Chapter 38

"Scoop Death Collapse? Uh... is that some kind of snack?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"It means exactly what it says."

"Exactly what it says?"

"A person dies, falls into the water, and then gets scooped back out."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

In the past, Tan Wenbin would definitely have taken it as the boy's nonsense, but now, he felt that it might actually be true.

"Little Yuan Ge, is scooping Death Collapses fun?"

"It is."

"How fun?"

"More fun than studying."

Two images surfaced in Tan Wenbin's mind: one of burying his head over test papers in a classroom, and the other of standing by the river with a large net, scooping up dead people.

The latter was creepy, but it really was more fun than studying!

"Little Yuan Ge, do you do it often?"

"It's not like people fall into rivers and drown every day. Besides, only a very small number of those who drown turn into Death Collapses."

"Aren't all drowned people called Death Collapses?"

"We usually mean those that can still move on their own after dying."

"They can still move after they die?" Tan Wenbin's expression grew complicated. "Carried along by the current?"

"They move by themselves. They can even climb ashore and walk."

"This..." At last, Tan Wenbin could not help questioning him. "Little Yuan Ge, are you making up stories to scare me?"

"No."

"But I don't believe what you just said."

"Mm."

"Unless you take me to see one of those moving Death Collapses."

"I won't."

"Why?" Tan Wenbin was utterly confused. Shouldn't the first reaction when people did not believe you be to rush to prove it?

"Scooping Death Collapses is dangerous."

"It's fine. I'm not afraid of danger."

"Bin Bin Ge, you don't know how to do anything. Taking you along would just make you dead weight, and that would put me in danger."

"Uh..."

After a brief speechless pause, Tan Wenbin immediately leaned closer and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand. "But the more you say that, the more I want to see one."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

"Please, Little Yuan Ge, ge, ge!"

"You can't."

"Little Yuan Ge, if you take me to see a Death Collapse for real, I'll do anything you ask from now on!"

"Bin Bin Ge."

"You agree?"

"What can you do for me?"

Tan Wenbin fell silent.

Tan Yunlong called from the living room, "Bin Bin, bring Little Yuan out for dinner."

Dinner was lavish, mainly because there were so many dishes. Some had clearly just been poured out of cans to fill the table.

Zheng Fang said apologetically, "Little Yuan, next time you come over, we'll eat out. Your aunt really isn't much of a cook."

"You worked hard, Auntie. There are already so many dishes. We won't be able to finish them."

As Tan Yunlong poured soda into the cup before Li Zhuiyuan, he said, "It's fine. Bin Bin can slowly finish the leftovers."

The atmosphere at dinner was warm and harmonious, like a typical family of three, plus Tan Wenbin visiting as a guest.

Just as dinner was winding down and everyone's attention shifted to chatting, Tan Yunlong's pager went off. He glanced down at it, then immediately stood up.

Zheng Fang had long grown used to this pace of life. She immediately fetched her husband's coat and asked, "Little Yuan will sleep at our place tonight, right?"

After getting dressed, Tan Yunlong shook his head. "We didn't tell his family he'd be staying over when he came. They'll worry if he doesn't go back tonight. Come on, Little Yuan, go with Uncle."

"Don't you have something going on at the station?"

"It's on the way. I'll drop the kid off."

"Fine, then. Be careful on the road. The wind is strong tonight, don't let the child catch a chill."

Li Zhuiyuan left the table and walked to Tan Yunlong's side. Zheng Fang took out a red envelope she had prepared beforehand and pressed it into his hand.

"Little Yuan, it's your first time visiting our home. Go buy yourself some candy."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Zhuiyuan accepted the red envelope and put it into his pocket. Knowing Tan Yunlong was in a hurry to leave, he did not refuse out of politeness.

As they headed downstairs, Tan Yunlong said, "The people keeping watch at the Health Center called. Someone came to visit those two, and they've already been caught."

"How many?"

"Just one."

"Then there should be more."

Water Monkeys tended to move in groups. Two had openly posed as out-of-town businessmen to contract the Fish Pond, so there had to be more people behind the scenes.

"Those two are injured and still unconscious, so we can't question them. Now that we've caught someone who can talk, we can hope to pry something out of him."

Tan Yunlong swung onto the motorcycle. Once Li Zhuiyuan got on, he handed him a helmet.

Their earlier conversation had felt more like an exchange between colleagues. Tan Yunlong did not find that strange, since the clues for this case had come from the boy in the first place.

Amid the motorcycle's wild roar, they arrived at the Health Center.

Without any attempt to avoid attention, Tan Yunlong led Li Zhuiyuan into the inpatient building.

The rooms for the Sihai father and son and the pair posing as contractors were both on the first floor, one at the eastern end and one at the western end.

In the center of the first floor was an area with rows of benches. There were quite a few people there. Since hospital beds were scarce, many patients' families chose to stay overnight there.

The security office was the first room on the west side. When they pushed open the door, there were three people inside: two plainclothes officers standing and one handcuffed man sitting down.

"Captain Tan."

"Captain Tan."

"Did you get anything out of him?"

"He denies it. He says someone merely paid him to deliver a fruit basket and milk to the two people in that ward."

Tan Yunlong frowned. "How could we have gotten this wrong?"

"This kid has a record for theft. When we approached and asked him to come assist with the investigation, he immediately tried to run, so we caught him. He just confessed to two recent thefts, but he insists he doesn't know those two unconscious people."

"Officer, I really don't know those two people. Someone just gave me money and asked me to bring some things to the people in that room."

Tan Yunlong asked, "Who gave you the money?"

"A woman. She wore a mask, had short hair, and was wrapped up tightly despite it being summer."

Tan Yunlong said to the colleague beside him, "We probably got it wrong. He speaks Nantong Dialect, while that group is from out of town."

Tomb-robbing gangs were generally made up of relatives. Outsiders were rare, let alone people from another province. Money tempted people's hearts; those who made fortunes from the dead feared not the dead, but being robbed by their own kind.

"Captain Tan, does that mean they noticed us?"

"Probably. You weren't thorough enough. They may have spotted you long ago and decided not to take the bait. But it's also possible they're simply used to testing the waters."

Tan Yunlong suddenly thought of something. When testing the waters, you had to at least stay nearby to watch for a splash.

He immediately pushed open the door and left the security office, arriving at the bench area. There were many people there, and his gaze swept rapidly across them.

"Uncle Tan."

Li Zhuiyuan's voice came from behind him. Only then did Tan Yunlong realize that, at some point, the boy had gone out ahead of him.

He first looked at him, then followed the direction the boy was discreetly pointing. In the eastern corridor leading to the boiler room, someone was leaving. From behind, she looked like a woman.

Tan Yunlong immediately vaulted over the bench in front of him and hurried after her.

Perhaps hearing the urgent footsteps behind her, the woman immediately broke into a run, and the two began a chase.

When the other officers came out, Captain Tan was nowhere to be seen, and they had no idea which direction he had gone. Li Zhuiyuan walked over and reminded them:

"Uncle Tan went that way. He's chasing a female suspect."

Only then did the officers run off to provide backup.

Li Zhuiyuan did not follow to watch the excitement. Instead, he returned to the security office, where one plainclothes officer was still watching the pickpocket.

After pouring himself a cup of water, Li Zhuiyuan sat down and waited patiently.

After hearing the pickpocket speaking fluent Nantong Dialect, he had come outside. There were indeed many people in the central bench area, but it was not difficult to find the right person.

The room for those two Water Monkeys was at the far western end. If the ward and security office were connected into a line, then projected onto the bench area, the possible range immediately narrowed. Only within that small area could someone observe both the ward and the security office.

When Li Zhuiyuan looked over, the woman happened to stand up. He noticed her at once because her hands were empty.

About fifteen minutes later, the door to the security office opened again. Tan Yunlong was helped inside, accompanied by a doctor.

Tan Yunlong's shirt had been opened, revealing a long diagonal bruise on the left side of his chest. It had probably been caused by a kick.

Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head along the direction of the bruise, trying to think through the posture and force needed to deliver that kick. It felt somewhat awkward.

As the doctor rubbed medicinal oil onto him, Tan Yunlong explained to his colleagues, "I caught up to her and grabbed her, but she suddenly threw me out. When I got back up, she kicked me again."

"Captain Tan, was she really that skilled?"

"It wasn't that she was skilled. I'm not trying to save face here. I already have no face left after failing to catch her and getting injured.

"It's just that when we were close, whether she threw me or kicked me, I had prepared myself to counter and restrain her.

"But the way she exerted force was strange. I never expected it, and I was thrown out in an instant."

Li Zhuiyuan understood after hearing that, because the other party had used techniques meant for dealing with Death Collapses.

Such techniques might not necessarily work well on living people, but Tan Yunlong had held back because he intended to subdue her. Caught off guard, he suffered from an unfamiliar move.

Not long after, several more officers returned, all looking dejected. Clearly, they had failed to keep up and let her escape.

"Assign more people to guard this place. Didn't the doctor say those two will wake up soon? When they do, we can dig for clues from them too."

After giving the order, Tan Yunlong put his shirt back on and led Li Zhuiyuan outside by the hand.

"Uncle Tan, can you still drive?"

Seeing Tan Yunlong keep one hand pressed over his chest, Li Zhuiyuan asked worriedly.

"It's not a big problem. Get on."

This time, Tan Yunlong drove the motorcycle very slowly.

"Little Yuan, next time you go somewhere, you need to tell me in advance."

"Okay."

"I think you'd actually make a pretty good police officer. Have you ever thought about applying to a police academy?"

"No."

"Then what university do you want to attend?"

"Haihe University."

Hearing that answer, Tan Yunlong's mouth twitched, because he seemed to have guessed why the boy wanted to apply to that university.

After dropping him home, Tan Yunlong handed Li Zhuiyuan a note. "Little Yuan, just page me if anything comes up."

"Okay, Uncle Tan."

Watching the motorcycle ride away, Li Zhuiyuan shifted his gaze toward Big Beard's house.

A trained fighter who specifically knew techniques for dealing with Death Collapses was no longer just an ordinary Water Monkey.

Still, since they could be trapped by a bait pit, then no matter how complicated this group of Water Monkeys was, it could only be so complicated.

To be safe, should he make some preparations in advance?

The book only described various ways to eliminate Death Collapses. It would not teach anyone how to help them, but it also listed many taboos for dealing with Death Collapses...

So he could just use those taboos in reverse.

That way, even if there was a tough opponent among those Water Monkeys, he could still provide Little Yellow Oriole with a safety net.

Clenching his fist, Li Zhuiyuan lightly tapped his forehead and suddenly realized:

What kind of twisted way of thinking was this?

But he quickly talked himself around. He had been exposed to archaeology since childhood, had seen many national treasures and cultural relics damaged by tomb robbers, and had witnessed the grief and outrage of many elderly archaeology experts.

When choosing between two harms, one chose the lesser. He was not helping Death Collapses commit evil; he was clearly protecting national property.

When he turned and entered the house, the television was off. Run Sheng was not watching TV, but faint "ding-dong" sounds could be heard from the back wall, meaning Run Sheng was still staying up late to work.

Not wanting to disturb him, Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor and saw that Great Grandfather was somehow still lying on the rattan chair on the terrace.

"Great Grandfather, why are you still awake?"

"I was waiting for you." Li Sanjiang shifted his body and yawned. "What did Officer Tan say?"

"He agreed."

"He really agreed?"

"Mm. In a month, before school starts, he'll personally take me to complete the enrollment procedures. Great Grandfather, don't worry."

"That's good, that's good. You're going to school in Shigang, right?"

"Mm."

"What grade?"

"Sixth grade."

Li Sanjiang held out his fingers and calculated Yingzi and Pan Zi's ages and grades before asking, "Isn't it a little too fast for you to start sixth grade now?"

"It's fine, Great Grandfather. I'm young. Even if I can't keep up, I can repeat a grade and study for another year."

"That's true." Li Sanjiang nodded. "That's worthwhile."

"Great Grandfather, go to sleep. It's very late."

"Mm, I should sleep. I still have to get up early tomorrow. We'll have guests coming to the house."

"Who is it?"

"One of my old comrades from back in the day."

"Your comrade..."

"He was also from around here, from the same village."

"A Taiwanese businessman?"

"Not exactly. He was rather unlucky. Back then, we were both seized as conscripts. I escaped, but he didn't. He got swept along in the retreat to Yunnan and Guizhou, all the way back to Burma.

"I heard he had a pretty decent life at first, then our side sent troops over and crushed them again.

"After that, he drifted around Southeast Asia. Supposedly, he made a little money. Now that he was old, he wanted to come back home and invest."

"Great Grandfather, was he the one who called you?"

"Yes."

"What about the Village Chief?"

"What does this have to do with the Village Chief?"

"If an overseas Chinese person comes back to invest, the town mayor would usually accompany them."

A look of sudden realization appeared on Li Sanjiang's face, and he even smiled.

"Heh heh, so that old bastard came home to put on airs and pretend to be rich?"

"Great Grandfather, I was only guessing."

"Enough, enough. Time for bed. Go wash up and sleep early too." Li Sanjiang waved his palm-leaf fan as he headed toward his room, still chuckling. "Once summer vacation is over, our Little Yuanhou will be in sixth grade. Wonderful."

Li Zhuiyuan took a shower, then returned to his room and sat down at his desk to write in his experience journal.

He had never been in the habit of taking notes or keeping a notebook of wrong answers when he was in school before. Even if he handed in a blank exam paper, nothing would happen. Things were different now; one wrong move could get him killed.

He rather liked this feeling. Exams ought to come with a little psychological pressure.

As for the fact that he was entering sixth grade in middle school rather than sixth grade in elementary school, Li Zhuiyuan figured Great Grandfather would find out on his own once school started.

His age and the youth class were indeed hard to explain to outsiders, but the high school should have people who knew about it. Transferring schools and skipping grades that way would save him a lot of trouble.

He opened the several stacks of books before him and, following his memories to locate the right volume and page, selectively copied down ten "taboos" for dealing with Death Collapse.

He definitely would not use all ten. At most, he would use two, so he still needed to carefully select them based on practicality and controllability.

After finishing, he went to bed.

When he woke up, he felt much more energetic than the past few times. It seemed the problem of overexertion had improved, though he still needed to eat more things that replenished blood and energy. He needed to mention that to Aunt Liu.

No one was sitting in the chair by the door, because the girl was seated at the desk, holding a small carving knife and carving Wood Flower Rolls.

Li Zhuiyuan was a little puzzled. He had already had Run Sheng move all the materials from his room to the workshop. Any tools they made from now on would be made there, so where had A Li gotten more raw materials?

When he walked over for a closer look, he found they were still the same dark, heavy material from last time, giving off a sandalwood fragrance.

"A Li, did you split up the spirit tablets at home again?"

A Li shook her head.

She had not split them. Her grandmother had.

Liu Yumei had split them with great enthusiasm, terrified that if she waited too long, her granddaughter's illness would flare up again.

Li Zhuiyuan took out another three bottles of Jianlibao. They were the last three bottles, so he would have to ask Aunt Liu to restock again.

He opened two bottles, one for each of them.

The girl had first liked drinking it because she had never had carbonated drinks before. In truth, she did not like sweet things in the morning, but she liked clinking bottles with the boy.

Besides, she wanted to fill up the first mouthful in the Collection Box sooner.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan returned to the Second Floor Balcony to read, while A Li sat beside him and worked on her carving.

From time to time, a few unused Wood Flower Rolls were lifted by the wind and drifted down, glinting in the sunlight. They were the gratified smiles of their ancestors.

The guests arrived even earlier than expected. A black sedan came down the distant Village Road. An old man in a black suit stepped out, supporting himself with a cane in his right hand while a young blonde woman held his left arm.

The two walked along the path and arrived in the yard.

"Oh, is that you, Lin Hou?"

"Heh heh, it's me, Sanjiang Hou!"

The two old men excitedly clasped hands.

Then they sat down, and Aunt Liu brought them tea.

Li Zhuiyuan said something to A Li and went downstairs as well.

"Is she your granddaughter?" Li Sanjiang asked.

"No, she's my secretary. Her surname is Jin."

"Oh, that's good." Li Sanjiang immediately turned and beckoned. "Come, Lin Hou. This is my great-grandson, Little Yuan. Little Yuanhou, come meet your Grandpa Ding."

"Hello, Grandpa Ding."

"What a clever child."

"Of course. He's a child of the Li family, after all. He lives with me now." Li Sanjiang continued stroking Li Zhuiyuan's head, with no intention of making the child leave.

The meaning was obvious.

Ding Dalin gave an awkward smile and touched his suit pocket. "Look at me. I've been away so long that I forgot these customs."

The young woman beside him took out some money and handed it to Ding Dalin, who then passed it to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Here, Grandpa will give you some money to buy candy."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan took the money. It was quite thick.

However, he also noticed Ding Dalin's words. Chinese communities overseas actually paid more attention to such old etiquette, so why would he say he had forgotten these customs? Unless he had not been living in normal society all this time.

Also, Ding Dalin's suit was not a foreign brand. Though the label was in English, one glance told him it was southern-made merchandise. It was rather expensive, but it definitely had not been brought back from abroad.

As for the female secretary's blonde hair, it had probably just been dyed. The technique was quite crude, and dye stains could still be seen around her collar and shoulders.

Looking at the woman's figure again, it seemed somewhat familiar.

"Great Grandfather, I'll help Aunt Liu bring out the sunflower seeds." Li Zhuiyuan used that as an excuse to circle around behind the woman and look at her back.

He was sure of it. She was the woman who had escaped from the hospital last night.

The woman turned her head at that moment and glanced at Li Zhuiyuan from the corner of her eye.

Hm? You recognized me too?

When he had come out of the security office, the woman had stood and walked away with her back to him. But when he had first entered the inpatient building with Tan Yunlong, she should have seen him.

That made Ding Dalin's identity obvious.

They were Water Monkeys!

Li Zhuiyuan brought over the sunflower seeds and set them down, then found another excuse to go to the toilet and headed behind the house.

When he opened the workshop door, Run Sheng was still working away with grunts.

"Brother Run Sheng, stop for now. Two guests have arrived outside. Go stand beside Great Grandfather."

"Okay!"

Run Sheng picked up the black-and-white towel hanging nearby and wiped his sweat.

Then he pulled on his short-sleeved shirt and went out.

Li Zhuiyuan had not directly told Run Sheng who the two people were because he was afraid Run Sheng would not be able to act convincingly and might not keep them in check.

Li Zhuiyuan went around the back of the house, intending to cut through the fields to Aunt Zhang's convenience store and call Tan Yunlong.

But as he walked, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly sensed something wrong. Someone was crouching at the entrance to the ridge path ahead, smoking.

The man stood on the balls of his feet with his body angled sideways, smoking while watching the surroundings.

The Water Monkeys had come out in force. They even had someone keeping watch here.

He could not get out, so Li Zhuiyuan could only silently retreat through the rice field.

There was a considerable distance between the self-built rural houses, and Great Grandfather's home had no neighbors either in front or behind. Since there was someone at this opening, there had to be people at the other exits too.

It was safer to return home. At least Run Sheng was there.

He also prayed that Aunt Liu might be another deeply hidden Uncle Qin, though Li Zhuiyuan strongly suspected Aunt Liu's specialties were cooking and medicine.

Grandma Liu was too old, so he could not place his hopes on her.

Li Zhuiyuan returned. In the yard, Li Sanjiang was patting Run Sheng's arm as he said to Ding Dalin:

"This is my grandson too, Runsheng Hou. Meet your Grandpa Dalin. Sweeten that mouth of yours. Your Grandpa Dalin just gave Little Yuanhou a very thick red envelope."

"Heh heh, Grandpa Dalin."

Li Zhuiyuan did not go over. Instead, he entered the kitchen, where Aunt Liu was cooking. Since guests had come, they would certainly be staying for lunch.

"Aunt Liu."

"What is it, Little Yuan?"

"Do you have poison?"

"What kind of poison?"

"Two dirty people came outside."

Liu Ting's heart jolted. This child actually wanted to poison them to death outright.

She immediately steadied her expression and said:

"Don't worry, Little Yuan. Since dirty people are wearing clean clothes, they didn't come to do dirty things."

That sounded reasonable, but the problem was that Secretary Jin had recognized him.

Although some of the raw materials in his workshop were toxic, people could clearly taste that stuff in food.

"Aunt Liu, would you also go back and take care of a sick elder uncle, like Uncle Qin?"

Aunt Liu froze for a moment, then nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. Then he was relieved.

Though meals at home would become a problem without Aunt Liu, that was still better than never needing to eat again.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the kitchen and stood beside Run Sheng. He wanted to hear why Ding Dalin had come today.

Noticing Run Sheng poking him with a finger, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and saw Run Sheng handing him the red-envelope money he had just received.

"Brother Run Sheng, keep it yourself. You don't need to give it to me."

"Tool material expenses."

"Keep it with you for safekeeping."

"Okay."

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan saw Secretary Jin turn toward him on her own initiative. She took out a foil-wrapped chocolate from her pocket, walked over, and held it out to him.

"Little brother, this is for you."

"Thank you, big sister."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and accepted it. It felt a little sticky, so the chocolate inside had probably already melted.

"Why aren't you eating it, little brother?"

"I can't bear to eat it now. I want to slowly suck on it tonight when I go to sleep."

"Heh heh, it's fine. Big sister has plenty more. I'll bring you some next time I get the chance."

As she spoke, Secretary Jin reached out and stroked Li Zhuiyuan's face.

Li Zhuiyuan sensed the raised skin on the woman's fingertips and the thick calluses on the inside of her palm.

A shy smile appeared on the boy's face as he stepped half a pace back.

Then Li Zhuiyuan reached out and pulled Run Sheng over. Run Sheng bent down, letting the boy lean close to his ear and whisper:

"Brother Run Sheng, good thing you left me behind at the Town Market yesterday. That was how I got sent to the Police Station. The uncles and aunties there gave me so many snacks, and in the end, an uncle even rode a motorcycle to take me home. Heh heh."

Run Sheng was completely confused by what he heard.

But he still instinctively replied:

"Mm, that's right."

Secretary Jin covered her mouth and laughed, a trace of amusement and relief appearing in her eyes.

Yes, she thought she was clever, and she had confirmed that the boy had not recognized her. After all, she had worn a mask last night too.

Li Zhuiyuan waited nearby to hear Ding Dalin's purpose, but the two old men started reminiscing about their wartime camaraderie instead.

The two old men had both been conscripted after the Japanese surrendered, so there really were no stirring tales of heroism for them to tell.

His own Great Grandfather had fought his way from Northeast China through the pass, brought down Pingjin, and conquered Huaihai.

Ding Dalin, meanwhile, had marched west all the way and eventually entrenched himself in Southeast Asia. Yet he was quite good at putting a halo on himself, even claiming to be a veteran of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

It was clear that Great Grandfather was very interested in chatting. Most people his age in the village were either dead or too slow to speak and react anymore. It was rare to meet another sharp-minded old immortal.

But Ding Dalin was clearly growing bored. Li Zhuiyuan noticed that he tried several times to change the subject, only for Great Grandfather, still deep in conversation, to drag it back.

Finally, seeing that lunchtime was about to arrive, Ding Dalin had no choice but to reveal his true purpose.

"I heard Big Beard's family had people die recently. Two of them?"

Li Sanjiang immediately frowned. "Why are you asking about that?"

Seeing Li Sanjiang's reaction, Ding Dalin turned his face and briefly exchanged a look with Secretary Jin before continuing.

"Sanjiang Hou, tell me. How did those two die?"

The deaths of Big Beard and his son were taboo to Li Sanjiang. He immediately waved him off impatiently.

"They said the father and son drank one night, bragged over who was the better swimmer, then went to the Fish Pond to compete and drowned."

"Really? I heard you were the one who pulled out their bodies, Sanjiang Hou?"

"Ah, yes. What about it?"

"I also heard that when those two bodies were pulled out, they were terribly bloated. Is that true?"

"Bodies swell after soaking in water."

"But it was only one night. How could they have swollen that much? It wasn't like soaking dried wood ear mushrooms."

"I... don't know about that."

"Then think about it more carefully."

"It's almost lunchtime. Why think about that kind of thing? Don't bring it up either. Let's not ruin our appetites while eating."

"It doesn't matter."

"How could it not matter? How long has it been since you came home? Today at noon, the two of us will have a proper drink, and you can taste our hometown cooking again."

"Actually, Sanjiang Hou, there's a reason I'm asking. I'm old now, and I want to return to my roots, so I plan to buy a house in the village."

Big Beard's house is up for sale, isn't it? I think the price is quite reasonable."

"That won't be easy. You used to be from this village, but your household registration isn't here anymore. The homestead belongs to the village collective, and only villagers can buy or sell it."

"That's simple. I'll give you the money, and you can buy it. I'll just live there."

"How could that work?"

"Why not? How much longer can I live, anyway? Money is just something outside the body. I got over it long ago. After I die, leave that house to your great-grandson."

Li Sanjiang deliberately turned to look at Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing nearby. To be honest, he was tempted.

Ever since Little Yuanhou's city household registration had been removed, he had always felt guilty about it. Why not buy Little Yuanhou some more property? Even if village houses were worthless, land was still land.

"If you trust me, I can handle it for you. But you'd better buy a different house."

"Why?" Ding Dalin's tone grew agitated as he pressed, "Is there something wrong with Big Beard's house?"

"Yeah. It's a little unclean."

Li Sanjiang had personally watched Little Yellow Oriole walk into Fish Pond. When they had recovered the body last time, he had not dared to go in too deeply, afraid a pair of hands would reach up from below and drag him down.

If the house was passed down to Little Yuanhou later, wouldn't Little Yuanhou end up as neighbors with that death collapse, one at the front door and one at the back?

"Unclean? Tell me specifically. Is there something wrong with the house, or somewhere else? Sanjiang Hou, don't blame me for asking too much. I'm buying a house to retire in, so I have to be careful."

"I've spent too long in Southeast Asia. The people there are actually more superstitious and more particular about taboos than we are."

"Someone died in that pond. Think about it—if you lived there, every time you stepped onto the embankment, you'd be facing that pond. Wouldn't that make you uncomfortable?"

"That doesn't amount to much. Unless that pond really has a serious problem, give me a straight answer. If you say it does, I won't buy it. I'll choose another one."

"It does!"

"Fine, then I'll choose another one!"

"Alright."

"Then I'll go ask the Village Chief in your name and see which families in our village are still willing to sell their houses."

"No problem."

"Alright, I'm leaving."

"Hey, stay for dinner." Li Sanjiang's invitation was completely sincere. After all, the man had given the younger generation two sums of money; he should at least keep him for a meal.

"No, I already have a lunch appointment. I'm having a meal with the town mayor."

"Alright, then I won't keep you. Come by again another day."

"Definitely, definitely."

Secretary Jin helped Ding Dalin down the embankment. After getting into the car, Ding Dalin's expression darkened completely.

"Looks like we were right. The pond in front of Big Beard's house is the location of the main burial site."

"Boss, that boy called Little Yuan..."

"What about that boy?"

"Nothing. He's just quite good-looking."

Now that she had figured out why the boy had been beside the police officer last night, Secretary Jin could not be bothered to bring it up again.

"Heh, why are you paying attention to someone else's child? You're old enough to be his mother.

Alright, let's talk business."

"The next step is to buy Big Beard's house. Then we'll have our people disguise themselves as an opera troupe, put up a stage, and perform to celebrate the move into the new home. We'll dig that night."

"They even used a decoy burial site. The person buried in this main site must have had an extraordinary identity. There must be good stuff in the tomb."

"Once this job is done,"

"I can finally retire and enjoy my old age."

Li Zhuiyuan stood on the embankment with a coin in his hand, watching the distant car drive away.

Those water monkeys had actually found the main burial site's location. Ding Dalin and the others had come for the pond at Big Beard's house.

So should he call the police now, or help Little Yellow Oriole?

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head to look at the coin in his hand and murmured, "Leave it to fate. Heads, I call the police. Tails, I help Little Yellow Oriole."

Bang!

The coin was tossed into the air. It landed, trembled, and finally settled.

Heads.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, picked up the coin, and blew on it.

He said:

"Fate has decided. I'll help Little Yellow Oriole first, then call the police."