Chapter 169

Pregnant?

On the way back to his hometown, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had actually already considered this possibility.

Because the purpose of the Bai family seeking a son-in-law was exactly this.

According to the traditions of Bai Family Town, after a matrilocal son-in-law enters the family, once the Bai family lady he married successfully conceives, the son-in-law's life comes to an end.

If a boy is born, the boy will also be disposed of; only a girl born can become a part of Bai Family Town.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang should actually be dead by now.

The reason he is still able to jump into the river time and again is simply that he cannot enter the gate, yet he has not encountered a crisis...

One reason is that Qin Shu once broke into Bai Family Town, and he was just a moment away from breaking through the entire town;

The second reason is that this Bai family lady has likely sniffed out his identity and is deeply wary of it.

Among the generations of matrilocal sons-in-law in Bai Family Town, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's status in his wife's family is already the highest, and this is because he has an extremely powerful natal family.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "So?"

The bride spoke: "Please forgive me, my Bai Family Town has its own traditions."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan retorted: "Oh, you still intend to kill him?"

The bride: "Not yet, and I dare not."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan retorted again: "Then where did your tradition go this time?"

The bride: "In extraordinary times, one should naturally act with expediency."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan continued to retort: "So, this tradition doesn't exist at all."

The bride was silent.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Answer me."

The bride: "My Bai family has already given sufficient respect and courtesy."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Not enough!"

The bride was silent again, her cold eyes looking through the water curtain at the young man standing on the shore.

Xiong Shan immediately stepped forward and scolded: "Presumptuous!"

On the river surface, twelve scarecrows immediately appeared, all raising their heads to surround the bride.

The bride closed her eyes, her tone revealing a sense of helplessness: "What would you like?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I can't be bothered to think."

The bride: "You are being unreasonable."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan smiled: "Back then, I didn't see you being very reasonable either."

The bride: "We had an agreement."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Was the agreement signed with me?"

The bride: "With you like this, my Bai family is at a loss."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Because you haven't correctly placed yourselves yet."

The bride: "Please enlighten me."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it toward the river.

"Plop." With a sound, the stone hit the water, splashing spray.

"From the very beginning, I haven't liked you, and I don't even want you to exist in the Nantong region.

Before me, there are two fences.

One fence is that the Bai family once said that all Bai family ladies are forbidden from going ashore again.

The other fence is my friend who likes to return to Nantong to jump into the river whenever he has free time.

The first fence is tattered and cannot stop me, because I don't like promises from the living; in my eyes, only the dead keep their promises forever.

The second fence does indeed make things difficult for me.

If you are willing to help me move this second fence away, I would be very grateful."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan never forgot the purpose of his coming here.

He came to mediate a marital conflict.

Conflicts between people need to be resolved through reasoning, but the premise is that both sides are reasonable people.

The Bai family is clearly not.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan has liked observing people since he was a child, dissecting their behavioral logic so he could understand and imitate them.

He discovered that in reality, people who don't like to reason often do not have high intelligence.

But this type of person is often very sensitive to one thing, and that is—survival crisis.

When encountering a survival crisis, they immediately become very smart and vigilant, and then rely on instinct to make the most correct choice.

In short, there are some people who, if you really treat them as human beings, not only will you be uncomfortable, but they will feel even more ill at ease.

Just like Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei's name for the Bai family: a group of white mice hiding under the river dreaming of becoming immortals.

The bride digested the young man's words and bowed slightly to him:

"This humble one understands."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan noticed that she referred to herself as "this humble one" twice.

Once at the beginning, saying she was pregnant.

Once here, saying she understood.

She said these two sentences as an individual, while the conversation in between was on behalf of the entire Bai Family Town.

This couldn't help but make Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan suspect whether she was doing it on purpose.

She is the Bai family lady with the highest status in Bai Family Town; he heard Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang say that when he found her, her coffin was placed in the Bai Family Town ancestral hall.

And the other Bai family ladies all sit in the residential houses in the town.

Furthermore, she can order all Bai family ladies not to go ashore.

But sometimes, even the one with the highest status is not the master of her own fate.

The legitimacy of her power and status comes from Bai family tradition, so she has no way to take the lead in breaking this tradition.

Unless a huge external intervention force appears, making those above and below feel that compromise is a reality that must be accepted.

She could have clarified things with Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang beforehand, but she chose to say nothing and wouldn't even see him.

Isn't this forcing Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang to seek external help?

Heh,

If that's really the case, doesn't it mean that Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang has actually developed real feelings with this Bai family lady?

This kind of thing happening to others would make people feel unbelievable, but happening to Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang makes people feel it's very normal.

Because he, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, is definitely one of the most difficult people in the world to get along with.

Yet even so, when staying overnight at the levee construction site, he felt affection and curiosity because of Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's remark, "My future is in the southwest of the motherland."

At the breakfast table in the morning, when the old lady heard that he was coming to mediate a marital conflict, her expression was very surprised.

Yes,

If it were anyone else, how could he be willing to make a special trip just to handle this kind of thing?

It can only be said that some people carry this quality; wherever they go, they can emit an attractive light.

Thinking of this, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt a bit dispirited.

Because he had very likely been used.

And this kind of use, you can only know when it ends; it's impossible to detect beforehand, and even if you detect it, you must cooperate.

Even, you can't get an accurate answer at all.

Because whatever "tender and affectionate" things this Bai family lady does to Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang next can be explained as yielding to the lewd power of the Long Wang family.

Even if she admits it was on purpose, it's useless.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan doesn't like this feeling, but he is helpless.

At this time, the bride took three steps back, the water curtain on her body following her movement.

She knelt down, her upper body straight, her hands arched, first raised to her forehead, right hand outside and left hand inside, then bowed her hands to her abdomen; this was a formal bow of respect.

In ancient times, Wo Sect wore many ornaments, so they used this ritual to pay respects to elders or superiors.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand at her.

The bride's body slowly sank, and finally, she submerged into the river, and the wind and waves calmed down.

"Let's go."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan turned and left, and after Xiong Shan and Li Sun Hua looked at each other, they followed.

After getting into the car, Liu Liu Changping drove and sent everyone back to Li Sanjiang's house.

Liu Liu Changping was asked to drive to Shigang Town to refuel and, by the way, find an inn in the town to stay.

Xiong Shan and Li Sun Hua were arranged by Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan to stay in the west room.

The east room was where A Li and Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei had lived, and it had been locked ever since.

Great-grandfather had said that this east room must be kept locked until it was certain that the snobbish old lady would not marry her granddaughter to their little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou.

When Li Sanjiang was young, he not only broke into the Shanghai Bund but also participated in the three major campaigns.

If you say he really couldn't see the implication behind Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei's usual detailed behavior, that's also unlikely.

In Li Sanjiang's philosophy of conduct, talking about money with rich people is meaningless; one must talk more about thoughts and feelings.

As for Xiao Xiao Yingying, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan originally thought she would live in the west room, but in fact, she didn't; she slept in a coffin on the first floor at night.

Because Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin used to love sleeping in coffins, as they were warm in winter and cool in summer, Li Sanjiang didn't take it to heart.

There was a small complication in the middle: Lihua's child had also been taken into the coffin by Xiao Xiao Yingying.

Lihua pushed open the coffin lid and saw her son sleeping soundly inside, lying on top of the dead one.

This child, having been taken by his parents to travel the world as soon as he was born, had truly seen the world.

Just as Lihua reached out to pick up her son, Xiao Xiao Yingying suddenly opened her eyes.

However, she did not stop her.

Lihua picked up her son, rocked him, and kissed him.

After playing for a while, Lihua put her son back into the coffin.

There seemed to be confusion in Xiao Xiao Yingying's eyes.

Lihua smiled and helped them close the coffin lid.

Once you take the first step and accept something new, your level of acceptance will rise at a terrifying speed.

During the day, Lihua still felt it was incredibly absurd to let the dead one help her babysit, but by night, she felt it was quite good.

With someone to help you watch the child, you can just go to the west room with your husband and enjoy some quality time together.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor, and as he passed the doorway of Great-Grandfather, he heard Great-Grandfather's snoring.

He reckoned that Great-Grandfather wouldn't wake up until dawn.

In his own room, however, there was no snoring.

Pushing open the door, he saw Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang sitting by the bed, holding a cup of steaming tea in both hands, sipping it in small mouthfuls.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan? Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan! Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan..."

From doubt to surprise, then to sorrow.

When Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang put down the teacup and wanted to rush over, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and made a gesture for him to stop.

"The smell of alcohol is heavy; it stinks."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang smiled somewhat awkwardly, then opened the doors and windows of the room to let it ventilate and dissipate the smell.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room and sat down on the rattan chair on the balcony.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang carried a washbasin out of the room, humming a tune as he went to take a bath.

Communication between smart people is simple; Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan returned late at night, and as soon as he returned, he complained about the smell of alcohol on him, which meant the matter had been handled well.

After the bath, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang came out in clean clothes, looking much more refreshed, though he was a bit unshaven.

And looking closely, over the past half year, he had been running around various construction sites with Luo Gong, through wind and rain; the youthful scholar-like air he once had had been replaced by vicissitudes and sharp edges.

The only thing that hadn't changed was that there was still light in his eyes.

"Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, your alcohol tolerance is quite good."

"Sigh, it was practiced on the construction site. I used to hear people say that drinking could relieve fatigue and didn't understand it, but now I do. I'm still considered lucky; the frontline construction workers have it even harder."

"It hasn't been easy."

"No need to rush to sympathize with me. You kid will be there soon too; a major project is officially starting after the New Year, and the relocation work is already being prepared one after another."

"Are many people going to be relocated?"

"Yes, many people will have to leave their homes because of this; their homelands will be submerged under water, never to see the light of day again."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang took a cigarette case out of his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, took a deep drag, and then exhaled slowly:

"So, our responsibility is heavy. If we don't do this project well, we will be letting down the enormous efforts and sacrifices made by everyone from top to bottom.

Those planning blueprints are the burden on our shoulders; this is a tangible sense of mission."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang flicked the cigarette ash, immersed in his own emotions.

When talking about this, he seemed to have forgotten his original purpose, or perhaps he was embarrassed to abruptly bring up personal matters during such a serious topic.

"After the next semester starts, you won't have much time at school; Luo Gong will definitely draft you into service."

"Oh."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan nodded; he had anticipated this long ago, otherwise, why would he have applied to this university?

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang smoked three cigarettes in a row, and by the time he stubbed out the third one, the emotion permeating the air finally faded.

"That, Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan..."

"You actually managed to hold it in for so long."

"It's not contradictory; personal happiness is integrated into the construction and development of the motherland."

"After dawn, you can continue to go jump into the river."

"Did something happen?"

"Good news."

"Good news?"

"You are going to be a father."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang froze there for a long time, then suddenly covered his mouth, afraid of disturbing others, he could only suppress his laughter and began to jump on the spot.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan leaned his head against the rattan chair, the evening breeze carrying a chill, blowing his hair.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang reached out and grabbed Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's arm, shook it, and said, "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, do you know? I'm going to be a father!"

"Ah, really? Truly congratulations to you."

"Hahaha!"

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang covered his mouth again, laughing until his shoulders twitched.

With great difficulty, he completely calmed down and began to take deep breaths continuously.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, then why?"

"No need to worry about these things anymore; the matter has already been resolved anyway."

"Okay, I understand." Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang nodded.

The two of them sat quietly on the rattan chair like this, watching the moon together in silence.

After a long while, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang asked:

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, what do you think my child should be named in the future?"

"Ask Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng."

"Let Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng choose the name? That, I mean, you help me choose first. You kid remember many ancient books; help me choose one with a good meaning, one for a boy and one for a girl.

Oh, right, the firstborn will have the surname Xue."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang cared about this point very much, because it meant he wasn't a live-in son-in-law, even though the woman never came out and he was the one who always took the initiative to visit.

"Brother, choose it yourself; I'm not suitable for this."

"Ah, okay." Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang sighed, "It's so dreamy; I'm actually going to be a father. If my parents knew about this, do you think they would..."

"Be scared to death."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang smiled, then nodded helplessly.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up: "I'm going to rest."

"Mm, go rest; I'll sit for a while longer."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked into the house.

"Thank you, Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan."

The next morning, after Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got up, he couldn't see Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang in the room.

He believed that Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang definitely wasn't at home right now either.

Carrying a plastic basin, preparing to wash up, as soon as he went out, he saw Li Sanjiang sitting on the rattan chair, smoking.

Early in the morning, the wind was cool; Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that Great-Grandfather knew he had returned and was deliberately sitting there waiting for him to wake up and come out.

"Great-Grandfather."

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou."

Li Sanjiang immediately stubbed out the cigarette he had just lit in his hand.

When he picked up the youth, he weighed him with effort:

"Great-Grandfather is almost unable to carry you anymore."

"You can carry me on your back."

"Hehe." Li Sanjiang put Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan down, "Go wash up."

"Mm."

After Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan finished brushing his teeth and was pouring hot water to wash his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, he saw Great-Grandfather walk out wearing the formal suit he had bought yesterday, holding another set in his hand.

"It fits, it fits very well. Our family's Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou knows how to buy things; Great-Grandfather likes it very much."

Li Sanjiang turned around twice on the spot in front of Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and said, "Should I change into this set and show you?"

"Okay."

"You wait."

Li Sanjiang went into the room, changed into the other set, and walked out.

"This set has even more style; wearing it out, those who don't know might think I'm the village chief arriving!"

"Great-Grandfather, I have a fountain pen on my desk; you can take one and hang it in your chest pocket, and it will look even more like it."

"Okay, I'll listen to our Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou."

Li Sanjiang really went into the youth's room, chose the fountain pen that looked the cheapest, hung it in his chest pocket, and then walked out with his hands behind his back, swaggering.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Hello, Village Chief Grandfather."

"Hahaha!"

According to common sense, a junior buying a gift for an elder should be a happy occasion.

But in this world, the proportion of elders who can take the initiative to give a positive response and provide emotional value to their juniors is actually not very large.

Most elders, at such a time, will only instinctively act to dampen the mood.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Li Sanjiang went downstairs together to have breakfast.

Breakfast was made by Lihua: a large bowl of hot-boiled beef noodles for each person, paired with a bowl of egg wine.

As for the chili, one added it according to their own taste.

In Xiong Shan's bowl, there was a bright red heap of chili.

Li Sanjiang had gotten drunk yesterday and gone to bed early, so he woke up before dawn.

Xiong Shan and his wife were at someone else's house for the first time; in order to make a good impression, they naturally got up early as well.

Lihua took the initiative to start binding paper effigies.

This craft could be considered a basic skill for the couple; the reason they chose to use scarecrows as puppets when using Chenzhou talismans usually was simply because straw was convenient to obtain.

However, when Xiao Xiao Yingying got up on time and came out of the coffin holding her child, facing the row of lifelike works Lihua had already finished, she said coldly:

"This style won't sell."

Every place has its own folk culture; no matter how well you make paper effigies of a different style, people in nearby villages and towns won't buy them.

Lihua could only first take the child and, while breastfeeding, follow Xiao Xiao Yingying to learn.

As for Xiong Shan, he had gone early to work in the field behind the house with a hoe; after working for a long time, he was only then told by Li Sanjiang that the field behind the house belonged to someone else.

Honestly, Li Sanjiang's first impression of this couple was not good; he felt they were quite dim-witted.

Fortunately, although they did things incorrectly, at least they were industrious.

Li Sanjiang also understood a principle: a mule cannot be too smart; a mule that is too smart will slack off and not work steadily.

Since they were introduced by his own Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, he should take them in.

When discussing wages, Li Sanjiang deliberately quoted a low price.

The couple agreed immediately!

This actually made Li Sanjiang feel embarrassed; shouldn't they haggle a bit over wages? If he quoted a low price, they should have pushed it up.

But since they had already agreed, it would seem a bit foolish for him to raise the wages himself, so he just told them to work hard and said there would be red envelopes and bonuses during holidays, intending to make up their wages that way.

Seeing that Xiong Shan and his wife had already integrated into this place, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt relieved.

The reason this couple came here was, first, to seek shelter, and second, to seek a future for their son.

Shelter was available here; it was buried right under the peach forest.

As for the child... Grandma Liu had once brought Qin Zhanglao and Liu Yi here to work for the Great-Grandfather, just to seek a bit of blessing for A Li; this couple was now effectively enjoying the treatment the Long Wang family once had, so it really wasn't mistreating them.

Very early on, Liu Liu Changping had driven his taxi back here; even as a chartered driver, he had arrived a bit too early.

Because he hadn't been willing to spend money to get a room at a hotel in Shigang Town last night, he had roughed it out in the car for the night, and coming over early was also to save on breakfast money.

Then, Liu Liu Changping was pressed into service by Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang.

He originally didn't intend to take Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, because he was working for that young man, but with Xiong Shan and his wife helping to testify, Liu Liu Changping finally agreed.

Following Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's request, Liu Liu Changping first drove him to Nandajie in the city center.

This was the city center of Nantong, the most prosperous area, with dense traffic and crowds, making it hard to park.

After parking in a distant parking lot, Liu Liu Changping simply followed Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang down and walked into the department store with him.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang bought many clothes, both for adults and children.

He also went to a gold shop and bought the "three golds," plus a pair of gold and silver longevity locks.

Seeing these three golds, Liu Liu Changping said with some emotion: "I'm preparing this right now too."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "Getting ready to make things official with your partner?"

"Yeah." Liu Liu Changping made a gesture, "Her family wants this much for the bride price, and she has a younger brother."

"Whoa, that's quite a lot."

"I think it's alright, not too much."

"True, you earn a lot."

"Because I'm from Jiangxi."

"Understood."

"What about you, buddy?"

"I didn't ask for a bride price when I got married."

"Oh..."

"I'm not a live-in son-in-law."

"Hmm..."

"It's just being open-minded; after all, it's the new era, we don't fuss over those things."

"You're right."

Afterwards, Liu Liu Changping drove Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang to the riverside.

It was the same place they had visited yesterday.

"Buddy, wait for me here."

"Sure." Liu Liu Changping nodded and lit a cigarette.

Holding a large pile of gifts, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang got out of the car and walked down the slope; soon, he was out of sight.

Last night, Liu Liu Changping had listened to Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and parked the car far away, but in his heart, he was truly extremely curious.

What exactly was so special about this riverside that they had to keep coming back?

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Liu Liu Changping, cigarette in mouth, also got out of the car; after going down the slope, he found he couldn't see Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang anywhere.

"Huh, where did he go?"

It was an endless expanse here; where could someone hide?

Searching and searching, Liu Liu Changping found clothes and shoes on the bank held down by stones; they were Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's.

Oh no!

Liu Liu Changping was so scared the cigarette fell out of his mouth.

He started running along the riverbank, shouting and searching anxiously.

He knew how to swim, but on the vast river surface, even if he wanted to go down to fish someone out, he needed a target first.

After searching for a long time, Liu Liu Changping despaired.

He picked up Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's clothes and shoes, returned to the taxi, and sat there blankly.

With this kind of thing happening, how was he supposed to explain it?

The thought of quickly driving back to Jin Ling even crossed his mind; the charter fee and all... you've driven someone to commit suicide, and you still have the nerve to ask for money?

But then he thought, if he left so unclearly, the other family might report it to the police, thinking he had murdered for money.

Just as he was feeling anxious and conflicted, the car window was knocked.

Liu Liu Changping turned his head to look and was given a start.

Standing outside the car was Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, who was stark naked.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang got into the car and, without saying a word, started putting on his clothes.

Liu Liu Changping noticed that the gifts Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang had bought were all gone.

"Where are the things?"

"Gave them to the mother and child."

"Oh."

Liu Liu Changping let out a sigh and silently lit another cigarette; he felt very happy, at least his own lover was still alive.

Looking at Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang again, Liu Liu Changping's eyes revealed a touch of admiration; after all, this was a deep-feeling man who still missed his late wife and child.

Someone who wasn't deep-feeling wouldn't be willing to buy so many expensive new clothes and gold jewelry just to throw them into the river as an offering.

On the way back, the pager at Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's waist rang; he had Liu Liu Changping find a roadside shop, got out of the car, and returned the call.

After returning to the car, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang said: "Drive faster, let's go home!"

When the car drove back to Li Sanjiang's house, the family was having lunch.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang got out of the car, walked quickly to Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's side, and said: "Luo Gong just called me, telling me to go to Gaoyou, Yangzhou right now; he's on his way there too. Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, are you going?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "What happened?"

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang lowered his voice and said: "They say something strange happened on Gaoyou Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake."

"Then I'll go." Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at Li Sanjiang: "Great-Grandfather, my mentor is over there, calling us to go."

"It's only right, it's only right." Li Sanjiang nodded in agreement immediately.

Xiong Shan spoke up: "We'll accompany you... we'll go with you, to look out for each other."

Li Sanjiang nodded again: "It's only right, it's only right."

Lihua packed up the meal, and without delay, the five of them got into the car together.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat in the passenger seat, while Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and Xiong Shan's couple sat in the back.

Actually, it would have been more appropriate for the young man to sit in the back, but the problem was that if Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat in the back, Xiong Shan and Lihua would feel uncomfortable; they would rather squeeze in with Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang.

The further they drove toward Yangzhou, the gloomier the sky became.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's mood was quite relaxed.

However, through the rearview mirror, he saw that Xiong Shan and his wife, sitting in the back seat, had expressions that looked incomparably solemn.

From time to time, they would glance at each other, and their hands were even clasped together.

There was a tragic, solemn air of calmly facing death.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan only then realized that this couple had misunderstood.

They thought this was the new wave he was referring to.

Yet even so, having already "lit the lamp" twice and retired from the world of martial arts, they still took the initiative to stand up, intending to go with him.

It seemed that in their minds, they were still thinking about the matter of entrusting their child to him before they died.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan spoke up: "This is not the wave heading toward my boat."

Upon hearing this, the couple looked at each other in dismay.

Afterwards, what appeared on their faces was not a sense of relief, but disappointment and regret.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Your child would prefer to have a complete childhood; what you consider to be the best might not be what he wants."

The couple nodded in agreement immediately, but it was likely they hadn't truly taken it to heart.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not pay them any more attention, but instead asked Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "Have you been down there?"

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang nodded and said: "Yes, I bought some things and sent them down to the mother and child."

"Did you go empty-handed before?"

"How could I? Every time I returned from a project out of town, I would bring two portions of local specialties—one to mail to my parents, and one to send to her."

Liu Liu Changping, who was driving, heard this conversation and silently wiped the corner of his eye.

Gaoyou was not far from Nantong; it was a drive of just over two hours.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang got out of the car to make a phone call, and after getting back in, he told Liu Liu Changping the specific address.

This was a water conservancy construction site by the Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake, quite large in scale, but the site, which should have been bustling with activity, appeared very quiet at this moment.

The workers had all stopped work today and were staying in the worker sheds.

Instead, there were all kinds of non-construction vehicles constantly driving in and out.

The outer perimeter of the site was accessible, but the inner circle was blocked off, with police conducting security checks.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan told Liu Liu Changping to find a nearby hotel to stay in, and ordered Xiong Shan and his wife to go with him.

"But you cannot be without anyone by your side." Xiong Shan was unwilling to leave at this time.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan said: "What danger could I be in here? When I need you, I will call for you again."

Xiong Shan and his wife could only agree, and they continued to sit in the car with Liu Liu Changping to go find a hotel.

After waiting here for a while, a middle-aged man trotted out from inside: "Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, you're here."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang introduced him to Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, this is Senior Brother Sun."

"Hello, Senior Brother Sun."

"So he is Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan?" Senior Brother Sun reached out to shake Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's hand, not showing any slight or neglect because of the boy's young age. "Luo Gong often speaks of you, saying that if you were here, the progress of the blueprints wouldn't be so slow."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Then my popularity must be quite poor."

"Hehe." Sun Sun Hongxing took out his ID badge, showed it to the police, and led Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan inside.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang asked curiously: "What exactly happened?"

Sun Sun Hongxing: "A dragon drawing water."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "Isn't the dragon drawing water phenomenon quite normal?"

Sun Sun Hongxing shook his head: "This time it's different. In any case, you'll know once you go in and watch the videotape."

Inside, many work tents had been set up, and the personnel moving through them were quite chaotic.

While brushing past several people wearing blue work uniforms, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan heard the sound of bells coming from beneath their clothes.

Sun Sun Hongxing: "Luo Gong is holding an ad-hoc meeting. The meeting isn't being chaired by Luo Gong, so it's not convenient for us to go in right now. Let's go wait over there first; there's a recording playing there."

Lifting the curtain and walking inside, there were quite a few people sitting there.

Some held documents in their hands, some held blueprints, and there was another group standing there with arms crossed, exuding a murderous aura.

There was a television connected to a video recorder in the tent, and it was repeatedly playing a local news broadcast, with the station logo in the top left corner.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon, and this was the news broadcast from last night.

In the footage, a dragon drawing water phenomenon appeared over Gaoyou Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake.

A dragon drawing water, also known as a waterspout, occurs on the sea or water surface; it can be understood as a tornado appearing on the water, with one end connected to the water and the other to the sky, sucking up water as it forms.

The dragon drawing water in the footage was over a thousand meters high, very spectacular, with its top disappearing into the gray clouds.

This wouldn't normally be considered anything; it could only be called an occasional natural phenomenon.

But as the footage continued to play, soon, a long, black figure appeared within the gray clouds, dancing inside.

The people inside who had seen it before certainly weren't seeing it for the first time, but when the footage reached this point again, everyone unconsciously craned their necks and widened their eyes.

The long, black figure did not appear for very long—all told, less than ten seconds—and it was filmed very blurrily; only the black color could be seen, with no details.

But the problem was, its flight trajectory and posture were simply too fluid and natural, filled with a sense of spirituality.

Almost without needing a reminder, after seeing this scene, only one word would appear in a normal person's mind... Dragon.

On the television, the host's voice was also talking about the "dragon" figure that had suddenly appeared in the clouds, attracting citizens to gather and watch.

The few people in front with the murderous aura were whispering to each other.

Their voices were very soft, but Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had good hearing and still heard them.

They were saying:

"How does it feel?"

"Very similar."

"How does it compare to the one at Qinghai Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake?"

"The one at Qinghai Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake was clearer."

People were constantly entering and exiting the tent. After Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang watched it five times, they walked out of the tent.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang leaned his mouth toward Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's ear and asked in a low voice: "Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, do you think this is real?"

"I don't know."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "If it's real, that would be too incredible. Does such a creature as a dragon really exist in this world?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan asked in return: "Isn't it even more incredible that your wife can be pregnant?"

"Uh..." Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang blinked, "Now that you put it that way, I suddenly feel it's very reasonable."

Luo Gong came out after finishing the meeting.

"Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan."

"Teacher."

"Come, you two come over here, let's cross-check the design blueprints again."

Luo Gong led everyone to another tent.

"Everyone remember, don't talk about the matters here to outsiders. Most of you are still very young; in your future work, it's inevitable that you will encounter similar things."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang joked: "The TV station already broadcast it..."

Luo Gong: "The TV station is the TV station's business, but words must not come out of our mouths. Even if you want to talk, you must wait another ten years. By then, when you're drinking tea or alcohol, you can brag however you like. Alright, we were only called here to do some consulting as observers. Help me reorganize this place first; it needs to be kept as a backup."

Everyone began to get busy. In truth, the work wasn't complicated, just the process was a bit long, much like preparing for a leadership inspection by starting with a big cleanup.

But sometimes, work that seems repetitive and meaningless is unavoidable, and it is also a form of response preparation.

After working until late at night, the job was done. Luo Gong was called away again to attend a small meeting. After he returned, he announced that everyone should go to the guesthouse to rest.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang went to explain the situation to Luo Gong, and Luo Gong said: "Since you booked a hotel yourselves, you should definitely go there. It's certainly better than the conditions at the guesthouse. Remember to get the receipts and bring them to me."

Just like that, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan left the construction site.

Liu Liu Changping was very professional, parking the taxi outside, and Xiong Shan and Lihua were also standing outside the car waiting.

Just as Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got into the car, a sedan happened to drive past from the side. Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan saw Yu Shu sitting in the front passenger seat of the sedan through the rearview mirror.

The boy immediately shrank his body down, avoiding the gaze the other person might have directed at him.

After the sedan drove in, Liu Liu Changping started the taxi and drove everyone to the hotel.

A total of three rooms were booked: one for Xiong Shan and his wife, one for Liu Liu Changping, and one for Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang.

However, Xiong Shan and his wife would keep watch at night, one inside and one outside the hotel.

In the guest room, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went to take a shower first, while Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang turned on the television.

While washing, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang shouted: "Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, come out and look quickly!"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked out while wiping his hair.

The television was playing the local news, still the same dragon drawing water footage from yesterday, using the exact same video material. At least, for now, it looked the same, and even the host's introductory voice hadn't changed.

Logically speaking, yesterday's old news shouldn't be rebroadcast tonight, but if it were big news, it would be normal for it to be played repeatedly.

However, as it played, the footage on the screen was no longer that long, complete black figure, but had changed into three large birds flying side by side.

The host's voice also changed accordingly:

"Dear viewers, after the dragon drawing water phenomenon occurred, three large birds appeared in the clouds. This scene has attracted many citizens to gather and watch."

"Dear viewers, after the waterspout phenomenon occurred, three large birds appeared in the clouds; this scene has attracted many citizens to gather and watch."

(End of chapter)