Chapter 9

Is it because of the saying, "what you think about by day, you dream about by night"?

After all, he hadn't spent little time feasting his eyes on her these past two days; he had practically been using her as a pen rest.

However,

The next moment,

Qin Li, standing on the terrace, raised her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the balcony.

For the first time, their gazes met.

Li Zhuiyuan understood: she wasn't a product of his own dreaming; she had entered his dream. Dreams were projections rooted in reality, and he had become so accustomed to her frozen image that he shouldn't have expected her to perform any extraneous actions in his dream.

No, wait...

Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly.

This time,

Is this really my own dream?

Is there a possibility that he, like Qin Li below, was merely a participant?

Perhaps he hadn't dreamt enough to summarize any patterns or experience; he had only just started reading books on the subject, and only introductory popular science at that.

It was like having a problem placed in front of him, yet he couldn't even understand the question.

Perhaps,

Qin Li might know something?

Since she could take the initiative to look at him, could he also hope that she might speak?

But the first floor was currently bustling and noisy. To go down the stairs, he would have to pass through the middle of the crowd, which was highly unfeasible.

The second-floor balcony wasn't very high, but for his small physique, jumping down wasn't realistic either.

Because this likely wasn't his dream, he had lost the privilege of taking risks or making mistakes.

Li Zhuiyuan crouched down and waved at Qin Li below, signaling for her to come closer, hoping to see if they could whisper to each other in low voices.

However, before Qin Li could react, Li Zhuiyuan heard footsteps coming from the staircase behind him.

He turned back and saw four elderly women walking toward him. They were wearing brightly colored clothes, their faces caked with thick powder and heavy rouge.

They saw Li Zhuiyuan, and it could even be said that they were heading straight for him.

"Little one, why are you here? The banquet is about to start!"

"Hurry up, the banquet is starting. Go sit for the first round; the second round takes a long time to wait for!"

"That's right, that's right. Once the first round is finished, go home and sleep so you don't delay school tomorrow."

When hosting banquets for funerals or weddings, if there weren't enough seats for all the guests, they would eat in shifts. After the first group finished, the tables would be cleared, reset with new bowls and cold dishes, and then the second group would be seated.

"I don't..."

Before he could finish his refusal, an old woman reached out and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand.

In an instant, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that his original clothes were gone, replaced by a small blue robe. It looked quite old-fashioned, but the fabric was brand new.

The old woman's grip was incredibly strong, pulling Li Zhuiyuan so hard he stumbled several times. As they went down the stairs, Li Zhuiyuan tried to pry her fingers off.

Her hand was very white—a ghastly, pale white—and he couldn't see any skin texture or lines on it.

Seeming to sense his struggle, the old woman suddenly stopped and slowly turned her head.

"Little one, you're not being good. You don't want to go?"

Her voice became very slow and eerie. The light in the hallway dimmed, and the remaining glow focused entirely on the old woman's face.

Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face.

"I'll go. To the banquet. I want to eat at the banquet."

"Good boy."

As soon as she spoke, the light in the hallway returned to normal.

The old woman continued to pull Li Zhuiyuan's hand as they walked down to the first floor.

Originally, the first floor of his great-grandfather's house was used purely as a storage room; the walls weren't even painted, just raw cement.

But now, the entire floor was decorated with lanterns and streamers, looking very festive.

Tables were set up, each covered with red plastic film, topped with bowls, plates, and cold dishes.

There were many people coming and going—men, women, young, and old—all wearing overly bright new clothes, their faces heavily powdered with prominent rouge.

Li Zhuiyuan roughly knew what they were.

Because all the tables, chairs, and plates were set out, but the paper figures that had been stockpiled there were nowhere to be seen.

After the old woman pulled Li Zhuiyuan to the first floor, she let go of his hand and went off to busy herself. Li Zhuiyuan turned around, only to find that the stairs he had just come down... were gone.

He didn't stand there like a fool; instead, he walked toward the entrance. To make moving goods easier, his great-grandfather's house had many front doors, and at this moment, the door panels had been removed, leaving it wide open.

Therefore, the first floor and the courtyard outside were almost completely connected.

Just as he reached the door, Li Zhuiyuan saw two young women leading a little girl inside. It was Qin Li.

Unlike him, her clothes hadn't changed, presumably because what she was wearing was already appropriate for this place.

At this moment, Qin Li's eyelashes began to flutter, and her body started to tremble slightly.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed she might be about to lash out and bite someone.

The two young women holding her seemed to notice something wrong with Qin Li and lowered their heads to look at her. At the same time, the light where the three of them stood began to dim. This darkness gradually expanded, and others caught within it stopped their conversations and turned to look over with cold, expressionless faces.

Li Zhuiyuan was now certain: this was not his dream.

Of course, it wasn't Qin Li's dream either.

He had never heard of anyone suffering a backlash from the environment for acting out of character in their own dream.

This was clearly someone else's dream. Although he didn't know whose, they were currently immersed in it, and illogical, out-of-character behavior would disturb them and cause them to wake up.

Upon waking, they might be grumpy, or they might strangle the two "small fry" who shouldn't have existed in their dream before going back to sleep.

Regardless of the situation, Li Zhuiyuan felt it was very disadvantageous for him.

So, he took the initiative to step forward, stood in front of Qin Li, and said with a smile

"Little sister, I finally found you. You don't know how long big brother has been looking for you."

Li Zhuiyuan then looked at the two women holding Qin Li's hands and said

"Thank you for helping me find my sister. She tends to wander off on her own, and her head isn't quite right."

As he said this, Li Zhuiyuan pointed to his forehead.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Your sister is here."

The two women looked enlightened.

The shadow that had been spreading stopped, though it didn't retract.

People outside the shadow continued what they were doing, but those inside kept their eyes fixed on them.

Not enough!

Li Zhuiyuan bit his lip. He reached out, grabbed Qin Li's hand, and then wrapped his other arm around her back, gently patting her head.

"Little sister, be good, don't be afraid. Big brother is here. Big brother will take good care of you."

After saying and doing this, Li Zhuiyuan waited for the likely scratching and biting that would follow.

But he had to gamble. Since Qin Li had taken the initiative to look up at him downstairs, he would bet that she could continue to endure it this time!

Their bodies were pressed close together, and Li Zhuiyuan could feel the girl trembling.

From his one-sided observation over the past two days in reality, Li Zhuiyuan knew that the girl before him rejected all external contact.

Only her grandmother could persuade her to eat with soft, gentle words, but even Grandma Liu didn't dare to make any intimate gestures toward her.

However, to Li Zhuiyuan's delight, the girl's trembling gradually subsided, and her breathing became steady. Not only did she not push him away, she didn't even try to pull her hand from his grip.

Seeing that the girl had finally calmed down, the shadow at their feet began to shrink and eventually disappeared.

The people who had been staring at them motionless all turned back to their own business, including the two women.

*Phew...* Temporarily safe.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Li and whispered, "Do you know what we should do next?"

Qin Li didn't react; she just stared at him.

Fine, she probably didn't know either.

If it were daytime, he thought he might be quite happy to hold her hand and have her gaze at him.

It felt like a perfect work of art interacting and responding to you.

But in this environment, Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to feel that way.

"Time to eat, time to eat, everyone take your seats!"

"Alright, sit down, sit down, hurry up!"

People were bustling about, taking their seats.

At this moment, the safest choice was to blend in.

"Let's go find a place to sit," Li Zhuiyuan said to Qin Li, then led her toward a table where only a little boy was sitting.

Just as they were about to sit down, the little boy bent over, covered the bench with his hands, and shouted

"I claimed this seat, I claimed this seat! My mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, uncle, and aunt are coming soon, you can't sit here!"

So, they had encountered someone who claimed seats in advance.

If it weren't for the fact that the rouge on the little boy's face was so thick he clearly looked like a paper-figure boy, Li Zhuiyuan would have suspected he was Huzi or Shitou.

Last time they ate at the bearded man's house, Huzi and Shitou had also gone ahead to save seats for their older brothers; the expression, tone, and posture were almost identical.

"Little one, little one, there are two empty spots here, sit here. That way our table will be full," an old grandfather wearing a burial shroud at the next table offered.

"Okay, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately pulled Qin Li over. After he sat down, seeing that Qin Li was still standing, he whispered, "Sit down."

Qin Li didn't move; she remained standing.

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to reach out, grab her waist, and apply pressure until she sat down.

However, when he touched her waist, Li Zhuiyuan felt her start trembling again.

Once he let go, she calmed down.

He looked down at the hand he was still holding... Li Zhuiyuan roughly understood; this was likely the maximum level of contact she could accept for now.

"Little one, where are your parents?" the grandfather in the burial shroud asked.

His tone was quite kind, but with that makeup... even the kindest person looked eerie.

Li Zhuiyuan: "My grandparents are helping in the kitchen, they told me to bring my sister over to eat first."

"Oh, I see, hehe." Then, the grandfather looked at Qin Li. "This girl is so well-behaved. How old is she?"

Qin Li ignored him.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that even if she wanted to answer, she couldn't, because she likely didn't understand the Nantong dialect.

Grandma Liu's family lived at the great-grandfather's place, and Aunt Liu and Uncle Qin worked for him, but they never interacted with the villagers. Even when they spoke to him, they used Mandarin, let alone Qin Li, who liked to sit behind the threshold all day without moving.

Fortunately, it was fine that she didn't speak. If she spoke Mandarin, it would only invite more curious questions. At this juncture, the more you said, the more you risked.

"Grandpa, my sister is ten. She had a fever when she was little and wasn't taken to the clinic in time, which damaged her brain. She can't hear well and can't speak."

Li Zhuiyuan said this loudly so the whole table could hear. No matter what, he had to block any further questions about Qin Li.

"Oh, I see. Sigh, poor child, tsk tsk tsk."

"Sigh, we have one in our team too. Had a fever when she was little, the parents didn't pay attention, and her brain got fried."

"Exactly, you have to be careful when raising children, otherwise the child suffers, and it's a burden for the adults to take care of her later."

The people at the table began to chat among themselves.

At this point, the grandfather in the burial shroud asked Li Zhuiyuan: "How old are you?"

"I'm eleven."

Li Zhuiyuan lied and added a year. Although Qin Li was actually only a month younger than him, he couldn't say ten; they didn't look like twins at all, and it was impossible for a "mother" to give birth to two children in one month.

He didn't want to have to invent a story about a widower father and a widow mother forming a second marriage.

If he did, the table would definitely discuss it even more enthusiastically, and maybe the next table would join in.

"Are you in school?"

"Yes, fourth grade."

"Oh, and your sister?"

"My sister isn't in school. She just stays home and sits all day. We only brought her out today because of the banquet."

"Hmm."

The grandfather stopped asking and turned to chat with others.

Li Zhuiyuan finally got a moment of peace. He looked at Qin Li sitting beside him and leaned over, whispering

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

This wasn't flattery, but reassurance—the implication being: stay calm, don't explode.

Qin Li turned her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't see any emotion in her eyes.

Then, Qin Li turned back and continued to stare blankly.

Li Zhuiyuan felt she could understand him; after all, she could eat on her own... she wasn't incapable of self-care, and she was a neat freak.

Every time she finished eating, Grandma Liu would help her wipe clean.

Now, with some free time, Li Zhuiyuan began to pay attention to the dishes on the table.

They were all cold dishes: spinach salad molded into a cylinder, century egg with tofu, stir-fried peanuts, sliced salted duck eggs...

There were only two meat dishes: sliced salted pork and braised small ribs. However, the portions were very small, and they were cut into small pieces, just enough for everyone at the table to have two chopsticks' worth.

The braised ribs were right in front of him. They were served cold, sweet but not greasy. Li Zhuiyuan had a deep impression of this dish from the last banquet.

But seeing it now, he had no appetite at all. Heaven knows what this stuff actually was.

Just then, singing began.

People at nearby tables looked over, and many stood up.

Li Zhuiyuan turned to look. In a small open area in the center of the banquet, a man and a woman were standing, with an old man playing an instrument beside them.

The man and woman were wearing opera costumes, their makeup even more elaborate, with extensions and exaggerations on top of the thick powder and rouge.

Accompanied by the old man's instrument, the man sang first, and after some physical movements, the woman continued.

Li Zhuiyuan knew this was a local Nantong opera—the "Boy Opera."

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had taken him to see it at the village square before. The opera was characterized by strange, shrill, high-pitched, and mournful vocals with a strong impact.

To outsiders, it was... extremely unpleasant to listen to.

Back then, Li Zhuiyuan had just arrived in Nantong and was still getting used to the local dialect. Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had been mesmerized, while Li Zhuiyuan felt like his ears were being assaulted by demonic sounds, causing him great pain.

It was the same this time; everyone at the table and nearby was listening intently. Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Li again—thankfully, she had no reaction.

As the performance continued, someone with a basket began distributing chopsticks to each table, while others poured vinegar and soy sauce into small dishes—six dishes per table, usually shared by two people.

"Come, little one, eat."

The grandfather in the burial shroud picked up a piece of rib and put it in Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

"Eat, don't just look."

"Okay, Grandpa, you eat too."

"Hmm."

"Woof!" "Meow!"

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan noticed many cats and dogs running under the table; there was one not far from his feet.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the rib and, when no one was looking, threw it down. The dog below immediately snatched it up and started eating.

After that, whenever the enthusiastic grandfather gave him food, Li Zhuiyuan did the same, tossing it under the table. Soon, many cats and dogs had gathered around them.

Li Zhuiyuan was actually quite familiar with these cats and dogs; he had seen them in the paper-figure pile during the day, but they hadn't been this lively or hungry then.

The grandfather: "Little one, tell your sister to eat. She's just sitting there, not eating anything."

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to turn and make a gesture: "Sister, eat."

Who would have thought that as soon as he said that, Qin Li picked up her chopsticks and started grabbing food. She put three helpings into her bowl, lowered her head, and opened her mouth.

Wait, you're actually going to eat that?

Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly tugged her hand.

Qin Li turned her head to look at Li Zhuiyuan. This time, there was actually emotion in her eyes—weak, but real: confusion.

Li Zhuiyuan had to lean close to her ear—well, it was normal for siblings to whisper

"Don't eat it, feed it to the animals below."

Qin Li looked down at the group of cats and dogs, then stood up and picked up the entire plate of food.

Judging by her posture, she intended to dump the whole plate to feed them.

This act of picking up the plate immediately drew frowns of dissatisfaction from others at the table.

Li Zhuiyuan had to stand up, snatch the plate back, and put it down, smiling as he lectured: "Sister, this is for everyone to share. You can't be greedy; it's not all yours."

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan say this, the adults at the table looked much better, and many said

"If she likes it, let her have it, it's fine."

"Just leave the plate in front of her."

Li Zhuiyuan waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly: "No, that's not right. It's not according to the rules."

*Bang... pop!*

The sound of firecrackers went off outside, and the children at nearby tables began covering their ears and screaming.

A dozen firecrackers went off in a row. When the last one ended, the color tone of the entire venue dimmed. Everyone at the table suddenly stopped moving, and the next table stopped too.

Everyone sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead.

Although he didn't know what was happening, Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly mimicked them. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qin Li beside him. *Hmm...* she didn't need to learn; she was a professional.

Outside the door, an old woman walked in, surrounded by a group of young boys and girls.

As soon as she appeared, the atmosphere of the entire venue became stagnant.

Through the gaps between people's heads, Li Zhuiyuan recognized her. It was the old woman he had seen in his dream at Liu Jinxia's house, the one being carried on Niu Fu's back.

How could she be here?

He clearly remembered that when Niu Fu left his great-grandfather's house, he was hunched over.

The old woman's body was slightly hunched, but her spirit was excellent—abnormally so. Her eyes glowed with a green light, and there were tufts of fine fur on her face.

Additionally, there seemed to be a few black threads on her face... or perhaps black whiskers that had grown out of thin air.

It looked like... a cat's face.

The old woman walked to the main table under the opera stage and smiled at everyone around her

"Today is my birthday. Thank you all for giving me face and coming. You must eat well and drink well, hehe."

As soon as she finished speaking, the dimmed color tone returned to its bright state.

Everyone who had been sitting stiffly began to pick up food, eat, and chat naturally again.

Li Zhuiyuan felt fortunate that the seat he and Qin Li occupied was half-turned away from the old woman, and there were several tables in between. Since they were children and small, they shouldn't be noticed.

But just as he was congratulating himself, he saw the old woman pick up a wine glass and start going from table to table to toast!

He recognized her, so she must recognize him.

This must be her dream... No, Li Zhuiyuan now felt that the environment here could no longer be simply described as a "dream." He and Qin Li were likely in some other special environment.

But regardless, he couldn't let her see him.

The old woman toasted quickly, saying a few words and then toasting the whole table. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she reached their table.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately said loudly to Qin Li: "What? You miss Grandma?"

Qin Li looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion again.

Li Zhuiyuan deliberately used his hand to pat the table from underneath, causing the whole table to shake a few times. Many people dropped the food they had just picked up.

"Hey, sister, don't make a scene. We're eating! If you don't want to eat, don't affect others!"

The confusion in Qin Li's eyes deepened.

Li Zhuiyuan turned to the others at the table and apologized: "I'm sorry, my sister's..."

He pointed to his forehead again.

Everyone showed understanding. Her brain was fried, so it was normal for her to act irrationally.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Li up and left the table: "Fine, I'll take you to find Grandma. *Sigh*, I really can't stand you. I haven't even finished eating!"

Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Li toward the door, but as soon as they got close, he saw a row of men in old-fashioned servant uniforms standing outside.

Some were chatting, some were tearing the fuses of firecrackers. Although they were all busy with their own tasks, they had completely blocked the exit.

Leaving through here was impossible. Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan observed that, judging by the old woman's demeanor, she didn't seem to intend to toast just once. If they stayed here, even if they kept playing hide-and-seek, it would be easy for her to notice them.

He looked around. The stairs to the second floor were gone. The only area left to hide in was the northwest corner, which led to the kitchen.

At this moment, the sound of stir-frying was coming from there.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Li toward the back kitchen. To avoid attracting attention, he kept scolding Qin Li

"Look at you, insisting on finding Grandma."

"It's so hard to get to a banquet, and I haven't even eaten all the good food yet."

"Ah, the hen soup is coming out, and you made me miss the chicken leg!"

Sure enough, as they walked, people at nearby tables were eating and drinking, and no shadows appeared at their feet. Everyone thought it was normal.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan led Qin Li into the kitchen. As soon as they entered, they saw a large plastic basin surrounded by many dirty plates.

Seven or eight old women were squatting by the basin, holding rags and washing the plates.

However, the basin wasn't filled with water, but sand. They were using sand to wash the dishes.

By the large stove, a fat chef wearing an apron was stir-frying. His movements were very skillful; he was clearly a master.

But the ingredients in the baskets beside him were all stacks of white paper.

The seasoning jars beside him didn't contain oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar, but various pigments.

Beside him was a large bucket filled with paste.

He started by heating the paste in the wok, then dumped in a stack of white paper. While stir-frying, he kept adding various pigments, and finally, he reduced the sauce over high heat. When he lifted the large wok to plate the food, what he poured out were plates of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.

Moreover, the flames rising from the stove weren't the usual color; they were a ghostly green, like will-o'-the-wisps.

"If you little ones want to play, go outside! Don't get in the way here!" the chef urged impatiently.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Wow, you're amazing! The food you make smells so good. When I grow up, I want to be a chef too. I want to learn from you!"

"Hehe." The fat chef put away his impatience and laughed. "Stay in school, don't be a chef. It's the middle of summer, it's miserable work."

"No, I want to be a chef. Being a chef is great, you get to eat so many good things. Also, I'm slow, my grades are bad, I can't learn anything."

"Grades are bad? Then you need to learn a trade quickly, otherwise you'll starve to death later."

"You're really amazing. Wow, so that's how you do it? You're too good. I'll just watch from the side, I won't cause any trouble."

The fat chef didn't agree, but he didn't chase them away either.

Li Zhuiyuan stood by, occasionally offering praise and helping to pass plates or add more pigment.

In truth, this praise was very insincere, as the chef just threw paste, white paper, and pigment into the wok for every dish.

But watching the finished dishes come out like that... it really felt quite strange.

They stood there for a long time. Someone came from outside to announce: "The first round is over, the second round is seated!"

Next, more dirty plates were sent over. After being washed with sand by the old women, they were placed by the chef to be refilled.

The first to be served were cold dishes. There was a cold-dish chef, so the fat chef could take a break. He wiped the sweat with a towel hanging around his neck, then picked up two pieces of tiger-skin pork. He ate one himself and handed the other to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Come, eat."

"No, no."

"Eat, don't be polite."

"I'm already full."

Li Zhuiyuan felt that perhaps he had overdone the praise, leading to the fat chef's excessive enthusiasm.

However, after he refused for the second time, the fat chef's expression suddenly turned cold.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed a shadow appearing at his feet, gradually spreading.

The cold-dish chef and the old women washing dishes all turned their heads to look at him.

Clearly... in this day and age, what child could refuse a big piece of meat?

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to take the meat from the fat chef's hand and put it into his mouth. He chewed while wearing a shy smile, as if his previous refusal was just him being bashful

"Delicious, so fragrant."

The fat chef smiled, the shadow at his feet began to retract, and the others went back to work.

"Ah, sister, why are your shoes broken? How could you be so careless? These are your new shoes, I don't even have new ones! Wait until we get home, Mom is going to hit you!"

As he said this, Li Zhuiyuan crouched down, pretending to fix Qin Li's shoes, but actually secretly spat out the meat he had in his mouth, placed it on the ground, and grabbed Qin Li's left ankle, making her lift her foot and step on the meat.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about just swallowing the meat—at worst, it was just paper—but the moment the meat entered his mouth, a special, indescribable sense of nausea hit him, rushing straight to his brain, and his stomach began to spasm.

It felt as if he were eating food that absolutely did not belong to him.

After standing up, Li Zhuiyuan began to breathe deeply, trying to shake off the intense discomfort.

Qin Li lowered her head to look at her feet, and her body began to tremble.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed she must think her shoes were dirty.

Holding her hand, Li Zhuiyuan leaned toward her and whispered in a weary tone: "Please, just endure it for a moment, be good."

Qin Li raised her head, gradually stopped trembling, and didn't move her shoe off the dirty mess.

Seeing her like this, Li Zhuiyuan felt a small sense of being moved.

But the emotion didn't last long. The fat chef, likely feeling truly flattered, took out a large chicken leg and handed it over

"Come, little one, eat the chicken leg!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

Without hesitation, Li Zhuiyuan took it, took a big bite, and smiled: "Chicken leg, so fragrant, so delicious."

The fat chef: "Hahahaha!"

"Oh, sister, where did you get that oil stain on your skirt? Seriously, you don't know how to cherish new clothes at all. No wonder Mom says you're a money-loser!"

Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly crouched down again, pretending to help his sister clean the stain, reached out to grab Qin Li's right ankle, lifted it, and spat out the remaining chicken leg and the piece in his mouth, letting her right shoe step on it.

"Ah..."

His mouth tasted bitter, his head spun, his stomach spasmed—the sense of nausea and rejection from his entire body almost prevented Li Zhuiyuan from standing up. If he hadn't braced himself with his hand, he might have collapsed to the ground.

But he finally managed to stand up, albeit very shakily, through sheer willpower.

He really couldn't touch this food; it wasn't for the living.

Fortunately, the fat chef didn't give him any more food; he started working on the hot dishes for the second round of guests.

Once the second round ended, the banquet would be over. Li Zhuiyuan felt that if he and Qin Li could just hold out until the end, they could escape this place.

Finally, he saw the fat chef pour out the sweet rice ball soup.

This was the local banquet dessert, the final dish. Once this dish was served, it meant the banquet was over.

Li Zhuiyuan felt a surge of relief and squeezed Qin Li's hand: *Alright, it's almost over.*

Who would have thought that at this moment, the old woman's voice came from the kitchen door

"You chefs have worked so hard, I'm really sorry for the trouble."

Li Zhuiyuan's heart tightened. He immediately pulled Qin Li to crouch behind the stove, using the stove and the fat chef's bulk to block the view from the kitchen door.

The fat chef: "Old Madam, may you live a long life, as long as the Southern Mountains, hahaha!"

"Hehe, I shouldn't live that long. Living too long just annoys the descendants."

"What are you saying? Having an elder in the house is like having a treasure. I wish my own mother could live to be a hundred."

"Your mother is blessed to have a son like you. Mine think that because I've lived so long, I'll suck the luck from my children and grandchildren and bring disaster to the family."

"What kind of nonsense is that? No one should say that about their own mother. They're really not worth anything."

"Sigh, let's not talk about them. They might not be wrong. I'm old and useless. Staying at home is just a waste of food, and it makes them uncomfortable to look at me."

"No wonder I didn't see your two sons today. Didn't your daughter come either?"

"Hmm, no, she didn't."

"Seriously, not coming to your mother's birthday? That's too unreasonable."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. In a few days, I'll go find them, hehe... hehe... hee hee hee."

The old woman's laughter suddenly changed from normal to shrill, and the voice drifted from outside the stove, becoming more and more ethereal, until finally, it became clearer and clearer, and at last, it seemed to fix itself right above his head.

Li Zhuiyuan, crouching on the ground, slowly raised his head.

Just a few centimeters from his face was the face of the cat-faced old woman.

He could see the dense fur on her face clearly, and he could count the number of whiskers. Her teeth were so long and sharp that her lips could barely cover them, and those green eyes were filled with mockery.

"Little one, are you here?"