The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons

Run Sheng rode his bike ahead cheerfully, feeling that the blue sky, white clouds, fields, and irrigation ditches were all so beautiful at this moment.

Ever since he could remember, his grandfather would tell him:

"Runsheng Hou, Grandpa's going to play cards. If I win money, I'll buy you meat tonight!"

At first, Run Sheng actually looked forward to it. Later, every time he heard this, he would immediately run to the rice bin to check if there was enough rice left for the two of them to cook a decent pot of congee for the evening.

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

Years of "family education" had almost made him feel that playing cards was like offering sacrifices to deities during festivals.

On the other hand, Li Zhuiyuan, sitting behind him, didn't look so happy.

At his feet was a bag of money, with bills of all denominations, new and old, crumpled and smooth. Although the total amount wasn't astronomical, considering the current prices and labor costs in the countryside, it was enough for him to start a small handicraft workshop behind Great Grandfather's house.

Occasionally having good luck at cards was normal. Who doesn't eat dumplings during the New Year?

Essentially, it was still a matter of probability.

But when a string of good luck hit him consecutively, the problem gradually shifted from probability to metaphysics.

Recalling his memory loss after the luck-transfer ritual last night, Li Zhuiyuan was now almost certain: the ritual had worked.

Working didn't necessarily mean success; it just meant it had taken effect and brought about a change. Whether this change was good or bad was even debatable.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how much luck Great Grandfather had transferred to him, but judging by the "cooperative performance" of the other players at the table just now, it must have been quite a lot.

Liu Yumei had told him that Great Grandfather's luck wasn't easily obtained; it was more like a transaction.

Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu, earning meager wages, worked like oxen and horses for Great Grandfather, doing all sorts of jobs. What they sought were just those few meager coins in the forgotten corners, as Liu Yumei put it.

If he took so much at once, what price would he have to pay for it next?

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

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, feeling that his act of gambling away his luck was... stupid.

It was like a short-sighted tomb robber who, after risking life and limb to finally enter a tomb, only had eyes for the gold and silver ingots, completely ignoring artifacts like clothing, bronze ware, and porcelain.

"Brother Run Sheng, don't let go of the handlebars."

"Okay, Little Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, ride a little slower."

"Okay, Little Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, ride a little to the side, no, a little more to the middle."

"..."

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

Just now, Li Zhuiyuan's heart suddenly turned cold. He worried if an accident might suddenly happen, like a serious car crash?

But after a brief moment of anxiety, he quickly calmed down.

If the backlash from Great Grandfather's luck was only this, it would be too cheap, even making one feel like they had gotten a bargain.

But the more it was like this, the more uneasy Li Zhuiyuan felt, because it meant that on the "road ahead," something big awaited him.

The tricycle entered Grandpa Shan's house. Run Sheng scratched his head and asked Li Zhuiyuan:

"Little Yuan, can I borrow some money from you to buy more supplies for Grandpa? I'll pay you back when Great Grandfather gives me my wages."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

In the past, he would have casually said: "Take whatever you need."

But this money, won purely through luck and not skill, felt hot in his hands. Handing this hot potato to Grandpa Shan seemed a bit unkind.

Li Zhuiyuan rummaged through the bag and took out a few bills. The amount didn't exceed his initial investment, so it should be fine.

"You don't need this much, really. I just need to buy some rice, flour, and oil for Grandpa. You're giving me too much, Little Yuan."

"It's fine, buy more."

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

"You're the one who thinks things through comprehensively."

"Heh heh."

"Oh, right, Brother Run Sheng, this time I won money playing cards, keep it a secret, don't tell anyone."

"But how do I explain this money..."

"Just say you won it."

"Okay, sure."

"Brother Run Sheng, where is your toilet?"

"Over there, take the path along the field behind the house. It's our neighbor's toilet, we share it."

"Oh, okay."

As soon as Li Zhuiyuan went out, Grandpa Shan ran back from outside.

Although the old man was old and not in good health, he was still full of energy.

This seemed contradictory, but it wasn't. Such elderly people often didn't linger on their sickbeds for too long. Once their time came, they would pass away very quickly.

It was just as the neighbors often said: "I thought he was still quite hale and hearty, alas, how could he be gone just like that."

Grandpa Shan rushed back for two reasons. The first was that he had lost all his money.

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

The second reason was that he had heard that his Run Sheng had won a large sum of money at the hall!

The person who passed on the message naturally couldn't convey all the details. They didn't know Li Zhuiyuan, so they naturally said it was Run Sheng who had won the money playing cards.

"Grandpa, you're back..."

"Slap!"

Grandpa Shan slapped Run Sheng hard across the face.

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

"I was wrong, Grandpa."

"Where's the money?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you, where's the money you won?"

"It's in the car."

Grandpa Shan walked over to the tricycle and saw the bag of money, his eyes widening.

"This... you won all of this?"

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

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

"No, I can't."

"What, you're not willing to give the money you won to your grandfather?"

"The principal, right, the principal was Little Yuan's, it was his pocket money."

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

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

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

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

"Eat what? You and Little Yuanhou eat. Grandpa is busy."

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

Li Zhuiyuan returned and saw Run Sheng standing there with an awkward and embarrassed expression.

"Little Yuan, I'm sorry..."

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

"Little Yuan, I was waiting for you to come back to ask for your permission, and we'll clarify the truth. I'll go to the hall right now and get your money back from Grandpa!"

"No need, Run Sheng Ge. We earned it together, so it's only right to give Grandpa half."

"Little Yuan, aren't you angry?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. Not only was he not angry, but he was also a little touched.

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

"But Grandpa already took so much money..."

"You still have to buy what needs to be bought."

"Little Yuan, you're so kind."

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

Tapping his forehead lightly with his finger, he began to recall the contents of the book regarding this matter, or more precisely, 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 getting a good deal. In other words, when he bought something, the price should either be fair, or he should get a discount. He absolutely could not let the person selling him the item or selling him labor feel that he was being kind, or that they had taken advantage of him.

Otherwise, the other party would be sharing in this karma, because he had also enjoyed the extra benefits from this money.

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

Although the actual purpose was to strengthen deterrence against illegal activities, from a legal perspective, even a child in the family had benefited from the ill-gotten gains of the family.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and stretched. Just then, Run Sheng returned.

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

"Okay."

Run Sheng washed the pots, stoked the fire, and cooked. Besides the braised pig liver and cold-mixed jellyfish threads he bought, Run Sheng also stir-fried an egg and boiled a loofah soup.

However, the scrambled eggs were burnt, and the soup was thick and not refreshing at all.

"Little Yuan, my cooking skills are just like this."

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

Li Zhuiyuan understood. You couldn't expect someone who rarely got to eat even dry rations to have superb cooking skills.

After the meal, Run Sheng cleaned the house and the yard, then rode his bike, taking Li Zhuiyuan home.

Turning from the main road onto the village path, they saw Pan Zi and Lei Zi, covered in dirt, pushing a cart of bricks.

Nowadays, even finding summer jobs in the city was difficult, let alone in the countryside.

Places further away were inconvenient for commuting, so the nearby brick kiln was a relatively good option. Although it was hard work, they got paid daily.

It was quite suitable for young people like Pan Zi and Lei Zi to earn some money during the summer vacation to spend on their own.

"Pan Zi Ge, Lei Zi Ge!"

"Hey, Yuan Zi."

"Hey, Yuan Zi."

Pan Zi had scabs on his lips, and Lei Zi still had bruises around his eyes – these were the marks of fatherly love.

"Yuan Zi, it's good you left early that day, haha."

"Yeah, thank goodness you left first, or we would have had to squat at the police station with you, and they would have taken blood samples too."

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

"How could we do that? We're brothers, how could we sell out our brothers?"

"Exactly, you're our little brother, how could we older brothers not protect you?"

Actually, the two of them weren't being so righteous as to deliberately help Xiao Yuan conceal it. It was just that they knew very well that if they revealed this matter and let their fathers and grandfathers know they had dared to take Xiao Yuanhou to watch adult films, they would probably be beaten even more severely.

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

"Yeah, we're delivering bricks to the kiln today." Lei Zi said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He didn't know who gave it to him, but he put it in his mouth, stylishly struck a match, lit it, took a puff, and then handed it to Pan Zi.

Pan Zi took it, took a drag, and passed it to Run Sheng.

This kind of sharing a single cigarette among brothers was common at the time; cigarettes in the small shops could even be sold by the stick.

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

Pan Zi and Lei Zi stared, dumbfounded, and asked, "What are you smoking?"

Run Sheng replied, "Authentic cigarettes."

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

Pan Zi and Lei Zi quickly shook their heads, declining the offer.

Next, Pan Zi looked at Li Zhuiyuan, "Xiao Yuan, tomorrow Sihai Zi's family is building a fish pond. We're going to help. Do you want to come? They'll provide a meal and you can take some fish home."

"I'm not going. Great Grandfather has forbidden me from going out recently. Today is an exception because I'm accompanying Run Sheng Ge to deliver something to his grandfather."

"Oh, I see. That's a shame."

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

"No need. You take it home and eat it. Brothers, you guys are busy. I'm heading back now."

"Okay, we'll find you to play again another day, Yuan Zi."

After the three-wheeled vehicle had driven some distance, Run Sheng asked curiously, "Xiao Yuan, don't you want to play with your brothers?"

"No, they treat me very well."

"Then you..."

"Run Sheng Ge, I just don't plan on going out for a while."

Before he could resolve the issue of his own good fortune, Li Zhuiyuan decided not to go out unless absolutely necessary, especially to places involving water.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi asking him to help build a fish pond was already a significant taboo. He worried that if he went now, who knew what else might be dug up besides fish.

Upon returning home, he didn't see A Li sitting behind the threshold of the east room on the threshing ground. Li Zhuiyuan guessed that the girl was probably in her room now.

She had indeed changed a lot. She no longer just sat there in a daze. Even when he wasn't around, she would take some initiative.

Liu Yumei sat on a chair by the door of the east room, her hands folded in front of her, her eyes closed as if napping.

Sensing someone's return, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the boy again as if nothing had happened. At the same time, her left hand, hidden beneath her right, began to make hand gestures.

Then, she had to stop again.

Because the boy turned his head, showing her the back of his head, and while asking Aunt Liu in the west room what was for dinner and how the incense was doing, he walked into the house in that posture.

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

It must be a coincidence. If it were intentional, that would be too absurd.

To detect her divination, one would need at least the same level of skill as her, how could that be possible?

She knew the child was reading, and she knew the child had crafted a batch of practical tools based on the designs in the books. After repeated interactions, she knew even better how smart the child was.

She had already placed the child very high in her heart, and grudgingly admitted that the child had embarked on this path. But no matter what, it shouldn't have reached such an absurd level.

Liu Yumei had been in this family all along, so she was certain the boy had no teacher. Qin Li had only taught him some basic stances. If just reading books could lead to such heights, then hadn't her own life been a waste?

Even today's incident felt off. How could Li Sanjiang's fortune have depleted so much all at once?

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

Feeling agitated, Liu Yumei stood up. She wanted to go back to her room and have a chat with the "big guys."

She sat before the offering table, picked up a crisp pastry, and was about to start talking when she suddenly looked at the spirit tablets on the table with a puzzled expression:

"Why do they feel a bit sparse?"

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

"Great Grandfather, didn't you wash this morning?"

"I just lay down for a nap, and some damned bird came out of nowhere and pooped on my head again. I don't know what's wrong today, two bird droppings in one day. So unlucky."

Li Zhuiyuan could roughly guess why.

"Little Yuanhou, why are you back so early? Didn't Shan Pao keep you for dinner?"

"Grandpa Shan is busy playing cards."

"Heh, that old guy, that's his usual rotten behavior. By the way, did you buy the things?"

"I did. I restocked the rice, flour, and oil. Great Grandfather, you really care about Grandpa Shan."

"Of course. If he starves to death, I won't have anyone to help me when there's a big job. Although Shan Pao has a bad temper, he's got skills and can always help out."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. That was true.

"Little Yuanhou, what's in the black bag you're carrying?"

Li Zhuiyuan lifted a bag of money in his hand. "I bought some candy for A Li. Great Grandfather, do you want to try a piece?"

Like last time, Li Zhuiyuan still planned to ask Aunt Liu to help him with procurement and negotiation. With Aunt Liu's expertise, she would definitely spend the money wisely.

If he went himself, he wouldn't know the ropes and wouldn't buy things often, so he would easily be overcharged.

In business, prices were set based on the customer. Li Zhuiyuan understood this, which was why he didn't go himself. He wasn't a misfortune-sowing machine; those small vendors didn't deserve that.

Actually, when he was downstairs just now, Li Zhuiyuan had intended to give this money to Aunt Liu. But Grandma Liu was secretly watching him.

Really, she watched in the morning and in the afternoon too. Didn't she get tired?

"I don't eat that. Get me another handkerchief."

"Okay."

After getting a handkerchief for Li Sanjiang, Li Zhuiyuan walked towards his room.

He pushed open Li Sanjiang's bedroom door midway, intending to check the array on the tiles again, but found it had already been wiped away.

He still didn't understand how the array could still be effective when he had clearly tampered with it and modified it yesterday.

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

The most frustrating thing was that he couldn't discuss such matters with his Great Grandfather, even though his Great Grandfather was the most important party involved.

Because Li Zhuiyuan knew that even if he asked his Great Grandfather to reproduce the array diagram he drew last night, his Great Grandfather would surely draw a new one.

He arrived at his own door, pushed it open, and saw A Li sitting on a small stool, carving wood flower rolls with a carving knife.

He hadn't actually told A Li that the black canvas was broken, but the girl had discovered it herself and proactively helped him get new wood flower rolls.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the opposite side of the girl and watched her carve diligently.

This scene was exactly like how the girl used to watch him when he was engrossed in reading.

As the girl carved, she would occasionally lift her eyes to look at him, just like how he used to respond to her when he was reading.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that this must be the most comfortable way for friends to get along.

No compromises, just enjoyment.

After watching quietly for a while, Li Zhuiyuan's anxious heart seemed to completely calm down.

He stood up, walked to the desk, and intended to put away the money he had won this time.

He opened the drawer and found it stuffed not only with four stacks of brand-new bills but also with six small gold bars.

Without needing to guess, he knew who had put them there.

Although Li Zhuiyuan would definitely not accept this money and gold bars, and would return them to Grandma Liu later, it still affected his heart at that moment, especially after glancing at the black bag in his hand again...

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

Li Zhuiyuan found an empty box, put the money and gold bars from the drawer into it, then walked up to the girl and sat down again. He said very seriously:

"A Li, thank you. Seeing what you've brought me makes me really happy, but I can't accept it."

A Li stopped her carving knife and looked up at the boy.

Confusion flickered in her eyes. She didn't understand. This morning, she saw the boy smiling at the money in his hand, so why didn'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.

It was clearly the kind of thing she had plenty of at home.

"A Li, gifts also have weight and appropriateness. Next time you want to give me something, you can ask me first. If it's suitable, I'll accept it, okay?"

A Li pondered for a moment, then nodded.

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

"A Li, did you really understand?"

The girl nodded again, indicating that 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 spread across Li Zhuiyuan's face. This meant that the girl's condition had improved significantly today.

Although he didn't know why.

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

Trying to dismiss the worry in his heart, Li Zhuiyuan decided to talk about something happy:

"Aunt Liu said she bought some smoked ham today, apparently from Jinhua, Zhejiang. We can try it tonight. A Li, have you ever eaten anything smoked before?"

A Li shook her head.

"It's a special flavor made by smoking with this burning... hmm?"

Li Zhuiyuan casually picked up a wood flower roll from the side.

Last time he was making the black canvas, he had taken a piece of wood from the woodshed and shaved it into wood flower rolls with a small planer.

This time, A Li was making them herself, which meant she had shaved them herself.

But why weren't the wood flower rolls yellowish-white this time? Instead, they were pitch black, shiny, and had a special, pleasant aroma.

"A Li, what kind of wood did you use to shave them?"

A Li pointed under the small table.

Li Zhuiyuan looked down, and his eyes widened. Because on the table were three spirit tablets!

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

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

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

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

"It's all returned, what's there to count."

"That's good then."

Li Zhuiyuan also placed a fertilizer bag on the table.

Liu Yumei opened the mouth of the bag and looked inside. Then she immediately stood up, took out the three spirit tablets, wiped them, and placed them on the offering table.

"A Li, I'll let you play with whatever you want, but why are spirit tablets fun? Don't touch them again next time."

Liu Yumei still spoke in a gentle tone, without scolding her granddaughter.

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

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

"Huh? Why are some still missing?"

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

He couldn't possibly bring over a bag of wood flower rolls, and besides, half of them had already been carved with patterns by A Li.

"Little Yuan, did you look again? Maybe A Li took them out and dropped them somewhere else."

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

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't deliberately shirking responsibility. He just felt that for Liu Yumei, it would definitely be more acceptable for the spirit tablets to be lost than to be dismembered.

"Sigh."

Liu Yumei sighed and looked somewhat resentfully at Qin Li.

The good news was that her granddaughter, who used to be uninterested in everything, was now clearly more lively and even gave away the family's money to an outsider.

But you could take money and gold bars, why did you take spirit tablets?

"Grandma Liu, I told A Li that I won't touch the spirit tablets again. Am I right, A Li?"

A Li nodded.

Liu Yumei could only press her forehead in resignation, then her whole body suddenly trembled, and she looked at A Li in disbelief.

Li Zhuiyuan: "A Li, Grandma wants to confirm if you know. Hurry up and tell Grandma that you know."

A Li nodded again.

Liu Yumei immediately shed tears and turned to look at the ancestral shrine, saying with a crying voice:

"Our ancestors have shown their spirits, our ancestors have blessed us!"

Walking out of the east room and helping to close the door, Liu Yumei inside was thanking the ancestors on the ancestral shrine with A Li.

Li Zhuiyuan let out a long sigh. This matter was considered to have been muddled through by him.

He quickly went upstairs, took down the bag of money, and handed it to Aunt 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 this time, eating fragrant food and smelling the aroma from the pot while waiting for dinner. He answered directly:

"I won it playing cards!"

Aunt Liu looked at Run Sheng with suspicion, clearly not believing him.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Aunt Liu, this is the list. Please help me order another batch of goods, and then, please find two masons to help me build a small workshop behind the house, adjacent to the back wall. It doesn't need to be too big, about the same size as the woodshed is fine."

Run Sheng said: "No need to hire people, I can do it. I know how to build walls. I built the family's surrounding wall."

Li Zhuiyuan ignored Run Sheng's self-recommendation. He had witnessed the dilapidated state of Grandpa Shan's house's surrounding wall today.

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

"Okay, Auntie knows."

"Also, Auntie, you need to be careful."

"Careful about what?"

"This money is not clean. Don't get your hands dirty."

"Huh?" Aunt Liu touched the bag, her eyes lit up with understanding, and she nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

Run Sheng asked doubtfully: "Does this money need to be considered clean or not?"

"Yes, Brother Run Sheng. Banknotes pass through many hands during circulation, so they must have a lot of bacteria on them."

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

There was still some time before dinner, so Li Zhuiyuan didn't go back to the second floor but went to the basement.

In "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons," whether it's artifacts or martial arts, they require a lot of time and effort, and it's almost impossible to achieve them overnight. Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan decided to choose another set of books to read during his spare time.

"Snap!"

He turned on the flashlight and walked towards the boxes.

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

Li Zhuiyuan was startled and instinctively pointed the flashlight at it. The long, dark shadow seemed to be startled as well and began to move rapidly.

It was a small snake!

"Hoo..."

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. He had really been afraid that something terrifying had entered the basement just now.

However, after the little snake moved left and then right, it turned and swam towards Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan was not very afraid of snakes. He had gone to some excavation sites with his mother before, where there were many snakes.

However, he was not so professional or brave as to ignore the snake, even if it was small, so he was still retreating. When his back hit a box, the copper lock on the box made a crisp sound.

This noise must have startled the snake. It quickly changed direction. Li Zhuiyuan's flashlight beam kept shining on it until it disappeared into a crack in the corner of the wall, about as thick as a finger.

After the snake left, Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at the box he had just bumped into.

This box was located at the very edge of the group of boxes, so he had never opened it before.

So this time, it's you.

He placed the flashlight on the ground, supported the lid of the box with both hands, planted his feet, and exerted force.

"Creak!"

The lid of the box was opened and flipped to the back.

Li Zhuiyuan clapped 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 increase in strength due to his body's development; it was more about the use and control of his own strength.

He picked up the flashlight and shone it on the books in the box. He found that there was a lot of dust on them, not from settling over time, but from being covered in dust when they were packed.

He turned his head and blew several times. The covers of the topmost row of books were barely visible.

Based on past experience, the books placed on top in each box were usually mediocre. Good books had to be dug out from below.

Li Zhuiyuan had originally planned to do the same until he saw the names of the two sets of books placed in the middle of the first row on top.

"Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art," "Qin Clan's Flood Dragon Observation Method."

Liu Clan, Qin Clan?

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but picture the ancestral tablets on the offering table in the east room, bearing the surnames of both the Qin and Liu families.

"It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?"

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

The "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art" had three volumes, all quite thick. The "Qin Clan's Flood Dragon Observation Method" had four volumes, also rather thick, and they weren't divided by scrolls.

"Could Grandma Liu have left them with Great Grandfather?"

Li Zhuiyuan quickly shook his head. No, Great Grandfather had said the books in the basement had been stored there by someone for many years, and Liu Yumei's family hadn't been staying with Great Grandfather for that long.

It was even less likely that Liu Yumei knew Great Grandfather had books in his basement and had secretly placed her family's secret techniques there.

Firstly, there was no reason for Liu Yumei to do such a thing. Secondly, the dust on the books silently testified to how long they had been stored away.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the first volume of the "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art." As soon as he turned a page, he frowned. The handwriting was too messy, too ugly.

It wasn't like cursive or connected script. It was more like the person writing the book was in a hurry, writing very quickly, and also lacked any calligraphic skill, so it was simply ugly, like scribbles.

Li Zhuiyuan had to combine it with the context to guess what many of the characters meant.

After quickly flipping through more than ten pages, he found that the number of pages per volume varied, and the scroll and chapter titles were not at the beginning of the main page but were interspersed within the content.

A scene appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's mind: a person, with their left hand constantly turning pages on a set of exquisite books, while their other hand rapidly copied onto a blank notebook in front of them.

As they wrote, they kept looking around, afraid someone would come.

So, this was likely a pirated copy.

Li Zhuiyuan then opened the "Qin Clan's Flood Dragon Observation Method" and quickly flipped through it. As expected, it was the same – a pirated copy.

This almost confirmed that these two sets of books had nothing to do with Liu Yumei.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that Liu Yumei had told him she knew what books he was reading. But judging by the tone of her words, she likely only thought he was reading some esoteric books, not realizing he was reading precious, hand-copied, rare editions.

Furthermore, Liu Yumei probably hadn't been in the basement. Both Liu Yumei and Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu were very discreet and didn't delve into Great Grandfather's affairs or belongings.

If Liu Yumei had been in the basement and looked through these boxes, she wouldn't have left these two sets of books here. This would be stealing the heritage of both their families, a grave taboo.

"Alright, these two sets it is."

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

He re-covered the box, took the two sets of books out of the basement, and went up to the second floor. He placed the books on the desk, tore off the cover of each book, rolled them up, lit them, and then put them into his water cup one by one.

He still needed to cover his tracks to some extent.

These two sets, a total of seven books, had the clearest and most beautiful writing on the covers – the book titles.

Li Zhuiyuan liked to read on the second-floor balcony. He didn't want Liu Yumei to accidentally see the book titles if she looked up.

As for A Li, who liked to sit beside him and read with him, that was fine. There was no need to hide it from her; A Li wouldn't tell anyone anyway.

Aunt Liu's voice came from the courtyard:

"Dinner's ready!"

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and sat at his small table. A Li was already waiting for him.

"Are you hungry?"

A Li nodded.

A smile reappeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. He felt that if things continued to improve, it wouldn't be long before the girl could speak.

However, if things continued...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

Li Sanjiang sneezed three times in a row. He had washed his hair before dawn, and now he had a cold.

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

"No need. This little ailment will be gone after a night's sleep."

Aunt Liu brought the soup over and set it down, smiling. "There are people in this world who are very eager to advise others to see a doctor, but when they get sick themselves, they refuse to go."

Li Zhuiyuan said again, "Great Grandfather, we've agreed. I'll go with you later."

This time, he emphasized his tone because he was worried that Great Grandfather's current condition might not withstand illness.

"Fine, fine, fine. If you want to go, we'll go. We'll go!"

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

Aunt Liu smiled again. "In the end, it's the great-grandson whose words carry weight, hehe."

Just as Li Zhuiyuan was serving A Li a small plate, he heard Aunt Zhang calling from the village road in the distance, across a field of rice paddies:

"Little Yuanhou, Little Yuanhou, a phone call! It's from the capital!"

Li Sanjiang quickly urged, "Go quickly, Little Yuanhou. It's probably your mother."

"Then Great Grandfather, I'm going. Run Sheng Ge, come with me."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Run Sheng was just waiting for dinner and was about to light an incense stick, but since Little Yuan requested it, he immediately nodded, got up, and walked outside with Li Zhuiyuan.

From a distance, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying standing outside the small store.

It made sense. Since Aunt Zhang had notified him, how could she not notify his grandparents? Moreover, from his mother's perspective, he should be living at his grandparents' house now, not Great Grandfather's.

Behind his grandparents stood a group of Li family children, happily sharing snacks. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan arrive, Shitou and Huzi immediately offered him snacks:

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

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Cui Guiying usually wouldn't spend money on snacks for the children at home. After all, with so many children in the family now, how much would it cost to buy snacks for all of them?

The only reason she was willing to buy them today was because she was so happy that her daughter had finally called.

You must know that their daughter had last returned with her ex-son-in-law. They weren't married then, and Little Yuan wasn't even born. Since then, their daughter hadn't returned for so many years.

A few years ago, their daughter would occasionally send telegrams or letters to check in, but later, those gradually stopped.

Although gifts arrived punctually for every holiday, and the quarterly support payments were always remitted without fail;

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

This wish had been suppressed for too long and had gradually become a luxury.

"Little Yuanhou, quick, your mother called. Grandma and your mom just finished talking." Cui Guiying's smile was radiant. She then patted Li Weihan's back. "Quick, Little Yuanhou is here, give the phone to Little Yuanhou."

Although Li Weihan was reluctant, he still shouted into the phone, "Okay, okay, Lanhou, I'll let Little Yuanhou take the call first. Don't hang up after you're done. I'll talk to you again later."

Li Zhuiyuan was very confused. His mother actually called proactively? Even more unbelievable was that his mother would chat with his grandparents for so long.

Li Weihan solemnly handed the receiver to his grandson. "Quick, your mother misses you. Lanhou, let your son take the call."

Li Zhuiyuan still couldn't believe it was true. Although he had been hoping his mother would call, he knew very well that hope was not the same as a wish.

Putting the receiver to his ear, Li Zhuiyuan heard a woman's voice from the receiver: "Hello, is this Little Yuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan's mouth twitched. On the other end of the line was not his mother, but his mother's secretary, Aunt Xu. He remembered that Aunt Xu's hometown was also Nantong.

So, the person who had been talking to his grandparents earlier was not his mother, Li Lan, but Aunt Xu.

His grandparents, having not seen their daughter for many years and not having spoken to her on the phone, had long forgotten the sound of their daughter's voice. Moreover, Aunt Xu could also understand the Nantong dialect, so there was no way they could tell it wasn't their daughter.

At this moment, looking at his grandparents, who were beaming brighter than during the New Year, Li Zhuiyuan felt a strong sense of revulsion towards his mother's actions.

Li Weihan: "Little Yuanhou, quickly call out to your mother, quickly! Your mother said she misses you very much. Quickly tell your mother that you miss her too."

Cui Guiying: "Little Yuanhou is probably too shy. Don't start crying when you hear your mother's voice. You'll be crying and calling for your mom tonight, giving Uncle Sanjiang a headache, hehe."

It was clear that his grandparents were eagerly waiting for him to call out "Mom" to their daughter on the phone, as they had never witnessed the interaction between their daughter and grandson. The surrounding siblings were also laughing and egging him on.

Even though he knew it was Aunt Xu on the other end, Li Zhuiyuan still showed a hint of shyness on his face. He gripped the receiver tightly with both hands and, with emotions filled with longing, excitedly shouted:

"Mom, I miss you so much!"

The other end was likely on speakerphone, as two sets of footsteps, one receding and one approaching, could be heard from the receiver.

Li Zhuiyuan could imagine that when his grandparents were talking to Aunt Xu as if she were their daughter, the owner of the footsteps, annoyed by the noise, had deliberately walked away to a place where they couldn't be heard.

Now, the person from a distance was returning, and Aunt Xu was walking away.

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

A sense of anticipation welled up in Li Zhuiyuan's heart. Although this thought was inappropriate and incorrect, he couldn't help but think this way: it seemed his mother treated him differently from his grandparents.

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

"Li Zhuiyuan, you've become even more disgusting."