Chapter 34

Run Sheng rode cheerfully up ahead, feeling that the blue sky, white clouds, fields, and irrigation canals had never been so beautiful.

Ever since he had become old enough to understand, whenever his grandfather told him:

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

At first, Run Sheng had truly looked forward to it. Later, whenever he heard those words, he would immediately run to the rice jar to see whether there was enough rice left to cook a bowl of porridge thick enough for chopsticks to stand in for the two of them that night.

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

After so much "family education," he had nearly come to regard card-playing as an offering, like worshipping the Bodhisattva during the holidays.

In contrast, Li Zhuiyuan, sitting in the back, did not look nearly so pleased.

At his feet was a bag of money, with loose bills and whole notes, new ones and crumpled ones. The absolute amount was not all that outrageous, but considering rural prices and wages at the time, it was enough to build a small handicraft workshop behind Great Grandfather's Home.

Having good luck at cards once in a while was normal. Who did not eat dumplings at least once during the New Year?

At its core, it was still a matter of probability.

But when a string of good fortune came crashing down in rapid succession, the issue gradually shifted from probability to the supernatural.

Thinking of the missing memories after last night's Fortune-Transfer Ritual, Li Zhuiyuan was now almost certain: the ritual had taken effect.

Taking effect did not necessarily mean it had succeeded. It only meant that it had worked, caused changes, and even whether those changes were good or bad remained open to question.

Li Zhuiyuan did not know exactly how much fortune Great Grandfather had transferred to him, but judging by the "cooperative performance" of the people at the card table just now, it should have been quite a lot.

Liu Yumei had told him that Great Grandfather's fortune was not so easy to take. It was more like a transaction.

Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu earned so little, yet they worked like beasts at Great Grandfather's Home, doing every kind of chore. What they sought was no more than the few coins in some obscure corner that Liu Yumei had mentioned.

He had taken so much all 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. He felt that using up his fortune to gamble... was stupid.

Like a shortsighted tomb raider who had risked his life and endured countless hardships to enter a tomb, only to see the gold and silver ingots while completely ignoring the clothes, bronzes, porcelain, and other works of art.

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

"Okay, Little Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, ride a little slower."

"Okay, Little Yuan."

"Brother Run Sheng, move over a little. No, ride more toward the middle."

"..."

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

Just now, Li Zhuiyuan had suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He worried that some accident might suddenly happen, such as a serious traffic accident?

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

If the backlash from Great Grandfather's fortune was only this, it would be far too cheap. It might even make one feel as though he had gotten a bargain.

Yet the more it seemed that way, the more uneasy Li Zhuiyuan became, because it meant that somewhere on the road ahead, something big was waiting for him.

The tricycle drove into Grandpa Shan's House. Run Sheng scratched his head and asked Li Zhuiyuan:

"Little Yuan, can I borrow some money from you first, so I can buy more things for my grandpa to stock up on? Once your Great Grandfather pays me my wages, I'll pay you back."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

In the past, he would definitely have said without a care, "Take whatever you want."

But this money had been won entirely through fortune rather than skill, and it felt somewhat scalding in his hands. Handing this hot potato to Grandpa Shan seemed a little unfair to him.

Li Zhuiyuan rummaged through the bag and pulled out several bills. This amount did not exceed his original stake, so it should not be a problem.

"That's too much, really too much. I only need to buy my grandpa some more rice, flour, and cooking oil. You've given me too much, Little Yuan."

"It's fine. Buy more."

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

"You really have thought it through."

"Hehe."

"Oh, Brother Run Sheng, where's your toilet?"

"Over there. Go around the field ridge behind the house. We share the neighbor's toilet."

"Oh, okay."

Just as Li Zhuiyuan went out, Grandpa Shan came running back from outside.

Though the old man was advanced in years and in poor health, he was still remarkably strong.

That seemed contradictory, but it was not. Old people like that often did not languish in bed for long. Once their time came, they went with startling speed.

As the neighbors often said, "Wasn't he still pretty sturdy? Sigh, how could he just be gone like that?"

Grandpa Shan had hurried back for two reasons. First, he had lost all his money.

He had a habit: losing at cards was one thing, but he would never borrow money to try to win it back.

Second, he had heard that his Runsheng Hou had won a huge sum at the card hall!

Naturally, the messenger had not passed along every detail. They did not know Li Zhuiyuan, so they naturally said that Run Sheng had won the money playing cards.

"Grandpa, you're back—"

Smack!

Grandpa Shan slapped Run Sheng hard across the face.

"I told you not to go astray and play cards!"

"I was wrong, Grandpa."

"Where's the money?"

"Huh?"

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

"On the tricycle."

Grandpa Shan walked over to the tricycle. When he saw the bag of money, his eyes went wide.

"All this... you won it?"

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

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

"No, no, you can't."

"What, you won money and can't bear to give it to your grandfather?"

"The stake, right, the stake was Little Yuan's. It was his spending money."

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

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

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

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

"What meal? You and Little Yuanhou eat. Your grandpa's busy."

After saying that, Grandpa Shan rushed back to the battlefield, feeling the heavy "bullets" in his clothes as he ran. He was incredibly excited. In all his life, he had never fought such a well-funded battle.

Li Zhuiyuan came back and saw Run Sheng standing there with an embarrassed, helpless look on his face.

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

After hearing Run Sheng's explanation, Li Zhuiyuan froze.

"Little Yuan, I was waiting here for you to come back so I could ask your permission. Let's tell the truth. I'll go to the card hall right now and get your money back from my grandpa!"

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

"Little Yuan, you're not angry?"

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

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

"But my grandpa already took so much money..."

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

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

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

Tapping lightly on his forehead, he began recalling what the book said about this matter. More precisely, how this money should be used.

He found it. According to the book's logic, he could use this money.

But it had to be based on fairness, or on him getting the better deal. In other words, when buying something, he had to either pay a fair price or haggle it down. He absolutely could not let the person selling goods or labor to him feel that he was generous, feel that they had gotten a bargain from him.

Otherwise, that person would be sharing in this karma, because they too had enjoyed the extra benefits brought by this money.

"No wonder there was such a thing as collective punishment in ancient times..."

Though its practical purpose was to strengthen deterrence against crime, from a legal standpoint, even the children in a household enjoyed the benefits brought by the family's illegal gains.

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

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

"Okay."

Run Sheng scrubbed the pot, lit the fire, and cooked. Besides the purchased braised pork liver and cold shredded jellyfish, he also stir-fried some eggs and made a loofah soup.

But the eggs were burnt, and the soup was thick and murky, not refreshing in the slightest.

"Little Yuan, this is all I can manage."

Run Sheng bit into a stick of incense, then ate a chopstickful of egg and took a sip of soup first, as though he were testing for poison.

Li Zhuiyuan understood. One could not expect someone who usually could barely get enough dry food to eat to possess any impressive culinary skills.

After lunch, Run Sheng cleaned the house and courtyard, then got on the tricycle and took Li Zhuiyuan home.

After turning off the road onto the Village Road, they saw Pan Zi and Lei Zi, both filthy, pushing a cart full of bricks.

At the time, summer jobs were difficult to find even in the city, let alone in the countryside.

Places farther away were inconvenient to commute to, so the nearby brick kiln was considered a fairly good option. It was exhausting work, but at least the pay came daily.

It suited young people like Pan Zi and Lei Zi quite well. They could earn some money during summer break to spend on themselves.

"Panzi Ge, Leizi Ge!"

"Hey, Yuanzi."

"Heh, Yuanzi."

There were blood scabs at the corner of Pan Zi's mouth, and bruises around Lei Zi's eyes. They were marks of fatherly love.

"Yuanzi, good thing you left early that day, haha."

"Exactly. Good thing you left first, or you'd have had to squat in the Police Station with us and get blood drawn too."

"Brothers, thank you for not mentioning me."

"How could we? We're brothers. How could we ever betray a brother?"

"Exactly. You're our little brother. How could big brothers not protect their little brother?"

Actually, they were not tough enough to deliberately hide it for Little Yuan's sake. They simply knew that if they let it slip and their fathers and grandfathers found out they had dared to take Little Yuanhou to watch porn, they would probably be beaten even worse.

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

"Yeah, we're delivering bricks to the kiln today." As Lei Zi spoke, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. No one knew who had given it to him. He put it between his lips, struck a match with great flair, lit it, took a puff, and passed it to Pan Zi.

Pan Zi took a puff and passed it to Run Sheng.

At the time, it was common for several brothers to take turns smoking a single cigarette. Cigarettes at the little shops could even be bought one at a time.

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

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

Run Sheng answered, "Authentic cigarettes."

Then Run Sheng held the burning incense out to them, intending to share it.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi hurriedly shook their heads and declined his kindness.

Next, Pan Zi looked at Li Zhuiyuan. "Little Yuan, Sihai's family is draining the Fish Pond tomorrow. The two of us are going to help. Want to come? They'll feed us, and we can take some fish home too."

"I'm not going. Great Grandfather hasn't allowed me out lately. Today was only an exception because I was accompanying Brother Run Sheng to bring things to his grandfather."

"Oh, is that so? What a pity."

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

"No need. Take them home and eat them. Brothers, you're busy. I'm heading back first."

"Okay. We'll come find you to play another day, Yuanzi."

After the tricycle had driven some distance away, Run Sheng asked curiously, "Little Yuan, don't you want to play with those older brothers of yours?"

"No, they treat me pretty well."

"Then you..."

"Brother Run Sheng, I just don't plan on going out anytime soon."

Until he resolved the issue with the fortune on him, Li Zhuiyuan decided not to leave home unless necessary. Especially not anywhere involving water. He absolutely would not go.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi had invited him to watch someone drain a Fish Pond, which was already a major taboo. He feared that if he went in his current state, who knew what else besides fish might be pulled out.

When they got home, Li Zhuiyuan did not see A Li sitting behind the East Room's threshold in the yard. He guessed that the girl should be in his room now.

She truly had changed a lot. She no longer sat there blankly all the time. Even when he was not around, she would make some movements of her own accord.

Liu Yumei sat on a chair at the East Room's entrance, her hands folded before her, eyes closed as though taking an afternoon nap.

When she sensed someone returning, she slowly opened her eyes and once again looked at the boy with an indifferent gaze. At the same time, the fingers of her left hand, hidden beneath her right, began to calculate.

Then she had no choice but to stop again.

Because the boy turned his head, giving her the back of his head. As he asked Aunt Liu in the West Room what they were having for dinner and how the incense was coming along, he maintained that posture and walked into the house.

A doubt arose in Liu Yumei's heart: Was it a coincidence, or deliberate?

It had to be a coincidence. If it was deliberate, that would be too absurd.

To notice her calculations, one would at least need attainments in physiognomy equal to hers. How could that be possible?

She knew the boy had been reading books, and she knew he had designed and made a batch of practical tools according to what was in them. After interacting with him again and again, she knew even better just how clever he was.

In her heart, she had already placed the boy very highly and reluctantly admitted that he had set foot on this path. But no matter what, it should not have reached such an outrageous level.

Liu Yumei had always been in this household, so she was certain the boy had no teacher. Qin Li had only taught him a little horse stance. If merely reading books could bring someone to that height, then hadn't she lived all these years for nothing?

There was something deeply off about what had happened today. How had Li Sanjiang's good fortune suddenly been drained so badly?

She would have to observe him again tomorrow. If the deficit in Li Sanjiang's fortune could slowly recover, then everything could remain as it was. But if it continued to stay depleted, then things would become troublesome.

Irritated and unsettled, Liu Yumei stood up. She wanted to return to her room and have a chat with the "big shots."

Sitting before the Offering Table, she picked up a pastry and was about to begin when she suddenly looked doubtfully at the Spirit Tablets on it.

"Why do they feel a little sparse?"

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs and saw Li Sanjiang washing his hair beside the Water Vat with laundry detergent.

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

"I was lying down for an afternoon nap when some damned bird came from who knows where and shit on my head again. I don't know what's going on today. I've been hit by bird droppings twice in one day. What rotten luck."

Li Zhuiyuan roughly guessed why.

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

"Grandpa Shan was busy playing cards."

"Heh, that old bastard's always been like that. By the way, did you buy the things?"

"I did. I stocked up on rice, flour, and cooking oil. Great Grandfather, you really do care about Grandpa Shan."

"Of course I do. If he starves to death, who am I supposed to find to help me when there's another big job? Shan Pao's got a bad temper, but he's capable. He can help every time."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. That was true.

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

Li Zhuiyuan lifted the bag of money in his hand. "I bought A Li some candy. Great Grandfather, want to try one?"

Just like last time, Li Zhuiyuan still intended to ask Aunt Liu to handle the purchasing and price negotiations for him. With Aunt Liu's expertise, she would definitely make every cent count.

If he went himself, he didn't know the trade and didn't buy things often, so it would be easy for people to overcharge him.

That was simply how business worked—prices varied depending on the customer. Li Zhuiyuan understood that, which was why he would not go himself. He wasn't some sower of misfortune; those small vendors had not committed sins worthy of that.

Actually, while downstairs just now, Li Zhuiyuan had originally planned to hand the money to Aunt Liu. But Grandma Liu had been secretly watching him.

Seriously, she had watched him in the morning and again in the afternoon. Didn't she get tired?

"I'm not eating that. Go get me another towel."

"Okay."

After getting Li Sanjiang a towel, Li Zhuiyuan headed toward his own room.

On the way, he pushed open Li Sanjiang's bedroom door. He had wanted to inspect the formation on the tiles again, only to find that it had already been wiped away.

Even now, he could not understand it. He had clearly tampered with and altered it yesterday, so how could the formation still have worked?

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

The most helpless part was that he could not discuss this with his Great Grandfather, even though his Great Grandfather was the most important person involved.

Because Li Zhuiyuan knew that even if he asked his Great Grandfather to recreate the formation diagram he had drawn last night, his Great Grandfather would definitely draw him a new one.

Reaching his door, Li Zhuiyuan pushed it open and saw A Li sitting on a small stool, using a carving knife to carve Wood Flower Rolls.

He had not actually told A Li that the Black Canvas had been damaged, but the girl had discovered it herself and had proactively helped him make more Wood Flower Rolls.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and watched the girl carve with focused attention.

The scene looked remarkably like the past, when the girl had watched him read with the same concentration.

As she carved, the girl occasionally lifted her eyes to glance at him. It was just like how he had responded to her while reading back then.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that this was probably the most comfortable way for friends to be together.

There was no accommodation, only enjoyment.

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

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

When he opened the drawer, he found not only four bundles of brand-new cash stuffed inside, but also six Gold Bars.

There was no need to guess who had put them there.

Although Li Zhuiyuan definitely would not keep this money and gold, and would take them downstairs to return to Grandma Liu shortly.

Still, it did not stop his heart from being corrupted a little at that moment, especially after he glanced again at the black bag in his hand...

So he did not have to work this hard after all.

Li Zhuiyuan found an empty box, put the cash and gold from the drawer into it, then walked over to the girl and sat down again. He spoke very seriously.

"A Li, thank you. I was really happy when I saw these things you gave me, but I can't accept them."

A Li stopped her carving knife, raised her head, and looked at the boy.

Confusion showed in her eyes. She did not understand why the boy had smiled while looking at the money in his hand that morning, yet refused it when she gave him some.

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

Her family clearly had a great many things like that.

"A Li, gifts need to be appropriate in value too. Next time, before you give me something, you can ask me first. If it's suitable, then I'll accept it. Okay?"

A thoughtful look appeared in A Li's eyes, and then she nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan froze. He had just seen the girl nod, and it had been a large movement—not the barely perceptible kind 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 range of motion as a normal person.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. This meant the girl's condition had improved by a huge step today.

Though he did not know why.

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

Forcing away the worries in his heart, Li Zhuiyuan decided to talk about something pleasant.

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

A Li shook her head.

"It's a special flavor made by lighting this and using the smoke to cure it... Hm?"

Li Zhuiyuan casually picked up a Wood Flower Roll lying beside him.

The last time he made the Black Canvas, he had taken a piece of wood from the woodshed and used a small planer to shave out the Wood Flower Rolls.

This time, A Li had made them herself, which meant she had planed these Wood Flower Rolls herself.

But why were these Wood Flower Rolls not yellowish-white this time? Instead, they were jet-black and glossy, carrying a distinctive fragrance that smelled rather nice.

"A Li, what kind of wood did you plane these from?"

A Li pointed beneath the little table.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head to look, and his eyes widened instantly. Under 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 cash and Gold Bars on the table beside Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei opened the box, gave it a glance, then closed it again.

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

"You brought it all back. What's there to count?"

"That's good."

Li Zhuiyuan also placed a fertilizer sack on the table.

Liu Yumei opened the sack and looked inside. Then she immediately stood up, took out the three Spirit Tablets, wiped them clean, and placed them on the Offering Table.

"A Li, Grandma will give you anything you want to play with, but what's so fun about Spirit Tablets? Don't touch them again next time."

Even now, Liu Yumei remained gentle and soft-spoken, without scolding her granddaughter.

Then she began counting the Spirit Tablets one by one with her fingers.

She seemed to have forgotten what she had just said: You brought them all back. What's there to count?

"Eh, why are there still a few missing?"

Li Zhuiyuan said nothing, because the missing ones had already become Wood Flower Rolls.

He could not exactly pack up that bag of Wood Flower Rolls and carry it over. Besides, half of them had already been carved with patterns by A Li.

"Little Yuan, did you look again? Maybe after A Li took them out, she dropped them somewhere?"

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

Li Zhuiyuan was not deliberately trying to shirk responsibility. He simply felt that Liu Yumei would find it easier to accept that the Spirit Tablets had been lost rather than dismembered.

"Ah."

Liu Yumei sighed and looked resentfully at Qin Li.

The good news was that her granddaughter had once been interested in nothing, but now she was clearly more lively. She was even taking money from home to give to a man outside.

But taking money and Gold Bars was fine. Why take Spirit Tablets?

"Grandma Liu, I told A Li that she won't touch the Spirit Tablets again. Right, A Li?"

A Li nodded.

Liu Yumei could only rub her forehead helplessly. Then her entire body suddenly trembled as she stared at A Li in disbelief.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "A Li, Grandma wants to confirm that you understand. Hurry and tell Grandma that you understand."

A Li nodded again.

Tears immediately streamed down Liu Yumei's face. She turned to the Offering Table and said in a choked voice.

"Our ancestors have shown their grace. Our ancestors have blessed us!"

Li Zhuiyuan left the East Room and helped close the door. Inside, Liu Yumei was leading A Li in thanking the ancestors on the Offering Table.

Li Zhuiyuan let out a long breath. He had managed to muddle through this matter.

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

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

Run Sheng happened to be in the kitchen too. He was eating fragrant food while sniffing the aroma from the pot as he waited for dinner, and he answered directly.

"I won it playing cards!"

Aunt Liu looked at Run Sheng suspiciously. Clearly, she did not believe him.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Aunt Liu, this is the list. Please help me get another batch of things, and find two bricklayers to build a small workshop behind the house against the back wall. It doesn't need to be large—about the same size as the woodshed will do."

Run Sheng said, "No need to hire anyone. I can do it. I know how to lay bricks. I built the wall around the house."

Li Zhuiyuan ignored Run Sheng's self-recommendation. He had seen the collapsed state of the wall at Grandpa Shan's House today.

He did not want to be buried inside the workshop when it collapsed while he was working there in the future.

"Alright, Auntie understands."

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

"Careful about what?"

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

"Hm?" Aunt Liu touched the bag, understanding dawned in her eyes, and she nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

Run Sheng asked in confusion, "Do you really need to care whether money is dirty?"

"Yes, Brother Run Sheng. Banknotes pass through many hands while circulating, so they must have lots of bacteria on them."

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

There was still some time before dinner, so Li Zhuiyuan did not return to the second floor. Instead, he went to the basement.

In The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons, whether it was tools or martial arts, everything required a great deal of time and effort. It was nearly impossible to achieve anything overnight, so Li Zhuiyuan decided to pick another set of books and use his spare time to read.

Click!

The flashlight turned on, and Li Zhuiyuan walked toward the boxes.

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

Li Zhuiyuan jumped in fright and instinctively aimed the flashlight at it. The long black shadow seemed startled as well and began moving quickly.

It was a small snake!

"Whew..."

Li Zhuiyuan pressed his lips together. Just now, he had truly feared that something terrifying had entered the basement.

But after moving left and then right, the little snake turned and slithered toward Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan was not terribly afraid of snakes. He had once gone with his mother to several excavation sites, where there had been many snakes.

Still, he was not professional or brave enough to ignore a snake, even a very small one. So he continued backing away until his back struck a box, making the copper lock on it ring crisply.

The sound seemed to startle the snake. It quickly changed direction, while Li Zhuiyuan kept the flashlight beam on it until it slipped into a corner and vanished. There was a finger-width crack there.

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

Because it sat at the outermost edge of the cluster of boxes, he had never opened it before.

Then this time, it would be this one.

Li Zhuiyuan set the flashlight on the ground, braced both hands against the lid, planted his legs in a stance, and exerted force.

Creak!

The lid opened and flipped backward.

Li Zhuiyuan clapped his hands. He felt that ever since he had kept up the horse-stance practice Uncle Qin taught him, his strength had grown considerably. Unlike the increase in strength brought by physical development, this seemed more like an improvement in using and controlling his own power.

Picking up the flashlight, he shone it into the box at the books inside. He found that they were covered in dust—not dust accumulated over time, but dust that had already filled the box when the books were packed away.

Turning his head aside, he blew several times in succession before the covers of the top row of books barely emerged.

Based on his previous experience, the books on top in every box were usually rather ordinary. The good books had to be dug out from below.

Li Zhuiyuan had originally planned to do just that, until he saw the names of the two sets of books placed in the middle of the top row.

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

The Liu Clan, the Qin Clan?

Li Zhuiyuan could not help picturing the spirit tablets on the Offering Table in the East Room, all bearing the surnames of the Qin Liu Families.

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

Li Zhuiyuan took out the two sets of books. They were crudely made, without covers.

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

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

Li Zhuiyuan quickly shook his head. No, Great Grandfather had said that the books in the basement had been stored here by someone for many years, while Liu Yumei's family had not been coming to Great Grandfather's Home for very long.

It was even less likely that Liu Yumei knew there were books in Great Grandfather's Basement and had secretly placed her family's secret arts here.

First, Liu Yumei had no reason to do so. Second, the dust on the books silently testified to how long they had been sealed away.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the first volume of the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art. The moment he turned the page, he frowned. The handwriting was far too messy and ugly.

It was not cursive or connected writing. Rather, it looked as though the person copying the book had been pressed for time and wrote very quickly. On top of having no calligraphic skill to begin with, the result was simply hideous, like the scribblings of ghosts.

There were quite a few characters that Li Zhuiyuan had to infer from the context before he could guess what they were.

After quickly flipping through more than a dozen pages, he discovered that the layout of each page varied wildly. The volume titles and chapter headings were not placed at the top of proper pages, but mixed into the text.

A scene emerged in Li Zhuiyuan's mind: someone constantly flipping through a beautifully bound set of books with one hand, while rapidly copying them into blank notebooks with the other.

As the person wrote, he kept looking around nervously, terrified that someone might come over.

So this should have been a pirated copy.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the Qin Clan's Flood Dragon Observation Method and skimmed through it. Sure enough, it came from the same lineage—it too was a pirated copy.

That nearly confirmed it. These two sets of books had nothing to do with Liu Yumei.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered Liu Yumei telling him that she knew what kinds of books he was reading. But judging from her tone, she probably only thought he was reading mysterious occult texts and had no idea they were all precious handwritten rare copies.

Besides, Liu Yumei probably had never entered the basement. Whether it was Liu Yumei, Uncle Qin, or Aunt Liu, they all knew where to draw the line and did not pry too deeply into Great Grandfather's affairs or belongings.

If Liu Yumei had ever come to the basement and looked through these boxes, she could not possibly have allowed these two sets of books to remain here. They had stolen the inheritance of both families; that was a grave taboo.

"All right, these two, then."

Even Li Zhuiyuan himself did not know whether he was curious about the contents of these books or about the Qin Liu Families.

After closing the box again, Li Zhuiyuan carried the two sets of books out of the basement. Once upstairs, he placed them on his desk, tore off the cover of each book, rolled them up and lit them, then dropped them into his water cup one by one.

He still needed to cover things up a little.

Among all seven books, the neatest and clearest writing was the title on each cover.

Li Zhuiyuan liked reading on the Second Floor Balcony. He could not risk Liu Yumei happening to look up and see the titles.

As for A Li, who liked sitting beside him and reading with him, that was fine. There was no need to hide it from her. A Li would not tattle anyway.

Aunt Liu's voice drifted over from the yard:

"Dinner's ready!"

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

"Are you hungry?"

A Li nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face again. He felt that if she kept improving like this, she should not be too far from being able to speak.

But if this continued...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

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

"Great Grandfather, after dinner, I'll go with you to Doctor Zheng's to get some medicine or an injection."

"No. It's just a minor ailment. A night's sleep and I'll be fine."

Aunt Liu brought over the soup and set it down, smiling. "There are people in this world who are always so diligent about urging others to see a doctor, but when they get sick themselves, they refuse to go no matter what."

Li Zhuiyuan said again, "Great Grandfather, it's settled. I'll go with you later."

This time, he stressed his words, because he worried that in Great Grandfather's current condition, he might not be able to withstand getting sick.

"Fine, fine, fine. We'll go, then. 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 still the great-grandson's words that work best, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan had just portioned out food onto A Li's small dish when he heard Aunt Zhang shouting from the distant Village Road, across a stretch of rice fields:

"Little Yuanhou! Little Yuanhou! Phone call, from the capital!"

Li Sanjiang hurriedly urged, "Go on, Little Yuanhou. It should be your mother calling."

"Then I'll go, Great Grandfather. Brother Run Sheng, come with me."

"Huh? Oh, all right."

Run Sheng had just been waiting for dinner and was about to light the incense, but since Little Yuan asked him, he immediately nodded, stood up, and followed Li Zhuiyuan outside.

From far away, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying standing outside the little store.

That made sense. Since Aunt Zhang had notified him, how could she not notify his grandfather and grandmother? Besides, from his mother's perspective, he should currently have been living at his grandparents' home rather than Great Grandfather's Home.

Behind his grandfather and grandmother stood a group of Li family children, happily dividing up snacks. When they saw Li Zhuiyuan arrive, Shitou and Huzi immediately held out snacks to him.

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

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Cui Guiying was usually reluctant to buy snacks for the children in the family on her own initiative. There were so many children in the household now—buying snacks for all of them would cost a lot.

The reason she was willing to buy them today was because she was so happy. Her daughter had finally called home.

The last time her daughter had returned, she had brought her former son-in-law with her. Back then, the two had not even gotten married, much less had Little Yuan. Since then, her daughter had not returned for so many years.

In the earlier years, her daughter would occasionally send telegrams or letters to ask after them, but later, even those gradually stopped.

Though gifts for holidays and festivals always arrived on time, and quarterly support payments were always transferred without interruption;

Logically speaking, her daughter had already done far better than the children of anyone else in the village. But sometimes, all parents wanted was to hear their daughter's voice and talk to her.

That wish had been buried for too long, until it had gradually become an extravagant hope.

"Little Yuanhou, hurry. Your mother called. Grandma just finished talking to her." Cui Guiying's smile was radiant as she reached out and patted Li Weihan on the back. "Hurry, Little Yuanhou is here. Give the phone to Little Yuanhou."

Though Li Weihan was reluctant, he still called into the phone, "All right, all right, Lanhou. I'll let Little Yuanhou take the call first. Don't hang up when you're done, I'll keep talking to you afterward."

Li Zhuiyuan was very confused. His mother had actually taken the initiative to call. Even more unbelievable was that she had talked with Grandma and Grandpa for so long.

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

Li Zhuiyuan still did not want to believe it was real. Although he had longed for his mother to call, he knew very well that longing was not the same as making a wish.

Pressing the receiver to his ear, Li Zhuiyuan heard a woman's voice from the other end. "Hello, is this Little Yuan?"

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

So it had not been his mother, Li Lan, speaking with Grandpa and Grandma earlier, but Aunt Xu.

His grandfather and grandmother had not seen their daughter or spoken with her on the phone for far too many years. They had long since grown fuzzy on what her voice sounded like. Moreover, Aunt Xu could understand the Nantong dialect, so there was no way they could tell that she was not their daughter.

Watching his grandfather and grandmother beam more happily than they did even during the New Year, Li Zhuiyuan felt a powerful disgust toward his mother's behavior.

Li Weihan said, "Little Yuanhou, hurry and call her Mom. Hurry! Your mother says she misses you terribly. Quickly tell Mom that you miss her too."

Cui Guiying said, "Little Yuanhou is probably embarrassed. Don't start crying the moment you hear your mother's voice, or you'll spend the night crying and calling for your mother, giving Uncle Sanjiang a headache, hehe."

It was obvious that Grandpa and Grandma were eagerly waiting for him to call out "Mom" so their daughter could hear it over the phone. They had never seen an interaction between their daughter and grandson, while the brothers and sisters around them also laughed and egged him on.

Though he knew Aunt Xu was on the other end, a shy expression still appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. Clutching the receiver tightly with both hands, he cried out excitedly, his voice brimming with longing:

"Mom, I miss you so much!"

The speakerphone should have been on. From the other end came two sets of footsteps, one moving from far to near, the other from near to far.

Li Zhuiyuan could imagine it. When Grandpa and Grandma had mistaken Aunt Xu for their daughter and spoken to her earlier, the owner of those footsteps had found the noise irritating and deliberately walked away, going somewhere she could not hear them.

Now, the person in the distance had walked back, while Aunt Xu had gone out.

So the next person to speak would be his mother.

A feeling of anticipation rose within Li Zhuiyuan. Though this thought was improper and wrong, he could not stop himself from thinking it: it seemed that his mother still treated him differently from Grandpa and Grandma.

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

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