Chapter 3

Home is the final harbor of a person’s heart. No matter what one encounters outside, returning home always brings spiritual solace and shelter.

But now,

She had entered the home!

Li Zhuiyuan saw that he truly couldn't wake Cui Guiying, so he ran toward the inner room, where his brothers and sisters were sleeping on a floor mat.

"Brother Pan, wake up!"

"Brother Lei, wake up quickly!"

"Sister Ying, wake up!"

Li Zhuiyuan ran between one sibling after another, pushing and shouting at each of them, but they were just like Cui Guiying in the kitchen—impossible to wake.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the door between the inner room and the kitchen. The figure of Little Huangying did not appear there.

"Phew..."

He breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, he discovered a puddle of water appearing at his feet. It gathered and grew, beginning to overflow and flow along the uneven ground.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Water droplets fell continuously onto him, soaking his clothes and bringing a viscous, cold, and slippery sensation.

On both sides of his vision, a pair of hands appeared.

Finally,

The ice-cold hands gripped his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan’s body shuddered, and an intense feeling of suffocation washed over him.

But soon, the suffocation gradually faded, because the hands did not linger on his neck for long; they began to slide slowly downward.

A shadow appeared from above. Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head with some difficulty.

The person above also slowly lowered their head at this moment. Long, wet hair hung down, sticking to the boy’s face, resembling a giant black mouth that covered the boy’s head bit by bit,

Until...

It swallowed him whole.

...

"Hanhou, slow down, slow down! My backside is getting bruised, hiss... it hurts!"

Li Sanjiang held onto Li Weihan’s waist with one hand while clutching his own buttocks with the other, trying his best to arch himself up.

"Uncle, don't move around. If you move again, we're going to fall!"

"Pah! You're riding so fast, how can I not move!"

After picking up Li Sanjiang from a funeral banquet, Li Weihan had been pedaling home without a moment's rest.

The narrow, pothole-ridden paths through the fields were indeed hard on the passenger, and Li Sanjiang was getting on in years; he really couldn't handle this kind of jolting.

Li Weihan felt helpless. Seeing that they were close to home and the shortcut he’d taken was becoming increasingly difficult, he had no choice but to slow down.

"Ouch..." Li Sanjiang finally let out a sigh of relief. He felt for the cigarette case in his pocket and said, "Hanhou, let's stop and have a smoke."

"We're almost home, Uncle. Let's smoke when we get there."

"Hey, what are you in such a rush for? Didn't you already call Blind Liu to take a look? I reckon your little Yuanhou is probably already eating and running around at home by now."

"Is Blind Liu really useful?"

Li Weihan didn't have much faith in Liu Jinxia’s abilities. He had seen that mother and daughter during their most difficult times; if she really had the power to communicate with the yin and yang, how could she have let herself fall into such a miserable state?

By comparison, he trusted Li Sanjiang more. After all, the man specialized in "fishing for the drowned," and in his memory, his life had always been quite comfortable.

"How should I put it? That Blind Liu was just a con artist in her early years. Later on, she managed to figure out some tricks of the trade herself. Isn't there an old saying? 'A hemp rope always breaks at the thinnest point.' Wherever she went, things broke for her first. After breaking enough, she gained some experience."

"What does that mean, Uncle? I don't understand."

"Forget it if you don't understand. The worst-case scenario for your little Yuanhou is just being possessed. That Blind Liu can actually handle this kind of thing, considering the past favors between you."

"I'm just worried about the child. I'd rather be possessed myself."

"You, Hanhou, you really are biased. You were biased toward your daughter back in the day, and now you're biased toward your grandson. But then again, your daughter is capable; this 'Double-Eight' bicycle was bought for you by her years ago, right?

But listen, being possessed isn't necessarily all that painful. It might even be quite enjoyable. It’s like a person who hangs themselves—before the noose tightens around their neck, through that loop, all they see are things they are obsessed with."

"Uncle, you make it sound like a good thing."

"It's certainly not a good thing. Just treat it as the child having a bit of a fright at a gravesite. Which village doesn't have a few naughty, unlucky kids every year? It's just a minor illness."

"By the way, Uncle, how do you plan to deal with that 'drowned one'?"

"Deal with it?" Li Sanjiang’s emotions suddenly fluctuated, and his tone turned stern. "Do you think I’m living too comfortably that I must rush to deal with a drowned one that can walk on water?"

Hearing this, Li Weihan’s heart tightened, and he pedaled even faster.

"Hey, hey! Slow down, slow down! Hanhou, what kind of madness are you having? No matter how powerful that drowned one is, you guys already ran away, so there shouldn't be any big trouble. Don't tell me she can chase you all the way home?"

"We're here!"

The bicycle reached the terrace, and Li Weihan immediately got off to steady it.

Li Sanjiang jumped off the back seat, reaching back to rub his backside continuously.

Li Weihan: "Guiying, Guiying!"

"Coming, coming! Keep your voice down, don't make a racket, the children are asleep." Cui Guiying walked out and greeted Li Sanjiang first. "Uncle, you're here."

"Yeah, I'm here." Li Sanjiang didn't dawdle, flicking his sleeves toward the inside. "Let's go, check on the child first."

Arriving at the door panel, Li Sanjiang squatted down to check on Li Zhuiyuan’s condition.

"Should I wake the child up?" Cui Guiying asked.

"No need. The child is fine now, no longer possessed. Has Blind Liu been here?"

"She has." Cui Guiying recounted the events of the afternoon.

Li Sanjiang nodded after hearing it. "It’s because you were kind and generous in the past, Guiying, willing to let Hanhou help that mother and daughter. That’s why you have today; the merit you accumulated has been repaid to your children and grandchildren."

"Oh, Uncle, don't say that. It wasn't anything."

"It was everything. If it were anyone else in the past, do you think Blind Liu would have been willing to help?

It’s a debt of gratitude; no matter how unwilling she was, she had to grit her teeth and accept it. She’s probably feeling very aggrieved and regretful inside, likely at home right now wiping away tears and lamenting her hard life."

"Uncle, sit." Li Weihan handed a small stool to Li Sanjiang, lit a cigarette for him, and then turned to his wife. "Guiying, bring some food to satisfy his hunger."

As he spoke, he glanced at the locked cabinet.

Cui Guiying took the key, opened the lock, and took out sponge cakes and biscuits, laying them out before the two men. She said apologetically to Li Sanjiang, "Uncle, I’ll go buy some meat tomorrow and invite you over for a proper drink."

"Bah, why go through all that trouble? Put it away. How could I steal the children's food?"

Li Weihan broke open a biscuit box with his hands, took a biscuit, and handed it to Li Sanjiang. He picked up the iron box himself, looked at it, and said, "Guiying, remember to keep the box after the biscuits are finished. It’s quite suitable for holding needles and buttons."

"I know."

Li Sanjiang ate the biscuits in a few bites. When Li Weihan offered more, he pushed them away and patted his trouser legs. "Alright, the child is fine now. I'm heading home."

"I'll ride you back."

"No, no, no more riding."

"Then I won't ride. I'll walk you back. Guiying, bring the flashlight."

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly began to twitch, his breathing grew heavy, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Li Sanjiang immediately sat back down to check on the child.

Li Weihan asked anxiously, "Uncle, the child is..."

"It's nothing, probably just a nightmare. It's normal. When they are first possessed, they feel that dirty thing is beautiful and fascinating. Only after they realize it later do they feel fear. It doesn't matter; the child will forget about this in a few days."

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying nodded; they certainly hoped the child was fine.

"Ah!"

Li Zhuiyuan let out a cry, sat up from the door panel, and gasped for air.

"Little Yuanhou, Little Yuanhou." Cui Guiying stepped forward to embrace Li Zhuiyuan, patting his back gently. "It's okay, don't be afraid, child. Grandma is here, Grandma is here."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying first, then at Li Weihan, and finally, his gaze landed on the face of Li Sanjiang, whom he was seeing for the first time.

Li Sanjiang pointed to his own red, bulbous nose and smiled. "Little Yuanhou, I am your great-grandfather."

Li Zhuiyuan blinked, then, as if recalling the experience from his dream, he immediately turned his head toward the back door and pointed, saying, "Little Huangying, Little Huangying, she came to our house!"

"Good child, you just had a nightmare. It's already over. She was driven away by your grandma; she won't dare to come looking for our child again."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying with some confusion. "Really, Grandma?"

Li Weihan breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the child was really just scared by a dream, haha."

Seeing that things were developing exactly as Li Sanjiang had said, the couple felt completely at ease.

Only Li Sanjiang, following the direction of Li Zhuiyuan’s finger toward the back door, saw his expression gradually turn serious.

"Hanhou, give me the flashlight."

Li Weihan didn't give it to him, saying instead, "Uncle, I said I'd see you home."

"Give it to me!"

Li Sanjiang snatched the flashlight away.

"Uncle, I'll see you back. You've had some wine, and walking the night path..."

"Move!"

Li Sanjiang pushed Li Weihan aside and walked straight toward the back door.

"Uncle?" Li Weihan looked at his grandson and immediately followed.

Li Sanjiang stepped over the threshold, arrived at the riverside directly facing the back door, and shone the flashlight downward.

"Uncle, is there something else?"

Li Sanjiang spat on the ground and lowered his voice. "It’s normal for a child to have other dreams, but dreaming that a 'drowned one' actually followed him home—that’s terrifying."

"What? It really followed him home?"

Li Sanjiang raised his hand to signal Li Weihan to be quiet, then continued to search the boat and the nearby river surface with the flashlight. But after searching several times, he found nothing.

Li Weihan whispered, "Uncle, there's nothing there."

"Shh, Hanhou, did you hear a sound?"

Li Weihan listened carefully and shook his head. "Uncle, what sound? I didn't hear anything."

"Heh." Li Sanjiang rubbed his nose with his hand. "On a summer night by the river, how could it be this quiet?"

Li Weihan understood instantly. That’s right, it was too quiet around their house. Usually, the cicadas and frogs were like they were holding a grand meeting every night, but tonight, there wasn't a single sound—it was deathly silent.

At this moment, looking at the calm lake surface and the water weeds, Li Weihan felt a chill. That drowned one might be hiding somewhere.

Li Sanjiang turned and walked back into the house, saying to Cui Guiying, "Guiying, bring me a bowl of yellow rice wine."

"Ah, should I stir-fry some peanuts and eggs for you, Uncle?"

"Go get the wine, don't talk so much!" Li Weihan urged. He knew, of course, that Li Sanjiang wasn't here to drink.

Cui Guiying brought a bowl of yellow rice wine. Li Sanjiang took it and squatted down in front of Li Zhuiyuan, smiling. "Little Yuanhou, it’s going to hurt a little in a moment. Don't cry, just endure it, understand?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, then nodded at Li Sanjiang.

"Mm, good."

Li Sanjiang poured the yellow rice wine onto Li Zhuiyuan’s neck. The child instinctively shrank back from the cold, but Li Sanjiang immediately grabbed his arm with his left hand and rubbed his neck and shoulders vigorously with his right.

The old man’s hands were full of calluses, very rough and coarse, like sandpaper scraping against his skin. Li Zhuiyuan was in pain, but he obediently pressed his lips together tightly.

After rubbing the area around the child’s neck and shoulders until it was bright red, Li Sanjiang leaned his face in and inhaled forcefully through his nose.

After inhaling, Li Sanjiang’s eyes widened. He gently pushed the child away and slumped to the floor.

"Uncle, Uncle?" Li Weihan immediately came over to support him.

Cui Guiying went to check on Li Zhuiyuan’s neck. She felt very distressed, but she knew things seemed to have changed again, so she didn't dare say anything, only silently stroking the child’s head.

"Cigarette, Hanhou, give me a cigarette."

"Right."

Li Weihan immediately helped him light it.

Li Sanjiang took a deep drag and exhaled through his nose.

Li Weihan noticed that the hand Li Sanjiang used to hold the cigarette was shaking.

"Guiying, take the child inside." Li Sanjiang pointed to the inner room. "Close the door."

"What exactly is going on?" Cui Guiying couldn't help but ask.

"Do what Uncle says." Li Weihan waved his hand, urging her.

Cui Guiying took a deep breath, picked up Li Zhuiyuan, walked into the inner room, and closed the door.

In the kitchen, only the two men remained.

"Uncle?"

"Hanhou, we’re in trouble.

This afternoon, Blind Liu must have cleared the possession from Little Yuanhou. Since she did it, she couldn't have left it unfinished.

But just now, my nose smelled the stench of a corpse from the child’s neck again. I’ve spent my whole life fishing for the drowned; let me tell you, the stench of a corpse soaked in water is different from the smell of a dead body anywhere else. My nose will never be wrong."

As Li Sanjiang spoke, he turned to look at Li Weihan, very seriously. "That drowned one really did follow us home."

Hearing this, Li Weihan immediately stood up and took down the axe used for chopping firewood from the top of the cabinet. With so many children in the house, such items had to be kept high up.

"Damn her, I'll fight that thing to the death!"

Li Sanjiang narrowed his eyes, took another drag of his cigarette, and said slowly, "What if she doesn't come out?"

"What?" Li Weihan didn't quite understand. "If she doesn't come out, isn't that good?"

"She’s staying right next to your house. You won't be able to find her. She’s just staring at your house—one day, two days, three days... First Little Yuanhou, then Little Pan, Little Lei, Little Hu... then Guiying, then you.

Other families worship gods and Buddhas for protection; your family is essentially hosting an evil spirit.

It won't be long before people get sick, have bad luck, and... the family is ruined."

Li Weihan asked blankly, "Then what should we do? I... I won't live here anymore. Should we go live at my son's place?"

"If she can follow you once, can't she follow you a second time?"

"Uncle, is there any other way?"

"There is a way, actually." The cigarette butt at Li Sanjiang’s lips flickered in the dark.

"Uncle, you have to help me." Li Weihan squatted down beside Li Sanjiang. If anyone else had said these things to him, he would have suspected they were trying to scare him for some other purpose, but Li Sanjiang would never do that.

"This drowned one that walks on water has deep resentment and is not to be trifled with. And this kind that can follow you home—in all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen it. It’s simply evil to the core."

"But Uncle, every debt has its debtor, every grievance has its perpetrator. What does this have to do with my Little Yuanhou?"

"Heh." Li Sanjiang sneered, rubbing his fingers and extinguishing the cigarette butt. "I reckon she wants to find the debtor, but since she can't find the perpetrator, she just grabs the first person she encounters and won't let go."

Li Weihan seemed to think of something, his eyes showing hesitation and contemplation.

Li Sanjiang continued, "This drowned one is the woman who was dancing and singing at the funeral at Big Beard’s house yesterday, right? You told me on the road when you picked me up, her name is Little Huangying?"

"Lei said he saw her. I didn't go to Big Beard’s house yesterday, so I’m not sure."

"It’s Little Huangying. Lei might have been mistaken, but Little Yuanhou wouldn't be. He called out 'Little Huangying' when he woke up from his dream."

"Mm, that’s true."

"Didn't you say the villagers saw Little Huangying and Big Beard’s youngest son sneaking into the woods last night? The funeral troupe even went to Big Beard’s house to make a scene during the day, and Big Beard paid them off to settle it.

This means there’s something..."

Li Sanjiang swallowed the word "ghost" back. At this juncture, he still had to be careful about taboos.

"...This means there’s something on his mind, he’s feeling guilty. Heh, with his family’s style, if there really wasn't something dirty going on, how could he be so soft?

'Big Beard, Big Beard'—he’s not much different from the bandits in the Northeast before liberation. He’s just a damn bandit, and who knows how much evil he’s committed."

At this point, Li Sanjiang paused. He reached into the iron box in front of him, took another biscuit, took a bite, and smiled. "This biscuit has a strong milky flavor; it probably wasn't cheap. Your daughter sent it, right?"

Li Weihan took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, took a few quick, forceful drags, and finally wiped his forehead and eyes with his hand. When he looked at Li Sanjiang again, his eyes were bloodshot.

"Uncle, do you not trust my character?"

Li Sanjiang picked up another biscuit, didn't answer, and continued eating.

Li Weihan continued

"Uncle, back in the early years, it was truly hard for me to arrange marriages for my four sons.

You not only gave me your fields to farm, but every time I helped you out, you’d share some of your labor earnings with me. When Guiying came to help you paste paper, her craftsmanship was so rough I couldn't bear to look, yet you still paid her wages.

Later, when the hardest days passed, I stopped farming your fields because I knew you could get more rent by leasing them to others. As for Guiying, I was too embarrassed to let her go anymore, fearing she’d mess things up like she used to do for work points in the brigade.

I’m truly too embarrassed to take advantage of you anymore, but I, Li Weihan, have always kept your kindness in my heart.

I said before, when your legs aren't as nimble one day, I, Li Weihan, will come to serve you and see you through to the end.

Uncle, you have to trust my character."

Li Sanjiang nodded.

"Heh." Li Weihan chuckled and reached out to take a biscuit. He hadn't eaten anything since the afternoon and was truly hungry.

"Slap!"

The back of his hand was slapped, and the biscuit he had just picked up fell back.

Li Sanjiang stood up and said, "Eat my ass. Save some to arrange on the plate as an offering."

Li Weihan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. After all, he had helped Li Sanjiang for a period of time in the past.

Opening the door to the inner room, he saw Cui Guiying holding the child, leaning forward and standing there.

After the door was opened, Cui Guiying hurriedly smoothed the hair by her ear and asked, "Are you done talking?"

Li Weihan: "Guiying, come out and help set up the offering table. Little Yuanhou, sleep for now."

At this moment, Li Sanjiang’s voice came from behind: "Let Little Yuanhou stay here for now."

Li Weihan turned to look at Li Sanjiang, his brows furrowed, but after hesitating, he seemed to have made a decision and signaled his wife to bring the child out.

Li Zhuiyuan had been sleeping since the afternoon, so he wasn't tired. He sat obediently on a small stool, watching the adults work.

"You’ve lost your mind!" Li Sanjiang pointed at the offering table Li Weihan had moved outside the back door and cursed. "Do you want everyone outside to see? Move it inside, set it up here!"

This was a plain rural area with no mountains, gullies, or tall buildings to block the view. The visibility was excellent. If they lit candles and burned paper money outside, anyone walking out at night to take a leak would be able to see it from far away, and the news would spread quickly.

After all, what normal family would perform sacrifices and offerings in the middle of the night?

Li Weihan immediately moved the table he had just taken out back inside, placing it against the wall near the back door.

Cui Guiying began to set out the offerings: four plates, respectively holding biscuits, sponge cakes, peanuts, and one empty one.

"Uncle, there’s no meat in the house." Cui Guiying looked at Li Sanjiang. "There’s no cured meat or salted meat left."

With over a dozen children living in the house, it was impossible to have leftovers, and even the pickle jar was hitting the bottom. But an offering couldn't be made without meat.

Li Sanjiang pointed to the cabinet where the snacks were locked. "Do you have meat floss?"

"Yes." Cui Guiying nodded immediately. "Will that work?"

"It’s meat, anyway. It’ll do."

"Okay."

Finally, a plate of meat floss was set out, completing the offerings.

A rough iron bucket was brought in from the terrace by Li Weihan. This time, without needing a reminder, he placed the iron bucket in the corner of the kitchen wall himself.

Paper money was still a rare item at this time; one had to go to the town’s paper shop to buy it. Villagers were reluctant to use it for small sacrifices, but yellow paper and gold ingots were things almost every family kept in stock.

The gold and silver ingots were folded by the women themselves, while the yellow paper could be used as toilet paper in a basket by the latrine.

Li Sanjiang first lit the two candles on the offering table, then used the candle flame to light a few sheets of yellow paper, waving them quickly in front of the table while muttering something. He then ran back to the corner and threw the half-burned yellow paper into the iron bucket as kindling. Cui Guiying immediately put the rest of the yellow paper and ingots in to burn.

Li Weihan used a thin wooden stick to stir the paper inside, and after confirming it was fully burned, he moved the iron bucket outside to dump the ashes.

When he returned, he saw Li Sanjiang take a bell out of his pocket, using his gray-black fingernails to dig into it, finally removing the cotton ball that was blocking the inside.

"Ding, ding, ding..."

A light shake produced a crisp sound.

Li Sanjiang untied the bell’s string and walked over to Li Zhuiyuan. "Come, Little Yuanhou, raise your right hand."

Li Zhuiyuan obeyed, watching as Li Sanjiang tied the bell to his wrist.

Immediately after, Li Sanjiang picked up the incense burner from the offering table, thought for a moment, and snapped off a large portion of all three incense sticks, leaving only a tiny bit at the end, and re-inserted them into the burner.

"Little Yuanhou, hold this."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and held the incense burner.

Only then did Cui Guiying finally understand what was happening. She instinctively wanted to lean forward, but Li Weihan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back hard.

"How can you let Little Yuanhou..."

Li Weihan glared at his wife.

Li Sanjiang reached out and covered Li Zhuiyuan’s ears, then looked up at the couple and asked casually, "One last time, are you doing this or not?"

"We are!" Li Weihan answered immediately.

"If something happens to Little Yuanhou..." Cui Guiying shook her arm, trying to break free from her husband’s restraint.

Li Weihan said in a low voice, "If that thing isn't there, then nothing will happen. If it is there, and you don't do this, Little Yuanhou will still be in trouble. That thing is staring at our Little Yuanhou!"

Hearing this, Cui Guiying stopped struggling and let her arm drop.

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, "Hanhou, think it through. If this leaks out, it won't be easy to get along in this village in the future."

Even if there was no drowned one and everything was just a ridiculous joke everyone made up, if you set up this kind of scene at home and perform such rituals, and people find out, this deep grudge will be set in stone!

"Heh." Li Weihan also snorted. "Uncle, I’m not afraid of Big Beard’s family. I have four sons, too."

In the countryside, the more adult sons a family had, the more confidence they had.

Although his four sons weren't exactly model filial children, and there was plenty of friction between the daughters-in-law, if the Li family ever faced trouble from the outside that required a backbone, these four sons would inevitably stand together to face the world.

"Fine, let's do it!" Li Sanjiang let go of Li Zhuiyuan’s ears, squatted down to the child’s ear, and instructed, "Little Yuanhou, in a moment, Great-Grandpa will walk in front, and you follow behind. Walk slowly, don't spill the incense burner, understand?"

"Mm, I understand."

"Good child, good."

Li Sanjiang led Li Zhuiyuan out the back door, turned around, looked at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying who had followed, and said, "Wait in the house, don't follow. Too many people will make it easy to be seen, and I’m afraid of startling her."

"Mm, Uncle, I’m counting on you."

"Close all the doors in the house."

"Okay, Uncle."

Li Weihan pulled his wife back into the house and closed the doors and windows.

Outside, under the night sky by the river, only Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan remained.

"Wait for me a moment, Little Yuanhou."

Li Sanjiang said a word, then went down to the riverside alone along the bluestone steps. He squatted down and began to stir the water surface with his hand while whispering something.

From a distance, the voice was deliberately kept very low, and Li Zhuiyuan couldn't hear what he was saying.

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang’s body began to lean backward, several times making a gesture as if to run, as if the thing under the water might come out and pounce on him at any moment.

Finally, Li Sanjiang finished speaking and ran up quickly, still panting.

"Alright, Little Yuanhou, I’ll walk in front, and you follow closely behind. Remember, no matter what happens next, and no matter what sounds you hear, you must hold onto this incense burner and never look back, understand?"

"Understood."

"Mm, good."

Li Sanjiang walked ahead, keeping a distance of about twenty meters, turned back, and waved at Li Zhuiyuan, signaling that the child could follow.

However, Li Zhuiyuan stayed where he was, not moving.

"Come on, follow me, Little Yuanhou."

"But..." Li Zhuiyuan wanted to turn his head, but he remembered Li Sanjiang’s instructions. He just held the extinguished incense burner in one hand and pointed to the river surface with the other. "Aren't we waiting for her?"

"Waiting for whom?"

"Her, Little Huangying."

"Little Huangying, what about her?"

"She didn't follow."

Li Sanjiang was stunned for a moment. He walked back, lowered his head, and looked at Li Zhuiyuan seriously, asking, "Little Yuanhou, do you know what we are doing?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, then nodded.

Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan with some surprise and muttered, "You child, you’re like your mother—smart."

Immediately, as if thinking of something, Li Sanjiang stared into Li Zhuiyuan’s eyes and asked, "Can you... feel her?"

"Mm."

"Where is she... right now?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth but didn't speak, as if thinking or waiting. Then, he said

"She’s here."

"Where?" Li Sanjiang was shocked.

"Just now in the water..."

"Phew..." Li Sanjiang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now she’s behind me."

Li Sanjiang: "..."

Li Sanjiang subconsciously wanted to shift his gaze to look past Li Zhuiyuan’s head at what was behind him, but he suppressed the urge.

However, even without looking, his nose caught a rich stench of a corpse—a smell he was all too familiar with.

She really had come.

Li Sanjiang swallowed nervously. He wanted to stop, but the thought of the consequences... Damn it, why should Hanhou’s family bear the sins committed by others!

"Little Yuanhou, remember what Great-Grandpa just said."

"Mm."

Li Sanjiang closed his eyes, raised his hands high, and stood up slowly. The stench of the corpse grew stronger.

He turned around, opened his eyes, and walked a distance forward—a distance he used to observe those drowned ones when he was rowing a boat.

After a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked back.

Little Yuanhou was standing there holding the incense burner. Behind him was a darkness that the moonlight could not penetrate.

"Little Yuanhou, follow closely."

"Mm."

"Mm."

Li Sanjiang began to walk forward, and the sound of "ding, ding, ding" came from behind.

He didn't take the village road but deliberately walked along the riverside or through small woods. Even if there were no pedestrians in the middle of the night, he had to be as careful as possible; he absolutely could not let outsiders know.

Halfway through, Li Sanjiang stopped, and the sound of the bell behind him also stopped.

Li Sanjiang looked back. Li Zhuiyuan was still standing there twenty meters away. Behind the child, he vaguely saw a figure, sticking very close.

"Little Yuanhou, keep following. We’re almost there."

"Mm."

"Mm."

Li Sanjiang continued to lead the way. He walked and stopped, and the bell behind him also rang and stopped.

Finally, after rounding one more fish pond, they would be at Big Beard’s front door. This fish pond was actually his.

This time, Li Sanjiang didn't stop but continued along the edge of the pond. During the walk, he slowly looked back

Under the pale moonlight, Li Zhuiyuan was holding the incense burner, occasionally looking at the Great-Grandpa leading the way, and occasionally looking down at the road under his feet.

The road was difficult to walk on, and it was easy for a child to slip and fall, so he walked very seriously and carefully, but he still couldn't avoid swaying.

Behind him followed a woman in a cheongsam with long, wet hair.

The woman was like a blind person, unable to see the road ahead.

And when a blind person is led by someone, they usually grab onto the other person. So, the woman’s hands were gripping the boy’s shoulders, and as they moved, her figure swayed along with the little boy, step by step.

Li Sanjiang swallowed. Walking backward, he missed a step and almost fell, but after a sway, he regained his balance.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan was about to stop.

Li Sanjiang urged anxiously, "Little Yuanhou, don't stop, keep walking, stay steady, we’re almost there."

"Mm."

"Mm."

Finally, after rounding the fish pond, Li Sanjiang arrived in front of Big Beard’s terrace.

It was already the middle of the night. Not only were the lights out at Big Beard’s house, but there were no lights in the nearby houses, and no figures could be seen.

Li Sanjiang turned to the side, squatted down, spread his left hand toward Big Beard’s house and his right hand toward the direction where Little Yuanhou was standing, and said

"I offer to you today, I will sacrifice to you next year. The favor ends here, are you satisfied?

Whether yin or yang, one must be reasonable!

If you have a grievance, seek the perpetrator; if you have a grudge, seek the enemy. Everyone in the world has a hard life; do not drag the innocent into it."

After finishing, Li Sanjiang secretly glanced in Li Zhuiyuan’s direction and found that there were still two figures, one big and one small, standing there quietly.

"Little Yuanhou, kneel."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't kneel; he stood there holding the incense burner.

"Little Yuanhou?" Li Sanjiang urged in a low voice.

"Great-Grandpa... I can't kneel."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to kneel, but there was a force on his shoulders holding him up, preventing him from lowering his body.

Li Sanjiang took a deep breath and immediately recited

"The child is still young, the child doesn't understand, the child owes you nothing. I’ve led the way for you and pointed out the door; do you really intend to ignore all reason?"

After he finished speaking, there were still two figures, one big and one small.

Anger flared in Li Sanjiang’s eyes. He withdrew his hands that were "bridging" and thrust his ten fingers into the ground, embedding black mud under his fingernails.

"You walk under the water, I float on the water. I gave you face and you didn't want it; I reasoned with you and you didn't listen. Fine then, you’re forcing me to flip the table and we’ll all go find the Dragon King to judge this!"

Li Sanjiang’s entire demeanor became solemn. He had never wanted to, nor dared to, face that entity directly, but things had reached this point, and he had no choice. He couldn't bring this drowned one out and then bring her back home.

However, just then, with a "creak," Big Beard’s large iron gate was opened.

Li Sanjiang looked over and saw two people standing behind the door: Big Beard and his youngest son. Both were wearing only large shorts, bare-chested and barefoot.

For a moment, Li Sanjiang felt a bit of dread. He was doing this sneakily; if he were discovered face-to-face, it would be hard to clean up afterward.

But soon, Li Sanjiang discovered something wrong.

He saw Big Beard and his son not even looking at him standing outside the door, but walking in a daze directly toward the fish pond.

As they passed in front of Li Sanjiang, he noticed that both of them were walking on their tiptoes, with their heels off the ground.

The father and son walked side by side, swaying, but never falling. After reaching the edge of the fish pond, they didn't stop but continued walking downward.

Stepping into the water, they continued forward. The water rose past their knees, past their waists, past their shoulders, and finally... past their heads.

"Splash!"

Li Zhuiyuan felt a weight lift from his body and sat directly on the ground. Seeing this, Li Sanjiang immediately ran over to protect the child.

"Child, are you alright?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't answer but stared blankly, pointing forward.

In front was the figure of Little Huangying. Her arms were stretched forward, hands open, as if groping. Although she walked very slowly, she reached the edge of the fish pond and then walked into the water.

Seeming to sense the water beneath her, she slowly lowered her arms and walked more and more steadily.

She began to twist her waist, as if dancing the same dance she had danced on this terrace facing this fish pond yesterday.

Her dance was still very unprofessional, and now that her joints were stiff, it was naturally even less standard, but she danced with great devotion.

Her figure in the night sky appeared and disappeared, sometimes submerged, sometimes abrupt.

Every time she appeared, the water surface rose a bit more on her body.

Gradually, the legs under the slit of her cheongsam were no longer visible, her twisting hips were no longer visible, and her chest—not very prominent but forced up by her clothes—was no longer visible.

The water surface rose past her neck, blurring her hair. She raised her hands, facing the night sky, still performing.

Soon, her head was also submerged. On the water surface, only her arms remained, then gradually only her wrists, then only her hands...

When her hands also slowly disappeared into the water, only a clump of black water weeds remained.

In the end, accompanied by the final ripple,

Everything,

Was gone.

Li Sanjiang carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back and trotted away, hunched over. After running a long distance, he put the child down and began to pound his old waist while taking out his cigarette case.

Seeing the child standing there in a daze, he comforted him: "Listen to Great-Grandpa, just treat it as a dream. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll forget everything."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded obediently, but he felt that he might never forget that scene; it would be frozen in his memory forever.

Flicking the cigarette ash, seeing the child still in low spirits, Li Sanjiang teased

"Little Yuanhou, you can think about something that will make you happy right away."

"Something happy?"

Li Sanjiang pointed toward Big Beard’s house with his cigarette-holding hand and answered

"Eating at a banquet!"

(End of chapter)