Chapter 50

There was no sun in the afternoon; the sky was a bit overcast, and a breeze had picked up. Rain was imminent but hadn't yet begun.

In the long, scorching summer season, this moment was a rare, delightful reprieve.

Li Sanjiang leaned back in a rattan chair, a cigarette between the fingers of his left hand and a tea mug in his right. An old radio, encased in a wooden box on the wall, was broadcasting the news.

Li Zhuiyuan sat beside him, head bowed, eating watermelon.

The news focused on the situation in the Middle East.

Li Sanjiang sat up, stubbed out his cigarette in a Jianlibao can filled with water, then picked up the can and shook it.

“Grandpa, have some watermelon.”

“You eat it. Grandpa’s not craving any.”

“The melon isn’t sweet.”

“Oh, alright.”

Li Sanjiang chuckled and picked up a slice, thinking his great-grandson was tricking him into eating it.

But after one bite, he immediately cursed:

“That scoundrel! I told him to pick a good one, and after all that knocking, he chose a bad one for me. Hey, take the rest of this to Runsheng later.”

“Brother Runsheng and them already have some.”

“No matter how much they have, it’s never enough. Runsheng used to be the only one who ate a lot, but now Zhuangzhuang’s appetite has picked up too.”

“Brother Binbin’s been doing a lot of thinking lately, hasn’t he?”

That morning, when he handed Tan Wenbin a whole book of math problems, although he couldn’t see, he could feel the air freeze for a full half-minute.

Tan Wenbin hesitated multiple times, wanting to speak, but eventually held back.

However, he initially just left the math book there, not even glancing at it.

It wasn’t until he started learning about tools with Runsheng, and after Li Zhuiyuan specifically took the time to teach some basics of face reading and fortune-telling, that Tan Wenbin realized:

Some things you try to escape will always be waiting for you on life’s path.

He had initially thought he was opening a brand new door, but once he actually went through it, he discovered this door was shared with the college entrance exam.

In the past, he wouldn’t have believed that learning about dealing with the deceased would first require passing math, physics, and chemistry.

However, lengthy theoretical explanations truly couldn't compare to one meal spent as a guest at a funerary master's home.

He finally picked up the math book and started working on it.

His academic performance was originally quite average, and these problems were rather difficult, so he worked slowly, but at least he didn't give up again.

This also led to a sharp increase in his appetite recently. He was happy, believing he was “growing his brain.”

“Speaking of which, why are they still fighting over there?” Li Sanjiang picked up a nearby handkerchief and wiped his hands. “I remember they were fighting when the country was just founded. Back then, the village would hang banners with big characters, supporting them and opposing imperialism.”

“Yes, it seems they’ve been fighting for a long time.”

The news broadcast ended, and the next program began. A male and female host started chatting about reading.

The male host gave an example, saying there was a nation that deeply respected knowledge; adults would smear honey on books so that when children flipped through them, they would find knowledge sweet.

He also stated that respecting knowledge and science was the reason this nation remained vibrant despite wandering for two millennia.

The female host echoed him expressively, praising it as truly the world’s most intelligent nation.

Li Sanjiang scratched his neck with the handle of a palm-leaf fan and said, “Something’s not right, is it?”

“Huh?”

“Xiao Yuanhou, tell me, how can the smartest nation manage to wander for two millennia?”

“Grandpa, you’re right.”

Just then, A-Li came up the stairs, carrying a large bowl.

Smelling the herbal medicine, Li Zhuiyuan knew it was time for his dose.

He took the bowl from A-Li, placed it in front of him, picked up the spoon, and began to drink, spoonful by spoonful.

Previously, when he only had nosebleeds, Aunt Liu’s herbal medicine was quite mild. Since he went blind, however, the medicine had become much stronger, and its bitterness was numbing.

Li Zhuiyuan could only comfort himself while drinking, reminding himself that good medicine tastes bitter.

Li Sanjiang smiled warmly, watching the girl and nodding continuously.

After finishing the medicine, Li Zhuiyuan greeted Li Sanjiang, then led A-Li towards his room. He went in first and brought out three bottles of milk.

Li Sanjiang had recently earned a large sum. All three branches of the Niu family, experiencing deaths, had invited him to perform ‘sitting zhai’ rituals.

Originally, upon hearing that the Niu family’s three siblings had died almost simultaneously, he felt a bit uneasy, fearing it was because he hadn't performed their last underworld birthday ritual properly.

However, firstly, these three siblings already had a bad reputation in the village, and secondly, their families knew best how they had actually died.

Before their deaths, these people had thought of getting rid of him to quickly find release. But after their deaths, their younger relatives became fearful, worried they would suffer the same fate.

So they all quickly came to invite Li Sanjiang to perform the rituals, offering very generous red envelopes.

Li Sanjiang went. The rituals were all on the same day, so he rushed to three families’ homes in one day. The money he earned felt incredibly satisfying.

Immediately afterward, he bought a lot of food and drinks for his great-grandson.

In Li Zhuiyuan’s room, snacks were stored in cabinets, and drinks were stacked in boxes.

If he hadn't stopped him in time, saying it was enough, he feared he'd soon be competing with Aunt Zhang in the village to open a small shop.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't really like this milk; it had only a faint milky taste, primarily tasting of saccharin.

However, A-Li’s first collection box was already full of Jianlibao cans, and since she had just started her second box, it naturally needed some new items.

The boy and girl each held a drink, sitting in the rattan chairs.

They had played chess that morning, so they weren't playing in the afternoon.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, facing the empty small table, and ‘read’ a book.

His eyes were still blind, yet he could still ‘read.’ After a book was read, it was stored in his mind, and now he could pull it out and ruminate on it.

A-Li must have known what the boy was doing; she sat close to him, just as before.

Every time Li Zhuiyuan ‘turned a page’ in his mind, he would habitually ‘look’ towards her, and she would raise her head and meet his gaze, creating a non-existent eye contact between them.

They continued like this until dusk, as the sky grew dark.

Aunt Liu called out, “Dinner time!”

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and stretched lightly. This method of ‘reading’ was quite good; he didn’t have to worry about insufficient light harming his eyes.

Coming downstairs for dinner, Liu Yumei said, “Tomorrow morning, A-Ting and I will be taking A-Li out.”

Hearing this, Li Sanjiang’s chopsticks, which he had just picked up, immediately slipped from his hand.

“We’ll try to be back the night after tomorrow.”

Li Sanjiang picked up the chopsticks, wiped them on his sleeve, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Runsheng said, “It’s fine, I’ll do the cooking.”

Li Sanjiang cursed, “Are you going to make us eat well with you? For the next two days, we’ll just manage with porridge and pickles. It’ll be a good way to cleanse our stomachs.”

After dinner, A-Li went inside to bathe. Liu Yumei waved at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't respond.

Only then did Liu Yumei realize, calling out, “Xiao Yuan, come here for a moment.”

“Coming, Grandma.”

“Want some tea?”

“Grandma, drinking tea right after a meal isn’t good for your stomach.”

“I’m just looking for an excuse to talk.”

“Then speak.”

“Logically, I shouldn’t be taking A-Li away right now, but tomorrow is a special day, and we have no choice but to go.”

“Grandma, this is your family matter, and A-Li really should go.”

“You’ve guessed what we’re going to do tomorrow, haven’t you?”

“How could I?”

“Hehe, if your eyes weren’t still recovering, I would have taken you out with us. But I imagine you’re not in the mood for it right now.”

“Grandma, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Alright, that’s that. A-Ting will prepare tomorrow’s and the day after’s medicine in advance. Remember to take it on time.”

“Yes, I will.”

Li Zhuiyuan walked back, stopping when he passed Runsheng and Tan Wenbin.

Runsheng placed a small stool behind Li Zhuiyuan, while Tan Wenbin helped him sit down.

The TV was playing the drama series *Chen Zhen*, starring Bruce Leung.

Runsheng was making paper effigies while watching, and Tan Wenbin was doing problems.

Li Zhuiyuan heard the ‘swish-swish’ sound of the pen on the scratch paper and couldn't help but say, “Brother Binbin, go get the desk lamp from my room and use it later.”

“Okay.” Tan Wenbin nodded, not being polite, as Xiao Yuan didn’t need it anyway right now.

Runsheng liked to move the TV to the outdoor patio in the evenings, watching it while working, as it made cleaning up easier.

Outside, there was a pole with a light bulb hanging from it. The brightness was sufficient, but the angle wasn't ideal.

Runsheng asked, “What are A-Li and her family going out to do tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Something important, probably.”

Actually, Li Zhuiyuan had probably guessed: Liu Yumei was likely going to sweep the graves of A-Li’s parents.

He had realized long ago that Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu were not A-Li’s biological parents, merely nominal guardians.

“Xiao Yuan, then you’ll be free tomorrow, right?”

“School hasn’t started yet, so which day am I not free?”

Tan Wenbin mumbled softly, “You’d be free even after school starts.”

“When I went to deliver paper effigies during the day, I passed through the town market and saw someone had set up a small stage to tell stories. There were quite a few people listening. I asked, and they’ll be there tomorrow too. Xiao Yuan, shall I take you to listen tomorrow?”

“Sounds good!”

Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to decline Runsheng's good intentions; Runsheng was also trying to find entertainment for his blind self.

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan woke up exceptionally early, but when he went downstairs and reached the east room, he still felt the lock on the door.

Liu Yumei and the others must have left in the early hours of the morning.

They left early so they could return early.

Li Zhuiyuan simply felt for a stool and sat down on the patio.

“Ah, Xiao Yuan, you’re up really early.” Runsheng rubbed his eyes as he got off the table. “I’ll make breakfast.”

“Brother Runsheng, let’s go to town to eat.”

“Alright, then. I’ll put the instant noodles on the stove so Grandpa can cook them himself when he wakes up.” Runsheng went into the kitchen, then quickly ran out, woke up Tan Wenbin with a pat, and urged, “Get up and wash up, we’re going to town.”

Tan Wenbin yawned. Although he hadn't had enough sleep, he still nodded.

After a quick tidy-up, Runsheng rode his tricycle, carrying Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin towards Shinan Town.

Several tables were set up outside the breakfast shop. The three specifically chose the most secluded table because Runsheng wanted to smoke.

Li Zhuiyuan ordered three bowls of mini wontons and three steamers of small steamed buns.

Li Zhuiyuan was originally going to order more, but Runsheng stopped him.

When the wontons and small buns were brought over, Li Zhuiyuan asked with concern, “Brother Runsheng, is this little bit enough for you?”

“Xiao Yuan, look at what this is.”

Runsheng placed a dry, hard, flaky object in Li Zhuiyuan’s hand. As he felt it, he could discern its roughness and small holes.

“Steamed bun slices?”

“Rustle.” Runsheng shook the bag in his hand. “Heh heh, I brought a whole bag. They’re perfect for soaking in the wonton soup.”

“Brother Runsheng…”

“Xiao Yuan, you eat your food. I’ll just have a taste. You know how much I eat. How could I eat freely at an outside restaurant? That would be squandering money.”

“Give me some too.” Tan Wenbin reached out, grabbed a handful, and put it down. He would probably have grandly said, “Eat all you want, it’s on me,” but he wouldn’t now, because they used to be strangers, but now they were good friends.

Li Zhuiyuan bit hard into a dry steamed bun slice, but couldn't chew it. He eventually put it in his bowl to soak.

Beside him, Runsheng munched with a loud crunch. During this time, he and Tan Wenbin also asked the owner for another bowl of soup.

“Phew… that’s satisfying.”

“Burp…”

After the two big eaters finished, they each patted their stomachs. They must have rolled up their shirts because the sound was a muffled, crisp thud.

“Oh, is there any more? Give me a slice too.”

Li Zhuiyuan’s ears twitched slightly. It was the first time he had heard Nantong dialect spoken with a broadcast accent.

“There are two slices left.” Runsheng picked them up and handed them to him.

“Good, that’s enough.”

The person sat down at the same table, holding a bowl of noodles or wontons. Then he twisted open a lid, and the air quickly filled with the scent of fermented bean curd, with a hint of spiciness.

Tan Wenbin sniffed and asked, “Why is your fermented bean curd this color?”

“Mine is Sichuan-style fermented bean curd, with chili added.”

Another mouthful of Sichuan dialect, spoken with a broadcast accent.

“Hey, you’re the storyteller from the stage yesterday!” Runsheng slapped his forehead. “You weren’t wearing your long robe, so I didn’t recognize you.”

“Heh heh, are you here to listen to storytelling today?”

“Of course, we came specifically for it.”

“Oh, then you’re honored guests. It’s still early for the show, but if you’re willing to ‘buy me a cup of tea,’ I’ll start telling a story for the three of you after I finish my breakfast.”

“Sounds good,” Li Zhuiyuan agreed.

The man finished his breakfast and said, “Please.”

The three followed him to the stage area. The stage was crude, just a few cabinets put together, with two sails hanging behind it.

Runsheng went to a small shop in the middle and bought a bottle of mineral water. When he returned, he saw Li Zhuiyuan take out money and hand it to the storyteller, who accepted it with a smile.

Only then did Runsheng realize that ‘buying a cup of tea’ meant giving a tip, not actually foolishly buying a bottle of water.

The money wasn't much, just the equivalent of two cans of Jianlibao.

The storyteller didn't go onto the stage but sat on a long wooden bench he had set up below, facing Li Zhuiyuan and the two others.

He first gave a simple opening, introducing himself as a traveling performer making a living, surnamed Yu, given name Shu, newly arrived in this esteemed place to make friends, broaden his horizons, and earn a living.

Next, he began his storytelling performance, recounting how Prince Qin Li Shimin decisively defeated Dou Jiande before Hulao Pass.

Since his audience consisted of three young people, he didn't use Nantong dialect but Mandarin. His story was delivered with excellent rhythm, full of twists and turns, and even included a segment of vocal mimicry.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin were captivated, clapping and cheering at intervals.

Li Zhuiyuan clapped along, wondering in his mind, *Which master is this, traveling the world to experience life?*

This person was clearly not local, yet he could immediately learn the local dialect upon arriving in a new place, and his verbal skills were truly solid.

Although the traditional culture market was currently experiencing severe contraction and stagnation, it certainly wouldn't force someone like him to wander the world.

The climax of the story was when Li Shimin led the Xuanjia Army in repeated assaults on Dou Jiande’s central army, with the ending concluding with Li Shimin’s triumphant return to court and his封as Grand General of Heavenly Strategies.

The story was splendid, and the performance exquisite. It was like eating a large slice of iced sweet watermelon on a hot summer day, bringing a refreshing coolness from head to toe.

Although he couldn't see, his ears had truly enjoyed the experience. And it was a face-to-face private show, so the money was well spent.

Li Zhuiyuan reached into his pocket again.

“No need, the tea money has already been given. You don't have jobs and aren't earning money, so how can I take more tips from you? Besides, haven't you already tipped me with two steamed bun slices?”

“You told it wonderfully,” Li Zhuiyuan said sincerely.

“You flatter me. My child, are your eyes alright?”

“They’ll get better.”

“That’s good. What’s your name?”

“Li Zhuiyuan.”

“Li Zhuiyuan, Li Zhuiyuan… have you always been surnamed Li?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Tan Wenbin, still wanting more, asked, “Can you tell another story?”

“I can’t tell any more now. I need to save it for the main show at noon.”

Tan Wenbin nodded. “Then we’ll wait.”

“Oh, no need for that. I’ll be telling the same story at noon, just watered down a bit, talking about Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng in the Tang court, and chatting a bit about Wang Shichong in Luoyang City. You don’t need to listen again.”

“That’s a shame. What about in the evening?”

“It’s the same story, with even more water added.”

Tan Wenbin: “…”

“When you’re out trying to make a living, you only have so much material in your belly; you can’t just pull it all out at once. Besides, few people in this area can listen to several shows a day, and those who have that much free time usually don’t have much money either.”

Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously, “Master Yu, where are you from?”

“Child, are you asking about my hometown?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t really say where my hometown is. My parents passed away early, and since I was a child, I’ve traveled along the Yangtze River, from Mountain City to Jingchu and then to its estuary, wandering back and forth all year round. So, if you ask me, my hometown must be on this river.”

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan’s face; he seemed to have heard a very interesting answer, but his heart silently sank, because he had once heard a similar answer from Liu Yumei.

“It’s still early, so I’ll tell you another scary little story.”

“Oh, good, good!” Runsheng clapped.

“I like scary stories,” Tan Wenbin said, clenching his fists excitedly.

Yu Shu began his tale.

As soon as he began, Li Zhuiyuan sensed something was off. The setting was the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and the protagonist was a scholar whose boat capsized on his way to the capital for the imperial examination. He was rescued by a woman named Bai, whom the scholar admired and called ‘Lady Bai of the Bai Family.’

Before the storyteller could continue, Li Zhuiyuan gasped, covering his eyes. “Brother Runsheng, Brother Binbin, my eyes hurt so much. Take me back to drink my medicine.”

For any other matter, they definitely wouldn’t have left at that moment, but as it involved Xiao Yuan’s eyes, the two immediately didn’t dare to delay. After saying goodbye to Yu Shu, they quickly put Xiao Yuan on the tricycle and rushed home.

On the way back, facing Runsheng and Tan Wenbin’s concerned questions, Li Zhuiyuan chose to voice his concerns.

“Brothers, my eyes don’t hurt. I suspect that man’s identity.”

He had already mentioned ‘Lady Bai of the Bai Family.’ If he continued, ‘death cases’ would inevitably appear, and then Runsheng and Tan Wenbin’s expressions would change, which the storyteller would notice.

This was also why Li Zhuiyuan faked eye pain and left early.

After listening to Li Zhuiyuan’s explanation, Runsheng, who was riding the tricycle, exclaimed, “We’ve met a colleague!”

Tan Wenbin, however, was stunned for a while, asking in confusion, “Are people in our line of work all so talented?”

Runsheng replied, “You have talent too; you can make paper effigies.”

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes. “Oh, thank you very much.”

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin were surprised but not frightened, partly because they hadn't experienced the ‘Lady Bai of the Bai Family’ incident themselves, and partly because they weren’t aware of Liu Yumei’s true identity.

The former involved Brother Liangliang’s personal privacy, and the latter concerned the secrets of the Qin and Liu families, which Li Zhuiyuan found it inconvenient to disclose without permission.

Upon returning home, they found Grandpa wasn't there. The instant noodles on the stove had been cooked and eaten, so he must have gone out.

The three continued with their respective activities: Li Zhuiyuan continued ‘reading,’ Runsheng watched TV, and Binbin did problems.

At lunchtime, Grandpa still hadn't returned, so Runsheng cooked porridge.

At dinner time, Grandpa still hadn't returned, so Runsheng cooked porridge again.

Although eating porridge was fine, it’s hard to go from luxury to frugality. Without Aunt Liu, everyone’s quality of life had severely declined.

Moreover, without Aunt Liu’s calls of “Breakfast, lunch, dinner!” Li Zhuiyuan felt his own biological clock was a bit out of whack.

While slurping porridge that evening, Tan Wenbin said suspiciously, “Hey, Grandpa Li was the one who suggested eating porridge, and Grandpa Li is also the one who’s out eating well somewhere else instead of coming home.”

No one was particularly worried about Grandpa not coming home, as Li Sanjiang was often invited to stay for meals and drinks on regular days.

On a peaceful summer night, Runsheng and Tan Wenbin continued watching *Chen Zhen*.

Li Zhuiyuan sat nearby, doing his pre-sleep eye exercises. As he reached the part where he massaged his temples and rubbed around his eye sockets,

Car and motorcycle sounds drifted from the distant village road.

Tan Wenbin seemed to have been shocked by electricity. He quickly turned over, moving from in front of the TV to the small desk with his homework. With a ‘snap,’ he turned on the desk lamp, instantly switching into his 'deep thought problem-solving' mode.

Runsheng turned, glanced at him, and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Li Zhuiyuan guessed, “Brother Binbin, has Uncle Tan arrived?”

“Mm!”

He recognized his own father’s motorcycle sound. Ever since he was little, whenever he secretly watched TV at home, he would immediately turn it off and do his homework the moment he heard that sound.

However, he waited and waited, but neither the motorcycle nor anyone else came onto the patio.

Runsheng asked in confusion, “Has your dad abandoned you?”

“Your dad’s the one who abandoned you.”

“My dad already abandoned me.”

“You cheated!”

After a pause,

Tan Wenbin added, “I’m sorry.”

Runsheng laughed. “Heh heh heh.”

Tan Wenbin stood up. “My dad isn’t here for me. Xiao Yuan, Runsheng, do you want to go take a look? There might be another case in the village.”

Runsheng shook his head. “No, I’m not going. The exciting part is about to continue right after this.”

“I’ll go with you, Brother Binbin.”

“Alright, let’s go, Xiao Yuan.”

Tan Wenbin took Li Zhuiyuan’s hand and walked out. As they passed Aunt Zhang’s small shop, Tan Wenbin asked where the earlier car and motorcycle had gone.

Aunt Zhang, who was cracking sunflower seeds, glanced towards the northwest and said, “They went towards where Big Beard used to live.”

On the way to Big Beard’s house, Tan Wenbin asked worriedly, “Brother Xiao Yuan, what do you think my dad and the others are doing there? Could it be that the matter has been discovered?”

“I don’t know,” Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

If something were to go wrong and be exposed, it should be the identities of the deceased ‘water monkeys’ from that car that were revealed.

Several police cars and motorcycles were parked outside Big Beard’s house. Police officers each held a flashlight, shining them around.

However, they likely wouldn’t find anything now; the fish pond had already been filled in, and a large area on top of it had been planted with saplings.

“Hey, Brother Xiao Yuan, I see Grandpa Li. He’s on the patio.”

“Is my grandpa alright?”

“He’s fine. He hasn’t been handcuffed. Grandpa Li is still smoking.”

“Binbin? Is that Binbin?”

“It’s me, Uncle Zhao.”

“Oh, what are you doing here?”

“My relatives live here; I’m staying at their place and playing.”

“Alright, I’ll go get your dad.”

“Uncle Zhao, please tell my dad that Xiao Yuan came with me.”

“Oh.”

Soon after, Tan Yunlong walked over.

“Dad!” Tan Wenbin waved enthusiastically.

“Go on, move along.” Tan Yunlong ignored his son and came up to Li Zhuiyuan, whispering, “People from higher up came. This morning, our police station picked up your grandpa. We had lunch together, and in the afternoon, we went to a few places—Xiting Town, Shigang—all places where your grandpa had retrieved bodies.”

“Uncle, who were those people?”

“I’m not sure, but they shouldn’t be from criminal investigation.”

“Is my grandpa in trouble?”

“No, he’s fine. They just came to understand the situation, for him to be a guide, and explain what happened back then. This house and the surrounding land are also under your grandpa’s name, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong. They’re wrapping up soon.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“No need to thank me. It’s not a case, and there are no confidentiality rules involved.”

A familiar voice came from not far away: “Alright, thank you all for your hard work accompanying me all day.”

Immediately after, Li Zhuiyuan heard his own grandpa’s conversation with that person: “Elder, you’ve truly worked hard today.”

“It’s my duty, my duty. Just cooperating with the work.”

“You should go back and rest early.”

“You too, heh heh.”

The voice belonged to Yu Shu.

“Oh, little friend, what are you doing here too?” Yu Shu noticed Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan retorted, “Oh, Storyteller, how come you’re here?”

“No one came to the noon show, so I packed up my stall and came out to do a part-time job.”

As Yu Shu spoke, he squatted down in front of Li Zhuiyuan and reached out to pat Li Zhuiyuan’s head:

“Little friend, is your home here?”

Li Sanjiang, having finished his smoke, walked over and, seeing the scene, immediately said, “This is my great-grandson, heh heh. This house will be his in the future.”

“Your great-grandson?” Yu Shu seemed very surprised. “Your own?”

“Of course. My will is written with his name.”

“Oh, is that so? A very smart child, I like him a lot.”

“Indeed he is. My Xiao Yuanhou is very clever.”

“Alright, Grandpa Li, I must be going. If there’s a chance, I’ll invite you for a drink again.”

“Anytime, anytime.”

Tan Yunlong proactively walked towards Yu Shu and asked, “Are there any arrangements for tomorrow?”

“None. There’s nothing here, it’s all very clean. I’ll be leaving tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work, Captain Tan.”

“I’m just following orders.”

The police had already dispersed from Big Beard’s house. Li Sanjiang, with the two boys, walked home. On the way, Li Sanjiang kept complaining about the inexplicable day: being taken to the police station by patrol car in the morning, then running to several places in the afternoon, and finally ending up in the village itself.

However, it wasn't entirely without reward; in the end, that person slipped him a carton of cigarettes.

Li Zhuiyuan listened while pondering the identity of the storyteller. Clearly, being a storyteller was just his side job, and it was truly rare for someone to master a part-time skill to such a degree.

However, even if he were to step back ten thousand paces, since the person could work alongside the police, he definitely wasn’t a bad person.

So, there was no need to worry on his part.

Back on the patio at home, Runsheng was still making paper effigies while watching TV.

Li Sanjiang walked over and playfully rapped Runsheng on the head. Runsheng merely smiled.

Tan Wenbin sat down, skillfully picked up a rattan stick, and began making paper effigies, while regretting, “If I had known, I would have brought my homework notebook with me.”

Just as Li Zhuiyuan was about to go upstairs, his ears twitched, and he whispered, “Brother Binbin, quickly go back and do your homework.”

“Huh?”

He still made a questioning sound, but his body, by force of habit, dropped what he was doing, performed another roll, sat down at the small desk, picked up a pen, and ‘acted’ like he was deep in thought.

Soon, Tan Yunlong walked onto the patio.

Tan Wenbin heard the familiar footsteps and a slight smirk silently formed at the corner of his mouth.

Unexpectedly, Tan Yunlong walked over, slapped the back of his head, and cursed, “Who are you trying to fool?!”

Tan Wenbin felt wronged, thinking to himself: *Dad, I'm studying so hard, how could you misunderstand me?*

“Click!”

The next moment, Tan Yunlong flicked the switch, and the desk lamp turned on.

Tan Wenbin: “…”

Runsheng moved the TV outside to watch, and the light from the TV was enough for him to work.

Tan Wenbin usually did his homework next to Runsheng, but since Xiao Yuan had lent him the desk lamp, he no longer turned on the light bulb hanging from the pole above.

Therefore, from his dad’s perspective, he had been doing his homework almost in complete darkness.

Tan Yunlong brought over a bag of items and set it down; it contained some folk remedies his wife had specially prepared.

He had carefully screened them; they were non-toxic.

“Xiao Yuan, I forgot to give you these just now. You can try them.”

“Okay, thank you, Uncle Tan. My eyes are getting better soon. When they are, I’ll have to ask Uncle Tan to take me to register for school.”

“Of course. Once your eyes are better, we’ll go. The school there also said you can go whenever you like, depending on your mood.”

“Okay, Uncle Tan.”

Tan Yunlong turned to leave, but before he did, he stopped in front of his son, picked up the homework notebook from the small desk, and opened it. It was densely filled with problem-solving steps.

“Dad, these are problems Xiao Yuan gave me.”

“Hmm, study hard.” Tan Yunlong put down the notebook, patted his son’s head, and left.

Runsheng would watch the TV station until it signed off every night.

After the colored static screen appeared on the TV, he turned it off. He turned around and saw that Tan Wenbin was still working on his problems.

“Aren’t you going to sleep yet?”

“You go to bed first. I’ll do a bit more.”

“Oh.”

Runsheng washed up and went to bed.

When he woke up in the morning, he found no one at the round table next door. He turned his head and saw Tan Wenbin sleeping soundly, slumped over the small desk, still holding his pen.

Runsheng walked over to the small dog cage and petted the dog’s head.

The little black dog opened its eyes, glanced at him, and then rolled over to continue sleeping.

Runsheng mumbled, “Useless, huh.”

After Li Zhuiyuan woke up, except for coming downstairs to eat porridge, he spent the rest of his time on the second-floor balcony.

He had been continuously ‘reading’ *Liu’s Art of Observing Qi* and *Qin’s Method of Dragon Viewing* for several days. He felt that, since he couldn’t use his eyes, he might gain a new understanding of Feng Shui.

As it turned out, he was overthinking it.

Through rumination these past few days, he had understood two things: first, fortune-tellers who posed as blind were generally unreliable; and second, it was crucial to protect one’s eyes.

That night, Li Zhuiyuan waited outside for a long time but Liu Yumei and the others did not return.

Hearing the static ‘beep’ from Brother Runsheng’s TV downstairs, Li Zhuiyuan also went into his room, performed his eye exercises once, and lay down to sleep.

He woke up from a dream, instinctively opened his eyes again, and turned his head to look.

He saw the girl in a white dress with a hairpin in her hair, sitting gracefully there.

His first thought was that she was still so beautiful.

Then came the