Chapter 5

The old man who had been squatting slowly stood up. After he straightened his back, Li Juxiang suddenly felt that his spine didn't seem as hunched as before.

"Huh?"

The old man patted his own waist, thinking to himself that this Lady Liu was indeed effective. He hadn't even had a proper conversation yet, just by entering her house, he felt his body loosen up significantly.

He didn't linger any longer and walked straight inside.

"Cui Hou, you and Xiao Yuan Hou go eat your meal."

After giving the instruction, she followed them into the inner room. Liu Jinxia's eyesight was poor, so she needed someone by her side to help record things when discussing business.

"Brother Yuan Hou, shall we go continue eating?"

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan responded. Although the discomfort in his body hadn't faded, he still tried to take a step forward.

With the first step, Li Zhuiyuan felt the frequency of the cooling sensation stroking his head slow down, and the sensation on his left cheek, as if pressed against an ice cube, also slowly faded.

But as the second step landed, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly discovered that the chill hadn't disappeared; the coldness on his left cheek reappeared, and it felt as if a block of ice was pressing on his right shoulder.

When the third step was taken, the coldness on his left cheek vanished again, shifting instead to his left shoulder, while the chill on his right shoulder remained.

Li Zhuiyuan took a fourth step. Before his foot even landed, the coldness on both shoulders intensified sharply.

"Hoo..."

Li Zhuiyuan took a trembling deep breath and slowly pulled his foot back. The coldness on both shoulders returned to its previous level.

He couldn't see anything, but he could imagine that an old woman had been half-squatting in front of him, her right hand on his left cheek and her left hand stroking his head, saying that sentence:

"This little child, he looks so well-behaved."

When he walked forward, the old woman changed her posture accordingly, her hands gradually sliding down onto his shoulders—this was a movement to leverage herself up.

If he continued to walk forward, she would climb onto his back.

She,

wanted him to carry her!

……

The shaded room on the first floor was Liu Jinxia's office.

The room was large, but once inside, it felt extremely cramped.

Wooden crates were stacked and circled around, forcibly consuming seventy or eighty percent of the space. Inside were all sorts of ritual implements, scriptures, and statues.

If one were to open a few crates, they could see Laozi and the Buddha with their arms around each other, and they could also see that the figure seated beneath Guanyin Bodhisattva wasn't a child, but Jesus on a cross.

In her earlier years, Liu Jinxia had also harbored dreams. Responding to the call of the new era, she wanted to gather the strengths of many schools to forge a path uniquely her own.

It was just a pity that the backward surrounding market, with Shinan Town as its radius, could not accept such trendy things.

Liu Jinxia could only helplessly accept her fate and return to the image of a traditional blind fortune-telling crone.

Therefore, all that could be used in this room were a black-lacquered wooden table, a few stools, and two white wax candles.

"Hiss..."

Liu Jinxia wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. The candle smoke made her eyes uncomfortable; it seemed these candles would have to be removed in the future as well.

At this moment, the old man sitting opposite her also finished his statement. There was reverence in the gaze he directed at Liu Jinxia.

Since arriving here, not only had his hunched back eased significantly, but his mind was no longer foggy, and he could speak much more fluently.

The old man's surname was Niu, called Niu Fu, and he was from the neighboring Shigang Town. He had come here today to handle the matter of his mother's "underworld birthday."

Yesterday, his younger brother Niu Rui had already been here for the same matter. Liu Jinxia had only gone to Li Weihan's house after finishing with him.

The two Niu brothers and their younger sister had lost their father early; it was their mother, a widow, who had raised the three of them.

Now, they were all over fifty years old themselves, each having become a grandparent.

Half a year ago, their mother passed away.

But ever since the funeral, the Niu siblings had faced endless troubles in their respective households—either someone was sick or someone was having an accident.

At first, everyone hadn't paid much attention, but the frequency increased and became more severe.

A while ago, Niu Rui's son had fallen into a ditch while riding his bike home from work, breaking several ribs; if he hadn't been discovered by a passerby in time, he would have almost lost his life. Niu Fu's hunched back had also become increasingly severe and exaggerated—even the seventy or eighty-year-old hunchbacks in the village weren't as bad as him, and one had to know that half a year ago, he hadn't been hunched at all.

Coupled with the fact that the three siblings frequently dreamed about their mother, they suspected that perhaps their mother's attachment hadn't faded. They prepared to hold an underworld birthday for her, burn some blood scriptures, drive away the evil spirits, and pray for peace.

However, the two brothers now had a conflict: Niu Rui, the younger brother, wanted to hold the underworld birthday at his own home, but Niu Fu, the older brother, wouldn't allow it; it had to be held at his house.

Outsiders might think the brothers were quite filial, fighting over such a tedious and exhausting task—wasn't this them scrambling to show filial piety to their mother?

Liu Jinxia clearly didn't believe it. Her eyesight was getting worse, but her heart was becoming clearer.

Among the people she received here, those like Li Weihan were the rare minority; most had done something shameful. As the old saying goes, those who do shameful things are always afraid of ghosts knocking at the door.

However, Liu Jinxia wouldn't get to the bottom of it; she just said indifferently:

"Don't tell me, that sister of yours also wants to hold one?"

"Mm, she wants one too."

Liu Jinxia raised an eyebrow.

According to the current rules in the village, once a daughter is married, she is a guest. Being able to find time to visit her maiden home a few times a year and bringing her husband back for a visit during the New Year is enough to maintain appearances.

If parents are sick, a daughter who can serve by the bedside for a while to send the elderly off is considered a filial daughter whom neighbors and relatives would praise.

Because daughters don't inherit family property, they only need to show their face and provide simple help for the parents' retirement and funeral affairs; they don't need to spend money.

But this Niu family's third sister actually wanted to hold an underworld birthday for her mother... it seemed very contrary to the rules. No matter how great the filial piety, it wasn't shown this way. If the family were all sisters without male heirs, it might be a different story, but she happened to have two older brothers above her.

Liu Jinxia lowered her eyelids and said:

"This is easy to handle. Since you all want to be the host, then all of you be the host. Borrow a piece of land on the public dam in your village, set up three sacrificial tables, prepare three sets of birthday offerings, and burn three copies of blood scriptures."

Niu Fu was stunned for a moment and asked: "Is... is that allowed?"

Liu Jinxia nodded: "It is. Hold it together, in one place, and your mother won't have to be divided. That younger brother of yours, Rui Hou, already gave me his family's birth dates yesterday. You give them to me today as well, and go notify your sister to send them over in the next two days so I can prepare the talismans for you."

Originally, it was one task for one payment; now it had become one task for three payments. She, Liu Jinxia, was the one profiting.

Niu Fu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Then let's do it that way. I'll go back and tell them, we'll hold it together."

"Mm, after all the birth dates are sent over, I'll set a specific date for you."

"It needs to be fast," Niu Fu urged, "it needs to be urgent."

"I understand." Liu Jinxia nodded, signaling him not to worry, then stood up to see him out.

Niu Fu's bottom had just left the stool when he seemed to think of something else. He sat back down and said: "There is one more thing. When holding the underworld birthday, we must invite Lady Liu to preside over the ritual."

Ritual affairs are religious services. As for "presiding over the ritual," it means inviting someone with the know-how to accompany and suppress the formation, preventing small ghosts from causing trouble.

As for how to explain this "know-how," it all depends on one's own interpretation. If there really is no one, even a pig butcher can go and preside.

Because Li Sanjiang had a paper-crafting business at home, every time he delivered paper to someone's house, he was implicitly invited to preside over the ritual. Not only could he get a free meal, but he could also receive a red envelope from the host.

But the cost of this "implicit" invitation was low, and the red envelope was thin. If one actually opened their mouth to "invite" him, that was a different price.

Niu Fu immediately added: "The red envelope is easy to talk about, Lady Liu. We... we three families will all give one."

"Is that so..." Liu Jinxia's heart began to drum; she felt inexplicably panicked.

"Additionally, please also invite Uncle Sanjiang from our village. We want to invite him too."

Liu Jinxia swallowed her saliva. She didn't agree directly, but instead said:

"I will go talk to Sanjiang Hou, but I don't know if he will have time. You give me the birth dates first, and I will calculate the date for you. This cannot be delayed."

"Good, good, good."

Next, Niu Fu took a cloth bundle from his pocket and opened it layer by layer, revealing a stack of edge-rolled "Great Unity" banknotes.

He licked his fingertip and began to count the money.

Liu Jinxia accepted the first payment but pushed away the second, saying: "Regarding the ritual presiding, wait until I have discussed it with Sanjiang Hou, then I will tell you."

"This..." Niu Fu was clearly somewhat unwilling, "How about we set it now?"

Liu Jinxia said firmly: "Before the matter is clear, the money shouldn't be cleared either. This is the rule."

"Fine, then I'll trouble you, Lady Liu. I won't go to Uncle Sanjiang's place; I'll wait for your word."

"Mm."

Niu Fu opened the door himself and walked out.

Li Juxiang went to support her mother and asked suspiciously: "Mom, what's wrong?"

This order, if completed, would be worth an entire season's income. Li Juxiang didn't understand why her money-loving mother was hesitating this time, and it didn't look like she was just posturing to raise the price.

Liu Jinxia whispered: "They are all farming folk, not wealthy or noble people. For them to be so easy to talk to and so prompt with money, it can only be because of one thing."

"What thing?"

"Spending money to avoid disaster."

"Mom, you mean?"

"Xiang Hou, tell me, in this world, where is there a mother who, after she passes, would still want to bring disaster upon her own children?"

"That's true."

"What's even harder to understand than this is, how many sons and daughters, living an unstable life, would suspect that their own mother in the underworld is messing with them? Unless they themselves had once done something worse than a beast."

"Mom, then this order?"

"Forget it, let's wait until we find Sanjiang Hou and discuss it. If he thinks it's okay to go, then we'll go and earn all this money. Sigh, it's just that they gave too much."

"Then if Uncle Sanjiang says he won't go, are you willing to give it up?"

"There's no point in earning money you don't have the life to spend."

"Also true. Uncle Sanjiang's skills are reliable. With him there, we can feel at ease."

"His skills..." Liu Jinxia frowned, seemingly finding it hard to evaluate, but she still affirmed, "With him there, there is indeed a sense of security."

……

"Brother Yuan Hou?"

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan not moving for a long time, Cui Cui reached out to hold his hand.

The moment they touched, Li Zhuiyuan felt the cold sensation on his left shoulder disappear. At the same time, he caught Cui Cui shivering, her hand holding his trembling.

"Cui Cui, back away a bit!"

"Huh?"

"Stay away from me!"

Although she didn't know why, Cui Cui still obediently let go and retreated several steps.

"Cui Cui, stand there and don't move. Don't come near me."

"Mm..."

Brother Yuan Hou's sudden attitude reminded Cui Cui of the memory of being rejected. A mist of water had already welled up in her eyes, and her little nose sniffled.

Li Zhuiyuan had a feeling that just now, when Cui Cui touched him, the old woman who had been resting her hands on his shoulders had removed one hand to grab at Cui Cui.

After Cui Cui retreated, the old woman returned to her previous posture.

"Lady Liu, then I'll be leaving first!"

Niu Fu's vigorous voice came from inside; one couldn't hear the previous hoarseness at all.

He walked into the hall, his gaze sweeping over the two children still remaining inside. He didn't make any gesture and walked toward the door.

"Grandpa..." Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand to point at the corner of the wall, at the washbasin on the shelf beside him, "Wash your hands."

Cui Cui wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand and said with a smile: "Grandpa, wash your hands before you go out, to wash away the bad luck."

After saying this, Cui Cui lowered her head, looking at her toes. Did Brother Yuan Hou also feel that her family was unlucky?

She had long been used to it and wouldn't have thought it was a big deal, but for some reason, she was very sensitive today.

"Oh, good, then I'll wash them."

Niu Fu retracted the foot he had stepped over the threshold with and instead walked to the washbasin to start washing his hands.

As he washed,

Li Zhuiyuan felt the coldness on his shoulders gradually fading. His body felt relaxed, but also somewhat drained of strength.

Niu Fu's back, visibly to the naked eye, slowly hunched over again.

Li Juxiang supported Liu Jinxia as they came out and said: "I'll see you off."

"Don't be polite, I'm leaving, see you later."

Niu Fu finished washing his hands and wanted to pick up the cloth on the shelf to wipe them, but found he couldn't quite reach it. He had no choice but to shake his hands, put them behind his waist, and slowly step over the threshold sideways.

Li Juxiang's eyes showed confusion; it seemed something was wrong, but she couldn't say what.

She walked to the washbasin, wanting to change the water, but when she saw the situation in the basin, the expression on her face froze immediately:

The banana leaves in the basin had actually become extremely thin strips. Even if someone had specifically used their hands to tear them, it would be impossible to tear them so finely and neatly.

Most importantly, the water in this basin had actually turned black!

Li Juxiang immediately walked quickly to her mother's side, lowered her head, and whispered the news.

Liu Jinxia looked at her daughter in astonishment, then looked outside the house.

At this moment, Niu Fu had finally stepped over the threshold and walked onto the dam;

Li Zhuiyuan had also finally recovered from the previous exhaustion. He walked up to Liu Jinxia, pointed at Niu Fu's retreating figure, and said to Liu Jinxia:

"Grandma, on his back..."

"Hush!"

Liu Jinxia immediately covered the child's mouth with both hands.

The smell of these hands was truly too pungent; Li Zhuiyuan's eyes were so irritated he was about to tear up.

Outside, Niu Fu's body paused, he half-turned, glanced back with deep meaning, and then continued to walk away.

It wasn't until the person had left the dam and walked far away that Liu Jinxia released her hand covering the child.

"Little child, now, speak."

Li Zhuiyuan took several deep breaths and said: "Grandma, on that grandpa's back, was he carrying something?"

Liu Jinxia leaned her face toward Li Zhuiyuan, lowered her voice, and asked: "Little Yuan Hou, did you see something?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

He really hadn't seen anything; he only had the feeling.

Liu Jinxia frowned and asked: "Little Yuan Hou, Sanjiang Hou went to your house last night, right?"

"Grandma, I was asleep, I don't know."

"Heh heh."

Liu Jinxia smiled and nodded. She didn't continue to pursue the question, but instead said earnestly: "Little Yuan Hou, remember one thing from Grandma."

"Grandma, you speak."

"Some things, even if you see them, you must never show it in front of them. If it knows you can see it, perhaps... it will latch onto you."

Was it because of this?

Li Zhuiyuan nodded forcefully: "Grandma, I remember." "Good, go eat with Little Cui Hou."

"Okay, Grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Cui Cui, who was looking at him with some confusion.

"Cui Cui, let's go, eat."

"Okay, hee hee."

A smile appeared on the little girl's face again.

After the two children entered the kitchen, Liu Jinxia sat on a chair in the hall, her expression solemn.

"Mom?" Li Juxiang was still holding the washbasin, "That child, Little Yuan Hou, did he really see it?"

"Sometimes, to see something, you don't necessarily have to use your eyes."

"How could it be like this?"

"This probably has to be asked of Sanjiang Hou. Heaven knows what methods he's been using to mess around."

"Sigh, I hope the child will be okay. I really like this child."

"Yo." Liu Jinxia looked at her daughter with a half-smile, "What, you've taken a fancy to him, want to take him as a son-in-law?"

"Mom, don't make such jokes. It's impossible for me to have such thoughts; he is Lan Hou's son."

Liu Jinxia, for once, didn't scold her daughter for "demeaning herself," but instead comforted her: "That girl Lan Hou, she's had a sharp mind since she was little. This son of hers is even more precocious, so he really isn't suitable to be a son-in-law."

Li Juxiang was amused and asked: "Mom, listen, what nonsense are you talking about? Is being smart a mistake now?"

"Daughter, it's you who doesn't understand.

Have you ever seen a child who was possessed by something dirty yesterday and could still come out playing hand-in-hand like nothing happened today?

Guess if he knows about what happened at the bearded man's house? Do you believe what he said about being asleep last night and knowing nothing?

Heh, just say, he saw something unclean here just now, and now he can sit down calmly and continue eating.

This child is already more than just ordinarily smart. He can quickly calculate his current situation and regulate himself.

Even in the face of this... ghost-seeing business.

It's just that he's still young, carrying a bit of a child's naivety;

Once he reaches adulthood, living with such a person is really quite boring, because as long as he looks at you, he can see right through you. In front of him, you have no secrets at all.

You can't even act spoiled or throw a tantrum with him, because he's just standing higher than you, looking down at you from all angles.

Cold, without a human touch."

"Mom, how can you say that about a child? I think Little Yuan Hou is really quite good, polite and well-behaved."

"That's because he's like that to everyone, the same temperament as his mother when she was little."

"Mom..."

"Right, didn't his mother get divorced too."

"You..." Li Juxiang was angry.

Liu Jinxia was still unsatisfied, exhaled a puff of smoke, and continued: "People like them, mother and son, are only suitable for finding partners who have no self at all and whose eyes are full of them."

"Mom, I'm still going to find Uncle Sanjiang."

"Go, go." Liu Jinxia waved her hand, "If that Sanjiang Hou is dragging his feet, ask him: if he really messes up Han Hou's favorite grandson, does he still want Han Hou to provide for his old age and send him off?"

Li Juxiang quickly poured out the dirty water in the basin, got on her tricycle, and set off. She really didn't want to hear her mother talk about these things anymore.

Liu Jinxia extinguished the cigarette butt in her hand, yawned, and walked slowly toward the kitchen.

The two children had already finished eating. Liu Jinxia saw her granddaughter, who usually didn't do housework and was pampered, actively scrambling to clean up the bowls and chopsticks and wipe the table,

and she kept saying: "Brother Yuan Hou, you put it down quickly, I do these chores every day."

It made Liu Jinxia laugh.

Perhaps because it concerned his own retirement and funeral, Li Sanjiang didn't drag his feet at all this time and came over early, riding Li Juxiang's tricycle.

Liu Jinxia let Li Juxiang take the two children upstairs to watch TV, then led Li Sanjiang into her own office.

"Ho, Blind Liu, you've really made this place tight." Li Sanjiang patted the wooden crates stacked high all around, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd just imported goods from Guangdong and were planning to switch to the wholesale business."

"No time to waste words with you."

Liu Jinxia told him everything about today's events, including the Niu family's underworld birthday.

Li Sanjiang's eyes widened, and he asked: "Then how could Little Yuan Hou see it?"

Liu Jinxia took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and finally, suppressing her anger, asked back: "You're asking me, damn it?"

Li Sanjiang took out a cigarette, threw one to Liu Jinxia, and held one under his nose to sniff and ponder.

Liu Jinxia picked up the cigarette, tapped the filter end against the tabletop, and asked: "What good deed did you do last night!"

"A deed of accumulating virtue."

"You..." Liu Jinxia licked her lips and asked, "The bearded man and his son ended up in the fish pond today. Did you lead that 'dead-fall' over there?"

Li Sanjiang didn't speak.

"How did you lead it over?" Liu Jinxia continued to fish for information. Then, as if she had thought of a terrifying possibility, her volume increased, and she cursed: "You thousand-cut old thing, you didn't let Little Yuan Hou go and lure the corpse, did you?"

"Cough, cough..." Li Sanjiang cleared his throat, "Blind Liu, lend me a light."

Liu Jinxia threw the matchbox directly at him: "You really did it!"

"Chah..."

Li Sanjiang shifted his gaze and started smoking.

Liu Jinxia left her chair, walked around the table, and stood in front of Li Sanjiang, spitting directly onto the old man's face:

"The living walk the sunny path, the dead walk the yin path. You let Little Yuan Hou lure the corpse, that's letting the child walk the yin path, getting contaminated with ghost qi. Do you know that you might have already made him capable of 'walking the yin'?"

"Walking the yin?" Li Sanjiang was stunned for a moment, then as if he had heard a huge joke, "Haha, go to hell, how could it be possible to walk the yin just by doing that!"

"Heh... heh heh heh." Blind Liu let out a cold laugh.

Li Sanjiang, on the other hand, started to get anxious and stood up abruptly: "If it were really that easy to walk the yin, you, Blind Liu, having tossed around in this business for decades, wouldn't still be doing this con-artist act!"

Walking the yin, in some places called "feeling the blind" or "descending the spirit," refers to the ability to go from the yang world to the yin world. In layman's terms, it means being able to see things not of the yang world.

People come to find "spirit crones" like Blind Liu, aiming for the image they project of being able to communicate with gods and ghosts. But unfortunately, ninety-nine percent of these people don't have this ability. Anyway, she, Blind Liu, didn't.

Liu Jinxia calmed her breathing and said: "This child is smart, his mind is fine."

Li Sanjiang, hearing this, swallowed his saliva. In his mind, the scene from last night suddenly appeared: Little Yuan Hou pointing at the river, saying: "Aren't we waiting for her?"

"Pa!"

Li Sanjiang sat back down in his chair, his expression filled with shock and uncertainty. He suddenly realized that what Liu Jinxia said seemed to be right.

"His own father and mother are both in the capital, they have capital household registration, the child's brain is good, he can handle reading and everything else with ease. He had a bright future nailed down, yet you messed it up like this.

Not to mention the impact of always seeing those dirty things on his daily life, just look at yourself, a lonely person, even for your funeral, you have to scout out a reliable Han Hou in advance.

Me, heh, let alone.

Anyone who touches this path will inevitably be touched by the 'five defects and three lacks.' You are committing a sin. Tell me, was your brain flooded with water at the time?"

Li Sanjiang didn't talk back, his brow furrowed into a "chuan" shape.

Liu Jinxia, seeing this, stopped being sarcastic and instead comforted him: "Fortunately, the child's situation isn't serious yet. I can see he can only vaguely perceive some dirty things; it doesn't count as truly walking the yin yet. It can still be saved, he can still be pulled back."

Li Sanjiang said firmly: "Then I will cut it off for him!"

"How to cut it off?"

"I'll go talk to Han Hou, let him send Little Yuan Hou to 'leave home' and come live with me for a while. I'll preside over a 'living ritual' for him."

Liu Jinxia, hearing this, opened her mouth: "Preside over a living ritual?"

Generally, there is no such thing as a "living ritual," because presiding over a ritual for the dead at a funeral is to prevent dirty things from causing trouble. Presiding over a ritual for the living is equivalent to transferring the bad luck on the other person onto oneself. No one is willing to do that.

As for the so-called "leaving home," it refers to temporarily severing ties with the family and cutting off karma. After a period of time, one can still return to secular life.

In remote areas of the country and in Southeast Asia, there is still a tradition of sending children to leave home and enter a temple for a period of time before picking them up to continue living. In the inland, recognizing "godparents" for children is a simplification of this custom.

Li Sanjiang looked at Liu Jinxia and asked: "Do you think it will work?"

Liu Jinxia nodded: "Since you are willing to pay such a price, then it will certainly work."

She had entered this line of work halfway through her life, relying entirely on her own exploration. But in her early years, it wasn't that she hadn't thought about learning a real skill from Li Sanjiang.

The reason it didn't happen in the end was that she found Li Sanjiang somewhat unreliable.

You say he has no skills, but every time he encounters something, he can always come up with some methods. But if you say he has skills, he often makes things messy and confused, just like this time.

But there is one point Liu Jinxia could be certain of: this old thing has a quality that can't be described.

When she first married over, she heard her father-in-law say that this Li Sanjiang had been conscripted three times during the Republic of China. The people conscripted with him all disappeared without a trace, yet he, Li Sanjiang, was able to sneak back every time with all his limbs intact.

Clearly engaged in a taboo business, yet he had always been free of illness and disaster. Even saying he was a lonely person was a bit of a stretch, because unlike her, he had never been married, and his little life had always been incredibly moist and carefree.

There were countless reasons why he should have been gone long ago, yet he was long-lived, ruddy-faced, and even very energetic. Liu Jinxia was a full generation younger than him, yet she felt she would likely go before him.

Presiding over a ritual for the living, transferring bad luck—the prerequisite is whether you have the fortune to receive it. Without a doubt, he, Li Sanjiang, really had it. Not only did he have it, but it was overflowing.

Li Sanjiang stood up, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and stepped on it. Just as he was about to go out, he was stopped by Liu Jinxia:

"I say, Uncle Sanjiang."

"Mm?"

"Uncle Sanjiang, just now I was too concerned about the child's matter, my tone was a bit sharp, I'm sorry."

Li Sanjiang glanced at Liu Jinxia and said: "Got a fart to let?"

Liu Jinxia smiled apologetically: "Since you're planning to do this, presiding over one child's ritual is one thing, presiding over two children's rituals is just a matter of convenience. I'll send my Little Cui Hou to your house too, just to keep Little Yuan Hou company. What do you think?"

"As expected, no good fart."

Li Sanjiang walked out without looking back. Presiding over a ritual for Little Yuan Hou—first, he had a responsibility in this matter; second, it was to ensure Han Hou's retirement and funeral.

He had lived a carefree life, and to lose a bit in his old age to ensure this was really not a loss. It was much more worthwhile than those elderly people who spent half their lives worrying for their children.

But to preside over a ritual for Blind Liu's family, Li Sanjiang felt that if he dared to do it today, he would have to prepare to drop dead tomorrow!

"Little Yuan Hou, come, Great-Grandpa will send you home!"

"Coming, Great-Grandpa."

Li Sanjiang held Li Zhuiyuan's hand and left Liu Jinxia's house. On the way, he asked: "Little Yuan Hou, Great-Grandpa wants to discuss something with you."

"Great-Grandpa, you speak."

"Your house has many children now, it's crowded when sleeping. Great-Grandpa's house is spacious, and living alone is lonely. How about you come live at Great-Grandpa's house for a while and keep Great-Grandpa company, okay?"

"Great-Grandpa..."

"Mm?"

"Did something happen to me?"

"Er..." Li Sanjiang finally felt today that if a child is too smart, it's not very good, "Don't worry, Little Yuan Hou, Great-Grandpa will help you solve the matter on your body, don't be afraid."

"It's okay, Great-Grandpa, I can get used to it."

"Quickly spit that out, that's not something to get used to!"

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo."

……

When Li Zhuiyuan was sent back by Li Sanjiang, Yingzi was jumping rope with her two younger sisters on the dam.

Two long benches were placed four meters apart at both ends, with the rope looped around the legs of the benches.

"Little ball, banana pear, Malan blooms twenty-one. Two five six, two five seven, two eight two nine thirty-one..."

"Ying Hou, have your Grandpa and Grandma returned?" Li Sanjiang shouted and asked.

"Hey, Great-Grandpa, Yuan Zi." Yingzi and the others discovered them, "Grandpa and Grandma just returned."

"Good."

Li Sanjiang let go of Li Zhuiyuan's hand and walked inside, meeting Li Weihan and Cui Guiying.

The old couple thought Li Sanjiang had come for the "testimony" matter and hurriedly took the initiative to report the situation.

Li Sanjiang nodded after listening and comforted them: "Alright, the matter at the bearded man's house is settled like this. I don't think there will be any more involvement."

Li Weihan asked with some worry: "Uncle, that Little Huang Ying, has she already been dealt with by you?"

Li Sanjiang's eyelids twitched. Dealt with? How to deal with it? Take a shovel, run to the bottom of the bearded man's fish pond to dig, and then shout to ask if she's still there?

Logically speaking, a newly dead "dead-fall" couldn't be that fierce. That she could chase them home after getting ashore was already very inconceivable.

However, whether that Little Huang Ying dissipated after taking her revenge or was still hiding in the fish pond staring at the bearded man's old house as an evil spirit, Li Sanjiang didn't intend to delve into it.

"She won't look for your family again. Remember the date, do another sacrifice for her next year, just to show the intention."

"Okay, Uncle, we've noted it."

"Mm, however, there is another matter that must be told to you."

Li Sanjiang explained the problem on Li Zhuiyuan's body, but omitted his own improper operation in between. No other reason, he had to save some face.

Cui Guiying, hearing this, was so scared her lips turned pale again: "Oh Heaven, why isn't it over yet."

Li Weihan was much calmer and said to his wife: "The most dangerous hurdle has passed, it doesn't count for much now. Doesn't Uncle have a way? Just do as Uncle says. You go quickly and pack some clothes and luggage for Little Yuan Hou."

Li Sanjiang waved his hand: "Going to live at my place isn't going to jail. You can come visit. Just send the things over yourselves tomorrow. It won't be too long, at most half a month. Just treat it as me raising a child and enjoying the happiness of being a grandpa, heh heh."

Li Sanjiang's relaxed tone made Cui Guiying feel much more stable. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said: "Then I'm really troubling Uncle Sanjiang."

"Ai, don't say that, we're family, we're family. Alright, set a table, light a pair of candles, pour three bowls of wine, let's go through the motions and pass the 'leaving home' ritual."

The "leaving home" ritual was very simple. The table with the candles was placed on the dam. Li Sanjiang, while chanting something, held Li Zhuiyuan's hand and circled the table three times.

Finally, he had Li Zhuiyuan pick up three bowls of yellow wine in sequence: one sprinkled toward the sky, one poured on his own body, and the last one splashed toward the direction of the family members standing inside the house door.

In this, the biggest requirement was that while the ritual was being performed, Li Weihan, Cui Guiying, and the group of brothers and sisters could only stand inside the threshold; they couldn't come out, nor could they make a sound to startle them.

Ritual concluded.

"Alright, Han Hou, see you tomorrow." Li Sanjiang waved his hand, "I'll take the child home first."

After saying this, Li Sanjiang carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back and walked toward the outside of the dam.

Li Zhuiyuan, being carried, twisted his body, maintaining a smile, and waved goodbye to his family, as if he were just going to visit a relative.

Inside the threshold, Li Weihan hugged Cui Guiying's shoulders, his gaze fixed on him. Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and Hu Zi, Shitou, and the others, although required to be silent, all covered their mouths while squeezing their heads from beside their grandparents to peek at him.

At this moment, it happened to be sunset. The warm orange light spilled down, casting a soft halo over everything in the field of vision.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt a sense of trance in his heart. He vaguely had a premonition that this scene would remain in the depths of his heart forever, and in the future, he would often recall it.

Just like flipping open that...

Old, yellowed photograph.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 6 =====

(End of Chapter)