Chapter 6

The summer heat begins to wane at this time every day, and even the breeze blowing from the rice paddies carries a hint of coolness.

Li Zhuiyuan faces the direction of the fields, closes his eyes, and takes several deep, earnest breaths.

"Little Yuanhou, what’s wrong? Does your great-grandfather smell?"

"No, Great-grandfather, I’m smelling the fragrance of the rice."

"Oh, and did you smell it?"

"I can't. It’s not like what’s written in the essays. They say the scent of rice is wonderful."

"Silly child, your timing is off. Wait until after the fertilizing or the pesticide spraying; I guarantee you, that smell will be incredibly pungent!"

"Great-grandfather, you’re teasing me."

"Hahaha." Li Sanjiang rolls his neck and continues walking along the ridge of the field with the child on his back. "They don't have much of a scent right now, but once they’re harvested, dried, husked, and steamed into rice or pounded into rice cakes, with hot white steam rising from them—that fragrance, you’ll be able to smell it from miles away, won't you?"

"Great-grandfather, you’re right."

Li Sanjiang stops and turns to look at the rice paddies as well. "Actually, what you read in those essays isn't wrong. For us farmers, seeing the crops growing well in the fields, having grain in the granary and rice in the pot, and not having to worry about going hungry—once your heart is at ease, no matter where you stand, if you close your eyes and take a breath, it all tastes sweet."

"I understand."

"No, you don't. Little Yuanhou, you’ve never truly been hungry, so you can’t really understand that feeling. We haven't been able to eat our fill at every meal for very many years.

But no matter what, it’s incomparable to the time before Liberation."

"Hmm?" Li Zhuiyuan asks, surprised. "Before Liberation, could people eat their fill?"

"That’s right. Before Liberation, anyone could eat their fill; nobody went hungry."

"Great-grandfather, that doesn't sound right."

"Because livestock aren't considered people."

"Ah?"

"Little Yuanhou, before Liberation, your great-grandfather here also braved the Shanghai Bund."

"Then, Great-grandfather, do you know Xu Wenqiang?"

"Who is Xu Wenqiang? Never heard of him. I went by boat back then; it was very convenient. After all, Nantong and Shanghai are just separated by a river.

At that time, I thought, 'Great Shanghai, oh Great Shanghai,' finding work must be easier there. Anything would be better than farming for the landlord back home.

I was lucky, too. As soon as I arrived, I found work immediately."

"What kind of work did you find, Great-grandfather?"

"A corpse-carrying team."

"Did you work in a funeral home?"

"Heh, there were funeral homes back then, but how could ordinary people go to such a place? You’d be carried in horizontally, and you’d have to jump up and run out the back—people couldn't afford to die.

I was on a corpse-carrying team. At that time, the city government allocated some funds to lead it, and some wealthy merchants donated money. The job was... collecting corpses early every morning, picking up the bodies from the streets and alleys, and carrying them to the nearby charity morgue for processing.

When times were good, there might be a few donated coffins to put them in. And it wasn't one coffin per person; many people were squeezed together. A single coffin would be stuffed absolutely full.

I still remember one time, many children about your age were collected. It took a great deal of effort to squeeze them in.

Sigh, they wouldn't budge, couldn't budge.

Do you know what that means?"

"Is it because the coffin was too heavy to move, or because they were jammed in so tightly they were stuck?"

"Exactly. And that was only when times were good enough to have a coffin. When times were bad, those bodies were just wrapped in straw mats. If there wasn't time to burn or bury them, they were just dumped in the mass graves on the outskirts, a treat for the wild dogs.

If it was winter, oh boy, that was truly exhausting.

You’d go out on the street early in the morning and see many families huddled together, frozen stiff.

Little Yuanhou, that was the Great Shanghai! It was a big city back then, incredibly wealthy. If anyone there just let a little bit slip through their fingers, it would be enough to feed a whole family of ordinary people.

But your great-grandfather, I was truly busy from the beginning of the year to the end. There was so much work, it was endless.

Back then, I kept thinking...

There were so many foreign cars on the streets, and right there in that 'Ten-Mile Foreign Field,' everywhere you looked were dance halls, theaters, and high-rise buildings. The people coming and going were gentlemen in Western suits and wealthy ladies in fine dresses. Yet, right there in the cracks of the walls and the alleys, you could collect people who had starved to death every single day.

I thought about it for a long time, and finally, I understood one truth.

Everyone has a pair of eyes, a nose, and two legs, but only that tiny handful of people are considered human. The others... no, the other heads, were all just damn cheap-life livestock.

Wait, no, even livestock are worth something; when they're hungry, they get a handful of fodder. But those people? They didn't even deserve a coffin lid. If they were collected after death, it was only because the authorities thought it affected the city's appearance."

Li Zhuiyuan hugs Li Sanjiang's neck a little tighter, pressing his face against his great-grandfather's back. "Is that when you learned your skills, Great-grandfather?"

"I suppose so. Back then, carrying corpses all day only earned enough for a day's food. Now, hauling one up can keep me in fine food and drink for a good while.

Liberation is good, after all. People are finally people, and they’ve become valuable."

"My grandfather also said he was whipped when he worked as a long-term laborer for a landlord as a child."

"Don't listen to Hanhou's nonsense. He had barely grown his hair out before we were liberated, and those landlords were all... wait, Little Yuanhou, you aren't talking about Hanhou, are you?"

"It was Grandpa Bei."

"Hahaha, the one in the capital, your father's father?"

"Yes. He said if he hadn't been unable to survive, he never would have followed the troops to join the revolution."

Li Sanjiang suddenly stops in his tracks and turns his head to look at the child behind him.

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"That Grandpa Bei of yours, did he fight in the war?"

"Yes."

"Is he still alive?"

"He is."

"Did he fight the Japanese devils first?"

"He fought them later."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"What is it, Great-grandfather?"

"Little Yuanhou, are you and your Grandpa Bei close?"

"I go back to eat with Mom and Dad during the holidays."

"What about usually?"

"I don't go."

"Ah, so you don't visit?"

"Grandma Bei and Mom don't get along."

Li Sanjiang: "..."

"The eldest uncle and his family live with Grandpa Bei and Grandma Bei. Mom, Dad, and I live outside. Mom doesn't let me go to Grandpa Bei's place. Even Dad only goes home secretly; he doesn't dare let Mom know."

"What on earth is going on in that Lanhou's head?"

Li Sanjiang doesn't understand. Of course, he knows that conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are perfectly normal, but you have to pick your mother-in-law!

With parents-in-law like that, if you don't suck up to them and serve them well, what are you thinking?

But on second thought, Li Sanjiang suddenly feels this is exactly the kind of thing Li Lan would do.

Among a house full of honest, dirt-poor bumpkins, a golden phoenix had suddenly emerged.

If Li Weihan's ancestral grave weren't right next to his own, he would have suspected that Li Weihan's family grave was on fire—smoke alone wouldn't be enough to explain it.

That girl was sweet-mouthed and clever as a child, very lovable. As she grew a little older, she could train her four older brothers to fear her. No matter how unruly the idlers or how sharp-tongued the gossips in the village were, they wouldn't dare mess with her. With just one look from her, even with a smile on her face, she could make people shiver.

He remembered the year she brought her boyfriend home. Hanhou and Guiying were so stiff they were embarrassed to look at him, but he, Li Sanjiang, had seen the world. He stared at the man up and down for a long time and even took the initiative to chat with him.

Back then, he noticed that in front of Lanhou, that man was so conditioned he could only nod like a chick pecking at rice. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that fair-skinned man was some poor bride just kidnapped into the village by human traffickers.

Li Sanjiang also knew about Lanhou's divorce; otherwise, Little Yuanhou wouldn't be staying here temporarily. Usually, when men and women divorce, everyone tends to side with the woman. But Lanhou's divorce... Li Sanjiang actually felt a bit of sympathy for that man. To have endured it for over ten years—that wasn't easy.

"Little Yuanhou, you changed your surname, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Sigh."

Li Sanjiang sighs. Once divorced, you even changed the child's surname back. If you hadn't changed the surname, even after the divorce, Little Yuanhou would still be considered that family's child.

"Little Yuanhou, take your great-grandfather's advice. When you go back to the capital, find more opportunities to get close to your Grandpa Bei and Grandma Bei, understand?"

"I won't go."

"Listen to your great-grandfather, child. I won't lead you astray."

"I can't go. If I go, Mom won't be happy."

"You..."

"If Mom isn't happy, she won't want Little Yuan anymore."

"Sigh... you say that, but you are mother and son. No matter what, your mother loves you."

"She won't." Li Zhuiyuan's voice is very low, but firm. "If I make Mom unhappy, she won't want me. I know her."

Li Sanjiang has no choice but to change the subject. "Little Yuanhou, did you bring your homework? I'll have your grandma bring your homework and books back tomorrow."

"I didn't bring them back."

"Ha, you're a little smarty-pants. You intentionally didn't bring your books so you could play to your heart's content in the countryside during summer vacation, right?"

"Yes, it's so much fun."

"You still have to study hard so you can have a better life later. After a few days, I'll have your sister Yinghou come over to tutor you. You should learn well from her."

"Okay."

"That's a good boy."

The grandfather and grandson chat all the way until they reach a river. Beside the river are farmland. Following the path along the river for a while, the view suddenly opens up.

Li Sanjiang's courtyard is several times more spacious than Li Weihan's.

There are three houses. The one in the middle, facing south, is a newly built two-story building. But unlike the square architectural style of Cuicui's house, Li Weihan's new house is very wide, stretching from east to west in a long strip.

Although there is a second floor, there are only a few separate rooms, like a few building blocks placed on a large platform.

On the left and right sides of the new house are two single-story bungalows, facing each other.

"Great-grandfather, your house is so big."

"You bet." Li Sanjiang's tone is filled with pride.

Besides hauling corpses, he also runs a paper-effigy business, which requires a large space to store raw materials and finished products. In addition, he also rents out tables, chairs, and plates.

Anyone in the vicinity who needs to hold a wedding or funeral has to rent from him. Although the fees aren't high, he had long since recouped his costs; now, it’s like a hen that lays golden eggs.

Therefore, the first floor of his new house is essentially a large warehouse, and he only built three rooms on the second floor, leaving it as empty as a rooftop. He doesn't care, anyway; he’s a bachelor, and it’s enough for him.

Li Sanjiang puts Li Zhuiyuan down from his back and leads him by the hand into the middle house. Inside, the space feels even larger, like a small factory.

The western half is neatly stacked with tables and chairs, and large baskets are filled to the brim with all kinds of plates and bowls.

The eastern half is filled with paper figures, paper houses, paper horses... Li Zhuiyuan even sees a paper Santana car.

A woman, dressed simply and about the same age as his mother, is painting. She holds a paint palette in her left hand and a brush in her right, her strokes quick and fluid.

The woman notices the newcomers, turns to look, glances at Li Zhuiyuan, and asks

"Uncle, who is this child? He looks so fair and tender."

"Tinghou, let me introduce you. This is my great-grandson, Li Zhuiyuan. Zhuiyuan, this is your Aunt Tinghou."

"Aunt Ting."

Li Zhuiyuan feels the seniority might be a bit off, but in front of people with no family ties, everyone just uses their own titles.

"Hey, good boy." Liu Manting puts down her things and walks over, bending down to touch Li Zhuiyuan's face with both hands. "So cute."

Li Zhuiyuan takes a half-step back to avoid her, a shy smile on his face.

"Uncle, you haven't brought any children over to play before."

"Ha, no children dared to come here to play before." Li Sanjiang takes a cigarette out of his pocket. "Tinghou, this child will be staying here for a while. Help him go up and tidy up a room. Oh, right, Little Yuanhou, are you afraid of sleeping in a room by yourself?"

"I'm not afraid, Great-grandfather."

"Hmm, it's fine anyway, Great-grandfather sleeps right next door, hehe. Alright, Tinghou, I'll leave it to you. I'm going to use the porcelain pot."

Li Sanjiang lights his cigarette and walks out to use the restroom.

"Come, Little Yuan, come upstairs with Auntie."

There are so many things piled up on the first floor that even the staircase is more than half blocked. Someone coming for the first time would really have a hard time finding it.

Li Zhuiyuan notices that there are stairs continuing downward at the entrance to the staircase and asks, "Aunt Ting, is there another floor below?"

"Yes, there's a basement below, just as big as this place."

"Is it filled with the same things?"

"No, it's all your great-grandfather's things. He couldn't bear to throw them away, so he specifically dug another floor just to store them."

"Oh, I see."

"Also, Little Yuan, my name is Liu Manting. You can just call me Aunt Liu from now on."

"Aunt Liu, you're not from around here?"

"No, I'm from out of town, working as a paper-effigy assistant for your great-grandfather."

"Is it just you, Aunt Liu?"

"My husband is here too. He rents your great-grandfather's fields, and he also helps out with the paper effigies and delivering tables and chairs. He should be back from the fields soon. When you see him, you can call him Uncle Qin.

Besides, my daughter and mother-in-law are also here, in that bungalow on the east side you saw when you came in. Your uncle and I live on the west side.

My whole family is here, making a living by working for your great-grandfather.

Before Liberation, we would have had to call you 'Young Master'."

Perhaps because he had just heard Li Sanjiang talk about the corpse-carrying team on the way here, Li Zhuiyuan feels a bit uncomfortable with this joke and subconsciously shakes his head.

"That's feudal dross."

"Eh?" Liu Manting is stunned. Hearing such words from a child is indeed very surprising.

"Aunt Liu, just call me Little Yuan."

"Alright, Little Yuan. I heard your great-grandfather mention you. You're back from the capital, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Are you used to living here?"

"Yes, it's very nice here."

"Don't you find it dull and boring?"

"No, there are many fun things here."

"That's good. Auntie paints the paper figures every day until my hands go numb."

"Auntie, you paint very well. Very professional."

"What professional? Auntie was just forced into it; I don't know anything about painting."

But the way you hold the palette and brush is exactly the same as the teachers at the Art Academy.

"If you want to paint, Little Yuan, you can help Auntie. Painting isn't actually that hard."

"Okay."

Since returning to his hometown, this is the first time he has communicated with someone entirely in Mandarin, without so many Nantong dialects and so many "Hous."

Even his brothers and sisters who go to school only used Mandarin to "translate" for him at first, but as soon as they turned to talk to each other, they naturally switched back to the dialect.

Arriving on the second floor, Liu Manting opens a door. The furnishings inside are very simple: an old-fashioned bed and a wardrobe. Besides that, there isn't even a stool, but it is very clean and seems to be cleaned often.

"Little Yuan, you'll stay here. Your great-grandfather is right next door. Stay here for a while, and I'll bring you a washbasin, a towel, and a spittoon."

"Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Liu."

"What a polite child."

Liu Manting leaves. Li Zhuiyuan looks around his room and walks out; there really... isn't anything to look at.

The second floor is just a large terrace with three rows of clotheslines in the center, and there are no balconies or railings around it.

Walking to the edge, he can see the courtyard in front, and in the distance, the small river and the farmland.

Li Zhuiyuan thinks that if he put a chair here, sitting and daydreaming would definitely be enjoyable.

On the field ridge not far away, a middle-aged man carrying a hoe is walking this way. The man is tall, and where his white undershirt doesn't cover, one can see clear muscles, which have a glossy texture in the sunset.

He must be Aunt Liu's husband, Uncle Qin.

It seems Uncle Qin wasn't a farmer before, either.

Although farmers generally have considerable strength, because of their diet and lifestyle habits, few can grow such tiger-back muscles; they are usually the lean, wiry type.

He lowers his gaze to the left.

"Hmm?"

When he came in earlier, his view was blocked by the woodpile in the courtyard, so he couldn't see the door of the bungalow on the east side. Now, standing from a high vantage point, he can see it.

Inside the doorway of the bungalow, a little girl about his age is sitting.

She wears a red embroidered top, black pants with white patterns, her hair is combed into a bun, and on her feet are a pair of light green embroidered shoes.

This outfit is very retro, without a single modern element, yet it doesn't look old-fashioned at all.

Because this isn't clothes made casually by a mother tearing a piece of cloth for her daughter; the details are full of effort and care, and the overall coordination is harmonious, wearing a dignified air of a young lady from a wealthy family.

Most importantly, the girl has a fair face, eyebrows like a crescent moon, and although she has a melon-seed face, she has just the right amount of baby fat. She is like a finely carved work of art; you simply cannot find even the slightest thing that needs changing, as if any superfluous action would be a desecration and a sin.

At this moment, she is sitting on a stool inside the threshold, her feet resting on the threshold, staring straight ahead.

The last stubbornness of the sunset before it goes down pulls a line of light and shadow, which happens to lie across the threshold in front of the house, exactly where her feet are resting.

Li Zhuiyuan lowers his head. Staring at someone is impolite behavior, even though... she is really very beautiful.

She must be Aunt Liu's daughter.

When he looks up again, he finds that she is still maintaining that posture, staring straight ahead.

Logically speaking, he is standing on the second floor, a big person, and looking at her; she should have noticed, at least, she should have glanced at him.

Is she too lost in thought?

Li Zhuiyuan raises his hand and waves. He is sure that this action would definitely attract her attention, but... no.

The girl is still sitting there, her feet on the threshold, motionless. She doesn't look up, doesn't turn her head, and doesn't even blink.

Is she blind?

Li Zhuiyuan calls out, "Hello there."

The girl still doesn't react.

Deaf and mute, too?

A deep sense of regret rises in Li Zhuiyuan's heart.

Children of this age have clean and pure hearts, and the thoughts of adult men and women do not yet exist, even for Li Zhuiyuan.

He just feels a simple heartache. If this girl has a disability, it's like a bloody gash being cut into something beautiful. Regardless of gender, anyone would feel deep regret.

"Little Yuan."

Aunt Liu's voice sounds from behind. She walks to Li Zhuiyuan's side and says with a smile, "Little Yuan, she is Auntie's daughter, Qin Li."

Li Zhuiyuan nods.

"Alright, Little Yuan, go inside first, Auntie will help you set things up."

Li Zhuiyuan is slightly surprised because Aunt Liu only introduced her daughter's name and nothing else. Generally, one should ask about age, distinguish between older and younger, and add, "You can play together in the future."

There aren't many things. After they are neatly arranged, Aunt Liu claps her hands and says, "The restroom is behind the first floor. You can use the spittoon in the room at night."

"Okay, I know, Aunt Liu."

"Then Auntie will go cook. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Hmm."

Walking out of the room again and returning to the second-floor terrace, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze involuntarily looks there again.

The girl is still in the same posture, still staring straight ahead. She seems to be frozen there, never having moved.

At this moment, he sees Uncle Qin walk to the threshold, squat down in front of the girl, and speak to her gently.

But from beginning to end, the girl remains in that posture, not even sparing a glance for her father.

The feeling is that although she is there, she has no perceptual contact with this world.

Uncle Qin notices Li Zhuiyuan and waves his hand. "Hello, little friend."

Li Zhuiyuan responds, "Hello, Uncle."

"Little Yuanhou, come down for dinner!" Li Sanjiang's voice comes from downstairs.

Li Zhuiyuan is a bit surprised. So fast?

After going downstairs, in the space between the paper figures on the first floor, two square wooden stools are pushed together to serve as a dining table. On top are a plate of braised pig's head meat, a plate of braised pig's ears, a plate of cold seaweed, and a plate of fried peanuts.

No wonder it was prepared so quickly; it must have all been bought at the market during the day.

"Sit." Li Sanjiang opens the cap of the white liquor bottle and fills a large glass for himself.

Li Zhuiyuan sits on a small stool opposite him, looking at the large bowl of rice piled high in front of him.

"Great-grandfather, I can't eat this much."

"Heh, of course Great-grandfather knows." Li Sanjiang smiles. "You eat first, the rest is mine."

"Oh."

Li Zhuiyuan starts to eat.

Li Sanjiang hands over his liquor glass and asks, "Little Yuanhou, do you want a little?"

Li Zhuiyuan shakes his head. "Children can't drink alcohol."

"Right, that's the way." Li Sanjiang is just teasing. He takes a big sip from the glass and pops several peanuts into his mouth. "At Hanhou's place, they don't have such good dishes, right?"

"Grandma's pickles are also very delicious."

"Heh."

Li Sanjiang puts a piece of pig's snout into Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.

"Your grandparents are fools, insisting on spoiling those brats. If you ask me, managing your son's generation is enough. You still have to manage the grandchildren's generation? Damn it, a person's life is just spent being a slave to their children.

Actually, if your grandfather's family didn't have so many children and so many mouths to feed, they wouldn't have to drink thin porridge, and he could have a little wine every night."

Li Zhuiyuan eats silently, not responding.

"You're different." Li Sanjiang waves his hand. "Your mother gave money. Those uncles of yours are the real ungrateful wretches, a bunch of shameless things."

Li Zhuiyuan continues to eat.

"Soup's here." Aunt Liu brings a large bowl of loofah and egg drop soup and places it on the wooden stool. "You guys eat."

Then, she leaves. Li Zhuiyuan realizes that Aunt Liu's family doesn't eat with his great-grandfather.

"Little Yuanhou, there's one thing Great-grandfather must remind you. You'll be living here from now on. You can wander anywhere else, but don't go to that east room."

The east room is where the girl is sitting.

"Why?"

"Tinghou's daughter is in the east room." Li Sanjiang pokes his own forehead with the end of his chopsticks. "That little girl has something wrong here. Don't get close to her; it won't be good if you get scratched or bitten by her."

Scratched or bitten?

Li Zhuiyuan finds it hard to imagine that the little girl named Qin Li would be associated with such behavior.

"Don't take it lightly. When her family first moved here the year before last, I even gave that girl candy. Who knew that as soon as I put the candy in her hand, she threw it away and then rushed at me, scratching and biting like a madwoman. Even a dying person wouldn't be that fierce."

"I know, Great-grandfather."

That's good. So she isn't deaf or blind.

"Hmm, eat. After you finish, Great-grandfather will perform a ritual for you."

Li Zhuiyuan finishes eating first and puts down his chopsticks. Li Sanjiang follows suit, ending his drinking and pulling the rice bowl over to finish his meal.

The restroom is behind the house. Li Zhuiyuan walks out first and circles the courtyard, happening to see the little girl being led by an old woman to stand up and walk to the dining table inside.

She must be Aunt Liu's mother-in-law.

In this old woman, Li Zhuiyuan seems to see the shadow of his own Grandma Bei; both have a sense of grace and elegance.

The little girl sits at the dining table without picking up her chopsticks, and the old woman keeps whispering persuasively beside her.

When Li Zhuiyuan returns after using the restroom, he sees the little girl starting to eat. She only eats what's in her own bowl, and the old woman uses a small plate to pick food for her.

He notices the old woman's gaze sweep over him, but she doesn't greet him. Li Zhuiyuan hesitates and doesn't go over to say hello.

Back in the house, Li Sanjiang has finished eating, and Aunt Liu is cleaning up.

"Little Yuan, the place to bathe is in the innermost room on the second floor. Auntie has already poured hot water for you. It might be a bit hot, you can add some cold water yourself."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Arriving on the second floor, Li Sanjiang, full and satisfied, is already lying on a rattan chair moved from somewhere, holding a toothpick in his left hand and a cigarette in his right, humming a little tune while hiccuping from the alcohol.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze lingers on the rattan chair.

"Ha, I'll have Lihou buy you one at the market tomorrow."

Lihou must refer to Uncle Qin.

"Okay." Li Zhuiyuan smiles; he really wants one.

"The bathing place is over there." Li Sanjiang points. "You wash first, then I'll wash."

"Got it."

The bathroom is very narrow, likely added temporarily later. There is a rubber hose connected to a water tank.

Li Zhuiyuan tests the water temperature; it's a bit hot, but he doesn't need to add cold water.

When he finishes bathing quickly and comes out, Li Sanjiang also stands up. "Wait for me in my room."

"Okay."

By now, it is completely dark outside, and the moon is hanging in the sky.

Li Zhuiyuan glances at the east room again; the door of the bungalow is closed, and the light is on inside.

Opening Li Sanjiang's door and walking in, Li Zhuiyuan reaches out and finds the string on the wall by the door, pulling it down.

"Click."

The light turns on.

The furnishings in his great-grandfather's bedroom are almost a replica of his own: an old bed and a wardrobe.

However, in the empty area in the middle, there is an extra circle of dense patterns and a row of small candles, with an open old book placed on the floor nearby.

Li Zhuiyuan picks up the book and finds that it is not printed but handwritten.

The cover says "Golden Shaluo Sutra."

Opening it, he finds that it is basically diagrams of formation patterns and some annotations. The drawings are very sloppy, and the annotations are written very casually. Most importantly, the handwriting is truly ugly.

It is far worse than the handwriting of Grandpa Xu from the Chinese Department in the family compound, who is good at making Dongpo pork.

Soon, Li Zhuiyuan finds the exact same formation diagram in the book as the one drawn on the floor, which says—"Turning Luck and Passing Evil Formation."

The effect is to transfer the evil energy from one person to another, and it is also marked: "Can cause harm to others."

Li Zhuiyuan looks at the diagram in the book and then at the one his great-grandfather drew on the floor.

"How come... it feels like there are a few places drawn differently?"

However, the diagrams in the book are also hand-drawn and inherently crooked, so it's not easy to compare.

"It's also possible that Great-grandfather didn't draw it wrong, but the diagram in the book isn't standard."

Two impressionist painters, even if they are drawing the same thing, are very difficult to compare.

At this moment, Li Sanjiang walks in after bathing. He is shirtless, wearing only a pair of blue shorts.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan looking at the book, Li Sanjiang can't help but laugh. "Ha, can you understand it, Little Yuanhou?"

Li Zhuiyuan nods. "I can understand it."

"Good, good, good. You can understand it. Our Little Yuanhou is the smartest."

Li Sanjiang touches Li Zhuiyuan's head, takes the book from his hand, and throws it aside.

The book is full of sloppy, traditional Chinese characters written with a brush, and even cursive ones. To understand it a little, he had to go to the retired old village teacher in the next village several times to ask for advice; that person liked calligraphy.

Later, Li Sanjiang stopped going because the last time he saw him at his house, Li Sanjiang brought his own paper effigies; he gave them away for free, and the man's children thanked him repeatedly.

So, how could he believe that a ten-year-old child like Li Zhuiyuan could understand these things?

"Alright, Little Yuanhou, sit there and don't move."

Li Zhuiyuan obediently sits in the designated spot. Li Sanjiang bends down to light all the candles on the floor, then takes out three black ropes and ties them to Li Zhuiyuan's wrists, ankles, and neck. After he sits down, the other ends of the three black ropes are tied to the same parts of his own body.

The candlelight flickers, and Li Sanjiang begins to chant. He chants very quickly, still in the Nantong dialect. Even if Li Zhuiyuan listens carefully, he can't understand it.

But he feels that this tone is very similar to the little tune his great-grandfather was humming while lying on the rattan chair after eating.

After chanting for a long time, Li Sanjiang finally stops. He smacks his lips; he must be a bit thirsty, but it's not suitable to leave the formation to drink water now, so he can only clear his throat with a dry cough, then reaches behind his back to touch something. When he pulls his hand back, there is a talisman in it.

Li Zhuiyuan is a bit curious. His great-grandfather is only wearing shorts; where was this talisman kept before?

After lighting the talisman near the candle, Li Sanjiang begins to wave the paper.

"Sss!"

Almost when it burns to his hand, Li Sanjiang slaps the talisman between himself and Li Zhuiyuan.

"Clap!"

In an instant, all the candles go out, and the incandescent bulb in the room flickers a few times before returning to normal.

Li Zhuiyuan looks left and right, then lowers his head to look at the black ropes tied to his body

Is this... the end?

It seems... there's no feeling at all.

"Alright!"

Li Sanjiang stands up, walks to Li Zhuiyuan, lowers his head, and uses his teeth and hands to break off the excess parts of the three ropes, but black rope loops remain on Li Zhuiyuan's neck, wrists, and ankles.

"Little Yuanhou, don't untie these three rope knots tonight. Sleep like this, and I'll cut them off for you when we have breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay, Great-grandfather."

"Hmm, go back to sleep."

"Goodnight, Great-grandfather."

"Goodnight, goodnight."

Li Zhuiyuan stands up. Just as he reaches the door, he hears a "thump" behind him. Looking back, he sees Li Sanjiang sitting on the floor, holding his foot.

He was helping him bite off the ropes earlier; he must have accidentally fallen when he wanted to bite off the rope on his own ankle just now.

Li Sanjiang crosses his legs, pillows his head with one hand, and waves at Li Zhuiyuan with the other

"Why aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"Oh."

Li Zhuiyuan returns to his bedroom and lies on the bed. He didn't feel very sleepy before, but as soon as he touches the bed, sleepiness immediately strikes.

He pulls the thin quilt over his stomach and falls into a deep sleep.

Next door.

"It should be done, right?" Li Sanjiang mutters to himself. "It must be done. The light bulb flickered; it couldn't be a loose circuit."

Immediately, Li Sanjiang glances at the book thrown on the floor and doubts himself: "No, the person who wrote this book shouldn't have seen a light bulb back then, right?"

But soon, Li Sanjiang finds new evidence: "What am I thinking? The candles went out, so it must be done."

After saying this, Li Sanjiang stretches, walks to the bed, and lies down.

"Ouch, I'm really exhausted today. Sleep... sleep."

He did too many things today, from guiding corpses to hauling corpses and drawing formation diagrams. He's old and really can't take it.

As soon as his head hits the pillow, he starts snoring.

However, as he sleeps, Li Sanjiang turns over, mutters a few words, and his brows gradually furrow.

He is dreaming.

In the dream,

He finds himself sitting on a white jade stone platform, surrounded by towering palace walls and magnificent halls.

To his front right is a gate, and to his left is a large open space, extending all the way to a pool and a dragon bridge.

"Damn it, is this the Forbidden City?"

Li Sanjiang has never been to the capital, so naturally, he has never been to the Forbidden City, but he has seen it on calendars and outdoor movie screens. Isn't this where the emperor lived?

Hey, he actually had this dream; interesting.

Li Sanjiang subconsciously wants to touch the cigarette in his pocket; shouldn't he have one?

But when he reaches down to touch it, he grabs something furry. Looking down, he sees an orange cat lying on his leg.

The cat seems to have just been sleeping and is woken up, turning over with some dissatisfaction.

"Get lost."

Li Sanjiang pushes the orange cat away ruthlessly.

After the cat lands and rolls, it stands up and meows at him with dissatisfaction

"Meow!"

Li Sanjiang doesn't care, reaches out to pat the remaining cat hair on his leg, then takes out his cigarette case again, pulls one out to bite in his mouth, takes out a match, and lights it.

Just at this moment, a dull, grinding sound of "creak..." comes from the front left; the palace gate must have been opened.

Li Sanjiang takes a puff of the cigarette: "I remember hearing people say you have to buy a ticket to go to the Forbidden City. Will I be fined for sneaking in?"

Immediately, Li Sanjiang pats the back of his own head: "I'm in a dream, damn it! What ticket!"

Exhaling a beautiful smoke ring, Li Sanjiang smiles proudly

"This is really cost-effective. People have to take a long-distance train to the capital and buy a ticket to enter the Forbidden City. I'm just visiting as a tourist in my dream."

The grinding sound of the palace gate finally stops. From the three gate openings in front, footsteps can be heard.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Dull, rhythmic.

Li Sanjiang leans forward slightly, wondering: Do you have to march in step to visit the Forbidden City?

But soon,

Li Sanjiang is stunned, because what comes out of the three gate openings are not tourists, but three rows of people wearing Qing Dynasty official uniforms, with peacock feathers on their hats, and pale faces. They jump out in the same rhythm.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

The cigarette in Li Sanjiang's hand has already slipped away at some point.

Suddenly, they all stop jumping and fall into stillness and dead silence.

The next moment,

They all turn left in place, facing Li Sanjiang.