Chapter 8

Grandma Liu said her granddaughter did not have ordinary autism. Now, Li Zhuiyuan believed her.

"Uncle Sanjiang, Uncle Sanjiang!"

Behind him, Niu Fu's voice and footsteps were drawing closer and closer, while the girl's gaze remained fixed on him as he moved.

She couldn't keep staring like that...

Li Zhuiyuan walked toward the girl, stopped four meters before the Door Threshold, then moved two steps sideways and used his body to block her view of Niu Fu.

It would have been easier to walk up to the girl and cover her eyes with both hands, but he did not dare.

Grandma Liu's earlier warning had definitely not been without reason, not to mention the bloody lesson Li Sanjiang had suffered.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the girl's eyelashes were trembling slightly.

He just did not know whether it was because this stranger had approached her, or because of whatever she had "seen."

Still, the girl did not turn sideways and try to get around him to keep looking. Instead, she returned her neck to its previous position and stared straight ahead.

She froze again.

Li Zhuiyuan silently let out a breath. He had truly been afraid she might suddenly lunge at him and bite him.

Still, this was the first time he had been this close to her.

Her retro attire suited her perfectly. They complemented each other wonderfully.

As she sat there, it felt as though he were the outsider who had intruded into her era, her secluded residence.

Liu Yumei walked over then, lightly resting a hand on Li Zhuiyuan's shoulder as she said softly, "Little Yuan, Grandma warned you before. Don't get too close to A Li."

"I remember, Grandma." Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the Door Threshold ahead of him. "I won't go any farther."

Perhaps because of their earlier interaction, Liu Yumei had formed a good impression of the boy and could not help teasing him. "So? Is my A Li pretty?"

"Mm, she's pretty. She takes after you."

"Hehehe..."

Liu Yumei laughed at that. She walked into the room and glanced at the six-tier wooden rack in the inner room, which was filled with Spirit Tablets. The ones on the left bore the Liu surname, while those on the right bore the Qin surname.

She picked up an empty Small Dish, selected several pastries from the offering tray below, then turned and came back out, handing the dish to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Here, Grandma's treating you to some pastries."

"Thank you, Grandma." Li Zhuiyuan reached out and accepted it.

"They came from the offering tray, but they're clean."

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan did not mind. He picked up a flaky pastry and took a bite. It was soft and delicate, with a rich aftertaste.

Liu Yumei asked, "Is it sweet?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "It's tasty, not too sweet."

Liu Yumei sat on the Door Threshold and looked at Li Zhuiyuan. "When is your mother coming to take you back to the capital?"

"That depends on when Mom has time."

"Do you miss your mother?"

"I do."

"You do? Why can't I hear it?"

"I miss her in my heart."

"You're quite the steady one. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I'm my parents' only child."

"Our A Li is an only child too." Liu Yumei looked toward the girl, her eyes full of affection.

She raised her hand as if she wanted to stroke her granddaughter's head, but then withdrew it.

"Grandma Liu, where are you from?"

"Grandma's ancestors traveled the river by boat. We have no ancestral hometown. But if we really had to name one, this Yangtze River is the ancestral home of Grandma and her Grandpa."

At the mention of Qin Li's Grandpa, a trace of nostalgia appeared on Liu Yumei's face.

Then, wearing that expression, she looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan understood and asked,

"Grandma, you and Grandpa must have had a very good relationship, right?"

"Not at first. Our two families were practically hereditary enemies. Then that shameless man took a fancy to me and insisted on marrying me. He made my father and brothers so angry they nearly tied him up and sank him in the river. The two families almost started fighting again."

Seeing that Liu Yumei was still eager to continue, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What happened afterward?"

"Afterward? He tricked me, didn't he? I married him and bore his children."

"Did your family accept Grandpa?"

"Mm, they accepted him. Then they sank into the river together."

As she said that, Liu Yumei suddenly came back to herself. How had she gotten onto that subject?

"By the way, Little Yuan, why did your parents get divorced?"

After asking, Liu Yumei immediately regretted it. How could she ask a child something like that?

"Because they couldn't live together anymore."

"Was it your father's fault?"

"Dad loved Mom very much."

At that moment, Niu Fu's voice came from behind them in the distance. "All right, Uncle Sanjiang, it's settled then. I'm leaving. Wait for me at home."

Li Zhuiyuan was a little surprised. That fast?

He secretly turned to look and saw that Niu Fu, who had reached the edge of the yard, was still badly hunched over. Li Zhuiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately went to find Li Sanjiang anyway.

"Great Grandfather, Great Grandfather."

"What is it?"

Li Sanjiang did not stop when he heard the call. Instead, he walked straight to the toilet, untied his waistband, and sat on the Dragon Throne.

With his short stature, Li Zhuiyuan stood below him. All that was missing was a fly whisk.

In truth, the toilet at Li Sanjiang's Home was fairly well designed. It had been built behind the new house, out of sight.

Many other village households had their toilets attached to the Main House, facing the Village Road. When someone sat up there during the day, with people constantly passing by, it was like receiving an audience from all the officials.

If they ran into someone they knew, they would even greet them and stop for a chat.

"Great Grandfather, did you agree to him?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"There was something on his back, that... that thing..."

"Great Grandfather knows. I wasn't planning to go, but he doubled the sealed money. And all three siblings doubled it together, so I have to go now. Hehe, they're offering too much."

"But it's dangerous..."

"Little Yuanhou, money makes the world go round. Danger only matters when the money isn't enough. Just watch, Blind Liu will definitely go too."

"Great Grandfather..."

"Little Yuanhou, this is how your Great Grandfather earns his living. Besides, it'll be fine. Your Great Grandfather has weathered plenty of storms. I've never capsized yet."

"When are you going?"

"That depends on when Blind Liu picks the date. But it should be soon. It has to be before then. When your Grandpa Hanhou came by to bring you clothes just now, he said they were about to organize everyone to dredge the river."

"Dredge the river?"

"Mm, dig the river. It's a decades-old tradition. The able-bodied men from all the villages around here... no, basically all the able-bodied men in rural Jiangsu have to go.

"So we have to hold the Memorial Birthday before the river dredging starts."

"We have to hold the Memorial Birthday before the river dredging starts, or there'll be no peace at home."

Not long after leaving Li Sanjiang's Home, Niu Fu stopped beneath a tree beside the small river. One hand braced against the trunk while the other untied his waistband, preparing to relieve himself.

Afterward, as he fastened his waistband again, he inexplicably felt as though his back had straightened a little. He even gave a small hop in place.

Turning back to glance at Li Sanjiang's Home in the distance, Niu Fu could not help sighing to himself.

"Looks like Uncle Sanjiang is just as capable as Granny Liu!"

Li Zhuiyuan entered the house and saw Aunt Liu coloring paper figures. Aunt Liu smiled and beckoned to him.

"Little Yuan, want to come play?"

"No, Aunt Liu. I have something to do right now."

"All right, go take care of your business first." Aunt Liu smiled. She thought the child looked truly adorable when he acted so serious.

Li Zhuiyuan carefully moved aside a paper house blocking the entrance to the Stairs, then walked down and saw a rusty iron door.

There was a pair of cloth shoes on the floor before the door. Li Zhuiyuan bent down and found a key inside them. He inserted it into the lock, opened it, and pushed the door inward. A stale, moldy smell immediately rushed out.

Inside was pitch-black. Li Zhuiyuan reached along the wall beside the door and finally found a cord. He pulled it downward.

"Click."

Nothing happened.

He pulled twice more.

Snap!

The light did not turn on. The cord had broken.

With no other choice, Li Zhuiyuan ran back upstairs and found a flashlight in the drawer of the cabinet by the entrance.

He unscrewed the back cover and found it empty. Fortunately, the batteries were in the drawer too. He put in two large batteries, screwed the cover back on, tested it, and it lit up.

He returned to the basement and shone the beam inside. The space was not large, not an excavation of the full first-floor area, but it contained a great many things, all neatly sorted and arranged.

It seemed Great Grandfather had indeed put effort into organizing the place, though he also clearly had not come down for several years. A thick layer of dust covered everything.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to a shelf, his gaze immediately drawn to a Peachwood Sword. He picked it up and blew on it, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

After he stopped coughing, Li Zhuiyuan carefully examined the sword with his flashlight.

All sorts of patterns he could not understand were carved into it. There were also reflective metal pieces stuck to it, along with some seal-script characters.

In short, it had an ancient design and plenty of details.

Li Zhuiyuan admired it carefully and intently until he shone the flashlight on the lower end of the Peachwood Sword's hilt and read the words there.

"Shandong Linyi Furniture Factory."

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

He put down the Peachwood Sword and picked up the Coin Sword beside it.

This time, he had learned his lesson. He checked the hilt first, then the side of the sword. After confirming there was no factory label, he carefully examined the blade.

"Kangxi Tongbao, Qianlong Tongbao, Jiaqing Tongbao..."

Though the coins were not particularly old, they were probably genuine.

However, when Li Zhuiyuan continued examining it under the flashlight, he suddenly discovered that something else had been mixed in. Their sizes were very different from the old coins.

He scraped at one with his finger, but could not pry it loose. He could only search other parts of the blade and soon found another of the same size. This time, he saw clearly...

They were actually one-cent and five-cent coins!

The outside of the sword was made from old coins, but the inside was filled with modern coins. There was not even a single ten-cent coin among them.

Even if cent coins were still coins... it could not exactly be called fake, but with them mixed in like that, Li Zhuiyuan could not help feeling strange.

He put the Coin Sword back and continued searching.

He saw two enormous flags. No, given their long, narrow shape, banners would have been more appropriate.

The two banners took up a great deal of space on the table. One was entirely black, while the other was purple.

The black one was embroidered with many skulls and flood dragons, giving off a sinister air.

The purple one was embroidered with many flowers, birds, and golden dragons, looking grand and righteous.

Li Zhuiyuan tried to take one down but found he could not lift it with one hand. He could only lean farther over the table, bring the flashlight closer, and continue looking through it.

He did not know what he was looking for, but he felt he ought to be able to find something.

Sure enough, on the black banner's wooden handle, Li Zhuiyuan found a line of crooked brush-written characters: Li Family Funeral Team.

It was not even written in traditional characters, but simplified ones.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that when Big Beard's funeral had been held, the White Cloth Band Little Yellow Oriole belonged to had also brought out many ritual implements and props. Those items were counted by the bundle, then packed up and tossed onto a truck afterward.

Soon, Li Zhuiyuan found writing on the Purple Banner too. This time it was in traditional characters, but there was an extra line.

"Xue Family Funeral Class. Whoever takes it by mistake will have a son without an asshole."

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan sighed and pulled the banner cloth back into place.

The anticipation and excitement he had felt upon first entering had gradually faded. Now, he felt increasingly calm.

Great Grandfather had not lied to him. He really had collected a pile of... junk.

When he was little, his mother often took him to her workplace. Back then, cultural relic protection was not as strict as it was now. Many artifacts did not even have glass cases, and some could even be touched up close.

So Li Zhuiyuan had closely observed many ritual implements: Buddhist solemnity, Taoist antiquity, Tibetan Buddhist mystery.

He had seen so many that he had even grown tired of them at times, but no matter what, they were not comparable to the things before him. At the very least... they did not come with labels.

Sure enough, Li Zhuiyuan saw labels on several Taoist robes that followed, complete with sizes.

The Bright Yellow Taoist robe even had an unremoved sticker on its back that read: For film crew use only.

Li Zhuiyuan also found three large baskets of Talisman Papers. He picked one up and examined it carefully. It felt smooth, and though he could not understand the patterns, he could tell they had been drawn in one fluid motion and looked beautiful.

That made him curious, so he looked through the other talismans and found quite a variety.

But Li Zhuiyuan soon noticed something was wrong. When he placed two talismans of the same type together, he could not tell the difference between them. Even the break in the final stroke at the lower corner was exactly the same.

So... were these printed?

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes. They were beginning to ache from all the looking. He even suspected that Great Grandfather had stockpiled so much stuff here because he had originally intended to form a White Cloth Band. Together with the tables, chairs, bowls, basins, and paper figures upstairs, it would make a complete funeral-service industry chain.

No longer looking at those objects, Li Zhuiyuan walked to the very back, where more than a dozen boxes had been placed.

He remembered Great Grandfather saying that others had left them here for storage and that they were filled with books.

"Hmm?"

Li Zhuiyuan bent down and carefully inspected the boxes under the flashlight. This material... was almost exactly the same as the one Grandpa Zhou from the Family Courtyard loved collecting.

That time, Grandpa Zhou had been so thrilled after acquiring a box that he immediately called his old friends over to show it off, and Li Zhuiyuan had been called over to make tea too.

Before him, there were three boxes like this.

Although the other boxes differed in material and color, Li Zhuiyuan examined them and found that they were all of excellent quality.

A trace of anticipation rose in Li Zhuiyuan's heart. Surely boxes this valuable did not contain books from a publishing house?

Besides, state-run publishers in the past could never have published books like the "Golden Sand Luo Text Scripture," given its feudal superstition.

There were remnants of sealing strips on the boxes, apparently torn off long ago. They had originally been locked too, but the locks had been pried off.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that Great Grandfather must have done it. So were these really things someone else had left in Great Grandfather's care?

Even without a lock, Li Zhuiyuan had to exert considerable effort to push open the lid. Once it opened and he shone his flashlight inside, he immediately drew in a sharp breath.

Books, books, books—nothing but books!

And they were not printed. He could tell from the covers that they were handwritten.

When he was in school, the class received several new sets of textbooks every semester, but he only found them interesting the first time he flipped through them.

Now, he finally understood the happiness of being surrounded by books.

He picked up several in succession and checked their covers, only to find that they were all "Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu," divided into many volumes.

The "jianghu" here did not refer to the martial arts world, but actual rivers and lakes.

Holding the flashlight under his arm, Li Zhuiyuan opened the first volume. He found that it contained not only text but illustrations, one of which showed a person standing and walking in flowing water.

This book actually described Death Collapses?

This was not the place to read. After closing the book, Li Zhuiyuan searched through the box for quite a while before finally finding the complete set.

"Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu," forty-two volumes in total.

There were quite a lot of volumes, but that was understandable. They had been handwritten with brushes, and the characters were relatively large.

Li Zhuiyuan decided to finish this entire set first. It was probably something like an encyclopedia specifically describing strange beings in rivers and lakes, an introductory read.

He did not open the other boxes. He wanted to preserve some anticipation.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan became a book mover. It took him three trips to carry the complete set of "Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu" to his room on the second floor.

He locked the basement door again. Instead of leaving the key in his cloth shoes, he kept it on him.

"Little Yuanhou." Li Sanjiang's voice came from outside. "Little Yuanhou, come out quickly."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the door and walked out.

"Whoa... did you just go roll around in the mud, Child?"

"Great Grandfather, I'll go bathe and change clothes right away."

"No rush. Look at this first, hehe. Come, Lihou, put it here. Grandfather and Grandson will sit side by side."

"Got it."

Uncle Qin came up carrying a Rattan Chair.

Warmth surged through Li Zhuiyuan's heart. Just yesterday, he had told Great Grandfather that he wanted a Rattan Chair, and today Great Grandfather had actually bought one for him.

"Great Grandfather, I also want a Desk Lamp."

The bulb in the room was not bright enough. It was fine for lighting at night, but difficult to read by. Li Zhuiyuan had seen Oil Lamps at home, but there was no need to suffer unnecessarily.

"You want a Desk Lamp to read?"

"Yes."

"Good. Lihou, make another trip to town and buy the Child a Desk Lamp. Get some more pens and notebooks too. I see other children have those... what are they called, stationery cases? Forget it, just buy whatever you think is suitable."

"Got it. I'll go after lunch."

"Don't wait until the afternoon. There's still some time before lunch. Go now."

"Okay."

Li Sanjiang turned to Li Zhuiyuan again and said sternly, "When your Grandpa came earlier, I told him to have Yinghou come over this afternoon to tutor you."

After saying that, Li Sanjiang actually wore a teasing expression that said, "Ha, didn't see that coming, did you?"

"Huh?"

Disappointment appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. He had planned to focus on reading and did not want to tutor his sister.

When his sister had been doing her first-year high school summer assignments, there had not been too many questions she did not understand. Now that she was studying the second-year curriculum in advance, there were not too many questions she did understand.

Li Sanjiang reached out and rubbed Li Zhuiyuan's head, saying earnestly, "You take after your mother. With such a smart brain, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it for studying?"

"But, Great Grandfather..."

"No buts. Study properly. Get into a good university like your mother did in the future—that's the proper path, understand?"

"But Great Grandfather, I'm already taking university classes."

"Heh, you dare try to fool your Great Grandfather? Even if I've never eaten pork, haven't I seen a pig run? Be good. This is settled!

"Oh, right, Lihou. When you go to town later, buy the Child some snacks too. Buy whatever they have, and get a portion for your daughter as well."

"Okay, Uncle."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Uncle Qin, pointed toward the southeastern corner of the terrace, and said, "Uncle, can you put the Rattan Chair over there for me?"

Uncle Qin said, "Sure."

"What are you putting it there for?" Seeing that Li Zhuiyuan did not want his Rattan Chair beside his own, Li Sanjiang curiously walked to the southeastern corner. Good heavens—when he looked down, he saw the little girl sitting inside the Door Threshold of the East Room.

"Hey, Little Yuanhou, what are you putting it here for?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Great Grandfather, I think the feng shui is good here."

"Pah!" Li Sanjiang scolded with a laugh. "You think I don't know what's on your mind? You just want to look at that pretty girl."

That girl Qin Li was indeed beautiful. Otherwise, Li Sanjiang would not have taken the initiative to offer her candy back then. But she really was fierce.

Uncle Qin moved the Rattan Chair over, then greeted Li Sanjiang before leaving for town to buy things.

After Uncle Qin left, Li Sanjiang pulled Li Zhuiyuan over and pointed a finger at him in warning.

"I'm telling you, Little Yuanhou, looking at this girl is fine, but don't think about getting close to her or playing with her. Otherwise, she'll scratch your face to pieces. Look at that face of yours—so fair and tender. What a shame it would be if you got scarred. How would you find a wife later?"

"Okay, Great Grandfather. I understand."

"Besides, what's so good about liking a girl with something wrong with her head? No matter how pretty she is, it won't help. Do you really want to take care of her for the rest of your life?"

Li Sanjiang could not say these things while Qin Li was around.

"I understand, Great Grandfather."

"Forget it, you're still young. Why am I telling you this? You're still a long way from the age to marry a wife. All right, I'm heading out. I won't be back for lunch, so eat by yourself."

"Okay."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Sanjiang hummed a little tune as he went downstairs. When he reached the courtyard, he turned around and looked up at the terrace, a smile appearing on his face.

Little Yuanhou had asked him for things, and he had not begrudged the money. He had money!

He suddenly felt that spending the money he earned on his children was also a kind of happiness.

He used to think Hanhou was pathetic for being a slave to his sons, especially since those sons were not all that filial. But now, he suddenly understood something.

What if raising children was not for them to care for him in his old age, but simply because it was interesting and made his life feel more fulfilling?

We gave birth to and raised you, not asking you to be grateful. After all, Laozi did it for the sake of making his own life complete.

Heh, that did feel rather nice.

Li Sanjiang shook his head. Forget it, what use was there in thinking about this now? He was already close to the age of being buried. This life, he was destined to have no children.

After Great Grandfather left, Li Zhuiyuan bathed and changed clothes, then eagerly picked up the first volume of "Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu." He sat in the Rattan Chair and began reading as soon as he opened it.

The characters in this book were written in Slender Gold Script, making it much more comfortable to read. Compared to it, the handwriting in the "Golden Sand Luo Text Scripture" looked like a dog's crawling tracks.

He silently made a wish: I hope all the other books in those boxes have good handwriting.

Li Zhuiyuan quickly immersed himself in the book, though every time he turned a page, he glanced down at the girl sitting below with her feet resting on the Door Threshold.

There were no impure thoughts in his heart. He simply felt that looking at beautiful things was pleasing to the eye and could put one in a better mood.

However, aside from turning her gaze to look at Niu Fu's back in the morning, the girl made no other movements.

Time passed quickly as he read. Uncle Qin returned halfway through, bringing him a Desk Lamp, a set of stationery, and plenty of snacks.

After reading a while longer, Aunt Liu called from below, "Little Yuanhou, time to eat!"

"Okay, I'm coming down."

Putting down the book, Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs. Lunch was still served in the courtyard, but he had a table to himself.

On the square wooden stool were a plate of chicken chunks braised with soybeans, a plate of scrambled eggs with chives, and a bowl of crucian carp soup.

Li Zhuiyuan could not help but sigh. The living conditions at Great Grandfather's Home really were good.

At Grandpa's home, Panzi Ge and Leizi Ge were probably still drinking porridge right now.

Still, he did not think of bringing food back to share. He knew that would not be appropriate.

In the courtyard, Grandma Liu squatted beside Qin Li and coaxed her gently.

At last, Qin Li lowered her head and began eating.

She ate just as she had at breakfast, alternating vegetables and rice with steady frequency and absolutely no disruption to her rhythm.

After Li Zhuiyuan finished eating, he cleared his bowl and chopsticks and took them to the kitchen before Aunt Liu could appear. Then he washed his hands, returned to the second floor, and continued reading.

The first volume began with Death Collapses. There truly were many types of Death Collapse. Ones like Little Yellow Oriole, who could walk upright, could only be considered moderately dangerous in this book, perhaps even somewhat below that.

But the more vicious the Death Collapse, the more vague the recorded dates and locations became, and the more abstract the illustrations. It gradually began to feel like reading the "Classic of Mountains and Seas."

Li Zhuiyuan thought that was normal. Not many people who encountered such vicious Death Collapses could return alive, so naturally the records would be vague.

"Yuanzi."

Yingzi came over carrying a wooden stool and a Small Stool.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and looked at Yingzi. "Jie."

"I'm here, hehe. Here, have some candy." Yingzi took some candy from her pocket and handed it over.

"Thank you, Jie." Li Zhuiyuan unwrapped a piece and put it in his mouth, then walked into his bedroom.

Yingzi opened her cloth bag and laid out her books and exercises. Curious, she reached out and flipped through the book Li Zhuiyuan had left on the Rattan Chair. She frowned slightly; she could not understand these characters.

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan came out holding snacks and placed them beside Yingzi. "Jie, eat some."

"This is too much. How could I eat all this?"

"Take it back for everyone. Don't let Grandpa and Grandma see."

What Li Zhuiyuan had taken out were the snacks Li Weihan had delivered that morning. He had not touched the ones Great Grandfather bought.

"You're the younger brother. It feels rather embarrassing to eat your things."

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan had already picked up his book and resumed reading, Yingzi could only continue.

"Yuanzi, once Jie starts working and earns money, I'll buy you even more delicious things."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up and replied with a smile, "Okay, Jie."

Then he lowered his head and continued reading.

Seeing how absorbed he was, Yingzi also lowered her head to preview her lessons. This time, however, she did not ask Li Zhuiyuan whenever she encountered something she did not understand. Instead, she wrote it down and waited to ask everything at the end, so as not to disturb him first.

After finishing the first volume, Li Zhuiyuan stood up, walked to the open space in front of him, and seriously performed a set of National Middle School Broadcast Exercises.

Much of the book's content was obscure, archaic, and vague. He had to ponder it as he read. This was the first time he had ever felt so tired from reading.

But it really felt fulfilling. He had gained something.

Li Zhuiyuan was very happy, because he could finally empathize with those poor students in his class. So this was how happy and fulfilled they had been all along.

After finishing the exercises, Li Zhuiyuan went to the bathroom. He did not need the chamber pot during the day. He went downstairs and ran behind the house, stopping on the way to greet the girl sitting behind the Door Threshold.

"Good afternoon."

Naturally, the girl did not respond. She did not even spare him a glance from the corner of her eye.

After returning to the second floor, he put back the first volume, took out the second, and continued reading.

With the adaptation provided by the first volume, Li Zhuiyuan gradually came to understand the author's writing habits. He could even resonate with some of the author's thoughts, so the second volume took only half as long as the first.

He immediately changed to the third volume. By the time he finished it, dusk was approaching.

Li Zhuiyuan put down the book and looked at Yingzi Jie beside him.

"Jie, is there anything you don't understand?"

"Yes. This, this, this, this, this, and these..."

Li Zhuiyuan took his sister's pen and began writing out the solution process. He wrote as thoroughly as possible so she could slowly study it herself. At the very least, it was much more efficient than explaining it aloud.

Watching her younger brother rapidly write in his notebook with a swish-swish-swish, Yingzi felt nothing but envy.

Sure enough, if Little Aunt and her younger brother were excluded, the entire Li family, with all its many members, might not be able to scrape together a single brain.

She truly felt lucky too. Although her parents gave her money to buy supplementary study materials, tutoring books in this era were crude to begin with. Many real exam questions and explanations were still limited to the inner circles of certain elite schools, and even if she was willing to spend money, they were difficult to obtain.

Not to mention that her younger brother's usefulness had long surpassed that of tutoring books. He was practically her private tutor. No matter how open-minded her parents were, they could not hire a schoolteacher to tutor her separately, nor could they afford to.

After Li Zhuiyuan finished writing, he let out a long breath, rubbed his aching wrist, and said, "Jie, I suggest that you first thoroughly grasp the concepts, then use simple problems to deepen your understanding. That way, your study efficiency will improve."

But Yingzi thought, Isn't that exactly what I'm doing?

Yingzi lowered her head and began looking over the solution process her younger brother had written. She could tell it was very detailed, but as she went through it step by step, she still found it somewhat difficult.

It was as though her brain was being forcibly pried open and knowledge was being poured in bit by bit with great difficulty—yet for every bit poured in, half spilled out.

Just then, Li Sanjiang returned. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard and looked up, he saw Li Zhuiyuan and Yingzi sitting at the southeastern corner of the second floor.

He saw Li Zhuiyuan, relaxed and smiling, then saw Yingzi wearing a miserable expression as though she no longer wanted to live.

"Hmph, this brat isn't studying seriously enough. He's making his Jie get a headache!"

At dinner, Yingzi did not stay to eat. Li Weihan had already instructed her not to when she came.

This time, Li Sanjiang actually asked her to stay. Only when she firmly refused did he let the matter drop.

Normally, Li Sanjiang had always looked down on Li Weihan's four sons, and by extension, he did not pay much attention to their children either. But he had been the one to call Yingzi over to tutor Little Yuanhou today.

"Little Yuanhou, share some snacks with your Jie tomorrow."

Li Zhuiyuan, who was eating, responded, "Great Grandfather, I already shared some."

"Mm."

Only then did Li Sanjiang feel less guilty. He could not let the girl get upset and refuse to come tutor tomorrow.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan went to bathe first as usual. When he came out, he saw Li Sanjiang standing at the northern edge of the terrace, a cigarette between the fingers of his left hand and his thing in his right. In front of him, illuminated by moonlight, was an arcing stream of water.

"Little Yuanhou, done washing?"

"I'm done, Great Grandfather. You go wash."

"Mm. Go wait for me in the room."

Li Sanjiang shook his shoulders, thrust out his chest, then swung his thighs back and forth.

Li Zhuiyuan understood then. He did not actually need the chamber pot at night.

Entering Great Grandfather's bedroom, Li Zhuiyuan found that the formation was still there, only it had been newly drawn.

After studying the formation, Li Zhuiyuan blinked in puzzlement. He could tell that tonight's formation was the same one as last night's, yet it still differed from the illustration in the Golden Sand Luo Text Scripture.

It was understandable for it to differ from the book, since it had been like that last night too.

"But why is it a little different from the one drawn last night as well?"

Li Zhuiyuan could only suspect that Great Grandfather had made minor adjustments based on the formation's effects last night.

First, he was still reading beginner-level books and had not yet reached the formation diagrams.

Second, his world was filled with rigor, and for the moment, he could not break free from his habitual rigid way of thinking to consider another possibility.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down in his place.

Before long, Li Sanjiang came in after finishing his bath. Today, he was wearing a pair of white briefs with a hole in them.

Just like yesterday, he first tied himself and Li Zhuiyuan together with a black rope, still in the same old spots. Then he lit the candle, and finally sat down inside the circle as well.

This time, Li Zhuiyuan watched carefully and discovered that Great Grandfather had pulled the Talisman Papers out of his briefs, which had no pockets.

He lit it, chanted a scripture, then, before it could burn his hand—

Smack!

He slapped it onto the ground.

The candle did not go out, nor did the light bulb flicker.

"Is it done, Great Grandfather?"

"No, wait a little longer."

After saying that, Li Sanjiang pulled out another talisman, lit it, and repeated the motion. This time, however, he slapped the talisman onto the floor with greater force.

Smack!!!

The crisp slap made Li Sanjiang's mouth twitch in pain.

But force produced results.

With a whoosh, all the candles went out, and the light bulb overhead obligingly flickered twice.

"It worked!"

Li Sanjiang let out a breath and said calmly, "Little Yuanhou, go to sleep. Remember, don't untie the rope."

"I understand, Great Grandfather."

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Li Sanjiang immediately blew on his palm.

"Phew, phew... hiss, hiss... it hurts so much."

After blowing on it, he looked toward the bed, and his face immediately turned bitter.

"Damn it, it can't be another zombie meeting tonight, can it?"

After returning to his bedroom, Li Zhuiyuan did not get into bed. Instead, he turned on the desk lamp, took out the fourth volume, and continued reading.

After finishing the fourth volume, he took out the fifth. But after reading only a few pages, he rested his forehead against the desk and fell asleep.

A grandmotherly figure appeared in the rice fields. If Li Zhuiyuan saw her now, he would recognize her as the one Niu Fu had carried on his hunched back.

She hunched over, green light gleaming in her eyes. Fine, dense fur slowly began to grow over her face, once crisscrossed with deep wrinkles.

Her figure vanished from where she stood. The next moment, she appeared in the yard, then vanished again. This time, she appeared inside a room on the first floor.

She stopped amid the piles of Paper Crafting and looked at all the paper people, paper horses, paper houses... She tilted her head, and an eerie smile appeared on her face.

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes and raised his head. He had actually fallen asleep while reading.

He planned to take a quick piss before going to bed, doing it the way Great Grandfather had demonstrated.

He got up, walked to the bedroom door, opened it, and stepped outside. Li Zhuiyuan did not notice that behind the Small Desk, another him was still resting his head on the desk, sleeping soundly.

When he came outside, the cool night breeze made Li Zhuiyuan feel refreshed.

But very soon, he heard noisy commotion coming from downstairs.

Who was making such a racket so late at night?

No... Great Grandfather's Home was quiet even during the day.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the edge of the terrace and leaned over to listen.

He heard men and women talking and singing, horses neighing, cats and dogs calling out—every kind of sound. The first floor seemed to be holding a wild dance party.

But the first floor only had a huge pile of Paper Crafting. Could it be...?

Li Zhuiyuan was startled at first, then realized: Oh, I must be dreaming.

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze swept downward. To his astonishment, he saw a figure in a purple qipao standing in the yard—Qin Li!

Huh, why did you come out of the Door Threshold by yourself?

No.

That's not it.

Why are you in my dream?!