Chapter 23

The woman from before was now standing inside the archway, her umbrella gone, her hands cradling the porcelain vase.

At this moment, Xue Liangliang was astonished to discover that not only had the pulling force of the water vanished after reaching the archway, but the terrifying sense of suffocation was also gone.

He immediately began to take deep breaths, but he only kept performing the action without achieving the desired effect.

His mouth and nose felt as if they were blocked, with no fresh air entering at all.

He suddenly realized that only his perception had changed; the reality before his eyes remained the same.

He was still at the bottom of the river.

But how was this even possible?

He knew how to swim. He often played in the water and swam with his friends back in his hometown in Anhui when he was a child. After going to university, he would occasionally go to a swimming pool with classmates and swim a few laps vigorously.

However, he didn't believe his swimming skills were so outrageously good. He had been underwater for so long that he had long surpassed his limit for holding his breath.

He touched the skin below his ear; it was still the same as before, and he hadn't grown gills.

He even looked back behind him and further into the distance, suspecting he might have already drowned, and that the current him was merely...

Xue Liangliang forcefully held his head, forcing himself to calm down. However, the methods that were so effective for him during exams or when reviewing design plans were useless now.

His heart was still in a panic, his body was still trembling, and his teeth were chattering incessantly.

He was very scared – scared of the environment at the bottom of the river, scared of this archway, and scared of the woman standing inside the archway holding the porcelain vase. He desperately wanted to escape this place, if it were possible.

At this moment, the woman moved, and she began to walk further in.

Xue Liangliang didn't move. He didn't dare to enter the archway, nor did he dare to actively explore this small town.

However, after a distance was created between the woman and him, that dreadful sense of suffocation reappeared.

Xue Liangliang had no choice but to stagger forward a few quick steps, and the feeling of suffocation disappeared again.

He understood now; as long as he was too far away from the woman, that feeling would emerge.

The woman continued to walk ahead, and Xue Liangliang could only follow her, entering the archway.

He had no choice. For someone who had just experienced desperate suffocation, going back to experience it again would be torture multiplied by several, or even tens of times.

Although there was no connection between the woman and him, it felt as if an invisible chain bound them, with one end held in the woman's hand and the other looped around his neck.

Behind the archway were over thirty flights of stairs leading downwards.

Xue Liangliang couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Logically, unless specific terrain dictated such a design, most ancient villages and towns with archways wouldn't choose a layout where one descended immediately after entering the main gate.

Ancient people preferred to elevate the ground slightly, with the archway at the front and a higher elevation behind, which would better showcase their grandeur.

Here, not only was the ground not elevated, but it was deliberately dug out, and quite significantly so.

No wonder the buildings in the town appeared so hazy when viewed from the outside; half of them were actually hidden, with only the upper portions visible.

Furthermore, the design of the stairs was also peculiar. Normally, the edges at both ends would have smooth surfaces, with the majority of the central area serving as steps for people to walk on. However, here, the very center was a vast smooth surface, while the steps were on the sides. They were not only very narrow and small but also very steep.

When walking down, Xue Liangliang sometimes had to turn sideways, as if the people who traveled here had bound feet.

After descending the stairs and reaching level ground, he saw a stone-paved road that wasn't very wide, even appearing somewhat cramped.

Moreover, these stone bricks weren't laid flat; they were all stood upright, with their smaller ends facing upwards. This method not only consumed more bricks but also increased the construction effort.

At the same time, due to the erosion of time, even the best ancient road surfaces would become uneven. But here, because of this strange brick design, it was impossible to find a flat spot for his foot to land stably.

With every step he took, only a small portion of his foot could land firmly, with the rest being empty. He had to walk with extreme caution, as a single misstep could lead to a sprained ankle and a fall.

Fortunately, the woman ahead, holding the porcelain vase, wasn't walking too fast, so Xue Liangliang could keep up.

After slightly adapting to this road condition, Xue Liangliang began to observe the residential buildings on both sides.

The layout of the houses was very compact, with an overall architectural style reminiscent of Jiangnan water towns, featuring white walls and gray tiles.

Between each house entrance and the road, there was a shallow groove less than half a meter wide, covered with stone slabs. This was likely a drainage channel.

Xue Liangliang couldn't understand the purpose of drainage channels at the bottom of the river... unless this town had sunk into the river later.

To the left of each house entrance, there was a niche where a candle was burning, emitting a faint, eerie green light.

Initially, all the house doors he saw upon entering were closed. But soon, Xue Liangliang noticed some that were open, revealing a dark interior that couldn't be seen clearly.

An uncomfortable feeling also surfaced in Xue Liangliang's mind. This feeling wasn't due to the oppression of inner fear but stemmed from a sense of incongruity, especially after seeing these house doors.

After pondering for a moment, he finally figured it out: it was because there were no door thresholds beneath these doors.

Modern architecture had long abandoned door thresholds, and people were accustomed to seeing and using them. However, the problem was that in traditional-style buildings, doors were often designed to be very tall and long. Therefore, the absence of a threshold created a sense of disharmony.

It was too direct, too eerie, like a monster opening its maw, filling one with dread.

"Ah!"

As he walked, Xue Liangliang suddenly saw a person sitting inside a house with an open door on his right.

He was startled and stumbled back two steps. The damned uneven ground made him lose his footing, and he slid to the ground, his sitting position facing that door.

Inside the door sat an old woman. Her skin, perhaps due to prolonged soaking in the water, appeared very pale and slightly swollen.

She was wearing a blue jacket, the color as vibrant as a burial shroud, but with a more elaborate design.

Her head, neck, and hands were adorned with various pieces of jewelry.

She sat there, as if she had been sitting for a long time. Fortunately, her eyes were closed.

"Hoo... hoo..."

If her eyes had been open, Xue Liangliang felt he might have been scared to death with a single glance.

Although the environment he was in and the woman leading the way were already eerie, the unique design of the residential buildings, combined with the person sitting inside, created a more impactful terror within the already strange atmosphere.

Xue Liangliang got up. A feeling of suffocation showed signs of reappearing. He immediately jogged forward a bit, closing the distance between himself and the woman.

In his mind, he still saw the old woman sitting inside the doorway. Behind her was pitch black, with no furniture or furnishings visible.

This made the compact, two-story residential buildings seem like a tomb exclusively belonging to her.

An open-air tomb.

So, this wasn't an abandoned town flooded by water.

Then, in the houses with closed doors he had seen when he entered, were there also people?

As for the houses with open doors but no one inside, their owners... might they be on the second floor?

Thinking of this, Xue Liangliang subconsciously moved a little closer to the woman.

Although he was also afraid of this woman, the thought that the houses on both sides were tombs and he was walking in the middle of a graveyard made the woman in front of him more adaptable. At least, she was moving.

As he walked, Xue Liangliang saw the second house with an open door and a person sitting inside.

It was a young girl, wearing embroidered clothing and with her hair tied up high, looking very dignified. She sat there, hands folded on her lap, eyes closed, her lips exceptionally red.

After a glance, Xue Liangliang shivered and averted his gaze.

Then, he saw a woman in a qipao sitting inside a doorway. Her waist was very slender, her posture alluring, her hands placed at her sides, and a smile seemed to linger on her lips.

It was as if she was silently beckoning you to go inside and meet her.

Xue Liangliang noticed that the further he went, the more houses had open doors, and the greater the proportion of women sitting inside.

Since seeing the first old woman, he had already seen over a dozen women sitting inside doorways.

They were of different ages and wore various styles of clothing, but all had dressed themselves formally, much like how elderly people in rural areas prepare their burial clothes and supplies before they pass away, wanting to present their most dignified appearance at their funerals.

This was their carefully designed... appearance after death.

Due to the water, their skin was very pale, excessively so.

But unlike the "giant's view" formed after being submerged in water for a long time, they generally hadn't deformed. At least, they had largely retained their appearance from life.

What was even more incomprehensible was that the dead were either sick, injured, or died of old age. In any case, their basic condition wouldn't be very good.

Yet, among them, even the oldest woman still exuded a sense of composure.

It was as if they hadn't approached death from exhaustion, but had actively chosen to die while they still possessed the ability to live with composure.

To be honest, if they had died in various tragic ways, he, Xue Liangliang, wouldn't have been as scared.

But it was precisely this atmosphere – "I've deliberately dressed up, sitting here, to show you, or to watch you" – that put immense mental pressure on him.

In a daze, he would lose his sense of self, wondering if he was observing them, or if they were sitting in the houses, observing him.

With his mind reeling, Xue Liangliang bumped into the woman's back.

The woman had stopped at some point.

With this bump, the woman didn't move, but Xue Liangliang fell backward onto the ground.

The woman didn't look back. Instead, she turned to the right and changed direction, walking inward.

Here, a crossroads appeared, with two small land bridges on either side. The water below was not for passage but purely for decoration and feng shui.

Xue Liangliang got up and could only follow the woman as she turned.

Next... all the residential houses on both sides had their doors open, and in each house, a woman was sitting.

"Ah..."

Xue Liangliang felt his mind was about to break. Although their eyes were all closed, this persistent dense "gaze" made him incredibly distressed and bewildered.

He could only resort to the most ostrich-like approach, following the woman, head slightly bowed, not looking at the sides.

Even though his peripheral vision still caught glimpses, and his heart began to beat faster and faster, he finally persevered.

A normal person, arriving here, would probably go mad.

If Xiao Yuan were here, would he react differently from an ordinary person?

Never mind, it's better if Xiao Yuan doesn't come here. He didn't even know if he could get out alive. No, he wasn't even sure if he was still considered alive right now.

Finally, the residential houses on both sides disappeared.

Xue Liangliang rubbed his forehead, taking deep breaths. Even such a simple action now required him to vent his internal pressure.

Then, he quickly caught up with the woman.

At this moment, without the terrifying gazes from the sides, he could finally look up ahead.

Ahead was a small open space, where an ancient building, clearly different from the other residences, stood tall.

It should be the ancestral hall of Bai Family Town.

Xue Liangliang couldn't help but stop. Should he go in?

Immediately, he walked forward. Why was he hesitating? It was as if he had a choice.

"Creak..."

The dark main door of the ancestral hall slowly opened as the woman approached.

This ancestral hall still had no threshold, and after entering, there were still downward steps. The center remained a large, smooth area, with only a little space on either side to walk down.

Passing through a not-so-spacious square courtyard, the woman continued inward.

As Xue Liangliang followed her, his gaze was drawn to the old well in the center. The well opening wasn't facing upwards but was sunken downwards, along with the entire area around it.

This wasn't formed after the fact; it was designed this way from the beginning.

Around the well walls were rusted chains.

This made Xue Liangliang wonder if it was to facilitate people from above getting down to fetch water, or for people from below... to climb up.

He had reached the core of the ancestral hall.

The woman, holding the bottle, knelt down and didn't proceed further.

Xue Liangliang moved closer to her, coming to her side, and re-examined the woman.

Why was this young woman, clearly dressed in modern attire with an air of travel, here? And why was she so familiar with this place... as if she were returning home?

So, should he continue to stay here with her, or should he go further inside to take a look?

With her as the center, he had a certain range of movement, but he had been following behind her and hadn't dared to go ahead.

Yet, he still chose to stand by the woman's side, not going anywhere else.

However, gradually, the feeling of suffocation resurfaced.

He began to feel unwell and in pain, his hands instinctively clutching his neck.

But the woman was right here, kneeling diagonally in front of him. Why was this feeling returning?

Xue Liangliang moved a little closer to the woman, but the feeling of suffocation didn't disappear.

Was it no longer effective?

He couldn't imagine having to endure endless suffocating torment in such a gloomy and oppressive place. What kind of unending torture was this?

"Ugh... ah..."

Xue Liangliang also knelt down, moaning in pain.

His consciousness blurred repeatedly, only to regain clarity again and again. He hated this clarity of mind because it meant his spirit was being repeatedly whipped and tormented.

With a "thump," Xue Liangliang leaned forward and fell to the side.

Because there was no threshold, strictly speaking, half of his body entered the core of the ancestral hall.

At this moment, he suddenly found that the feeling of suffocation had weakened.

After a brief hesitation, he immediately moved his body further inside, and the feeling of suffocation decreased again.

He understood. The woman holding the flower vase was no longer effective. The chain she had been holding him with had broken, and the new chain was inside!

He continued to crawl inside for a while until the feeling of suffocation completely disappeared, and he could finally stand up.

Looking back, the area outside the main door was dark, with only the woman holding the flower vase at the entrance vaguely visible.

Then, looking in front of him, there was a huge red coffin.

There were supports under the coffin, elevating it, so Xue Liangliang could only vaguely see some yellow lining inside the coffin when he stood on tiptoe. He couldn't see further in unless he climbed onto the coffin.

With a sense of trepidation, he slowly circled the coffin, mentally preparing himself for anything to appear at any moment.

However, after he had walked around the coffin once, nothing frightening appeared.

Where the head of the coffin was positioned, there should have been an offering table or a spirit tablet stand, but there was none. Instead, there was only a Grand Tutor's chair.

And on either side of the coffin were walls of blue bricks.

The ancestral hall in the center of Bai Family Town seemed too simple and desolate, like a house that had been built and decorated but had not yet been occupied.

But, was it really like that?

Xue Liangliang recalled the women sitting in the residences he had passed on the way. If everyone had died in their homes, then perhaps there was no need to place spirit tablets in the ancestral hall.

So, would there be an exit here?

Xue Liangliang did not give up on saving himself. He vaguely felt that the way out should be within this ancestral hall.

Next, he boldly stopped just circling the coffin and began to explore a larger area, walking along the three walls and feeling them. He completed a full circle.

He even used his hands to tap on the bricks, looking for hollow secret doors, and while walking, he stomped his feet forcefully on the ground, testing for underground passages.

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

The area wasn't very large, and it was too spacious. It was so spacious that it was difficult to hide anything.

So, what about the ceiling?

Xue Liangliang looked up. It was a very ordinary old-fashioned beam ceiling design. He couldn't reach it to explore unless he found some tools.

But should he search for tools in those residential houses?

The thought of the women sitting behind the doors of those houses sent a chill down Xue Liangliang's spine. To have to walk past them and rummage through their rooms... he'd rather stay here.

"Hmm?"

However, after circling around, Xue Liangliang arrived at the entrance and was surprised to find that the woman who had been kneeling there holding a porcelain bottle was gone.

And the porcelain bottle had also disappeared.

This sudden change made Xue Liangliang feel terror once more. The woman he had followed all this way was actually the most familiar "thing" he had here.

Her disappearance meant he was once again plunged into confusion and loneliness.

He wanted to search for the woman, to see if she had moved to a different spot or gone elsewhere. But just as he was about to walk towards the doorway, even though he was still some distance away, the suffocating feeling returned!

Yet, previously, he hadn't felt this way even after entering the house.

Xue Liangliang took a deep breath of air that didn't exist, then with a surge of determination, he rushed to the doorway. The suffocating sensation hit him again with greater intensity. He endured the pain and made his way outside.

Looking around, he couldn't see the woman's figure. She had truly vanished; she was really not here anymore.

At the same time, the main ancestral hall gate, the outermost one he had entered through, had also closed at some point.

And now, it was his limit. He didn't even have the strength to run into the courtyard.

He could only run back quickly, his legs growing weak. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his body like a shrimp being constantly squeezed dry.

Finally, he crawled back to the side of the coffin. The suffocating sensation receded, and he was once again redeemed.

But when he looked up at the bottom of the coffin above him, he couldn't help but wonder: was this truly redemption?

After recovering for a moment, he got up and tentatively started walking to the side.

To his horror, he discovered that as soon as he moved a certain distance away from the coffin, the suffocating sensation would appear, and with even greater ferocity.

But previously, he could walk along the wall and even touch the bricks with his hands.

This meant his range of movement had been narrowed again.

He reached the head of the coffin and suddenly his vision blurred. He thought he saw someone sitting on the Grand Tutor's chair facing the head of the coffin.

But when he looked again, the person was gone.

No, it wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him. Other places might be like that, but not here!

Xue Liangliang walked around the coffin again, then with a swift step, he returned to the head of the coffin.

This time, he saw it. Someone was indeed sitting on the Grand Tutor's chair, and that person... was himself!

Xue Liangliang clenched his fists. He felt like he was going mad. He couldn't understand why the person who looked exactly like him was sitting there.

If he was Xue Liangliang, then who was he?

He reached out and touched his face, finding the sensation no different from usual. After confirming he was still himself, he looked up again and found the Grand Tutor's chair empty once more.

Although walking around the coffin again would likely allow him to see the person on the chair, Xue Liangliang no longer had the courage to do it again.

At the same time, he couldn't do it anymore.

Because the suffocating sensation had returned, even though he was now supporting himself with one hand on the coffin, the feeling still attacked him.

It was constricting him, like being inside an invisible underwater bubble. The bubble had been moving, and now it was shrinking.

Once he lost its protection, he would never find another moment to breathe.

Xue Liangliang began to press himself tightly against the coffin. He found that the closer his face was to the coffin, the weaker the suffocating sensation became.

But gradually, he realized it wasn't enough. The suffocating sensation continued to intensify.

No, I can't, I can't do this...

Xue Liangliang's feet began to step onto the shelf below, and his hands gripped the edge of the coffin as he started to climb.

Once he got up, he felt relief again. He had successfully escaped the suffocating pursuit once more.

But when he lowered his head to look down, his gaze instantly froze, his mouth fell open, his arms lost their strength, and he fell.

He saw it. Inside the coffin, a person was lying there!

A woman in a red dress, with a red veil covering her head, her hands placed on her abdomen!

The pain from the fall was secondary. The most terrifying thing was being enveloped by the suffocating sensation again.

Previously, Xue Liangliang could still run outside to check on the woman's whereabouts. But now, it seemed that as soon as he left the safe zone, he couldn't bear it at all.

If it was merely suffocation before, now it was as if a pair of invisible hands with terrifying strength were tightly gripping his neck.

He was no longer just enduring the torment of suffocation, but also the direct pain of his neck being constantly broken and twisted.

Xue Liangliang immediately got up, his feet stepping onto the shelf again, his hands grabbing the edge of the coffin as he pulled himself up.

Stimulated by the immense pain, he overcame his inner fear, all in order to find that fleeting comfort.

Although, this comfort was unlikely to last long.

He tried his best not to look at the woman lying in the coffin. He shifted his gaze, looking from top to bottom in the direction of the coffin's head. He saw it again. On the Grand Tutor's chair, there was himself again.

However, the "him" on the chair was dressed differently from his current self. That person was wearing a lustrous black jacket, purple trousers, a hat on his head, and a red flower pinned to his chest.

It was very similar to... how the groom used to dress.

Especially the face, identical to his own, made Xue Liangliang's eyes well up with tears.

In this moment, he felt that he, sitting in the Grand Tutor's chair, was more terrifying than the woman in the coffin.

So, he lowered his head and looked at the woman.

When they had entered the town earlier, the women behind the doors of the residential houses were all sitting, without exception. This woman, however, was lying down, and she was positioned in the most central, core area of the ancestral hall.

At this moment, the feeling of suffocation resurfaced.

Xue Liangliang felt like livestock being driven by a whip.

Although he already had a guess in his heart, he still poked his head out, sensing the changes in the intensity of the suffocation above, to the left, and to the right.

Finally, he realized his guess was correct; only by moving towards the inside of the coffin was it safe.

His hands gripped the edge of the coffin tightly, making his final internal struggle.

However, the approaching and increasingly intense feeling of suffocation greatly shortened his hesitation.

He exerted force with his waist, one foot reached the edge of the coffin, and his hands reached down, embracing the inner wall of the coffin.

His original intention was to only have his upper body reach in, keeping as much distance as possible from the woman inside.

However, he overestimated his current strength. By the time he managed to flip himself up, he had no strength left to maintain his balance and take the next step. Instead, losing control, he tumbled headfirst into the coffin.

He landed on the woman. Her body was very cold and slippery.

But this slipperiness wasn't in the conventional sense; it was more like that of a jellyfish or some kind of secretion, making him feel extremely uncomfortable physiologically.

Just then, Xue Liangliang discovered with horror that the woman in front of him was slowly lifting her head.

As she moved, the red veil that had been covering her face

also slowly slid off.

"Buzz!" "Buzz!" "Buzz!"

On the memorial archway of Bai Family Town, the white lanterns on one side suddenly turned red.

Starting from there, the candles in the niches at the entrances of all the residential houses in the entire town also changed from a pale green hue to red, exuding a festive atmosphere that was both eerie and chilling.

"Creak..."

"Creak..."

The tightly shut doors of the residential houses were slowly pushed open from the inside.

And the women who were already sitting inside with their doors open slowly stood up.

Soon, women of different ages and dressed in styles from different eras emerged from their houses, stepped onto the bluestone slabs over the water channels, and came to the roadside.

They appeared from residential houses in various locations throughout the town, then lined up, moving slowly at the same pace.

Their gathering point was the ancestral hall in the center of the town.

Although their eyes remained closed and no one spoke, rustling sounds continuously emerged throughout the town.

Initially, the sounds were faint and disorganized, but gradually, they grew louder and more synchronized.

Finally, they converged into a single, unified sound, like a chorus, resonating through the sky above Bai Family Town:

"The Heavenly Official bestows blessings, Bai Family recruits a son-in-law!"

"Hello, I'm Li Zhuiyuan."

"Hello, do you know Xue Liangliang?"

"Yes."

"I think I've heard your voice before. My surname is Luo. Have we met somewhere?"

"Are you Director Luo? I'm the young friend who was with Brother Liangliang yesterday."

"Oh, so it's you."

"Director Luo, has something happened?"

"Liangliang is in trouble. When he was unconscious, he kept muttering 'Xiao Yuan' and even spoke this phone number."

"Brother Liangliang, what happened to him?"

"He fell into the water from the boat. He's in the hospital now, undergoing emergency treatment. The doctors say his condition is very serious."

"Can I go see him?"

"Yes, I'll send a car to pick you up right away. Give me a specific location."

"Shijia Bridge, Shinan Town. We'll wait for the car there."

"Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Li Zhuiyuan immediately raised his arm and found that the mark had completely disappeared and wasn't reappearing.

So, what's going on with Brother Liangliang?

Could it be that the Bai Family Empress still held a grudge and came back for revenge?

But that shouldn't be the case; hadn't it been severed already?

Li Zhuiyuan took out his pocket money and said to Aunt Zhang, "Auntie Zhang, I'm going to buy some cigarettes for my great-grandfather and get some candy."

"Alright, I'll get them for you... Here, perfect timing."

"Thank you, Auntie Zhang."

Li Zhuiyuan put the cigarettes and candy into his pocket and walked home with a solemn expression.

He vaguely sensed that this matter must be related to the Bai Family Empress and was definitely not a simple case of falling into the water and losing consciousness.

Otherwise, Brother Liangliang wouldn't have been calling out his name and phone number while unconscious.

Most importantly, if the situation wasn't dire, Engineer Luo wouldn't have sent a car late at night to pick him up, a mere child. He must have been very anxious.

Back at the courtyard, Aunt Liu was clearing the dishes and cleaning up, while Uncle Qin was chopping wood. These were chores delayed by watching the movie.

The east room's light was on, but the door was closed. Liu Yumei and A Li should be inside. Liu Yumei's mental state had been very poor since watching the movie tonight.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Uncle Qin and asked, "Uncle Qin."

"Xiao Yuan, what is it?"

"If my soy sauce bottle fell over, would you reach out and help it up?"

Uncle Qin: "..."

"The university student who stayed at our place last night, something happened to him, and he's in the hospital now, undergoing emergency treatment.

I won't tell anyone about this, especially not my great-grandfather, so, Uncle Qin, could you help?"

Uncle Qin patted his pocket and took out some money. "Xiao Yuan, do you need money for his medical expenses? I have a little here. I'll ask your Aunt Liu for some later, and then we'll send it to your friend."

"Okay... Thank you, Uncle Qin."

Li Zhuiyuan could only nod. It seemed he would have to wake his great-grandfather and ask for his opinion.

However, his great-grandfather probably wouldn't have any solutions either, because his great-grandfather had also shown fear of the Bai Family Empress that day and chose to retreat.

At this moment, the door to the east room was opened from the inside.

Liu Yumei, who had changed into her pajamas, walked out with her hair down. Her eyes were still red.

"A Li, go with Xiao Yuan to the hospital to deliver the money."

"Okay, I understand."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Liu Yumei with surprise. He had only asked on a whim, not expecting Liu Yumei to agree so readily this time.

"Xiao Yuan, wait a moment. Uncle will go get the bicycle."

"No need, Uncle Qin. We'll wait at the bridge south of the road at the village entrance. A car will come to pick us up."

"Oh, alright then. Let's go. If you come back late and your great-grandfather wakes up, your Aunt Liu will explain to him for you, so don't worry."

"Mm."

"Do you need to grab anything?"

"No, we can go now."

Before leaving, Li Zhuiyuan bowed to Liu Yumei. "Thank you, Grandma."

Liu Yumei didn't respond and turned back into the house.

After Li Zhuiyuan and Uncle Qin left, Aunt Liu walked in with a basin of hot water. After placing the hot water on the shelf, she picked up a comb and walked to Liu Yumei's side, beginning to groom her hair.

The years would mercilessly grind everyone down. Liu Yumei's hair was only silver-gray last year, but now, only the surface layer retained that color. As the comb worked through it, the hair beneath was soft and white.

As Aunt Liu combed, her voice began to choke up slightly.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Heh." Liu Yumei placed back a spirit tablet she had just finished wiping.

"I want to know why you agreed this time.

Even if Uncle Sanjiang didn't know and it truly had nothing to do with him, Xiao Yuan still lives here, and he's related to Uncle Sanjiang by kinship. What if..."

"I know about the 'what ifs,' of course." Liu Yumei looked at the rows of spirit tablets before her. "But I'm in a bad mood today and don't want to deal with any 'what ifs' for now."

Aunt Liu silently continued combing her hair and didn't reply.

Liu Yumei's voice suddenly rose. "What, am I, this old woman, so old that I don't even have the right to be willful anymore?"

"No, you do, you do!"

Liu Yumei stood up, pointed at each spirit tablet, and said emotionally:

"These guys, when they took their fleet, they just left without a word. My whole family, no, both families, they deliberately hid everything from me!

Fine, they were all so generous, dying off one by one until not a single one was left. When they left me and my child behind, did they ever think of me?

They didn't even leave a single spirit behind, they sacrificed them all. For decades, I've had to look at these lifeless memorial tablets, with no one to talk to!

Why is it that only they could be willful, while I have to stay here so cautiously, afraid that any mistake might cause the fortune to backfire.

This isn't fair..."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Liu Yumei's eyes. She propped herself up with one hand on the offering table, covering her face with the other.

Aunt Liu felt heartbroken but didn't know how to comfort her.

After a short while, Liu Yumei lowered her hand and looked up at the memorial tablets again, letting out a laugh.

"Heh, did you see? Did you see? You're all gone, and it hasn't been long, but those white rats from the riverbed dare to crawl ashore and sicken people."

Liu Yumei's expression turned solemn, her gaze sharpening.

"Then I'll slap it right back.

Let them remember, On this river, Whose family truly calls the shots!"