puppet. Then, by summoning the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease, he would effectively have three guards that could be summoned and dismissed at will.

Wei Zhengdao had written the production process down, quite detailed. Li Zhuiyuan was confident that he and A-Li could quickly overcome the difficulties within, but the materials...

Currently, Li Zhuiyuan could only acquire high-end materials through the ancestral tablets specially made by Aunt Liu, as instructed by Grandma Liu.

However, obtaining all the necessary materials for the Talisman Armor this way was almost impossible, unless there was a treasure vault of a large family where he could freely select the original items or suitable substitutes.

Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan had already reserved this treasure vault.

Li Zhuiyuan first took out white paper and began to analyze and break down the crafting method from Wei Zhengdao's book. When he was halfway done, he heard the sound of a tricycle coming up the embankment from outside, and Runsheng even rang the bell.

"A-Li, I'm going out for a bit."

A-Li nodded, continuing to focus on her drawing.

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and got onto Runsheng's tricycle. Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou also pushed out a tricycle; the family needed to deliver goods, and they had several old tricycles.

Runsheng rode down the embankment, followed by Lin Shuyou, who was riding a tricycle carrying Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin was holding a book and reading it intently.

Lin Shuyou anxiously shouted, "Brother Bin, you can't read now, you can't!"

Knowing where they were going, Lin Shuyou simply stood up and pedaled hard, making the tricycle speed up instantly.

Tan Wenbin shifted his attention from the book and noticed Runsheng and Brother Xiao Yuan were already far behind, becoming smaller and smaller. He then looked at the rapidly passing scenery on both sides and the groaning, overburdened sound coming from underneath the tricycle.

"A-You, are you crazy? Riding so fast? In our current state, we could genuinely get hit by a car and die!"

"Then you're not allowed to read!"

"Alright, alright, I won't read, I won't read."

Tan Wenbin put down the book.

The speed dropped sharply.

"Brother Bin, we're good brothers. How can you secretly work so hard behind my back?"

"You're a genius, I'm just mediocre. I definitely need to work harder."

"That's true, no, wait, that's not what I meant."

Tan Wenbin: "By the way, A-You, how are you doing with your reading?"

"Too many classes, it's really hard. Just memorizing isn't enough; you also need to understand. How about you, Brother Bin?"

"I'm almost done with mine."

"That fast? Brother Bin, do you have any study secrets? Teach me!"

"A-You, you also got into university through the regular college entrance exam. Do you think there's a shortcut to learning?"

"Huh?"

"When I was in Fengdu, I had Lu Yi ask our classmates for the exam scope drawn by the teachers. The package was delivered to my home by the time I arrived."

"Brother Bin, how could you do that? You got the exam scope but didn't tell me!"

"After I used the scope to draw out my own notes, I put the package in your coffin. But you didn't even look at it; you just used it as a pillow."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

"Hey, A-You, guess what? I'm still the class monitor. I'm still the monitor of our class. During the elections this semester, even though I wasn't there, I was elected with a high number of votes. The original party secretary, on the other hand, was voted out and replaced."

"That's not surprising. Our classmates all believe in your abilities, Brother Bin."

"What abilities? I wasn't even at school, what abilities could I exercise? It's because Lu Yi kept the old rules: our classmates get discounts when they buy things at the shop, and free drinks after PE class. Plus, for class activities, materials and sponsorship also come from our shop."

"Uh..."

The two tricycles rode to the riverside.

Generally, people from Li Zhuiyuan's side, when coming to the riverside, would choose that fixed spot—the place where Xue Liangliang had once jumped into the river.

As soon as Li Zhuiyuan got off, he noticed a formation blocking the view on the nearby bank.

The young man walked over, reached out, and brushed his hands twice to each side, revealing a wooden door.

He opened the wooden door to reveal a small warehouse layout inside.

Parked inside were: a silver-gray sedan, a white van, a yellow small pickup truck, a small truck, and a large truck.

On the large truck, there were also five bicycles and five motorcycles.

All the license plates were installed, and all the documents were placed in the driver's cab.

Tan Wenbin walked in and couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of Brother Liang, how generous!"

As for those motorcycles, Tan Wenbin thought his own father would be envious and want to try riding them.

Runsheng stood outside the door, watching. A small red coffin surfaced on the river water. Runsheng turned his head and looked at it.

The coffin seemed unfamiliar with Runsheng, so it emitted a cold, eerie aura towards him.

When Tan Wenbin walked out, the cold aura immediately dissipated, and the coffin submerged.

Soon after, a rolled-up curtain appeared on the river surface, revealing the figure of Lady Bai.

She was not wearing her former traditional attire, but the clothes she had worn when accompanying Xue Liangliang to Fengdu, which had an air of classical elegance blended with modern charm, and a fusion of dignity and sensuality.

No wonder Engineer Luo had given Xue Liangliang a solemn warning back then; a woman like this, even while pregnant, was enough to make most young men lose control.

Lady Bai bowed to Tan Wenbin.

When Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the door, the bow immediately changed to a kneel.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't stop her. The young man knew she must have felt the merits she had gained from escorting Xue Liangliang to Fengdu after returning.

It was true. A few days after returning, Lady Bai felt a warm sensation flow through her body, and even in her belly, which had only shown slight signs of pregnancy, distinct fetal movements appeared.

After Lady Bai finished thanking him and stood up, Li Zhuiyuan spoke, "I need to borrow Baijia Town for a while."

"Baijia Town respectfully welcomes your presence."

Lady Bai submerged.

Beneath the water surface ahead, phantoms of white lanterns appeared, one