Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

“Run Sheng, pull over up ahead.”

Run Sheng stopped the tricycle, bent down, and pulled up the brake handle.

Li Sanjiang took money from his pocket, not even counting it, and handed it to Run Sheng: “Go buy some steamed buns over there, then go to the shop next door and buy me a bottle of liquor.”

“What? Drinking first thing in the morning?”

“Just do as I say, why so much nonsense?”

“Alright.”

Run Sheng bought the steamed buns and liquor and returned.

Li Sanjiang bit open the bottle cap with his teeth, spat it out with a shake of his head, then picked up the bottle and took a big swig.

“Ugh... ugh... phew...”

That early morning gulp hit hard, and he had to quickly take several bites of a bun to suppress it.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“Grandpa, I left in a hurry this morning; I didn’t bring any food for myself.”

“Then why did you buy so many buns? They’ll be cold by the time you take them back.”

“They’re still good cold, these are meat buns!”

“Alright, let’s go, let’s go home.”

“Then hold on tight, don’t fall off when you get excited from drinking.”

Li Sanjiang glared at him, then raised the bottle to his lips again.

When he tried to take another bite of the bun, he let out a hiccup. Suddenly, his expression turned melancholic, and his eyes welled up with tears. He turned his head and reached out to pull Run Sheng’s undershirt to wipe his face.

Run Sheng looked back and asked, “Grandpa, shouldn’t you be happy? Why are you crying again?”

“Happy? What’s there to be happy about?”

“Didn’t Xiao Yuan get his household registration transferred to your name, Grandpa? Isn’t that something to be happy about?”

“What good is my household registration? Can it compare to a city one? Can it compare to a Beijing one?”

“What’s wrong with a Beijing household registration?”

“What’s wrong? It’s like a carp that finally leaped over the dragon gate, only to bloody jump back down and turn into a carp again.”

“Being a carp is fine too; that way Xiao Yuan doesn’t have to leave.”

Li Sanjiang sighed, raised his hand, and slapped himself twice across the face.

He had been called to the Civil Affairs Bureau early that morning by the village chief. As soon as he entered, several staff members surrounded him, presenting documents and saying that Xiao Yuan Hou’s mother had requested to transfer the child’s household registration to him.

At the time, he just felt bewildered. Although he genuinely liked the child, he would never do something that would ruin a child’s future!

But their explanation was that something had happened to Xiao Yuan Hou’s mother, and the child’s household registration issue absolutely had to be resolved. If he didn’t sign today and the documents were returned, Xiao Yuan Hou would become undocumented and wouldn’t be able to go to school in the future.

Under such intense pressure and urgency, Li Sanjiang, feeling dizzy, signed the papers.

Now, even though he’d been drinking, the wind had cleared his head a bit. Even if the child’s paternal grandfather’s side didn’t want him, his registration should have gone to Li Weihan, not him. What kind of situation was this?

Although the child was now living with him, what did it have to do with him?

But now, it did.

Li Sanjiang looked down at the bag at his feet, which contained the household register and other documents.

“Damn it, why is the government agency’s efficiency so high today?”

He pulled out the household register, opened it, and saw a new name under his household head.

Li Sanjiang’s heart was a mix of emotions. His old Li family had finally produced a golden phoenix that flew to Beijing and even laid an egg, but now the egg had been thrown back to the old home:

“Ah, decades of hard work, back to square one overnight.”

“Just one night? How did everything go back?”

Liu Yumei held a teacup in her hand; the tea was cold, and she hadn’t drunk it.

Looking at her granddaughter sitting motionless behind the doorstep, she felt a bitterness in her mouth, and the tea tasted even bitterer when she drank it.

Last night she had been crying with joy, but if she had known, she would have saved some tears; now she wanted to cry but couldn’t.

She looked up at the second-floor balcony. The boy was sitting in a wicker chair, reading intently, only occasionally looking down at A-Li when turning a page.

Liu Yumei really wanted to scold him in her heart: *Boy, don’t just stare!*

If it were just an argument between ordinary children, where they might exclaim, “Humph, I’m never playing with you again!” and then stubbornly ignore each other, that would be common and normal.

But Liu Yumei knew this kind of thing would not happen with her granddaughter, and even less so with that boy. That child was smart and steady, not someone who would do something so childish.

So, what exactly happened between them?

After much hesitation, Liu Yumei stood up and walked into the main house.

Normally, she wouldn’t enter here, much less go upstairs, but today, she had to make an exception.

Seeing A-Li steadily improving, only to suddenly return to her original state, her heart felt like a stone burned hot and then doused with cold water—it was about to crack from the pain.

She had to ask what happened. It wasn’t that she was playing favorites and always seeking out the boy when something went wrong; if she could get A-Li to speak, would she even need to live here?

As she approached, the boy also stood up with his book.

“Xiao Yuan, Grandma wants to talk to you.”

“Grandma, please sit.”

Liu Yumei sat down in A-Li’s old wicker chair, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of the book in the boy’s hand. It looked like scribbles, completely incomprehensible.

“Reading, are we?”

“Mhm.”

Li Zhuiyuan politely placed the book beside him, turning half-sideways towards Liu Yumei, listening attentively. Yes, he had just been reading the *Liu Clan’s Qi-Observing Manual*.

“What happened between you and A-Li?”

“Grandma, it was my fault.”

He had been greatly affected last night by what Li Lan had said on the phone.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, looking at his bandaged palm.

He was A-Li’s ‘balcony.’ She had gathered the courage to step out of the darkness onto the balcony, cautiously observing and interacting with the world.

Just yesterday, A-Li discovered bricks on the balcony, meaning this balcony might be sealed off.

It was hard to imagine how desperate the girl must have felt last night when she saw the self-inflicted wounds on his palm.

She had already imprisoned herself in a dark, dry well. One day, a rope was lowered, and someone at the well’s mouth kept talking to her. Just as she was about to climb up the rope, she found that the person who had been encouraging her had come down the rope instead.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that because the girl’s eyes had once been full of him, his own decline would hurt and affect her even more.

No, she had come up last night; she wanted to accompany him. She wasn’t afraid of his despondency; she couldn’t accept him giving up.

Giving up and abandoning oneself, like Li Lan.

The light in her eyes was him, but last night, he had extinguished it.

“Oh, why dwell on who’s right or wrong now? Grandma wants to ask, Xiao Yuan, do you still have a way to make A-Li go back to how she was a few days ago? Can you?”

“Yes.”

Liu Yumei looked excited: “Really? How do we do it?”

“I can’t do it yet, Grandma. I need some time.”

“You need time... um, what exactly will you be doing?”

“Reading.”

“Reading?”

Liu Yumei frowned slightly. She suspected the boy was playing a trick on her, but then, on second thought, she suddenly felt it made sense. In her memory, it seemed that the boy had been reading on this second floor before, and as he read, A-Li had voluntarily approached him.

Could it be that her granddaughter liked a scholarly atmosphere?

Liu Yumei pondered if it was because she liked to dress A-Li in traditional Chinese clothing and she herself enjoyed reading traditional stories like *The Story of the Western Wing*.

“Grandma, A-Li has already gone back inside.”

“What?” Liu Yumei looked down and saw A-Li still sitting behind the doorstep, completely motionless. “Isn’t she still there?”

“I need to find a way to call A-Li out again so I can apologize to her face-to-face.”

Liu Yumei found it a bit hard to understand, but seeing how coherently the boy spoke, she felt inexplicably reassured.

“Then you, read well.”

“Okay, Grandma.”

Liu Yumei went downstairs.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up *Liu Clan’s Qi-Observing Manual* again. These scribbled characters, if he looked away for a moment, he’d have to find the rhythm again; otherwise, he couldn’t understand them at all.

He read another page. When turning the page, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the girl downstairs.

He had no dissatisfaction with the girl’s sudden “departure.” He quite liked this feeling of being needed.

He finally had a mask that he couldn’t take off.

Li Lan, what you failed to find, I found.

Downstairs, Liu Yumei’s expression also eased. She brewed herself another pot of tea.

Just then, Run Sheng rode his tricycle onto the courtyard.

“Grandpa, we’re home, we’re home. Grandpa, wake up, wake up.”

Liu Yumei stepped forward and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Great-Grandpa is drunk.”

“Oh, did he go out for an early morning drink?”

“He just kept drinking until he got drunk.” Run Sheng took the empty liquor bottle from the tricycle. It was truly empty, with not a single drop left when he tilted it upside down.

“You carry him up.”

“Alright.”

Run Sheng grabbed Li Sanjiang’s shoulder with his left hand, and with a smooth movement of his right hand, he shifted his body, and Li Sanjiang was on his back.

Liu Yumei asked, “Who taught you to carry him like that?”

“Huh? No one taught me? I just got used to carrying a lot of dead bodies.”

“Next time, remember not to carry him like that. It’s bad luck.”

“Alright, understood.”

Liu Yumei waved her hand, dispelling the smell of alcohol in front of her, and also signaling Run Sheng to quickly carry the man away.

Run Sheng ran into the house and went up to the second floor in one breath.

Liu Yumei walked back to her tea table, habitually pinching the teacup with her index and ring fingers.

When lifted into the air, the cup body swayed slightly, but not a single drop of tea spilled.

Liu Yumei was surprised:

“It’s… been refilled again?”

“Xiao Yuan, open the door for me, your great-grandpa is passed out.”

Li Zhuiyuan opened the screen door and helped Run Sheng settle Li Sanjiang on the bed. Li Sanjiang’s face was flushed, and he looked completely unconscious from drinking.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng walked out of the room.

“What exactly happened?”

Great-Grandpa loved to drink, but not to the extent of starting first thing in the morning.

Run Sheng scratched his head and said, “Xiao Yuan, your household registration has been moved to Grandpa’s place. It seems your school records and everything else have been transferred too.”

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned for a moment. So fast?

Last night, when Li Lan said on the phone that she wanted to transfer his household registration, he mentioned that he was currently living at Li Sanjiang’s house, making a deliberate hint. Clearly, Li Lan understood.

Of course, it would be strange if she didn’t understand; they both recognized each other’s intelligence.

However, this time, not only was the efficiency high, but his school records could also be transferred. It seemed the project Li Lan was about to participate in was indeed very important, and family arrangements were handled exceptionally, even those old professors couldn’t stop it.

“Xiao Yuan, I’m going downstairs to eat the buns now.”

“Okay, go ahead, Brother Run Sheng.”

After Run Sheng went down, Li Zhuiyuan took a basin and a towel, then pushed open Li Sanjiang’s room door again and went in.

Li Sanjiang lay on the bed, his left arm across his forehead, his legs spread apart.

Li Zhuiyuan wrung out the towel and handed it to Li Sanjiang.

“Great-Grandpa, wipe your face.”

Li Sanjiang didn’t move.

“Great-Grandpa can hold his liquor well; he’s not drunk. If he were really asleep, he’d be snoring.”

“Cough, cough…” Li Sanjiang opened his eyes, looking at Li Zhuiyuan by the bed. “Xiao Yuan Hou, Great-Grandpa did something wrong.”

“No, Great-Grandpa took me in.”

“You’re still young; you might not know what a Beijing household registration means.”

“Great-Grandpa, that’s not that important.”

“What do you know, you little brat? When you grow up, you’ll definitely be angry and regret it to death. Listen to Great-Grandpa, try to find your paternal grandpa’s side and ask them to get it transferred back.”

“Great-Grandpa, my surname is Li now.”

“Sigh, tell me, what kind of mess did your mother make? You don’t feel bad, but I do, Great-Grandpa feels sorry for you, truly sorry for you. My little brat’s future is just ruined like this.”

“Great-Grandpa, it’s fine. At worst, I’ll be like Li… like my mom, and get into a university in a big city.”

“Oh, right, school matters, I almost forgot!”

Li Sanjiang sprang up from the bed with a carp-jump, then quickly went to the stool and opened the bag containing the household register and other documents.

“Great-Grandpa still needs to find someone to help you find a school. Is Shinan Elementary okay? No, Shigan is bigger, let’s go to Shigan for elementary school.”

“Elementary school…”

“I’m telling you, Xiao Yuan Hou, play as much as you want during the summer vacation, but when school officially starts, you absolutely must not fall behind. You have to focus on your studies.”

“Great-Grandpa, do you know anyone at the school?”

“Can’t I find someone if I don’t know them? Even if I can’t find a direct contact, finding someone who can indirectly help and safely accept money is enough.

I heard that schools also have good classes and bad classes. We’ll try our best; we have to get you into a good class.

Oh, right, Xiao Yuan, what grade are you in?”

“Great-Grandpa, that Uncle Tan from last time was quite nice.”

“Uncle Tan, which Uncle Tan?”

“The Captain Tan from the police station.”

“We only met twice; we’re not close. Besides, he’s not from the school.”

“Shigan Town is only so big; it’ll definitely be easier if he steps in. He even invited me to his house last time. I’ll take the documents with me in a while and ask him.”

“Alright, then Great-Grandpa will go with you then.”

“No need. What if he can’t manage it? It would be so awkward if you went too. It’s better for a kid like me to ask.”

“Okay, let’s do that for now. You ask him when you go to his house, and I’ll look for people here too.”

Seeing Li Sanjiang agree, Li Zhuiyuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was reluctant to leave here now but also didn’t want to be suddenly sent to elementary school by his great-grandpa.

Although he hadn’t interacted much with Captain Tan, he owed him a favor from last time and should help. The main thing was to help him skip grades, preferably to senior year of high school.

That way, he could take the college entrance exam in a year.

If he wanted to shorten the time, he could also participate in the national Olympiad competition held every winter to secure a recommendation spot.

However, where should he go to college?

Since Li Lan didn’t want to see him, he wouldn’t go to her location.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a school. This school, from its name to its major, was very suitable for him right now… Haihe University.

At this thought, Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but smile inwardly:

*Brother Liangliang, it seems we’re really going to be schoolmates in the future.*

While Great-Grandpa was racking his brains thinking about his network, Li Zhuiyuan went out and continued reading.

He only put down the book and went downstairs for lunch when Aunt Liu called out that it was time to eat.

Sitting on his small stool, looking at the empty seat beside him and the girl’s small plate not on the table, he indeed felt an emptiness.

He turned his head and saw that A-Li’s small dining table had been moved to the east room, where Liu Yumei was sorting out her food portions while trying to persuade her.

Finally, A-Li picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Liu Yumei nodded in relief. When she stood up again, she felt a bit of backache. Before, A-Li would eat with just one word from the boy; she never needed to persuade her for so long.

Suddenly, a sense of urgency arose in her heart. She was getting older and older. If she were gone and A-Li’s illness hadn’t gotten better, who would take care of A-Li?

Li Sanjiang also came down for dinner. After sitting down, he saw Li Zhuiyuan sitting alone, then looked around and found the girl had gone into the room. He immediately threw down his chopsticks in dissatisfaction:

“I say, do you have to be so realistic? Our Xiao Yuan Hou just lost his Beijing household registration, and good heavens, you don’t even want to eat at the same table anymore?”

No sooner had he spoken than Pan Zi and Lei Zi ran over, drenched in sweat.

“Great-Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, something bad happened at Sihai’s fish pond! When they were clearing the pond, a lot of red water suddenly came up, like blood! Sihai and those few who went down to lay nets, their bodies are all rotting!”

“Great-Grandpa, people over there asked us to come and invite you to take a look.”

“What?” Li Sanjiang sprang to his feet. “Run Sheng, let’s go, let’s go take a look!”

Upon hearing the description, Li Zhuiyuan silently thought: *Is it a Yin Red Sha?*

Liu Yumei smoothed her hair at her temple, also puzzled. *How could there be a Yin Red Sha in this area?*

Run Sheng reluctantly put down his rice bowl and followed Li Sanjiang.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t go. Until he confirmed his own fortune issues were resolved, he wouldn’t go near water.

Back on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan reopened his book and continued reading.

If it was just a Yin Red Sha, there shouldn’t be any danger for Great-Grandpa, because a Yin Red Sha formation only appears at the bait hole location.

Throughout history, it wasn’t only famous mountains and great rivers with auspicious veins that could conceal things. In fact, many ancient people chose to bury things in riverbeds, such as tombs, temples, or treasures.

With sediment accumulation and changes in river courses, “sea changes” could form more quickly, making things harder to find.

The Yin Red Sha is a more traditional feng shui mechanism, a type of trap. Once triggered, its internal contents would quickly surge out with the water, causing harm to those who were prying.

But it was mostly used in “bait holes,” meaning deliberately set traps, specifically designed to catch “water monkeys.”

However, this also suggested that a main “hole” (main burial/treasure site) likely existed nearby, though it was unknown what was buried inside.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn’t interested in looking, because anyone capable of setting up a Yin Red Sha would have also built a “live burial” back then. This didn’t mean burying people alive, but referred to underwater structures that could shift with changes in the hydrological patterns.

Therefore, while the bait holes and main hole might have been standard during construction, now they could be scattered haphazardly. Even if you knew the location of one bait hole, you couldn’t deduce the main hole’s position.

Sihai’s family was just unlucky. Either his fish pond was dug directly on a bait hole, or the bait hole itself moved under his fish pond.

Of course, if it wasn’t one of these two situations, the nature of the event might change, potentially meaning that a “water monkey” had truly been caught.

All afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan read. Great-Grandpa and Run Sheng didn’t return until dinner.

During dinner, Li Sanjiang recounted what happened at Sihai’s place.

Two outsiders wanted to lease Sihai’s fish pond at a high price to raise soft-shelled turtles, so even though it wasn’t time to clear the pond yet, Sihai decided to empty it to rent it out.

As a result, when Sihai and his son went down to the pond to lay nets at noon, something happened. The two outsiders who were helping in the pond were also affected. All four of their bodies were like they had been scalded by limewater, large areas burned and rotting. Although they weren’t dead and were sent to the hospital, their appearance was truly frightening.

The nearby villagers were also quite scared. Li Sanjiang performed a ritual there that afternoon. As soon as the ritual was done, the entire pond of red water receded. The villagers all said that Great-Grandpa Sanjiang had suppressed the evil spirit.

At this point, Li Sanjiang smugly stroked his chin and took another sip of liquor.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, guessed that after the Yin Red Sha was triggered and released, the bait hole opened, and all the water in the pond eventually drained into the bait hole.

Also, those two outsiders were really “warm-hearted,” not only offering a high price to lease the pond but also helping to clear it.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan was about to go upstairs to practice his horse stance, but Run Sheng mysteriously stopped him.

“Xiao Yuan, come here for a moment.”

Li Zhuiyuan followed Run Sheng to the tricycle. Run Sheng lifted the white plastic tarp, revealing an old shovel lying underneath.

“Xiao Yuan, look, isn’t this shovel a bit like our Yellow River shovel? But only a bit; it’s not as good as ours.”

Li Zhuiyuan took the shovel and tried folding and transforming it a few times. The core structure was indeed the same as the Yellow River shovel, but the detailed design was far inferior.

However, this item was indeed old, with many repair marks. It was an antique.

“Brother Run Sheng, did you find this by the fish pond today?”

“Yeah, I didn’t dare tell Great-Grandpa; I secretly picked it up because I smelled the scent of a corpse on it.”

Li Zhuiyuan leaned in to sniff. He couldn’t smell it, but he trusted Run Sheng’s judgment, as professional corpse retrievers often had an unusually acute sensitivity to the smell of water-logged corpses.

“Is it from those two outsiders?”

“I don’t know. When we got there, all four people were badly injured, and this thing was just lying by the pond.”

“You did very well, Brother Run Sheng.”

“Ah… I thought you’d blame me for secretly taking something, Xiao Yuan.”

“This isn’t just any ordinary thing.”

An old imitation Yellow River shovel with the smell of water-logged corpses on it clearly indicated it belonged to those “water monkeys.”

“Water monkeys” refer to underwater thieves. When they excavated, if people on shore noticed them, they would often drag them into the water and kill them to silence them. Therefore, legends of water monkeys seeking scapegoats are prevalent in various places.

“Xiao Yuan, is it useful?”

“Yes, it is. Brother Run Sheng, if you smell this kind of scent again in the future, remember to inform me promptly.”

“Alright, no problem.”

“Oh, right, Brother Run Sheng, play some cards with me.”

“What? Play cards with you?” Run Sheng recalled the scene at the hall that day where Xiao Yuan dominated the game. In his eyes, Xiao Yuan was practically another God of Gamblers, Ko Chun.

“Just a few hands, no money involved.”

There was already an opened deck of playing cards in the drawer. Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng sat opposite each other. Run Sheng shuffled and dealt the cards. It was very simple, Three Card Poker; after dealing, they just revealed their hands to compare sizes.

After twenty hands, Run Sheng won eight, and he won twelve.

Li Zhuiyuan then took over shuffling and dealing. After twenty hands, he won nine, and Run Sheng won eleven.

It seemed that his special good fortune had disappeared?

But what price had he paid?

Li Zhuiyuan sat there, continuing to play with the cards. He had been waiting for something big to happen, but it never came.

Never mind, he wouldn’t think about it anymore. He’d play cards with Run Sheng again tomorrow morning to compare hands. If the normal win-loss ratio remained, then he could go out.

East Room.

Aunt Liu was combing Liu Yumei’s hair, sighing, “Xiao Yuan’s household registration is here now. This child really has bad luck, taking such a huge fall.”

“Took a huge fall? Maybe the boy himself doesn’t feel anything.”

“Is that because he’s still young and doesn’t understand?”

“Ah Ting, you’ve interacted with him before; do you really think he’s just a child?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“For ordinary people, encountering something like this might break their luck for life, making them unable to recover.

But this ladder of rules was originally built only for ordinary people. For true geniuses, it’s nothing at all.

In times of peace, they can rise if they want to, and there are many ways; ordinary people can’t envy it.”

“You’re right, that’s indeed the truth.”

“But this is also quite good. Before, I was worried he would leave after the summer vacation. For now, it seems he will continue to live here for a while.”

“Does Xiao Yuan have a solution for A-Li’s illness?”

“He said he has a way, but he needs to read.”

“What kind of method is that?”

“Let’s wait and see. We’re old; we don’t understand the young people’s affairs anymore.”

The next morning, when Li Zhuiyuan woke up, he habitually turned his head to look. The chair by the door was still empty.

“Sigh…”

After getting up and washing, Li Zhuiyuan read for a while outside. When he went downstairs for breakfast, A-Li was still not by his side.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan pulled Run Sheng, just like last night, and continued to play cards to compare hands. The win-loss ratio was very healthy.

Now, he finally felt relieved; he could go out.

“Captain Tan, good morning.”

“Morning, Captain Tan.”

“Mhm, good morning to you too.”

Tan Yunlong, dressed in casual clothes, rode his motorcycle into the station, greeting colleagues he passed.

It wasn’t really early anymore; it was already morning. He had taken leave and arrived late because he had gone to his son’s school to see the teacher early in the morning.

Students who were rising seniors (originally second-year high school, now third-year high school) during the summer vacation had a very short break and had already returned to school for classes. His son got into a fight outside school last night, causing quite a stir and almost leading to a group brawl.

However, he didn’t blame his son because his son was protecting a bullied classmate.

Tan Yunlong had always been very open-minded about his son’s studies. If his grades weren’t top-notch, so be it. If he couldn’t get into a good university, so be it. As long as his character and values were sound, that was enough.

This was also why, when his job was transferred, he argued with his wife to transfer his son to a school near his workplace; he had to keep an eye on this kid.

Having been a police officer for so long and witnessed too much evil of all kinds, he knew that if a child’s character wasn’t properly managed, no matter how he was raised, it would be meaningless.

Pushing open the office door, Tan Yunlong paused, then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he closed the door.

He picked up the hot water kettle, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to the boy.

The boy took out something wrapped in newspaper from his feet and opened it in front of him: a shovel.

Cultural relics unearthed from underground belong to the state. Private theft is illegal, and their channels for fencing stolen goods are often abroad, so the police should be informed promptly.

After listening to the boy’s concise narration, Tan Yunlong first stood up and walked out of the office to arrange for surveillance in the hospital ward. Then he closed the door and sat back down, seeing Li Zhuiyuan holding the teacup, taking several sips of hot tea without putting it down.

“It seems you need my help with something this time.”

“Yes, Uncle Tan, I’d like to ask you to arrange my enrollment. This is my file.”

Tan Yunlong looked through the documents, then said, confused, “What kind of operation is this?”

“I want to go to school.”

“Alright, I’ll help you contact the town elementary school. What grade were you in before?” Tan Yunlong held the academic record, scrutinizing it. “Is ‘Youth Class’ elementary school? And this university name, tsk tsk, did you used to attend this university’s affiliated elementary school?”

“I want to skip grades.”

“Skip to sixth grade? I know the educational resources in Beijing are good, but the student competition here is also quite fierce. In terms of exam ability alone, Beijing’s might not necessarily be better than here.”

“Senior year.”

“Mhm, senior year… what?” Tan Yunlong looked up, staring at the boy. “Are you sure you’re not joking?”

“Uncle Tan, just help me arrange the grade skipping process. For the exams and tests, I’ve already prepared myself.”

Li Zhuiyuan knew that there were grade-skipping policies everywhere. Many of his classmates back then had skipped grades this way.

“Really?” Tan Yunlong became interested. “From your tone, it sounds like if the college entrance exam hadn’t just ended, you could’ve just prepared for it directly.”

“No, I still want to stay here for a while. I’m reluctant to leave.”

“How about this, I can help you, but to avoid making a fool of myself, you’ll have to come to my house for dinner tonight. My son is also about to enter senior year.”

“Tonight won’t work. Tomorrow or the day after is fine.”

Seeing the boy so calm and collected, Tan Yunlong already believed him and asked, “Are you one of those child prodigies?”

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment. A more fitting description for himself seemed to be a child with an illness.

“Then why did you go do that?” Tan Yunlong waved his hand, referring to retrieving corpses.

This time, Li Zhuiyuan’s answer was firm:

“It’s fun, interesting.”

“If you’re truly such a person, you should study hard and serve the country.”

“Aren’t I already doing that?”

“That’s not what I meant. Alright, then tomorrow night, I’ll pick you up at your place. I remember where you live.”

“Okay.” Li Zhuiyuan stood up and bowed to Tan Yunlong. “Thank you, Uncle.”

Tan Yunlong also stood up, turned sideways towards the boy, and patted his head: “It’s Uncle who should thank you.”

Before noon, Li Zhuiyuan returned home in Run Sheng’s tricycle.

Several bricklayers had arrived at the house and were building a room behind the main house.

Aunt Liu walked over smiling and said to Li Zhuiyuan:

“Your great-grandpa just asked what was going on. I said you wanted a workshop built for yourself, and he actually just nodded and didn’t ask any more questions. He turned and went inside, then came back out with money for me, but I pushed it back and said there was enough money.

He asked me where the money came from, and I said Run Sheng won it playing cards.”

“Hehe.”

Run Sheng, who was parking the tricycle nearby, let out a silly grin.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, turned his head and warned, “Brother Run Sheng, run fast!”

“Huh?”

From inside the main house, a figure suddenly darted out, holding a cane used for paper crafts, heading straight for Run Sheng:

“I told you not to learn bad habits, copying that bumpkin from your family, gambling with cards! See if I don’t beat you to death, beat you to death!”

Run Sheng ran, and Great-Grandpa chased.

The two circled the field in front of the courtyard.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed inwardly, *Great-Grandpa’s body is really good.*

His cold had also cleared up, and he hadn’t been hit by bird droppings recently. It seemed that after his fortune problem was resolved, Great-Grandpa had also returned to normal.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan looked towards the east room. A-Li was still sitting motionless behind the doorstep, like an exquisite sculpture.

These past few days, without the girl’s company, reading was truly just reading.

Liu Yumei gave Li Zhuiyuan a meaningful look, signaling him to go over and try to interact with A-Li again.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t go. Instead, he walked directly into the house and went upstairs. He was almost finished with the *Liu Clan’s Qi-Observing Manual*.

He had been staying up late every night lately, forcefully accelerating his progress.

Liu Yumei sat in her chair, looking up at the second floor. A feeling of vexation uncontrollably rose in her heart again. Before, she used to feel a pang of jealousy when her granddaughter was close to the boy. Now, she desperately wished her granddaughter would go back to being inseparable from the boy.

But the boy really just read all day. Why didn’t he go and try? How would he know if it would work if he didn’t try? Girls needed to be coaxed.

From childhood, A-Li only had this one playmate. Liu Yumei didn’t believe her granddaughter had completely lost feelings for the boy.

After lunch, Li Zhuiyuan continued reading. In the afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan finally finished the book.

He leaned back, lying in the wicker chair, quickly organizing and refining the entire book’s content.

Although his eyes were closed, images and scenes of the “qi” and phenomena described in the book appeared in his mind. His left and right hands constantly gestured in irregular motions. To an outsider, it would look like the boy was fantasizing about being a music conductor with his eyes closed, but in Li Zhuiyuan’s perception, he was manipulating different aquatic environments.

Memorizing such books by rote had limited effect. One had to achieve a profound understanding, a kind of esoteric appreciation akin to art appreciation, to truly master them.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his face, his eyebrows sometimes furrowed tightly, sometimes relaxed.

When he had thoroughly organized everything, the boy opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.

Sitting up, he realized his face was sticky. He had had a nosebleed, quite a lot of it, staining a large area of his clothes red.

Li Zhuiyuan knew this was a warning from his body due to overthinking.

To thoroughly understand the *Liu Clan’s Qi-Observing Manual* in just a few days was an extremely demanding challenge, even for him. Thankfully, he completed it, but he couldn’t continue doing this in the future.

Otherwise, he was very worried that before mental problems arrived, his body would give out first.

After showering, changing clothes, and washing his blood-stained clothes himself, Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and told Aunt Liu that he was tired and wouldn’t be eating dinner, then walked to the back of the house.

Li Sanjiang and Run Sheng were assisting the bricklayers. The workshop, built against the main house’s back wall, would be completed before nightfall.

Li Zhuiyuan told Li Sanjiang he wouldn’t eat dinner, having studied too late last night and being unable to stay awake, wanting to sleep first.

Originally, he just wanted to tell him so Great-Grandpa wouldn’t worry and, more importantly, wouldn’t check on him at night and disturb his rest.

But upon hearing his words, Li Sanjiang’s eyes immediately reddened. He quickly waved his hand, signaling Li Zhuiyuan to go back to sleep.

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Li Sanjiang wiped his eyes with the back of his hand:

“He says he doesn’t care to make me feel better, but Xiao Yuan Hou is anxious too. Listen, he used to not focus on studying at all. When did he ever study hard late into the night?”

When returning from the back of the house to the front, passing the east room’s door, Li Zhuiyuan had to walk along the wall, maintaining a sufficient distance. Otherwise, A-Li would have a stress reaction.

From a safe distance, Li Zhuiyuan stood there, watching the girl for a long time.

He had previously worried whether he would adapt if he returned to Beijing and couldn’t see A-Li anymore.

Now, he didn’t need to worry. He knew he simply couldn’t adapt.

Just as A-Li had grown accustomed to darkness, he had grown accustomed to various masks.

If they had never experienced it, everything could have continued as before. But because they had experienced it… so, they couldn’t go back.

“Xiao Yuan, come, have some tea with Grandma.”

“No, Grandma, I’m tired. I’m going back to my room to sleep.”

Back in his room, Li Zhuiyuan lay on the bed and started sleeping. He was genuinely exhausted.

He slept until late at night. Upon waking, he got out of bed and first went to Great-Grandpa’s room to retrieve some items. Great-Grandpa was fast asleep; even thunder wouldn’t wake him.

He then went downstairs. The TV was on, displaying a fixed color screen.

Run Sheng lay on the makeshift bed on the table, hugging the little black dog, sleeping soundly.

This little black dog was now being cared for by Run Sheng. Of course, it didn’t really need much care, as it spent most of its time sleeping in its doghouse. Great-Grandpa only noticed there was an extra dog in the house after several days.

“Brother Run Sheng, wake up.”

“Mhm… what’s up, Xiao Yuan?”

“Brother Run Sheng, come out with me for a bit. Put on all your gear.”

“Alright!”

Li Zhuiyuan went to get some incense and candles, and also went to the kitchen for some ingredients. When he came out, he saw Run Sheng preparing to push the tricycle:

“Brother Run Sheng, it’s not far. We’ll walk.”

“Okay.” Run Sheng followed, carrying a large burlap sack, and asked in a hushed whisper, “Xiao Yuan, are we going after them?”

“Go after whom?”

“Those guys who leased the fish pond.”

“The police will handle them.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

“Ask for help.”

Run Sheng turned his head to look at the burlap sack on his back, then at the incense, candles, and offerings in Li Zhuiyuan’s hands:

“Ask for help, and we need to bring these?”

Li Zhuiyuan led Run Sheng to a fish pond. Directly across from the pond was Big Beard’s house.

Big Beard’s wife had already gone with their eldest son. This house was currently planned for sale, but first, the homestead was not easy to sell to outsiders, and second, someone had just drowned in front of the house, and the story was spreading as very spooky. Even with a very low price, no one dared to take it for now.

So, this was currently one of the quietest places in the village.

Li Zhuiyuan stood in front of the fish pond, first closing his eyes, then slowly opening them. The contents of the *Liu Clan’s Qi-Observing Manual* appeared in his mind.

Back then, he had brought the little yellow warbler here. Now, he had to confirm if the little yellow warbler was still here.

The color of the water patterns, the state of the water plants, the banks and the land above, including the wind blowing over it—all these minute details formed the “qi” phenomenon in Li Zhuiyuan’s mind.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly walked along the edge of the fish pond, observing carefully. Finally, he confirmed that a drowned spirit was hidden in this fish pond.

The little yellow warbler was still here.

“Brother Run Sheng, here, here, and over there, dig a small pit and then light incense.”

“Mhm.” Run Sheng picked up the Yellow River shovel and got busy.

Li Zhuiyuan threw the brought offerings into specific locations in the pond, then placed two candles at the pond’s southwest receiving point and lit them.

After doing all this, Li Zhuiyuan picked up a stack of yellow paper and lit it with a candle.

“Brother Run Sheng, unless I call you, don’t do anything later. Stay far away for now and then follow us.”

Run Sheng obediently stood far away, then asked, puzzled, “Follow us?”

Li Zhuiyuan waved the burning yellow paper, chanting:

“This young one, Li Zhuiyuan, requests you to come out of the water. After this, I will perform three rituals of repayment.”

“Bang!”

The yellow paper hit the mud and extinguished.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, his back to the pond, holding an incense burner in his left hand and a bell in his right.

Although Run Sheng stood far away, he saw it clearly. Ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the pond behind Li Zhuiyuan, and then a long-haired woman’s figure slowly came ashore.

A drowned spirit!

Run Sheng’s breathing immediately quickened. He wanted to shout to Xiao Yuan about the danger, but then he thought, *this drowned spirit was clearly summoned by Xiao Yuan himself.*

Then his brain took another turn: *My goodness, Xiao Yuan can actually summon drowned spirits!*

He had been retrieving corpses with his grandfather since childhood, always passively reacting, but he had never seen or even imagined that such an active method existed!

*How did Xiao Yuan do it?*

Two cold hands landed on his shoulders. Li Zhuiyuan felt his body sink, and then cold water seeped into his clothes.

This familiar feeling had returned.

However, this time, he wasn’t very scared, but to be safe, he still called Run Sheng.

“Ding ding ding… ding ding ding… ding ding ding…”

The clear sound of the bell rang out. Li Zhuiyuan began to move forward, and the figure behind him also followed.

Under the moonlight,

Two figures, one tall and one short, cast shadows.

East Room bedroom.

Liu Yumei was fanning A-Li with a rush fan. A-Li’s eyes were open; she wasn’t asleep yet.

Before, that boy would coax her to sleep every night, and A-Li would obediently close her eyes as soon as she returned to her room, trying hard to fall asleep so she could wake up early to do her hair and makeup to see him.

Suddenly, Liu Yumei seemed to sense something, stood up, walked to the window, and looked out. Then, she looked at A-Li on the bed, only to see A-Li’s previously open eyes slowly closing.

“This… this is… this is…”

Even Liu Yumei, who had seen much in her life, was speechless with shock. After a long time, she remembered what the boy had said to her two days ago:

“Grandma, A-Li went back inside. I need to find a way to call A-Li out again so I can apologize to her face-to-face.”

Liu Yumei’s face broke into a wry smile:

“No, are young people nowadays starting to use this method for evening dates?”

Li Zhuiyuan, shaking the bell and holding the incense burner, walked to the courtyard and then stopped.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

Although he was wet and cold and very uncomfortable, he forced himself to enter a state of sleep.

Actually, true sleep wasn’t necessary; as long as he reached a semi-conscious, hazy state, he could successfully enter the spirit realm.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he first looked behind him. The long-haired figure in the qipao was still there. Looking further away, he couldn’t see Run Sheng.

Yes, he had successfully entered the dream world.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll send you back shortly.”

With that, Li Zhuiyuan put down the bell and incense burner, then walked forward himself.

He broke free from the restraint of those hands. The qipao figure remained motionless, still holding its hands up.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the front of the east room and stopped.

Soon,

The girl’s figure appeared.

This time, she finally no longer completely ignored him like she did during the day, but her gaze fell upon him.

Late at night,

In the darkness,

In the courtyard, stood a boy, a girl, and a drowned spirit.

The boy looked at the girl and said sincerely:

“A-Li, will you forgive me?”