Chapter 332

"Little Brother Yuan Hou, buy cigarettes."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the door of Auntie Zhang's small shop and pointed to the pack of Zhonghua on the shelf.

"Want that one."

Auntie Zhang: "Yo, Uncle Sanjiang is becoming Western-style now."

Li Sanjiang, who was walking behind, didn't see the situation, but just casually replied:

"That's right, I've always been very Western-style."

After walking closer and seeing Auntie Zhang handing a pack of Zhonghua to Little Brother Yuan Hou, he was slightly stunned, but just smiled, reached out to touch his pocket; this cigarette was expensive and couldn't be used as a staple, but he could afford to burn a pack occasionally.

Before Li Sanjiang could take out the money, Li Zhuiyuan took the money himself and handed it to Auntie Zhang.

Auntie Zhang: "Too much money."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That one, take a carton."

Auntie Zhang: "Done."

That pack of Zhonghua was put into the grandfather's hand by Li Zhuiyuan, and the youth was holding a plastic bag, in which was a carton of cigarettes that the grandfather usually smoked.

Li Sanjiang tore off the packaging paper, opened the cigarette box, took out a Huazi and sniffed it under his nose, then bit it in his mouth, took out a match and lit it.

Auntie Zhang laughed: "Uncle Sanjiang has good fortune."

Li Sanjiang picked up the cigarette butt and replied: "That's for sure."

Unlike other old people, Li Sanjiang wasn't stubborn, could think things through, and would also be flexible.

Once, he was disappointed because Little Brother Yuan Hou didn't need him to manage money anymore, but now, he actually enjoyed the occasional filial piety of the child toward him.

Anyway, his family property was to be left to Little Brother Yuan Hou in the future, and even the will had been made long ago.

Auntie Zhang: "The family killed a pig, does Uncle Sanjiang want some meat?"

Li Sanjiang: "What's the matter?"

Almost every household in the village had a pigsty, but the local people lived frugally and liked to be stingy with their mouths, so the locals didn't even have the custom of killing year-end pigs.

Only when there was something in the family that needed a banquet would they have to kill one, rather than buying it from a shop outside.

Auntie Zhang: "The little girl in the family had appendicitis last week and had surgery at the town health center, and now she's back."

Li Sanjiang: "Why didn't you say so earlier."

Auntie Zhang: "It's a minor illness and minor surgery, so there's no need for a big banquet; three tables of relatives from his family and mine are the limit."

Li Sanjiang: "That's true."

Minor illnesses are only visited by close relatives, who stuff a red envelope, and after discharge, they should treat these close relatives to a meal.

Auntie Zhang: "Can't finish a pig."

Li Sanjiang: "Send it to my place, my place consumes a lot; oh, by the way, get me more blood."

Auntie Zhang replied: "Done, I'll have my man send it to you later."

Li Sanjiang: "Your thin girl, she's not young anymore, right?"

Auntie Zhang: "That's right."

When Zhao Yi was here, Auntie Zhang felt that Zhao Yi had a good skin, and even had thoughts, but Zhao Yi's words about "two wives" scared Auntie Zhang quite a bit.

Li Sanjiang: "Still want to find a live-in son-in-law?"

Auntie Zhang gave birth to girls.

It's easy if you want to be relaxed, just marry all the girls out; however, anyone with a little pursuit and whose family conditions are okay will generally keep one girl to recruit a live-in son-in-law.

Liu Jinxia originally recruited a live-in son-in-law for Li Juxiang.

Auntie Zhang: "I thought so before, but after that incident, my man has also been thinking about it recently; hey, who could have thought."

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, who could have thought."

Auntie Zhang: "Still have to look at fate; if it's a family, they enter a family door; if it's not a family, they enter and become a disaster."

"That's the logic."

Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan left the small shop and continued their post-breakfast walk.

"Little Brother Yuan Hou, don't buy this kind of cigarette by the carton in the future; there are plenty of loose packs at home."

Li Sanjiang usually manages white affairs and sits in meditation, taking cigarettes box by box, so he doesn't worry about running out of food; sometimes when Li Sanjiang goes out, he will specifically put an empty cigarette box in his pocket, and when he returns home, he can fill it up by receiving loose cigarettes.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Buy a carton of Zhonghua next time."

Li Sanjiang raised his tone: "I've become an immortal, smoking a whole carton of Zhonghua, haha!"

Spitting out a smoke ring and shaking off the ash, Li Sanjiang asked again:

"By the way, Little Brother Yuan Hou, what did that old lady specifically call you over to say this morning?"

"Grandma Liu is going to the city today, let me accompany her."

"Oh, is this to buy you something?"

"Shouldn't be."

"If she really buys it for you, you take it, let that snobbish old lady bleed a bit more; anyway, she loses at the card table."

"Okay, grandfather."

When they returned home after the walk, they found that Auntie Zhang's man had already sent the pork and pig blood.

There was a lot of meat, and Liu Yi had already paid for it, which was much cheaper than buying it at a meat shop in town.

There was no worry about not being able to finish this meat; after all, the mules raised at home were all meat-eaters.

Li Sanjiang picked up a bag of pig blood and started to tinker with it.

Not to make blood jelly, but to make "black dog blood" for use in rituals.

Li Sanjiang had a lot of experience with this kind of "faking"; he first filtered it himself and processed it slightly, then carried the basin to the hall and started tinkering with pigments inside.

This kind of "black dog blood" has red as the base color and black as solemnity; once sprinkled out, it solidifies quickly, and the performance effect is good.

When Li Sanjiang was busy, Xiao Hei was beside him, resting its head on its dog legs, opening its dog eyes, and watching Li Sanjiang make "black dog blood."

Xiao Hei's IQ is very high, definitely considered smart among dogs; after all, it knows how to trade off, and in order to continue this lazy life of good food and drink, it even disdains dog sex.

Every time blood is collected, Xiao Hei will take the initiative to stretch out its dog leg, and after it's collected, it will shake, signaling that it can draw a bit more.

During the river-walking interval, when the red mud isn't used much, the frequency and amount of blood collection will also decrease, and Xiao Hei will feel anxious about this, taking the initiative to stretch out its leg to pull Runsheng or Tan Wenbin, for fear of losing its blood rice bowl.

But looking at Li Sanjiang in front of him, Xiao Hei didn't have the slightest desire to flatter, because Li Sanjiang was doing a big basin.

After processing, Li Sanjiang took a container and filled it up for it.

Then, he went to move all his things out, wiping what needed to be wiped and drying what needed to be dried.

Especially that peach wood sword with the Shandong State-owned Furniture Factory mark on the hilt, which was Li Sanjiang's favorite; Li Sanjiang even applied a layer of oil to it to make it look brighter.

Lin Shu You squatted to the side and asked: "Grandfather, is there a big job?"

Li Sanjiang nodded: "Yes, a big job, very big; you also prepare, follow me to jump the god in the afternoon."

Lin Shu You: "That's not jumping the god..."

Since the boss of a generous field asked them to handle things, and Li Sanjiang let Lin Shu You perform Guanjiang Shou and got a big red envelope, Lin Shu You's Guanjiang Shou became an extra project in Li Sanjiang's white affair business.

When encountering a master with a lot of money, Li Sanjiang would recommend Lin Shu You to go up.

Li Sanjiang: "No difference, you jump quite well."

Lin Shu You: "That's for sure."

Li Sanjiang: "It's fierce today, have to be careful."

Lin Shu You: "How fierce can it be, grandfather, don't scare yourself."

A You knew that with that peach forest, the Nantong area was stable and peaceful, and it was difficult for even great resentment to form into a ghost.

Li Sanjiang: "Fierce, a whole family is gone, exterminated."

Lin Shu You: "When did this happen?"

Li Sanjiang: "Those few days you returned to Fujian."

Lin Shu You: "Who killed them? Robbers or drifters?"

At that time, social security couldn't be considered very stable, and almost every year, news reports and television constantly reported on murderers who committed crimes across provinces.

Such a case, wherever it happened, would cause great social panic, and could even trigger a craze for local people to reinforce or replace doors and windows.

Li Sanjiang mumbled his lips a few times and shook his head: "There should be a statement, otherwise they wouldn't have invited me; just wait and see."

Lin Shu You: "Then I should also prepare?"

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, you prepare to put on makeup in advance, and jump when you arrive."

Lin Shu You: "Okay."

In fact, Lin Shu You didn't need to put on makeup to open his face and descend long ago; he was self-contained now.

The lunch was very hard.

Although the food standard in Li Sanjiang's house had always been very high, the simple oil consumption was greater than that of a hundred-person factory in the nearby town.

But today's lunch was still exceptionally different from the past.

Runsheng, who returned from the field, looked at the red-braised meat on the layer of the washbasin and looked at Li Sanjiang with some doubt.

Tan Wenbin: "I said Uncle Li, did you win the jackpot again?"

Li Sanjiang: "Win a ball."

Tan Wenbin: "Then this is not planning to live anymore?"

Li Sanjiang: "Eat yours, eat more, follow me to work later."

Tan Wenbin: "This is a big job? Hiss... not right, if there's a big job, shouldn't there be a meal?"

Li Sanjiang: "Zhuangzhuang, can't eating block your mouth?"

Tan Wenbin: "Block, block, I'll block it now."

After the meal, Li Sanjiang directly pointed the generals.

From Qin Shu, Xiong Shan, to Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, Lin Shu You, and the family mule, all dispatched.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan would also ask to go together, but today Grandma Liu had something to do.

Li Sanjiang took everyone and left, pushing out three flatbed carts, full of all kinds of paper offerings.

When Liu Yi was cleaning the dinner plates, she specifically asked Liu Yumei:

"Should I accompany you?"

"No need, I didn't even call A Li, they won't bring them either."

Liu Yumei waved at Li Zhuiyuan, and the youth walked over.

"Accompany me to see a few people later."

"Okay, Grandma Liu."

"Don't call me grandma."

"Is it because I can't let them know who I am?"

"If you are willing to let them know, you can." Liu Yumei took a cup of tea from Liu Yi, rinsed her mouth, and spat it out, "But aren't you unwilling to put up our family's brand on the river?"

"I am willing."

"Oh?"

"And often put up the brand."

"Ho."

Liu Yumei laughed.

This was the first time she had a detailed chat with the youth about this problem.

In just a few sentences, the old lady's doubts could be considered basically dispelled.

"Very good, much better than that stupid head A Li." Liu Yumei reached out and pointed to her temple, "I have always felt that the Qin family has been a group of reckless people for generations; what do you think?"

"Grandma, I am also considered a Qin family member."

Saying that, Li Zhuiyuan's peripheral vision looked at A Li sitting there.

Liu Yumei said angrily: "Sigh, if it weren't for seeing that the Qin family is pitiful, I wouldn't have let A Li take the surname Qin; it would be better to take my surname."

Li Zhuiyuan accompanied her with a smile.

Liu Yumei raised her eyes to look at the sun and said: "Alright, it's almost time, go with grandma."

Liu Yi: "I'll go get that box under the bed for you."

Liu Yumei raised her hand: "Don't take it, it's better to go empty-handed; if I bring the sword, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back."

Liu Yi: "Then bring an umbrella; looking at this weather, it's going to rain."

It rained.

Li Sanjiang: "Quick, quick, quick, push the paper offerings into the house, don't get them wet."

Three big carts of paper offerings, not counting the money, if they were soaked and ruined halfway, it wouldn't be easy to hand them over.

Qin Shu and the others immediately moved them; the paper offerings were still rained on, but the paper offerings in Li Sanjiang's house were of such high quality that not only did they not break shape, but they didn't even fade much.

Lin Shu You patted the raindrops on his hair while walking to the door of the hall and looked inside.

In the hall, there was a square table, and six portrait frames were placed on the table with yellow paper as a ladder.

At the top were two old people, in the middle were two middle-aged people, and below were two children.

Three generations of old, middle, and young, neat and tidy.

Tan Wenbin walked over: "This is the first time I've seen such a white affair."

Lin Shu You: "Uncle Li said they were exterminated."

Tan Wenbin: "Sigh, the two children are a pity."

Lin Shu You: "Yes."

They were used to life and death; what could move them was the smile of the children on the portrait frames.

It should be photos of the two children before they died, washed out.

This family moved in from other places when the older generation was there, so there were no relatives locally, and the whole family was gone, so there was no master, and this funeral was still led by the village.

People from the official side came at noon, as well as reporters, so they only simply arranged the mourning hall and it wasn't suitable for any feudal superstition activities.

But the villagers had simple spiritual comfort needs.

This family died violently, making the people in the village panic, and they needed to hold a big ritual to make everyone feel at ease.

Therefore, the money for this time was from the village, which could also be considered a "fundraising" by everyone to a certain extent.

"Rain is rain, hurry up and practice!"

After Li Sanjiang shouted, he changed into a Daoist costume, held a peach wood sword, and ran out "thump, thump, thump."

In the rain, he started to perform the ritual.

Tan Wenbin and the others hurriedly helped arrange the offering table and fire basin.

Lin Shu You found a corner, changed into Guanjiang Shou clothes, shook his face, the talisman characters appeared, and then he came out holding a trident, following Uncle Li in the heavy rain on the terrace... to catch "ghosts" together.

Xiong Shan blew the suona, Tan Wenbin beat the gong, and Qin Shu beat the drum.

Soon, some villagers heard the movement and came to watch.

Unlike the bustling crowds watching the white affair team perform in the past, this time only a few villagers approached to watch, scattered, and most of the villagers held umbrellas and watched from the outside.

These days, even when the villagers walked, they would specifically avoid the front of this family's house.

Li Sanjiang was old after all, and the costume became very heavy after being soaked by the rain; moreover, in the heavy rain, many moves weren't suitable for playing, so he could only run around and wave around.

After a long time, Li Sanjiang was a bit out of breath.

Lin Shu You: "Uncle Li, you slow down, I'll do it!"

Li Sanjiang: "Good."

Lin Shu You stepped and started to circle around Li Sanjiang.

Li Sanjiang raised his sword, and Lin Shu You started to do continuous backflips;

Li Sanjiang waved his sword, and Lin Shu You did continuous side flips.

In short, Uncle Li only needed to stand there and gesture casually; relying on Lin Shu You's body method, it wouldn't make the villagers around, especially the village branch secretary and village head standing inside, feel that they were paddling.

Because Lin Shu You played too well, it was real kung fu and quite handsome, gradually attracting the villagers who were originally standing on the periphery to the front.

And every time Lin Shu You performed a body method, there were villagers below clapping and cheering.

This made Li Sanjiang feel a bit distressed, and he hurriedly said:

"You Hou, rest, rest, no need to be so tired."

"Uncle Li, I'm not tired, really not tired."

Li Sanjiang: "The rain has stopped, burn paper, burn paper! You Hou, you hurry down and drink some water, slow down."

Lin Shu You: "Hehe."

The paper offerings were laid out, and they started burning paper.

There were many styles of paper offerings today, one of which was a paper building, very high.

Because it was stained with rain earlier, although it could be lit, it burned slower than usual.

Li Sanjiang used the peach wood sword to cut open the front door of the ground floor of the paper building; this was to facilitate more air to enter for better burning, but Li Sanjiang also took a hand and said to the group of portrait frames in the hall:

"Enter quickly, ascend to the Pure Land early, rest in peace early!"

"Please come in, please come in."

Under the Wangjiang Building, a white-faced middle-aged man held a fan and bowed.

Liu Yumei held up an oil-paper umbrella and walked to the bottom of the building.

The white-faced middle-aged man bent down, wanting to take a look at the person under the umbrella.

The oil-paper umbrella was raised by a few inches, revealing Liu Yumei's face.

The middle-aged man trembled and said hurriedly:

"Old Madam, please come in."

Liu Yumei continued to walk inside, and only after entering the building did she close the umbrella.

This Wangjiang Building looked very large from the outside, but inside, it was actually just two floors.

After Liu Yumei entered, everyone sitting on the second floor stood up.

A white-haired, rich-looking old man wearing a member's uniform and rubbing a jade thumb ring laughed and said:

"I just felt it was stuffy here, fortunately it's raining at sister's place, just bringing this rain vapor, it's much cooler and refreshing."

A noble lady who looked about the same age as Liu Yumei closed her eyes, took a breath, and laughed:

"This rain has a flavor of misty Jiangnan; it seems that sister Liu is not living in the ancestral house, but living in seclusion in Jiangnan."

Liu Yumei walked up the stairs and said while walking: "There are few people in the family, living in the old house is more desolate; where is it not living?"

Another cold-faced old man leaning on a bamboo cane responded:

"The ancestral house still needs people to live in; our kind of family, the ancestors put too many things in it, and if no one lives in it for too long, it's easy to have chaos."

Liu Yumei: "I think, it's quite good to have some chaos, let everyone be lively."

Arrived at the second floor.

There was a round table on the second floor, and a circle of people stood around the round table.

The old people who spoke to Liu Yumei earlier all had the qualification to be seated.

Some who didn't look that old, or were of different generations, took the initiative to salute Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei nodded to them one by one.

The noble lady swept a circle around the table and said: "When sister Liu hadn't come, I was still sighing that there were a few new faces at this table; if I didn't look at this etiquette, I really wouldn't recognize which family they were from when we met in the world of rivers and lakes in the future."

The rich-looking old man opened his mouth: "Envy, I also want to put down the burden on my body and retire early to enjoy my old age, but unfortunately, among the younger generation in the family, not many are truly successful."

The thin old man: "Alright, let's all sit down."

Liu Yumei sat down.

The people around the round table also slowly sat down.

Outside the round table, there was another group of people surrounding them; they were generally a bit restrained, and it could even be said... a bit terrified.

Under each person was a separate round stool.

After the people around the round table sat down, this group of people on the periphery sat down, but only sat on half the stool.

A middle-aged man sitting at the round table stood up again and picked up a teapot to pour tea.

After pouring it for the people at the table, he flicked his fingers, and the water in the teapot flowed out, falling toward the surroundings.

The people sitting on round stools around them raised their teacups with both hands to catch the tea, and then continued to maintain this action.

The middle-aged man laughed: "Pity, like a dream, ultimately lacking a bit of real taste, and I ask all the elders to have time in the future to visit my humble home, and the junior will definitely cook tea to serve you personally."

Liu Yumei played with the teacup in front of her, shaking it gently; this tea was sometimes like water and sometimes like fog.

"I've already replied to your letters, I won't participate in the Yu family's affairs, but you still had to do this, wasting my effort in vain."

Originally, Liu Yumei could have happily played cards with her old sisters in the afternoon.

The thin old man: "If there was a Long Wang, then this matter would be simple, but who told the previous generation of Long Wang to perish early, and the current Long Wang hasn't been decided yet?

The Yu family's affairs are of great importance, even if they are against human relations, they are still the Long Wang Sect after all.

Our group of people has the responsibility to come up with a set of rules for this world of rivers and lakes."

Outside the Wangjiang Building.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on a long bench.

Below the building was a square, and there were many people.

There were small vendors setting up stalls, young couples taking pictures, tourists passing through, and people performing, bustling and very lively.

But, these people are actually fake.

Even Li Zhuiyuan is fake.

This is the first time in Li Zhuiyuan's memory that he has gone out with Grandma Liu.

In the past, Liu Yumei wouldn't even leave the terrace of grandfather's house.

Playing cards, Liu Jinxia and the others would come to find her.

She wouldn't walk, wouldn't stroll, and in her spare time, she would either drink tea, design clothes, or if she had time, talk to the memorial tablets.

This first time taking him out, Grandma Liu really gave Li Zhuiyuan a "fresh and original" experience.

In reality, Liu Yumei and Li Zhuiyuan are now sitting under a bus station in the city.

Grandma is holding up an umbrella, and the grandson is sitting beside grandma.

The two are very quiet, but their expressions are not dull, and their eyes will look at the people and cars passing by occasionally.