Chapter 38

"Salvage corpses? Ugh... is that a snack?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"It's just the literal meaning."

"Literal meaning?"

"People die, fall into the water, and then, you fish them out."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

In the past, Tan Wenbin would definitely have thought this was the boy's nonsense, but now, he felt it was very likely true.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, is salvaging corpses fun?"

"It's fun."

"How fun is it?"

"More fun than studying."

Tan Wenbin imagined two scenes in his mind: one was burying his head in writing test papers in the classroom, and the other was standing by the river with a large net to fish out dead people.

Although the latter was creepy, it was indeed more fun than studying!

"Brother Xiaoyuan, do you salvage them often?"

"There aren't that many people falling into the river and drowning every day, and only a very small probability of those who fall into the river and drown will become corpses."

"Aren't people who drown called corpses?"

"We generally refer specifically to those who can still move on their own after drowning."

"Can still move on their own after dying?" Tan Wenbin's face became complicated. "Moving with the water flow?"

"They move themselves, and can even come ashore and walk."

"This..." Tan Wenbin finally couldn't help but start to doubt. "Brother Xiaoyuan, are you deliberately telling stories to scare me?"

"No."

"But I don't believe what you just said."

"Hmm."

"Unless, you take me to see one, that kind of corpse that can move."

"I won't take you."

"Why?" Tan Wenbin didn't understand. After what he said wasn't believed, shouldn't his first reaction be to rush to prove it?

"Salvaging corpses is very dangerous."

"It's okay, I'm not afraid of danger."

"Brother Binbin, you don't know anything. Taking you along would just be a burden, which would put me in danger."

"Ugh..."

After a brief loss of speech, Tan Wenbin immediately leaned forward and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand: "But the more you say that, the more I want to see it."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

"Please, Brother Xiaoyuan, Brother, Brother!"

"It's not allowed."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, as long as you really let me see a corpse, I'll do whatever you want in the future!"

"Brother Binbin."

"Did you agree?"

"What can you help me with?"

Tan Wenbin fell into silence.

Tan Yunlong's shout came from the living room: "Binbin, bring Xiaoyuan out to eat."

Dinner was very rich, mainly because there were many plates, and some dishes were clearly opened from cans and poured out to make up the numbers.

Zheng Fang said apologetically: "Xiaoyuan, next time you come, let's eat outside. Your Auntie actually doesn't know how to cook."

"Auntie has worked hard, there are already many dishes, we won't be able to finish them."

Tan Yunlong said while pouring soda into the cup in front of Li Zhuiyuan: "It's okay, let Binbin eat the remaining dishes slowly."

The atmosphere of the dinner was very warm and harmonious, a typical family of three, plus a guest, Tan Wenbin.

Just as they were finishing eating and everyone started chatting, Tan Yunlong's pager rang. He looked down and then stood up immediately.

Zheng Fang had long been accustomed to this rhythm of life and immediately went to get a coat for her husband, saying: "Should Xiaoyuan sleep at our house tonight?"

Tan Yunlong shook his head after putting on his coat: "I didn't tell his family when I came, so if he doesn't go back at night, his family will be worried. Come, Xiaoyuan, follow Uncle."

"Aren't you busy at the station?"

"It's on the way, just send the child back."

"Then alright, be careful on the road. It's windy at night, don't let the child catch a cold."

Li Zhuiyuan left the table and walked to Tan Yunlong's side. Zheng Fang took out a red envelope she had prepared long ago and stuffed it into his hand.

"Xiaoyuan, it's your first time visiting, go buy some candy to eat."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Zhuiyuan took the red envelope and put it in his pocket. He knew Tan Yunlong was in a hurry to go out, so he didn't refuse.

When walking down the stairs, Tan Yunlong said: "The people conducting surveillance at the hospital called to say that someone came to visit those two, and they have been caught now."

"How many?"

"Just one."

"That shouldn't be all."

Water monkeys were accustomed to acting in groups. On the surface, two fake outsiders had come to contract the fish pond, so there must be more people behind the scenes.

"The two who were injured are still unconscious, so we can't question them. Now that we've caught one tongue, we can look forward to prying his mouth open."

Tan Yunlong got on the motorcycle and handed the helmet to Li Zhuiyuan after he got on.

The previous conversation was more like an exchange between colleagues. Tan Yunlong didn't feel anything wrong; the clues for this case were originally given to him by the boy.

Amidst the wild roar of the motorcycle, they arrived at the health center.

Tan Yunlong didn't avoid anything at all and took Li Zhuiyuan into the inpatient building.

Sihai's father and son and the pair of contracting bosses were all in wards on the first floor, but one was at the east end and the other at the west end.

There was a long chair area in the center of the first floor, and there were many people, because the hospital beds were tight, and many patients' families would choose to accompany them here.

The security section was in the first room on the west side. After pushing the door in, there were three people inside, two plainclothes officers standing and one wearing handcuffs sitting.

"Tan Dui."

"Tan Dui."

"Have you asked for the result?"

"He doesn't admit it, saying he was just entrusted by someone to come and deliver fruit baskets and milk to those two hospital beds."

Tan Yunlong frowned: "How could this be wrong?"

"This brat has a criminal record for theft. When we stepped forward and asked him to assist in the investigation, he wanted to run away directly, so we caught him. He actually confessed to two theft cases he did recently, but he refused to admit he knew the two who were unconscious."

"Police comrades, I really don't know those two people. Someone just gave me money and asked me to help deliver some things to the people in that ward."

Tan Yunlong asked: "Who gave you the money?"

"Just a woman, wearing a mask, short hair, wrapped quite tightly in the middle of summer."

Tan Yunlong said to the colleague beside him: "It should be a mistake. He is speaking Nantong dialect, and that gang are outsiders."

Grave-robbing gangs were generally based on clans, rarely appearing with outsiders, let alone people from other provinces. Wealth moved people's hearts; those who made money from the dead were most afraid not of the dead, but of being black-eaten.

"Tan Dui, then are we discovered?"

"It should be. Your work isn't detailed enough. People might have observed it long ago and didn't fall into the net. However, it's also possible that people are used to throwing stones to ask the way."

Tan Yunlong suddenly thought of something. When throwing stones to ask the way, you at least have to watch the splash on the side.

He immediately pushed the door and walked out of the security section, coming to the long chair area. There were many people here, and his gaze swept quickly.

"Uncle Tan."

Li Zhuiyuan's voice came, and Tan Yunlong realized that he didn't know when the boy had gone out first.

At this moment, he looked at him first, and then followed the direction the boy was secretly pointing to. In the long corridor leading to the water room on the east side, a person was leaving. Judging from the back, it was a woman.

Tan Yunlong immediately flew over the long chair in front of him and chased quickly.

It seemed that hearing the urgent footsteps coming from behind, the woman immediately changed from walking to running, and the two started a chase.

When the several police officers behind came, they didn't see Tan Dui and didn't know which direction he had gone. Li Zhuiyuan walked over and reminded:

"Uncle Tan went in that direction, chasing a female suspect."

Several police officers then ran over to reinforce.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't follow to join the fun, but walked back to the security section. There was still a plainclothes officer inside watching the pickpocket.

Pouring himself a glass of water, Li Zhuiyuan sat on a chair and waited slowly.

After hearing the pickpocket speak Nantong dialect, he came out. There were indeed many people in the central long chair area, but it wasn't difficult to find.

The ward of those two water monkeys was at the far west end. If you connect the ward and the security section into a line, and then make a projection plane on the long chair area, the range would shrink all of a sudden, because only in this small area could you observe the ward and the security section.

When Li Zhuiyuan went to observe, the woman happened to stand up, and Li Zhuiyuan noticed her immediately, because she was empty-handed.

After about a quarter of an hour, the security section door was pushed open again. Tan Yunlong was helped in, and the doctor also came in.

Tan Yunlong's upper garment was undone, and a long, slanted bruise appeared on his left chest. It should have been kicked by a foot.

Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head along the direction of this bruise, trying to think about the force-exerting posture of kicking this foot, feeling a bit awkward.

When the doctor was applying medicinal oil, Tan Yunlong also told his colleagues: "I originally caught her when I chased her, but she threw me out all of a sudden. When I got up, she gave me another kick."

"Tan Dui, is that person's skill so powerful?"

"It's not powerful. I'm not making excuses for myself. It's already faceless to not catch someone and get injured.

It's just that when I was in close contact with her, whether she threw me or kicked me, I actually made preparations and intended to counter-capture her.

But her force-exerting was very strange. I didn't expect it at all, and I was thrown out all of a sudden."

After listening, Li Zhuiyuan expressed understanding in his heart, because the other party used moves to deal with corpses.

This kind of move wasn't necessarily useful against living people, but Tan Yunlong wanted to subdue people and kept his hand, and he suffered from being unfamiliar with it for a while.

Not long after, several more police officers returned, all looking a bit dejected. Obviously, they didn't keep up with the person, and she ran away.

"Add more manpower to guard here. Didn't the doctor say those two will wake up soon? When the time comes, we can dig clues from their mouths."

After giving instructions, Tan Yunlong put on his clothes and came out holding Li Zhuiyuan's hand.

"Uncle Tan, can you still drive?"

Li Zhuiyuan saw Tan Yunlong covering his chest with his hand all the time and asked with concern.

"The problem isn't big, get in the car."

This time, Tan Yunlong drove the motorcycle very slowly.

"Xiaoyuan, next time you go out, you must tell me in advance."

"Okay."

"I find that you are quite suitable to be a policeman. Have you ever thought about taking the police academy exam?"

"No."

"Then what university do you want to take?"

"Haihe University."

Hearing this answer, Tan Yunlong's mouth twitched, because he seemed to have guessed the reason why the boy wanted to apply for this university.

After sending him home, Tan Yunlong handed Li Zhuiyuan a note: "Xiaoyuan, if you have anything, just page me."

"Alright, Uncle Tan."

Looking at the back of the motorcycle driving away, Li Zhuiyuan moved his gaze toward the bearded man's house again.

A martial artist who specifically used moves to deal with corpses was no longer a simple water monkey.

However, since they could be pitted by the bait-hole, this water monkey branch, even if complex, was complex to a very limited extent.

Then, to be safe, should he make some preparations in advance?

The books all taught various methods to eliminate corpses, but they wouldn't teach you how to help them, but at the same time, the books also listed a lot of taboos when dealing with corpses...

So, just take these taboos and use them in reverse.

In this way, even if a tough guy appeared in that water monkey branch, he could provide a bottom line for Little Huang Ying.

Clenching his fist, he tapped his forehead lightly, and Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized:

What kind of evil thinking was this of his?

But he quickly explained it to himself. He had been in contact with archaeology since he was young, had seen many national treasures destroyed by grave robbers, and had witnessed the heartbreak of many old archaeological experts.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. He wasn't helping the corpse to do evil, but clearly protecting national property.

Turning around and entering the house, the TV was off. Runsheng wasn't watching TV, but he could vaguely hear the "ding-dong" sound coming from the back wall, which meant Runsheng was still working overtime.

Not going to disturb him, Li Zhuiyuan went to the second floor and saw Great-grandfather actually still lying on the rattan chair on the terrace.

"Great-grandfather, why haven't you slept yet?"

"Waiting for you." Li Sanjiang moved his body and yawned again. "What did Officer Tan say there?"

"He agreed."

"Really agreed?"

"Hmm, in a month, before school starts, he will personally take me to handle the enrollment procedures. Great-grandfather, you can rest assured."

"That's good, that's good. Is it going to Shigang?"

"Hmm."

"What grade?"

"Sixth grade."

Li Sanjiang stretched out his fingers, calculated the ages and grades of Yingzi, Pan Zi, and the others, and asked: "You are going to the sixth grade of elementary school now, will it be too fast?"

"It's okay, Great-grandfather. I'm young. Even if I can't keep up with the progress, I can still repeat a grade and learn for another year."

"That's right." Li Sanjiang nodded. "This is cost-effective."

"Great-grandfather, go to sleep quickly, it's very late."

"Hmm, it's time to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow; a guest is coming to the house."

"Who?"

"A comrade-in-arms of mine from before."

"Your comrade-in-arms..."

"Also a fellow villager, from the same village before."

"A Taiwanese businessman?"

"That's not it. He was quite unlucky. Back then, he and I were both conscripted together. I escaped, but he couldn't, and he just confusedly retreated all the way to Yunnan and Guizhou, and retreated all the way to Myanmar.

It is said that life was quite good at first, and then our side sent troops to crush them.

After that, he was stranded in Southeast Asia. It is said that he made a little money. He is old now and wants to return to his hometown to invest."

"Great-grandfather, did he call you?"

"Right."

"What about the village chief?"

"What does it have to do with the village chief?"

"If an overseas Chinese returns to the country to invest, the town mayor will generally accompany him."

Li Sanjiang's face immediately showed a "so that's how it is" expression, and even smiled:

"Hehe, in other words, this old brat is returning home to put on airs and pretend to be rich?"

"Great-grandfather, I'm just guessing blindly."

"Alright, alright, sleep, sleep. You go wash and sleep early too." Li Sanjiang walked toward the room while shaking his cattail fan, laughing happily, "After summer vacation, our Xiaoyuan will be in the sixth grade. Really good."

Li Zhuiyuan went to take a bath, returned to the room, sat at the desk, and wrote his experience notes.

Before, he didn't have the habit of taking notes or making error sets when he was in school, because it didn't matter even if he handed in a blank paper for the exam. Now it's different; one wrong step could lead to death.

He quite liked this feeling; exams should have some psychological pressure.

As for him attending the sixth grade of middle school instead of the sixth grade of elementary school, Li Zhuiyuan felt that after school started, Great-grandfather would know for himself.

His age and the juvenile class were indeed not easy to explain to outsiders, but the high school side should know, and transferring and skipping grades like this could also reduce a lot of trouble.

Opening several stacks of books in front of him, according to his memory, he flipped to the page of which volume, and Li Zhuiyuan selectively extracted ten "taboos" when dealing with corpses.

These ten items definitely wouldn't all be used, at most two would be taken, so he had to continue to weigh and screen from the perspective of practicality and controllability. After doing these, he went to bed.

Waking up, he felt his spirit was much better than the previous few times. It seemed the overdraft problem had been improved, but he still had to pay attention to eating more things to replenish blood and Qi. He had to tell Liu Yi about this.

There was no one on the chair at the door, because the girl was sitting at the desk, holding a small carving knife and carving wooden flower rolls.

Li Zhuiyuan was a bit puzzled. All the materials in his room had been transferred to the workshop by Runsheng, and all equipment would be made there in the future. So where did A Li get the raw materials again?

Walking closer, he found that they were all the same black-sinking texture emitting sandalwood fragrance as last time.

"A Li, did you chop up the ancestral tablets in the house again?"

A Li shook her head.

It wasn't her who chopped them; it was her grandmother who chopped them.

Liu Yumei chopped them very happily, for fear that if she chopped them late, her granddaughter's illness would recur.

Li Zhuiyuan went to take three more bottles of energy drinks. They were the last three bottles, and he had to ask Auntie Liu to stock up again.

Opening two bottles, one for each.

The girl liked drinking it the earliest because she hadn't been in contact with carbonated drinks before, but actually, she didn't like drinking sweet things in the morning, but she liked to clink glasses with the boy.

Another thing was that she wanted to fill up the first-bite collection box early.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan returned to the second-floor terrace to read, and A Li sat beside him doing carving.

From time to time, a few unused wooden flower rolls were blown down by the wind, shining with luster in the sun, which was the gratified smile of the ancestors.

The guest arrived earlier than expected. A black sedan drove over on the village road in the distance. An old man in a black suit got out of the sedan, holding a cane in his right hand and being supported by a young blonde woman in his left.

The two walked through the path and came to the dam.

"Yo, is that you, Lin Hou?"

"Hehe, it's me, Sanjiang Hou!"

The two old men shook hands excitedly.

Immediately after, the two sat down, and Liu Yi brought tea.

Li Zhuiyuan said to A Li, and also went downstairs.

"Is she your granddaughter?" Li Sanjiang asked.

"No, she is my secretary, surnamed Jin."

"Oh, that's good." Li Sanjiang immediately turned his head and waved, "Come, Lin Hou, this is my great-grandson, Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan, come, meet your Grandpa Ding."

"Hello, Grandpa Ding."

"Very smart child."

"That's for sure, after all, he is a child of my Li family, and this child is living with me now." Li Sanjiang continued to stroke Li Zhuiyuan's head, not intending to let the child leave.

This meaning was very obvious.

Ding Dalin smiled awkwardly, touched his suit pocket, and said awkwardly: "Look at me, having stayed outside for too long, I've forgotten these customs."

The young woman beside him took out money and handed it to Ding Dalin, and Ding Dalin handed it to Li Zhuiyuan:

"Come, Grandpa will buy you candy."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan took the money; it was quite thick.

However, he also noticed Ding Dalin's words just now. Clearly, the overseas Chinese circle paid more attention to these old rituals. How could he say he had forgotten these customs, unless he hadn't been living in a normal society all along?

In addition, Ding Dalin's suit wasn't a foreign brand. Although the label was in English, one scan knew it was a southern product. Although it was quite expensive, it definitely wasn't brought back when returning to the country.

Looking at this woman's figure again, it seemed a bit familiar.

"Great-grandfather, I'll go help Liu Yi serve melon seeds." Li Zhuiyuan made an excuse to walk around and came behind the woman, seeing the woman's back.

Confirmed, it was the woman who escaped from the hospital last night.

The woman also turned her head at this time, looking at Li Zhuiyuan with her peripheral vision.

Hmm? Did you recognize me too?

When he came out of the security section, the woman stood up and walked away with her back to him, but when he first entered the inpatient building with Tan Yunlong, the woman should have seen him.

Then, Ding Dalin's identity was self-evident.

They were water monkeys!

Li Zhuiyuan brought the melon seeds over and put them down, and then found an excuse to go to the bathroom and went to the back of the house.

Opening the workshop door, Runsheng was still humming and working hard.

"Brother Runsheng, stop for a moment. There are two guests outside. Go and stand by Great-grandfather's side."

"Okay!"

Runsheng picked up the black and white towel hanging beside him and wiped his sweat.

Immediately after, he put on his short-sleeved shirt and went out.

He didn't tell Runsheng the identity of the two people directly, for fear that Runsheng wouldn't act well and wouldn't be able to stabilize them.

Li Zhuiyuan went around from the back of the house, intending to pass through the field and go to Auntie Zhang's small shop to call Tan Yunlong.

But as he walked, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly sensed something wrong. At the entrance of the field ridge road ahead, someone was squatting and smoking.

That person was on tiptoe, leaning sideways, smoking while observing the surroundings.

This was the water monkeys moving out collectively; there were people on guard even here.

He couldn't get out, so Li Zhuiyuan could only return silently in the rice field.

The interval between rural self-built houses was relatively large, and Great-grandfather's place happened to have no neighbors in front or back. Since there was someone at this opening, there must be someone at other openings.

It was safer to return home. After all, there was Runsheng at home.

Pray again that Liu Yi was another hidden Qin Shu, but Li Zhuiyuan doubted it very much; Liu Yi was good at cooking and medical skills.

Grandma Liu was old and couldn't pin her hopes on her.

Li Zhuiyuan returned. On the dam, Li Sanjiang was patting Runsheng's arm and saying to Ding Dalin:

"This is also my grandson, Runsheng. Say hello to your Grandpa Dalin. Be sweet-mouthed. Your Grandpa Dalin just gave Xiaoyuan a very thick red envelope."

"Hehe, Grandpa Dalin."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go forward, but walked into the kitchen. Liu Yi was cooking. Since guests had come, she definitely had to keep them for lunch.

"Liu Yi."

"What's wrong, Xiaoyuan?" 【3

"What's wrong, Xiao Yuan?"

"Do you have any poison?"

"What kind of medicine?"

"Two dirty people came from outside."

Liu Ting felt a shock in her heart; this child actually wanted to poison people directly.

She immediately steadied the expression on her face and said:

"Don't worry, Xiao Yuan. Since the dirty people are wearing clean clothes, they aren't here to do dirty work."

This sounded very reasonable, but the problem was that the secretary, Jin, had recognized him.

Although there were some raw materials in his workshop that were toxic, that stuff was something people could clearly taste if eaten.

"Then, Liu Yi, will you also go back to look after your sick uncle like Qin Shu does?"

Liu Yi was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face; then he could rest easy.

Although eating would become a problem at home without Liu Yi, it was still better than never needing to eat again in the future.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the kitchen and stood beside Runsheng; he wanted to hear the purpose of Ding Dalin's visit today.

Noticing Runsheng poking him with his hand, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look and discovered that Runsheng was handing him the red envelope money he had just received.

"Brother Runsheng, you keep it yourself; you don't need to give it to me."

"Tool and material fees."

"Keep it with you for safekeeping."

"Okay."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan saw Secretary Jin take the initiative to face him, take a chocolate wrapped in tin foil from her pocket, walk over, and hand it to him.

"Little brother, here you go."

"Thank you, sister."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and took it; it felt a bit sticky, and the chocolate inside must have melted long ago.

"Why aren't you eating it, little brother?"

"I can't bear to eat it now; I want to hold it in my mouth slowly when I sleep tonight."

"Hehe, it's fine. Sister still has plenty, and I'll bring you more next time I have the chance."

As she spoke, Secretary Jin reached out and touched Li Zhuiyuan's face.

Li Zhuiyuan perceived the raised skin on the woman's fingertips and the thick calluses on the inside of her palms.

The boy revealed a shy smile on his face and took half a step back.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan reached out and pulled Runsheng over; Runsheng bent down, allowing the boy to bring his mouth close to his ear to whisper:

"Brother Runsheng, it's thanks to you leaving me at the town market yesterday that I could be sent to the police station. The uncles and aunties at the police station gave me lots of snacks, and in the end, an uncle even rode a motorcycle to send me home, hehe."

Runsheng listened, his mind a complete muddle,

but he still instinctively responded:

"Mm, yes."

Secretary Jin covered her mouth and laughed, a trace of playfulness and relief showing in the depths of her eyes.

Mm, she thought she was very clever and had also confirmed that the boy hadn't recognized her; after all, she had also worn a mask last night.

Li Zhuiyuan waited on the side to hear Ding Dalin's purpose, but the two old men began reminiscing about their wartime friendship.

Mainly, these two old men were conscripts captured after the Japanese surrendered; there really wasn't any heroic or moving story to tell.

His great-grandfather had fought all the way from the Northeast into the pass, abandoned Pingjin, and broken through Huaihai.

Ding Dalin, on the other hand, had marched west all the way, eventually holding sway in Southeast Asia, though he did like to toot his own horn, actually claiming to be a veteran of the Expeditionary Force.

It could be seen that his great-grandfather was in high spirits chatting; after all, his peers in the village were either dead or no longer spoke or reacted clearly, and it was rare to run into another clear-headed old geezer.

But Ding Dalin was clearly a bit listless; Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the other party wanted to change the subject several times, only to be steered back by his great-grandfather, who was deep in conversation.

Finally, seeing that lunchtime was almost upon them, Ding Dalin had no choice but to reveal his true intentions:

"I heard that someone died at the bearded man's house a while ago, two people died?"

Li Sanjiang immediately frowned and asked, "Why are you asking about this?"

Seeing Li Sanjiang's reaction, Ding Dalin turned his face to exchange a brief look with Secretary Jin, then continued to ask:

"Marquis Sanjiang, tell me, how did those two people die?"

The deaths of the bearded man and his son were a taboo for Li Sanjiang; he immediately waved his hand in annoyance to brush it off:

"They say the father and son drank alcohol at night, bragged about who was a better swimmer, went to the fish pond to compete, and drowned."

"Really? I heard that you were the one who fished their bodies out, Marquis Sanjiang?"

"Ah, yes, what about it?"

"I also heard that when those two bodies were fished out, they were very bloated. Is that so?"

"Bodies, you know, will always bloat after soaking in water."

"But it was only one night, how could they bloat that much? It's not like soaking dried wood ear mushrooms."

"This... I don't know about that."

"Then think about it more specifically."

"It's almost lunchtime, why think about those things? Don't bring it up anymore; let's not lose our appetites while eating."

"It doesn't matter."

"How can it not matter? How long has it been since you've been home? Let's have a good drink at noon today, and you can taste our hometown food again."

"Actually, Marquis Sanjiang, I have a reason for asking you this. I'm old and want to return to my roots, so I plan to buy a house in the village.

Isn't the bearded man's house for sale? I think the price is quite reasonable."

"That's not easy to handle. Although you were from this village before, your household registration isn't here anymore. The homestead land belongs to the village collective, and only villagers can buy and sell it."

"That's simple. I'll give you the money, you buy it, and I'll just live there."

"How can that be?"

"There's nothing that can't be. How much longer do I have to live? Money is just an external possession; I've long since seen through it. After I die, just leave the house to your great-grandson."

Li Sanjiang specifically turned his head to look at Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the side; to be honest, he was tempted.

Ever since he had removed the Beijing household registration of Marquis Xiaoyuan, he had always felt guilty in his heart. So, should he acquire more property for Marquis Xiaoyuan? Even if the village house wasn't worth much, it was still a piece of land, wasn't it?

"If you trust me, then I can handle it for you, but you'd better buy a different house."

"What's wrong?" Ding Dalin's tone became agitated, and he pressed, "Is there something wrong with the bearded man's house?"

"Mm, it's a bit unclean."

Li Sanjiang had seen Xiao Huang Ying walk into the fish pond with his own eyes; last time he fished for the bodies, he didn't dare to go too deep, fearing that a pair of hands would reach out from below and drag him down.

If this house were passed down to Marquis Xiaoyuan later, wouldn't Marquis Xiaoyuan have to be neighbors with that dead spirit?

"Unclean? Tell me specifically, is there a problem with the house or is there a problem somewhere else? Marquis Sanjiang, don't blame me for asking too much; after all, it's a house for retirement, so I definitely have to be careful.

I've stayed in Southeast Asia for a long time, and people there are actually more superstitious and particular about taboos than we are here."

"People have died in that pond, you know. Think about it, if you live there, every time you walk onto the dam, you'll be facing that pond. How unsettling is that?"

"That doesn't count as anything, unless that pond really has a major problem. Give me a straight answer; if you say there is, I won't buy it and will change to another one."

"There is!"

"Fine, then I'll change to another one!"

"Done."

"Then I'll ask the village chief in your name to see which family in our village still has the intention to sell their house?"

"No problem."

"Alright, I'm leaving."

"Hey, stay for a meal." Li Sanjiang's attempt to keep him was absolutely sincere; after all, the man had given the younger generation two sums of money, so he should keep him for a meal.

"No, I have a dinner appointment at noon; I have to eat with the town mayor."

"Alright then, I won't keep you; come again another day."

"Definitely, definitely."

Secretary Jin helped Ding Dalin down the dam. After getting into the car, Ding Dalin's entire expression became gloomy:

"It seems there's no mistake; the pond in front of the bearded man's house is the location of the main burial site."

"Boss, that boy named Xiaoyuan..."

"What about that boy?"

"Nothing, he's just quite good-looking."

Since she had already figured out the reason the boy was with the police last night, Secretary Jin couldn't be bothered to mention this matter again.

"Heh, why are you paying attention to a child? You're old enough to be his mother.

Alright, let's talk business.

The next step is to buy the bearded man's house, and then have our people disguise themselves as a theatrical troupe to set up a stage and sing to celebrate the move to a new home, and then carry out the excavation at night.

Even the bait site has been used, so the person buried in this main site must have an extraordinary status; there must be good things in the tomb.

Once this job is done,

I can truly retire and spend my old age."

Li Zhuiyuan held a coin in his hand, standing on the dam, watching the car in the distance drive away.

This group of water monkeys actually really found the location of the main site; Ding Dalin and his group were aiming for the bearded man's pond.

So, should he call the police now or help Xiao Huang Ying?

Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the coin in his hand and whispered: "Leave it to heaven's will; heads, I call the police; tails, I help Xiao Huang Ying."

"Bang!"

The coin was tossed, landed, trembled, and finally lay flat.

It was heads.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, picked up the coin, blew on it,

and said:

"Heaven's will is such; first help Xiao Huang Ying, then call the police."

(End of chapter)