Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Runsheng Hou, stop the tricycle for a bit."

Runsheng stopped the tricycle, bent down, and reached for the brake lever.

Li Sanjiang took money out of his pocket without counting it and handed it to Runsheng: "Go buy some buns over there, and then go to the shop next door and buy me a bottle of wine."

"What, drinking alcohol this early in the morning?"

"Just go when I tell you to, where's all this nonsense coming from?"

"Alright."

Runsheng bought the buns and wine and came back.

Li Sanjiang used his teeth to bite open the bottle cap, shook his head and spat at the same time, then picked up the wine bottle and took a big gulp.

"Ah... ah... hu..."

The effect of that gulp of wine this early in the morning was too strong, he had to continuously bite into several buns to suppress it.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Uncle, I left in a hurry this morning, I didn't bring any money."

"Then why did you buy so many buns? They'll all be cold by the time you take them back."

"They're still delicious cold, these are meat buns!"

"Let's go, let's go, let's go home."

"Then sit tight, and don't fall off if you get too drunk."

Li Sanjiang rolled his eyes at him, and then lifted the wine bottle for another gulp.

When he was about to bite into another bun, he let out a wine burp, then suddenly became downcast, his eyes brimming with tears. He could only turn his head, reach out and grab Runsheng's vest, and wipe his eyes.

Runsheng turned his head to look and asked: "Uncle, you should be happy for me, why are you crying again?"

"Happy, I'm happy about nothing."

"Xiao Yuan falling under your household register isn't something to be happy about?"

"What use is an old man's household register? Can it compare to a city household register? Can it compare to a Jingli household register?"

"What about a Jingli household register?"

"What? It's like a carp that finally managed to jump the dragon gate, but then it jumped back down from the dragon gate and turned back into a carp."

"Being a carp is also pretty good, that way Xiao Yuan doesn't have to leave."

Li Sanjiang sighed, raised his hand, and gave himself two slaps.

This morning, he was called to the civil affairs bureau by the village head. As soon as he went in, he was surrounded by several staff members. Documents were placed in front of him, and they said it was Xiao Yuan Hou's mother's request, wanting to transfer the child's household register here.

He felt baffled at the time, although he genuinely liked this child, he would absolutely not do something that would ruin the child's future!

But the people meant that it seemed something had happened to Xiao Yuan Hou's mother, and the child's household register problem had to be solved. If he didn't sign today, the documents would be returned, and Xiao Yuan Hou would become a black household, unable to attend school later.

With a mix of red and white faces, they urged him on, and Li Sanjiang signed the document in a daze.

Now, although he had drunk wine, the wind had cleared his head somewhat. Even if the child's Grandpa Bei didn't want him, the household register should fall under Li Weihan's name, what did it mean to fall under his name?

Although the child lived here now, what did that have to do with him?

However, now it did.

Li Sanjiang lowered his head and looked at the bag at his feet. Inside were the household register booklet and other documents.

"Damn it, why is the work efficiency of public institutions so high today?"

He pulled out the household register book, flipped it open, and saw a name added under his household head.

Li Sanjiang's heart was filled with mixed emotions. The Li family had finally produced a golden phoenix that flew to Jingli and even laid an egg, but this egg was thrown back home:

"Alas, worked hard for several decades, one night back to liberation before."

...

"Alright, it was only one night, how did it all go back?"

Liu Yumei held a teacup in her hand. The tea had cooled, and she didn't drink it.

Looking at her granddaughter sitting motionless on the doorstep, she felt a bitterness in her mouth. When she drank the tea, it was even more bitter.

Last night she was overjoyed and wept, if she had known earlier she would have saved some tears, now she wanted to cry but couldn't.

She looked up at the boy sitting on the wicker chair on the second-floor balcony, seriously reading a book, only occasionally lowering his head to look at A Li when turning a page.

Liu Yumei really wanted to scold him: Why are you just looking, boy!

If it were ordinary children fighting, they would just shout at each other: "Humph, I'm never playing with you again!"

Then they would just sulk and ignore each other, which was quite common and quite normal.

But Liu Yumei knew that this kind of thing would not happen to her granddaughter, and it was even less likely to happen to that boy. That child was smart and steady, and wouldn't do such childish things.

So, what exactly was going on between the two of them?

After much hesitation, Liu Yumei still stood up and walked into the main house.

Normally, she wouldn't enter here, and she certainly wouldn't go upstairs, but today, she had to make an exception.

Just when she saw A Li steadily getting better, she suddenly returned to her original state. Her heart was like a stone that had been burned hot and then had a basin of water poured on it, it was about to crack from the pain.

She had to ask what exactly happened, it wasn't that she was biased, but when something happened, she had to ask the boy. If she could get words out of A Li's mouth, would she still need to come here?

When she got close, the boy also stood up holding the book.

"Xiao Yuan, Grandma came to chat with you."

"Grandma, please sit."

Liu Yumei sat down on the wicker chair where A Li used to sit, her peripheral vision glancing at the book in the boy's hand, she only felt it was a bunch of scribbles, she simply didn't understand what was written.

"Reading, huh?"

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan politely placed the book beside him, turning his body slightly towards Liu Yumei and appearing to be listening intently. Well, the book he was looking at was "Liu Clan Wang Qi Jue".

"What about you and A Li?"

"Grandma, it's my fault."

He had received a huge blow last night because of Li Lan's words on the phone.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at the palm of his hand that he had wrapped up.

He was A Li's balcony, she mustered up the courage to walk out of the darkness and onto the balcony, starting to carefully observe and contact this world.

Just yesterday, A Li discovered that bricks had appeared on the balcony, meaning this balcony might be sealed off.

It was hard to imagine how desperate the girl was when she saw the wound from self-harm on his palm last night.

She had already imprisoned herself in a pitch-black dry well. One day, a rope was lowered, and someone at the wellhead kept talking to her. Just as she was preparing to climb up the rope, she found that the person above, who had always encouraged her, was cutting the rope.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that because the girl's eyes were once filled with him, his sinking would cause her greater injury and blow.

No, she came last night, she wanted to accompany him, she was not afraid of his sinking, she could not accept his giving up.

Like Li Lan, giving up the struggle, self-abandonment.

The light in her eyes was him, but he extinguished it last night.

"Sigh, what's the point of quibbling about who's right and who's wrong now? Grandma just wants to ask you, Xiao Yuan, do you still have a way to make A Li go back to how she was before?"

"Yes."

Liu Yumei's face showed excitement: "Really? How?"

"Not yet, Grandma, I need some time."

"You need time... what exactly are you doing?"

"Reading."

"Reading?"

Liu Yumei frowned slightly. She suspected the boy in front of her was teasing her, but then she suddenly felt it was very reasonable. In her impression, it seemed that before, the boy was just reading on this second floor, and then A Li took the initiative to walk towards him.

Could it be that her granddaughter liked a bookish atmosphere?

Liu Yumei pondered, was it because she liked to dress A Li in ancient costumes and usually liked to read scripts like "Romance of the West Chamber"?

"Grandma, A Li has already gone back to the room."

"What?" Liu Yumei looked down and found that A Li was still sitting on the doorstep with her back to them, not moving at all. "Isn't she still there?"

"I have to find a way to call A Li out again, and then I can apologize to her face to face."

Liu Yumei was a little confused, but looking at the boy's orderly words, she inexplicably felt at ease.

"Then you, keep reading."

"Alright, Grandma."

Liu Yumei went downstairs.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up "Liu Clan Wang Qi Jue" again. These scribbled words, if his line of sight moved away for a while, he would have to start from the beginning to find the feeling, otherwise he simply wouldn't understand.

After reading another page, when turning the page, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the girl downstairs.

He had no dissatisfaction with the girl's sudden "departure", he liked this feeling of being needed very much.

He finally had something that he couldn't take off his mask for.

Li Lan, you sought failure, I found it.

Back downstairs, Liu Yumei's expression also relaxed somewhat, and she brewed another pot of tea for herself.

Just then, Runsheng rode the tricycle up the embankment.

"Uncle, we're home, we're home, Uncle, wake up, wake up."

Liu Yumei went up and asked: "What's wrong?"

"Too Grandpa is drunk."

"Oh, did you go out and drink early wine?"

"He just drank and got drunk." Runsheng took out the empty wine bottle from the car, bottle mouth down, it was really not a single drop.

"You carry him up."

"Okay."

Runsheng grabbed Li Sanjiang's shoulder with his left hand, and smoothly slid his right hand along, the whole person swayed, and Li Sanjiang was on his back.

Liu Yumei asked: "Who taught you to carry like that?"

"Ah, no one taught me? I'm just used to carrying many corpses."

"Remember not to carry like that next time, it's unlucky."

"Okay, I know."

Liu Yumei waved her hand, driving away the smell of wine in front, and at the same time signaled Runsheng to quickly carry the person away.

Runsheng ran into the house and went up to the second floor in one breath.

Liu Yumei then walked back to her tea table, habitually using her index and ring fingers to hold the teacup.

When she lifted it, it was half empty, the cup body suddenly shook, but not a drop of the tea soup inside spilled out.

Liu Yumei said in surprise:

"Is this, filled up again?"

...

"Xiao Yuan, help me open the door, your Too Grandpa is drunk."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the screen door and helped Runsheng settle Li Sanjiang on the bed. Li Sanjiang's face was flushed red, looking completely drunk.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng walked out of the room.

"What exactly happened?"

Too Grandpa loved to drink alcohol, but not to the point of drinking as soon as he woke up in the morning.

Runsheng scratched his head and said: "Xiao Yuan, your household register has been moved to Uncle's place, and it seems that your school registration and everything have also been transferred over."

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned, so fast?

In the phone call last night, Li Lan said she wanted his household register transferred over. He said he was living at Li Sanjiang's house, deliberately hinting, and very obviously, Li Lan understood.

Of course, it would be strange if she didn't understand, they mother and son understood each other's thoughts.

However, this time the efficiency was not only high, but the school registration could also be transferred over. It seemed that the project Li Lan wanted to participate in this time was indeed very important, and settling family members was handled as a special matter, even that group of old professors couldn't stop it.

"Xiao Yuan, I'm going down to eat buns first."

"Mm, go ahead, Brother Runsheng."

After Runsheng went downstairs, Li Zhuiyuan took a basin and washed a towel, then pushed open Li Sanjiang's room door again and walked in.

Li Sanjiang was lying on the bed, his left arm across his forehead, his feet spread apart.

Li Zhuiyuan wrung the towel dry and handed it to Li Sanjiang.

"Too Grandpa, wipe your face."

Li Sanjiang didn't move.

"Too Grandpa's alcohol tolerance is good, he's not drunk. When he's really asleep, he snores."

"Cough cough..." Li Sanjiang opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhuiyuan by the bed, "Xiao Yuan Hou, Too Grandpa did something wrong."

"No, it's Too Grandpa who took me in."

"You're still young, you probably don't know what a Jingcheng household register means."

"Too Grandpa, that's not that important."

"What does a young child like you understand? When you grow up, you'll definitely regret it to death. Listen to Too Grandpa, try to find your Grandpa Bei and let them handle it back for you."

"Too Grandpa, I'm surnamed Li now."

"Alas, tell me, what is your mother doing? You don't feel heartache, but Too Grandpa does. Too Grandpa is sorry for you, really sorry for you, my family's young child's future has just been ruined like this."

"Too Grandpa, it doesn't matter, at most I'll follow Li... follow my mom, and test into a big city university."

"Right, the matter of going to school, I almost forgot!"

Li Sanjiang sat up from the bed like a carp, then quickly ran to the stool and opened the bag containing the household register and other documents.

"Too Grandpa still needs to ask someone to find a school for you. Is Shennan Primary School okay? Forget it, Shigan is a bit bigger, we'll go to Shigan for primary school."

"Primary school..."

"Let me tell you, Xiao Yuan Hou, you can play however you want during the summer vacation, but when school officially starts, you absolutely cannot fall behind, you must put your mind on studying."

"Too Grandpa, do you know anyone in the school?"

"If I don't know anyone, can't I find someone? Even if I can't find someone directly, I can find someone indirectly and safely send money."

"I heard that schools also divide into good and bad classes. We'll make some effort, and we must send you to a good class. Right, Xiao Yuan, what grade are you in?"

"Too Grandpa, that Uncle Tan from last time is pretty good."

"Uncle Tan, which Uncle Tan?"

"The Captain Tan from the police station."

"We've only met him twice, we're not familiar, besides, he's not in a school."

"Shigan Town is only so big, it will be more convenient if he comes forward. He even invited me to his home to play last time. I'll take the documents over there later and ask him."

"Okay, then Too Grandpa will go with you."

"No need, in case he can't handle it, it will be more awkward if you go again. It's more suitable for a child like me to open my mouth."

"Then that's it for now, you can ask him when you go to his home, and I'll also look for people here."

Seeing Li Sanjiang agree, Li Zhuiyuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was reluctant to leave here now, but he also didn't want to be arranged into primary school by Too Grandpa at once.

Although he hadn't contacted Captain Tan many times, he owed him a favor last time and should help. The main thing was to help him skip a grade, preferably to the third year of high school.

That way, after a year, he could participate in the college entrance examination.

If he wanted to shorten the time, he could also participate in the national math competition held every winter to get a recommendation quota.

However, where should he go to university?

Since Li Lan didn't want to see him, he wouldn't go to her place.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a school, this school from its name to its major, were all very suitable for him now... Haihe University.

Thinking of this, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but smile in his heart and say:

Brother Liangliang, it seems we will really be alumni in the future.

Too Grandpa scratched his ears and cheeks, thinking about his connections, while Li Zhuiyuan walked out and continued reading.

It wasn't until Aunt Liu called for dinner at noon that he put down his book and went downstairs to eat.

Sitting on his small stool, he looked at the empty space beside him and the table where the girl's small dish was not placed, and his heart felt truly empty.

He turned his head to look and found that A Li's small dining table had been moved to the east house, and Aunt Liu was dividing and choosing the amount of vegetables for her while persuading her.

Finally, A Li picked up her chopsticks and started to eat.

Liu Yumei nodded with gratification. When she stood up again, she only felt some soreness in her waist. Before, A Li would eat after a single sentence from the boy, where did she need to persuade her for so long?

For a moment, a sense of urgency suddenly arose in her heart. She was getting older and older. If A Li's illness was still not good after she passed away, who would take care of A Li?

Li Sanjiang also came down to eat. After sitting down, he glanced and saw Li Zhuiyuan sitting alone, then looked again and found that the girl was sitting in the east house. Immediately, he threw down his chopsticks and said in dissatisfaction:

"I say, do you have to be so realistic? Our Xiao Yuan Hou doesn't just not have a Jingcheng household register, good grief, now you don't even want to eat at the same table?"

As soon as the words fell, he saw Pansheng and Leizi running over, their faces covered in sweat.

"Too Grandpa, Too Grandpa, it's not good, something happened to Sihai's family fish pond. Just when they were lifting the pond, a lot of red water suddenly turned over inside, like blood. Sihai and those who went down to the fish pond to spread the net, their bodies all rotted!"

"Too Grandpa, the people over there asked the two of us to come and invite you to take a look."

"What?" Li Sanjiang rubbed his hands and stood up, "Runsheng, let's go, let's go take a look!"

After hearing the description, Li Zhuiyuan silently thought: Is it Ground Yin Red Evil?

Liu Yumei stroked her temple, also in doubt. How could there be Ground Yin Red Evil in this land?

Runsheng reluctantly put down his rice bowl and followed Li Sanjiang.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go. Before he confirmed that the problem with his own fortune was solved, he wouldn't go near the water.

Back on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan opened his book again and continued reading.

If it was just Ground Yin Red Evil, there shouldn't be any danger on Too Grandpa's side, because this pattern of Ground Yin Red Evil would only appear at the bait hole position.

From ancient times to the present, it was not only famous mountains and auspicious veins that could bury things, in fact, many ancient people would choose to bury things in river channels, such as tombs, temples, treasures, and so on.

Mud and sand silt up, and the river channel changes, making it easier to quickly form a "great changes in the mountains and rivers" change, making it more difficult for people to find.

Ground Yin Red Evil is a relatively traditional feng shui mechanism pattern arrangement. Once it is touched and broken, the things inside can quickly roll and surge along the water, causing injury to those who peek.

But it is basically all used in bait holes, which are deliberately arranged traps, specifically for fishing for water monkeys.

However, this can also explain that there is likely a main hole nearby, just not knowing what exactly is buried inside.

Li Zhuiyuan was not interested in finding it, because if there were conditions to arrange Ground Yin Red Evil, the construction that year was definitely also a "live burial", not referring to being buried alive, but referring to the construction of buildings under the water, which could move along with the changes in the water pattern.

Therefore, it is possible that when it was built that year, the bait holes and the main hole were standardized, but now, it's long since been messed up. Even if you know one bait hole, you can't calculate the position of the main hole.

Sihai's family was also unlucky. He didn't know if his family's fish pond was just dug on a bait hole, or if a bait hole moved under his family's fish pond.

Of course, if it wasn't either of the above two situations, then the matter might have just changed, and it's possible that a water monkey was indeed hooked up.

The whole afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan was reading. Too Grandpa and Runsheng didn't come back until dinner time.

During dinner, Li Sanjiang talked about what happened to Sihai's family.

Two outsiders wanted to contract Sihai's family fish pond at a high price to raise soft-shelled turtles. So, although it wasn't time to lift the pond yet, Sihai still decided to clear the pond and rent it out.

As a result, at noon, when Sihai and his son went down to the pond to spread the net, something happened. Together with the two outsiders who were helping in the pond at the time, all four people's bodies were as if they had been rolled over by lime water, they were badly burned and rotted. Although they were not dead and were sent to the hospital, their appearance was really scary.

The nearby villagers were all terrified. Li Sanjiang spent the afternoon doing rituals there. As soon as the rituals were finished, the red water in the pond subsided. The villagers all said it was Uncle Sanjiang who suppressed the evil.

When he said this, Li Sanjiang still felt good and touched his chin, and conveniently took a gulp of wine.

Li Zhuiyuan then guessed that it should be that after the Ground Yin Red Evil was touched and released, the bait hole opened, and the water in the pond finally all poured into the bait hole.

Besides, those two outsiders were really warm-hearted, not only contracting the fish pond at a high price, but also helping to clear the fish pond together.

After the meal, Li Zhuiyuan was preparing to go upstairs and do horse stance, but was mysteriously called by Runsheng.

"Xiao Yuan, come here for a moment."

Li Zhuiyuan followed Runsheng to the tricycle. Runsheng lifted the white plastic cloth on top, and inside lay a shovel with a handle that had years on it.

"Xiao Yuan, look, doesn't this shovel look a bit like our Yellow River shovel? But only a bit, and it's not as good as ours."

Li Zhuiyuan took the shovel, tried folding and deforming it a few times. The core structure was indeed the same as the Yellow River shovel, but the details in the design were too different.

However, this thing was indeed old, with many repair marks, it could be considered an antique.

"Brother Runsheng, did you pick this up by the fish pond today?"

"Mm, I didn't dare tell Uncle, I secretly picked it up and brought it back, because I smelled a smell of corpse on it."

Li Zhuiyuan leaned over and smelled it. He didn't smell it, but he believed Runsheng's judgment, because professional corpse salvagers often had a kind of ordinary people's hard-to-understand sensitivity to the smell of water corpses.

"Is it those two outsiders?"

"I don't know, when we went, all four people were severely injured, and this thing was just thrown by the pond."

"You did very well, Brother Runsheng."

"Ah... I thought you would blame me for stealing things, Xiao Yuan."

"This is not an ordinary thing."

An imitation Yellow River shovel with years on it, and it still carried the smell of water corpses, almost clearly indicating that it was definitely something used by that group of water monkeys.

Water monkeys refer to thieves under the water. When they steal and dig, if they are detected by people on the shore, they will often drag people down into the water and kill them to silence them. Therefore, rumors of water monkeys specifically looking for substitute ghosts are also circulated everywhere.

"Xiao Yuan, is it useful?"

"Useful, Brother Runsheng, if you smell such a smell again in the future, remember to remind me in time."

"Alright, no problem."

"Oh, by the way, Brother Runsheng, accompany me to play cards for a while."

"What, accompany you to play cards?" Runsheng thought of the scene where Xiao Yuan was a big winner at the hall mouth that day. In his eyes, Xiao Yuan was simply another gambling god, Gao Jin.

"Just play a few hands, no money involved."

There was an unopened deck of playing cards in the drawer. Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng sat face to face. Runsheng shuffled and dealt the cards. It was very simple, all three-card stud. After dealing, they would directly open the cards and compare sizes.

They dealt twenty hands, Runsheng won eight hands, and he won twelve hands.

Li Zhuiyuan then changed to shuffling and dealing himself. After twenty hands, he won nine hands, and Runsheng won eleven hands.

It seemed that the special fortune on his body had disappeared?

But, what price did he pay?

Li Zhuiyuan sat there, continuing to play with the playing cards in his hand. He was always waiting for a big one to come, but that big one never came.

Forget it, don't think about it. He would find Runsheng to play cards and compare sizes again tomorrow morning. If it was still this kind of normal win-loss ratio, then he could go out.

East house.

Aunt Liu was combing Liu Yumei's hair and sighed: "That Xiao Yuan's household register fell here, this child, his fortune is really not good, he took such a big fall."

"Took a big fall? Maybe that boy doesn't even feel anything."

"Is it because he's still young and doesn't understand?"

"A Ting, haven't you been in contact with him? Do you really feel like he's just a child?"

"Not like it."

"For ordinary people, encountering something like this, their fortune is probably ruined for a lifetime, and from then on, they'll be dejected."

"But this ladder of rules was originally built for ordinary people. For those who are truly talented, it's fundamentally nothing."

"Under a peaceful world, they can go up if they want to go up, and there are many ways, which ordinary people can't envy."

"You're right, that's indeed the reason."

"However, this is also good. Before, I was worried that he would leave after the summer vacation ends, but looking at it now, he will continue to live here for a while."

"Did Xiao Yuan say anything about A Li's illness?"

"He said he had a way, but he had to read a book."

"What kind of method is this?"

"Let's wait and see, we are old, we don't understand the matters of young people."

...

The next morning, when Li Zhuiyuan woke up, he habitually tilted his head to look, the chair by the door was still empty.

"Alas..."

After Li Zhuiyuan got up and washed, he read for a while outside. When he went down for breakfast, A Li was still not beside him.

After the meal, Li Zhuiyuan pulled Runsheng and, like last night, continued to play cards and compare sizes. The win-loss ratio was very healthy.

This time, he finally relaxed. He could go out.

...

"Team Tan, morning."

"Morning, Team Tan."

"Mm, morning."

Tan Yunlong wore casual clothes and rode his motorcycle into the office, greeting the colleagues he passed.

It wasn't actually early, it was already morning. He had also requested leave to be late because he had gone to his son's school to see the teacher early in the morning.

Students in the original second year of high school who were going into the third year of high school had a very short vacation and had already returned to school to start classes. His son had a fight outside the school last night, making a big commotion, almost triggering a group fight.

However, he didn't blame his son, because his son was protecting a bullied classmate.

Tan Yunlong was always very open about his son's studies. It was fine if his grades weren't the best, it was fine if he didn't get into a good university in the college entrance examination, as long as his character and values were positive.

This was also the reason why he had not hesitated to argue with his wife when transferring work and wanted to transfer his son to a school near his workplace, he had to watch this boy.

He had been a police officer for a long time and had seen too many evils. He knew that if a child's character was not well controlled, no matter how he was cultivated, it would be meaningless.

Walking into the office building, the colleagues he met along the way continued to greet him enthusiastically. Although a vicious case had happened in the jurisdiction, it was solved quickly, and for this, he was also rewarded.

Even the head of the office hinted to him to take this opportunity to make some connections. After all, the old relationships were still there, and with merit, he could logically transfer back. But Tan Yunlong had no action. He felt that being at the town police station was quite good.

Pushing open the office door, Tan Yunlong was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth and he closed the door.

He picked up a thermos, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to the boy in front of him.

The boy took something wrapped in newspaper from his feet and opened it in front of him. It was a shovel with a handle.

Cultivated relics unearthed from underground all belong to the country, and private theft is a crime, and their channels for selling stolen goods are often abroad, so they should be reported to the police in time.

After listening to the boy's concise narration, Tan Yunlong first stood up and walked out of the office, arranging for people to control the hospital ward. Then he closed the door and sat back down, seeing Li Zhuiyuan holding the teacup, continuously sipping several sips of hot tea without putting it down.

"It seems you have something you need my help with this time."

"Mm, Uncle Tan, I want to ask you to help me arrange enrollment, this is my file."

Tan Yunlong flipped through the documents and immediately said in confusion: "What kind of operation is this?"

"I want to go to school."

"Okay, I'll help you contact the town primary school, what grade were you in before?" Tan Yunlong held the school registration certificate, looked carefully again, "Youth class is primary school? This university name, tsk tsk, was the primary school you attended before an affiliated primary school of this university?"

"I want to skip a grade."

"Skip to the sixth grade? I know the educational resources in Jingli are good, but the competition among students here is also quite fierce. If it's just about theoretical examination ability, Jingli might not be as good as here."

"Third year of high school."

"Mm, third year of high school... What?" Tan Yunlong looked up and stared at the boy, "Are you sure you're not joking?"

"Uncle Tan, you just need to help me arrange the skip-grade process. I'll handle the exams and tests myself."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that there were skip-grade policies everywhere. Many classmates in his class at that time skipped up like this.

"Really?" Tan Yunlong became interested, "Listening to your tone, the college entrance examination has already ended, otherwise, you could directly prepare for the college entrance examination."

"Not yet, I still want to stay here for a while, I'm reluctant to leave."

"How about this, I can help you, but to avoid making a fool of myself, you have to come to my house for dinner tonight. My son is also about to enter the third year of high school."

"Not tonight, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow is fine."

Seeing the boy so calm, Tan Yunlong couldn't help but believe him, and asked: "Are you that kind of genius child?"

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, a more fitting description of himself seemed to be a sick child.

"Then why did you go and do that?" Tan Yunlong waved his hand, referring to salvaging corpses.

This time Li Zhuiyuan's answer was very firm:

"Fun, interesting."

"If you are really that kind of person, you should still study hard and serve the country."

"I'm not doing that."

"That's not what I mean. Okay, then tomorrow night, I'll go to your house to pick you up, I remember where you live."

"Alright." Li Zhuiyuan stood up and bowed to Tan Yunlong, "Thank you, Uncle."

Tan Yunlong also stood up, facing the boy sideways, and touched his head: "It's Uncle who should thank you."

Before noon, Li Zhuiyuan rode Runsheng's tricycle back home.

Several bricklayers came to the house and were building a house in the back.

Aunt Liu walked over with a smile and said to Li Zhuiyuan:

"Your Too Grandpa just asked about it, I said it was your requirement to build a handicraft room for yourself. Your Too Grandpa unexpectedly just nodded and didn't ask again, turned around and went into the house and took out money to give me, but I pushed it back, saying there was enough money."

"He asked me where the money came from, and I said Runsheng won it playing cards."

"Hey hey."

Runsheng, who was parking the car beside him, had a silly smile on his face.

Li Zhuiyuan then turned his head and reminded: "Brother Runsheng, why aren't you running quickly?"

"What?"

Suddenly, a figure rushed out of the main house, holding a vine strip used to make paper money, and rushed straight towards Runsheng:

"I told you not to learn bad things, who is it you learn from? You learn from your family's hillbilly who plays cards and gambles! See if I don't beat you to death, beat you to death!"

Runsheng ran, and Too Grandpa chased.

The two of them ran circles around the field in front of the embankment, fighting back and forth.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed in his heart, Too Grandpa's body is really good.

His illness was also completely gone, and he hadn't received bird droppings recently. It seemed that after the problem with his own fortune was solved, Too Grandpa also returned to normal.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan looked towards the east house. A Li was still sitting on the doorstep, motionless, like an exquisite sculpture.

These past few days, without the girl accompanying him, reading was really just reading.

Liu Yumei gave Li Zhuiyuan a look, hinting that he should go and try to contact A Li again.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go, but walked straight into the house and went upstairs. "Liu Clan Wang Qi Jue" was almost finished.

He had been staying up late every day during this period, forcing himself to increase his speed.

Liu Yumei sat on the chair, looking at the second floor, and an uncontrollable irritability rose in her heart again. Before, she was jealous because her granddaughter and the boy were intimate, but now she wished her granddaughter could be as close to the boy and play together as before.

But this boy was really just reading every day. Why don't you come over and try? If you don't try, how will you know if it's possible? A girl needs to be coaxed.

From childhood to adulthood, A Li had only this one playmate. Liu Yumei didn't believe her granddaughter had no feelings for the boy at all.

After lunch, Li Zhuiyuan continued to read. In the afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan finally finished the book.

He leaned back in the wicker chair, just taking the time to organize and sublimate the entire content of the book.

Although his eyes were closed, meteorological descriptions and pictures from the book were floating in his mind, his left and right hands were constantly making irregular gestures. To outsiders, this was a boy closing his eyes and fantasizing about being a music conductor, but in Li Zhuiyuan's perception, he was manipulating one water area environment after another, each different.

With this kind of book, the effect of rote memorization is limited. One must achieve a kind of mysterious state similar to art appreciation on the foundation of profound understanding, only then can it be considered truly mastered.

Fine beads of sweat seeped out on his face, his eyebrows sometimes tight and sometimes relaxed.

After thoroughly organizing everything, the boy opened his eyes, which were full of fatigue.

He sat up and discovered that his face was sticky. It turned out that he had a nosebleed, quite a lot, and his clothes were soaked red in a large area.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was a warning from his body from excessive use of his brain.

It only took him a few days to digest "Liu Clan Wang Qi Jue", even for him, it was a very challenging load. It was good that he completed it, but he might not continue to do this kind of thing in the future.

Otherwise, he was very worried that his mental problems would not come, and his body would break down first.

He bathed, changed clothes, and washed the bloody clothes himself. Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and told Aunt Liu that he was tired and wouldn't eat dinner, then he walked towards the back house again.

Li Sanjiang brought Runsheng to help the bricklayer master. The workshop was built against the back wall of the main house and could be completed before nightfall.

Li Zhuiyuan told Li Sanjiang that he wouldn't eat dinner, he stayed up too late reading and studying last night, he couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to sleep first.

He was originally just afraid that Too Grandpa would worry and even more afraid that Too Grandpa would come to check on him at night and disturb his rest, so he came to specially inform him.

But after hearing his words, Li Sanjiang's eyes immediately turned red, and he quickly waved his hand, signaling Li Zhuiyuan to go back to his room and rest.

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Li Sanjiang wiped his eyes with the back of his hand:

"He says he doesn't care to make me feel comfortable, but Xiao Yuan Hou is also anxious in his heart. Listen, he said his mind wasn't on studying before, when has he ever studied hard in the middle of the night?"

When he returned from the back house to the front of the house, he passed by the door of the east house. Li Zhuiyuan could only walk along the wall, keeping enough distance, otherwise A Li would have a stress response.

At a safe distance, Li Zhuiyuan stood there and looked at the girl for a long time.

He had worried before, would he not be able to adapt after returning to Jing and not seeing A Li?

Now he didn't need to worry, he knew he fundamentally couldn't adapt.

Just like A Li was originally used to the darkness, and he was originally used to various masks.

If he hadn't experienced it, everything could have been as usual, but precisely because he had experienced it... so, he couldn't go back.

"Xiao Yuan, come, drink tea with Grandma."

"No, Grandma, I'm tired, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

Back in the room, Li Zhuiyuan lay on the bed and started to sleep. He was really tired.

He slept until midnight. After waking up, he got out of bed and first went to Too Grandpa's room to get some things. Too Grandpa was sleeping very soundly, not even thunder could wake him up.

Then he went downstairs. The television was on, a fixed color picture.

Runsheng was lying on the table and on the ground, hugging the little black dog, sleeping very soundly.

This little black dog was now raised by Runsheng. Of course, it didn't need to be raised, because most of the time it was sleeping in its dog kennel. Too Grandpa only discovered that there was a dog in the house after several days.

"Brother Runsheng, wake up."

"Um... what is it, Xiao Yuan?"

"Brother Runsheng, follow me out for a trip, put on all your equipment."

"Okay!"

Li Zhuiyuan went to get some incense and candles, and also went to the kitchen to get some ingredients. When he came out, he saw Runsheng preparing to push the tricycle:

"Brother Runsheng, it's not far, we'll walk."

"Alright." Runsheng followed with a large hemp bag on his back, and asked in a low voice: "Xiao Yuan, are we going to deal with them?"

"Deal with who?"

"Just that group of guys who contracted the fish pond."

"The police will handle them."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"Ask people for help."

Runsheng turned his head and looked at the hemp bag on his back, then looked at the incense, candles, and sacrifices Li Zhuiyuan was holding:

"Ask people for help, and you have to bring this?"

Li Zhuiyuan led Runsheng to a fish pond. The fish pond was just opposite Big Beard's house.

Big Beard's wife had already followed her eldest son over. This house was currently planned to be sold, but firstly, the homestead land was not easy to sell to outsiders, and secondly, people had drowned in front of the door, and the matter was spread as very evil. Even if the price was very low, no one dared to take it over for the time being.

So, this was currently one of the quietest places in the village.

Li Zhuiyuan stood in front of the fish pond, first closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. The content of "Liu Clan Wang Qi Jue" floated in his mind.

Originally, it was he who led the little yellow warbler here. Now, he had to confirm whether the little yellow warbler was still here.

The color of the water pattern, the state of the water grass, the edge of the shore, including the wind blowing over it, all these subtle details formed the meteorological picture in Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly advanced along the edge of the fish pond, observing carefully. Finally, he confirmed that there was a hidden dead body in this fish pond.

The little yellow warbler was still here.

"Brother Runsheng, here, here, and there, all dig a small pit, and then insert the incense."

"Mm." Runsheng picked up the Yellow River shovel and got busy.

Li Zhuiyuan then threw the sacrifices he brought towards a specific position in the pond, then placed two candles at the leading position on the southwest side of the pond and lit them.

After doing all this, Li Zhuiyuan picked up a stack of yellow paper and burned it with the candle wick.

"Brother Runsheng, wait a while. Unless I call you, don't touch anything. Stand further away now, and then follow us."

Runsheng obediently stood far away, then said in doubt: "Follow us?"

Li Zhuiyuan waved the burning yellow paper and chanted:

"Little boy Li Zhuiyuan, please come out of the water, and after the matter is done, I will repay you with three sacrifices."

"Pa!"

The yellow paper slapped into the mud and went out.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, with his back to the pond, holding an incense burner in his left hand and a bell in his right hand.

Although Runsheng was standing far away, he could see clearly. He saw ripples suddenly appear on the surface of the pond behind Li Zhuiyuan, and immediately a long-haired woman's figure slowly came ashore.

Dead body!

Runsheng's breathing immediately became rapid. He wanted to shout that Xiao Yuan was in danger, but then he thought, this dead body was clearly brought up by Xiao Yuan himself.

Immediately, his brain turned another corner: Heavens, Xiao Yuan can actually bring up dead bodies!

He had followed his grandfather to salvage corpses since he was a child, and every time it was a passive response. He had never seen or thought that there could be such an active way!

Xiao Yuan, how did he do it?

Two ice-cold hands fell on his shoulders. Li Zhuiyuan felt his body sink, and immediately wet, slippery water stains soaked his clothes.

This familiar feeling came back again.

However, this time, he wasn't how afraid in his heart, but just to be safe, he still called out to Runsheng.

"Ding ding ding... ding ding ding... ding ding ding..."

The crisp sound of the bell rang out. Li Zhuiyuan began to move forward, and the figure behind him also followed him.

Under the moonlight,

Two figures, one tall and one short, were cast.

...

East house bedroom.

Liu Yumei held a palm-leaf fan and was fanning A Li. A Li had her eyes open and was still not asleep.

Before, that boy would coax her to sleep every night, and A Li would obediently close her eyes and try to fall asleep quickly so she could get up early to dress up and see him.

Suddenly, Liu Yumei seemed to sense something. She stood up and walked to the window to look outside. Immediately, she looked at A Li on the bed, and only saw that A Li, who originally had her eyes open, unexpectedly slowly closed them at this time.

"This... this is... this is..."

Even Liu Yumei, who had seen many storms, was speechless at this time because of shock. After a long time, she thought of what the boy had said to her the day before:

"Grandma, A Li is back in the house. I have to find a way to call A Li out again, and then I can apologize to her face to face."

A tearful smile appeared on Liu Yumei's face:

"No, now young people's night dates all start like this?"

...

Li Zhuiyuan shook the bell and held the incense burner, walked to the embankment, and then stopped.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

Although his body was wet and slippery, very cold and uncomfortable, he was still forcing himself into a sleep state.

Actually, he didn't need to really sleep, as long as he reached a trance state between half-dream and half-awake, he could successfully walk the yin.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he first looked behind him. The long-haired cheongsam figure was still there, but he couldn't see Runsheng's figure looking further away.

Mm, this was a successful entry into the dream.

"Wait a moment, I'll send you back after I'm done."

After saying that, Li Zhuiyuan put down the bell and incense burner in his hands, then walked forward by himself.

He detached from the restraint of those two hands, and the cheongsam figure still maintained the posture of raising both hands, motionless.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the front of the east house and stopped.

Soon, the girl's figure appeared.

This time, she finally no longer completely ignored him like during the day, but turned her gaze to him.

Midnight,

Pitch black,

On the embankment, stood a boy, a girl, and a dead body.

The boy looked at the girl and said sincerely:

"A Li, will you forgive me?"

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