Chapter 46

"Little Yuan Ge, Run Sheng, I think I must be seeing things. Otherwise, how could there be two people sitting in the open space outside Zhou Yong's house?"

Tan Wenbin rubbed his eyes hard, then kept looking.

The longer he looked, the more he hunched over, shrinking farther back as he silently shielded Run Sheng in front of him.

As if that still was not enough, he tried to hide farther behind the boy.

When he lowered his head, though, he found the boy looking at him.

Feeling like he had been caught red-handed, Tan Wenbin immediately puffed out his chest and shuffled forward in tiny steps, eventually returning to stand beside Run Sheng. His calves were still trembling, however.

He had a fairly high tolerance for things like corpses. After all, he had family training. But his family's teachings were not about the occult.

Li Zhuiyuan said nothing. After glancing at Tan Wenbin, he picked up the compass again.

The compass showed everything was normal, without even the slightest pull.

Though they were some distance away, there should not have been no reaction at all. Feng shui acupoints could be endlessly complex, but they could also be simple: wherever a haunting stood was a yin-baleful spot.

The Village Chief came over, swung himself off his vehicle, and asked, "Runsheng Hou, still haven't found it?"

Run Sheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan quietly said, "Soon."

Run Sheng immediately replied, "We have a lead. Soon, Village Chief, don't worry."

"Really?" The Village Chief let out a breath. "Then find it and haul it up quickly. Don't scare anyone else. Those villagers who saw it got so frightened they went home and developed fevers. They've been on IV drips at the clinic these past two days."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Zhou Yong."

Run Sheng asked, "Village Chief, where did Zhou Yong go?"

"Yong Hou? He should be watching people play cards right now. Why?"

"He's still watching cards?"

"He likes standing nearby to watch others play. He never sits at the table himself."

"Oh, I see."

"There is only so much farmwork to do, and helping people set nets and catch fish in the river isn't an everyday job either. When he has nothing to do, Yong Hou goes to watch people play cards. People need to find a little enjoyment no matter how hard life gets. Who wants to walk around with a long face every day?"

"Mm, that's true."

"It's just that Yong Hou... how should I put it? There really isn't anyone else like him."

"I heard he donated a bridge?"

"Yeah, he donated that bridge. There wasn't much need for one there, and not many people used that route, but he insisted on funding its construction. He said it was to build merit and pray for blessings for his wife and child.

"I really couldn't talk him out of it, so the village chipped in a little, added it to his money, and built the bridge. Once more roads are fixed up, I reckon more people will use that bridge."

"I don't understand why he did that."

"It's normal that you don't. Yong Hou is a good man and gets along well with everyone in the village, but after his wife and child fell ill, he became a little strange. He can stay quiet while watching cards, but if you talk to him for more than a few sentences at any other time, he'll steer the conversation toward ghost stories. Who knows whose bewitching brew he drank.

"Donating money to build a bridge should be a good thing, but I tried to persuade him back then. I said, 'Yong Hou, with that money, you could tear down your old house and build a brick one, or buy your wife and child some good food, drink, and clothes. Our village doesn't desperately need that bridge, but your family needs this money to live more comfortably.'

"He just wouldn't listen. Said that if the village refused to build it, he'd hire a construction crew himself. Runsheng Hou, tell me, what else was I supposed to do?

"I'm already getting a headache over this. I helped his family apply for low-income assistance before, and they received some subsidies. Then he went and donated money to build a bridge. Damn it, he put me right over the fire.

"Goddamn it... Ah, forget it. Runsheng Hou, let me know once you've hauled it up. When the work is done, I'll host a small meal for you and your grandfather. The village will give you a red envelope."

"Mm, go get busy, Village Chief."

After the Village Chief left, the mother and daughter were still there in the Small Plaza.

Li Zhuiyuan started toward Zhou Yong's house. He wanted to verify his guess.

Seeing this, Run Sheng naturally moved in front of Little Yuan again.

Tan Wenbin froze in place for a few seconds, then followed quickly with his head half lowered. He did not dare walk beside Run Sheng anymore, but at least he got ahead of Little Yuan.

The closer they got, the clearer the mother and daughter in the Small Plaza became.

The woman sat on a stool, with the girl nestled in her arms. Mother and daughter chatted and laughed together, looking warm and intimate.

Cold sweat began rolling down Tan Wenbin's face. Every now and then, he would quickly glance up, only to lower his head again at once.

His mind was filled with the image of the girl curled up inside the rice jar and the woman lying amid the cotton padding.

As they neared the house, Li Zhuiyuan stopped.

At last, Li Zhuiyuan stopped.

"Bin Bin Ge, keep walking forward."

"Huh? Okay."

Tan Wenbin hugged his arms around himself and continued forward with his head down. When he reached the open space, he stopped and looked toward the house, only to find it empty. The mother and daughter had vanished as well.

"There's no one there..." Tan Wenbin turned around with a deeply puzzled expression.

Li Zhuiyuan beckoned for him to come back, and Tan Wenbin sprinted back.

When he looked toward the open space again, hey, the mother and daughter had appeared there once more.

"This..."

"Run Sheng Ge, walk forward."

"Okay."

Run Sheng walked ahead. When he reached the spot where Bin Bin had stopped earlier, he turned to look at the open space.

From behind, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin saw Run Sheng awkwardly raise a hand and wave toward the open space.

"Run Sheng can see them?"

"Mm, because Run Sheng Ge is from this village."

"That works too?"

"Because he doesn't want others to know that his wife and child are dead."

"He means Zhou Yong?"

"Mm."

"But, Little Yuan Ge, if his wife and child are here, then who's swimming in the river?"

"Zhou Yong, probably."

"Huh? But didn't the Village Chief just say Zhou Yong was watching people play cards?"

"Death Collapses can move."

"A Death Collapse went ashore to watch villagers play cards? Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Didn't you just eat a meal cooked by a Death Collapse? Remember the plate of boiled shrimp? You ate more than anyone."

"I... I didn't know."

Run Sheng came back and said, "They just waved hello to me."

"Mm."

Run Sheng pulled the Yellow River Shovel from the burlap sack and asked, "Should I smash it over there?"

"No need. There isn't actually anything there."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the well in the open space, covered by a large bamboo hat. Mirror Flower Water Moon.

He could not help thinking about how he would have arranged it if it had been him. At the very least, he would not have made it so crude. He would have set up some miasma to lure passersby inside.

Like dropping dumplings into a pot, he would lure them into falling into the well one after another.

Li Zhuiyuan took a breath and patted his forehead. Sigh, Wei Zhengdao, you're really a piece of work.

"Let's go, Run Sheng Ge. We'll find Zhou Yong."

Run Sheng scratched his head. "But I don't know which card house Zhou Yong is watching at."

"Just go to the biggest one. Even if he isn't there, it'll be easy to ask around. Mm, the one where we won money last time."

The three of them walked along Village Road and soon arrived at that card house.

The short, fat Zhou Fabao stood by the edge of the open space with his back to the road. He had pulled out his bird and was humming as he fertilized his little vegetable garden.

When he turned and saw three people approaching, he instinctively sped things up, intending to go arrange for the guests.

But after looking closely, he realized it was Run Sheng. Then he saw the boy and recognized him as the one from last time.

Zhou Fabao shuddered in fright and hurriedly shook off his bird.

"Ah, what brings you here?"

The three had already stepped onto the open space, but Zhou Fabao did not greet them. Instead, he stood there, half blocking their way.

The last time those two had come to play cards, they had ended up smashing his table to pieces. The cups, ashtrays, and everything else had been shattered all over the floor.

They had compensated him properly, but his business was not exactly aboveboard. What he feared most was trouble getting out of hand, so he did not dare let those two play cards here again.

Run Sheng asked, "We're not here to play cards. We're looking for someone. Is Zhou Yong here?"

"Yong Hou?" Zhou Fabao smiled. "He didn't come here today. He's probably watching cards at someone else's place."

"Oh." Run Sheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan. "Little Yuan, Zhou Yong isn't here."

"The owner is lying."

Zhou Fabao said, "..."

When Li Zhuiyuan had played Three-card Brag here last time, he had memorized the facial details of everyone at the card table. Since the owner came by to serve tea, pour water, and collect lucky money, he counted as half a player at the table. Thus, Li Zhuiyuan had "recorded" Zhou Fabao's face too.

Though they were not at a card table now, Li Zhuiyuan could still tell that the owner was bluffing. His microexpressions did not match his "hand."

Run Sheng turned back to Zhou Fabao and asked again with greater emphasis, "Is Zhou Yong here or not?"

Zhou Fabao hurriedly waved his hands, looking utterly wronged. "He really isn't. Why would I lie to you? What would I gain from it?"

Li Zhuiyuan was about to remind Run Sheng to recall how people threatened others in movies, but Tan Wenbin moved faster.

He took out an imitation-leather wallet, opened it, and pulled out a family photo in which every male except him wore a police uniform.

He held the photo in front of Zhou Fabao and asked, "Talk. Is Zhou Yong here or not?"

Zhou Fabao swallowed with difficulty. "He is."

"We need to speak with him."

As he spoke, Tan Wenbin walked straight inside. His shoulder bumped Zhou Fabao, who immediately stepped aside.

Run Sheng sighed inwardly. Sure enough, Little Yuan had been right. There was no future in the underworld.

Inside, seven or eight gambling tables were in progress, and the place was bustling.

Tan Wenbin walked in with one hand on his hip, his gaze sharp. For a moment, it was as if his father had possessed him.

His eyes swept over everyone in the room once, twice, three times...

Then he could not keep it up anymore.

Because he had no idea what Zhou Yong looked like.

After Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng entered, half the people inside stopped their games and looked over. Those who did not know what was going on immediately asked the people beside them. Once they learned who the newcomers were, they looked over too.

Everyone here had heard about that bizarre game of Three-card Brag. They had all made up their minds that wherever this kid sat, they would immediately leave the table.

Li Zhuiyuan asked Zhou Fabao, "Where is Zhou Yong?"

"Yong Hou... He was just here. Where did he go now? Maybe he went to the back to get something to eat. He's sort of from my clan. When he has time, he comes here to watch cards and helps boil water and pour tea. I feed him a meal too."

Zhou Fabao led the three of them to the back, where several elderly people sat drinking tea and chatting.

Zhou Fabao asked, "Auntie, where's Yong Hou?"

"Yong Hou? I just saw him here a moment ago. Don't know where he went now."

Zhou Fabao turned around helplessly. "I'm really not lying to you anymore. I truly don't know where he went now. What do you want with him? Does he owe money?"

"No. We just wanted to ask him about someone. Sorry, boss, for disturbing your business. We'll be leaving."

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the card house and onto the road.

Run Sheng rubbed his nose and said, "Little Yuan, it's strange. I didn't smell the scent of a Death Collapse inside."

"That's not strange. Some Death Collapses have special abilities and can separate their minds from their bodies. Remember that Cat-faced Old Woman from last time?"

"Cat-faced Old Woman?" Tan Wenbin looked astonished. "Did I arrive late and miss some important show?"

Run Sheng's eyes grew solemn. "If that's the case, Little Yuan, Zhou Yong will be difficult to deal with."

Tan Wenbin rubbed his hands excitedly and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is going to be tricky."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "We don't necessarily have to fight him. He hasn't harmed the villagers so far. If he just likes swimming in the river and going home to be with his dead wife and child, we have no reason to insist on making trouble for him.

"We only need to remind him not to dive where villagers can see him, and ask who taught him these methods.

"At heart, we can coexist peacefully with him."

"Huh? We can coexist peacefully?" Tan Wenbin asked in confusion. "Shouldn't good and evil be irreconcilable? Shouldn't humans and ghosts be unable to coexist? Don't we have to suppress and kill him?"

"Bin Bin Ge, that would be exhausting."

"Uh..."

Just like Little Yellow Oriole. After she got her revenge, she had not harmed anyone else, so Great Grandfather had acted as though she did not exist and had never intended to deal with her further.

"Then... where do we look for Zhou Yong now? His house, or the river again?"

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and looked at the rice fields ahead.

"Maybe he's standing somewhere right now, watching us."

Even if Zhou Yong was deliberately hiding from him, Li Zhuiyuan was not worried. He had plenty of ways to force him out for a conversation.

But before that, they needed to solve another problem: night was about to fall.

Li Zhuiyuan felt around in his pocket, took out some money, and handed it to Run Sheng. "Run Sheng Ge, go buy more strong baijiu and prepared dishes. It's time for dinner."

When they returned to Grandpa Shan's House, the two old men were sitting shoulder to shoulder in the courtyard, smoking and chatting.

"Sanjiang Hou, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life was getting to know you."

"Shan Pao, you gambled away your family fortune. Don't dump that shit on my head."

"Heh, I didn't dump it on your head."

"Sure, sure. You poured it into your own mouth."

"A Beijing household registration, I heard getting into college in Beijing also..."

"Shan Pao, mention that again and I'll carry you over and toss you into your neighbor's ceramic vat to pickle a little longer."

"Pah, you old bastard are always this shameless."

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin returned, and the two old men immediately asked about the situation.

"Great Grandfather, we've roughly found the location and trapped it with a net, but it's getting too late. Run Sheng Ge plans to haul it up tomorrow after the sun rises."

"See? They found it. Look at that. Run Sheng has improved so much more following me than he ever did following you, hasn't he?"

Then Li Sanjiang nodded at Little Yuan and said, "Right, that's the way. It's best not to do things at night. It's easy for something to go wrong. Sometimes an ordinary Death Collapse can start moving once night falls."

Run Sheng returned with the wine and food. Naturally, the two old men had to have a couple of drinks.

With Tan Wenbin, who had received instructions from the mission, livening up the drinking table beside them, the two old men drank to their hearts' content.

For the first five cups, Li Sanjiang kept saying it was getting late and that he needed to take Little Yuanhou home. After the next five went down, he and Grandpa Shan both slumped over the table, dead drunk and unconscious.

Run Sheng carried both his grandfather and Grandpa Li onto the bed, tucked blankets over their bellies, and even placed the chamber pot beside the bed so they could vomit easily during the night.

After finishing all that, the three of them packed up again and headed to the riverbank.

The atmosphere at night really was completely different from daytime. Li Zhuiyuan knew his Great Grandfather had been right, but it no longer meant much, because Zhou Yong could not only dart around now—he could even find time to come ashore and watch people play cards.

When they reached the bridge, Run Sheng waded into the water, released the Seven Star Hook, flicked it upward, and caught a nail. Then he began pulling down hard.

After pulling out three nails in succession, Run Sheng stopped. He reeled in the Seven Star Hook, drew the Yellow River Shovel, and gripped it in his hand.

Before long, the temperature over the river dropped.

Even Li Zhuiyuan, standing on the riverbank, sensed a chill mixed into the evening breeze blowing his way.

Run Sheng began steadying his breathing, focusing his mind and remaining on guard.

At last, there was movement.

Ten meters in front of Run Sheng, a person's back slowly emerged from the river surface.

Tan Wenbin held Li Zhuiyuan's Yellow River Shovel in his right hand while repeatedly poking Li Zhuiyuan's back with his left.

Death Collapse, Death Collapse, Death Collapse!

Oh my god, Dad, your son has made it! I finally got to see a Death Collapse!

Li Zhuiyuan turned back and gave him a helpless look. Bin Bin's face was full of both excitement and nervousness, as though he might faint the next second.

It reminded Li Zhuiyuan of those fans at concerts held in Gongti, screaming themselves hoarse at the sight of their favorite singers.

On the river's surface, the back slowly began to roll over.

Soon, a face appeared. It was terribly pale, as though coated in putty—sticky, white, and constantly dripping down from its chin.

When it opened its eyes, streams of thick white fluid spilled from the corners, completely covering its pupils.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled out two sheets of Yellow Paper and folded them into strips.

But Tan Wenbin beside him had gone completely stiff.

"Zhuang Zhuang!"

"Yeah!"

Almost on reflex, Tan Wenbin immediately took out matches, struck a flame, and helped Li Zhuiyuan light the Yellow Paper.

Li Zhuiyuan waved the burning Yellow Paper in his hand and muttered quietly under his breath. Finally, he stuffed the half-burned paper into the Sea Bowl of Yellow Wine at his feet.

Tan Wenbin lit the Small Candles that had been arranged around them in advance, one after another.

The position of every candle had been calculated, and even the arrangement of the ritual site could not be altered. Those three nails had been pulled out, but not completely, which meant there was still room to maneuver.

What they were doing was essentially giving a slap, then offering a sweet date.

If it was willing to talk, then they would talk. If it was not, staying here would sooner or later drive it mad and turn it into a menace. Then they would have no choice but to clash head-on.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the bowl of wine and scattered it over the river's surface.

Then he extended his left arm for Tan Wenbin to hold, closed his eyes, and sought the half-asleep, half-awake state of Yin Walking.

A great many incantations were actually useful, including his Great Grandfather's mutterings and rhymes. But the purpose of those incantations was communication.

Yet what method could work better than walking directly into the Netherworld?

When one could simply plug into the formula, there was no need to painfully derive the process step by step.

"We mean no harm. We only came to talk. First, please do not rise to the surface and disturb the living. Second, please tell us who taught you to set this up.

"If you cooperate, we will hammer the nails back in. Yin Yang Paths—we each walk our own. If you refuse, then from tonight onward, one side of us will have no road left to walk."

From the moment Li Zhuiyuan handed him his arm, Tan Wenbin had been silently counting down in his heart. At last, he finished counting and immediately shook the boy hard.

Li Zhuiyuan was forcibly awakened, breaking the shallow Yin Walking state from before. This was a safeguard he had set for himself.

Although he had learned how to control a Death Collapse, he was only a beginner. He was not arrogant enough to use it already.

His head felt a little dizzy and hurt somewhat. Those were the symptoms of having Yin Walking forcibly interrupted from outside. Fortunately, after experiencing the splitting headache at A Li's place, this was nothing.

The message had been delivered. What happened next depended on Zhou Yong's choice.

Zhou Yong slowly turned around, facing away from everyone, then began moving forward through the river.

"Bin Bin Ge, why don't you go back?"

"No, no way. I have to protect you."

"Oh. Your choice. Don't regret it."

"How could I regret it? I won't!"

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the arrangement on the ground, signaling Tan Wenbin to pack it up. Then he followed along the riverbank while Run Sheng walked through the water.

Tan Wenbin used both hands and feet to snuff out every candle, then grabbed a sack and stuffed all the bowls, plates, and other things into it. He slung it over his back and hurried after them. He did not want to miss another chance.

Fortunately, Run Sheng was in the river. Even if Little Yuan was the boss, he could not tie him up and throw him into Reed Marsh.

After walking for a while, Zhou Yong came ashore.

It was clear that he was heading home.

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Run Sheng's vest and signaled him to slow down. When the three of them reduced their pace, Zhou Yong, walking ahead of them, slowed down as well. He was waiting.

He wanted to lead the three of them home.

Once Li Zhuiyuan understood his meaning, he patted Run Sheng on the back, and the three of them returned to a normal pace.

When they arrived at the Small Plaza outside Zhou Yong's house again, the three stopped. Zhou Yong stood before the door.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

He was gently knocking against the door with his head.

Before long, a light came on inside.

Through the wide crack in the door, they could see someone appear inside, followed by a string of crisp unlocking sounds.

"Creak..."

The door opened.

Standing inside was Zhou Yong's wife.

The woman stood there quietly.

When they had seen her during the day, she had been lying inside the cotton stuffing beneath a Sleeping Mat.

Though it was night now, the light from inside revealed that cotton stuffing was not only spilling from her eyes, nostrils, ears, and even beneath her fingernails like wild grass.

It was as though the stuffing had not merely gotten stuck to her body, but was growing out from inside her.

The woman stepped aside, and Zhou Yong walked in.

The woman remained by the doorway without closing the door, seemingly waiting for the guests to enter.

Run Sheng looked to Li Zhuiyuan, who nodded.

They had come to make contact and talk in the first place. Since the other party had led them all the way to his doorstep, there was no reason not to go in.

The moment Run Sheng entered, he glanced to the right and shuddered, clearly frightened.

This was the first time Li Zhuiyuan had seen Run Sheng react like that in such a situation. He entered as well and looked to the right.

The girl had climbed out of the rice jar. She stood there as though welcoming her father home.

Her eyes were wide open, packed full of densely crammed rice grains.

At the same time, rice grains were embedded in the girl's exposed arms, legs, hands, and feet.

Those white rice grains kept falling off, but the amount on her body did not diminish. It was as though grains of rice were growing one by one from the pores of her skin.

The sight made even Li Zhuiyuan's breathing hitch.

Tan Wenbin came in last. He had fallen behind while packing things up, and since it was nighttime, he instinctively stayed with Run Sheng, one in front and one behind Little Yuan.

After entering, Tan Wenbin looked to the right as well. His mouth fell open, but before he could scream, he shoved his hand into his mouth and bit down hard.

He bit for real, hard enough to draw blood. He could not help it. The terror was so intense that he did not even feel pain anymore.

Zhou Yong walked over to the dining table and sat down.

The table was old, with many boards nailed onto it as patches. The chairs were rough and uneven too.

But the floor was dirt, full of pits and hollows to begin with, so there was no point in having perfectly level chairs.

Li Zhuiyuan sat opposite Zhou Yong. Run Sheng sat on his left, while Tan Wenbin sat on his right.

The woman and the girl headed into the kitchen.

Soon, the sound of a bellows being pulled and a spatula striking a wok came from inside.

Yet no firelight could be seen from the kitchen door, nor was there any steam from cooking.

Zhou Yong sat in his chair with his head half lowered.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

It was the sound of pus continuously dripping from the corners of his eyes.

Because the uneven dirt floor easily formed little puddles, a sharper plinking sound soon rose from below.

Li Zhuiyuan held out his hand to Run Sheng, who understood and grasped it.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and tried Yin Walking again.

Liu Yumei had warned him that too much Yin Walking was bad for people and could easily cause them to lose themselves. He knew that too, but he could not stop. It was like telling smokers to quit smoking or drunks to quit drinking—they listened, but kept smoking and drinking anyway.

Li Zhuiyuan successfully entered Yin Walking. When he raised his head again, Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin, who had been seated on either side of him, were gone.

But Zhou Yong still sat there with his head lowered, unmoving. He did not speak, react, or indicate anything.

The only change was that firelight and steam could now be seen in the kitchen, along with the sizzling sound of food frying in oil.

The warmth of daily life in the Netherworld was what shook the hearts of the living most deeply.

Li Zhuiyuan vaguely guessed that something very bad might happen next.

After waiting a while longer, Zhou Yong still did not speak. That meant Zhou Yong had no intention of communicating right now.

He seemed to be waiting for a process, for a simple and hospitable custom:

If you wanted to discuss something, you ate first.

A sharp pain shot through his palm. Li Zhuiyuan knew Run Sheng was pinching him. He closed his eyes, searched for the sensation of rising, and when he opened them again, he had returned to reality.

He pulled his hand free from Run Sheng's, gently kneading it to ease the pain. It was also a signal to Run Sheng that he was back.

When he glanced to his right again, he saw Tan Wenbin sitting ramrod straight. He probably had never sat this properly even in class.

Then the development he had anticipated arrived.

The woman approached carrying two plates of food.

Both were meat dishes, though he could not tell what kind of meat they were made from. Li Zhuiyuan could see fur and tails in them.

The woman went back inside, then brought out two vegetarian dishes. Yet the vegetables were not green. They looked somewhat like stir-fried tender bamboo shoots, and on closer inspection, he could see branching strands.

Most people had experienced finding one of their mother's long hairs in food at home.

But here, cotton stuffing that had grown from the woman's body had drifted into the dishes and been stir-fried into this shape.

Li Zhuiyuan began missing the Cat-faced Old Woman's birthday banquet. The food there had truly tasted awful, but at least it had looked good.

Just the appearance of the four dishes before them was terrifying enough.

Even Run Sheng frowned at that moment. Run Sheng's standards for food were extremely low, but no matter how low they were, he still had some standards.

Tan Wenbin stared wide-eyed, his gaze constantly moving over the four plates.

The woman served the rice bowls: four large bowls, four small bowls, and four pairs of chopsticks.

The large bowls were filled to the brim with uncooked rice, probably scooped directly from the rice jar.

The four small bowls were for wine, but the wine inside was pitch-black. Something like a black earthworm wriggled in every bowl.

After distributing the large bowls and chopsticks, the woman returned to the kitchen. There were probably more delicacies to come.

The girl stayed behind and put a finger into her mouth.

Zhou Yong lowered his head and looked at his daughter.

The girl also raised her head and looked at her father.

Run Sheng did not understand, and Tan Wenbin looked bewildered, unable to tell what the father and daughter were communicating.

Li Zhuiyuan understood.

He stood up and said with a smile, "Let the child sit at the table and eat with us. It's fine."

Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin immediately understood.

Run Sheng said, "Right, let her eat with us."

Tan Wenbin said, "Yes, yes, eat with us."

The girl walked toward the table while sucking on her finger.

The boy noticed that she seemed to be heading toward him.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately pointed beside Tan Wenbin. "Come, little sister. Sit with this handsome big brother."

Tan Wenbin said, "..."

The girl paused, then sat down on the bench beside Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin felt an icy chill run from the back of his head all the way to his tailbone.

Zhou Yong raised his chopsticks and pointed them at one of the dishes.

Li Zhuiyuan, Run Sheng, and Tan Wenbin also raised their chopsticks and pointed them at the dish together.

It was a silent performance, like a pantomime, yet each of them could fill in the dialogue that should have accompanied every movement.

Zhou Yong picked up a mouthful, put it into his mouth, chewed, then pointed at the dish again.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a mouthful and placed it in Bin Bin's bowl.

Tan Wenbin picked up the food in his bowl and fed it to the girl sitting beside him. The girl opened her mouth and ate it.

He felt that he was truly clever, responding so brilliantly.

However, Zhou Yong personally picked up another mouthful of food and placed it in Tan Wenbin's bowl, then looked at the girl. The girl lowered her head as though being scolded for not understanding manners.

Tan Wenbin looked desperately toward Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng for help, only to find that both of them had avoided his gaze.

There was no helping it. Zhou Yong's attentive "gaze" was right in front of him, bringing enormous pressure.

Tan Wenbin could only pick up his chopsticks and grasp the food in his bowl. Just as he was about to bring it to his mouth, he suddenly realized that he had used these chopsticks to feed the girl moments ago, and they were stained with her saliva.

If this had happened during a normal meal, he would not have cared. He was not that fussy.

But the problem was the girl's appearance... and he still had to share a pair of chopsticks with her?

Zhou Yong spread his hand and lifted it slightly.

Tan Wenbin smiled more miserably than if he were crying, then tearfully put the food into his mouth and chewed.

Zhou Yong was satisfied.

The four bowls of wine were already in front of him. He picked them up and handed them to the guests, giving the first one to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, pointed at himself, then gestured at his height. "Uncle, I'm still a child. I can't drink alcohol."

Zhou Yong nodded, then handed the bowl of wine to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin had no choice but to accept it and set it in front of himself. There was no way he was going to drink that!

But the next moment,

Zhou Yong picked up his own bowl and clinked it against the one in front of Tan Wenbin.

Then Zhou Yong raised his bowl and drained it in one gulp.

He turned the empty bowl upside down and pointed at it.

Tan Wenbin took a deep breath. As he reached for the bowl, his pinky and thumb swiftly pinched together, flinging the Long Earthworm from the wine.

Fine, drink it. He'd go for it!

Just as he raised the bowl to drain it in one gulp, Zhou Yong snatched it away.

Tan Wenbin was overjoyed. That's right, I'm a child too—a senior in high school. My brain is important. I can't drink alcohol.

But to his surprise, Zhou Yong covered the bowl with his palm and gave it a shake. When he removed his hand, more than a dozen earthworms were wriggling around inside.

Zhou Yong pushed the bowl toward Tan Wenbin, held out his hand, then patted his own chest.

Tan Wenbin: "..."