The 37th Chapter

For the past few days, Li Zhuiyuan's main activity has been reading.

He ignored Grandma Liu's repeated hints and suggestions, didn't bother A Li, and didn't try to get closer to her to seek contact or explanations.

Because he knew that blindly pestering her was just a meaningless act of self-gratification.

A Li returned to her room, shutting herself away again.

But Li Zhuiyuan knew how to call her out again.

The last time the girl came out was because the Cat-faced Old Woman entered the house, so all he needed to do was recreate the scene.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know if the Cat-faced Old Woman had dissipated, but even if the Niu Family trio weren't dead yet, they should be on their last legs, doted on by their filial children.

The malevolent energy on the black cat was probably mostly gone, and the medicinal effect might not be enough.

Besides, even if he found it, it probably wouldn't dare to come, fearing it might encounter a zombie again after entering the house.

But these dead floats weren't like common cabbage by the roadside; they seemed to appear unexpectedly, yet finding them intentionally was quite difficult.

After much thought, only the Little Yellow Oriole remained.

Firstly, she lived nearby.

He could just carry the bell and incense burner, walk a few steps, and lure her to his home. He couldn't possibly catch one alive outside and have Run Sheng drive it back in a tricycle.

Secondly, they had prior experience working together.

Lastly, and most importantly, Li Zhuiyuan clearly remembered that when the Little Yellow Oriole led Big Beard and his son into the pond, she didn't emit black energy like the Cat-faced Old Woman or the Tai Sui of the Zhou surname.

Although he didn't know why, this meant the Little Yellow Oriole was most likely still there; she hadn't dissipated.

Now, the scene recreation was successful.

The Little Yellow Oriole's arrival successfully caught A Li's attention. A Li came out, entering the dream. Li Zhuiyuan finally "saw" her again.

However, after apologizing, the boy was speechless.

He didn't want to explain the impact of Li Lan's phone call on him, nor did he want to elaborate on his illness. He certainly wouldn't say that he also needed comfort and support, and that they could help each other.

If these words were useful to A Li, then Liu Yumei, as A Li's own grandmother, would have likely said them countless times already.

Meaningless explanations only served to be meaningless.

He only needed to convey one attitude: his balcony was open again, and he hoped she would come out to look again.

I have what you need, and I also need to be seen in your eyes again.

Mutual need is the most stable bond in human relationships.

The boy and girl stood there in mutual silence.

Behind them, the Little Yellow Oriole maintained her pose with her arms half-raised. Her main role today was that of a telephone line.

In addition, because of her presence, a gust of cold wind blew nearby, accompanied by low wails, preventing the environment and atmosphere from being too monotonous.

After a long while, A Li turned and walked back into the room.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't call out to her or press for a clear answer. He just looked up at the night sky with some disdain, anticipating dawn.

But before dawn, he still had to send the person he invited back.

Li Zhuiyuan walked back to the Little Yellow Oriole, bent down, picked up the incense burner and bell, then turned around and slowly paced backward until those cold, damp hands met his shoulders again.

Closing his eyes, he tried hard to imagine he was underwater, his body constantly floating upwards, upwards, upwards...

As his head broke the surface of the water, Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes again.

He turned back and saw Run Sheng standing by the embankment, holding the Seven Star Hook in his left hand and the Yellow River Shovel in his right, maintaining his guard.

Returning to reality, the walk through the yin path was over.

Li Sanjiang, who was sound asleep in his room after drinking too much today, would never have imagined that his painstaking efforts to perform multiple fortune-transferring rituals, all to sever the dark side of Little Yuanhou and let him live a normal life.

As a result, the boy, through repeated practice, had gradually figured out the patterns of walking the yin path.

"Jingle bells... jingle bells..."

The bell rang, and Li Zhuiyuan turned around. The figure in the qipao behind him also turned, holding his shoulders.

Run Sheng scratched the back of his head with the back of the Yellow River Shovel.

He didn't quite understand what Little Yuan was doing by bringing the dead float out of the water at night and then back again. Fortunately, he didn't overthink things he didn't understand; Little Yuan would tell him what to do anyway.

He didn't encounter anyone late at night, and Li Zhuiyuan smoothly led the Little Yellow Oriole back to the front of Big Beard's family pond.

"Huh?"

When he had lured the Little Yellow Oriole out of the pond earlier, Li Zhuiyuan had his back to the fishpond. Now, returning, the Little Yellow Oriole was still behind him and hadn't gone down.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan was able to re-examine the fishpond as it was before the Little Yellow Oriole's influence had temporarily waned.

He hadn't been here before, but at that time, he hadn't yet read the "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art." Back then, it was like a child who couldn't read visiting historical sites and scenic spots, completely unable to understand the inscriptions.

Now, he sensed something was wrong.

The Little Yellow Oriole was clearly not inside, yet the feng shui and spiritual energy of this fishpond were even more gloomy than when he arrived.

If it had become clearer and more serene, it would have been understandable. The opposite meant there was something even more special deep within the fishpond, and the Little Yellow Oriole's presence on the surface had actually served to conceal it.

Could it be that this is why Little Yellow Oriole hasn't shown any signs of dissipating even after completing her revenge?

"Jingle… jingle…"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't rush to place the candles and send Little Yellow Oriole down. Instead, he walked slowly along the edge of the fish pond with her, wanting to try and uncover the true mystery of the pond.

However, as he walked, Li Zhuiyuan gained no further insights. On the contrary, Little Yellow Oriole behind him began to show signs of restlessness.

Li Zhuiyuan knew it was because he had kept her summoned for too long.

The hands that had been resting on his shoulders now gripped him, the force increasing. The damp cold had soaked through Li Zhuiyuan's entire body.

For a moment, Li Zhuiyuan was also agitated, making it difficult to maintain his Qi gazing state. It became faltering, like trying to pick up reading the "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art" again after an interruption, the characters as illegible as scribbles.

But just then, a flash of inspiration struck Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

He raised his hand and tried to observe the feng shui and atmospheric conditions of the fish pond, following the feeling he had when reading those scribbled characters.

Under these distorted, overlapping, and irregular fluctuations, several details that he hadn't noticed before suddenly became apparent.

[Taiyin fishing, lonely pond reflecting the moon, suitable for burying noble daughters, accumulating and guiding blessings.]

This was an excellent site for water burial. If a noble female of a family were buried here, it could protect and nourish the descendants' good fortune.

The reason ancient people disliked water burials was the volatility of water conditions. Not only would it be inconvenient for future generations to pay respects, but it could also easily disrupt the original feng shui pattern.

However, the custom of water burial had existed since ancient times. Firstly, good burial spots were rare. Secondly, they were less susceptible to tomb raiding. Thirdly, some individuals had special identities and wished to be buried without being known.

Although this pond was significantly damaged, its basic feng shui pattern had been preserved.

The reason Li Zhuiyuan hadn't been able to discern it before was its damage. It was like trying to apply a correct textbook to a flawed problem; the result would be nonsensical.

But in this world, unless a feng shui pattern was newly constructed, where could one find a perfectly undamaged one?

Therefore, this kind of messy, error-ridden approach was actually the correct way to solve practical problems.

Thinking about it this way, his previous assumption was wrong. This person hadn't written the characters so poorly out of nervousness and urgency while copying the book, but rather the copier had actively incorporated their practical understanding into the form of the script.

This was truly… an unimaginably sophisticated move.

Despite stealing someone else's work, they had gained a deeper understanding than the original owner.

Why could he still be sure it was copied?

Because if the Liu family themselves had mastered this method of enhancing practical understanding, they wouldn't have deliberately written the characters neatly, increasing the difficulty for future generations to comprehend.

And that day, when Liu Yumei glanced at the book with its deliberately torn-off cover in his hand, she had only seen the messy, scribbled handwriting. She hadn't recognized it as her family's "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art" at all.

Li Zhuiyuan became curious, who was this copier?

But for now, at least one thing was certain: the main burial site that those Water Monkeys were looking for should be here.

It was just that those Water Monkeys were not skilled enough. They were misled by the bait site at the Sihai family's fish pond, triggering the Yin Red Sha and losing two men.

Now, the police had set up a cordon at the clinic's ward, waiting for their accomplices to visit the patient to catch them all in one go.

No, what was going on?

Li Zhuiyuan had initially thought the sticky substance dripping on him came from Little Yellow Oriole behind him. But the problem was, how could what dripped from Little Yellow Oriole be warm?

He looked down, touched his chest, then his chin, and finally his nose…

Alright, no need to touch anymore. He could already feel his nosebleed gushing out.

What was happening?

Was it the physical exhaustion from his accelerated study of the "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art" in the past few days that hadn't recovered, or was using the newly comprehended method of Qi gazing also a huge burden on himself?

But no matter what, if he didn't stop the bleeding soon, he was going to be in serious trouble.

Most importantly, it seemed that his continuous bleeding was causing Little Yellow Oriole, who was already restless behind him, to become even more agitated!

She was no longer content with just gripping his shoulders. Her head had moved to the side of his face. Although she didn't breathe, she was like a beast sniffing its prey up close.

Li Zhuiyuan dared not delay any longer. Besides, his objective had been achieved. He immediately turned to look at Run Sheng, who was standing in the distance, and gestured towards the spot where the candles should be placed.

Run Sheng had initially been following behind, not too close, so he hadn't understood Li Zhuiyuan's situation. Now that Xiao Yuan turned towards him, under the moonlight, Run Sheng saw that Xiao Yuan's face and clothes were covered in blood. Combined with Little Yellow Oriole's violent shaking, he mistook it for Little Yellow Oriole strangling Li Zhuiyuan and biting his neck!

Immediately, Run Sheng grabbed the Yellow River Shovel and prepared to rush up to rescue Xiao Yuan, only to hear Xiao Yuan shout:

"Those two spots, place the candles, light them!"

Run Sheng's head and body inertia conflicted. Holding the Yellow River Shovel, he spun on one leg.

If he hadn't quickly stabilized himself by sticking the shovel into the ground, he might have fallen directly into the fish pond.

After quickly getting up, Run Sheng quickly placed the candles and then took out matches to light them.

Meanwhile, Li Zhuiyuan shook the bell, leading Little Yellow Oriole to this spot at the perfect moment.

He turned his back to the pond and extinguished the incense in the censer he held.

But Little Yellow Oriole didn't let go, still gripping his arm.

She didn't want to leave.

The current situation perfectly illustrated the saying, "It's easier to invite a god than to send one away."

Run Sheng had already picked up the Soul Returning Basket, ready to cover the dead float and then throw himself and the dead float into the water.

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed the bell against his face, smearing it with fresh blood. He then flicked it backward, and the crisp ringing of the bell echoed through the air before finally falling into the fishpond.

Little Yellow Oriole released her hand, turned around, and walked towards the fishpond.

The water gradually rose to her body, and her hands grasped the bell floating on the surface.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately pulled out two sheets of yellow paper, lit them with a candle, spread his arms wide, and then clapped the burning yellow paper forcefully against himself!

"Crack!"

Sparks flew from the yellow paper, but it was immediately extinguished.

The two candles on the ground had flames that turned green.

Li Zhuiyuan stomped on them, completely extinguishing the two candles.

After finishing, he looked at Little Yellow Oriole in the fishpond. She had already turned around, the water level reaching her chest, leaving her neck and head exposed, staring at him.

"The gate of life is closed, the three offerings will be sent, please depart!"

Finally, Little Yellow Oriole slowly submerged into the water. Once her black hair spread out and she completely disappeared, she could no longer be seen.

Li Zhuiyuan collapsed onto the ground with a "thump," tilting his head back. His nosebleed, however, continued to flow.

"Run Sheng-ge, help me roll two paper balls."

"Alright, got it!"

Run Sheng immediately picked up the yellow paper and rolled two balls. However, the first one he made was a bit too big to fit into his nostrils, so he had to roll another one.

After stuffing them in, the nosebleed didn't stop. It seeped into the paper balls and continued to flow out. Only after he replaced them with two new paper balls did the nosebleed finally subside.

Li Zhuiyuan breathed heavily, feeling obvious chest tightness and weakness, symptoms of significant blood loss.

Run Sheng carefully took care of him, not at all bothered by the dead float in the fishpond. He went there to fetch some water and helped Li Zhuiyuan pat his forehead to cool it and wipe the bloodstains from his cheeks.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

After resting for a while, Li Zhuiyuan finally felt better.

Run Sheng let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest, and said with lingering fear, "Xiao Yuan, she was so fierce."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "She was very good; it was my problem."

Little Yellow Oriole had already been restrained. This time, it was truly his own fault. Who would have thought that checking feng shui could lead to such physical exhaustion?

Even the gentlest lion, if you provoke it with a bleeding head, it's your own fault if it eats you.

But this was the price of exploration that was necessary when theory meets practice. He could only say that he was fortunate it was Little Yellow Oriole. If it had been another dead float, even if Run Sheng could have saved him, it would have inevitably led to a battle with the dead float.

"Xiao Yuan, what exactly were you doing tonight?"

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the fishpond in front of him. "Run Sheng-ge, there's a tomb below."

Upon hearing this, Run Sheng's face immediately lit up, and he once again gripped the Yellow River Shovel.

"Xiao Yuan, I'll go dig it up!"

"Run Sheng-ge, what movie have you been watching lately?"

"Indiana Jones, all three of them. The county theater was showing them."

"Run Sheng-ge, grave robbing is illegal."

"Uh..."

"Also, I suggest you watch 'Xinwen Lianbo' after meals from now on."

"Okay, I will. So what about this place?"

"The Water Monkey didn't find this place, so let's leave it. It's buried underneath anyway."

Because of Li Lan's work, Li Zhuiyuan had some understanding of archaeology.

Nowadays, unless it's a major construction project, or a tomb has been robbed or suffered natural damage requiring protective archaeological excavation, people don't proactively excavate tombs.

Due to its special nature, water burials have tomb chambers much deeper than earth burials, making excavation more difficult. Since Little Yellow Oriole hadn't dissipated yet, it indicated that the main burial chamber was well-preserved. Therefore, it was best to let it remain preserved.

"Run Sheng-ge, what happened tonight must be kept a secret."

"Understood."

Li Zhuiyuan slowly stood up and cast a deep look at the fishpond before him. It was indeed a good place for corpse nurturing.

If that group of Water Monkeys hadn't been completely caught and were still set on this main burial chamber, he would have actually looked forward to them finding it. Because waiting for them here would be more than just simple Yin Red Fiends.

Back home, Li Zhuiyuan took another bath. Then he realized his clothes were beyond cleaning; they were blood-soaked. He couldn't just casually discard them, as it might scare people.

He could only fold them up and burn them in the stove tomorrow.

After taking care of himself, Li Zhuiyuan lay down on the bed. Before dawn, he managed to catch a short nap.

However, his body was likely severely drained, and he had lost a lot of blood. This short nap turned into sleeping until noon.

When he woke up, without even opening his eyes, he sensed the strong midday sun.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and looked at the carvings above the bed, even carefully examining each of the patterns on them.

Finally, he couldn't avoid it any longer and had to face reality directly.

He turned his head and looked towards the doorway.

The girl was sitting on a chair.

Today, she was wearing a light green ruqun, giving off a feeling of both dignity and new beginnings.

It felt so good to see her the moment he opened his eyes each day.

No need for too many words, no need for extra expressions. Just this glance could bring joy to both body and mind.

Li Zhuiyuan got out of bed, walked over to the snack cabinet, and took out three bottles of Jianlibao. Following the usual routine, he handed two bottles to the girl, opening one for her.

In truth, the boy didn't really like drinking sweet soda in the morning, but the girl liked to clink bottles with him.

After taking a sip, the girl put down her Jianlibao, reached out, and grasped Li Zhuiyuan's right hand, prying it open again.

The wound had already scabbed over. Li Zhuiyuan had been too lazy to re-bandage it after showering last night. The burn mark on his palm had faded, but the five finger-prick bloodstains around it were still clear.

The girl ignored the wound she had caused and rubbed her index finger over the burn mark on his palm.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again."

After that phone call, in his heart, he no longer used the title "Mom."

He didn't want to dwell on whether it was Li Lan's final hysteria or the last twisted affection during her illness. He was tired.

She said he wasn't the son she wanted, but was she the mother he wanted?

Indeed, two people with mental illnesses, both wanting to extract genuine affection and reliance from each other, could only end up tormenting each other.

The boy had decided to take off the mask he wore when facing Li Lan.

When you have nothing, you instinctively cherish everything you can grasp. Now, he was willing to let go.

The girl looked at the boy and spread open her right hand.

On her palm were five clear fingernail marks, the wounds also scabbed over.

This meant that after she had pinched him that night, she had also pinched herself.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his gaze, grasped the girl's hand, and said in a deep voice, "You won't have a next time either."

The girl nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan's fingers traced the wounds on the girl's palm. He knew that whether they were described as "childhood sweethearts," "playmates," "companions," or even the so-called affection between adults, none of it was appropriate for them.

Because he and she were both gamblers.

Having experienced the thrill of winning, they were unwilling to accept defeat and chose to return to the gambling table.

At their core, they couldn't stand to lose.

They both wanted to be normal people, and neither was willing to give up. That's why he sought her out, and that's why she returned.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that Li Lan must have hated this way of thinking of his, but it didn't matter, because A Li didn't care.

Sometimes, habitually oversimplifying and being direct can appear cold and heartless, but many relationships that are agonizing often suffer from overthinking.

The two of them held hands and went downstairs.

A Li was very happy. Li Zhuiyuan could feel the small hand in his own shaking, especially when they reached the turn in the stairs. She seemed to want to tiptoe and spin, and though she didn't do it, Li Zhuiyuan had already imagined it.

On the threshing ground, Grandma Liu was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

Last night, she had secretly watched from behind the window. In her anxiety for the boy, she had said that one sentence, and even more worried about her granddaughter, who had turned and gone back inside without any reaction... Upon waking.

However, her granddaughter had quickly closed her eyes and gone back to sleep.

Grandma Liu felt more and more that she was getting old and didn't understand young people's thoughts. When her own grandfather had pursued her, it had been a grand affair, almost leading to a fight between the Qin and Liu families.

Who would have thought that the young people of this generation would become so reserved?

But no matter what, her granddaughter was getting better. This time, she didn't want any more mishaps. She hoped her condition wouldn't relapse until her granddaughter was fully recovered.

"Hmm, he wanted to carve those runes, didn't he? This afternoon, I'll personally take an axe and split all the ancestral tablets in the house, and send them off with those wood flower rolls."

Perhaps due to the overwhelming joy, Grandma Liu didn't delve too deeply into how the boy had managed to guide the dead float.

Of course, it was also possible that she had suspected it long ago but simply didn't want to deal with it. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fear of backlash from her blessings, even if the boy went out and committed murder and arson, she would have secretly helped him dispose of the bodies.

Because she had tasted the flavor of it – the key to her granddaughter's recovery lay with the boy.

This wasn't to say that Li Sanjiang's blessings were useless. It was precisely because they lived in Li Sanjiang's house that they were able to meet this boy.

Li Sanjiang came down for breakfast. Seeing the two children sitting together again, he immediately sighed with emotion:

"Indeed, the feelings between children are pure."

He then glanced up at Grandma Liu, who was wiping her tears in the distance, and couldn't help but let out a soft snort:

"Keep trying to stop them, you materialistic old woman."

Li Sanjiang had always had a poor impression of Grandma Liu. He disliked the pretentious airs of a fallen landlord's young wife that she carried. After all, he, Li Sanjiang, had also contributed to the liberation!

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan went to the workshop he had built. Various tools and materials had already been placed inside. Aunt Liu, as the housekeeper, was truly impeccable.

Li Zhuiyuan left Run Sheng in the workshop, letting him start his work. It involved processing and preparing initial materials, not difficult, but time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Run Sheng was working with great enthusiasm because this was for the creation of a new set of equipment for him.

Based on Run Sheng's strength, Li Zhuiyuan decided to change the materials and dimensions of the tools, which meant Run Sheng would have to process even more raw materials.

In short, for the entire day, except for a break to eat lunch, Run Sheng didn't leave the workshop. He didn't even watch TV.

After Li Zhuiyuan finished revising the new set of blueprints early, he sat on the terrace reading a book.

This time, he didn't have to rush the progress. He was already afraid of that feeling of exhaustion. If this happened a few more times, forget about facing the dead floats later, he himself would turn as pale as a dead float.

So, rather than reading, he was actually relaxing and unwinding.

Qin Li sat beside him, holding the "Qin Clan's Flood Dragon Observation Method." Downstairs, Grandma Liu sipped her tea, smiling as she looked up.

Li Zhuiyuan had considered whether to share his and Qin Li's new insights on "ghostly scribbles" with Grandma Liu. After thinking it over, he decided it wasn't the right time. At the very least, he needed to scan all the worthwhile books in the basement himself. What if there were other legacies from the Qin and Liu families hidden there?

In the afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan put down his book, played several rounds of chess with Qin Li, and then went downstairs with her. They opened some snacks and drinks and watched TV.

Since the TV remote wasn't around, they could watch as long as they wanted.

Just watching TV would be boring, so Li Zhuiyuan wondered if he should take Qin Li to the cinema to watch a movie. Nowadays, movie theaters are mostly empty except on holidays, so there was no need to worry about Qin Li encountering strangers.

Li Sanjiang went out after lunch. When he returned and saw Li Zhuiyuan wasn't studying, he was happy instead of angry. He felt it was good that Little Yuanhou was gradually recovering from the shock of losing his household registration.

Around 5:30 PM, a motorcycle drove up. The rider took off his helmet; it was Tan Yunlong. After greeting Li Sanjiang, he easily picked up Li Zhuiyuan and got on the motorcycle. He then started the engine again and smoothly turned off the dam.

Tan Yunlong rode his motorcycle even more wildly than Uncle Qin. Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan had a helmet this time.

When they arrived at the police station's family housing, Tan Yunlong led the boy up to the third floor and opened the door. A middle-aged woman wearing an apron walked out of the kitchen. She was dressed simply and elegantly, exuding a warm and approachable aura.

"Is this Little Yuan?"

"Hello, Auntie."

"Hello, you're such a good boy. Call me Aunt Zheng."

Tan Yunlong asked, "Where's Binbin?"

"Binbin is in his room doing homework."

Tan Yunlong opened his son's room door. At the desk, a tall high school student in a school uniform was engrossed in his homework.

Tan Yunlong walked to the desk and placed his hand on it.

Tan Wenbin's posture shifted slightly.

Then, Tan Yunlong opened his son's pencil case and took out a Tetris game console. The game screen was still paused.

Tan Wenbin lowered his head, not daring to meet his father's eyes.

Perhaps because an outsider was present, Tan Yunlong didn't get angry. Instead, he took out a bag of jelly beans from his pocket and placed them on his son's desk. He then took out two more and handed them to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan silently tore open a jelly bean and put it in his mouth. He knew that the relationship between this father and son was definitely not close. Perhaps Tan Wenbin liked jelly beans when he was younger, but what father would still give his high school son jelly beans?

Although Tan Wenbin was polite and ate one, it looked more like a performance of father-son affection.

Seeing this scene, Li Zhuiyuan sighed inwardly. Even if they were performing, there was still affection at its core. Unlike him and Li Lan, they had no feelings, only acting.

"This is Little Yuan, Li Zhuiyuan. Little Yuan, this is my son I told you about, Tan Wenbin. You can call him Binbin."

"Hello, Little Yuan."

"Hello, Brother Binbin."

"Here, find a blank test paper for Little Yuan to do."

"What? For him to do?"

"Yes."

"Oh, then this one will do." Tan Wenbin pulled a math test from a stack of blank papers.

High school courses were basically all completed by the second year. The entire third year was actually spent reviewing, revisiting, and practicing problems in cycles.

"Okay, now, come out with me."

"Dad..."

"Come out." Tan Yunlong walked out, starting to unbuckle his belt.

Tan Wenbin's face contorted with distress as he followed.

Then, the door to the adjacent room was closed. Li Zhuiyuan heard several screams mixed with Tan Yunlong's scolding:

"I won't even bring up the fight, but you dared to steal your mother's money to buy a game console! How have I educated you? It's okay if your grades aren't great, but you can't go down the wrong path. Do you want me to personally arrest you and throw you in jail someday!"

However, Tan Yunlong only spanked him a few times before moving on to a verbal lecture.

In the middle of it, Aunt Zheng knocked on the door several times, but to no avail.

Two hours later, the father and son walked out.

Aunt Zheng complained, "We have a guest at home, aren't you going to let Little Yuan starve?"

"Forgot," Tan Yunlong glanced at his son. "It's all this useless brat's fault."

Li Zhuiyuan had already left the desk and was sitting on the bed, looking at a comic book he had pulled from a pile of books. Before the father and son came in, he had hidden the comic book under the bedsheets, so Tan Yunlong didn't see it.

Although Tan Wenbin wasn't crying anymore, his neck still twitched, making him look very pathetic.

Tan Yunlong patted the back of his son's head. "Go see how Little Yuan's test paper turned out."

Tan Wenbin walked to the desk and flipped open the math worksheet, finding it completely filled out.

"How did it go? Did you get everything right?" Tan Yunlong urged. "I'm asking you a question."

"I don't have the answer key... I don't know."

Tan Yunlong: "..."

Tan Wenbin flipped over the sheets underneath, exclaiming in surprise, "It's all filled out!"

This stack of worksheets had been distributed by the teachers in advance, with instructions for students to complete them at home. They included not only math but also multiple other subjects.

Tan Wenbin discovered that, except for the essay in the Chinese paper, all the other questions on the worksheets were answered.

He tried picking out a few simple problems he knew how to solve and did them, finding that his answers matched the boy's.

Putting aside the more difficult problems for now, this at least ruled out the possibility that the boy had just been scribbling randomly.

"So, what's the verdict? I'm wasting my time here with you, and it's embarrassing."

"Dad, these, these, they're all correct."

"What about the others?"

"I'll need to work through them slowly to know for sure, but based on his problem-solving methods and processes, he seems to know them. If you want to check the answers, I can go find the teacher tomorrow."

"Here's what we'll do: find some of your old completed tests, pick a few of the most difficult problems from the hardest subjects, copy them down, and let Little Yuan do them."

"Oh, okay."

Tan Yunlong wanted to confirm if the boy truly possessed the academic level of a high school student. Otherwise, if he went to the school to request a grade skip and something went wrong, he wouldn't know how to salvage the situation.

Tan Wenbin copied a problem into his notebook, then set it aside and said to the boy, "Little Yuan, you do this one first."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan stood by the desk and picked up his pen.

Tan Wenbin took out another notebook and began copying the second problem. When he finished copying the second problem, he turned to look and found that the boy had already put down his pen and was waiting for him.

"So fast?"

Tan Wenbin took the notebook and checked the answer. It was correct.

Then, he watched as Li Zhuiyuan "swish swish swish" completed the problem he had just finished copying.

He checked the answer again, and it was still correct.

These were problems that went beyond the standard curriculum. During the exam, only two students in the class had managed to solve them.

Li Zhuiyuan suggested, "Binbin Ge, just read the questions directly. That will be faster."

Tan Yunlong nodded. "You read them!"

Tan Wenbin picked up a math worksheet and began reading from the multiple-choice questions. As soon as he finished reading each one, Li Zhuiyuan would state the answer.

Before long, except for the geometry problems that required looking at diagrams, Tan Wenbin had read through all the questions on the worksheet, and the boy provided the answer each time.

Putting down the worksheet, Tan Wenbin was dumbfounded.

He usually admired the top-performing students in his class. When discussing studies with them, he always felt pressure and a sense of inadequacy. But in front of this boy, he felt no pressure at all because he had been completely crushed.

"All correct?" Tan Yunlong asked.

"Yes, Little Yuan Gege got them all right."

Tan Yunlong, as if he had found a treasure, grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's arm and spun him around:

"Hahaha, he really is a child prodigy, a true child prodigy!"

Parents always had a strong bias towards intelligent children who performed well academically, and parents with children taking exams were even more exaggerated. At this moment, in Tan Yunlong's eyes, it truly felt like the God of Literature had descended upon his home.

Finally, after his excitement subsided, he put Li Zhuiyuan down.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling a bit dizzy from the spinning.

"Little Yuan, I've inquired. The formal enrollment procedures can only be completed when school starts, and we'll need to involve people from the education bureau when we go to the school. However, Binbin's high school also has classes during the summer break, so we can go to the school for a placement test first, and handle the paperwork later. That way, you can start attending classes in the classroom. What do you think?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "Uncle Tan, I want to have a summer vacation."

"Alright then. It's only the end of July now, and there's still a month of summer vacation left. I'll pick you up to handle the enrollment when the time comes."

"Thank you, Uncle Tan."

"You're welcome." As he spoke, Tan Yunlong slapped his own son on the head again. "Look at him, and then look at you!"

Tan Wenbin, still reeling from the shock, instinctively retorted:

"Why don't you ask about the educational background and professions of his parents?"

"Slap!"

This slap was harder than the previous one.

"I'm telling you, you and Little Yuan will be classmates from now on. You need to learn from Little Yuan more. Also, he's younger, so you're responsible for taking care of him in daily life."

"Okay."

Tan Yunlong nodded. His son wasn't completely hopeless.

You take care of them in your daily life, so shouldn't they take care of you in your studies? Even if parents always say a child's grades aren't the most important thing, what parent would be so foolish as to not want their child to get good grades?

The boy's earlier performance, directly stating the correct answer upon hearing the question, had indeed shocked him, an old police officer. A child like that, if his own son could just hang around him every day, even a pig would pick up some divine aura, right?

"Zheng Fang, Zheng Fang!"

Tan Yunlong walked out of the room, eager to share what he had just witnessed with his wife in the kitchen. He believed she would be even more excited than him. At the same time, he had to remind her to add a few more dishes. Whether they could finish them or not was secondary; the important thing was the grand gesture.

Inside the room, Li Zhuiyuan sat on the edge of the bed, and Tan Wenbin sat on a chair. One big and one small, the two children faced each other.

"Little Yuan Brother?"

"Bin Bin Brother, don't call me that. Just call me Little Yuan or Yuanzi."

"Little Yuan Brother, what do you usually do at home?"

"Read books."

"Do you just read books all the time?" This answer left Tan Wenbin a bit deflated, but he still asked, unwilling to give up, "Besides reading, what else do you like to do?"

"Fish for dead floats."