Chapter 38

"Catching dead floats? Uh… is that a snack?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"It means exactly what it says."

"Exactly what it says?"

"When a person dies, they float in the water, and then… you fish them out."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

If this had happened before, Tan Wenbin would have dismissed it as boyish nonsense, but now, he felt it might actually be true.

"Little Yuan Brother, is catching dead floats fun?"

"It's fun."

"How fun?"

"More fun than studying."

Tan Wenbin pictured two scenes in his mind: one of him burying his head in test papers in a classroom, and the other of him standing by a river, holding a large net to scoop up dead bodies.

Even though the latter was creepy, it was indeed more fun than studying!

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

"Not that many people fall into the river and drown every day, and only a very small fraction of those who drown become dead floats."

"Aren't all drowned people called dead floats?"

"We usually specifically refer to those who can move on their own after drowning."

"Dead people who can move on their own?" Tan Wenbin's expression turned complicated. "Are they moved by the current?"

"It moves on its own, and can even walk ashore."

"This…" At this point, Tan Wenbin finally couldn't help but start to doubt. "Little Yuan Brother, are you deliberately telling 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 dead floats."

"I won't."

"Why?" Tan Wenbin couldn't understand. Shouldn't the first reaction to not being believed be an eagerness to prove it?

"Catching dead floats is very dangerous."

"It's okay, I'm not afraid of danger."

"Brother Binbin, you don't know anything. Taking you with me would make me a burden, and that would put me in danger."

"Uh..."

After a brief moment of speechlessness, Tan Wenbin immediately leaned forward and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand. "But the more you say that, the more I want to see it."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

"Please, Little Yuan Brother, Brother, Brother!"

"It's not possible."

"Little Yuan Brother, if you take me to see a dead float, I'll do whatever you want me to do from now on!"

"Brother Binbin."

"You agreed?"

"What can you help me with?"

Tan Wenbin fell silent.

From the living room, Tan Yunlong's voice called out, "Binbin, bring Little Yuan to eat."

The dinner was quite lavish, with many dishes. Some of the food clearly came from cans that had been opened and served.

Zheng Fang said apologetically, "Little Yuan, next time you visit, we'll eat out. Your aunt really doesn't know how to cook."

"Auntie, you've worked hard. There are already so many dishes, we can't finish them all."

Tan Yunlong poured soda into Li Zhuiyuan's glass and said, "It's fine. Binbin can slowly eat the leftovers."

The dinner atmosphere was warm and harmonious, like a typical family of three with a guest, Tan Wenbin.

As they were nearing the end of the meal and everyone's attention began to shift towards conversation, Tan Yunlong's pager rang. He glanced down at it and immediately stood up.

Zheng Fang, accustomed to this rhythm of life, quickly went to get her husband's jacket. She said, "Little Yuan, why don't you sleep at our place tonight?"

After putting on his clothes, Tan Yunlong shook his head. "I didn't tell his family I was staying here when I came. If I don't go back tonight, his family will worry. Come on, Little Yuan, come with Uncle."

"Don't you have something to do at the station?"

"It's on the way, I'll take the kid back."

"Alright then, be careful on the road. The wind is strong at night, don't let the child catch a cold."

Li Zhuiyuan walked from the table to Tan Yunlong's side. Zheng Fang took a red envelope out of her pocket and pressed it into his hand.

"Little Yuan, it's your first time at our house. Go buy some candy to eat."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Zhuiyuan took the red envelope and put it in his pocket. He knew Tan Yunlong was in a hurry to leave, so he didn't refuse.

As they went out and down the stairs, Tan Yunlong said, "The people we stationed at the hospital called. Someone came to visit those two. They've been caught."

"How many?"

"Just one."

"Then there should be more."

Water Monkeys tend to move in groups. Two people had already posed as out-of-town bosses to contract the fish pond, so there were definitely more people behind the scenes.

"The main thing is that those two are injured and unconscious, so we can't question them. Now that we've caught one, we can hope to get him to talk."

Tan Yunlong got on the motorcycle. After Li Zhuiyuan got on, he handed him a helmet.

The previous conversation felt more like an exchange between colleagues. Tan Yunlong didn't feel anything was wrong; the clues to this case were given to him by the boy himself.

Amidst the wild roar of the motorcycle, they arrived at the health center.

Tan Yunlong didn't try to hide anything, leading Li Zhuiyuan into the inpatient building.

Sihai and his son, as well as the contracting bosses, were all on the first floor, though one was at the east end and the other at the west end.

In the center of the first floor was a bench area with quite a few people. Because the hospital beds were tight, many patients' family members chose to stay and accompany them there.

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

"Captain Tan."

"Captain Tan."

"Did you get any results?"

"He's not admitting anything. He says he was just asked by someone to deliver fruit baskets and milk to those two patients."

Tan Yunlong frowned. "How could this be a mistake?"

"This kid has a prior record for theft. When we went up to ask him to assist with the investigation, he tried to run, and we caught him. He did confess to two recent theft cases, but he adamantly denies knowing those two unconscious people."

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

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

"A woman. She was wearing a mask and had short hair. She was covered up tightly even in the summer heat."

Tan Yunlong said to his colleague, "It seems we made a mistake. He's speaking in the Southern dialect, and that gang is from out of town."

Tomb-robbing gangs were generally family-based, with very few outsiders, let alone people from other provinces. Greed was a powerful motivator, and those who profited from the dead feared not the dead, but betrayal by their own.

"Captain Tan, does that mean we've been discovered?"

"Probably. Your work wasn't meticulous enough; they might have observed for a while and didn't get caught. However, it's also possible they're just testing the waters."

Tan Yunlong suddenly thought of something. When testing the waters, you at least need to see the splash.

He immediately pushed open the door and walked out of the security office, heading to the bench area. There were many people there, and his gaze swept over them quickly.

"Uncle Tan."

Li Zhuiyuan's voice came. Tan Yunlong realized then that the boy had gone out on his own at some point.

He looked at the boy first, then followed the direction the boy was subtly pointing. In the corridor leading to the water dispenser on the east side, a person was leaving. From the back, it was a woman.

Tan Yunlong immediately leaped over the bench in front of him and quickly gave chase.

As if hearing the urgent footsteps behind her, the woman immediately switched from walking to running, and the two began a chase.

When the few police officers behind them arrived, they couldn't see Captain Tan and didn't know which direction he had gone. Li Zhuiyuan walked over and reminded them:

"Uncle Tan went in that direction, chasing a female suspect."

The police officers then ran to provide backup.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't join the commotion. Instead, he walked back into the security office. There was still a plainclothes officer watching the pickpocket inside.

He poured himself a cup of water and sat on a chair, waiting slowly.

After hearing the pickpocket speak in the Southern dialect earlier, he had come out. While the central bench area was indeed crowded, it wasn't hard to find.

The two Water Monkeys' ward was at the far west end. If you connected the ward and the security office with a line and then projected that onto the bench area, the scope would immediately shrink, because only in this small area could one observe both the ward and the security office.

When Li Zhuiyuan went to observe, the woman happened to stand up, and he noticed her immediately because she was empty-handed.

About fifteen minutes later, the security office door was pushed open again. Tan Yunlong was helped inside, along with a doctor.

Tan Yunlong's shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a long, diagonal bruise on his left chest, likely from a kick.

Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head along the direction of the bruise, trying to figure out the posture used to deliver the kick, finding it somewhat awkward.

When the doctor applied the medicated oil, Tan Yunlong told his colleague, "I had chased her and caught her, but she threw me out. When I got up, she kicked me again."

"Captain Tan, that person is that skilled?"

"It's not about skill. I'm not trying to save face for myself. It's already embarrassing enough to not catch someone and get injured.

It's just that when I got close to her, whether she was throwing me or kicking me, I was prepared to counter and subdue her.

But her power was very strange. I didn't expect it at all, and I was thrown out like that."

After listening, Li Zhuiyuan understood in his heart, because the moves the other party used were for dealing with dead floats.

These moves might not be effective against living people, but Tan Yunlong had held back when trying to subdue her. Caught off guard, he suffered a loss due to unfamiliarity.

Not long after, several more police officers returned, all looking dejected. Clearly, they hadn't caught the person, and she had escaped.

"Send more people to guard this place. Didn't the doctor say those two are about to wake up? We can get clues from them then."

After giving the orders, Tan Yunlong put on his clothes and took Li Zhuiyuan's hand as they walked out.

"Uncle Tan, can you still drive?"

Seeing Tan Yunlong covering his chest with his hand, Li Zhuiyuan asked worriedly.

"It's not a big problem. Get in the car."

This time, Tan Yunlong drove the motorcycle very slowly.

"Xiao Yuan, next time you go out, you need to tell me in advance."

"Okay."

"I think you're quite suited to be a police officer. Have you ever thought about applying to a police academy?"

"No."

"Then what university do you want to go to?"

"Haihe University."

Upon hearing this answer, Tan Yunlong's mouth twitched. He seemed to have guessed why the boy wanted to apply to this university.

After sending him home, Tan Yunlong handed Li Zhuiyuan a piece of paper. "Xiao Yuan, just call me if you need anything."

"Okay, Uncle Tan."

Watching the motorcycle drive away, Li Zhuiyuan shifted his gaze back towards Big Beard's house.

Someone who specifically used moves against dead floats was no longer a simple water monkey.

However, since they could be tricked by the baiting hole, this water monkey, no matter how complex, was only so complex.

So, to be safe, should he make some preparations in advance?

The books only talked about various methods to eliminate dead floats, not how to help them. But at the same time, the books also listed many taboos when dealing with dead floats...

Therefore, he could use these taboos in reverse.

This way, even if there was a tough opponent among the water monkeys, he could still cover for Little Yellow Oriole.

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

What kind of unorthodox thinking was this?

But he quickly justified it to himself. Having been exposed to archaeology since childhood, he had seen many national treasures and cultural relics destroyed by tomb robbers, and he had witnessed the heartache of many elderly archaeology experts.

When choosing between two evils, he chose the lesser. He wasn't helping the dead floats and abetting evil; he was clearly protecting national property.

Turning around and entering the house, the TV was off. Run Sheng wasn't watching TV, but he could faintly hear the "ding-dong" sound from the back wall, which meant Run Sheng was still working overtime.

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

"Great Grandfather, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Waiting for you," Li Sanjiang shifted his body and yawned. "What did Officer Tan say?"

"He agreed."

"He really agreed?"

"Yes, in a month, before school starts, he'll personally take me to handle the enrollment procedures. Don't worry, Great Grandfather."

"That's good, that's good. Are you going to Shí Gǎng?"

"Yes."

"What grade?"

"Sixth grade."

Li Sanjiang counted the ages and grades of Yingzi, Pan Zi, and the others with his fingers and asked, "Are you sure about going to sixth grade now? Isn't it too fast?"

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

"That's true," Li Sanjiang nodded. "That's a good deal."

"Great Grandfather, you should go to bed. It's very late."

"Yes, I should sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow, as we're having guests."

"Who is it?"

"It's an old comrade of mine from before, Great Grandfather."

"Your comrade..."

"He's also from my hometown, from the same village."

"A Taiwanese businessman?"

"Not exactly. He was quite unlucky. When we were both conscripted, I escaped, but he couldn't. He ended up in a confused retreat all the way to Yunnan and Guizhou, all the way to Burma.

Rumor has it he was doing alright at first, then our side launched another offensive and they were routed.

After that, he drifted through Southeast Asia. They say he made a bit of money, and now that he's older, he wants to invest back home."

"Great Grandfather, was it him who called you?"

"Yes."

"What about the Village Chief?"

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

"When overseas Chinese invest in the country, the town mayor usually accompanies them."

Li Sanjiang's face immediately showed a look of "So that's how it is," and he even smiled:

"Heh heh, so you're saying this old fellow is trying to bluff his way back home to get rich?"

"Great Grandfather, I'm just guessing."

"Alright, alright, I'm going to bed, you should wash up and go to bed too." Li Sanjiang walked towards his room, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, chuckling, "After the summer vacation, our Little Yuanhou will be in the sixth grade. That's great."

Li Zhuiyuan went to take a shower. After returning to his room, he sat down at his desk and began writing his experience notes.

When he was in school before, he didn't have the habit of taking notes or making mistake books because even if he handed in a blank paper for an exam, it wouldn't matter. But now, it was different. One wrong step could lead to death.

He quite liked this feeling. Exams should have some psychological pressure.

As for the fact that he was in the sixth grade of middle school and not the sixth grade of elementary school, Li Zhuiyuan felt that Great Grandfather would find out himself after school started.

His age and the gifted children's program were indeed difficult to explain to outsiders, but high school should have people who knew. This way, transferring schools and skipping grades would reduce a lot of trouble.

He opened several stacks of books in front of him. Based on his memory, he flipped to a specific volume and page and selectively excerpted ten "taboos" for dealing with dead floats.

He wouldn't use all ten of these; at most, he'd use two. Therefore, he still needed to consider practicality and controllability and continue to refine his selection.

After finishing these, he went to bed.

He woke up feeling much better than before. It seemed the problem of overexertion had improved, but he still needed to pay attention to eating things that replenished blood and qi. He'd have to mention this to Aunt Liu.

There was no one on the chair by the door. The girl was sitting at the desk, carving wood flower rolls with a small carving knife.

Li Zhuiyuan was a bit puzzled. The materials in his room had all been moved to the workshop by Runsheng, and any future tools would be made there. So where did A Li get the raw materials from?

He walked closer and saw that they were the same dark, heavy material that emitted the scent of sandalwood as last time.

"A Li, did you chop up another ancestral tablet from home?"

A Li shook her head.

She hadn't chopped it up; it was her grandmother.

Liu Yumei had chopped it up happily, afraid that if she delayed, her granddaughter's condition might relapse.

Li Zhuiyuan went to get three more bottles of Jianlibao. These were the last three bottles, so he'd have to ask Aunt Liu to restock.

He opened two bottles, one for each of them.

The girl had liked it the most early on because she hadn't tried carbonated drinks before. In reality, she didn't like sweet things in the morning, but she liked clinking glasses with the boy.

Another reason was that she wanted to fill her first collection box as soon as possible.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan went back to the second-floor terrace to read. A Li sat beside him, doing her carving.

Occasionally, some unused wood flower rolls were blown away by the wind and fell down, shining in the sunlight. They were the gratified smiles of their ancestors.

The guests arrived earlier than expected. A black car drove up the village road in the distance. An old man in a black suit got out of the car. He leaned on a cane with his right hand, and a young blonde woman supported his left hand.

The two walked along the small path and arrived at the open area.

"Oh, is that you, Lin Hou?"

"Heh heh, it is I, Sanjiang Hou!"

The two old men shook hands excitedly.

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

Li Zhuiyuan said something to A Li and then went downstairs.

"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 waved, "Come, Lin Hou, this is my great-grandson, Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuanhou, come and meet your Grandpa Ding."

"Hello, Grandpa Ding."

"Such a clever child."

"Of course, he's my Li family's child. This child is staying with me now." Li Sanjiang continued to stroke Li Zhuiyuan's head, showing no intention of letting the child leave.

The meaning behind his words was very clear.

Ding Dalin chuckled awkwardly, patting his suit pocket. "You see, after being away for so long, I've forgotten these customs."

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

"Here, Grandpa bought you candy."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan took the money. It was a thick wad.

However, he also paid attention to Ding Dalin's earlier words. Why would someone who had been away for a long time forget customs, especially when the overseas Chinese community placed more importance on these old traditions? Unless he hadn't been living in normal society.

Furthermore, the suit Ding Dalin was wearing wasn't a foreign brand. Although the label was in English, a quick glance revealed it was a domestic product from the south. While expensive, it certainly wasn't something brought back from abroad.

As for the blonde hair of the female secretary, it looked recently dyed, and the technique was rather crude. There were even traces of dye on her collar and shoulders.

Looking at the woman's figure again, she seemed a little familiar.

"Great Grandfather, I'll go help Aunt Liu get the melon seeds." Li Zhuiyuan used this as an excuse to walk around, approaching the woman from behind and seeing her back.

He was sure now. It was the woman who had escaped from the hospital last night.

The woman also turned her head at that moment, glancing at Li Zhuiyuan from the corner of her eye.

Hmm? You recognize me too?

When he came out of the security office, the woman had already stood up and walked away with her back to him. But when he and Tan Yunlong first entered the hospital building, the woman must have seen him.

In that case, Ding Dalin's identity was obvious.

They were the Water Monkeys!

Li Zhuiyuan brought the melon seeds over and placed them down, then found another excuse to go to the restroom, heading behind the house.

He opened the workshop door, and Run Sheng was still working diligently.

"Brother Run Sheng, stop for a moment. We have two guests outside. Go stand by Great Grandfather."

"Okay!"

Run Sheng picked up the black and white towel hanging beside him and wiped his sweat.

He then put on his short-sleeved shirt and went out.

He didn't directly tell Run Sheng the identity of the two people for fear that Run Sheng wouldn't be able to play his part well and keep them in check.

Li Zhuiyuan circled around from behind the house, planning to cut across the fields to the Aunt Zhang's small shop to call Tan Yunlong.

But as he walked, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly sensed something was wrong. At the intersection of the field path ahead, someone was squatting and smoking.

The person was on tiptoe, leaning sideways, smoking and observing their surroundings.

The Water Monkeys were out in full force, with lookouts posted here.

Since he couldn't get out, Li Zhuiyuan could only quietly return through the rice paddy.

The spacing between the self-built houses in the countryside was quite large. His Great Grandfather's house was situated with no neighbors in front or behind. If there was someone at this entrance, there would surely be others at the other entrances.

It was safer to return home, especially since Run Sheng was there.

He could only hope that Aunt Liu was another deeply hidden Uncle Qin, but Li Zhuiyuan highly doubted it; Aunt Liu's expertise seemed to be in cooking and medicine.

Grandma Liu was too old; he couldn't place his hopes on her.

Li Zhuiyuan returned. On the threshing ground, Li Sanjiang was patting Run Sheng's arm and saying to Ding Dalin, "This is also my grandson, Runsheng Hou. Greet your Grandpa Dalin. Be sweet, your Grandpa Dalin just gave Little Yuanhou a very generous red envelope."

"Hehe, Grandpa Dalin."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go forward. Instead, he walked into the kitchen. Aunt Liu was cooking. Since guests had arrived, they would definitely be staying for lunch.

"Aunt Liu."

"What is it, Xiao Yuan?"

"Do you have any poison?"

"What medicine?"

"There are two dirty people outside."

Liu Ting's heart skipped a beat. This child was actually thinking of poisoning them directly.

She immediately stabilized the expression on her face and said, "Don't worry, Xiao Yuan. Since the dirty people are wearing clean clothes, they aren't here for dirty business."

Her words sounded reasonable, but the problem was that the female secretary had recognized him.

Although there were some raw materials in his workshop that were poisonous, people would definitely be able to taste them.

"Then will you, Aunt Liu, also go back to look after sick Uncle like Uncle Qin did?"

Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan's face broke into a smile. That put his mind at ease.

Even though with Aunt Liu gone, eating was going to be a problem at home, it 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 the purpose of Ding Dalin's visit today.

Sensing Run Sheng poking him with his hand, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and saw Run Sheng handing him the red envelope money he had just received.

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

"For equipment and material costs."

"Keep it safe for me."

"Okay."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan saw Secretary Jin proactively turn towards him, take out chocolate wrapped in tinfoil from her pocket, and walk over to hand it to him.

"Little brother, here you go."

"Thank you, sister."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and took it. It felt a bit sticky in his hand; the chocolate must have melted inside.

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

"I can't bear to eat it now. I want to slowly melt it in my mouth when I go to sleep tonight."

"Heh, it's okay. Sister has plenty more. I'll bring you some next time I have a chance."

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

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

A shy smile appeared on the boy's face, and he took half a step back.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan pulled Run Sheng closer. Run Sheng bent down, allowing the boy to whisper in his ear:

"Brother Run Sheng, it's thanks to you leaving me in town yesterday that I got sent to the police station. The uncles and aunties at the station gave me lots of snacks, and in the end, an uncle gave me a ride home on his motorcycle, hehe."

Run Sheng's mind was a jumble of confusion.

But he still responded instinctively:

"Mm, yes."

Secretary Jin covered her mouth and chuckled, a hint of amusement and relief in her eyes.

Well, she thought she was very clever, and she confirmed that the boy didn't recognize her, after all, she had worn a mask last night too.

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

The main thing was that these two old men were conscripts captured after Japan's surrender, so there wasn't much of a heroic or touching story to tell.

His own Great Grandfather had fought his way from the Northeast into the passes, taken Pingjin, and broken through Huaihai.

Ding Dalin, on the other hand, had advanced westward, eventually establishing a stronghold in Southeast Asia. However, he did like to give himself airs, even claiming to be a veteran of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

It could be seen that his own Great Grandfather was in high spirits during the conversation. After all, among his peers in the village, either they were dead, or their speech was slurred. It was rare to encounter another old geezer with a clear mind.

But Ding Dalin was clearly a bit disinclined. Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the other man had tried to change the subject several times, only to be steered back by his Great Grandfather, who was engrossed in conversation.

Finally, as lunchtime was fast approaching, Ding Dalin had to reveal his true intentions:

"I heard that Big Beard's family had someone die a while back, two people?"

Li Sanjiang immediately frowned and asked, "Why are you asking about this?"

Seeing Li Sanjiang's reaction, Ding Dalin glanced briefly at Secretary Jin before continuing to ask:

"Sanjiang Hou, tell me, how did those two people die?"

The deaths of Big Beard and his son were a taboo for Li Sanjiang, and he immediately waved his hand dismissively, somewhat annoyed:

"They say the father and son had a few drinks at night and were bragging about who could swim better, so they went into the fish pond to compete and drowned."

"Really? I heard that you, Sanjiang Hou, were the one who recovered their bodies?"

"Ah, yes, so what?"

"I also heard that when those two bodies were recovered, they were very bloated, is that right?"

"Bodies, you know, they swell up after being in the water."

"But it was only one night, how could they swell up so much? It's not like soaking dried wood ear mushrooms."

"This... I don't know."

"Can you think a bit harder?"

"It's almost lunchtime, why think about those things? You shouldn't bring it up either. Let's not spoil our appetite during the meal."

"It doesn't matter."

"How can it not matter? How long has it been since you came home? Let's have a good drink together at noon today, and you can try our hometown cuisine again."

"Actually, Sanjiang Hou, there's a reason I'm asking you this. I'm getting old, and I'm thinking of returning to my roots, so I plan to buy a house in the village."

"Big Beard's house is for sale, and I think the price is quite reasonable."

"That's not easy to do. Although you were a villager before, your household registration isn't here anymore. The homestead belongs to the village collective, and only villagers can buy and sell it."

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

"How can that be?"

"There's nothing that can't be done. How much longer do I have to live? Money and possessions are external things. I've long since come to terms with it. After I die, the house will be left to your great-grandson."

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

Ever since Little Yuanhou's Beijing household registration was removed, he had felt guilty. So, he should buy more property for Little Yuanhou? Even if the houses in the village weren't worth much, they were still land.

"If you trust me, I can help you with it, but I suggest you find another house to buy."

"What's wrong?" Ding Dalin's tone became agitated as he pressed, "Is it Big Beard's house? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, it's a bit unclean."

Li Sanjiang had personally seen Little Yellow Oriole walk into the fish pond. During the last corpse recovery, he hadn't dared to go too deep, afraid that a hand would reach out from below and pull him down.

If the house were to be passed on to Little Yuanhou in the future, wouldn't that make Little Yuanhou neighbors with the dead float, front and back?

"Unclean? Can you be more specific? Is there a problem with the house or somewhere else? Sanjiang Hou, don't blame me for being so inquisitive. After all, it's a house to live in during retirement, so we must be careful.

I've been in Southeast Asia for a long time, and people there are actually more superstitious and particular about taboos than we are here."

"Did someone die in that pond? Think about it. If you live there, every day you walk onto the embankment, you'll be facing that pond. How disgusting is that?"

"This is nothing. Unless that pond really has a big problem, give me a clear answer. If you say it does, I won't buy it and will find another one."

"It does!"

"Alright, then I'll find another one!"

"Okay."

"Then I'll go ask the village chief in your name and see if any other families in our village intend to sell their houses?"

"No problem."

"Alright, I'm leaving."

"Hey, stay for dinner." Li Sanjiang's invitation was absolutely sincere. After all, the person had given his junior two sums of money, so he should be kept for a meal.

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

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

"Definitely, definitely."

Secretary Jin helped Ding Dalin walk down the embankment. After getting into the car, Ding Dalin's expression turned grim:

"It seems correct. The pond in front of Big Beard's house is the main acupoint."

"Boss, that boy named Xiao Yuan..."

"What about that boy?"

"Nothing, he's just very good-looking."

Since he had figured out why the boy was with the police last night, Secretary Jin couldn't be bothered to bring it up again.

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

Alright, let's talk business.

The next step is to buy Big Beard's house, then have our people disguise themselves as a troupe and set up a stage to celebrate the housewarming. We'll proceed with the excavation at night.

With even the bait acupoint used, the person buried in the main acupoint must have a very important identity. There must be good things in the tomb.

After this job is done, I can truly retire."

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

These Water Monkeys had actually found the location of the main acupoint. Ding Dalin and the others were heading for Big Beard's fish pond.

Should he call the police now or help Little Yellow Oriole?

Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the coin in his hand and whispered, "Leave it to fate. If it's heads, I'll call the police. If it's tails, I'll help Little Yellow Oriole."

"Bang!"

The coin was tossed, trembling as it landed, and finally settled.

It was heads.

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

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