Lin County

Once I had a target, things moved quickly. I began searching the entire county for a kiln. Only with a dedicated electric ceramic kiln could I bake good Soul Urns.

Yu Xiaoxue did not know what I was looking for, but since she was not attending school, she had plenty of free time. As long as she could stay with me, sitting in the car counted as a trip to her.

The result disappointed me. The enormous county had no high-temperature sintering kiln of the kind I needed. Even if there had been one, it would have cost several thousand yuan apiece—far beyond what I could afford.

Remembering that there were quite a few brick factories in the neighboring county where my mother lived, I figured they ought to have one of these things, so I took out my phone.

"Mom, I'm looking for a high-temperature sintering kiln to fire ceramics. Do we have one at home?" I called my mother. She had opened an agricultural machinery shop with her savings, so there was a chance she had one.

"What high-temperature sintering kiln? That thing costs over ten thousand yuan, doesn't it? Are you opening a factory?" My mother sounded puzzled over the phone.

"No, it's just a hobby. I want to fire some small bottles and jars. Palm-sized ones will do."

"Oh, we do have a kiln at home, but it's been sitting there for ages because no one wants to buy it," my mother replied.

I immediately became excited. I went to the bank and withdrew the remaining thousand yuan I had.

At the gas station, I spent over four hundred yuan filling the car's tank, then drove toward the neighboring county. If I took the expressway, the round trip should take only three or four hours.

When I arrived, I parked outside the shop. My mother thought an engineering contractor had come to buy something, but when she came out and saw me, she froze.

"This car..." Seeing the luxurious Audi SUV, my mother was astonished. She peered inside, but there was no one else there.

Only Yu Xiaoxue climbed down from the passenger seat. "Auntie! I'm here!"

"Oh my, Xiaoxue, how did you come here with Tian? Where's your father?" My mother was shocked. She had thought everyone from Little Yi Village had died.

"Tian brought me out of Little Yi Village. My father disappeared, and we couldn't find him. But Tian said he would help me look for him later." Yu Xiaoxue explained sadly, taking my mother's hand as she sniffled.

My mother had always been close to the people in the village, and she treated Yu Xiaoxue like a daughter. She immediately hugged her and comforted her. "Don't cry. If we can't find him, we'll look slowly. There's no need to rush."

Xiaoxue nodded.

"Mom, where's the kiln?" I asked impatiently.

"It's inside. I tied it up for you. Carry it up yourself. My back is bad, and A-Fei just went back to his hometown yesterday." My mother pointed toward the kiln by the door.

A-Fei was a worker my mother had hired. A business like this couldn't do without someone strong enough to handle the heavy lifting.

There was no time to lose, so I went to carry the kiln. I found it quite heavy, and in the end I could only drag it to the back of the car. With Yu Xiaoxue and my mother helping, I finally got it loaded.

"This is a nice car. Whose is it?" Seeing the luxurious interior, my mother sounded uneasy, worried that I had stolen it.

"Oh, it belongs to your future little daughter-in-law. What do you think, Mom? Does she seem reliable?" I bared my teeth in a grin. The elder daughter-in-law was definitely Sister-in-law, so there was only room for a younger one.

Yu Xiaoxue immediately became unhappy and pouted at me.

"You and your big mouth. You keep calling her your little daughter-in-law," my mother scolded me when she saw how unhappy Yu Xiaoxue was. She knew about Sister-in-law's situation and, like Grandma, did not dare show the slightest disrespect. After all, Sister-in-law had saved her son.

Seeing my mother take her side, Yu Xiaoxue returned the favor. "Hmph, Auntie, the car belongs to Sister Zhao Qian. Tian saved her, so she invited us to stay at her villa. She isn't Tian's future little wife!"

"Then who is his little wife? Is it our Xiaoxue?" My mother teased Yu Xiaoxue like a child. She did not know who Zhao Qian was, but she had adored Yu Xiaoxue since the girl was little.

Yu Xiaoxue's face turned bright red, and she could not get a word out. She really wanted to nod, but she felt too embarrassed when she looked at me.

"Mom, where's that book of Grandma's? The one I asked you to keep for me. I need it now." After closing the rear door, I asked my mother. After all, if I had managed to leave Little Yi Village alive, she must have guessed what had happened to me.

Once Grandma died, Little Yi Village was bound to vanish. Getting out alive had taken more than luck.

"It's in the hidden compartment in your room, behind the false wall. Have you eaten?" My mother looked at me, asking only whether I had eaten.

"Not yet. Xiaoxue and I just had some snacks on the street." After saying that, I entered the house. The family was poor too; the goods in the storefront had all been taken from distributors on consignment, with payment made only after they sold.

"I've cooked. Eat before you leave." My mother had no intention of keeping me there. I had been raised by Grandma since I was little, and she knew I could never stay home for long. In the past, staying ten days or half a month had already counted as a long visit.

I nodded and took Yu Xiaoxue to the kitchen. After hurriedly shoveling down a few mouthfuls, I went to my bedroom.

The bedroom was not large. It held only a bed and a cabinet, arranged simply and neatly. It seemed my mother took care of it regularly, which warmed my heart.

The hidden compartment was behind a tile in the dado. Once I removed it, there was another layer inside, containing Grandma's book with its cover missing.

I took it out and casually flipped through a few pages, then laughed bitterly. Many pages had been scribbled over, covered in all kinds of messy cartoons. They looked ridiculous.

Yet no matter how battered it was, its importance to me was beyond question. The success or failure of the Soul Urns depended entirely on this book. Back then, it had been my treasure.

Of course, I had memorized everything in the book. It was just that some of the finer details were easy to overlook, and having it with me while making the Soul Urns would save me a great deal of effort when I followed its drawings.

I went downstairs, and Yu Xiaoxue had finished eating as well. I pulled my mother aside and said, "Mom, Grandma was murdered. When I went back to Little Yi Village this time, I almost didn't make it out either. But I wasn't the most tragic one. Xiaoxue's father, Zhang Yidan, and Zhou Xuan are all dead. Zhou Xuan was..." I sighed. "They suffered more than I did. I can't swallow this grievance. I have to take revenge."

I wanted to tell her that Zhou Xuan had been refined into a Walking Corpse, but when I thought of how brutal it was, I swallowed the words.

"Your mother knew this day would come. Your life has been frail since birth, yet you've carried a heavier burden than anyone. Whoever died because of you, you must avenge. It's only right!" My mother sighed heavily, her gaze unwavering.

"Mom, I understand. I won't be here, so you must be careful." I nodded. In truth, the only person I could not let go of was my mother.

"You don't need to worry about me. If there's anything you can't handle, call home. Your mother will carry it for you." My mother spoke resolutely, then handed me a stack of money. "Take these three thousand yuan for now. If it isn't enough, call me again."

"Keep it for your expenses. This little money wouldn't even cover my late-night snacks. Your son can afford a luxury car—I've got plenty of money. I'm heading back to the county; I still have a lot to do there." Although I was now so poor I had only a few hundred yuan left, I couldn't ask my mother for money. Even if I had to slap my face swollen, I still had to pretend I was well-fed.

After exchanging a few casual farewells, I took Yu Xiaoxue and returned to the county.

It was already past five when we arrived. I bought a set of tools for making ceramics on the way, then returned to the residential complex.

I checked the time. The two little princesses had probably slept for four or five hours and would need a while longer, but it was dinnertime now, so I had Yu Xiaoxue go wake them.

I took the prepared dishes to reheat them myself, then cooked a pot of rice and waited.

Women were all incredibly difficult to serve. After Zhao Qian and Han Shanshan were called up, they took turns combing their hair and dressing up in the bathroom. They did not arrive until the rice was cooked and everything had been placed on the table.

Someone had called her up, and hot food had been waiting for her. Zhao Qian was deeply moved by the care. She usually lived alone and had never enjoyed this kind of family warmth. Looking at the scene before her, she nearly burst into tears.

I handed Zhao Qian a pair of chopsticks. She accepted them, her face faintly flushed. She had rested fairly well that day because, while asleep, she had known there were people in the house.

Compared with Zhao Qian, Han Shanshan's complexion was much better. When she saw that I had not handed her chopsticks, she snatched the bowl and chopsticks from my hands and began eating shamelessly. "Heh heh, I didn't know you were so good at taking care of people. No wonder Sister Zhao Qian has seemed to care more about her looks ever since she got together with you. She's been in the bathroom forever."

The small mouthful of rice Zhao Qian had just swallowed shot right out. Grains spattered all over my face, and she turned red with embarrassment, unsure how to explain herself.

Yu Xiaoxue immediately became unhappy. Why did they keep dragging Tian and Zhao Qian together? Why couldn't they drag her into it?

"Can you just eat without talking?" I glared at Han Shanshan and went to get a napkin to wipe my face.

Han Shanshan stuck out her tongue. How could she have known Zhao Qian would react so strongly?

"I'm sorry, Tian. I didn't mean to. Please don't blame me." Zhao Qian spoke guiltily as she handed me a napkin.

"It's not your fault." How could I blame her? She had already become such a pitiful little thing.

"Hmph, hmph." Han Shanshan snorted through her nose, looking as though she was certain there was something illicit between us.

"Han Shanshan, come outside with me after you finish eating." I was speechless at her. Han Shanshan was missing a screw in her head; if I said too much, she might even become smug. It was better to say nothing and let her snort to her heart's content.

"What? You want to challenge me, the criminal police officer, to a one-on-one fight? I'm warning you, your sister here is very strong." Han Shanshan waved her little fists.

I laughed blankly. "Strong, are you? Then later, help me move the electric kiln from the back of the car into the courtyard."

"Hehe, isn't it just an electric oven? You can't even move an oven, you little weakling. You're far too frail. Fine, since you worked so hard for our team today, your sister will reluctantly give you a hand." Han Shanshan dismissed it. She probably thought it was an ordinary oven for roasting meat.

"Yeah, it's an electric oven. Be careful when you set it down. I'm counting on this thing to make a living later. If you can't move it, you'll be worse than even this little weakling." I sneered.

Han Shanshan snorted again, then took the keys and went outside to move the oven.

After we finished eating and went out to check on her, she still had not managed to move the oven down and was drenched in sweat.

When she saw me come out, Han Shanshan shouted, "Xia Yitian! You tricked me! This isn't an oven at all!"

"Doesn't it say so right here? Never gone to school?" I pointed at the two characters for "oven" on the packaging box.