Chapter 34

Run Sheng pedaled cheerfully ahead, feeling that the blue sky, white clouds, fields, and irrigation ditches were all exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

Ever since he had become self-aware, every time his grandfather said to him

"Run Sheng Hou, Grandpa is going to play cards. Once I win some money, I'll buy you meat tonight!"

At first, Run Sheng truly looked forward to it; later, every time he heard those words, he would immediately run to the rice bin to check if there was enough rice left to cook a porridge thick enough to stand chopsticks in for the two of them that evening.

Today, Run Sheng finally realized that playing cards... could actually win money.

Under the long-term "influence of family upbringing," he had almost come to feel that playing cards was like making offerings to the Bodhisattva during festivals—a form of sacrifice.

In contrast, Li Zhuyuan, sitting in the back, did not look quite so pleasant.

At his feet was a bag of money—new, crumpled, and various denominations. Although the absolute amount wasn't exaggerated, considering the current rural prices and labor costs, it was enough for him to set up a small manual workshop behind Great-Grandpa's house.

Occasional good luck at the table was normal; doesn't every family eat dumplings during the New Year?

In essence, it was still a matter of probability.

But when a continuous streak of luck came crashing down, the problem gradually shifted from probability to metaphysics.

Recalling his memory loss after last night's luck-shifting ritual, Li Zhuyuan could now be almost certain: the ritual had taken effect.

Taking effect did not necessarily mean success; it merely meant it had worked and brought about change—even whether that change was good or bad was debatable.

Li Zhuyuan didn't know exactly how much fortune Great-Grandpa had transferred to him, but judging by the "cooperation" of the players at the table just now, it seemed to be quite a lot.

Liu Yumei had told him that Great-Grandpa's fortune was not easily taken; it was more like a transaction.

Uncle Qin and Auntie Liu, working like oxen and horses for meager wages at Great-Grandpa's house, were only seeking those few coins in the corners that Liu Yumei spoke of.

Now that he had suddenly taken so much, what price would he have to pay next?

At this moment, there was no overflowing happiness, only overflowing fear.

Li Zhuyuan lowered his head, feeling that his act of consuming fortune to gamble was... foolish.

He was like a short-sighted tomb robber who, after risking his life and enduring countless hardships to finally enter a tomb, saw nothing but gold and silver ingots, completely ignoring the artistic value of the clothes, bronzes, and ceramics.

"Brother Run Sheng, don't hold the handlebars with both hands."

"Okay, Xiao Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, pedal a bit slower."

"Okay, Xiao Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, ride a bit to the side. No, actually, ride a bit more toward the middle."

"..."

"Forget it, Brother Run Sheng, just ride normally."

Just now, a sudden chill had gripped Li Zhuyuan's heart. He worried whether an accident might suddenly occur—perhaps a serious car crash?

But after a brief moment of anxiety, he immediately regained his composure.

If the backlash of Great-Grandpa's fortune was merely this, it would be far too cheap, perhaps even making one feel like they had gotten a bargain.

But the more it was like this, the more uneasy Li Zhuyuan felt, because it meant that on the "road ahead," what awaited him would be something much larger.

As the tricycle entered Grandpa Shan's house, Run Sheng scratched his head and asked Li Zhuyuan

"Xiao Yuan, can I borrow a little money from you to buy some more things for my Grandpa to stock up on? I'll pay you back once Great-Grandpa pays me my wages."

Li Zhuyuan fell silent.

In the past, he would have said without a second thought: "Take whatever you want."

But this money, won not through skill but purely through fortune, felt too hot to handle. Handing this "hot potato" to Grandpa Shan seemed somewhat unkind.

Li Zhuyuan rummaged through the bag and pulled out a few bills. This amount didn't exceed his own capital, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"Not this much, really, not this much. I just need to buy some more rice, flour, and oil for Grandpa. You're giving too much, Xiao Yuan."

"It's fine, buy more."

"I can't buy too much. If I buy too much for him, it'll be easy for him to sell it, and then he might not even have food to eat."

"You certainly think ahead."

"Hehe."

"By the way, Brother Run Sheng, you must keep this matter of me winning at cards a secret. Don't tell anyone."

"But how do we explain the money..."

"Just say you won it."

"Mm, alright."

"Brother Run Sheng, where is your toilet?"

"Over there, you go around the field ridge behind the house. It's the neighbor's toilet; we share it."

"Oh, okay."

As soon as Li Zhuyuan stepped out, Grandpa Shan came running back from outside.

Though the old man was aged and in poor health, he was still very energetic.

This seemed contradictory, but it wasn't; such elderly people often didn't linger long in their sickbeds, but once their time came, they passed away very quickly.

It was exactly what the neighbors often said: "I thought he was still quite robust, sigh, how did he just pass away like that?"

Grandpa Shan had rushed back for two reasons. First, because his money was all gone.

He had a habit: if he lost at cards, he lost, but he would never borrow money to try and win it back.

Second, because he had heard that his Run Sheng had won a huge sum of money at the village hall!

The messengers naturally couldn't be so detailed; they didn't know Li Zhuyuan, so they naturally said Run Sheng had won the money.

"Grandpa, you're back..."

*Slap!*

Grandpa Shan gave Run Sheng a hard slap across the face.

"I told you not to learn bad habits and go playing cards!"

"I was wrong, Grandpa."

"Where's the money?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you, where is the money you won?"

"It's on the tricycle."

Grandpa Shan walked over to the tricycle, and seeing that bag of money, his eyes went wide.

"All of this... you won it?"

"No, ah, no, yes, I won it."

"It's not appropriate for a child to hold so much money. I'll manage it for you."

"No, you can't."

"What, you won money and you're stingy with your Grandpa?"

"The capital... yes, the capital belongs to Xiao Yuan. It's his pocket money."

"Oh, I see..." Grandpa Shan took half the money out of the bag. "Then I'll keep your share for you."

"Grandpa, this, this won't do, this..."

"Enough, stop talking nonsense. It's settled. What are you two still doing at home?"

"Aren't we eating together, Grandpa? I'll go to town later to get some meat, and we can have a good meal, just the two of us."

"Eat what? You and Xiao Yuan Hou eat. Grandpa is busy."

With that, Grandpa Shan rushed back to the battlefield. As he ran, he felt the heavy "bullets" in his pocket, his heart racing with excitement. In his entire life, he had never fought such a wealthy battle.

Li Zhuyuan returned to see Run Sheng standing there looking embarrassed and awkward.

"Xiao Yuan, I've failed you..."

After listening to Run Sheng's explanation, Li Zhuyuan was stunned.

"Xiao Yuan, I was waiting here for you to come back and ask your permission. We'll clear up the truth. I'll go to the hall right now and get your money back from my Grandpa!"

"No need, Brother Run Sheng. You and I earned it together. It's only right to give half to Grandpa Shan."

"Xiao Yuan, you're not angry?"

Li Zhuyuan shook his head. Not only was he not angry, he was actually somewhat moved.

"Brother Run Sheng, weren't you going to buy things for Grandpa? Hurry up and go."

"But, Grandpa has already taken so much money..."

"What needs to be bought should still be bought."

"Xiao Yuan, you're such a good person."

Run Sheng rode off to buy things, and Li Zhuyuan found a small stool and sat down in the courtyard.

Tapping his finger against his forehead, he began to recall the contents of the book regarding this matter—specifically, how this money should be used.

He found it. According to the logic in the book: he could use this money.

But it had to be based on fairness, or on him taking an advantage. In other words, when he bought things, he must either pay a fair price or drive the price down; he must absolutely not let the person selling goods or labor feel that he was being "kind" or that they were getting a bargain from him.

Otherwise, the other party would effectively be sharing in the karma, because they would also be enjoying the extra benefits of that money.

"No wonder there was the concept of collective punishment in ancient times..."

Although the practical purpose was to strengthen the deterrence of illegal acts, from a legal standpoint, even a child in the family was enjoying the benefits brought by the family's illegal gains.

Li Zhuyuan stood up and stretched, just as Run Sheng returned.

"Xiao Yuan, I bought some cooked food. Grandpa isn't here, so we'll have lunch ourselves."

"Great."

Run Sheng washed the pots and started the fire to cook. Besides the purchased braised pig liver and jellyfish salad, Run Sheng also fried an egg and made a loofah soup.

However, the egg was burnt, and the soup was a bit slimy and not refreshing at all.

"Xiao Yuan, this is the best my cooking can do."

Run Sheng took a bite, then ate a mouthful of egg and a sip of soup himself, as if he were proactively testing for poison.

Li Zhuyuan understood. You couldn't expect someone who usually could barely scrape together a meal to have superb culinary skills.

After the meal, Run Sheng cleaned the house and the courtyard, then got on the tricycle to take Li Zhuyuan home.

Turning from the main road into the village path, they saw Panzi and Leizi, covered in dirt, pushing a cart of bricks.

Nowadays, summer jobs were hard to find even in the city, let alone in the countryside.

Remote places were inconvenient for commuting, so the brick kiln near home was a relatively good option. Although it was hard work, the advantage was that they paid daily.

It was quite suitable for young people like Panzi and Leizi to earn some money for themselves during the summer break.

"Brother Panzi, Brother Leizi!"

"Hey, Yuanzi."

"Hey, Yuanzi."

There was a blood scab on the corner of Panzi's mouth, and Leizi's eyes were bruised—the marks of paternal love.

"Yuanzi, it's a good thing you left early that day, haha."

"Yeah, lucky you left first, otherwise you'd be sitting in the police station with us, having to give blood and everything."

"Brothers, thank you for not telling on me."

"How could we? We're brothers; we wouldn't do something like betray a brother."

"Exactly, you're our little brother. How could your older brothers not protect you?"

In truth, they weren't so tough that they were intentionally helping Xiao Yuan hide it; rather, they knew very well that if they spoke out and their fathers and grandfathers found out they had dared to take Xiao Yuan Hou to watch porn, they would likely be beaten even harder.

"Brothers, are you heading back to the kiln?"

"Yeah, we're delivering bricks to the kiln today." As Leizi spoke, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket—it was unclear who gave it to him. With the cigarette in his mouth, he coolly struck a match to light it, took a puff, and then handed it to Panzi.

Panzi took it, took a puff, and handed it to Run Sheng.

This practice of brothers sharing a single cigarette was very common at this time; cigarettes in the small shop could even be sold individually.

Run Sheng shook his head, pulled out an incense stick, lit it with a match, took a puff, and blew out a smoke ring.

Panzi and Leizi were stunned. "What are you smoking?"

Run Sheng replied, "Authentic cigarettes."

Then, Run Sheng handed the burning incense to them, intending to share.

Panzi and Leizi quickly shook their heads, declining the gesture.

Immediately after, Panzi looked at Li Zhuyuan: "Xiao Yuan, tomorrow Sihaizi's family is digging a fish pond. The two of us are going to help. Do you want to come? We'll provide a meal, and you can take some fish."

"I won't go. Great-Grandpa hasn't been letting me go out lately. I only made an exception today to accompany Brother Run Sheng to deliver things to his Grandpa."

"Oh, I see. That's a pity then."

"Then we'll bring you a fish tomorrow night."

"No need, take it home and eat it yourselves. Brothers, you get back to work, I'm heading home."

"Alright, we'll come find you to play another day, Yuanzi."

After the tricycle had traveled a distance, Run Sheng asked curiously, "Xiao Yuan, do you just not want to play with your brothers?"

"No, they're very good to me."

"Then why..."

"Brother Run Sheng, I just don't plan on going out much lately."

Before resolving the issue of the fortune on his person, Li Zhuyuan decided not to go out unless absolutely necessary, especially to places involving water.

Panzi and Leizi inviting him to help dig a fish pond was already a major taboo. He worried that if he went now, heaven knows what might be "dug up" besides fish.

Returning home, seeing that Ah Li was not sitting behind the threshold of the east room on the porch, Li Zhuyuan guessed she was likely in her own room.

She had indeed changed a lot; she no longer just sat there staring blankly. Even when he wasn't around, she would perform some purposeful actions.

Liu Yumei was sitting on a chair at the entrance of the east room, hands folded in front of her, eyes closed as if napping.

Upon sensing someone's return, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the boy with her usual nonchalant gaze, while her left fingers, folded under her right hand, began to perform divination finger movements.

Then, she was forced to stop.

Because the boy had turned his head, giving her only the back of his head, while asking Auntie Liu in the west room what was for dinner and how the incense was made, all while maintaining that posture as he walked into the house.

A sense of doubt arose in Liu Yumei's heart: Was it a coincidence or intentional?

It should be a coincidence; if it were intentional, it would be too absurd.

To detect her calculations, one would need to have a level of divination skill at least equal to her own. How was that possible?

She knew the child read books, and she knew he had designed and crafted a set of practical tools according to the books. Through repeated contact, she knew just how intelligent he was.

In her heart, she had already held this child in very high regard and reluctantly admitted he had embarked on this path, but no matter how clever he was, he shouldn't be able to reach such an outrageous level.

Liu Yumei had always been in this house, so she was certain the boy had no teacher. Qin Li had only taught him a bit of horse stance. If he could reach that level just by reading books, wouldn't her entire life have been wasted?

But today's incident felt wrong. How could the fortune on Li Sanjiang's person have depleted so much all at once?

She would have to observe more tomorrow. If the depletion on Li Sanjiang could slowly replenish, then everything would continue as usual. But if it continued to deplete like this, things would become troublesome.

Feeling unsettled, Liu Yumei stood up. She wanted to go to her room to talk to "the big ones."

Sitting before the altar, she picked up a crisp pastry and was about to start a conversation when she suddenly looked at the memorial tablets on the altar with confusion

"Why does it feel... a bit sparse?"

...

Li Zhuyuan went up to the second floor and saw Li Sanjiang washing his hair with laundry detergent by the water vat.

"Great-Grandpa, didn't you wash this morning?"

"I was just lying there taking a nap when I don't know where some dead bird came from and pooped on my head again. I don't know what's wrong with today, two bird droppings in one day, how unlucky."

Li Zhuyuan could roughly guess why.

"Xiao Yuan Hou, why are you back so early? Didn't Shan Pao keep you for dinner before you left?"

"Grandpa Shan is busy playing cards."

"Heh, that old man, always with that rotten attitude. By the way, did you buy the things?"

"I bought them. I topped up the rice, flour, and oil. Great-Grandpa, you really do care about Grandpa Shan."

"Of course. If he starves to death, I won't have any help when big jobs come up. Although Shan Pao has a foul temper, he has the skill; he's always able to help out."

Li Zhuyuan nodded. Indeed.

"Xiao Yuan Hou, what's in that black bag you're carrying?"

Li Zhuyuan lifted the bag of money: "I bought some candy for Ah Li. Great-Grandpa, do you want to try one?"

Just like last time, Li Zhuyuan intended to have Auntie Liu responsible for his purchasing and negotiating. With Auntie Liu's professionalism, she would certainly ensure the money was spent effectively.

If he went himself, being inexperienced and not a frequent buyer, he would easily be cheated.

In business, prices vary by person; Li Zhuyuan understood this, so he didn't go himself. He wasn't a "misfortune spreader," and those small vendors didn't deserve to be treated that way.

Actually, when he was downstairs just now, Li Zhuyuan had intended to give the money to Auntie Liu, but Grandma Liu was secretly watching him.

Honestly, she watched him in the morning and watched him again in the afternoon; she didn't seem to get tired.

"I won't eat that. Bring me another towel."

"Mm."

After getting a towel for Li Sanjiang, Li Zhuyuan walked toward his room.

On the way, he pushed open the door to Li Sanjiang's bedroom, intending to check the formation on the tiles again, only to find it had been wiped away.

He still didn't understand. He had clearly modified it yesterday, so how could the formation still be effective?

He took a few steps back, turned sideways, and looked at his Great-Grandpa, who was still washing his hair.

The most frustrating part was that he couldn't even discuss this with his Great-Grandpa, even though he was the most important party involved.

Because Li Zhuyuan knew that even if he asked Great-Grandpa to recreate the diagram he had drawn last night, Great-Grandpa would surely draw a brand new one.

Reaching his bedroom door, he pushed it open and saw Ah Li sitting on a small stool, carving wooden flower rolls with a knife.

He hadn't actually told Ah Li that the black canvas was ruined, but the girl had discovered it herself and had even taken the initiative to help him get new wooden flower rolls.

Li Zhuyuan walked to the girl's side and watched her carving intently.

This scene was very much like how the girl used to watch him reading intently in the past.

As the girl carved, she would occasionally lift her eyes to look at him, which was very much like his own responses to her when he used to read.

Li Zhuyuan felt that this should be the most comfortable way for friends to spend time together.

No concessions, only enjoyment.

After watching quietly for a while, Li Zhuyuan's originally anxious heart seemed to settle completely.

He stood up, walked to his desk, and intended to put the money he had won into it.

Opening the drawer, he found not only four stacks of brand-new money but also six small gold ingots.

Without even guessing, he knew who had put them there.

Although he certainly wouldn't take this money or the gold ingots—he would take them down to return to Grandma Liu later—it didn't change the fact that his heart was momentarily swayed, especially after glancing again at the black bag in his hand...

So, he didn't have to work so hard after all.

Li Zhuyuan found an empty box, put the money and gold ingots from the drawer inside, then walked to the girl, sat down again, and said very seriously

"Ah Li, thank you. I am very happy to see you brought these to me, but I cannot take them."

Ah Li stopped her carving and looked up at the boy.

Her eyes showed confusion. She didn't understand; she had seen the boy smiling at the money in his hand this morning, so why wouldn't he want it when she gave it to him?

Moreover, every time Li Sanjiang gave him pocket money, he accepted it and smiled happily.

Clearly, her family had many, many such things.

"Ah Li, gifts should be appropriate in weight and value. Next time before you give me something, you can ask me first. If it's appropriate, I will accept it, okay?"

Ah Li looked thoughtful, and then, she nodded.

Li Zhuyuan was stunned. He had just seen the girl nod, and it was a large nod, not the imperceptible one from before.

"Ah Li, did you really understand?"

The girl nodded again, indicating she understood.

"Then if you didn't understand, how would you show it?"

The girl shook her head, with the same amplitude as a normal person.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuyuan's face. This meant the girl's condition had taken a major step forward today.

Though he didn't know why.

Li Zhuyuan's smile suddenly froze for a moment. Could it be... because of him today?

Striving to push away the worry in his heart, Li Zhuyuan decided to talk about something pleasant

"Auntie Liu said she bought some wood-smoked ham today, it seems to be from Jinhua, Zhejiang. We can taste it tonight. Ah Li, have you ever eaten wood-smoked things before?"

Ah Li shook her head.

"It's made using this kind of smoke after lighting it to create a special flavor... Hm?"

Li Zhuyuan casually picked up a wooden flower roll nearby.

When making the black canvas last time, he had taken a piece of wood from the woodshed and pushed it out with a small handcart.

This time, Ah Li was making them herself, which meant she had pushed the wooden flower rolls out herself.

But why were the wooden flower rolls this time not yellowish-white, but instead jet-black, shiny, and carrying a special, quite pleasant aroma?

"Ah Li, what kind of wood did you use to push them out?"

Ah Li pointed under the small table.

Li Zhuyuan looked down, and his eyes widened instantly, because sitting under the table were three memorial tablets!

...

"Grandma Liu, I'm returning this to you."

In the east room, Li Zhuyuan placed the box containing the money and gold ingots on the table beside Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei opened the box, glanced inside, and closed it again.

"Grandma, aren't you going to count it?"

"It's all been returned, what's there to count?"

"That's good then."

Li Zhuyuan also placed a fertilizer bag on the table.

Liu Yumei opened the mouth of the bag, looked inside, and immediately stood up, took out the three memorial tablets from within, wiped them, and placed them on the altar.

"Ah Li, you can have anything you want to play with, but what's so fun about memorial tablets? Don't touch them next time."

Liu Yumei was still speaking in a soft, gentle voice, not scolding her granddaughter.

Then, she began to count the tablets one by one with her fingers.

She seemed to have forgotten what she had just said: "It's all been returned, what's there to count?"

"Huh? Why are there still a few missing?"

Li Zhuyuan didn't respond, because the missing ones had already turned into wooden flower rolls.

He couldn't exactly pack up that whole bag of wooden flower rolls and bring them over; besides, half of them had already been carved with patterns by Ah Li.

"Xiao Yuan, have you looked again? Maybe after Ah Li took them out, she dropped them somewhere?"

"Grandma, I've looked. There are only these three."

Li Zhuyuan wasn't intentionally shirking responsibility; rather, he felt that for Liu Yumei, it would be much easier to accept the loss of tablets rather than the "dismemberment" of tablets.

"Sigh."

Liu Yumei sighed, looking at Qin Li with a hint of resentment.

The good news was that her granddaughter, who used to be uninterested in everything, was clearly more lively now—she even knew how to give money to boys outside.

But you can take money and gold ingots, why take memorial tablets?

"Grandma Liu, I told Ah Li that she won't touch the tablets again. Right, Ah Li?"

Ah Li nodded.

Liu Yumei could only press her forehead in helplessness. Then, her whole body suddenly shuddered, and she looked at Ah Li in disbelief.

Li Zhuyuan: "Ah Li, Grandma wants to confirm if you know. Quickly tell Grandma, you know."

Ah Li nodded again.

Tears immediately flowed from Liu Yumei's eyes. She turned toward the altar and said with a sob

"The ancestors have shown themselves! The ancestors are protecting us!"

...

Walking out of the east room and helping to close the door, Li Zhuyuan could hear Liu Yumei inside, leading Ah Li in thanking the ancestors on the altar.

Li Zhuyuan breathed a long sigh of relief. This matter had been successfully glossed over.

He hurried upstairs, brought the bag of money down, and handed it to Auntie Liu, who was busy in the kitchen.

"Xiao Yuan, where did you get so much money?"

Coincidentally, Run Sheng was also in the kitchen at the time, eating incense and smelling the aroma from the pot while waiting for dinner. He answered directly

"I won it playing cards!"

Auntie Liu looked at Run Sheng with a suspicious gaze; clearly, she didn't believe him.

Li Zhuyuan said, "Auntie Liu, here is the list. Please help me procure another batch of things. Then, please find two bricklayers to help me build a small workshop behind the house, next to the back wall. It doesn't need to be big, just about the size of the woodshed."

Run Sheng said, "No need to hire anyone, I'll do it. I know how to build walls; I built the family perimeter wall."

Li Zhuyuan ignored Run Sheng's self-recommendation; he had seen the dilapidated state of Grandpa Shan's wall today.

He didn't want the house to collapse and bury him while he was working in the workshop later.

"Alright, Auntie understands."

"Also, Auntie, you should be careful."

"Careful of what?"

"This money isn't clean. Don't let it dirty your hands."

"Hm?" Auntie Liu touched the bag, a look of realization appearing in her eyes as she nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

Run Sheng asked in confusion, "Does it matter if money is dirty or not?"

"Of course, Brother Run Sheng. Banknotes pass through many people's hands during circulation, so they must have many bacteria on them."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Since there was still some time before dinner, Li Zhuyuan didn't return to the second floor but went to the basement instead.

In *The Record of Subduing Demons through the Righteous Path*, whether it was tools or martial arts, they required a vast amount of time and energy and were almost impossible to achieve overnight. Therefore, Li Zhuyuan decided to select another set of books to read during his spare time.

*Click!*

The flashlight turned on, and Li Zhuyuan walked toward the crates.

Suddenly, at the edge of the flashlight's beam, there seemed to be a wriggling black shadow.

Li Zhuyuan was startled and instinctively aimed the flashlight at it. The long black shadow seemed also startled and began to move rapidly.

It was a small snake!

"Whew..."

Li Zhuyuan pursed his lips. He had truly been afraid that something terrifying had entered the basement.

However, after the small snake moved left and then right, it turned and began to crawl toward Li Zhuyuan.

Li Zhuyuan wasn't particularly afraid of snakes; he had been to some excavation sites with his mother before, where there were many snakes.

However, he wasn't professional or brave enough to ignore a snake, even a small one, so he continued to back away. When his back hit a crate, the copper lock on it made a crisp sound.

The noise likely startled the snake, causing it to quickly change direction. Li Zhuyuan's flashlight beam followed it until it disappeared into a finger-thick crack in the corner of the wall.

After the snake left, Li Zhuyuan turned around to look at the crate he had just bumped into.

Because this crate was located at the very edge of the group, he had never opened it before.

Well, this time, it's you.

Placing the flashlight on the ground, Li Zhuyuan braced his hands against the lid, stepped his legs wide, and exerted force.

*Creak!*

The lid was opened and flipped back.

Li Zhuyuan patted his hands. He felt that since he had persisted in practicing the horse stance taught by Uncle Qin, his strength had increased significantly. This was different from the strength gained from physical development; it was more about the use and control of his own power.

Picking up the flashlight and shining it on the books in the crate, he found they were very dusty—not from being sealed away, but because they had been filled with dust when they were packed.

Turning his head, he blew on them several times before the covers of the top row of books finally became visible.

Based on past experience, the books placed at the very top of each crate were usually mediocre; the good books were usually deeper down.

Li Zhuyuan had intended to do just that, until he saw the names of the two sets of books placed in the middle of the very top row.

*The Liu Family's Qi-Observing Manual*, *The Qin Family's Dragon-Watching Method*.

The Liu family, the Qin family?

The names of the Qin and Liu families on the memorial tablets in the east room's altar flashed through Li Zhuyuan's mind.

"It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?"

Li Zhuyuan took the two sets of books out. They were very simple, without covers.

*The Liu Family's Qi-Observing Manual* had three volumes, all quite thick; *The Qin Family's Dragon-Watching Method* had four volumes, also quite thick, and they were not divided by scrolls.

"Could they have been placed here by Grandma Liu?"

Li Zhuyuan quickly shook his head. No, Great-Grandpa had said the books in the basement had been stored with him for many years, and Liu Yumei's family had not been here for very long.

It was even more impossible that Liu Yumei knew there were books in Great-Grandpa's basement and had secretly placed her family's secret techniques here.

Firstly, Liu Yumei had no reason to do so; secondly, the dust on the books silently spoke of how long they had been sealed away.

Li Zhuyuan opened the first volume of *The Liu Family's Qi-Observing Manual*. As soon as he turned a page, he frowned; the handwriting was too messy and ugly.

It wasn't the kind of cursive or connected script, but rather looked as if the writer was in a great hurry, writing very quickly, combined with a lack of calligraphic skill, making it simply ugly, like demonic scribbles.

Many of the characters were so difficult that Li Zhuyuan had to combine them with the context to guess what they were.

After flipping through more than a dozen pages, he found that the layout of the text was inconsistent; the names of the scrolls and chapters were not at the beginning of the main pages but were interspersed within the content.

An image surfaced in Li Zhuyuan's mind: a person with one hand constantly turning the pages of an exquisite book, while the other hand was rapidly transcribing into a blank book in front of them.

While writing, they would also constantly look around, fearing someone might come by.

Therefore, this was likely a transcribed book.

Li Zhuyuan flipped through *The Qin Family's Dragon-Watching Method* hastily, and indeed, it followed the same pattern—it was also a transcribed book.

That almost certainly meant these two sets of books had nothing to do with Liu Yumei.

Li Zhuyuan remembered that Liu Yumei had told him she knew what kind of books he was reading, but analyzing the tone of her words, she likely only thought he was reading occult books and did not know he was reading precious, hand-copied rare volumes.

Additionally, Liu Yumei likely had never entered the basement. Both Liu Yumei and Uncle Qin and Auntie Liu were very mindful; they did not deeply touch Great-Grandpa's affairs or belongings.

If Liu Yumei had been to the basement and looked through these crates, she would never have allowed these two sets of books to remain here; this would be stealing the heritage of both their families, which was a major taboo.

"Alright, just these two sets then."

Li Zhuyuan himself didn't know if he was curious about the content of these two sets of books or about the matters of the Qin and Liu families.

Closing the crate, Li Zhuyuan carried the two sets of books out of the basement. After going up to the second floor, he placed the books on his desk, tore off the covers of each book, rolled them up, lit them, and placed them one by one into his water cup.

To some extent, he still needed to maintain some cover.

These seven books in total—the best and clearest characters were the titles on the covers.

Li Zhuyuan liked to sit on the second-floor terrace to read, and he didn't want to accidentally let Liu Yumei look up and see the titles.

As for Ah Li, who liked to sit by his side and accompany him while he read, that was fine; there was no need to hide it, as Ah Li wouldn't tell anyone.

Auntie Liu's voice came from the porch

"Dinner is ready!"

Li Zhuyuan went downstairs and sat at his small table; Ah Li was already sitting there waiting for him.

"Are you hungry?"

Ah Li nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuyuan's face again. He felt that if things continued to improve, the girl would not be far from being able to speak.

But, if things continued like this...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

Li Sanjiang sneezed three times in a row. He had washed his hair before dawn; he had caught a cold.

"Great-Grandpa, after dinner, I'll accompany you to Dr. Zheng's to get some medicine or a shot."

"No need, it's just a minor ailment, I'll be fine after a nap."

Auntie Liu brought the soup over and set it down, smiling: "There's a type of person in this world who is very diligent in advising others to see a doctor, but when it's their own turn to be sick, they refuse to go no matter what."

Li Zhuyuan said again, "Great-Grandpa, it's a deal. I'll go with you in a bit."

This time he emphasized his tone, because he was worried that Great-Grandpa's current condition might not withstand being sick.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'll go, I'll go!"

Li Sanjiang waved his hand and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

Auntie Liu smiled again: "In the end, it's the great-grandson's words that carry weight, haha."

Just as Li Zhuyuan had finished portioning out a small dish for Ah Li, he heard Auntie Zhang's shouting from across the rice field on the distant village path

"Xiao Yuan Hou, Xiao Yuan Hou, a phone call! It's from Beijing!"

Li Sanjiang hurriedly urged, "Go quickly, Xiao Yuan Hou, it should be your mother calling."

"Then Great-Grandpa, I'm going. Brother Run Sheng, come with me."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Run Sheng had just been about to light his incense for dinner, but since it was Xiao Yuan's request, he immediately nodded and stood up to follow Li Zhuyuan outside.

From a distance, Li Zhuyuan saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying standing outside the small shop.

That made sense; since Auntie Zhang had notified him, she would surely have notified his grandparents as well. Moreover, from his mother's perspective, he was likely living at his grandparents' house rather than his Great-Grandpa's.

Behind his grandparents was a group of Li family children, all happily sharing snacks. Seeing Li Zhuyuan arrive, Shitou and Huzhi immediately held out snacks to him

"Brother Yuanzi, here, eat. Grandma bought them for us, hehe."

Li Zhuyuan knew that Cui Guiying usually wouldn't be willing to proactively buy snacks for the children in the family; after all, with so many children, how much would it cost to provide for everyone?

The reason she was willing to buy them today was that she was too happy—her daughter had finally called back.

One had to realize that the last time their daughter had returned, she had brought her ex-husband with her. At that time, they weren't even married yet, and there was no Xiao Yuan. Since then, their daughter had not returned for many years.

A few years ago, the daughter would occasionally send telegrams or letters to check in, but after that, it gradually ceased.

Although gifts were sent punctually during festivals and quarterly support was remitted without fail;

In principle, the daughter had done much better than the children of her peers in the village, but as parents, sometimes they just wanted to hear their daughter's voice and talk to her.

This wish had been suppressed for too long, gradually becoming a luxury.

"Xiao Yuan Hou, quick, your mother called. Grandma and your mother just finished talking." Cui Guiying's smile was brilliant, and she reached out to pat Li Weihan's back. "Quick, Xiao Yuan Hou is here. Give the phone to Xiao Yuan Hou."

Although Li Weihan was very reluctant, he still called out to the other end of the line: "Alright, alright, Lan Hou, I'll let Xiao Yuan Hou take the phone. Don't hang up when you're done; I'll continue talking to you in a bit."

Li Zhuyuan was very confused. His mother had actually taken the initiative to call, and even more unbelievably, she had actually chatted with his grandparents for so long.

Li Weihan solemnly handed the receiver to his grandson: "Quick, your mother misses you. Lan Hou, I'm letting your son take the phone."

Li Zhuyuan still didn't want to believe it was true. Although he longed for his mother to call, he knew very well that longing was not the same as making a wish.

Pressing the receiver to his ear, Li Zhuyuan heard a woman's voice from the phone: "Hello, is that Xiao Yuan?"

Li Zhuyuan's mouth twitched. The person on the other end was not his mother, but his mother's secretary, Auntie Xu. He remembered that Auntie Xu's hometown was also Nantong.

Therefore, the person who had just been talking to his grandparents was not his mother, Li Lan, but Auntie Xu.

Because his grandparents had not seen their daughter or spoken to her on the phone for so many years, they had long since lost the clarity of her current voice. Furthermore, since Auntie Xu could also understand the Nantong dialect, it was impossible for them to distinguish that it wasn't their daughter herself.

At this moment, looking at his grandparents, who were smiling more happily than during the New Year, Li Zhuyuan felt a strong sense of resentment toward his mother's behavior.

Li Weihan: "Xiao Yuan Hou, quick, call your mother! Quick! Your mother said she misses you so much. Quickly tell your mother that you miss her too."

Cui Guiying: "Xiao Yuan Hou must be shy. Don't go crying the moment you hear your mother's voice, or else you'll be crying for your mother tonight and give Uncle Sanjiang a headache, haha."

It was clear that his grandparents were looking forward to him calling "Mama" for his daughter to hear, because they had never seen the interaction between their daughter and grandson. The surrounding siblings were also laughing and teasing.

Even though he knew it was Auntie Xu on the other end, a look of shyness still appeared on Li Zhuyuan's face. He gripped the receiver tightly and, with an emotion full of longing, shouted excitedly

"Mama, I miss you so much!"

The other end must have been on speakerphone, as two sets of footsteps—one approaching and one receding—could be heard.

Li Zhuyuan could imagine that when his grandparents were talking to Auntie Xu as if she were their daughter, the owner of the footsteps found it noisy and intentionally walked away to a place where they couldn't be heard.

Now, the person from afar had walked back, and Auntie Xu had walked out.

Therefore, the next person to speak would be his mother.

A sense of anticipation rose in Li Zhuyuan's heart. Although this thought was inappropriate and incorrect, he could not control himself from thinking: It seems there is a difference in how Mama treats me and how she treats my grandparents.

Finally, Li Lan's voice came from the other end

"Li Zhuyuan, you've become even more disgusting now."