Chapter 85

Chapter 83

He got out of bed and walked to the edge of the balcony to look down.

Aunt Liu was standing under a parasol tree, wearing a floral light shirt on her upper body, blue long pants on her lower body, and wooden sandals. Her beautiful hair was draped over her shoulders.

Compared to how she looked at Great Grandpa's house, she seemed much fresher and brighter, just like a female teacher who had been married for a few years at a university.

Li Zhuiyuan waved to her.

Aunt Liu smiled and pointed to the area in front of her, indicating that the young man should tidy himself up and then come down.

Li Zhuiyuan first went to wash up, then left a note for Tan Wenbin on the desk. Only then did he walk out of the dormitory building.

"Xiao Yuan, you seem to have grown taller again."

"Aunt Liu, you also look younger."

"Hehe, come, your Grandma Liu is waiting for you to come over and have breakfast together."

Li Zhuiyuan followed Aunt Liu out of the north gate, then walked along the road for a while before turning into a villa area.

Though it was called a villa area, the area was not very large, and the villas inside were not built to uniform specifications. Some houses still had signs hanging in front, indicating the identity of the previous owner.

"Right here."

Aunt Liu pushed open the courtyard door. Inside was a three-story Western-style house, not very tall but very spacious. The courtyard inside had obviously just been renovated, with newly arranged scenery.

Entering the courtyard, he lifted his head and saw Ar Li sitting on the second-floor balcony in a white dress.

The moment he saw the girl, Li Zhuiyuan felt his whole being relax.

He even began to reflect on whether he was too indifferent to Runsheng and Yinmeng, and to the people and things around him.

Beautiful things can make people involuntarily love life. There are countless beautiful existences in this world, but not many that can make a young man feel empathy.

The girl also spotted the young man. She stood up, resting both hands on the white railing. She didn't wave or stomp her feet, not even speak, but the curve of her mouth was clearly visible even from downstairs.

Aunt Liu stood aside, looking up for a while and then ahead. These two children, as long as they were together, were very pleasing to the eye.

Of course, where some see happiness, others naturally feel uncomfortable.

The screen door of the ground floor side room was pushed open, and Liu Yumei stood there, her eyelids slightly drooping:

"Hey, are you trying to starve this old lady me?"

Aunt Liu hurriedly averted her gaze, afraid she would burst into laughter at that moment.

"Grandma Liu."

"Ai, come here."

Liu Yumei's low mood clearly retracted as the young man walked towards her.

Living together, the feeling was not obvious. Only after truly separating did they often miss each other.

Having gotten along for a year, seeing each other almost every day, it was barely possible to say one sentence: the young man was watched by her as he grew up.

The dining room had a small round table. Liu Yumei sat in the main seat. Ar Li came down the stairs and sat with Li Zhuiyuan.

Liu Yumei asked: "Still adapting to school?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Adapting, everything is quite good."

"You look a bit haggard, didn't rest well last night?"

"Um, a bit."

"What were you doing up so late, sneaking out to set a fire?"

"Perhaps not, set a pretty big fire."

Aunt Liu first served the small dishes.

Li Zhuiyuan took a salted duck egg, and Ar Li also took one. Both knocked the hollow end of the duck egg on the table, then carefully peeled off one end, and very naturally exchanged them.

From the kitchen, Aunt Liu shouted: "Want vinegar? And sugar garlic too."

Liu Yumei: "No need, already on the table."

A steamer of soup dumplings, a steamer of shaomai, and a plate of fried dumplings were placed on the table. These were all made by Aunt Liu herself.

Next, came a bowl of yangchun noodles for each person.

The soup was clear and tempting. The noodles in the bowl were very neat, not like those that make people feel the taste is bland or even the noodles are undercooked.

But those who like to eat them are fond of this kind of refreshing and chewy texture. Putting any topping on it is not beautiful.

"Aunt Liu, thank you for your hard work."

"Not hard, without Runsheng and Zhuangzhuang, cooking is simple."

Liu Yumei asked: "What do you usually eat?"

"School hasn't started yet, the cafeteria is basically closed. Usually we eat outside school."

"If you're craving, come here. Let your Aunt Liu make something for you to eat. It's just a matter of adding one more set of bowls and chopsticks."

"Okay, thank you, Grandma."

"If Runsheng and the others want to come, they need to let me know in advance so I can prepare a big pot," Aunt Liu reminded.

"Um, will do."

After breakfast, Liu Yumei stood up and walked towards the door: "You and Ar Li play first. I'll go for a walk. When you come down later, I have something to say to you."

"Okay, Grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan and Ar Li went upstairs.

Ar Li's room was very spacious, furnished with a desk and a painting table.

Several paintings hung on the wall, depicting the main house at Great Grandpa's home, the dam, the east and west rooms, as well as the view of the rice fields and village from home.

Clearly, the girl didn't like it here. She preferred her original life.

The building didn't need to be that tall, the room didn't need to be that big. After dressing up in the morning, she could come to the young man's room and be the first thing he saw when he woke up.

The details in the paintings included a small table pieced together from wooden stools used during meal times, and the second-floor balcony with that pair of rattan chairs personally made by Qin Uncle.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped in front of the paintings. At this moment, he also missed it.

"Ar Li, do you want to go back?"

The girl nodded her head.

In the doorway, Aunt Liu, holding a fruit plate, stopped her steps.

Since moving, Ar Li had been constantly depressed. Originally, Liu Yumei had thought about waiting for a while before calling Xiao Yuan home, but in the end, she was still afraid of her granddaughter's condition regressing.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the paintings on the wall and said: "Because we came out, these past scenes and memories only appear more beautiful."

Ar Li took the young man's hand proactively. When she looked up at her own paintings on the wall again, her eyes gained much more spirit.

Aunt Liu smiled silently, gently knocked on the door, brought in the fruit plate, and pointed upwards: "You can go to the rooftop."

Li Zhuiyuan carried the fruit plate and Ar Li to the rooftop. This area had also been transformed. Under a sunshade umbrella, two identical rattan chairs were placed.

The two of them each lay down and started playing chess, simultaneously opening three games.

While playing chess, Li Zhuiyuan narrated his experiences after coming to school.

Every time he reached a key point, Ar Li's fingers would exert a slight force. She was trying to give a response, proving she was listening seriously.

After finishing speaking, Li Zhuiyuan felt a bit parched. He turned to eat the fruits.

He forked up a piece and handed it to the girl. The girl shook her head, blinking her eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan understood, put down the fork, lay back down, and closed his eyes.

What ordinary people call "walking into each other's hearts" is only an exaggerated description in text, but here with them, it is the most straightforward reality.

Opening his eyes, Li Zhuiyuan felt the hot wind and cool sunlight.

Lifting his head, the sun in the sky and its surrounding halo emitted a kind of pale white.

In the fields ahead and by the stream, there were terrifying existences, laboring and playing.

But while doing their own things, they were still deliberately stealing glances this way, with mockery and playfulness.

As if everything here was an absurd strangeness tailor-made for him.

Turning his head again, he saw the house and the doorstep behind it.

Ar Li, who left home, also walked out of that doorstep. She placed herself in the environment of a "terrifying wilderness."

Waiting to open his eyes again and return to reality, the young man's face was already covered in cold sweat.

He deliberately held on for a while longer, wanting to experience how Ar Li felt after closing her eyes.

The girl used her sleeve to wipe the boy's sweat, her eyes filled with a smile.

"Our Ar Li is really strong."

The sense of happiness can be enhanced through contrast, and the sense of pain can also be weakened as a result. Their companionship was about drawing confidence and strength from each other.

After lying down for a while longer, calming his mood and the discomfort of dizziness, Li Zhuiyuan first sent Ar Li back to her room, then came downstairs himself.

"Your Grandma Liu hasn't returned yet. Here, that side is the study. You can wait for her there."

"Okay, Aunt Liu."

Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the study door and walked in. Inside, there was no traditional desk, just a tea table. On the tea table was a stack of books, below it were envelopes, and behind it was a couch bed.

Sitting down on the stool opposite the tea table, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze involuntarily swept to the book on top — "Liu Family Wangqi Jue".

He reached out and flipped through it a bit, discovering the handwriting was clear and neat. Hmm, this is the ordinary version, no need to read.

Li Zhuiyuan simply brewed a pot of tea first. Just as the tea was brewed, Liu Yumei walked in, sat down on the couch, and leaned against the soft pillow.

Her gaze glanced at the "Liu Family Wangqi Jue", sensing that the book pages had been flipped, and a hint of pride involuntarily appeared in her eyes.

"Grandma, drink tea."

"Um."

"Grandma, didn't Qin Uncle come to Jinling with you all?"

"He's busy, lots of things. He'll come back after he finishes being busy."

"Oh."

"What books have you been reading recently?"

"Some scriptures."

He was currently properly reading the "Dizang Bodhisattva Sutra". Being able to freely manipulate images in his memory last night was also thanks to the merit of this book.

"Haven't you encountered any interesting books?"

Liu Yumei took a sip of tea. If this boy said he wanted to borrow it, she would just go with the flow and lend him the "Liu Family Wangqi Jue".

Let him look at it first, learn slowly, and ask her if he didn't understand. This way the efficiency could be higher.

"An interesting book, indeed there is one, but because it is too interesting, I am afraid of 'playing with things and losing ambition', so I temporarily dare not look at it."

That white cover black background book still gives people 'flirtatious glances'.

"This doesn't matter. Books, you see, are originally written for people to read. Books that can be placed in front of you are all fate."

Liu Yumei chuckled inwardly. This child indeed knows the good and bad of books.

"I feel it's not time yet. I think I'll wait until I've grown a bit more, have a better grasp, and then muster the courage to look at it again."

Just like the copper coin buried in the grave ground in Shigang Town, eventually one day he will go back and dig it out to face it.

"Books, you see, are originally meant to help you grow. It doesn't matter when you look at them. Perhaps you see it now and it's one feeling, and when you're older and more mature and look at it again, it's another feeling. Giving up now just to pursue the future is not worth it."

"Um." Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

He was truly very curious about that book deep down, but also afraid of following Mao Changan's father's old path. Although he was very confident, which person who opened that book wasn't full of confidence and felt they were the special one?

"Don't be afraid of being laughed at, I'm actually a bit afraid deep down."

"As the old saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. What are you afraid of? Encounter is fate. People and books also have fate. If you don't flip through it, how can you know if it was specially prepared for you?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Um."

Liu Yumei put down her teacup and waited for a while, not seeing the young man mention borrowing the book from her.

She wasn't anxious, only thinking that the young man was being polite and wanted to wait until he finished talking and was about to leave before formally raising this request.

"Runsheng and the others, they all followed you to school. What are your plans?"

"No specific plans, just take it one step at a time."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't say discouraging or negative words, because as soon as he came to school, a big event happened. After leaving his hometown, life suddenly was not lacking in excitement.

"The road, you can look at it and walk it one step at a time, but there still needs to be a goal. According to the old saying, it's like a turtle looking for the bottom of the pond, a flood dragon needs to walk the river, depends on your own ambition."

"Walk the river?"

Yin Fuhai had told him, "After so many years, the Liu family finally has someone walking the river again."

"It's a metaphor, a grand ambition."

"Grandma Liu, I want to know what it originally refers to?"

"What does it originally refer to?

From the source of the river to the end of the river, encountering people and encountering matters, if it should be leveled, then level it, if it should be handled, then handle it.

New doors and new households need to rely on walking the river to establish a family court;

Old homes and residences need to rely on walking the river to stabilize the door lintel.

River water nourishes people. People can be compared to pythons that easily turn into flood dragons and become dragons."

"Then Qin Uncle that year..."

Not being at Great Grandpa's house, some words could be spoken freely, but Li Zhuiyuan sensed that Grandma Liu was still speaking with some reservations, probably because Ar Li's illness hadn't completely healed and it was uncertain when they might need to go back to Great Grandpa's place to 'fulfill a vow.'

"A Li naturally walked the river that year, but he didn't finish walking it. He almost folded. This is my fault, I was too eager then."

A hint of recollection appeared in Liu Yumei's eyes.

"Did something happen?"

"Um, old, rotten matters, better not to mention them." Liu Yumei changed the subject, "What about you, boy? What do you plan to do later?"

"Grandma, how exactly do you walk this river?"

"Hehe." Liu Yumei laughed, "Asking this question is like asking where Jianghu is. There's no exact term. If you want to walk it in your heart, isn't the ground beneath your feet the river?"

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

"Did Grandma say something too profound?"

"No, I understand."

"Oh?"

"Once you enter this door, you won't want to stop, you will always walk on."

When you want to 'fish dead', while you are looking for matters, matters will also 'grow legs' and come find you.

This is very similar to what he told Tan Wenbin about 'cleaning ball' on the truck when they came to Jinling.

But this seems a bit idealistic.

Li Zhuiyuan involuntarily lifted his head to look towards the roof. Connecting his method of fooling heaven with Mao Changan's, it seems heaven's way is also a bit idealistic.

Additionally, the Yin family genealogy also recorded their ancestors' travels, but they didn't use 'walk the river'. Perhaps this was a term exclusive to families like Qin and Liu, just like ordinary people visiting a scenic spot cannot use 'arrive'.

The records of the Yin family ancestors' travels all had one characteristic: no matter how high-spirited they were when they set out, in the end, they all returned to their old home in Fengdu after encountering some setbacks. Hmm, among these, many people's travel records only recorded half and then abruptly stopped. They should have been unable to even return home.

For example, the four Yin family ancestors who were lifted in the underground palace by the snake girl.

So, settling down is actually almost the same meaning as seclusion. Docking in one place, settling down, not really going to divide spheres of influence, it's more like bowing to fate.

Li Zhuiyuan refilled Liu Yumei's teacup, stood up to hand it to her, and asked: "Grandma, the past is the past, now is now, can the situation still be the same?"

"Before, foreign Purple Stone Ships sailed into the river. Now they don't sail in. Is it because foreigners don't want to come?"

"Your meaning is, on the surface it's not the same, but the fundamental contradiction always exists?"

"Change the explanation again, this sounds awkward to me."

"The scenery on both banks of the river has become beautiful, but the undercurrents beneath the river surface are still the same as a hundred years ago?"

"Hehehe." Liu Yumei laughed while pointing at the young man, "I finally understand why Ar Li likes to stay with you. I heard your Great Grandpa say before that your grandpa and grandma were particularly fond of your mom. Thinking about it, your words are also like your mom's."

Li Zhuiyuan: "......"

"No matter how many big dams are built on the river, no matter how calm the river surface looks, the silt at the bottom of this river can still easily bury a person alive. This river is still not easy to walk.

However, these things are still too early for you to talk about. You should just study peacefully and grow up."

Saying that, Liu Yumei again lowered her eyebrows to look at the "Liu Family Wangqi Jue" placed in the most conspicuous spot.

Li Zhuiyuan also lowered his head. He felt that if he brought Runsheng, Binbin, and Yinmeng to 'fish dead' for fun, there might already be a trend of 'walking the river' now.

Qin Uncle didn't succeed in walking the river that year and could become that powerful. What if he himself succeeded?

He had already reached a bottleneck in reading. If he wanted to continue to make progress and improve, he could only proactively accept the gift of fate.

"Stay here and eat lunch, I'll let A Ting go make it."

"No, I'll return to school first. I'll come see Ar Li again tomorrow."

"Okay then."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up: "Thank you for your guidance."

Liu Yumei nodded, which was considered seeing him off.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the study. He just walked away.

Liu Yumei looked at the book on the tea table with some doubt. This smelly boy, did he forget something?

Aunt Liu pushed open the door and walked in.

"The smelly boy left?"

"Um, left. Huh, why is this book still here? Were you too strict?"

"This old lady, in her lifetime, has never been so kind and amiable to an outsider. I was afraid this boy wouldn't be able to open his mouth, so I even comforted and encouraged him."

"Then your attitude just wasn't obvious enough. The child is thin-skinned and couldn't open his mouth."

"Still not obvious enough?" Liu Yumei picked up the "Liu Family Wangqi Jue", "I was just short of respectfully presenting the book to him, begging him to look at it, and then asking him to guide me!"

"That shouldn't be the case. This child is clever. Could it be that he was really careless this time and didn't understand your meaning?"

"Forget it, let him go."

"Are you really willing? I just heard you laughing outside."

"How far is this place from his school?"

"Not far, just walk a bit after leaving the school gate."

"Isn't the school wall diagonally in front? If we open a door, wouldn't it be a bit closer?"

"I'll go coordinate and arrange it."

"I see there are also houses inside that school, aren't there?"

"Those houses may be small. They are places where retired teachers and professors live. I'm afraid you won't be used to living there."

"Heh, I even lived in the small east room, and you're afraid I won't be used to living here? You go arrange it. Let one household vacate their house. If that doesn't work, just exchange houses to live in. Living in the school can be a bit closer."

"You just said you didn't want him."

"I was doing it for him. Ai, I saw that as soon as he came, our Ar Li stood up to look at him. My heart ached."

"Alright, alright, alright, just do as you say. But this set of houses still won't be exchanged. The houses inside the school may not have a basement to put down all of our Ar Li's things."

"You go handle it. I'll go upstairs and lie down for a while. This smelly boy, didn't even borrow the book."

Liu Yumei had just walked out of the study when she saw Ar Li walking out of the room opposite.

That room was specially used to place the altar table. A whole set of new tablets had been made, with materials from superior Thunderstruck Wood.

Ordinary Thunderstruck Wood is not hard to find, but specific tree species, specific quality, and even specific years of nurturing are fundamentally priceless.

And at this time, Ar Li, who walked out of the room, was holding four tablets in her arms.

Ar Li didn't hurry upstairs, but looked at her own grandma.

Ah, that boy came, and his granddaughter wanted to be his little helper.

Liu Yumei opened her mouth, but still waved her hand:

"Good girl, quickly hold them up.

A Ting, A Ting, quickly go get our Ar Li's toolbox and take it up for her."

...

By the time Li Zhuiyuan returned to school, it was already approaching noon. He originally wanted to go to the dormitory building to see if Tan Wenbin was awake, but as he passed the doorway of the affordable store, he saw Runsheng.

Runsheng was still wearing that white vest, and bandages could still be seen on his shoulders.

"Xiao Yuan."

Runsheng jogged over. His arm movements were still not very coordinated.

Li Zhuiyuan stood in place, watching Runsheng come over.

He was always trying not to perform in the 'intimate' relationship network, hoping he could give back a little emotional feedback.

Doing this well might promote his own progress. Doing it badly... it's quite easy to hurt people.

After all, even normal, healthy people, being 'honest' with each other between two friends, can easily break the friendship or even become enemies.

"How's the injury?"

"Not completely healed, but I can get out of bed. Anyway, there's nothing happening recently. I've been discharged. Lying in bed all day is also not energetic, hehe."

He hadn't been discharged yesterday because he was afraid that his discharge action would make everyone feel that he was eager to participate in the action. He didn't want to add pressure to the team, and even less willing to become a burden.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his arms and walked forward, but halfway through the action, it became patting Runsheng's hand once.

Then, he turned around and walked back to the dormitory.

"Heh heh heh." Runsheng lowered his head to look at the back of his hand that Xiao Yuan had just patted, and also walked towards the store.

Yinmeng, who was standing on the steps at the store doorway, witnessed the entire scene and softly said: "Look, our Brother Xiao Yuan is still angry with you."

"No, Xiao Yuan is very enthusiastic."

...

Over the next few days, Li Zhuiyuan's life was very regular.

'Fishing dead' was very much like fishing. The happiness of a fisherman lay in the busy stealing of leisure and enjoying that short peace.

As for Tan Wenbin, he turned on the university course preview mode, studying every day until late at night before sleeping.

Li Zhuiyuan would wake up in the morning and go to Liu Yumei's place for breakfast, then stay with Ar Li for half a day. At noon, he would go to Runsheng's store to eat lunch, and after eating, he would pack a portion to bring back for Binbin, who would only wake up in the afternoon.

Originally, there wasn't this step, but Binbin would be hungry after waking up in the afternoon and would habitually go to Lu Yi's dormitory on his way to wash up to eat a sausage. He later even put on dumplings.

Lu Yi's family situation was average, otherwise he wouldn't be staying at school to work part-time during the summer vacation. To prevent Binbin from continuing to harm people, Li Zhuiyuan could only bring him food.

The main reason was that the last time Lu Yi was possessed, he broke the dormitory door himself. People couldn't lock it when they weren't there, so Binbin could open the door and go in to enjoy the offerings every time.

Repair masters needed to wait until the official start of school to be full-time. During the holidays, they would only come once in a while to handle a batch of problems. He could also report the repair to the dormitory aunt, and the door lock could be repaired in two days. The problem was that the dormitory aunt for this building was missing.

Lu Yi had gone to the logistics maintenance department to ask. The people on duty said that the newly appointed logistics director in charge of this area was also missing.

Runsheng's side also reported the case of Sun Hongxia's disappearance. Although they knew what was going on, the necessary procedures still needed to be followed.

New students were about to undergo military training. The registration date was originally advanced, but while new students from other classes were organized to get their military training clothes, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin's class and the two classes nearby had no movement, because at the beginning of school... their counselor was missing!

Recently, police cars had been appearing with high frequency inside the school.

In the university, five people suddenly going missing was already a very extraordinary matter. Moreover, a slight investigation could clearly point to the case from seven years ago, naturally causing high attention.

That evening, when everyone was eating hot pot in the store, Xue Liangliang, who was on a business trip to Mountain City with Luo Gong, specifically called the store and directly asked:

"What exactly are you all fishing for again?"

Police investigation calls all went to Xue Liangliang, after all, he was the boss of the store, and Sun Hongxia was his employee. He immediately saw through the reason behind this missing case that caused a sensation on campus.

Tan Wenbin answered the phone and replied:

"We're fishing for fresh tripe, thousand-layer tripe, it's very comfortable. Do you want to come back?"

Xue Liangliang understood the hint and said he would come back later.

He also said that Luo Gong was very helpless after knowing about this matter. After all, the last time they had specifically arranged that table to arrange Xiao Yuan's school life, the three people responsible for the specific greeting were directly missing.

This meant that after returning to Jinling, they would still need to arrange another table.

After Tan Wenbin hung up the phone, Yinmeng asked: "Will we also have our phones tapped?"

"No, I just didn't want to talk more nonsense with Brother Liang, afraid of scalding my tripe old."

Tan Wenbin sat down and started fishing with chopsticks.

At this time, several people walked from outside towards the store doorway.

Runsheng lifted his head to look and said to Tan Wenbin, who was still concentrating on fishing for vegetables:

"The police are here, it's your dad."

Tan Wenbin said without lifting his head:

"Nonsense, my dad is just a small captain at a township police station. If he could be promoted to the provincial capital in one go, there's only one possibility, and that is my family's ancestral grave caught fire!"

Li Zhuiyuan moved his position a bit, away from Tan Wenbin.

Yinmeng and Runsheng also held their bowls and moved to the side.

Tan Wenbin was confused: "Why aren't you eating? They're all going to be scalded old. Heh heh, if you don't eat, I, Zhuangzhuang, will wrap them all up!"

"Bang!"

Binbin was kicked flying out.

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