Chapter 6

The summer heat began to recede at this time every day, and even the breeze blowing from the rice paddies carried a touch of coolness.

Facing the rice fields, Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and took several deep, serious breaths.

"Little Yuanhou, what is it? Does Great Grandfather smell?"

"No, Great Grandfather. I'm smelling the fragrance of rice."

"Oh? Can you smell it?"

"I can't. It's not like what they wrote in the essays. They said rice fragrance smells wonderful."

"Silly child, your timing is wrong. Wait until they fertilize or spray pesticides, then take a sniff. I guarantee the smell will be strong enough to hit you in the face!"

"Great Grandfather, you're teasing me."

"Hahaha." Li Sanjiang twisted his neck and continued carrying the child along the narrow ridge between the fields. "They don't smell like much now, but once they're harvested, dried, hulled, steamed into rice, and pounded into rice cakes, with steaming white vapor rising from them, wouldn't that fragrance carry from far away?"

"Great Grandfather, you're right."

Li Sanjiang stopped and turned to look at the rice fields as well. "Actually, what those essays say isn't wrong. For farming families like ours, when we see the crops growing well in the fields, grain in the storehouse, rice in the pot, and know we won't have to worry about going hungry, our hearts feel settled. Then no matter where we stand, if we close our eyes and breathe in, it all feels sweet."

"I understand."

"No, you don't. Little Yuanhou, you've never truly gone hungry, so there's no way you can really understand that feeling. It hasn't actually been that many years since we've been able to eat our fill every meal.

But no matter what, it still can't compare to before liberation."

"Hm?" Li Zhuiyuan asked in surprise. "Before liberation, everyone had enough to eat?"

"That's right. Before liberation, every person could eat their fill. No one went hungry."

"Great Grandfather, that doesn't sound right."

"Because livestock didn't count as people."

"Ah?"

"Little Yuanhou, before liberation, your Great Grandfather here had also made his way through The Bund."

"Then, Great Grandfather, did you know Xu Wenqiang?"

"Who's Xu Wenqiang? Never heard of him. Your Great Grandfather took a boat there back then. It was very convenient, after all, Nantong and Shanghai were only separated by a river.

Back then, I thought, Shanghai, Shanghai—surely it would be easier to find work there. No matter what, it had to be better than farming for landlords back home.

I was lucky too. The moment I arrived, I found work."

"What kind of work did Great Grandfather find?"

"The Corpse Carrying Team."

"Did Great Grandfather work at a funeral home?"

"Heh, funeral homes existed back then, but how could ordinary people afford to go to a place like that? Carried in lying down at the front door, and they'd have to come running back out pretending to be alive through the back. Dying was too expensive.

Your Great Grandfather joined the Corpse Carrying Team. Back then, the city government put up some money and took the lead, while some wealthy merchants made donations. Our job was... early every morning, we collected corpses, carried away the bodies from streets and alleyways, and took them to nearby charitable burial grounds for disposal.

When times were good, there might be a few donated coffins available. But it wasn't one coffin per person—many people would be crammed together, packed into a single coffin until it was stuffed full.

Your Great Grandfather still remembered one time when they brought in several children about your age. It took a great deal of effort to stuff them inside.

Sigh, they couldn't be shaken loose, not from either side.

Do you know what that means?"

"Was it because the coffin was too heavy to shake from outside, while the bodies were packed too tightly inside to move?"

"That's right. And that was only when times were good enough to have a coffin. When times were bad, the bodies were just rolled up in straw mats. If there wasn't time to burn or bury them, they were dumped in mass graves outside the city, feeding the wild dogs.

And in winter? Hah, good grief, that really wore a person out.

Early in the morning, you'd see whole families huddled tightly together, frozen stiff as boards.

Little Yuanhou, that was Shanghai. It was already a great city back then, rich as anything. If any random person there let even a little slip through their fingers, it would have been enough to feed an entire ordinary family.

But your Great Grandfather truly worked from the beginning of the year to the end, with more work than I could ever finish. I simply couldn't finish it all.

Back then, I kept wondering...

There were so many foreign cars on the streets, and it was right there in that glittering metropolis. Look up and there were dance halls, theaters, and towering buildings. The people coming and going were gentlemen in Western suits and wealthy ladies in fine dress. Yet in the cracks between those walls and alleyways, we collected people who had starved to death every day.

After thinking about it for a long time, your Great Grandfather finally understood one truth.

Everyone had two eyes, one nose, and two legs to walk on, but only that tiny handful counted as human. Everyone else... no, every other thing, was nothing but goddamn worthless livestock.

No, that's not right either. Livestock had value. When they were hungry, someone would at least throw them a handful of fodder. But those people didn't even deserve a coffin board. The only reason anyone collected their corpses was because the authorities thought they spoiled the city's appearance."

Li Zhuiyuan tightened his arms slightly around Li Sanjiang's neck and pressed his face against Great Grandfather's back. "Was that when Great Grandfather learned his skills?"

"More or less. Back then, after carrying bodies all day, I only earned enough to keep myself fed that day. Now, hauling up one body can let me eat and drink well for quite a while.

Liberation was good. People finally became people, and people became valuable."

"My grandpa also said that when he was young, he worked as a long-term laborer for a landlord and got whipped."

"Don't listen to Hanhou's bullshit. Liberation came here before the hair on his balls had even fully grown, and those landlords were all... Hey, Little Yuanhou, you aren't talking about Hanhou?"

"I mean paternal grandfather."

"Hahaha, the one in Beijing, your father's father?"

"Mm. He said that if he hadn't truly been unable to survive, he wouldn't have joined the ranks and gone off to make revolution."

Li Sanjiang suddenly halted and turned his head to look at the child behind him.

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"That paternal grandfather of yours, did he fight in wars?"

"Mm."

"Is he still alive?"

"Yes."

"Did he fight the Japanese first?"

"He fought them later."

"Tsk, tsk tsk tsk!"

"What is it, Great Grandfather?"

"Little Yuanhou, are you close with your paternal grandfather?"

"During holidays, I go back with Dad and Mom to eat with them."

"What about normally?"

"I don't go."

"Huh? So you don't keep in touch?"

"Paternal Grandmother and Mom don't get along."

Li Sanjiang: "..."

"Eldest Uncle and the others live with paternal grandfather and Paternal Grandmother. Mom, dad, and I live outside. Mom doesn't let me go to paternal grandfather's place. Even when dad goes home occasionally, he has to sneak back and can't let Mom find out."

"What the hell is Lanhou thinking?"

Li Sanjiang could not understand it. Of course, he knew it was perfectly normal for mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to have conflicts, but that depended on what kind of mother-in-law she was!

With in-laws like that, instead of trying your best to curry favor and serve them, what else could you possibly want?

But after thinking it over, Li Sanjiang suddenly felt that this really did seem like something Li Lan would do.

Among a whole houseful of honest, mud-stained country folk, a golden phoenix had suddenly appeared.

If Li Weihan's ancestral grave had not been beside his own, he would have suspected that smoke had risen from Li Weihan's family tomb—though even that would not have been enough.

When she was young, the girl had been sweet-tongued, obedient, and lovable. Once she grew a little older, she could scold her four brothers until they feared her. The most unreliable idle men in the village and the most foul-mouthed old women all dared not make crude jokes about her. One glance from her, even with a smile on her face, could make a person shudder inside.

He remembered the year she brought her boyfriend home. Hanhou and Guiying had been so restrained that they were embarrassed to look at him, but Li Sanjiang had seen the world. He stared the man up and down for a long while and even went over to chat with him.

Back then, he noticed that in front of Lanhou, the man could do nothing but nod like a chicken pecking grain under her discipline. Anyone who did not know better might have thought that fair-faced man was some pitiful little wife who had just been trafficked into the village.

Li Sanjiang also knew about Lanhou's divorce. Otherwise, Little Yuanhou would not have been temporarily left here. Normally, when a man and woman divorced, everyone's sympathies would first lean toward the woman. But with Lanhou's divorce... Li Sanjiang actually felt a little sorry for that man. Lasting more than ten years was no easy feat.

"Little Yuanhou, you changed your surname, didn't you?"

"Mm."

"Sigh."

Li Sanjiang sighed. Divorce was one thing, but she had even changed the child's surname back. If his surname had not been changed, then even after the divorce, Little Yuanhou would still have counted as that family's child.

"Little Yuanhou, listen to Great Grandfather's advice. When you return to Beijing, find more chances to get close to your paternal grandfather and Paternal Grandmother, understand?"

"I can't go."

"You're an obedient child. Great Grandfather won't harm you."

"I really can't go. Mom will be unhappy if I do."

"You..."

"If Mom is unhappy, she won't want Little Yuan anymore."

"Sigh... What are you saying? You're mother and son. No matter what, your mother likes you."

"She won't." Li Zhuiyuan's voice was low, but utterly certain. "If I make Mom unhappy, she won't want me anymore. I understand her."

Li Sanjiang could only change the subject. "Little Yuanhou, did you bring your homework? Tomorrow, I'll have your Grandma bring your homework and books back."

"I didn't bring them back."

"Ha, you're quite the clever little rascal. You deliberately didn't bring your books back so you could play your heart out in the countryside during summer vacation, right?"

"Mm, play properly."

"You still have to study hard and go to school. Only then can you live better in the future. In a few days, I'll have your sister Yinghou tutor you. Study well with her."

"Okay."

"That's more like it."

Grandfather and grandson chatted as they walked. They came to a river, with farmland beside it. After following the riverside path inward for a while, the view suddenly opened up.

Li Sanjiang's Home had a courtyard several times larger than Li Weihan's home.

There were three buildings. The one in the middle faced south and was a newly built two-story structure. But unlike Cui Cui's family's square, orderly style, Li Weihan's new house was broad, stretching from east to west in one long strip.

Though it had a second floor, there were only a few separate rooms upstairs, like several building blocks placed on a huge platform.

On either side of the new house stood single-story buildings facing each other.

"Great Grandfather, your home is so big."

"Of course it is." Li Sanjiang's tone carried pride.

Besides salvaging corpses, he also ran a paper crafting business, which required a large space to store raw materials and finished goods. On top of that, he rented out tables, chairs, and dishes.

Whenever someone nearby held a wedding or funeral, they had to rent supplies from him. The fees were not high, but he had long since earned back his costs. Now it was simply a steady hen laying eggs.

So the first floor of his new house was practically a large warehouse. Only three rooms had been built on the second floor, leaving it empty like a rooftop terrace. He did not care anyway. He lived alone, and it was enough for him.

Li Sanjiang set Li Zhuiyuan down from his back, took his hand, and led him into the middle building. The interior felt even more spacious, like a small factory.

The western half was stacked neatly with tables and chairs, while large baskets were filled to the brim with all kinds of plates and bowls.

The eastern half was packed with paper people, paper houses, paper horses... Li Zhuiyuan even saw a paper Santana.

A woman around his mother's age, dressed simply, was painting. She held a palette in her left hand and a brush in her right, her strokes fast and smooth.

Noticing their arrival, the woman turned around and looked Li Zhuiyuan over before asking, "Uncle, whose child is this? He's so fair and tender."

"Tinghou, let me introduce him. This is my great grandson, Li Zhuiyuan. Zhuiyuan, this is your Auntie Tinghou."

"Auntie Ting."

Li Zhuiyuan felt that the generational title seemed a little off, but among people without blood relations, everyone addressed one another however they pleased.

"Ah, good boy." Liu Manting set her things down and walked over. Bending down, she cupped Li Zhuiyuan's face with both hands. "How adorable."

Li Zhuiyuan stepped back half a step to avoid her touch, a shy smile appearing on his face.

"Uncle, you've never brought children here to play before."

"Ha, there were never any children who dared come here to play before." Li Sanjiang pulled out a cigarette. "Tinghou, this child will be staying with me for a while. Help him tidy up a room upstairs. Oh, right, Little Yuanhou, are you afraid of sleeping in a room by yourself?"

"I'm not afraid, Great Grandfather."

"Mm, it's fine. Great Grandfather's room is right next to yours anyway, hehe. All right, Tinghou, I'll leave him to you. I'm going to use the chamber pot."

Li Sanjiang lit his cigarette and went out to use the toilet.

"Come, Little Yuan. Go upstairs with Auntie."

There were so many things piled up on the first floor that even the staircase entrance was more than half blocked. Someone visiting for the first time would truly have trouble finding it.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that there were stairs leading downward at the staircase entrance as well. He asked, "Auntie Ting, is there another floor below?"

"Yes, there's a basement below, about as large as this place."

"Is it filled with the same kind of things?"

"No. It's all your Great Grandfather's things. He couldn't bear to throw them away, so he specifically dug out another floor just to store them."

"Oh, I see."

"And Little Yuan, Auntie's name is Liu Manting. You can call me Aunt Liu from now on."

"Aunt Liu, you aren't from here?"

"No, Auntie came from out of town. I work for your Great Grandfather as a paper crafting helper."

"Is it only Aunt Liu?"

"Auntie's husband is here too. He rents and farms your Great Grandfather's fields, and he usually helps out as well—making paper items, delivering tables and chairs, and so on. He should be coming back from the fields soon. When you meet him, you can call him Uncle Qin.

Also, Auntie's daughter and mother-in-law are here. They live in the eastern single-story house you saw when you came in, while Auntie and your uncle live in the western one.

Auntie's whole family lives here, making a living by working for your Great Grandfather.

Before liberation, we would all have had to call you Young Master."

Perhaps because he had just heard Li Sanjiang talk about the Corpse Carrying Team on the way here, Li Zhuiyuan felt uncomfortable with the joke and instinctively shook his head.

"That's feudal dross."

"Huh?" Liu Manting froze for a moment. Hearing those words from a child was indeed surprising.

"Aunt Liu, just call me Little Yuan."

"Okay, Little Yuan. Your Great Grandfather has mentioned you before. You came back from Beijing, right?"

"Mm, I did."

"Are you used to living here?"

"Yes. It's very nice here."

"Don't you find it dull and boring?"

"No, there are lots of fun things here."

"That's nice. Auntie colors paper people every day, and her hands get numb from painting."

"Auntie is really good at painting. Very professional."

"What professional? Auntie was just pushed into doing this. How would I know anything about painting?"

But the way you held the palette and brush was exactly like the teachers at the Art Academy.

"If Little Yuan wants to paint, you can help Auntie. Coloring isn't actually hard."

"Okay."

Ever since returning to his hometown, this was the first time he had spoken Mandarin with someone from beginning to end, instead of hearing so much Nantong Dialect and so many "hou"s.

Even his brothers and sisters who went to school only used Mandarin when they first helped translate for him. The moment they turned back to talking among themselves, they naturally switched back to dialect.

When they reached the second floor, Liu Manting opened a door. The room inside was simply furnished, with an old-fashioned bed and a wardrobe. Other than that, there was not even a stool, but it was very clean and was probably cleaned often.

"Little Yuan, you'll stay here. Your Great Grandfather is next door. Wait here a moment, and I'll bring you a washbasin, towel, and chamber pot."

"Thank you for the trouble, Aunt Liu."

"What a polite child."

Liu Manting went out. Li Zhuiyuan looked around his room, then walked out as well. There was really... nothing to look at.

The second floor was just a large open terrace, with three rows of clotheslines standing in the middle. There were no balconies or railings around the edges.

Walking over to the side, he could see the open yard ahead, with a small river and farmland in the distance.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that a chair could be placed here. Sitting here and daydreaming would definitely be pleasant.

Not far away, a middle-aged man was walking over along the field ridge with a hoe over his shoulder. He was tall, and the parts of his body not covered by his white undershirt revealed clearly defined muscles, gleaming with a healthy sheen in the last light of the setting sun.

He should be Aunt Liu's husband, Uncle Qin.

It seemed Uncle Qin had not been a farmer in the past.

Farmers were generally strong, but because of their diets and lifestyles, few developed such broad, tiger-like back muscles. They were usually lean and wiry.

His gaze shifted downward, toward the left.

"Hm?"

When he had entered earlier, the pile of firewood in the yard had blocked his view, so he had not seen the door of the eastern bungalow. Now that he stood high up, he could see it.

Inside the central doorway of the bungalow sat a little girl about his age.

She wore a red embroidered top, dark trousers patterned with white designs, and her hair was styled into a swirl. On her feet was a pair of light green embroidered shoes.

The outfit was very old-fashioned, without a trace of modernity, yet it did not look dated at all.

That was because it was not something a mother had casually sewn for her daughter from a piece of cloth. Every detail of the girl's clothes was exquisitely done, clearly requiring much effort and thought. The overall combination was harmonious, giving her the poised elegance of a young lady from a respectable family.

Most importantly, the girl had fair skin and crescent-shaped brows. Her face was oval, with just the right touch of baby fat. She was like a meticulously carved work of art; there was not the slightest thing one could find that needed changing. Any unnecessary addition would feel like desecration, like a sin.

At that moment, she sat on a stool inside the door threshold, her feet resting atop it, staring straight ahead.

The last stubborn ray of sunlight before sunset stretched out a line of light and shadow, falling directly across the door threshold in front of the house, precisely where her feet rested.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head. Staring at someone for so long was impolite, although... she really was beautiful.

She should be Aunt Liu's daughter, right?

When he looked up again, he found that she was still in the same pose, staring ahead.

Logically, with him standing so visibly on the second floor and looking at her, she should have noticed him. At the very least, she should have glanced his way.

Was she too absorbed in daydreaming?

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and waved. He was sure that motion would catch her attention, but... it did not.

The girl remained seated there, her feet planted on the door threshold without moving. She did not look up, did not turn her head, and did not even blink.

Could she be blind?

Li Zhuiyuan called out, "Hello."

The girl still did not respond.

Was she deaf and mute too?

A deep sense of regret rose within Li Zhuiyuan.

Children this age had pure, simple hearts. They did not yet possess the thoughts adults had about men and women. Even Li Zhuiyuan was the same.

He simply felt heartbroken. If the girl before him had a disability, it was like a beautiful thing being forcibly cut open with a bloody wound. Whether man or woman, anyone would feel profound regret.

"Little Yuan."

Aunt Liu's voice came from behind him. She walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side and said with a smile, "Little Yuan, she's Auntie's daughter, Qin Li."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

"Alright, Little Yuan, go inside first. Auntie will help you arrange your things."

Li Zhuiyuan was slightly surprised, because Aunt Liu had only introduced her daughter by name and said nothing else. Normally, she should have asked their ages to determine who was older, then added, "You can play together from now on."

There were not many things. Once they were neatly put away, Aunt Liu clapped her hands and said, "The toilet is behind the first floor. You can use the chamber pot in your room at night."

"Okay, I understand, Aunt Liu."

"Then Auntie will go cook. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Mm."

When he stepped out again and returned to the second-floor terrace, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze unconsciously turned back in that direction.

The girl was still in the same pose as before, still staring ahead. It was as though she had been frozen there and had never moved.

At that moment, he saw Uncle Qin walk up to the door threshold, crouch in front of the girl, and speak gently to her.

Yet from beginning to end, the girl remained in that same pose. She did not spare even the slightest sidelong glance for her father.

It gave the impression that although she was there, she had no sensory connection with this world at all.

Uncle Qin noticed Li Zhuiyuan and waved. "Hello, little friend."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Hello, Uncle."

"Little Yuanhou, come downstairs for dinner!" Li Sanjiang's voice came from below.

Li Zhuiyuan was a little surprised. Was it ready so quickly?

After going downstairs, he saw two square wooden stools pushed together as a dining table in an open space between the paper people on the first floor. On top were a plate of braised pig head meat, a plate of braised pig ears, a plate of cold kelp salad, and a plate of fried peanuts.

No wonder the meal had been prepared so quickly. They must all have been bought from the market during the day.

"Sit." Li Sanjiang uncapped a bottle of baijiu and poured himself a large, full cup.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the small stool opposite him and looked at the big bowl of rice piled high before him.

"Great Grandfather, I can't eat this much."

"Heh, of course Great Grandfather knows." Li Sanjiang smiled. "Eat first. Whatever you leave is mine."

"Oh."

Li Zhuiyuan began eating.

Li Sanjiang held out his wine cup and asked, "Little Yuanhou, want a little drink?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "Children can't drink alcohol."

"Right, that's how it should be." Li Sanjiang was only teasing him. He took the cup back and took a big sip, then picked up several peanuts in succession and tossed them into his mouth. "You didn't get food this good at Hanhou's house, did you?"

"The pickles Grandma makes are delicious too."

"Heh."

Li Sanjiang put a piece of pig snout into Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.

"Your grandparents are fools, spoiling that bunch of brats. If you ask your Great Grandfather, raising your sons for one generation is enough. But they have to raise their grandsons too. Damn it, they've spent most of their lives being servants to their children.

"Really, if your Grandpa's family didn't have so many children and so many mouths to feed, they wouldn't need to live on thin porridge. He could even have a little drink every night."

Li Zhuiyuan silently ate without replying.

"You're different." Li Sanjiang waved his hand. "Your mother paid money. Your uncles are the real ungrateful bastards, a bunch of shameless things."

Li Zhuiyuan continued eating.

"The soup is here." Aunt Liu brought over a Sea Bowl of loofah and egg-drop soup and set it on the wooden stools. "You two eat."

Then she left, and only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize that Aunt Liu's family did not eat with Great Grandfather.

"Little Yuanhou, there's something Great Grandfather needs to remind you of. Since you'll be living here from now on, you can wander anywhere else, but don't go into that East Room."

The East Room was where the girl had been sitting.

"Why?"

"Tinghou's daughter is in the East Room." Li Sanjiang tapped his temple with the end of his chopsticks. "There's something wrong with that little girl here. Don't go near her, or it'll be bad if she scratches or bites you."

Scratch or bite?

Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to imagine that the little girl named Qin Li could be associated with such behavior.

"Don't take it lightly. When her family first moved in with me two years ago, I gave that girl some candy. The moment I put it in her hand, she flung it away, then pounced on me like she'd gone mad, scratching and biting me. Even Death Collapse wasn't as vicious as she was."

"I understand, Great Grandfather."

That was good. At least she was not deaf or blind.

"Mm, eat. Once you're done, Great Grandfather will perform a Ritual Presiding for you."

Li Zhuiyuan finished first and set down his chopsticks. Li Sanjiang then stopped drinking and pulled over the rice bowl to shovel down his meal.

The toilet was behind the house. Li Zhuiyuan walked out first and circled around the yard, just in time to see an elderly woman take the little girl by the hand, help her stand, and lead her to the dining table inside.

She should be Aunt Liu's mother-in-law.

In the old woman, Li Zhuiyuan seemed to see the shadow of his paternal grandmother. Both possessed an air of grace and elegance.

The little girl sat by the table without picking up her chopsticks, while the old woman kept softly coaxing her from beside her.

When Li Zhuiyuan came back from the toilet, he saw that the little girl had begun eating. She only ate from her own bowl, while the old woman used a small dish to serve her food.

He noticed the old woman's peripheral gaze sweep over him, but she did not greet him. Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment and did not go over to greet her either.

When he returned inside, Li Sanjiang had already finished eating, and Aunt Liu was cleaning up.

"Little Yuan, the place to bathe is the innermost room upstairs. Auntie has already poured hot water for you. It might be a little hot, so add some cold water yourself."

"Thank you, Auntie."

When he reached the second floor, the well-fed Li Sanjiang was already reclining in a rattan chair that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. He held a toothpick in his left hand and a cigarette in his right, humming a little tune while belching from the alcohol.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze lingered on the rattan chair.

"Ha, tomorrow I'll have Lihou buy one for you at the market too."

Lihou should refer to Uncle Qin.

"Okay." Li Zhuiyuan smiled. He really did want one.

"The bathing place is over there." Li Sanjiang pointed. "You wash first, then I will."

"Got it."

The bathroom was very narrow and appeared to have been added on later as a temporary structure. There was a rubber hose connected to a water tank above.

Li Zhuiyuan tested the water temperature. It was a little hot, but he did not need to add cold water.

When he quickly finished bathing and came out, Li Sanjiang stood up as well. "Wait for me in my room."

"Okay."

By now, it was completely dark outside, and the moon hung in the sky.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced once more at the East Room. The bungalow door was already shut, though the lights inside were on.

He opened Li Sanjiang's door and walked in. Reaching along the wall beside the door, Li Zhuiyuan found a cord and pulled it down.

"Click."

The light came on.

The furnishings in Great Grandfather's bedroom were practically a copy of his own room: an old bed and a wardrobe.

However, in the area that should have been empty in the middle, there was now a dense ring of patterns and a row of Small Candles. An open old book lay on the floor beside them.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the book and discovered that it was handwritten rather than printed.

The cover read, "Golden Sand Luo Text Scripture."

When he flipped through it, he found that it mainly contained diagrams of array patterns and some annotations. The diagrams were crudely drawn, the notes were casually written, and most importantly, the handwriting was truly ugly.

It was far worse than the handwriting of Grandpa Xu from the Family Courtyard, the Chinese literature professor who was good at making Dongpo pork.

Very soon, Li Zhuiyuan found an array diagram in the book identical to the one drawn on the floor. Written above it was—"Luck Transferring and Evil Dispelling Array."

Its effect was to transfer the evil energy from one person onto another, with a note added: harmful to natural justice.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the diagram in the book, then at the one Great Grandfather had drawn on the floor.

"Why does it feel like... there are a few places that don't match?"

However, the diagram in the book was also hand-drawn and inherently crooked, making it difficult to compare.

"Maybe Great Grandfather didn't draw it wrong. Maybe the diagram in the book isn't standard."

Two impressionistic artists, even if they drew the same thing, were truly difficult to compare.

At that moment, Li Sanjiang came in after his bath. He was bare-chested and wore only a pair of loose blue shorts.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan reading the book, Li Sanjiang could not help but laugh. "Ha, can you understand that, Little Yuanhou?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. "I can."

"Good, good, good. You can understand it. Our Little Yuanhou is the smartest."

Li Sanjiang rubbed Li Zhuiyuan's head, took the book from his hands, and tossed it aside.

The book was filled with messy traditional Chinese characters written in brushstrokes, some even joined together. Back when he had tried to understand it, he had needed to visit the retired village schoolteacher in the neighboring village several times for advice. That man liked calligraphy.

Later, Li Sanjiang stopped going, because the last time he had visited the man's home, Li Sanjiang had brought along one of his paper people.

He gave it away for free and took no money. The man's children thanked him profusely.

So how could he possibly believe that Li Zhuiyuan, a ten-year-old child, could understand all this?

"Alright, Little Yuanhou, sit over there. Sit still and don't move."

Li Zhuiyuan obediently sat in the designated spot. Li Sanjiang bent down and lit every candle on the floor, then took out three black cords and tied them respectively around Li Zhuiyuan's wrist, ankle, and neck. After sitting down himself, he tied the other ends of the three cords around the corresponding places on his own body.

The candle flames flickered as Li Sanjiang began chanting under his breath. He chanted quickly in Nantong Dialect, and even though Li Zhuiyuan listened carefully, he could not understand it.

Still, the tune sounded very similar to the little song Great Grandfather had hummed while lying in the rattan chair after dinner.

After chanting for quite some time, Li Sanjiang finally stopped. He smacked his lips, apparently a little thirsty, but it was not suitable to leave the array to drink water now. He could only cough dryly to clear his throat, then reach behind his back and feel around. When he brought his hand back, he held a talisman paper.

Li Zhuiyuan was a little curious. Great Grandfather wore only a pair of shorts. Where had he been keeping that talisman paper?

After holding the talisman paper to the candle and lighting it, Li Sanjiang began waving it around.

"Hiss, hiss!"

Just as it was about to burn his hand, Li Sanjiang slapped the Talisman Papers between himself and Li Zhuiyuan.

"Smack!"

In an instant, all the candles went out. The incandescent bulb in the room flickered a few times before returning to normal.

Li Zhuiyuan looked left and right, then lowered his head to inspect the black ropes tied around him.

Was that it?

It seemed like he had not felt anything.

"Done!"

Li Sanjiang stood up, walked over to Li Zhuiyuan, lowered his head, and used his teeth and hands to tear off the excess lengths of the three ropes. Yet black loops still remained around Li Zhuiyuan's neck, wrists, and ankles.

"Little Yuanhou, don't untie those three knots tonight. Sleep like that, and I'll cut them off for you at breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay, Great Grandfather."

"Mm. Go back and sleep."

"Good night, Great Grandfather."

"Good night, good night."

Li Zhuiyuan got up. Just as he reached the door, he heard a thud behind him. Turning around, he found Li Sanjiang clutching his foot as he lay on the floor.

Li Sanjiang had bitten through the ropes for him earlier. He had probably tried to bite through the rope around his own ankle just now and accidentally fallen over.

Li Sanjiang crossed his raised legs, used one hand as a pillow behind his head, and waved Li Zhuiyuan away with the other.

"Why aren't you off to sleep yet?"

"Oh."

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his bedroom and lay down. He had not felt particularly sleepy before, but the moment he touched the bed, drowsiness washed over him.

He pulled the thin blanket over his stomach and fell into a deep sleep.

Next door.

"It should've worked, right?" Li Sanjiang muttered to himself. "It definitely worked. Even the lightbulb flickered. It couldn't have just been a bad connection."

Then Li Sanjiang glanced at the book tossed on the floor and began doubting himself. "No, the person who wrote this book probably hadn't seen a lightbulb back then, had they?"

But he quickly found fresh proof. "What am I even thinking? The candles all went out. It definitely worked."

With that, Li Sanjiang stretched and walked over to the bed, where he lay down.

"Ah, I'm exhausted today. Sleep... sleep."

He had done far too much today: Corpse Luring, fishing up corpses, drawing formation diagrams. He was getting old and truly could not keep it up anymore.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he began snoring.

Yet as he slept, Li Sanjiang turned over. After mumbling a few words, his brows gradually furrowed.

He had a dream.

In the dream,

he found himself sitting atop a platform of white jade steps. All around him stood towering palace walls and magnificent halls.

Ahead and to his right was a gate passage; to his left lay a broad open space stretching all the way to a pond and a dragon bridge.

"Damn it, is this the Forbidden City?"

Li Sanjiang had never been to the capital, much less the Forbidden City. But he had seen it on calendars and outdoor movie screens. Wasn't this where the emperor lived?

Heh, what an interesting dream.

Out of habit, Li Sanjiang reached for the cigarettes in his pocket. Didn't this call for one?

But when he reached down, he grabbed something furry. Looking down, he found an orange cat lying across his lap.

The orange cat seemed to have been sleeping. Awakened by the disturbance, it rolled over in annoyance.

"Get lost."

Li Sanjiang coldly shoved the orange cat aside.

After landing, the orange cat rolled once, got to its feet, and meowed at him in displeasure.

"Meow!"

Li Sanjiang paid it no mind. He brushed the remaining cat hair from his pants, then took out his cigarette pack again, pulled out a cigarette and held it between his lips, before lighting it with a match.

Just then, a drawn-out, dull friction sound came from diagonally ahead of him. It was probably a palace gate opening.

Li Sanjiang took a drag. "I heard you need to buy a ticket to visit the Forbidden City. Am I going to get fined for sneaking in without one?"

Then Li Sanjiang smacked the back of his own head. "I'm in a dream, damn it. Why the hell would I need a ticket?"

He blew out a beautiful smoke ring and grinned smugly.

"This is such a bargain. People have to take a long-distance train to the capital to visit the Forbidden City, and they still need a ticket to get in. I get to tour the place in my dream."

The friction sound of the palace gates finally ceased. Ahead, footsteps echoed from within the three gate passages.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Dull and perfectly synchronized.

Li Sanjiang leaned forward slightly, baffled. Do visitors to the Forbidden City have to march in formation?

But soon,

Li Sanjiang froze completely. The three gate passages did not release tourists, but three rows of people in Qing official robes, wearing court hats adorned with peacock feathers. Their faces were deathly pale as they hopped out in the same rhythm.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

At some point, the cigarette in Li Sanjiang's hand had slipped to the ground.

All of a sudden, they stopped hopping, plunging into stillness and deathly silence.

The next moment,

they all turned left in unison and faced Li Sanjiang.