Chapter 44

Li Zhuiyuan was still in the exploratory and learning stage regarding this method of controlling Death Collapse, so he was somewhat unable to grasp the current situation.

But one thing could be confirmed: A Li was definitely not a Death Collapse.

So, Is Death Collapse myself?

Li Zhuiyuan seriously recalled his childhood and confirmed that he only had the same Mental Illness as Li Lan, not enough to be expelled from Human Status and classified as Death Collapse.

Then, what exactly was the current situation?

This was the drawback of studying alone. Without a teacher, without a complete teaching plan, there was no complete knowledge and theoretical system architecture. Sometimes he could solve complex problems at a higher level, but he could only scratch his head when encountering simple concepts.

Moreover, under this premise, those with better learning talent often went more astray.

But, Since I'm here.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at A Li, shrouded in darkness ahead, and took a step forward.

As he took this step, he felt everything around him rapidly shifting, a sensation countless times more intense than Motion Sickness frantically stimulating his consciousness.

Fortunately, it all came and went quickly. When the surroundings "quieted down," Li Zhuiyuan found himself sitting on a Small Stool, his feet resting on the Door Threshold in front of him.

Li Zhuiyuan was very familiar with this sitting posture. For a long time, the girl had sat like this during the day.

"Wuwuwuwu... Wuwuwuwu..."

It sounded like crying, and also like the low whimper of an Animal, both near and far.

Just outside the door, separated by the Door Threshold, the perspective was very realistic, yet it was filled with a strange, ink-wash painting style.

A Dwarf, only a few inches tall, dressed in yellow, rode a Pony, driving a Yellow Canopy Carriage. He swept past the door, then turned a corner and sped into the depths of the Dark Clouds ahead.

A Python slithered through the grass in front of the door. The Python had only one head, but two Snake Bodies extended from below, constantly intertwining and weaving as it crawled.

In the vegetable field ahead, several people dressed as Farmers were working with hoes. They had a Water Canteen tied to their left waists and their own heads tied to their right.

On the Riverbank in the distance, several Women were squatting and washing clothes, constantly beating them with Mallets. But what they were beating were not Dirty Clothes, but crying Infants.

The environment outside the door was dynamic. As you moved your eyeballs, what you saw outside the door began to change.

In an instant, all sorts of Monsters appeared in his line of sight. Some were recorded in Ancient Books, while others were unheard of.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his gaze. The sky was filled with Dark Clouds, and a huge figure seemed to be vaguely visible within them.

He tried to focus his gaze, but could never see it clearly.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked behind him. There was an offering table covered with spirit tablets.

At first glance, an inexplicable sense of security arose.

But soon, it was replaced by a profound sense of loss.

Because these spirit tablets were not only dull but also appeared dilapidated, covered in shocking cracks.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that since they could appear here, they should have served some purpose.

But in reality, their function was lost. In front of each spirit tablet was an oil lamp, but the oil reservoirs were completely empty of lamp oil, making it impossible for any spiritual light to ignite.

Suddenly, Li Zhuiyuan felt the outside become very quiet, and the light dimmed.

He turned his head and looked at the doorway, finding a pitted and mottled wall completely sealing off the main gate.

Buzz!

The next moment, A crack split open in the middle of the wall, then violently tore apart, revealing a giant slanted eye.

Li Zhuiyuan's mind was greatly shaken, and a piercing roar filled his ears.

The scene before him vanished. He seemed to have woken up, but he could neither see nor hear.

On the second floor balcony, the boy opened his eyes blankly and stood up from the rattan chair. He began to sway, moving closer and closer to the edge of the balcony.

Just then, a small hand grabbed his, pulling him back.

Li Zhuiyuan stumbled back into the rattan chair, then stared blankly ahead.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy regained some sensation, followed by a splitting headache. He clutched his head with both hands and lowered his head in pain.

Gradually, he calmed down and turned to look at the girl beside him.

The girl was also looking at him, her eyes showing a hint of anticipation, as if waiting for his evaluation.

He had just visited the girl's "home," and in her heart chamber, he had witnessed something terrifying that would be unforgettable for a lifetime.

But the boy offered no comfort or sympathy. Instead, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he said in a dry voice:

"Very interesting."

The girl tilted her head slightly, and a faint dimple seemed to appear at the corner of her mouth.

She was very happy.

A child from an ordinary family, when bringing classmates and friends to play at their home, would always feel a bit awkward and apprehensive.

Her home, though terrifying, was still her home, no matter how terrifying.

At this moment, sympathy, comfort, and encouragement were not what the "host" wanted; instead, they would exacerbate the embarrassment.

Therefore, the best attitude for a guest was: relax, don't make a big deal out of it.

Li Zhuiyuan's face also broke into a smile. He reached out and gently flicked the girl's nose.

The girl looked at his hand seriously, then slowly raised her own hand.

The boy leaned forward a bit, and the girl also flicked the boy's nose, very lightly and softly.

Picking up the Black Book again, Li Zhuiyuan began to review the entire process from before. He felt that he had succeeded in his execution of the method, even though the result was a failure.

Moreover, he seemed to have found a training path, and A Li was his sparring partner.

Although, he vaguely felt that this sparring partner's skill level seemed to be beyond the scope.

But the greater the difficulty, the faster his progress would be. At worst, he would get a headache, which he could endure.

"A Li, shall we do it again?"

The girl nodded.

Then, the two lay down together, closed their eyes.

The same beginning, the same process, the same scene... and the same splitting headache.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan recovered from the second attempt, Aunt Liu's voice came from downstairs:

"Breakfast is ready!"

This feeling was very much like playing a few games of chess after waking up early and waiting for breakfast.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that he had found a new game with the girl.

The breakfast was congee, but there were many kinds of pickles, both traditional Nantong ones and those favored by Grandma Liu.

Small dishes were arranged on the small table, giving it a sense of ritual.

Of course, this was if Run Sheng and Bin Bin were not considered.

Run Sheng always ate like this, needing to light incense for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He had a basin of congee, poured all sorts of pickles into it, stirred it, and then used a soup spoon to scoop up the mixture, ensuring an even portion of congee and pickles in every spoonful.

Tan Wenbin had completely integrated.

Li Sanjiang rested his left leg, then his right leg. Both held their bowls of congee with one hand, slurped around the rim of the bowl halfway, then used chopsticks to pick up a few pickles and put them in their mouths. While chewing the pickles, they used the ends of their chopsticks to scratch an itch and gazed into the distance.

After the meal, Li Sanjiang lit a cigarette.

Tan Wenbin took the initiative to pick up the match and lit Li Sanjiang's cigarette for him.

Then, before the match went out, he also took a cigarette from Li Sanjiang's cigarette pack and put it in his mouth. After lighting it, he quickly threw away the match and shook his hands rapidly.

Li Sanjiang glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He didn't understand the word "rebellious," but he had lived long enough and seen enough to know that this child was going through that phase.

Most children went through this when they grew up, always thinking that becoming an adult was such a remarkable thing.

But when his gaze fell on Li Zhuiyuan, Li Sanjiang smiled again. His own Little Yuanhou would definitely not be so naive.

Li Zhuiyuan took out the money exchanged from the Gold Ingots and handed the bag to Li Sanjiang:

"Great Grandfather, Grandpa Ding and the others came this morning. They said it was urgent and they had to rush back. They were afraid of disturbing your sleep, so they didn't wake you up and just asked me to give you the money."

"Is that so? Leaving in such a hurry?"

Li Sanjiang took the Black Plastic Bag and glanced at it. The cigarette in his mouth was noticeably smoked faster.

"Well, well, that's quite a bit."

"Great Grandfather, will it be enough?"

"It's definitely enough. Once the Contract money is paid, the rest of the money will be used to plant Peach Trees. If there's a lot of money left, we'll plant them densely; if there's less, we'll plant them sparsely. Alright, I'm going to find the Village Chief to sign the contract, and then I'll go to town to inquire about Saplings. Tinghou, I won't be back for lunch. Sigh, if it weren't for the house, I really wouldn't want to bother with such troublesome things."

Li Sanjiang carried the bag and walked out. As soon as he walked down the Terrace, he heard his voice:

"Little Cui Hou, are you here to play with Little Yuanhou?"

"Yes."

"Then go ahead."

Soon, Cui Cui walked onto the Terrace. Her gaze swept over Li Zhuiyuan and A Li, and a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Brother Yuanhou."

As she ran over, Li Zhuiyuan took A Li's hand.

"Brother Yuanhou, today is my birthday. My mom will buy me a Birthday Cake. Will you come to my house for lunch?"

Cui Cui's eyes were full of anticipation. She had always dreamed of having friends to celebrate her birthday with.

"Okay, I'll go."

"What about Sister A Li?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at A Li and asked, "Do you want to go?"

A Li looked at the Boy and nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned for a moment. He really hadn't expected A Li to agree.

In the distance, Liu Yumei, who was still slowly chewing her breakfast, also looked up in surprise, her face showing joy.

"Then A Li will go too."

"Yay, that's great."

"But, Cui Cui, you have to tell Xianghou Ayi to prepare a small table separately. A Li can't be too close to strangers."

"I understand. I told my mom about Sister A Li last time. I'll have Mom prepare it."

"Then I'll go too." Tan Wenbin raised his hand.

"Brother Yuanhou, who is he?"

"Zhuang Zhuang."

"What Zhuang Zhuang, my name is Bin Bin!"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at him and said, "I thought you had already accepted it."

"I'm too lazy to argue with Great Grandfather." Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes.

"Okay then, Brother Zhuang Zhuang... oh no, Brother Bin Bin, you come too."

Cui Cui naturally hoped that the more people came to her birthday, the better.

Tan Wenbin called out to Run Sheng, who was still scooping Congee in the corner, "Run Sheng, are you going? There's cake."

Run Sheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan nod, he replied, "Yes!"

Li Zhuiyuan said to Cui Cui, "Um, Cui Cui, you also have to tell your mom to cook another pot of rice."

"Okay, I will. Then I'll head back first. You guys have to come for lunch. Brother Yuanhou, Sister A Li, Brother Run Sheng, Brother Zhuang Zhuang, goodbye."

Cui Cui skipped back, so happy it was as if she wished she had grown wings to fly.

Tan Wenbin walked over and said, "Little Yuan Ge, shall we go to town to pick out gifts now?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, "I'll go upstairs to get money."

"No need, I have some here." Tan Wenbin patted his pocket.

To avoid being a burden at someone else's house, his parents had given him an unprecedentedly large sum of pocket money.

"Okay then, Brother Run Sheng, let's take the tricycle to town."

"Coming!"

Run Sheng picked up the basin, swept the remaining congee into his mouth, then went to the well to wash his face before riding the tricycle out.

"A Li, are you going to town?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

A Li shook her head.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't try to persuade her further. There were too many people in town, and it really wasn't suitable for A Li.

"Wait a moment." Liu Yumei called out to Li Zhuiyuan, reaching up to take a pair of earrings from her ears and handing them over. "This is a gift for our A Li."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't reach out to take them. "Grandma, it's too valuable."

"It's not for you."

"But it's really not appropriate."

"Then you wait."

Liu Yumei turned and walked back into the house, taking out a stack of money and placing it on the coffee table:

"Go buy A Li a gift too."

"Okay." Li Zhuiyuan didn't take it all, just pulled out one bill. "Okay, Grandma."

After the three boys rode the tricycle down the terrace, Aunt Liu came over with a bottle of hot water, intending to help Liu Yumei make tea. Seeing the money on the coffee table, she smiled and asked:

"What, he didn't want it?"

Liu Yumei shook her head with a wry smile. "This child, he's probably afraid our money will burn his hands."

"Little Yuan is thoughtful, so he tends to overthink things."

Liu Yumei shook her head. "He doesn't look at that girl. Her fate is as hard as anything. Even money that burns hands, she can spend it."

"I know that girl. The village all says her family members have hard fates, but Little Yuan probably doesn't believe that."

"He doesn't believe it?" Liu Yumei picked up her teacup. "He's interested in books made of Buddha Skin Paper. Do you think he can't see that girl's hard fate?"

"It's possible. This child, he always seems to know a lot without saying a word."

"It's a special period now, we can't interfere. Once A Li's illness is completely cured, the chains on us will loosen. I plan to take this boy as a registered disciple then."

"Then what are you planning to teach him? The Liu family's or the Qin family's?"

Liu Yumei smiled, saying as a matter of course, "Naturally, the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art."

"I'm afraid you won't have a choice then."

"How so?"

"He and A Li are so close. Once A Li is better, if he wants to learn something, won't A Li teach him?"

"It's useless. Every family has its own teaching methods. Even if these legacies were written down clearly in books, without a master to guide you, you'd only grasp the superficial at best. You could never truly learn them."

Speaking of this, Liu Yumei suddenly had the idea to tease her granddaughter. Seeing that her granddaughter had agreed to attend someone else's birthday, she was happy.

She walked into the room and took out a book. On it was written "Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art."

The girl sat on a stool, her feet resting on the door threshold. But this time, she wasn't just looking straight ahead. Her gaze slowly moved, scanning her surroundings.

"A Li, do you think Grandma should give this book to Little Yuan in the future?"

Last time, she learned that the kid was short on money, and her granddaughter had given him all the gold bars and banknotes in the house.

This kid liked to read. Seeing this book, didn't her granddaughter want to rush to give it to him?

But her granddaughter's reaction made Liu Yumei a little confused. A Li actually ignored the book in her hand.

Did she not see it clearly?

Liu Yumei brought the book closer to A Li's face.

"Slap!"

A Li slapped the book to the ground.

Liu Yumei curiously bent down to pick up the book, blowing off the dust. She didn't feel much joy, but rather some nervousness:

Sigh, why is my granddaughter's elbow turning outwards again?

"Little Yuan, are we going to Shinan Town or Shigang Town?"

Tan Wenbin patted Run Sheng's back and said, "Of course, we're going to Shigang Town. There are only a few shops in Shinan Town."

"Brother Run Sheng, then let's go to Shigang Town."

"You got it!"

Tan Wenbin placed his hands on the edge of the tricycle, facing the wind, and pushed his bangs up. "Don't worry, I know Shigang Town well. I'll definitely be able to help you pick out a good gift."

They arrived at the border of Shigang Town. On the way, they passed the main gate of Shigang Middle School. Shinan had a junior high school but no high school, so Yingzi, Pan Zi, and Lei Zi also studied here.

Tan Wenbin pointed at the school gate and said, "Little Yuan Ge, look, this is your future alma mater."

Li Zhuiyuan heard for the first time that "future" could be added before "alma mater."

Two banners hung on the school's first teaching building: "Today I am proud of my alma mater, tomorrow my alma mater will be proud of me."

"Bin Bin Ge, are you going back to school in a couple of days?"

"Don't worry, I won't be going. Everyone has already written a collective letter to the Education Bureau to report the summer cram sessions."

"You organized this?"

"Heh heh." Tan Wenbin tilted his head, adjusting to the wind. "It was indeed I!"

Run Sheng said, "Little Yuan, will you be coming to school here in the future?"

"Yeah, you're just finding out?" Tan Wenbin answered first.

Run Sheng: "Alright then, I'll ride my bike to pick you up and drop you off at school every morning and evening from now on."

Tan Wenbin: "The school has dormitories."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm not staying in the dorms."

Great Grandfather's Home wasn't very far from here, and it would be convenient with Brother Run Sheng giving him rides. At home, there was good food and drink, a spacious big bed, and A Li.

"Then what about your morning and evening self-study sessions? Our morning self-study starts at six, and evening self-study doesn't end until ten. Think about how early you'd have to wake up and how late you'd get home."

"Then I won't attend the morning and evening self-study sessions."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

Tan Wenbin suddenly felt that Little Yuan Ge made a lot of sense.

If he dared to say the same thing as Tan Yunlong, his dad would definitely take off his belt.

"Little Yuan Ge, then you can just skip school when you're in a bad mood or when the weather is bad."

"Okay."

In Li Zhuiyuan's opinion, how could attending school possibly interfere with hunting Death Collapse?

"Damn it, I'm so envious of you. Why can't I be like this!"

Run Sheng: "You don't have the brains for it."

"Shut up and focus on riding your bike." Tan Wenbin began to ponder, "Little Yuan Ge, do you have any secret study techniques to teach me?"

Run Sheng: "Your dad only brought up studying for the first time after you've been living here for several days?"

"Aiya, shut up!"

"Bin Bin Ge, I don't know how I can help you with your studies."

"For example, your study methods?"

"Studies... still need methods?"

Tan Wenbin spread his hands, his expression twisted, and he asked in a strange, high-pitched tone:

"Studies... don't need methods?"

"Dying, on the other hand, needs methods."

"Ah..." Tan Wenbin decided to accept reality, "Then can you help me with my homework?"

"I can write down the process for you, that will be faster. Then, I can also make up some problems for you to do."

Tan Wenbin silently took out a cigarette, didn't light it, just sniffed it under his nose, and nodded: "Thank you, Little Yuan Ge, I will work hard to get into the same university as you."

Run Sheng: "Then I'll ride my tricycle to take you to university."

"Don't talk about university yet. You've passed it. The Department Store Building is behind us, turn quickly."

The vehicle stopped in front of the Department Store Building. Run Sheng picked up the lock on the chain.

Afterward, the three walked into the building, which was crowded.

Under Tan Wenbin's lead, the three quickly bought gifts.

Li Zhuiyuan bought a music box. He bought a Glass Ornament for A Li on her behalf, and also bought a Silk Scarf for A Li.

After shopping, Tan Wenbin took the two to a nearby alley with several small stalls selling fried skewers.

"Boss, chicken skewers please..."

Before he could even order, Tan Wenbin spotted a thin student in the depths of the alley, surrounded by four men.

"Don't think you can get cocky just because Tan Wenbin is backing you. I'm telling you, you're overthinking it."

"Others are afraid of Tan Wenbin, but I'm not. Even if his dad showed up, I wouldn't care!"

With kicks and punches, the thin student quickly crouched in the corner, covering his head with his hands.

Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Little Yuan Ge..."

"Your classmate?"

"Yeah, my deskmate. He's a good person, just a bit too soft-hearted and easily bullied. Of these four guys, two are from other classes, and two are from other schools. They often ask him for money."

"Oh."

"Little Yuan Ge, Run Sheng, pretend you don't know me."

With that, Tan Wenbin quickly charged forward. Disregarding the four people in front of him, he unleashed a flying kick at one of them: "Fuck your mother!"

This kick had quite the family resemblance.

It made Li Zhuiyuan wonder if Uncle Tan spent his days beating Bin Bin or teaching him martial arts.

After kicking one down, the other three immediately moved to attack, and Tan Wenbin was instantly caught in a group brawl.

The main reason was that he had moved and fought too quickly, so fast that Li Zhuiyuan didn't even have time to say anything.

"Brother Run Sheng, help Bin Bin fight."

"You got it!"

Li Zhuiyuan turned and said to the Fried Skewer Boss: "Boss, twenty chicken skewers, three servings of fried tofu, all with sweet and spicy sauce."

Receiving Li Zhuiyuan's instructions, Run Sheng walked forward step by step, clenching his fists and twisting his neck, producing a series of crisp bone cracks.

In his mind, scenes from gangster movies flashed by.

But precisely because he was thinking about the plot and moving slowly, Bin Bin took several more punches.

However, the situation immediately changed after he joined the fray.

He first reached out and grabbed one person, lifted him up, and then slapped him back and forth across the face. Blood and teeth began to fly.

He still had a sense of proportion; he couldn't kill anyone, so he regretfully let go. The man slumped limply to the ground.

This incredibly fierce scene stunned the other three. For a moment, they didn't know whether to attack or not.

Run Sheng proactively dispelled their doubts. He charged forward with a low dive, arms spread wide like a bull, and violently threw two of them to the ground.

Then, with a kick to each, one on the left and one on the right, the two were truly kicked flying, smashing against the wall and rolling down.

The last one, seeing this, immediately turned to run. But he was too slow. Run Sheng accelerated and caught up to him, grabbed him by the neck, flipped him backward, and then swung him in a circle in the air before smashing him onto the ground.

"I'll do it!"

Tan Wenbin shouted, rushing forward and unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks on the guy.

Seeing that the time was right, he ran back to the previous three and finished them off.

Run Sheng just watched Tan Wenbin continuously shout, "A-da, A-doh!"

This was because Run Sheng knew that if he made another move, he might not be able to hold back.

"Hoo..."

Tan Wenbin finally finished. The four people were all lying on the ground, groaning.

"Damn, that felt good, so good!"

Tan Wenbin raised his arms. Although he didn't see Death Collapse, he felt it was worth it to have such a satisfying beating.

After Tan Wenbin comforted that classmate, he and Run Sheng ran back. Li Zhuiyuan was already sitting at the simple wooden table by the stall, eating skewers.

He wasn't worried at all. After all, Brother Run Sheng could physically contend with ordinary Death Collapse.

Tan Wenbin sat down and said excitedly, "Little Yuan, really, Run Sheng is very suitable for the underworld. He can definitely conquer a large territory and become a big boss!"

Li Zhuiyuan put down the skewer, pulled out some paper from the cylindrical container on the table, and wiped his mouth. "And then get caught by your dad and thrown in jail."

"Uh..." Tan Wenbin was choked and could only lower his head to eat skewers.

Run Sheng lit a cigarette and said, "Little Yuan said before that there's no future in the underworld anymore."

"Um, Zheng Haiyang wanted to come and thank you just now. He also said he wanted to treat us to skewers, but I refused. His parents are seafarers, and he usually lives with his grandparents."

They had to go out for dinner at noon, so this was just to stave off hunger.

Of course, in those days, eating fried skewers as a meal was a luxury. Most children could only buy one or two to satisfy their cravings.

When he got home, Li Zhuiyuan saw Liu Yumei sitting there, looking preoccupied.

What happened again?

As Li Zhuiyuan walked over, A Li stood up and went to meet him.

Seeing this, Liu Yumei breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that, like last time, her granddaughter would ignore the boy, and her condition would relapse.

Now it seemed she had worried for nothing.

She felt she was truly pathetic, worrying that her granddaughter wasn't helping the man move things outside.

"A Li, this is a gift I bought for you." Li Zhuiyuan handed the glass ornament to A Li. "This is a silk scarf I bought for you."

The silk scarf wasn't expensive. It was a traditional style popular on mainland television and movies at the time. Li Zhuiyuan thought it suited A Li's temperament. As for how to match it, he didn't need to worry about that.

After Aunt Liu applied medicine to Tan Wenbin, everyone set off for Cui Cui's house. Li Zhuiyuan held A Li's hand and walked behind, while Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin walked ahead.

From a distance, they saw Cui Cui standing on the terrace, looking out expectantly.

"Brother Yuanhou, you're here."

"Cui Cui, this is my gift, and this is A Li's."

"These are ours."

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

Lunch was practically a carbon copy of Li Sanjiang's Home. Li Zhuiyuan and A Li sat at one table, Run Sheng sat alone at another. The only one who managed to get a seat at the main table was Tan Wenbin.

Li Juxiang happily dished out food here and there.

Liu Jinxia picked up a glass of wine and drank it. She was quite happy about her granddaughter's lively birthday, but she had a habit of being a bit sharp-tongued. She mumbled:

"It really is a meeting of radishes."

After lunch, everyone lingered for a while. They were all on the terrace. Cui Cui took out a rubber band and set it up between two benches.

Her original intention was to invite A Li to jump, but A Li shook her head and refused.

In the end, Tan Wenbin and Cui Cui jumped together. He was actually quite good at it. In this era, people had fewer forms of entertainment. Jump rope wasn't exclusively for girls; boys played it too.

While they were playing, a man led a little boy onto the terrace. Business had arrived.

Liu Jinxia and Li Juxiang invited the man into the inner room.

A moment later, the boy came out and stood on the side, watching Tan Wenbin and Cui Cui.

"Do you want to play too?"

The boy nodded shyly.

Initially, Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel anything, and A Li didn't pay special attention to the boy, which proved the boy was clean.

But the moment the boy's shy expression appeared, Li Zhuiyuan's eyes darkened.

He himself was skilled at observation and acting, so he could tell that the boy's expression change was heavily performative.

As expected, after joining the jump rope game, the boy began to actively chat with Cui Cui. During their conversation, he extracted a lot of information about Liu Jinxia's household.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that he was pretending to be a child.

However, Li Zhuiyuan didn't think the boy was like himself, a fellow patient. The illness he and Li Lan had was very rare. Even the psychologists in the capital hadn't seen it. The only other person who might currently count as a third was Wei Zhengdao.

Li Zhuiyuan began to seriously observe the boy's physiognomy. The Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained database in his mind, even if not for fortune-telling, could serve as a matching comparison.

As expected, there was a problem. Although the boy looked about ten years old, details like his eyebrows and eyes, skin, cochlea, and teeth showed signs of "growth rings."

He wasn't a boy at all; he was a dwarf!

Someone with an adult mind pretending to be a child, chatting with another little girl to extract information, was unsettling and wrong in every way.

"Cui Cui."

"Coming, Brother Yuanhou."

Cui Cui immediately came over.

"Don't play with him."

"Okay, Brother Yuanhou." Cui Cui didn't ask why, she just nodded.

"Pfft... Hehehe." Beside them, Tan Wenbin chuckled. It was the first time he had seen Li Zhuiyuan say something so fitting for a child of his age.

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him and looked at the boy. Just then, the boy was also looking at him.

The boy was showing a sense of grievance at being isolated and excluded. He was deliberately letting Cui Cui see it, hoping the soft-hearted girl would return to his side.

Cui Cui saw it, and Cui Cui was indeed soft-hearted, but she had no intention of paying attention to him anymore.

She lacked friends, but she valued friends even more. If Brother Yuanhou didn't want her to play with someone, she would absolutely not play with them.

Li Zhuiyuan caught a glint of venom in the boy's eyes.

Heh, this guy is truly disgusting.

At the same time, Li Zhuiyuan began to doubt himself, wondering if he was also that disgusting.

But he was different from the boy. His physiological age was indeed that of a child. His acting was to avoid losing himself, and no matter what, he was just maintaining the appearance expected of his age.

But the other party's actual age, Li Zhuiyuan guessed, was probably over fifty.

What motive could a fifty-year-old man have for disguising himself as a child to actively approach a little girl?

"Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu..."

The boy squatted on the ground and started crying.

But as he cried, no one paid him any attention. The main reason was that everyone on the terrace listened to Li Zhuiyuan.

The boy stopped crying. He stood up and walked towards Li Zhuiyuan.

"Brother Run Sheng."

"Coming!"

Run Sheng came over promptly, reached out, lifted the boy, and put him far away. Then he pointed at him, giving him a silent warning.

The boy dared not cry anymore. He lowered his head and stood in place.

After a while, the man came out. The two indeed looked very alike. To outsiders, they appeared to be father and son.

However, the roles of father and son would have to be swapped.

Liu Jinxia and Li Juxiang also came out and escorted the father and son out of the terrace.

"Bin Bin Ge," Li Zhuiyuan pointed in the direction the father and son had left. "Follow them for a bit and observe, but don't get discovered."

"Understood."

Although he didn't understand why, Tan Wenbin still followed. He was the type of person who could easily immerse himself in a situation.

"Have some soda," Li Juxiang brought over a case of soda and placed it on the terrace.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Aunt Xianghou, what were they here for just now?"

"The man's wife passed away a year ago. He's preparing to hold a small memorial service for her and invited me and Grandma Cui Cui to his home to perform the ceremony."

A "small memorial service" meant performing rituals without a feast, usually just burning offerings at home with family.

"That's strange. They invited you, but aren't having a feast?"

"Maybe they don't have good relationships in the village and can't organize one. That man, his temper is a bit odd."

"What do you mean?"

"Grandma Cui Cui asked some specific questions, and he couldn't answer. After she asked a few more times, he looked so wronged, like he was about to cry. A grown man acting like that, tsk tsk."

"Aunt Xianghou, can we not go to his house for the ceremony?"

"How can we do that? We've already accepted the money."

Tan Wenbin ran back, frowning as he said to Li Zhuiyuan, "Little Yuan, guess what I just saw? They didn't go far. By the side of the road, the father actually lit a cigarette for his son."

"Oh." Li Zhuiyuan wasn't particularly surprised. "Did you hear what they were saying?"

"It was hard to get close on the road. They came by tractor, and the tractor was parked at the intersection ahead. They've already left."

Li Zhuiyuan walked into the house and pushed open the door to the inner room. Liu Jinxia was sitting behind a table, holding a pen and calculating something.

"Little Yuanhou, what is it?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the table and glanced at the birth dates written on the paper in front of Liu Jinxia. He picked up another pen and wrote down the result.

Liu Jinxia glanced at it and asked doubtfully, "What nonsense are you writing?"

Clearly, Liu Jinxia didn't know the correct answer. She had always been calculating based on her own set of algorithms. Whether it was correct or not was secondary; the main thing was that she had tried her best and put in her heart.

"Grandma Liu, were those people father and son just now?"

"If not father and son, then what else could they be? Their eyebrows and eyes are carved from the same mold. It's a pity for that child, his mother left too early."

"Grandma Liu, the man was the son, and the boy was the father. He's at least fifty years old, and he's a dwarf."

"A dwarf?"

"The kind of person who just doesn't grow tall."

"Oh... really?"

"Bin Bin Ge followed them out just now and overheard them talking. The man called the child 'Dad,' and the child called the man 'Good Son.'

I didn't believe it at first, but Bin Bin Ge said he could swear to heaven that they really spoke like that."

"This..."

"So, the father-son relationship is reversed. Then what is this memorial service for the woman?"

"Yeah."

"Liu Nainai, just to be safe, you shouldn't go with Xianghou Ayi. Just return the money to them."

Liu Jinxia nodded slowly with a solemn expression:

"Okay."

Her agreement caught Li Zhuiyuan off guard and made him feel unaccustomed.

Perhaps it was because he had spent too much time with his own Great Grandfather, he had become somewhat used to his Great Grandfather not listening to anything he said.

"Are you really not going? Are you just fooling a child here?"

Liu Jinxia opened a drawer, took out the money she had just received, and placed it on the table, saying indignantly:

"Everything family relationships tell me is wrong. Isn't it obvious that there's a problem with them not sincerely holding the ritual? How could I possibly go to their house with Xianghou? Who knows what might happen.

Only a fool would go!"

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt very comfortable.

"Little Yuanhou, thank you for coming to tell Grandma this."

"Liu Nainai, won't you ask Bin Bin Ge again, or find someone to inquire in their village again?"

"There's no need. The most important thing in our line of work is smoothness and good fortune. Even if what you said just now is false, the fact that you, this Little Kid, came to tell me right after I took the job means that even if it's false... I still wouldn't dare to go.

I only have this Wretched Life. I'm still hoping to live a few more years to save up more for Xianghou Ayi and Cui Cui later. I'm not like your Great Grandfather, I don't dare to mess around."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, deeply agreeing.

After saying goodbye to Cui Cui and walking home, Li Zhuiyuan was in a good mood, his hand swinging lightly as he held the girl's hand.

Soon, the girl responded, also increasing her strength and swinging their hands together.

Tan Wenbin looked back and suggested, "Little Yuan Ge, it's still early. I see there are fishing rods inside. Why don't we go fishing now?"

"Not going."

"Oh, then Run Sheng and I will go fishing."

Run Sheng: "I'm not going either."

"I've noticed, whatever Little Yuan Ge says, you just repeat it. Why are you like a tag-along?"

"I didn't call him Ge."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

Returning home, he saw Li Sanjiang sitting on the terrace. Li Sanjiang stood up and said to Run Sheng, "Run Sheng, the convenience store just called. Let's go to Xiting Town to retrieve a Death Collapse. We've got a job."

"Hey, okay. Huh? Didn't Grandpa go retrieve it?"

Run Sheng's home was in Xiting Town. Retrieving a normal Death Collapse was something his grandfather would usually do as a matter of course.

"Speaking of which makes me angry. I only just found out from the phone call myself. Your grandpa fell into a cesspit last week when he went to the neighbor's house to use the toilet after playing cards. The neighbor heard the commotion and pulled him out.

Although the man was fine, he broke a leg.

That Shan Pao was too embarrassed to say anything and actually kept it from us all this time!"