Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu: Cat-faced Old Woman

"So, Brother Liangliang, does this mean that the statue unearthed at the river construction and the coffins pried open at the farm are at least three hundred years old?"

"That's right, you can interpret it that way. But what's strange is that while three hundred years is a long time, it shouldn't be enough for your local area to have no trace of the 'Bai Family Empress' worship customs. Not even the elderly have any recollection of her.

Yet, the local gazetteer remembers her clearly, and we even dug up her temple. There are historical records and physical ruins, so it's impossible for there to be no folk memory. This is too strange."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and said, "Brother Liangliang, a retired old professor once told me that existence isn't always reasonable, but it always has a reason."

"Little Yuan, you mean that non-existence also must have a reason?"

"Yes, I think perhaps the Bai Family Empress wasn't suitable for worship, nor for evolving into a custom. Her image, or rather the image of the Bai Family and Bai Family Town, might be very different from what we imagine.

I just read the local gazetteer records you brought back, Brother Liangliang. It does record many deeds of the Bai Family Empress. They indeed did many things during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and their style of record-keeping is very similar to some strange tales. However, something is generally missing...

Those strange tales usually end with descriptions like, 'The local people, grateful for her kindness, built temples and statues, and the incense offerings were continuous.'

But the records in the local gazetteer about the Bai Family Empress are truly just records. If it were one or two instances that were overlooked and not written, it would be understandable. But all related records fail to mention this.

However, there are many other related temples in the locality, real-life heroes, Taoist priests and monks from strange tales, and even the Dragon King's Crown Prince from the East Sea all have the kind of ending description I mentioned.

Even if the incense offerings vary now, at least a temple for worship can be found.

Therefore, I believe there is a definite reason for the disconnect between the Bai Family Empress and local folk customs.

Their deeds were about 'slaying demons and eradicating evil,' but their purpose might not have been 'to protect the region.'"

Xue Liangliang looked at Li Zhuiyuan with surprise again. He had lost count of how many times he had looked at this elementary school student with such an expression today.

"Brother Liangliang, do you remember the exterior of the temple unearthed at the river construction?"

"I remember. It was very small and cramped. If it weren't for the height of the statue, I would have suspected the builders used the specifications of the local earth god temples by the roadside."

"And the chains..."

"Yes, chains. That statue was bound by chains. The other end of the chains was connected to the surrounding area of the temple. Without breaking the chains, it would be very difficult to push the temple down by human strength."

"Then it shouldn't be for worship, more like for suppression."

"Suppression?" Xue Liangliang immediately showed a look of realization. "That's right, it's exactly like that! Who would accept incense offerings with such an image!"

Following that, Xue Liangliang paced somewhat agitatedly.

"The layout in the coffins at the farm and the inscriptions on the wooden carvings also stated that they were for suppression. Doesn't this align the behavior logic of the Bai Family Empress in these two locations?

But why wouldn't the common people appreciate this method of self-sacrifice for righteousness?"

"What if the Bai Family Town only pursued the process and not the result?"

"Little Yuan, you mean the Bai Family Empresses only cared about suppressing evil spirits in their own way, and whether the suppressed were truly evil spirits, or where these evil spirits came from, is worth pondering?

Ah... if these evil spirits were released and nurtured by themselves, and then suppressed by themselves, then the common people would indeed not only not be grateful but would actively avoid them.

This way, it all makes perfect sense."

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. The Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu had many records of demonic cultivators and the 'dead float' from the Xuanmen sect. These fellows who pursued corpse nurturing for ascension would go to any extreme.

Within this group, there was a widely shared common understanding:

Lakes are places for nurturing corpses, rivers are ladders to heaven, and rivers flowing into the sea meant ascending to the heavenly gate and achieving ascension.

Nantong is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and Chongming Island is the gateway to the Yangtze. From the peculiar perspective of those people, wouldn't this be equivalent to the heavenly gate?

The Xuanmen practitioners in the mountainous cities upstream would either cultivate their own corpses or usurp the coffins of others. When the time was ripe, they would travel down the river, heading straight for the sea, which required a great deal of time and effort to plan.

The Bai family was much simpler and more direct. They forcibly 'suppressed evil spirits' at the heavenly gate, using a method of stepping on their own feet to ascend.

Thinking of this, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but rub his temples. The ideas of these people were strange, but they did have a worldview that could be applied, and he had applied it himself.

"Little Yuan, this is also why your sister's maternal grandparents died tragically. Although the owner of that farm hasn't been found yet, he might have also met his end.

This shouldn't be the case.

If the Bai Family Empress were on the side of justice, and the evil spirit sealed in that porcelain vase, why would that evil spirit be so eager to harm the benefactor who released it, and act so ruthlessly, leaving no room for mercy?

So, the one who truly became enraged and started killing was the Bai Family Empress, who appeared to represent justice!"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Xue Liangliang with the same surprised gaze.

After all, Xue Liangliang had not read the Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu, yet he was able to analyze such profound things through conventional clues.

"Then Zhao Hequan..." Xue Liangliang was still concerned about his classmate, "Isn't he being targeted by that Bai Family Empress at the river construction, and all the revenge is concentrated on him?"

If it were just an offense, an apology and some kind words would suffice. But if you had ruined someone's good deed, it would invite relentless retaliation!

Xue Liangliang asked doubtfully, "But why did that Bai Family Empress spare you and me? No, this has nothing to do with you. She should have let me go?"

"Perhaps, she could only choose one person."

The scene in his dream that night was very clear. The woman could only take one. For this reason, she hesitated many times between him and Zhao Hequan, as if sensing something special about him, which made her quite conflicted for a while.

"Ah?"

"It says so in the book."

"Oh, there's also this rule. Then Zhao Hequan is doomed, isn't he?"

"I feel so."

"Then we..." Xue Liangliang waved at Li Zhuiyuan, "Hurry up and set up the offering table. Let's quickly break ties with her completely!"

The thought that the other party wasn't forgiving him out of generosity, but was simply unable to deal with him for the moment, made Xue Liangliang feel a sense of urgency.

"Okay." Li Zhuiyuan felt Xue Liangliang's words were very reasonable. He pointed to his cabinet, "Brother Liangliang, the snacks are in here, and there are wooden stools outside. Pack them up and set up two tables. Make sure it's an even number... let's put four portions on each table. I'll go downstairs to get incense, candles, and paper money."

After assigning tasks, Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and retrieved the candles and paper money. When he came back up, Xue Liangliang had already set up two small offering tables in the bedroom.

The two immediately began the ritual.

In the east room, Qin Li, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes.

Liu Yumei, who was resting with her eyes closed while gently fanning her with a cattail fan, also woke up. She lightly covered her granddaughter's face with the fan, blocking her vision, and said softly:

"Good girl, it's nothing. They're just severing the last bit of karma. You rest well, you have to go play with Little Yuan tomorrow morning."

Qin Li slowly closed her eyes.

Liu Yumei looked towards the screen window, through which the night sky outside could be seen.

After a long while, she murmured to herself with a hint of mockery:

"What era is this? Still dreaming those kinds of dreams?"

However, just as she closed her eyes again, intending to go back to sleep.

The next moment, Liu Yumei and Qin Li opened their eyes together.

This time, Qin Li's eyes were deep. Uncharacteristically, when she wasn't looking at Li Zhuiyuan, her pupils were clearly focused.

Liu Yumei's expression also became a little more solemn than before, but she still held the cattail fan, waving it back and forth above Qin Li, as if making a cut.

Qin Li looked at her grandmother beside her.

Liu Yumei said, "Good girl, this isn't about looking for Little Yuan. Go to sleep. You can't play too much tonight, or you'll be exhausted. You don't want to see Little Yuan with dark circles under your eyes, do you?"

Qin Li closed her eyes again.

Liu Yumei felt a sense of loss. She was gradually getting used to using Li Zhuiyuan's name to communicate with her granddaughter. It was heartbreaking, but very effective.

She got up, got out of bed, pulled open the screen window, and closed the outer window, completely sealing off the outside.

"Out of sight, out of mind. Time to sleep."

The ritual concluded, and Xue Liangliang was responsible for cleaning up the burnt paper ashes. He had always been meticulous in his work.

When he returned, he saw Li Zhuiyuan looking at him: "Brother Liangliang, look at your arm."

Xue Liangliang heard this and immediately rolled up his sleeve to look. He found that there wasn't a single trace left. He excitedly asked:

"There's no trace left at all! Little Yuan, what about you?"

"I don't have any either."

"Phew..." Xue Liangliang let out a long sigh of relief. "So, we're done then?"

"Mm, I think so. It's just your classmate, Brother Liangliang..."

Now that they had severed their connection, the deity, the Bai Family Empress, could concentrate all her attention on retaliating against that person.

Xue Liangliang didn't seem particularly sad. Instead, he touched his forehead and shoulders one by one with his fingers, saying, "The Lord will protect him."

Li Zhuiyuan's lips twitched, and he felt like laughing.

He could sense that Xue Liangliang's earlier desire to help his classmate was genuine, but that didn't stop him from abandoning that idea once he realized the gravity of the situation.

Xue Liangliang reached out and rubbed the tip of Li Zhuiyuan's nose, saying, "In everything, you have to be optimistic. If you want to live happily, you have to learn to refuse emotional consumption."

As he spoke, Xue Liangliang turned around and asked, "The shower room is in the back, right? I'm going to take a shower first."

Watching his retreating back, Li Zhuiyuan slowly fell into thought.

Xue Liangliang's words had struck a chord with him.

Perhaps it was precisely because he had been so focused on playing his role that he was becoming less and less like himself.

The walls of Li Sanjiang's bedroom were covered with religious icons.

He had bought them all at a temple fair the year before last and had kept them in a cabinet, unused until today. Now, they were all put to use.

Among them was a painting of an old man with a kind face and an ethereal demeanor. Li Sanjiang placed it in the center.

He believed it was Laozi, but in reality... it was Confucius.

After a long day of labor, he was indeed tired. After setting everything up, he went to sleep very early.

Then, he had a dream.

It's strange. Ever since he performed the luck-transferring ritual with Little Yuanhou, his dreams have become exceptionally frequent.

This time, however, the dream wasn't on the roof of the town's clinic, but on the road.

Turning his head to the right, he saw the familiar gate. On one side of the gate hung a sign he had kissed many times during the day.

Footsteps came from behind him.

Li Sanjiang turned around and saw a petite figure slowly emerging from the shadows, filled with immense resentment.

Without hesitation, Li Sanjiang ran straight into the police station.

The little girl stood outside the police station, her expression venomous, her mouth opening and closing.

The first night he had the dream, he clearly heard the threat: she wanted him dead. When he dozed off on the tractor, her voice had been muffled.

And now, He could only watch her small mouth open and close continuously. Although he couldn't hear anything, she must have been cursing him profusely.

"Heh heh."

Li Sanjiang chuckled, then lay down on his own.

If he encountered someone reasonable, he wouldn't mind losing face, begging, speaking softly, or even kneeling and kowtowing.

But evil spirits were once human. Some people could be reasoned with, but others simply couldn't communicate.

When he met someone like that, even acknowledging them was a waste of energy.

At least in his dreams, Li Sanjiang had seen the world. After all, he had led a group of zombies in a synchronized exercise in the Forbidden City.

Therefore, Li Sanjiang lay down directly, stacking his hands on his navel.

He was tired and fell asleep.

Outside the house in reality, Xue Liangliang walked out of the shower room, wiping his hair. He looked curiously at the willow tree diagonally opposite the house.

The willow branches were constantly swaying, as if blown by the wind, but strangely, he didn't feel any wind here.

"How weird. Why isn't the wind blowing in?"

He didn't think much of it. The day's events were too bizarre, and he didn't have the mental energy to study the wind direction.

When he returned to the bedroom, he saw Li Zhuiyuan sitting at the desk, reading by the lamplight.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed the text was dense and incredibly small, and he couldn't help but worry:

"Reading such small print at night will easily cause nearsightedness."

"It won't, Brother Liangliang. I'm used to it. I can recognize the content just by scanning it with my senses."

"That's amazing?" Xue Liangliang didn't think Li Zhuiyuan was lying. He got into bed first.

The characteristic of an old-fashioned wooden bed was its spaciousness.

"Little Yuan, are you sleeping on the outside or the inside?"

"I don't mind either way."

"Then I'll sleep on the outside. It's safer for a child to sleep on the inside."

"Mm."

"When do you plan to sleep?"

"I'll take a look for a bit longer, then I'll go take a bath and sleep."

"I think you should just treat these as hobbies. You should spend more time on your studies."

"Mm, I know."

In the past, Xue Liangliang would have persuaded him further. But today, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Thinking about it carefully, he had actually received great help from these seemingly useless books that Li Zhuiyuan was reading.

Therefore, he couldn't help but change his tone: "Little Yuan, thinking back, it's really quite interesting. Before the day before yesterday, I never imagined that such things truly existed in this world. But for some reason, I don't feel that scared. It's not that I'm not scared, but I'm not as flustered."

"Fear stems from the unknown. Brother Liangliang, you've already found out where the Bai Family Empress is from. What is there to be afraid of?"

"That's true. But, tell me, should I also read some books on this topic? Do you have any recommendations?"

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment and said, "These books belonged to my great-grandfather. I can't lend them to you without his permission. You'll have to ask my great-grandfather first."

"Then never mind. Your great-grandfather is in this line of work. These books should be his treasures, and he definitely won't lend them to outsiders easily."

In this regard, Xue Liangliang was mistaken.

For many years, Li Sanjiang had simply let these many boxes of books gather dust in the basement.

"Little Yuan, what's your village's phone number? Let's exchange contact information."

Li Zhuiyuan gave the phone number of the village committee, and also the phone number of the village's small shop.

Generally, when villagers wanted to make a call, they would go to these two places. If an outside call came in, it would also be directed here. After stating who the call was for, they would hang up and leave a time for someone to be called. They would then call back after fifteen minutes.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered this phone number, hoping his mother would call him. And his mother, as expected, didn't disappoint him by never calling.

"Forget it, I'll write it down." Xue Liangliang got out of bed, walked to the desk, took paper and pen to write down the number, and then sighed.

Although Li Zhuiyuan had been reading without looking up, he was still able to multitask and said, "Brother Liangliang, are you saying that someday, every household will have a telephone?"

"That day will come, do you believe it?"

"I believe it, but it seems pagers are popular right now."

A few years ago, pagers started entering China and quickly became massively popular. Young people in the city took pride in wearing a pager on their waist.

"I was just planning to get one myself. I'll get it done then, and I'll get you one too, how about it, Little Yuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "I don't need one."

"Oh, right." Xue Liangliang slapped his forehead. "I was supposed to buy you snacks and toys, but I forgot. I'll mail them to you after I get back to school."

"Thanks, Brother Liangliang."

"I'm going to sleep now." Xue Liangliang got back into bed and soon fell asleep.

After Li Zhuiyuan finished reading the scroll in his hands, he went to the shower room to wash up. As he passed by Grandpa's bedroom, he could clearly hear Grandpa's snoring through the door.

It seemed Grandpa was sleeping soundly.

Returning to his own bedroom, he placed a new toothbrush in the washbasin, then climbed to the inner side of the bed and lay down to sleep.

The next day, Xue Liangliang woke up very early.

He had a characteristic: while his sleep quality was high, his sleep duration was relatively short. He needed only half the sleep time of others to recover his energy better than them.

He opened his eyes and glanced at Li Zhuiyuan, who was still asleep beside him. Xue Liangliang couldn't help but think how amusing it would be if this child really got into Haihe University and became his schoolmate.

He got out of bed quietly and saw the new toothbrush in the washbasin. He picked up the basin, preparing to wash up, and as soon as he opened the door.

"Mommy!!!"

Xue Liangliang was so startled that he dropped the washbasin he was holding onto the floor. The washing cup, towel, and toothbrush scattered everywhere.

Anyone who opened their door early in the morning to find a little girl standing silently at the entrance would surely be frightened.

Li Zhuiyuan was woken up by the commotion. He quickly got out of bed, rubbing his eyes as he ran over, taking Qin Li's hand with his other hand and urging:

"Brother Liangliang, hurry up and wash up."

"Oh, okay."

Xue Liangliang immediately picked up his things and went out. What he didn't know was that if Li Zhuiyuan had gotten out of bed even a moment later, he might have ended up covered in injuries.

Because when Li Zhuiyuan held Ah Li's hand, Ah Li's body was already trembling, a sign that she was about to lash out.

Originally, according to his usual habit, Li Zhuiyuan could sleep in. Even if Ah Li came and he hadn't woken up, she would quietly come in and sit waiting for him to wake up.

It was just that Xue Liangliang sleeping there last night had disrupted this habit.

Moreover, because of Xue Liangliang's shout, everyone in the house had to advance their breakfast time.

After washing up and while eating breakfast, Aunt Zhang from the village's small shop called out across the wheat field, "Grandpa Sanjiang, the phone!"

"Oh, coming!"

Li Sanjiang scooped some pickles into his bowl, then holding his porridge bowl with his chopsticks, he walked out while slurping his porridge.

Arriving at the small shop, after waiting for the duration of a cigarette, the phone rang again. He answered, and it was Chen Xiaoling, Yingzi's aunt, calling.

She said the ranch owner had been found, dead in the home of a widow in town. The widow was quite devoted and was already preparing his funeral.

However, the items were not found. She mentioned that the singer had also been there, and the three of them often spent time together.

The singer was not from the local area. They had inquired at her place of work, and they said the woman hadn't come to work last week without notice. The identity information she registered was also fake.

It is currently suspected that the lost jewelry and porcelain vase are in that woman's possession, but finding her now is very difficult.

However, Zhou Hai should be cleared of suspicion and would be released at noon.

Chen Xiaoling anxiously asked what they, as a couple, should do because she had another nightmare last night.

Li Sanjiang patiently comforted her a few times and instructed her to burn incense at the foot of Langshan Zhiyun Pagoda with Zhou Hai after he was released.

Chen Xiaoling asked somewhat nervously if that would be enough.

Li Sanjiang then suggested that they also burn incense at the other four mountains today: Junshan Mountain, Huangni Mountain, Ma'an Mountain, and Jian Mountain.

In truth, Li Sanjiang himself wasn't sure if it would be effective. He mainly didn't want to get further involved in this matter.

Yesterday, he and that Bai Family Empress had severed ties. It was a complete break.

He no longer had any reason to get involved in this mess for Zhou Hai and his wife. He wasn't getting paid, they weren't close relatives, and that thing was so ferocious, why bother?

Besides, it was their own greed and foolishness that caused this. He had already done all he could.

Thinking about going to burn incense at five mountains, Chen Xiaoling felt more confident. She thanked Li Sanjiang profusely over the phone and then hung up just as the timer reached 60 seconds.

Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "Grandpa Sanjiang really has a lot of work these days. When I went to the Shigang wholesale department to get supplies, I heard people discussing you."

"It's not all good things, just getting by. Here, give me a pack of Da Qianmen."

"Coming right up."

This was a kind of unspoken agreement in the village. You couldn't expect them to run errands for you for free. After answering the phone, you had to buy something, even if it was just a couple of candies for the children.

Walking home with the pack of cigarettes, as he neared the turn-off to his house, he saw Xue Liangliang walking out.

"Grandpa, I'm heading back to school."

"What, you're leaving already?"

"Yeah, I only got a day off."

"Be careful on your way then."

"Okay, Grandpa, I'll come visit you again."

"Heh heh."

Li Sanjiang gave a dry laugh, waved his hand, and left after sleeping over and having breakfast. He hadn't even tutored his great-grandson. These college students were really something.

Just as he was about to head inside, he saw someone on a bicycle approaching him from a distance. The person looked familiar, and after some thought, he realized it was someone from the Niu family, Niu Fu's youngest son.

The person quickly got off his bicycle and ran towards Li Sanjiang, speaking anxiously:

"Grandpa Sanjiang, please, can you go and see my dad again? Something's happened to my dad."

Li Sanjiang frowned and said directly, "Alas, it has happened. But it's no longer my concern. It's fate, destiny."

What a joke. Li Sanjiang wasn't some TV salesman in a department store; how could he offer after-sales service?

"No, Grandpa, really. Not only has something happened to my dad, but my second uncle and aunt have also had something happen. Everyone is very panicked and sent me to ask you to come and see them."

"I can't do that, I really can't. It was already difficult for me to make an exception once. If I keep making exceptions, how am I supposed to live? I haven't even lacquered my coffin yet."

"Grandpa, please, really. You're the only one our family can count on right now." As he spoke, he took out a red envelope from his pocket and placed it in Li Sanjiang's hand.

Li Sanjiang's attitude softened with the thickness of the red envelope.

"Well... I can go and take a look. But honestly, if something serious has happened, I'm afraid there's not much I can do. The most I can do is offer blessings and protection to you younger ones, and perhaps improve the feng shui."

"That would be great, that's all we need. Really, we're very grateful."

In reality, the younger generation wasn't that concerned about the three elders themselves. They were worried that after the three elders had consecutive incidents, they would be next.

"You go back first. I need to get ready here and will head over in the afternoon."

"Okay, okay, Grandpa. We'll be waiting for you at home."

After the other person rode away, Li Sanjiang walked along the path through the rice paddies and opened the red envelope. Seeing that every bill was a Da Tuanjie, a smile spread across his face.

Heh, it felt good to make money first thing in the morning.

Indeed, why should he always be the one to take on the dirty jobs?

In fact, as Liu Jinxia had said, this line of work was unavoidable when it came to deception. Many times, it was just putting on a show.

But it also depended on the person. Some guys were already in deep trouble, so fooling them and taking their money was like helping them avert disaster.

Back home, Li Sanjiang didn't do much preparation. He lay back in a rattan chair on the second-floor terrace, turned on the radio, and planned to doze until afternoon before going out.

As he was adjusting his position, Li Sanjiang saw two children in the northeast corner, each lying on a small lounge chair, side by side.

And the lounge chairs were made such that one was missing its right armrest and the other its left, fitting together perfectly to form a pair with no gap in between.

"You brat, you sure know how to enjoy life."

As it neared noon, a shirtless young man pushing a cart walked onto the threshing ground. It was Run Sheng.

He had helped Grandpa Shan get his dentures fitted and had taken care of him for two days after his injury. After using the money he earned from the Niu family to buy a batch of rice, flour, and oil, Grandpa Shan had sent him out of the house.

Aunt Liu greeted him politely, "Run Sheng, you're here. Are you hungry? We'll be making lunch soon, heh heh."

Run Sheng nodded, "I'm very hungry. My grandpa wouldn't let me eat the past two days. I saved my appetite to eat here."

"That's good. I've just made a new batch of incense. You can try it when we eat to see if it's right."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

Run Sheng said, wiping his mouth.

Li Sanjiang, hearing the conversation from the second floor, gritted his teeth in anger. He thought the old man had forgotten about this, but he hadn't expected him to send his mule to his place to graze.

But it was indeed timely. He could have the boy push the cart to take him in the afternoon.

Although this kid could eat a lot, once he was full, he was more useful than an ox.

"Runsheng Hou, you're here."

Run Sheng looked up at Li Sanjiang from above and nodded vigorously, "Yes, I'm here, Grandpa. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Grandpa. Good boy, take Grandpa to the Niu family this afternoon for some work."

"Okay, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan heard the commotion and what his great-grandfather had said, knowing that the Cat-faced Old Woman had already completed the initial part of the job.

"Brother Run Sheng."

"Hey, Xiao Yuan."

Run Sheng and Li Zhuiyuan exchanged a brief greeting before squatting down by the new incense that Aunt Liu was drying. He was too hungry to pay attention to anything else for the moment.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Li Sanjiang, showing a well-behaved smile, "Great-Grandpa."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I want to go to Shigang Town this afternoon to buy some stationery."

"Okay, then you can go with Grandpa this afternoon."

Li Sanjiang readily agreed. He felt there was no danger from the Niu family, especially since he had already slain that dead float with his Peachwood Sword.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Li Sanjiang's neck, and pressed his face against his chest, giving him a hug.

Li Sanjiang chuckled, gently patting Li Zhuiyuan's head.

"Oh, oh, oh, hahaha, it's nothing, nothing. Whatever you want to buy, Grandpa will buy it for you. Grandpa has money, lots of money."

He really enjoyed this kind of affection from a junior.

However, he had also thought about it carefully. It seemed he didn't just like juniors; he only liked Little Yuanhou.

Although this child wasn't diligent in his studies, he was truly likable.

After making arrangements with Grandpa, Li Zhuiyuan sat back in his armchair and continued reading.

As he was reading, he suddenly felt two hands press against him. The movements were slow and clumsy, but they gradually wrapped around his neck, and then a face pressed against his chest.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately understood. Ah Li was imitating the actions he had just used to please Grandpa.

Immediately, he sensed confusion in the girl's gaze.

Li Zhuiyuan understood and could only reach out and gently pat the girl's head.

"Whatever you want to buy, I'll buy it for you. I have money, lots of money."

The girl was satisfied. She let go of her hands and returned to her normal posture, her eyes bright, outshining the midday sun in this corner.

Downstairs, Liu Yumei, who was drinking tea by herself, felt her hand tremble slightly as she held her teacup. She cursed inwardly, "You have money, you brat, you don't have any money!"

But amidst the sourness, there was also immense comfort, and tears welled up in her eyes.

When had her granddaughter ever made such a gesture since she fell ill?

Sometimes, the most difficult part was the breakthrough from zero to one. She was already imagining a future day when her granddaughter would hug her neck like this, letting her gently pat her head.

She lowered her head and continued to drink her tea, then frowned slightly.

Had the tea gone bad? Why did it taste both sour and sweet?

After leaving Siyuan Village, Xue Liangliang first took a bus to the Municipal People's Hospital to visit Zhao Hequan, who was hospitalized.

Zhao Hequan's condition was very poor. After being admitted, his symptoms had been continuously worsening. Now, his entire body from head to toe looked as if it had been dyed, presenting a purplish hue.

Coincidentally, Luo Tingrui also came to visit at this time. He glanced at Zhao Hequan as if going through the motions, then gestured for Xue Liangliang to come out with him.

He truly disliked Zhao Hequan. As the department head, he often took them on field trips off-campus. Zhao Hequan was quite talkative and attention-seeking. Even on the bus, if he saw a dog peeing on a utility pole by the roadside, he would make some sarcastic remarks.

Luo Tingrui was a man of action. Although he had also been a student, he understood that the current social trend was like this. However, he still looked down on the meaningless complaints of such unproductive people, because all they did was complain.

On the other hand, Xue Liangliang had always caught his eye. If it weren't for the fact that this kid seemed determined to go to the Great Southwest after graduation, he would have considered introducing his daughter to him.

"Liangliang, are you returning to school?"

"Yes, Director. I'll head to the station shortly."

"Come with me. Some comrades from above are coming down, along with some local comrades. We're going to the riverbank to conduct an inspection. After the inspection, we'll return to school together."

"Okay, Director."

Although the inspection team was formed on the spot, it was quite large.

Three cars and a bus were filled. After leaving the city and heading south, they arrived at the Yangtze River, in a county under Nantong.

After everyone got off and exchanged pleasantries, the introductions were mainly from the local comrades, and then everyone would occasionally ask for Luo Tingrui's opinion.

Xue Liangliang, following behind, understood. They were planning and envisioning a future cross-river bridge. The higher authorities intended to build a bridge here, connecting Nantong and Shanghai.

However, it was still in the planning and conceptualization stage, and the conditions for commencement were not yet met.

But this was enough to make Xue Liangliang feel excited, as any grand project began with this step.

A pre-arranged boat arrived to pick everyone up. The boat sailed onto the river, allowing everyone to experience the surroundings more directly.

"Although there are car ferries to solve the transportation problem, the lack of a proper bridge still severely hinders local economic development..."

While the local comrades described the actual situation, Xue Liangliang listened, leaning against the ship's railing, his gaze fixed on the river. He marveled at the vast scenery where the river and sky merged.

Then, he frowned again and lowered his head, looking at the river surface below.

"According to the mislabeled location in the local gazetteer, it seems Bai Family Town is...

Right now...

Beneath my feet."