Chapter 14

After finishing a hearty breakfast, Li Sanjiang and the others prepared to set off.

The family actually owned a human-powered cargo tricycle, equipped with long sideboards at the back, used daily for delivering tables, chairs, bowls, and dishes for weddings and funerals. However, Runsheng did not know how to ride it, and the few elders dared not let him learn on the spot today.

Therefore, Runsheng pushed a flatbed cart out from the storeroom. The front was very spacious. After Li Sanjiang, Liu Jinxia, and Shan Shan Daye sat on it, Runsheng first gripped the handlebars to press the cart body flat, then pushed the three elders down the embankment very steadily.

It had to be said that after a full meal, Runsheng's strength was truly frightening.

Yet, watching their departing backs, Li Zhuiyuan still felt uneasy in his heart. After all, it could not be denied that this was still a very standard... combination of the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and the young.

The house returned to tranquility.

Qin Shu was chopping wooden strips on the embankment to make frames for paper offerings; Liu Yi was applying colors to newly made paper figures on the first floor; Liu Yumei sat in front of the east room door drinking tea; and on the southeast corner of the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li were reading books.

He still followed the same routine as the previous two days, calculating the time to take Qin Li downstairs to use the restroom, drink water, and eat some snacks. When passing in front of Liu Yumei, he would still smile and greet her.

Liu Yumei also saw overhead that after the boy had been reading for a long time, he earnestly performed a set of radio calisthenics.

However, half an hour before lunch, Li Zhuiyuan closed his book. He did not go into the room to get another one, but looked at Qin Li very earnestly:

"A-Li, I am worried that Great-Grandpa and the others might be in danger, so I have to go take a look. Will you wait for me to come back at home, okay?"

Qin Li did not respond.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs. Qin Li followed him down as well, but Li Zhuiyuan took out a key and entered the basement, while Qin Li walked to the east room.

Liu Yumei asked with some surprise: "What is the matter?"

Her granddaughter had been getting up early these past two days, which even led her, as the grandmother, to advance the time she spent grooming and dressing her granddaughter every day.

Wasn't it all for the sake of reading books early with that little Brother Yuan Hou?

But it was only almost noon; why did her granddaughter want to return to her room alone?

Did the two children have a fight?

No, would her A-Li even know how to fight?

Immediately, Liu Yumei saw that little Yuan come out holding a peach wood sword. Oh, it seemed it really wasn't a fight. If his granddaughter were truly angered, this kid wouldn't still be able to jump around.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Qin Shu and said: "Uncle Qin, I want to go to the town to buy something."

"Alright, tell me what you want to buy, and Uncle will go buy it back for you."

"I want to pick it out myself. Uncle, ride the bike and take me."

Qin Shu put down the wooden strip in his hand, clapped his hands, and nodded: "Alright."

However, he still asked one more thing: "Is it to Shinan Town?"

"Shinan Town is too small. Let's go to the neighboring Shigang Town instead."

Shinan Town only had a few shops at the crossroads; it really couldn't compare to the adjacent Shigang Town, which had department stores, dance halls, karaoke rooms, and other such places. Villagers from the nearby towns would all go to Shigang Town to buy large items or for entertainment.

The Niu family was in a village under Shigang Town, which was also the destination for Li Sanjiang and the others.

Qin Shu looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then suddenly smiled and changed his words: "It's busy today. If you want to go to Shigang, let's make it tomorrow."

"No, Uncle Qin, I want to go."

"Do you want to go to your Great-Grandpa's place?"

"Yes, and buy some things along the way."

"Little Yuan, your Great-Grandpa is there to do work. Uncle's job is farming at home, helping with paper-crafting, and delivering tables and chairs. Uncle does not touch your Great-Grandpa's work."

"Yes, I know." Li Zhuiyuan held up the peach wood sword. "Great-Grandpa even instructed me last night to remind him to bring this, but I forgot this morning. I just remembered, so please, Uncle, take me to Shigang. I will hand it to Great-Grandpa. This is Great-Grandpa's treasure; Great-Grandpa cannot do without it."

In Li Zhuiyuan's description, this peach wood sword seemed to have become a heavy weapon for slaying demons and upholding the righteous path, but he still very carefully covered the bottom of the hilt with his hand, hiding the sect gate—"Shandong Linyi Furniture Factory."

Qin Shu was stunned. Delivering goods was indeed one of his job duties, but he clearly heard another layer of intent from the boy's words.

"Alright, give the sword to Uncle, and Uncle will go deliver it to your Great-Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan moved the peach wood sword away and said: "Uncle, you forgot, I still have to go buy things. I have to go along."

"Then wait a moment."

Qin Shu walked toward Liu Yumei, who was sitting there drinking tea, and whispered something in front of her. Liu Yumei looked up, looked at Li Zhuiyuan standing in the distance, and sighed with a smile on her lips:

"That Li Sanjiang is a coarse man who doesn't know when he's well off, but this child is a person with a delicate mind. He has seen that our foundation is not ordinary. No, he has seen the true colors."

Seeing that their side had good conditions was only the first layer; seeing another layer of background was the second layer.

"Then what should I do?"

Liu Yumei did not rush to answer, but picked up her teacup and took a sip of tea.

This child probably made up his mind early on, yet he could still keep his composure and do the same things as the previous two days. Even though he was worried to death about his own Great-Grandpa, there was not the slightest sign of impatience or agitation.

Recalling the scene earlier when he took A-Li to the restroom, passed by her, and smiled to greet her, the tea in Liu Yumei's bowl suddenly rippled.

This composure... how could he still be like a child?

"You just accompany him." After a pause, Liu Yumei added, "But on the way, you must make some things clear to this child."

"I understand."

Qin Shu walked up to Li Zhuiyuan and said: "Little Yuan, wait, Uncle will go push the bike out."

"Alright, Uncle."

An old-fashioned 28-inch bicycle was ridden out by Qin Shu. Li Zhuiyuan wanted to sit on the back seat, but was grabbed by Qin Shu with one hand and lifted onto the front crossbar.

When the two rode down the slope and left, Qin Li subconsciously walked toward that direction, but was grabbed by the hand by Liu Yumei.

The girl's eyelashes began to flutter.

"A-Li, Grandma knows you want to play with Little Yuan, but Little Yuan has his own things to do now. You should wait at home at this time, wait for him to come back after he finishes his work.

If you only know how to cling to him, it will make him feel tired and resentful, and then it is possible that he won't want to play with you anymore."

Hearing this, the girl turned her head, looked at her grandmother, and in her gaze, a trace of imperceptible doubt seemed to ripple.

But Liu Yumei still caught it. She was very happy, yet also very sad;

It had been a long time since she could detect other emotions from her granddaughter. This time, having finally felt it, it was while saying such things to her granddaughter.

"A-Li, Grandma doesn't mean that Little Yuan will really dislike you. When he comes back, Grandma will help you dress up beautifully again to play with him, okay?

Actually, Little Yuan cares about you very much. This kid is very smart. He could have clearly dragged you along, saying he wanted to go to Shigang to find his Great-Grandpa to force us to comply.

But he didn't do that.

So, Grandma will simply return the favor."

The 28-inch bike rode very steadily, and sitting on the front crossbar, surrounded by the rider's arms, there was a feeling of being protected.

Li Zhuiyuan held the peach wood sword in his hand, while his gaze kept sweeping over the muscles of Qin Shu's arms.

Looking at his own small arms and legs, although they were whiter than Qin Shu's, they were clearly not as useful as they looked.

"Uncle Qin, have you practiced?"

"Yes."

Qin Shu was somewhat surprised. He put the boy on his front crossbar to make it easier to find an opportunity to talk. He didn't expect the boy to speak first before he had even opened his mouth.

"Uncle Qin, can you fight?"

"Uncle cannot."

"Impossible, right?" Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his finger and pinched Qin Shu's forearm. The touch was not as hard as it looked, but it was very firm.

"I'm really not lying to you, Little Yuan. Uncle doesn't hit people."

"Does Uncle still practice usually?"

"I have to work and farm, so I'm busy. I don't have time to practice separately, but after entering the door of martial arts, everything I do can be accompanied by practice."

"I want to learn."

"Little Yuan, do you think this is watching 'Shaolin Temple'?"

"Shaolin Temple," starring Jet Li, had long been popular throughout the country. Even now, it was a regular in open-air movies on rural embankments.

"Uncle, I know it will be very hard, but I'm not afraid."

"It's not just about hardship, but the times are different. No matter how well you practice martial arts, can you compare to a bullet?"

"Exercising the body is also good."

"Hehe."

"Uncle Qin, teach me when you have time."

Although "Jianghu Strange Records" was only an introductory encyclopedia introducing the characteristics of the dead, through constant reading, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that many dead generally had the characteristic of great strength, and in special eerie environments, sometimes one really had to rely on the physical fitness of the corpse-salvager to force one's way through.

The book also marked many weaknesses and attack methods of the dead. It wasn't that the dead would vanish into thin air just by throwing talismans or spells; one really had to get hands-on.

Among them, the most common and practical ones were back techniques, wrestling, grappling, leg locks...

In some illustrations, Li Zhuiyuan could also see that this did not seem to be close-quarters combat in the traditional sense. Looking at the actions of the character portraits, it seemed to be martial arts specifically designed for the dead.

In addition, Runsheng's appearance yesterday also helped Li Zhuiyuan break through the reading fog in his heart.

Don't look at Runsheng's large appetite and some strange characteristics; in fact, Runsheng should be the most standard corpse-salvager physique.

Moreover, his own Great-Grandpa's physical fitness was also extremely good; otherwise, it would have been impossible to carry corpses all the way from the Shanghai Bund to the present. Now, at this age, he could still easily carry him while walking on the small paths in the countryside.

Seeing that Qin Shu had not replied, Li Zhuiyuan asked again: "Uncle?"

Qin Shu lowered his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "This has to be asked if the elders agree."

"Alright, I'll ask when I go back."

The elder here, Qin Shu spoke very vaguely, but Li Zhuiyuan knew he was referring to Grandma Liu.

"Little Yuan, Uncle has one thing to explain to you in advance."

"Uncle, you say."

"Uncle is a lazy person. I only do things within my duty. Things outside my duty, Uncle will absolutely not do."

"How could that be? Uncle is clearly very hardworking."

Even in the current countryside, Qin Shu belonged to the best among the hardworking and capable. He farmed, worked, and delivered goods. The old ox in the village wasn't as capable as him.

"Uncle is telling the truth. Things that are not Uncle's duty, even if Uncle is standing right there, if a soy sauce bottle falls, no matter how much flows out, Uncle will not reach out to help."

"Really?"

"Really."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

Qin Shu sighed in his heart. Talking to this child, he really had a feeling of talking to a smart person. He could feel that this child understood what he meant.

After a long time, Li Zhuiyuan replied:

"Uncle, I understand."

"Hmm."

Siyuan Village was located at the north end of Shinan Town, adjacent to Shigang Town. Plus, Qin Shu was riding on small paths, passing through the village, which saved more time.

After arriving on the road belonging to Shigang Town, Qin Shu continued to ride toward the destination.

"Uncle, do you know the location?"

"I know. I've delivered tables and chairs to that village before."

"Oh."

"Or, do you want to go to the department store in town to buy things first?"

"No, go to the place where Great-Grandpa and the others are first."

"Alright."

Passing through the town and going down to the village, the road became smaller.

Not long after, a place where a funeral was being held could be seen from afar.

"Uncle, you can stop."

"Almost there."

"I'm tired."

"Rest when we get there, and you can drink some water."

"I want to pee. I can't hold it anymore."

"Alright."

Qin Shu stopped the cart. Li Zhuiyuan jumped off the cart, found a place under the shade of a willow tree to pee, and then squatted by the ditch nearby to wash his hands.

Qin Li originally thought the boy would get back on the cart after finishing, but who knew the boy would sit down on a smooth stone by the ridge, take out a bottle of drink, a few packs of biscuits, and two books from his bosom.

Qin Li still remembered that gourd-shaped drink bottle; it was what he bought for the boy after listening to Li Sanjiang.

No wonder when he got on the cart earlier, he saw the boy's clothes were bulging; it turned out he had secretly packed so many things. This was clearly not planning to leave, but preparing to have a picnic and read books on the spot.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tired, let's rest. Uncle Qin, you sit too."

"Aren't you going to deliver the sword to your Great-Grandpa? It's right ahead. Deliver it quickly, so I can go back to work. Your Liu Yi can't finish the work alone. The construction period is already very tight. If it's not finished and the goods can't be delivered, your Great-Grandpa will lose his temper and scold people."

"He won't. Great-Grandpa said he wanted to write his inheritance in my name. If something happens to Great-Grandpa, I will be the young master. I won't lose my temper and scold people."

"You kid..."

"Uncle, sit down. Look at how tired you are from working all day. Let's take a break, combine work and rest."

Qin Li walked in front of the boy. He could see that the boy was doing it on purpose. As long as the sword wasn't delivered to Li Sanjiang's hands, he wouldn't be considered to have completed the task, and he still had to accompany him here.

What shocked Qin Li even more was that the boy seemed to have anticipated long ago that he "wouldn't even help if a soy sauce bottle fell."

Was this still a child? This was clearly a monster wearing a child's skin!

Suddenly, Qin Li felt relieved again. Yes, no wonder A-Li was cold to everyone, but only showed closeness to him.

Qin Li bent his center of gravity, intending to use brute force to carry the boy over and forcibly complete the task.

"Uncle, our two families living together is really quite warm. Grandma Liu is a very good person, and Liu Yi is also very gentle."

Qin Li narrowed his eyes.

"The book says that harmonious coexistence between people is built on the foundation of basic respect."

Qin Li: "Hehe, aren't we?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head, looked at Qin Li who was unexpectedly close to him, and smiled: "Are we? We are."

Qin Li closed his eyes and stood up straight. He felt that he had been manipulated, by a child.

After a while, Qin Li said: "Little Yuan, if Uncle didn't agree to bring you, would you come alone?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I am just a child, I can't help with anything. I wouldn't come alone, because if I came, I would only add to the chaos."

"Alright, go find your Great-Grandpa. I won't go back, but you must remember, if a soy sauce bottle falls, I still can't help."

"Alright, thank you, Uncle."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately packed up his things, walked to the 28-inch bike, and urged:

"Uncle, get on the cart quickly, it's right ahead."

"What's the matter with you?" Li Sanjiang first looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then looked at Qin Li, "Why did you bring the child here?"

"Great-Grandpa, I missed you, so I begged Uncle Qin to bring me to find you. Uncle Qin couldn't refuse me."

"Little Yuan Hou, is this a place you should come to? Go, go, go, let Brother Li take you back."

"No, I won't leave, I want to stay here."

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Li Sanjiang's clothes tightly, and a look of grievance appeared on his face.

Li Sanjiang originally wanted to say some harsh words to drive him away, but seeing the child like this, this old man who had never married or had children in his life felt a soft spot deep in his heart being fiercely manipulated.

Therefore, when elders dote on children, sometimes... it really is without principles, especially the doting across generations.

"Alright, Brother Li, keep an eye on the child, don't let him run around."

Qin Li nodded: "Hmm, I will."

Li Zhuiyuan successfully stayed behind. He began to observe this funeral service.

The funeral service was held on an empty embankment in the village, which used to be the village's collective threshing ground. A relatively small funeral troupe was also invited and was busy working.

Eight actors wearing Daoist robes were performing the ritual, each holding ritual implements, chanting words, and circling around the offering table.

Sacrificial offerings were placed on the offering table, and in the center was the black-and-white portrait of Old Lady Niu.

The tablet was written with the surname Niu.

Because the old lady was a child bride brought in before marriage, she had no maiden family and no name. Later, when the village conducted a census registration, she reported her husband's surname.

The filial sons and daughters knelt on cushions, with white ropes tied around their heads, wearing hemp clothes, and black gauze wrapped around their arms, crying while throwing paper money into the fire basin in front of them.

Niu Fu and Niu Rui were just howling dryly, wiping their tears from time to time. They had the actions but no emotions.

The younger sister, Niu Lian, not only had great emotions and actions, but her tears were like a frozen water faucet, flowing out uncontrollably, and she was also full of words.

"Mother, our father left early, it was you who worked hard to raise the three of us, oh!"

"Mother, in the early years, the situation wasn't good, you couldn't bear to eat more, and fed it all into our mouths, oh!"

"Mother, the three of us have just grown up, you haven't had time to enjoy happiness, why did you leave, oh!"

The "oh" after each sentence was the conclusion to the content of the previous sentence and the emotional buildup for the next sentence, and also served the purpose of catching breath.

Clearly, she was telling a story, but she used a singing tone. Perhaps, this was the earliest ancestor of domestic rap.

Niu Lian's expression drove her two older brothers, who repeated after the end of Niu Lian's sentences every time, crying along, like harmony.

Li Zhuiyuan felt it was very interesting. Not to mention that he had contact with the old lady, just the content of this crying was enough to make people laugh and cry. What did it mean that the children had just grown up and you left before you had time to enjoy happiness...

Are you just reaching adulthood? You are clearly all grandparents one by one. If you really wanted to show filial piety, how could there be no time?

Thinking back to the funeral at the bearded man's house last time, crying for his mother during the day like a true filial son, but not delaying taking his son to do things worse than beasts at night.

So, no matter how well the afternoon session of this funeral troupe performs, it can't compare to the heavy session in the morning. That is the true contest of acting skills.

However, this funeral service was too cold. Logically speaking, a funeral service should also invite people to eat.

Li Zhuiyuan leaned in front of Li Sanjiang, who was smoking, and asked: "Great-Grandpa, why are there so few people? Are they not inviting people to eat?"

But not far away, he saw the cook busy there.

Li Sanjiang sneered and said: "Half a year ago, when the old lady just left, the three siblings held a funeral for their mother. Not only did they not invite a funeral team, but the food was also as frugal as possible. They made a meal of clear soup and light water. The villagers came with gift money, not to mention eating well, they didn't even fill their stomachs.

This time, holding a memorial birthday, the villagers won't come. It's too unreasonable."

Li Zhuiyuan understood. It turned out that the three siblings purely treated their mother's funeral as a means to collect gift money last time.

The tradition of collecting gift money for events in the countryside was originally intended for everyone to work together to help the host family hold the event. Even if there were a few people who liked to take advantage, they basically wouldn't end up with a deficit.

Who knew they would encounter such three shameless people. Liu Jinxia was sitting behind the offering table at this time, being smoked by the fireworks and wiping her tears with a handkerchief from time to time, but she was still chanting scriptures, and occasionally took out some specific talismans and handed them to the filial sons and daughters below to burn.

Her position was used to connect with Yin and Yang, which was to help the deceased and the living communicate.

Shan Shan Daye spread a broken straw mat, sat in the northwest corner, held a water pipe, and kept smoking.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled the content of the book. With the offering table as the origin, Shan Shan Daye's position was exactly at the evil-breaking mouth. If evil wind and evil qi wanted to enter, they had to pass through there.

Runsheng didn't rest either, walking back and forth, turning the banner in circles. This was physical work, and one had to turn the banner without letting it fall.

On the contrary, his own Great-Grandpa was sitting under the shed drinking tea. Li Zhuiyuan felt that he was shallow and couldn't see which direction his Great-Grandpa was holding.

But... it should be extremely important.

They had already eaten lunch. In the afternoon session, the actors of the funeral troupe collectively changed into monk robes, dressed up as monks, and began to knock on wooden fish and chant scriptures.

A few who were bald looked quite realistic.

Runsheng brought bowls and chopsticks over from the back kitchen. He was hungry. Others were having afternoon tea, but as long as conditions allowed, he was having afternoon dinner.

He also very thoughtfully invited Li Zhuiyuan to eat together. Li Zhuiyuan didn't stand on ceremony, took an empty bowl, scooped some rice and vegetables, and started eating.

As for Uncle Qin, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng had called him, but he didn't eat.

Ever since arriving here, Uncle Qin had been standing at the edge of the shed, basically not moving.

Runsheng inserted incense into the food. While waiting for the incense to burn, he said to Li Zhuiyuan: "I told my grandpa you were reading those books. My grandpa said you have much more brains than me and told me to talk to you more in the future."

Different from Li Sanjiang's belief that his great-grandson must return to Beijing to attend university, Shan Shan Daye saw early on that Li Zhuiyuan was a good seedling for corpse-salvaging.

"Alright, you can come find me to play often in the future."

In Li Zhuiyuan's view, Runsheng was an excellent link for him to connect theory with practice.

"Really? That's great, hehe. You don't know, my grandpa is in poor health and often needs to take medicine. The family is already tight, and I am still a rice bucket, sigh.

Coming to your house, not only can I eat my fill, but I can also save some burden for grandpa. When there is work, I will go back to help grandpa do corpse-salvaging. Neither is delayed."

"Do you want to live here long-term?"

"Ah, can't I?" Runsheng touched his head.

"This has to be asked of my Great-Grandpa."

"Then I will let my grandpa go talk to your Great-Grandpa. According to my grandpa's meaning, after he leaves, I will work for your Great-Grandpa."

"Hmm." Li Zhuiyuan nodded. Great-Grandpa was also old, and it would be good to have Runsheng take over in the future.

After all, corpse-salvaging was Great-Grandpa's true profession and also an important image. Great-Grandpa's other industries were also because he was a corpse-salvager that he could have a steady stream of business.

The incense burned out. Runsheng couldn't wait to stir the rice and vegetables with the incense ash with chopsticks, and then started eating in big mouthfuls.

Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously: "If you don't light incense, you really can't eat it?"

"Hmm." Runsheng answered while swallowing, "Can't eat it. Eating it in my mouth not only has no taste, but also makes me feel nauseous."

"Then have you eaten..." Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Have you eaten the dead?"

Runsheng was stunned, and immediately lowered his voice, saying:

"Grandpa warned me that I can't say I've eaten it when I'm outside."

"Then you must remember your grandpa's warning well."

"Of course, I've always remembered it."

Li Zhuiyuan finished eating quickly. Watching Runsheng continue to feast there, he thought it would have been great if he could have come two days earlier, just in time to catch the old lady's paper-figure birthday banquet. He could have swept a whole table of food by himself.

The afternoon time gradually passed. Near dusk, everyone began to pack up things. Some took flags, some took banners, some took scriptures, quilts, and pillows.

They formed a line, walking on the ridge, going to Old Lady Niu's grave.

The two people at the end of the team kept setting off firecrackers, very relaxed and leisurely. After lighting the fire, they threw them into the field, and they shot out.

Li Zhuiyuan helped Runsheng hold a flag. As for Uncle Qin, he didn't walk, but followed the team from afar, maintaining a distance of a hundred meters.

Old Lady Niu's grave was very small. Although cremation had long been promoted in the city and strict management of earth burial had been adopted, earth burial was still popular in the countryside. However, the scene of large-scale grave mounds and cement seals was indeed not often seen.

Replacing them were small houses one after another. The old ones were two-story buildings with red bricks and green tiles, and there were also three-story buildings and three-sided courtyards.

People who didn't know walked into this grave group and might mistakenly think they had entered a model exhibition with the theme of "rural architecture."

Old Lady Niu's grave mound was just a grave mound, a "dirt hat" dug out from the mud nearby with a shovel.

When visiting the grave, Niu Fu, as the eldest, first took off the dirt hat. Niu Rui used a shovel to dig a new one. After the grave-visiting ceremony ended, Niu Lian put the new hat on.

Placing incense and candles, burning paper money, burning blood scriptures, everything proceeded in an orderly manner under Liu Jinxia's command.

When everything ended and the new hat was put on, everyone went back, and nothing happened.

But Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Liu Jinxia's face did not have a relaxed look, because according to the rules, this funeral service had to be held until late at night. Previously, there was a specific time, but now it was unified to midnight.

After midnight, the funeral service was considered finished, which also belonged to the night vigil, but the body had long been buried and was not stopped here.

This white, after dark, what would happen, it was not certain.

After dinner, the few villagers who couldn't refuse to come and help also left. The families and children of the three Niu siblings also went home separately. In fact, they should have accompanied them to keep vigil, but they were forcibly driven back by the three siblings.

After the funeral troupe packed up their things and left, the surroundings of the mourning hall seemed exceptionally empty.

The three Niu siblings were still kneeling on the cushions, no longer crying, just silently continuing to burn paper.

Niu Lian's throat was already hoarse. Niu Fu and Niu Rui lost their sister's creation and could not follow suit, so they could only remain silent.

Liu Jinxia was still sitting in her old position. It could be seen that she was restless.

Shan Shan Daye was still sitting in the evil-breaking position. The tobacco had been smoked out and replaced with cigarettes given by the host family.

As for his own Great-Grandpa... Li Zhuiyuan found that Great-Grandpa was already leaning on the railing, asleep, his body rising and falling, snoring.

Runsheng didn't know where he found a deck of cards and said with a smile: "Let's play Fight the Landlord."

"Need four people, right?"

"Then you call him?" Runsheng pointed to Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He knew Uncle Qin wouldn't come over. Actually, he was quite grateful in his heart. Although Uncle Qin wouldn't help if a soy sauce bottle fell, with him standing there, he could feel much more at ease.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng played three-person Fight the Landlord together.

Just one deck of cards, divided among three people, very easy to calculate.

Runsheng's card skills were very poor, and the next player's level was also average, which made Li Zhuiyuan win whether he was a farmer or a landlord.

Playing and playing, not knowing how much time had passed, Li Zhuiyuan asked: "What time is it?"

Runsheng shook his head: "Don't know, where would there be a watch."

The next player said: "Eleven o'clock."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then it's almost over, one more hour."

Runsheng: "Yeah, don't know if the host can treat us to another meal after it's over."

Next player: "Should treat us. They prepared quite a lot of food today, and not many people came to eat."

Li Zhuiyuan took another good hand of landlord cards, and this round was meaningless again.

However, just as he was about to play, Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the position where Uncle Qin was standing, and suddenly discovered that Uncle Qin was gone.

His reliance was suddenly gone. Li Zhuiyuan shivered in his heart, and his brain became a bit clearer. Immediately, as if thinking of something, he held the cards in his hand and was stunned.

Runsheng: "What are you thinking about, Little Yuan, play quickly."

Next player: "Yeah, play quickly, know your cards are good."

Li Zhuiyuan played a card, a single Big King.

Runsheng widened his eyes: "What kind of style are you playing?"

Next player: "Is this because the cards are too good, and you want to play them face up?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth and said: "Can I play them face up?"

Runsheng said: "If you want to play them face up, then play them face up. Can't help it if the cards are good."

Next player: "Need to consider clearly, playing openly is easy to capsize."

"Then let me think again." Li Zhuiyuan gripped the cards, thinking, while his peripheral vision glanced at his Great-Grandpa dozing off, the three Niu siblings sitting on the cushions, as well as Liu Jinxia and Shan Shan Daye.

The scene that felt completely normal before now had a sudden sense of horror. Clearly, he could hear various sounds in his ears, but they were all motionless.

Even when Great-Grandpa snored, his body didn't straighten up. This snoring seemed to ring out of thin air.

"Brother Runsheng?"

"What's wrong? Have you decided, do you want to play face up?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded slightly. Runsheng was normal, but this made it even more necessary to play face up. In a combination of the old, weak, sick, disabled, and young, the only one he could count on was Runsheng.

If there was no Runsheng, what could those few elders do?

"Play face up!"

Li Zhuiyuan laid the cards in his hand flat.

Runsheng asked suspiciously: "Hey, your cards aren't that good. I thought you had a bomb?"

"Play, Big King, do you want it?"

Next player: "You play."

Runsheng: "Don't want it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Three sevens with a five."

Next player: "I want it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Three tens with a seven."

Runsheng: "Little Yuan, don't rush to play, my previous player wants it."

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the small table and shouted at Runsheng:

"Open your eyes and look, where do we have any previous player or next player!!!"

Runsheng was stunned by the shout. He subconsciously wanted to refute, but turned his head to look left and right, and suddenly woke up:

"That's right, there are only two of us. How can we play three-person Fight the Landlord?"

The next moment, the cold night wind blew.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng shivered at the same time, and then discovered at the same time that the two people who were originally playing cards in the funeral tent were, at some point, sitting on the grave mound.

All around were red and green two-story and three-story small houses under the moonlight. Beside them was Old Lady Niu's grave, covered with a new dirt hat.

"I want it, three eights with a three! I want it, three eights with a three!"

Beside them came the sound of playing cards, a female voice, very shrill and sharp.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng looked at each other. Runsheng protected Li Zhuiyuan behind him, and the two bypassed the grave mound and came to the back.

Here, there was actually a hole. The hole was very irregular, and there were still bloody handprints, as if someone had dug it out with their bare hands.

Leaning to the edge of the hole, one could see the inside had been hollowed out. A woman was lying inside, her two hands bloody. Clearly, there was nothing, but her left hand was in a posture of holding cards, and her right hand was like the action of throwing cards:

"I want it, three eights with a three!"

She kept throwing her face excitedly, letting her hair and mud stains scatter. It was Niu Lian, Old Lady Niu's youngest daughter.

She used her hands to dig open her mother's grave and crawled in.

But in the grave, except for the thick corpse odor and an indescribable pool of turbid water, one could only see a broken straw mat. There was no trace of Old Lady Niu's remains.

Logically speaking, even if it was an earth burial, there should be a coffin. Now it wasn't before liberation, needing to be thrown into a mass grave. Old Lady Niu had no coffin, and she should have rented one when stopping the spirit, but it was replaced when buried. As for the purpose... it was easy to guess... to save the money for this coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan subconsciously covered his nose, suppressing his instinct to vomit from the smell. On the contrary, Runsheng seemed to have no rejection at all.

At this time, because the card game ended, Niu Lian seemed to wake up a little, but only a little.

"Not playing anymore, right? Not playing anymore, right? Then I'll continue to be busy."

Niu Lian made an action of throwing down the cards in her hand, then turned around and continued to dig downward with her bare hands.

Maybe if she dug for a while longer, this hole would collapse, and she might be buried alive inside.

"Hey, don't dig anymore. It's dangerous if you dig anymore. I'll come save you!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grabbed Runsheng.

"What's wrong, Little Yuan?"

"Go see your grandpa first, they might be in danger!"

"Ah, right, but she..."

"Who is important?"

"Grandpa is important!"

Runsheng didn't hesitate anymore, directly pulling Li Zhuiyuan and running wildly toward the funeral tent.

Arriving in front of the tent, Li Zhuiyuan was already panting. In the tent, the two Niu brothers were no longer there.

Liu Jinxia was crawling around the offering table, meowing like a cat while crawling. The old lady's palms were already broken, and a string of dense palm prints remained on the ground.

Shan Shan Daye was "woofing" like a dog while lying in front of a tree, lifting one leg, and starting to pee like a dog.

The urine flowed down, soaking his clothes, looking very messy.

After peeing, he actually used his hands and feet to dig the soil at the tree roots.

"Grandpa!" Runsheng shouted hurriedly, "Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

This shout immediately attracted the attention of Liu Jinxia and Shan Shan Daye.

The two, one crawling like a cat, one crawling like a dog, were both on all fours, with fierce looks on their faces, quickly pouncing toward Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan.

Runsheng opened his arms, actively blocking in front of Li Zhuiyuan, and shouted: "Little Yuan, you step back!"

Li Zhuiyuan obediently stepped back two steps, felt it wasn't enough, and stepped back two more steps.

The next moment,

Liu Jinxia pounced on Runsheng, her legs clamped around Runsheng's waist, and began to scratch and bite at his chest;

Shan Shan Daye hugged one of Runsheng's legs and bit onto Runsheng's thigh. Immediately, a piece of meat was bitten off, along with two old teeth.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

Runsheng didn't resist, just looked anxiously at his grandfather who was constantly biting him.

Li Zhuiyuan saw this and immediately reminded: "You fight back, don't just stand there."

"But he is my grandpa, how can I lay a hand on him?"

Li Zhuiyuan immediately said: "Remember the book I read? The book says that corpse demons have the ability to confuse people's hearts, just like we were playing cards just now. The way to break the confusion is to slap their faces, slap their faces hard!"

Actually, the methods in the book were far more than this one, such as pure-yang black dog blood, evil-breaking talisman water, consecrated ritual implements, etc.

But black dog blood, maybe Great-Grandpa and the others really brought it, but whether it was pure-yang and hadn't been broken... Li Zhuiyuan was very suspicious. After all, the dog pack in the village had always been open and very messy.

As for talisman water, Li Zhuiyuan didn't even know what that was. His progress in reading the book hadn't reached that point yet.

Consecrated ritual implements were those nurtured and refined by enlightened people, which were truly evil-breaking items. Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe that the Linyi Furniture Factory would invite a row of masters to collectively consecrate the assembly line when producing this peach wood sword.

Therefore, only the simplest and crudest method remained. The book also said so: slap people awake. If one slap didn't wake them, then slap them a few more times.

Runsheng: "But... can it really be like this?"

Even though he was being constantly hurt by two old people who were like demons, Runsheng's tone was still calm, as if he wasn't the one being hurt.

Li Zhuiyuan could only firmly say: "You are saving them. If you don't slap them awake, the damage they receive will be greater. Move quickly!"

If you don't wake them up, your Shan Shan Daye will lose all his teeth from gnawing on your leg!

"Alright, listen to you, Little Yuan!"

Runsheng nodded vigorously. As long as he decided to do something, he was very determined and didn't drag his feet. He saw him first pinch Liu Jinxia's neck with one hand and lift Liu Jinxia up.

Liu Jinxia used all four limbs, waving constantly, but the old lady had short hands and short feet after all, and couldn't reach at all.

Immediately, Runsheng slapped Liu Jinxia's face left and right.

"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!"

Liu Jinxia's face swelled up visibly to the naked eye, and both sides of her mouth were broken and bleeding, but the whole person calmed down, and her fierce eyes were covered by cataracts again.

"W-w-what... am... I... doing?"

"Little Yuan, you are really amazing!"

After praising Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng lifted his leg and kicked Shan Shan Daye, who was hugging his thigh, flying away.

Shan Shan Daye was very unfortunate when he landed, his face hit the ground first, and he slid for a distance.

After he sat steady, Li Zhuiyuan saw that Shan Shan Daye was already stroking his face with his hands, which clearly counted as being awake. He muttered to himself:

"I... I am... no..."

Before he could recover, he saw his adopted grandson step forward quickly, and immediately, a huge palm came toward his face.

"Slap!" "Slap!"

After all, there was affection between grandfather and grandson. Runsheng slapped Liu Jinxia four times, but for his own grandfather, he slapped him twice first and then stopped to see the effect.

"Grandpa, have you woken up?"

"Pah!"

Shan Shan Daye sprayed Runsheng in the face and spat out two more teeth, which were just knocked out by the slap.

"Still not awake?"

Seeing that his grandfather still had aggressiveness, Runsheng raised his palm again.

Shan Shan Daye hurriedly shouted in fear: "Stop, I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"Grandpa, you finally woke up, I was really scared just now!"

Runsheng hugged Shan Shan Daye.

Shan Shan Daye: "..."

Seeing that Liu Jinxia and Shan Shan Daye were both awake, Li Zhuiyuan immediately went to look for his Great-Grandpa. This was what he cared about most.

Soon, he found him.

But after seeing Great-Grandpa, Li Zhuiyuan was somewhat incredulous.

It wasn't because Great-Grandpa was miserable or embarrassed. On the contrary, Li Sanjiang was still leaning in his original position dozing off, snoring one after another, sleeping very sweetly.

It seemed that the things around him had nothing to do with him and were not affected at all.

Although Great-Grandpa was safe and sound, Li Zhuiyuan was very happy in his heart, but this huge contrast in treatment from Liu Jinxia and Shan Shan Daye still made Li Zhuiyuan feel deeply puzzled.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan associated it with what had happened on the first floor of the house, and a guess suddenly rose in his mind:

Could it be because the Cat-Faced Old Lady was too afraid of Great-Grandpa,

and didn't dare to lay a hand on Great-Grandpa?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 15 =====