Chapter 41

Pan Zi and Lei Zi had once boasted to Li Zhuiyuan, saying that some celebrities, even when fully clothed, they could still imagine them naked in their minds.

Now, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the lively Ding Dalin and Secretary Jin in front of him, and his mind was filled with images of them bloody and twitching after being skinned.

It was a bright summer morning, yet he suddenly felt cold enough to shiver.

Ding Dalin bent down, a kind smile on his face, and asked doubtfully, "What's wrong? You don't recognize me anymore?"

Li Sanjiang chuckled, "How could that be? This child was just talking about you to me, saying you..."

Li Zhuiyuan's spine turned cold with fright.

But Li Sanjiang's words were already on his lips, and he couldn't stop them.

"...said you gave him such a big red envelope last time, and praised you, Grandpa, for being so kind."

"Oh, is that so? Hehehehehe." Ding Dalin let out a hearty laugh.

Li Zhuiyuan felt a bit dizzy, the feeling of having narrowly escaped death rushing to the top of his head.

Li Sanjiang patted Li Zhuiyuan's head, "This child of mine, he remembers everyone who's good to him. Unlike other children, no matter how good you are to them, they forget you the next moment and don't recognize who you are."

Ding Dalin nodded, "That depends on the person."

"Exactly. Some children are just born ingrates, impossible to raise."

"Sanjiang Hou," Ding Dalin straightened up, his gaze shifting from the boy to Li Sanjiang, "Come, let's go sit at my place. Have lunch with me."

"Oh, that's too kind."

"What's there to be shy about? There are plenty of leftovers from the banquet yesterday. Don't be picky, just help me eat them."

After a banquet, there would always be some leftover dishes. If they were left for too long, they would spoil. If the family wasn't large enough to finish them in time, they would hold another small banquet the day after, inviting only close relatives.

Such banquets were not elaborate. Cold dishes were piled up, and cooked dishes were reheated. They didn't look appealing, but they were still good food and good wine.

Li Sanjiang said, "If we're having lunch, do we need to go that early?"

Li Zhuiyuan had finally managed his expression and confirmed that his voice wouldn't tremble when he spoke. Just as he was about to find an excuse for his Great Grandfather to decline the invitation, he looked up and met Secretary Jin's gaze.

She looked at him, a smile on her lips, but her eyes held a hollowness and coldness.

It was difficult for ordinary people to notice, but Li Zhuiyuan had a habit of observing and imitating others. After reading "Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained," his observation of micro-expressions became more detailed and profound.

The fortress of his mental defenses, which he had just built, began to crumble again.

She hadn't spoken, and it might have been his imagination, but he truly felt as if he had seen a silent warning.

Was it directed at him? Or at Great Grandfather?

Or perhaps, Targeting everyone who could see through their skin.

"It's like this, I want to contract a piece of responsibility land. I'll pay the rent upfront, but it still needs to be under your name."

"How big of a plot?"

"About ten mu."

"For how long?"

"Thirty years."

"Then let's go!"

Ding Dalin laughed and cursed, "Alright, you Sanjiang Hou, you're sure I won't live that long, are you?"

"Thirty years, how could anyone live that long? At our age, if we lived another thirty years, our skin would be cracked and worn out."

"Heh heh, we're already old. We're not young people who care about appearances. If our skin breaks, it breaks. We can still use it after mending it."

Li Zhuiyuan's heart skipped a beat.

He was really afraid that Great Grandfather would suddenly slip up and actually stimulate the other person's skin to break.

Although he knew his Great Grandfather had good fortune, Grandma Liu had also said that this good fortune depended on the place and what it encountered. If it truly met a tough opponent, this good fortune would be useless.

What happened at Big Beard's house last night had already surpassed Li Zhuiyuan's imagination in its horror.

What he was experiencing now was pushing what happened last night to an even more bizarre and terrifying level.

In the face of this situation, Li Zhuiyuan felt that Great Grandfather's good fortune... definitely wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"Alright, let's go." Li Sanjiang rubbed his chin with his palm, looking down at Li Zhuiyuan standing beside him. "While we're at it, I'll also write my will."

"Oh, Sanjiang Hou, you old bachelor with no children, who are you planning to leave it to?"

"I have no children, but I have a great-grandson, don't I? After I'm gone, what I leave behind will naturally go to our Little Yuanhou."

Ding Dalin bent down towards the boy again.

Li Zhuiyuan felt extremely repulsed and resistant to this gesture, but he still managed a shy smile.

This kind of expression was very useful for a child, whether facing a person... or a ghost.

"Little Yuanhou, look, your Great Grandfather really cherishes you. When you grow up, you must treat your Great Grandfather well."

"Mm, I will."

Ding Dalin straightened up, his movements pausing.

Secretary Jin reached out and supported him.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Secretary Jin's right hand was on Ding Dalin's lower back, near his neck, and her left hand was on his lower side. She wasn't just supporting him; she was gripping him, her five fingers tensed, applying a lot of force.

It was as if she were forcibly holding together something that was about to break apart.

"What's wrong, Lin Hou?"

"This old back of mine, it's no good anymore."

"Stop rolling around in bed so much at night."

"Sanjiang Hou, you old geezer, let's go. Come to my place."

Saying this, Ding Dalin reached out his hand towards Li Sanjiang.

Li Sanjiang willingly took his hand, taking over the task of supporting him.

The two old men walked forward, leaning on each other as they talked.

"Let's go, Little Brother?" Secretary Jin placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"My summer homework hasn't..."

"Your Great Grandfather wants to make his will, so you have to go today."

"...I haven't bought an eraser yet. I don't know where my last one went."

"Come on, Auntie will buy you one."

"No need, I have money."

It was on the way to Big Beard's house, passing by Aunt Zhang's small shop. As they got closer, Secretary Jin stopped.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the counter, just about to ask for an eraser to get by, when a figure popped out from behind the shop's awning. It was Tan Wenbin.

This guy had taken a shortcut, not using the village road, and had come through the fields.

"Yo, Little Yuan Ge, what are you buying? Come on, I'll pay for it with you."

"An eraser."

"Auntie, give me an eraser, and a bottle of cooling oil."

Aunt Zhang handed over the items. Tan Wenbin paid, and after handing the eraser to Li Zhuiyuan, he couldn't wait, twisting open the bottle and starting to apply it to his neck and arms.

"Last night I saw you guys itching so badly, it's making me feel itchy today too. I suspect Run Sheng infected me."

"Bin Bin Ge, you can go back. Tell Run Sheng Ge and Grandma Liu that I'm going to Grandpa Ding's place for a meal with Great Grandfather."

"What, you're still going to the wa... Oh, oh, oh!"

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Tan Wenbin's hand, his fingertips digging into the flesh of his palm, and twisted hard.

At this moment, Secretary Jin, who had been standing at a distance, also walked over.

Tan Wenbin had just come out from behind the convenience store and hadn't really noticed she was nearby. Startled, he continued to cry out:

"...Oh, oh, oh!"

Secretary Jin continued to approach.

"...You want water, right? I'll buy it for you. Brother will buy it for you. Auntie, two bottles of Jianlibao." As he spoke, Tan Wenbin deliberately looked at the approaching Secretary Jin. "Jie, do you want a bottle?"

Secretary Jin shook her head.

"Heh heh." Tan Wenbin paid again, then handed a bottle of Jianlibao to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Thanks, Bin Bin Ge. You can go back then. Remember to tell everyone at home that Great Grandfather and I won't be back for lunch, so they don't need to make anything for us."

"Okay."

Just then, Secretary Jin suddenly spoke, "Let's go eat together."

Tan Wenbin froze for a moment.

Secretary Jin: "Yesterday, I saw you eating the dishes at the banquet, and you seemed to be enjoying yourself. There are more today, let's go eat together."

"That might not be appropriate..."

"Let's go, come on. They're going to leave soon."

Secretary Jin reached out and placed her hands on the shoulders of the two boys, one big and one small, urging them forward.

It was an attitude that brooked no refusal.

Li Zhuiyuan hadn't expected that Tan Wenbin's eating habits at the banquet yesterday would leave such a deep impression.

If he had been a bit more refined at the banquet yesterday, perhaps none of this would be happening now.

However, as it stood, Tan Wenbin likely only knew the initial version of the Water Monkey information.

He had told him that last night before he and Run Sheng set off for Big Beard's place.

When he returned last night, Tan Wenbin had wanted to know the specifics of what happened, but Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to recall and recount it then, so he told him to ask Run Sheng.

Run Sheng, like him, probably didn't want to bring up the terrifying scene again for the time being and hadn't had a chance to tell him.

Otherwise, if he knew, upon seeing Secretary Jin, he would probably have stuffed a Firecracker into his crotch and jumped up in fright.

As they walked, Secretary Jin spoke, "Is there anyone else at home? Have them come over for lunch too. No need to cook."

Li Zhuiyuan quickly refused, "No need. The only people left at home are those working for Great Grandfather; they aren't relatives."

"Alright then."

During the rest of the journey, Tan Wenbin gradually relaxed and even initiated conversations.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that Bin Bin was probably quite proud.

He likely felt that as the son of a police officer, he had inherited an anti-reconnaissance awareness, allowing him to chat and laugh with the Water Monkey.

Actually, it was good this way; he could act without showing any fear.

They walked all the way to Big Beard's house. As soon as they reached the open area, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze froze.

Directly in front of the open area was the fish pond. At this moment, the pond was full of water, just like it was yesterday afternoon.

The fish pond, which should have been drained and excavated, was restored;

The group of people who should have been skinned and dead were all alive again.

The scene in his memory was becoming increasingly aligned with a hallucination or nightmare in terms of logic.

When the world presents itself to you in an irrational way, people usually start to doubt themselves first.

However, Li Zhuiyuan was very sure that it was definitely not a dream. What happened last night had truly occurred.

The fish pond must have been refilled with water last night. The dead people were dead. As for what these people who were now alive actually were... he didn't understand.

The Village Chief and several village elders arrived. They sat on the long benches in the open area, forming a circle, chatting and talking.

Secretary Jin brought over a small tea table, on which were placed melon seeds, peanuts, and candy.

Li Sanjiang casually grabbed two handfuls, handing one to Li Zhuiyuan and the other to Tan Wenbin.

Ding Dalin said to them, "Go upstairs and watch TV. There's a TV in the room. I'll call you down when it's time to eat."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, "We have a TV at home. Great Grandfather bought it."

Li Sanjiang puffed out his chest and said proudly, "That's right. I bought a TV for the child to watch. But this child loves to study and doesn't watch it much, so it's convenient for the mule at home to guard the TV all day."

Actually, Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to separate from the crowd.

Although entering here meant danger, and this group of elders in the open area, when bound together, didn't have much practical use, they could at least provide some psychological comfort.

His emotions plunged him into fear from the moment he saw them, but his reason told him the situation could still be salvaged.

After all, he and the others, along with the Village Chief, hadn't been skinned the moment they arrived at the dam.

If their only intention was to lure people here and kill them, they could have acted already.

The fact that they were sitting here chatting, even discussing the details of land contracts, proved they had their own goals and plans.

Therefore, as long as he didn't violate their rules, he, Great Grandfather, and Bin Bin might still be able to return safely.

The Village Chief spoke with some difficulty, "But, contracting for thirty years all at once, won't that be too long? It'll be hard to explain to the village."

Ding Dalin said, "The contract fee can increase annually. Just give me a final, specific number."

Li Sanjiang was very enthusiastic about this. He believed Ding Dalin wouldn't live that long, and neither would he. Then, after the land was contracted, wouldn't it still belong to Little Yuanhou?

"I say, if they want thirty years, let them have thirty years. At worst, we can publicly post the specific contract details for the village to see. Everyone will know, and no one will gossip later."

Secretary Jin had already returned inside, presumably to prepare lunch. Since only she and Ding Dalin were home, she was the only one busy.

Ding Dalin shifted his attention away from himself, and Li Zhuiyuan felt a considerable sense of relief.

He didn't dare to leave this place without permission. Any out-of-line action at this moment seemed extremely dangerous.

If they were pushed too far, they could just skin everyone present on the spot. Since they could bring the Troupe members back to life, it should be simple to revive the Village Chief too, and it wouldn't delay the land contract.

Ensuring his figure remained within their line of sight, Li Zhuiyuan walked down from the dam and began pacing in the open space in front of the fish pond.

He knew he couldn't keep pacing in circles forever, or he'd look foolish.

At this moment, playing a game would be most appropriate, but the problem was, he never carried children's toys in his pockets.

But fortunately, he didn't have any, but someone else did.

Tan Wenbin seemed to understand Little Yuan Ge's intention. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of colorful marbles.

"Little Yuan, let's play with these."

"Okay."

For the first time, Li Zhuiyuan discovered that childishness could be angelic.

A high school senior-to-be boy actually carrying marbles in his pocket. No wonder your dad bought you jelly.

The two bent down and started playing marbles.

Li Zhuiyuan had initially just wanted to use this opportunity to observe the fish pond up close. He believed that no matter how perfect the restoration, it had only been half a day, and there must be traces left behind.

But as they played, Tan Wenbin gradually got into the groove. He hit every shot with precision, clapping and cheering for himself with joy each time.

The commotion occasionally drew the attention of a group of old people on the plaza.

They pointed and gestured, smiles on their lips.

Most children had a similar experience: when they and their friends were playing, adults would often stand nearby, watching them for a long time.

What they were actually watching was their own childhood.

But Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to create such a heartwarming atmosphere. Finally, he couldn't help but flick a marble, hitting Bin Bin's nose.

Bin Bin felt a sting first, covering his nose. Then his eyes showed relief, followed by shame. He had gotten too into character.

Li Zhuiyuan began to deliberately shoot marbles towards the fish pond, and Tan Wenbin cooperated, shooting towards the same area. The two chased the marbles, arriving at the edge of the fish pond.

Seizing the moment, his gaze swept quickly.

He discovered freshly turned mud at the edge of the fish pond.

This fish pond had indeed been backfilled!

Not daring to linger in this sensitive spot, Li Zhuiyuan immediately shot another marble, moving away from the fish pond.

"Haha, Bin Bin Ge, I won this time."

"Little Yuan, you're really amazing."

Bin Bin showed a big-brotherly smile.

As Li Zhuiyuan jumped up excitedly, his gaze flickered towards the plaza and he saw Ding Dalin turning his head away.

Was it his previous action of approaching the fish pond that made him sensitive?

Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin played, getting closer and closer to the plaza.

"Bin Bin Ge, I'm tired. Let's rest a bit."

"Okay."

Disregarding the dirt and pebbles on the ground, Li Zhuiyuan sat down just like that.

His shoe sole happened to scrape across some stones, flipping them over. Beneath the stones, something red appeared – bloodstains.

Li Zhuiyuan quickly retracted his foot and used the sole of his shoe to flip the stones back.

His mind rapidly recalled the details from last night. Wasn't the spot he was currently in the very place where Ding Dalin had been pecked by a chicken?

He remembered that Ding Dalin's palm had been pierced by a rooster's beak at the time.

"Little Yuanhou."

"Ah, Great Grandfather."

Li Zhuiyuan ran up the embankment and approached Li Sanjiang.

The land contracting matter had been mostly settled, and now they were discussing the will. The Village Chief was writing with paper and pen.

An old man beside him asked, "Sanjiang Hou, wouldn't it be inappropriate to give it directly to the child? You should at least have someone to take care of you in your old age."

"I've made arrangements for my old age."

"Can they be trusted?"

"They can be trusted."

They were all elderly people, so there was no need to avoid such topics.

Li Sanjiang had absolute faith in Li Weihan's character, but Li Weihan had many sons and grandsons. If his inheritance went to Li Weihan, it would most likely be divided among those ungrateful wretches. This was something he did not want to see.

The Village Chief finished writing and said, "Since the parties and witnesses are all here, let's just press our handprints. Do you have ink pads at home?"

Ding Dalin said, "In the bedside drawer in the second-floor bedroom. I'll go get it."

"Let the child get it. Little Yuanhou, go fetch it."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to refuse, but Ding Dalin, who had just started to get up, sat back down. Refusing now would seem unreasonable.

"Alright, Great Grandfather."

Li Zhuiyuan ran inside and went upstairs. Tan Wenbin wanted to follow him, but Li Sanjiang called out to him:

"Zhuang Zhuang."

"Grandpa Li, my name is Bin Bin."

"Go help in the kitchen and carry out the bowls. Little Secretary can't manage alone."

Tan Wenbin also didn't want to be alone with that Water Monkey, but he faced the same dilemma as Li Zhuiyuan had earlier. He could only smile, nod, and head towards the kitchen.

Li Zhuiyuan reached the second floor and found it had been cleaned and tidied. The balcony and hallway were very clean.

He didn't rush into the room. Instead, he went to the cover of the Little Courtyard and found the ladder leaning against the wall beside him.

His Formation Flags and Run Sheng's Corpse Retrieval Tools should still be on the roof.

But the problem was, even if he moved the ladder and climbed onto the roof to get those things, he couldn't take them with him because they were too heavy.

Even leaving them behind the house wouldn't be safe; it would create too much noise and be easily noticed.

In the end, Li Zhuiyuan turned around, pushed open the door, and walked into the bedroom.

The bedroom was richly furnished. When Ding Dalin bought the house, he must have bought it with the furniture included to save time.

He walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer.

Inside, there was indeed a box of ink paste, and another item Li Zhuiyuan hadn't expected... a compass.

It was a purple compass, with five small sub-rings around the main ring.

Li Zhuiyuan took the compass in his hand and turned it gently. He quickly figured out the meaning of these five sub-rings.

The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons actually recorded a similar style of compass, but because the manufacturing process was extremely complex and required many special materials, it had never been within Li Zhuiyuan's consideration before.

Now, holding it, Li Zhuiyuan genuinely liked it.

With it, when examining Feng Shui Patterns, it would be like being allowed to bring a calculator into a math exam.

He was increasingly realizing that he couldn't rely solely on brute-force mental calculations like before; his body couldn't handle it.

With this thing, combined with the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art, he wouldn't end up with a nosebleed from overexertion like last time when examining the fish pond's Feng Shui.

The real Ding Dalin was dead, so this was ownerless. Taking it wouldn't be stealing.

But... it was still too risky.

All the other items belonging to that group of Water Monkeys had been packed up and taken away, but this item alone was left behind, proving it was still highly valued.

It should be able to sense who entered the house. If the item was lost, it could definitely lock onto him.

Forget it, he couldn't take it.

Even though the item was good, his own life was more important. Just as Li Zhuiyuan was about to put the compass back in the drawer, "Did you find it?"

Secretary Jin's voice came from the bedroom doorway.

Li Zhuiyuan was startled again, but his resilience had improved. While holding the compass with his left hand, he picked up the ink paste box with his right:

"I found it."

"I thought you might not find it, so I came up to check."

"What is this, Aunt Jin?" Li Zhuiyuan asked, holding up the compass. "It's so pretty."

"A toy. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

Li Zhuiyuan's first reaction wasn't surprise, but: Is this a test?

"Take everything and come down."

Secretary Jin finished speaking and turned to leave.

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, then took the compass and ink pad and went downstairs.

After handing the ink pad to the Village Chief, the Village Chief signaled for everyone to press their handprints.

Li Sanjiang saw the compass and asked, "Little Yuanhou, what is this?"

Ding Dalin said, "It's a small item from home. The child likes it, so let's give it to him as a toy."

Li Sanjiang took it first, looked it over, and wondered, "Why are there so many circles? What kind of junk is this?"

After belittling it, Li Sanjiang casually tossed the compass back to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan really wanted to remind Great Grandfather that this was a professional tool, and the compass he usually used was just a compass.

"Little Yuanhou, thank your Grandpa Ding."

"Thank you, Grandpa Ding."

"Heh heh, good boy." Ding Dalin reached out and patted Li Zhuiyuan's head.

Li Zhuiyuan felt his hair stand on end, but he had to endure it, not daring to dodge.

The will was completed, in duplicate. One copy was kept by the Village Chief in the village office, and the other was carefully folded by Li Sanjiang and placed solemnly in his jacket pocket, which he then patted.

Lunch was ready, and everyone took their seats.

The dishes were very rich. In front of Li Zhuiyuan was a large plate of blanched shrimp.

Seeing the shrimp made Li Zhuiyuan feel a little nauseous.

"Everyone eat. Please bear with us; there aren't many good dishes." Ding Dalin raised his chopsticks and gestured for everyone to begin.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks.

"Here, Zhuang Zhuang, eat shrimp. This was your favorite yesterday."

Li Sanjiang used his chopsticks to push one-third of the shrimp from the plate to Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin, then turned the Lazy Susan.

Tan Wenbin was not polite. He picked up a shrimp, pulled off the head, peeled it, dipped it in vinegar, and sucked on the head. Then, he skillfully peeled the body, revealing the whole shrimp meat.

After removing the sand vein, Tan Wenbin dipped it in vinegar and placed it in Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up his chopsticks and picked up the shrimp meat. The texture was tender and red.

As he put the shrimp meat into his mouth and chewed, the scenes he had seen last night kept replaying in his mind.

This was the first time Li Zhuiyuan had eaten something that was both delicious and difficult to swallow.

He swallowed it down forcefully in the end, feeling it was more painful than the "dishes" at Cat-faced Old Woman's birthday banquet.

Seeing Tan Wenbin still wanting to peel more for him, Li Zhuiyuan quickly said, "Bin Bin Ge, you eat it yourself. I don't really like shrimp."

"Really?" Tan Wenbin looked a bit surprised. "Then I'll eat it myself."

"Mm."

Secretary Jin brought over a large bowl containing a stewed chicken.

Ding Dalin poked at it a couple of times with his chopsticks and asked, "Isn't this a hen?"

"There are no hens left."

"Sigh, how can this be?"

Ding Dalin shook his head, somewhat displeased.

Li Sanjiang smoothed things over, saying, "Lin Hou, look at how spoiled you are. Why differentiate between male and female for a chicken? It was hard to get meat before liberation."

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang personally reached out, pulled off a plump chicken leg, and placed it in Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.

Li Zhuiyuan stared down at it, not rushing to pick up his chopsticks. It wasn't that he was being picky; it was just that this chicken seemed strangely familiar.

The reason was, even if it was a rooster stewed for soup, how could there not be a single piece of chicken skin left?

"What, you don't like it?" Ding Dalin asked.

"I like it." Li Zhuiyuan picked up the chicken leg and took a big bite. It was a bit tough.

"How does it taste?"

"Delicious."

Ding Dalin nodded with satisfaction. As he stood up to pick up more food, Li Zhuiyuan noticed a black gauze tied around the tiger's mouth of his right hand.

The meal was warm and harmonious, so normal that Li Zhuiyuan felt like he was the most abnormal person at the entire table.

But no matter what, for once, Li Zhuiyuan didn't leave the table early like a child after finishing his meal. He sat properly until the meal concluded.

After the meal, everyone started smoking and chatting, making the final preparations for departure.

The Village Chief was the first to stand up, gently patting his pants. He said, "Alright, that's all for today. Your contract needs further discussion by the village. Don't worry, we'll give you a reply soon."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I appreciate your attention to this." Ding Dalin stood up and shook hands with the Village Chief.

Everyone left the table together and walked out of the hall onto the open area. They each took out cigarettes and exchanged a few more words. The Village Chief and a few village elders then walked down from the open area.

Li Zhuiyuan was anxious because Li Sanjiang hadn't left. He was still standing beside Ding Dalin, both with cigarettes in their mouths.

"The Village Chief didn't mention it when you were here earlier, but you've leased this land and you're not planting grain. You're planning to plant peach trees?"

"Yes, planting peach trees. They'll bear peaches."

"You won't be able to sell the peaches, who would buy them? Before, you could plant these and the cannery would buy them, but now I hear those canneries aren't doing well themselves."

"Even if they don't sell, it's good to look at the peach blossoms."

"I say, Lin Hou, what's gotten into you?" Li Sanjiang reached out and felt Ding Dalin's forehead. "You seem like a completely different person today."

Li Zhuiyuan's heart clenched once more.

Tan Wenbin started to play along, proactively saying, "Grandpa Li, you don't understand. Our Grandpa Ding is pursuing a beautiful artistic conception. Yes, just thinking about how this place will be planted with peach trees in the future, and when the peach blossoms are in full bloom, how beautiful it will be."

"And this fish pond?" Li Sanjiang asked.

"Fill it in, plant trees there too."

"I say, Lin Hou, how much wealth did you rake in abroad to be squandering it like this?"

"Isn't money made to be squandered?"

"I don't understand you. Forget it, do as you please."

"Oh, right. The Troupe said a set of their sound equipment was broken and asked me to pay for repairs. I was too lazy to argue, so I just bought it off them as second-hand."

"Are you an idiot? Where did you find that Troupe? How could they ask the owner to pay for their own broken equipment?"

"It was quite cheap. I tinkered with it last night, it wasn't actually broken, just a loose plug. It's fixed now. I have no use for it, and you're in this business, so you can use it to rent out and make money in the future. Come, follow me and take a look. If it's good, you can take it away."

"Alright, let's go take a look."

Li Sanjiang followed Ding Dalin towards the shaded inner room on the first floor. Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin exchanged glances, wondering if they should follow.

"Little friend, you forgot this." Secretary Jin's voice came from behind, and the Purple Compass was brought before the boy. He had deliberately placed it on the chair by the dining table earlier, not wanting to appear too eager.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and took it, his eyes wide with surprise. "Are you really giving this to me?"

"Do you know how to play with this thing?"

"Of course, I do."

Li Zhuiyuan held the compass, spinning it around and giggling as he watched the needle inside spin.

"Secretary Jin, come here for a moment and adjust it again," Grandpa Ding's voice came from inside.

Secretary Jin placed her hands on Li Zhuiyuan's shoulders and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The moment the woman's hands landed on his shoulders, Li Zhuiyuan froze.

He didn't rush to leave, but slowly raised his head.

Secretary Jin also lowered her head, and their eyes met.

After a long while, Ding Dalin's impatient voice came from inside again, "Why aren't you here yet? I'm waiting for you to get it done."

"Let's go."

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan walked ahead, Secretary Jin's hands gripping his shoulders as she followed behind.

The path was clearly very short, but Li Zhuiyuan felt it was somewhat long.

Finally, the two walked into the room inside, one after the other.

Secretary Jin released her hands, fiddled with the stereo, and then picked up the microphone:

"Hoo hoo... hello, hello... hello, hello..."

There was a slight distortion, but the overall effect was very good.

Ding Dalin glanced at Li Sanjiang, then said to Secretary Jin, "Come on, try singing a song."

Secretary Jin nodded and asked, "What song should I sing?"

"Anything. Sanjiang Hou, what song do you want to hear? My secretary knows how to sing many songs, just pick one."

"Heh, I'm not as thick-skinned as you, asking a young lady to sing for me. Little Yuanhou, what song do you want to hear? You pick."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, "Anything is fine with me."

Secretary Jin looked at Li Zhuiyuan, "Kid, you pick one."

"I don't have anything specific I want to hear, Auntie. You sing one you want to sing."

Secretary Jin nodded, picked up the microphone, and without any accompaniment, began to sing a cappella:

"Looking back slowly, the nights that once belonged to each other. Red, red, you are still the bright sun you gave to my heart..."

Her singing was graceful, her Cantonese pronunciation was not accurate, but it was extremely moving.

It was "The Song of the Thousand Folds."