Chapter 73

In the eyes of many, homesickness is a jar of aged wine; it seems one isn't worthy of speaking of homesickness without raising that glass.

But sometimes, it's more like a can of Jianlibao.

Open the cap, and with a "pop," the emotion vents along with the gas; tears and soda overflow together; take a sip, and the bubbles dance on the tip of the tongue.

Just like boarding students who run home in a hurry as soon as school is on holiday, or children sent to other people's homes who play well during the day but cry and shout to go home at night.

Tan Wenbin is the most human-like among the children who went out from home.

Therefore, his reaction was also the most intense.

As if only by stepping on the home dam, giving Grandpa Li a hug, and hearing Grandpa Li call him "Zhuangzhuang" could he confirm from the bottom of his heart:

Phew, he was finally back, and those thrilling and terrifying things encountered along the way had truly come to an end.

This feeling, his own biological father and mother really couldn't give it.

Li Sanjiang liked Zhuangzhuang. Of course, the one he liked most was definitely his own great-grandson.

"Little Yuan Hou!"

The familiar dialect tone was like the best catalyst.

A special spirit also appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

Li Sanjiang bent down, intending to pick up the boy. He didn't succeed the first time, and only succeeded the second time after taking a breath in advance.

It wasn't that he was too heavy to be picked up, but that he wasn't as light as before.

Liu Yumei sat in a chair drinking tea. The weather had turned cold, and she was already draped in a small padded jacket. She couldn't be seen with the majesty she had in the mountain city, and at this moment, she really looked like an exquisite little old lady in the countryside.

Liu Yi said with a smile: "None of you have eaten, right? Wait, I'll go cook noodles for you right now."

Li Zhuiyuan got down from Li Sanjiang, walked into the house, and went upstairs.

Li Sanjiang held a cigarette in his left hand, supported his waist with his right hand, walked toward Liu Yumei, and sighed:

"The child grows fast, maybe it won't be long before I can't pick him up anymore."

Liu Yumei picked up the teacup and took a sip, treating the old guy's words as farts.

You can carry a dead floating corpse that's heavy as lead, yet you can't carry a living person?

The old guy was purely because his great-grandson had returned, and his heart was active again, wanting to pick a topic to act as a matchmaker.

Seeing Liu Yumei not picking up the conversation, Li Sanjiang continued to say to himself:

"I'm old, really, in the blink of an eye, tsk, people, really fake."

Liu Yumei: "Then why don't you hurry up and prepare a longevity coffin?"

Li Sanjiang shook the cigarette ash somewhat awkwardly: "Mm, right, it seems it really should be considered."

"It can't just be considered, it must be hurried. Now the crackdown on earth burial is getting stricter. If you go late, there will be no loopholes to drill, and you can only be dragged to the crematorium to be cremated."

Li Sanjiang gave a sheepish smile, waved his hand, and responded: "That's the logic, that's the logic."

"Grandpa Li, let me introduce you, this is Yin Meng, from Sichuan and Chongqing."

Li Sanjiang frowned more and more as he listened to Tan Wenbin's introduction. What, she's going to live at home from now on?

However, upon hearing Yin Meng say that she only needed a place to eat and live and didn't need wages, Li Sanjiang felt relieved. Not only did he agree to let her stay, but he also said he would pay her wages just like Runsheng and Liu Yi.

His business needed manpower, and he still needed normal workers. What he was afraid of was a big Buddha entering the house.

Liu Yumei saw the shovel head exposed in Yin Meng's luggage and beckoned to her: "Girl, come over and talk."

Yin Meng walked over with a smile.

"Drink tea?"

"Good."

After Yin Meng grabbed a pinch of tea leaves and put them in, she took a thermos and added hot water.

Liu Yumei regretted it a little. If she had known, she would have let Xiao Yuan pour her tea before letting him go upstairs.

"Where are you from?"

"Fuling."

"Where in Fuling?"

"Fengdou."

Fengdou, surname Yin.

Liu Yumei continued to ask calmly: "Stationed at the wharf?"

"Mm, the family runs a coffin shop in the county town."

"Ghost Street?"

"Grandma, have you been to our place?"

Liu Yumei shook her head: "I haven't been there."

Ordinary corpse-salvagers stationed at wharves didn't even have the qualifications to see her in the past, but she did know about the Fengdou Yin family.

Because the Yin family ancestors were very famous, but it was limited to the ancestors, and they had actually declined long ago.

"Why did you think of coming here?"

"Grandfather left, I have no relatives there, so I followed Brother Yuan... followed Xiao Yuan here."

"You and A Ting live in the west room."

"Mm, good, I have good skills and can work."

"Don't tell me these, I'm not the head of the family."

"Then are you also here to rely on this place like me?"

"You could say that."

"The noodles are ready, come and eat." Liu Yi stood at the kitchen door and shouted.

Liu Yumei raised her chin: "Go eat noodles."

"Hey, good."

After Yin Meng left, Liu Yumei fell into deep thought.

Liu Yi walked over, sat down on the side, and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong with you?"

"Touched by the scene and thinking of the past."

"Because of that Yin family girl?"

"Yes, and no. I'm thinking, what exactly counts as family inheritance? Is it the surname, or some true unique skills, or is it a certain belief."

"How come you're pondering these?"

"After coming back from the mountain city, these things have been spinning in my head."

Liu Yi covered her mouth and laughed lightly. She knew that the old lady was finding a step for herself.

"A Ting, what are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at you for being stubborn."

"No rules, slap your mouth."

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll hit, I'll hit." Liu Yi pretended to hit her face a few times lightly.

Liu Yumei was also amused, waved her hand to drive her away:

"Go, go, don't show off in front of me, go do your work."

"Hey."

Liu Yi stood up. When she passed by the three young people eating noodles, she said enthusiastically: "Eat slowly, there's more in the pot, Auntie will fry a few more eggs for you."

Entering the kitchen, she lifted the pot lid, humming lightly while pouring oil into the pot.

Old lady, let's see how long you can stay stubborn.

Thinking that one day in the future, the noble mistress would also have to put down her status and discuss which child would take whose surname.

Liu Ting's mouth couldn't help but press down. She was still quite looking forward to it.

The weather was cold, and the screen door had been unloaded.

Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the door and saw A Li standing inside.

He hadn't seen anyone at the threshold downstairs earlier, so he knew the girl was in her own room.

On the drawing table, there were several completed paintings. The four sides of the drawing paper were door frames, the bottom was a threshold, and the center was painted with terrifying existences that made one's scalp tingle.

Li Zhuiyuan appreciated the terrifying paintings one by one, but they made him look more and more happy.

This meant that A Li had begun to look directly at the terror she had been avoiding in the past.

Her illness had taken a big step toward the recovery stage.

"Mm, why is there another painting pressed here?"

Li Zhuiyuan uncovered the painting on top, revealing the true face of this painting.

The perspective of the painting was from bottom to top. At the edge of the second-floor balcony sat a boy holding an ancient book, reading with great interest.

A Li had actually drawn him too.

"Why didn't you draw yourself on it?"

A Li moved this painting away too. The painting below had a level angle, showing the side face of the boy sitting in a rattan chair reading a book.

Next, there were two more paintings. One was at night, on the home dam, the boy standing there, with a long-haired shadow wearing a black cheongsam behind him.

The last painting was in front of the Ding family mourning hall in the mountain city, with Ding the Second kneeling, and the boy performing the inner-gate superior rite to Ding the Second.

The girl's eyes were full of him.

Ordinary balconies wouldn't move, but he was a living person, so the girl's gaze would follow him.

Raising his right palm again, the previous burn marks were no longer visible because he had applied Liu Yi's ointment, but the lesson from last time remained.

The girl's illness was getting better and better, but if he had any problems again one day, it would inevitably cause her to collapse with him.

However, the boy didn't feel this was a burden of responsibility, but more like a counterweight for himself walking in the strong wind.

Holding the girl's hand, he sat back in the rattan chair on the second-floor balcony, and the two naturally played three games of Go in the air, while Li Zhuiyuan also began to tell her about his interesting experiences since leaving the mountain city.

As he spoke, the focus was on Yin Changsheng. The boy said very firmly that when he grew up, he would definitely go to Fengdou again, striving to see that Great Emperor of Fengdou, whether he was an immortal or a corpse.

The girl supported her chin with her hand, her eyes full of smiles. The boy's expectations were her expectations. If he felt the future was interesting, then she would also have longing for the future.

"Who is that little girl, heavens, so good-looking."

Although there was no lack of examples of people who looked good when they were young but became ruined when they grew up, Yin Meng felt that the little girl upstairs definitely wouldn't. Her current appearance had too high a tolerance, and besides, appearance could change, but temperament was very hard to change.

Runsheng: "A Li, surname Qin. But don't get close to her, she doesn't like strangers."

Yin Meng: "Seriously?"

Runsheng: "Seriously."

After the two finished eating, they sat on the dam and wove paper figure frames. Yin Meng used to be able to make small coffins, so this kind of work was even simpler.

She even asked Li Sanjiang, who was sitting there smoking, with great interest:

"Grandpa Li, don't you consider opening a coffin shop again? I can make them."

Li Sanjiang threw the cigarette butt to the ground and stepped on it with the sole of his shoe:

"Not doing it. This trade in our place, the rabbit's tail won't last long."

After a pause, Li Sanjiang said again: "It can be custom-made."

Yin Meng said very heroically: "Okay, I'll make one for you first to prepare."

Li Sanjiang clapped his hands: "Not bad, can do."

It just so happened that Liu Yi walked by, and Li Sanjiang greeted her and asked: "Do you want to custom-make one for your mother-in-law too?"

"Custom-make what, a coffin?"

"Right, buy the materials yourself, or have your own people make it, cheap and cost-effective."

"No need, people in our family don't do earth burial."

Yin Meng suddenly raised her head and looked at Liu Yi.

Liu Yi continued: "We respond to the style of the times and all plan to be cremated."

Yin Meng lowered her head and continued her work.

"Then forget it, let me think about who else I can make one for. Make one for Shan Pao?"

Runsheng looked at Li Sanjiang happily.

"No, Shan Pao can't even afford to eat, where would he have money to custom-make a coffin."

"Grandpa, deduct it from my wages."

"Hey, Grandpa is teasing you, kid. Even if he has no money, we can still afford to give him a coffin. He is also an orphan with no father or mother, no ancestral grave. Bury him next door in the future, and when I'm bored, I'll find him to chat.

Runsheng Hou, what do you think?"

Runsheng was silent. When his grandfather was at home, he didn't scold Li Sanjiang less behind his back.

He said that every time he went out to do work with Li Sanjiang over the years, he suffered the bitterness and took the blame, and Li Sanjiang was the one who showed off.

Grandfather said that the most wrong thing he did in his life was knowing Li Sanjiang, and he must stay away from this old thing in his next life.

If they were buried together as neighbors, Runsheng was really afraid that his grandfather would be so angry he would fake his death.

"Runsheng Hou, I'm asking you a question!"

Even facing Li Sanjiang's urging, Runsheng didn't dare to perfunctorily return a "good," because although Grandpa Li was much older than his grandfather, he always felt that his grandfather would probably go before Grandpa Li.

If he agreed to this now, when his grandfather kicked the bucket, there would be no way to change it.

Tan Wenbin walked out of the toilet behind the house at this time, saying while tying his pants:

"I say Grandpa Li, what's so good about your family's ancestral grave? If you ask me, you have to re-select a Feng Shui treasure land, so that it can prosper the descendants!

As for our Uncle Shan, unless he begs us, don't even think about sharing our Xiao Yuan's future good fortune with us."

"Right, can't let Shan Pao take this advantage."

Li Sanjiang stood up and beckoned: "Come, Zhuangzhuang, accompany Grandpa to take a walk in the village, and by the way, pick whose grave is good."

"Okay, this is a big deal, I have to give you a good consultation."

"Before going to see the land, you have to go to Liu Blind's house first."

"That must be gone, have to let her custom-make one first, Grandma Liu has money."

The grandfather and grandson walked down the dam side by side, chatting and laughing.

Yin Meng bumped Runsheng with her arm and asked: "Isn't it Binbin, why is it called Zhuangzhuang again?"

Runsheng: "Recognized as a godson."

"Then should I also recognize one?"

"Then you have to make coffins well and don't be lazy at work."

"Does Grandpa Li like diligent and steady children?"

Runsheng hesitated for a moment, associating with what Li Sanjiang called himself on weekdays, and said:

"Grandpa likes mules."

Days passed day by day.

Li Zhuiyuan only suspected it before, but now he could say he confirmed that the one buried under the peach tree in the big-bearded man's house had changed the Feng Shui of this village or even this town.

At first, the dead were like leeks, popping up one after another, making people overwhelmed;

Now that it's over, it's been several months since I've heard any news about the "dead-risers," which makes one miss them quite a bit.

I reckon this situation will continue for quite a few years; only after that person is completely worn away and vanished can the nearby dead-risers regain that vibrant, thriving scene where all things compete for life.

However, although he has temporarily lost the dead-risers, Li Zhuiyuan's life is very fulfilling.

He no longer goes to school, yet his days are as structured as if he had a class schedule.

The first thing he does upon waking in the morning is to admire A Li's fashion style for the day.

Then, he plays a few rounds of chess with A Li before going to eat breakfast.

For most of the day, Li Zhuiyuan spends his time reading.

He has now deciphered one-third of the books left by the Qi ancestors; he is deliberately taking it slow, pacing himself, and only using his spare energy each day to decipher them.

He has finished reading the entire Yin family genealogy, and it is truly fascinating.

It contains not only the Yin family's various research and verifications regarding Yin Changsheng, but also many people's personal travelogues. Although it is just one surname, because it has been passed down from generation to generation since the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is effectively a collection of the cases and experiences of many different corpse-salvagers.

This ordinary yet orthodox perspective of a corpse-salvager is of great help to the current Li Zhuiyuan; while Wei Zhengdao's books are certainly accurate and lofty, they are somewhat lacking in being grounded.

The bamboo slips have already been restored, but Xue Liangliang said he wants to deliver them in person, so they cannot reach his hands for the time being.

In his spare time from reading, Li Zhuiyuan plays chess with A Li, catches the breeze, and plays a few intimate little games between the two of them.

Nowadays, Li Zhuiyuan can already stand quite calmly within the "A Li threshold perspective" to view the "scenery." He doesn't deliberately delay the time, wakes up in a timely manner, and there are no severe side effects—at most, a bit of dizziness.

That old man Yin Fuhai once said he was "sturdy," and thinking about it, after this period of special training, he should be able to become even sturdier.

Moreover, A Li's special training has actually only just begun, because he is still standing inside the threshold; if he wants to go a step further, he only needs to step over that threshold.

But this is too dangerous, and Li Zhuiyuan doesn't dare; he hasn't even grown up yet, and he doesn't want to play himself into an early death.

Yin Meng has integrated into local life almost seamlessly; she is a dab hand at making paper figures and coffins, and she usually accompanies Runsheng to deliver tables, chairs, bowls, and dishes to funerals.

She and Runsheng have a very good relationship.

Because Binbin has to go to school every day, he doesn't eat breakfast at home; he has to rush off to attend early morning self-study.

However, he still doesn't attend evening self-study; otherwise, even though he lives here, one would basically never see him at home.

In the evening, he follows Yin Meng to practice horse stance and martial arts.

Although family arts are not to be taught to outsiders, the Yin family is down to just her alone; whether it's passed on or not is up to her, isn't it?

Runsheng sometimes follows along to practice as well; everyone has basically started to follow the path of the Yin family corpse-salvagers—at the very least, they have an orthodox path.

This is also due to historical reasons; the earliest Yin family methods were certainly high-end and difficult to follow, but since the Yin family declined early and the lineage has lasted long enough, generations of Yin family members have pondered how to simplify and lower the difficulty, at least managing to pass down the basic skills.

The Qin family's martial arts, however, have maintained a high-end standard and cannot be practiced blindly without specialized, exclusive guidance; for now, only Li Zhuiyuan continues to practice breathing exercises.

There's no helping it; once Uncle Qin left, he never appeared again, as if he had severed all ties completely, leaving not a shred of connection.

Every night, Yin Meng teaches first, and then Runsheng teaches the Wei Zhengdao moves that were "summarized and concluded" from Li Zhuiyuan.

The Yin family is responsible for laying the foundation, while Wei Zhengdao is responsible for raising the ceiling.

At first, the three of them practiced on the second-floor terrace, but after being scolded by Li Sanjiang for disturbing his sleep, the three of them ran to the fields to practice.

Facts have proven once again that excellent teaching materials paired with excellent aptitude will absolutely yield great results.

Yin Meng's movements have now become extremely agile, and she executes her moves with ease and precision.

Runsheng is even more frightening; now every punch and kick carries a whistling sound. In the past, he could only rely on instinct to deal with dead-risers, often having to pounce like a wild beast to bite them; now, he can be more composed, like a beast that has learned to wear a suit and tie, carrying even more pressure.

Tan Wenbin, who practices with them, can be said to be drooling with envy at their progress; his companions are improving at a visible rate, yet he has only managed to achieve the effect of exercising his body.

The three of them practice moves every night, always letting Tan Wenbin choose one first, then the chosen one quickly takes Tan Wenbin down, followed by the two of them sparring.

The only thing that allows Tan Wenbin to regain a bit of confidence is that when Xiao Yuan teaches the three of them "walking the underworld," he is the fastest to learn.

Although Xiao Yuan forbids completing the final step of a successful underworld walk, he has figured out all the preceding steps; conversely, Runsheng and Yin Meng are very slow to learn the underworld walk. Yet even so, Tan Wenbin has discovered something wrong: when he sleeps at night or takes a nap in the classroom, he is prone to sleep paralysis.

After telling Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan said this is a side effect, and in the days following sleep paralysis, one must interrupt the practice of walking the underworld.

Li Zhuiyuan truly has no way to solve this side effect, or rather, it is inherently unsolvable, because this is fundamentally part of walking the underworld.

But in the process of teaching, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that people with more active and agile minds seem to learn walking the underworld more easily.

Every once in a while, Tan Wenbin comes to find Li Zhuiyuan to get his customized exercise sets and then sends another copy to the school.

"Zhuiyuan Secret Scrolls" is currently selling quite well in Nantong, and it has also sold outside the city.

Every month, there is a considerable share of the profits.

Tan Wenbin has already helped Li Zhuiyuan draft a new plan.

Starting next semester, they won't be producing exercise sets based on individual subject knowledge points, but rather full exam papers.

Because the second semester of the third year of high school is the critical sprint point, students and teachers have finished reviewing the previous knowledge points, and the demand for full papers is extremely high.

Full papers can be categorized by difficulty, divided into basic papers, mock papers, and advanced papers.

Basic papers boost confidence, mock papers are at the normal college entrance exam difficulty, and advanced papers are specifically for torturing people.

Originally, Tan Wenbin also wanted to suggest that Li Zhuiyuan pad the full papers—for example, one paper should ideally have only a few high-quality questions, and the rest of the questions could be thrown together randomly, letting the teachers pick a few questions from the paper for the students to do.

This would reduce the burden of creating questions while also increasing sales.

But after careful consideration, Tan Wenbin gave up on this idea; now is still the period for building brand awareness, and he cannot tarnish the brand—it's not like they are only earning this year's share.

Once the brand is well-established, at worst, they can sell the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scrolls" brand later; that's where the big money is.

Tan Wenbin, who is both studying and practicing martial arts, is so busy every day that he is spinning like a top, and his appetite continues to increase, though he hasn't gained weight—on the contrary, he has lost a bit.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, the final exams are coming up. Are you going to participate?"

"Mm, I have to take them."

"Then should I go with you tomorrow morning?"

"No need, I'll go in the afternoon."

"But the Chinese and Math exams are in the morning."

"I'll just take them together after I get there."

It started snowing at night, and before dawn the next day, Tan Wenbin rode his bicycle through the wind and snow to school.

At noon, just after Li Zhuiyuan had finished his lunch, he saw Principal Wu driving the school car, which stopped at the edge of the farmland.

Sitting in the car, Principal Wu smiled and pointed to the seat on the other side: "Xiao Yuan, there are snacks and drinks inside."

"I've already eaten, Grandpa Principal."

"Then wait a moment, I'll take them to your house first."

Principal Wu got out of the car, carried a large bag of snacks to Li Sanjiang's house, and after returning, restarted the car.

After arriving at the school and walking into the principal's office, the lead teachers of each subject were already waiting inside.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down and began to take the final exam papers.

Although two exams had already started in the morning, no one would suspect that the boy would cheat by leaking questions.

When writing the Chinese essay, Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the tape recorder placed on the principal's desk.

"Play the English listening test."

"Ah, now?"

Principal Wu immediately urged: "If he tells you to play it, play it! Are you the teacher or is he the teacher!"

"Oh, okay."

Principal Wu had made a grammatical error, but no one present laughed because of it.

The tape was inserted, and the listening test began:

"Excuse me... the price of the shirt is 9 pounds and 15 pence.

So you choose option 【b】 and mark it on the test paper..."

After Li Zhuiyuan finished writing the essay, he began writing the physics paper. After finishing physics, the English listening test had long since finished playing, so Li Zhuiyuan picked up the English paper.

"I'll play it again..."

Li Zhuiyuan "swish-swish-swished" through the listening questions.

The teacher tactfully shut his mouth.

In fact, after learning the Yin family's twelve methods, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that his ability to multitask had been further strengthened.

After finishing the papers, many subjects had already been graded on the spot, resulting in perfect scores.

Principal Wu's old face smiled like a flower, and he leaned over to help the boy massage his sore wrists.

"Xiao Yuan, the National Olympiad is about to start. Is there anything inconvenient for you here?"

"I can go."

"That's good, that's good."

At this moment, the math department head, Teacher Yan, who was nearby, also smiled and said: "Then let's go a bit early, so Xiao Yuan can have a good time in Beijing."

Wu Xinhan glared at Teacher Yan and scolded: "Has water gotten into your brain? Xiao Yuan grew up in Beijing since he was a child."

"Oh, right." Teacher Yan patted his forehead, where his hairline was receding. "I forgot."

"Grandpa Principal, are we going by train?"

"How tiring is it to take a train? We'll go by plane."

Wu Xinhan and a group of teachers accompanied Li Zhuiyuan as he left the office, seeing him all the way to the school gate.

At this moment, an exam had just ended, and the third-year high school students walked out of the exam hall while stretching.

Class monitor Zhou Yunyun, who clearly wasn't in the same exam hall floor, happened to meet Tan Wenbin outside the exam hall.

"How did you do?" Zhou Yunyun handed over a White Rabbit creamy candy.

Tan Wenbin took the candy, then reached into his pocket and felt around, pulling out a chocolate wrapper, but half of the chocolate inside had already been eaten by him during the exam just now.

Zhou Yunyun didn't mind and reached out naturally, wanting to take it.

But she saw Tan Wenbin pop the remaining half of the chocolate into his own mouth.

"Oops, I was really hungry."

Zhou Yunyun naturally circled her outstretched hand halfway, turning it into a gesture of tidying her own hair.

Tan Wenbin saw the boy at the school gate surrounded by a group of teachers and leaders; he didn't wave his arms or shout, but instead revealed a smile and walked back to the classroom.

After sitting in his seat, Tan Wenbin placed the small coffin pencil case on the desk.

Previously, he had taken the coffin into the exam hall to take the exam.

Zhou Yunyun sat in Li Zhuiyuan's seat, opened her pencil case, and pulled out a slip of paper.

"Shall we compare answers?"

Tan Wenbin shook his head: "No need to compare."

"Afraid it will affect your state for the next exam?"

"No, I think I did okay."

"Can you change your pencil case?"

"No." Tan Wenbin turned his head to look at Zhou Yunyun. "If you find it unpleasant to look at, why did you ask me for one? And I don't see you using it after asking for it."

Zhou Yunyun was speechless; she had asked for one, and Tan Wenbin had given it to her, but it was only placed deep in her drawer and not set out for use.

Firstly, this thing was truly a bit unsettling to look at, and secondly, the two of them hadn't established a relationship yet—what would it count as to use a coffin pencil case together?

If they had truly established a relationship, she, she, she... would use it.

Mainly, she discovered that she was liking this big boy more and more; in the past, she only appreciated this kind of flamboyant, devil-may-care attitude as a well-behaved student.

Later, his studies got better and better, and for some reason, his entire temperament changed; although he was still lazy and had no proper form, there was more and more flavor between his brows, which was very attractive.

If one were to say that in the past, both sides had mutual affection but tacitly kept their distance without breaking the ice, now Zhou Yunyun was the more proactive one; she even hinted several times that they could establish a relationship, but the boy had no reaction at all.

Even Zhou Yunyun herself couldn't understand what was wrong with her.

But in fact, this was also very normal; let alone that they were all high school students now, even college students had a clarity in their eyes from being in an ivory tower.

And Tan Wenbin had already experienced life-and-death crises several times; although there was no change in his appearance or age, his mentality had long since formed a dimensionality reduction strike on the surrounding classmates.

But the more this was the case, the less he would accept Zhou Yunyun's hints; he was still young, so he should focus on his studies—don't let him delay you.

Most importantly, he was currently spinning like a top every day, so busy that he had absolutely no leisure time to talk about any romance.

Puppy love—how could it be as interesting as dead-risers?

Although he hadn't seen a dead-riser for a long time recently, he wasn't anxious; all his current preparations were for the sake of seeing bigger ones in the future.

Principal Wu drove Li Zhuiyuan back home. Upon arriving at the courtyard, Li Zhuiyuan heard someone calling him from the second floor; he looked up and saw it was Xue Liangliang.

"Xiao Yuan!"

"Brother Liangliang."

Xue Liangliang had just taken a shower and changed into new clothes.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that if he weren't going down to the river, he might even have sprayed perfume and styled his hair.

"Xiao Yuan, I've already placed the restored bamboo slips on your desk. It really was delayed for quite a while, but there was no helping it—I couldn't rest easy entrusting such important things to others to deliver, so I had to deliver them myself."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe him.

He felt that the reason Brother Liangliang insisted on delivering the bamboo slips in person was to have an excuse to come to Nantong again.

And then, adhering to the principle of "since I'm already here," he would manufacture an excuse of having no other choice but to go to the bottom of the river.

"Brother Liangliang, are you sleeping here tonight?"

"Not sleeping here."

"Then are you going to other cities overnight?"

"Mm... that doesn't count either."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at him.

Xue Liangliang sighed and said helplessly: "Sigh, I have no other choice either, since I'm already here."

"Mm."

I don't know who it was that used to fight desperately at the negotiating table to extend the frequency of going down to the river—was it once every few years?

Now it's the opposite: he comes to Nantong whenever he has free time, and once he's here, he dives into the river.

"Oh, right, Xiao Yuan, I remember you said when we talked on the phone last time that a great secret is buried in the Fengdou Ghost City, and you will go there again in the future?"

"Mm, that will have to wait until I grow up. Brother Liangliang, do you want to go together too?"

"I do, you have to call me then. However, you also have to grow up quickly, and it's best not to delay too much after growing up, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what will happen?"

Xue Liangliang shrugged his shoulders: "Otherwise, the Ghost City might be flooded."

"Is that so? I understand."

"Remember..."

"I understand, Brother Liangliang, I will keep it a secret."

"Hehe, then I'm leaving."

After Xue Liangliang left, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room and flipped through the bamboo slips.

The carrying capacity of the bamboo slips' text was limited, so there wasn't much text on them, and what was recorded wasn't deeds or methods, but locations.

There were nine locations in total, and Li Zhuiyuan could only confirm three of them.

There was no helping it; the bamboo slips were written during the Spring and Autumn period, and the subject of their transcription might have been written even earlier, so the landmark vocabulary didn't match the present at all. Where some place names are specifically located is still a subject of great debate in the historical community, and this is without even considering the influence of geological changes.

Of the three confirmed locations, one was the mysterious seabed that both the masked man and Zheng Haiyang's parents had been to.

One was the Fengdou Ghost City.

The last one should be in the current plateau region, near Linzhi.

Li Zhuiyuan extracted the content from the bamboo slips; anyway, he was going to Beijing soon and could ask the grandpas and grandmas in the family compound to help him analyze and confirm the locations again.

Besides the bamboo slips, Xue Liangliang also brought a large pile of professional books, as well as various design plans and blueprints that could be packed in a sack.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but feel a bit moved; while Brother Liangliang was impatient, he still specifically set aside the effort to prepare these for him—it really wasn't easy.

Because he was going to Beijing by plane to take an exam and then coming right back, the time wasn't long, so Li Sanjiang wasn't worried either. If he hadn't known that Little Zhuiyuan had returned from Beijing, he would have really wanted to suggest that the school increase the interval between round-trip tickets to facilitate a publicly funded trip.

Accompanied by Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan, Li Zhuiyuan arrived in Beijing and checked into the hotel selected by the competition group.

Early the next morning, Li Zhuiyuan got up very early, but the exam actually started in the afternoon.

Wu Xinhan asked with concern: "Xiao Yuan, are you nervous?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and took out his breakfast voucher: "It's time to eat breakfast."

In the restaurant, there were quite a few of these teacher-student pairings, as well as some members of the competition group.

The hotel had thoughtfully prepared authentic Beijing-style douzhi (fermented mung bean milk), and many people from out of town went to get some to drink.

Li Zhuiyuan drank hot milk, watching Principal Wu and Teacher Yan in front of him pick up their bowls, watching them lower their heads and take a sip with full anticipation, and finally, watching them spit it out.

Even so, Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan still didn't draw rash conclusions about the taste of this douzhi, still suspecting whether they had drunk it the wrong way.

They both took another sip, this time forcing it down, but the aftertaste made both of their eyes squint and their faces wrinkle together.

Wu Xinhan couldn't help but ask: "Xiao Yuan, is this douzhi really authentic?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "It's authentic."

"Really? Xiao Yuan, do you want to taste a sip?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "No need to taste it, looking at your expressions, I know it's authentic."

"No, what's so good about drinking this?" Teacher Yan couldn't understand. "I'd rather change careers to teach Chinese than drink this every morning."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Actually, not many locals drink this either."

Wu Xinhan asked: "Then how can it still be sold?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Sold to tourists."

Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were speechless for a moment.

At this moment, an old man surrounded by three people passed by here; they were all wearing competition group badges.

The old man saw the boy, frowned, and then took the initiative to walk over: "Xiao Yuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and looked at the old man: "Professor Zhu."

"You've returned to Beijing—no, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to participate in a competition."

"What competition?"

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the competition group badge on the old man's chest.

Professor Zhu understood, a breath held in his neck, and it was only after a long time that he finally exhaled: "Nonsense!"

Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan also stood up and began to ask about the other party's identity, while simultaneously handing out their own business cards to introduce themselves.

Professor Zhu dealt with them slightly, then sat down on a nearby chair and said to Li Zhuiyuan: "What on earth have you been doing these past six months?"

"Going to school."

"Studying in high school?"

"Mm."

Studying how to salvage dead-risers.

Professor Zhu closed his eyes, suppressing his anger.

Because the old professor was sitting here, it attracted a lot of attention, and as others passed by later, they would also specifically walk toward here.

More and more prominent figures gathered, and Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were silently squeezed to the next table.

Sitting here now, there were three professors alone who had taught him, as well as several seniors.

Upon learning that Li Zhuiyuan was here to take an exam, a senior directly laughed and scolded: "Then why take the exam? Just award you the prize directly."

The seniors weren't here to take the exam, but were part of the competition group.

Professor Zhu finally calmed his mood and suggested: "Why don't you just not take the exam and let the competition group award you an honorary prize?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Principal Wu and Teacher Yan sitting at the next table, and both of them nodded.

"No, I want to take the exam."

Professor Zhu was about to lose his temper, but the two professors beside him held him down and said to Li Zhuiyuan: "Just this once, just this once!"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Okay."

Next, the professors began to persuade the boy to return to continue his studies; upon learning that the boy had already been admitted to Haihe University, everyone was blank and surprised.

Finally, it was Li Zhuiyuan who modified Brother Liangliang's version of "My future is in the great southwest of the motherland" and told it, which made them unable to continue persuading him.

The afternoon exam went very smoothly; after Li Zhuiyuan finished the exam, he had Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan take him to take a taxi to the family compound.

Just as he entered the family compound, the first thing he heard was the joyful voices of the old people:

"Oh my, Xiao Yuan, where have you been these past six months?"

"Isn't this Xiao Yuan? Ha, haven't seen you in a long time, you've grown taller."

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan had lived off the generosity of a hundred families in the compound and had an extremely good relationship with the old people; many of them treated the boy as their own grandchild.

But soon, another piece of news spread from the mouths of the old people:

"Xiao Yuan, did you come back with your mother?"

"Isn't that for sure? I saw his mother come back this morning too."

Li Lan, back?

Li Zhuiyuan handed the extracted bamboo slip content to a retired history professor surnamed Zhang and left his current contact information. There were also ancient Chinese and geography experts in the family compound, and Li Zhuiyuan believed Grandpa Zhang would call his friends and colleagues himself.

Having completed his purpose for coming to the family compound today, Li Zhuiyuan had Wu Xinhan take him away; he didn't want to see Li Lan, and he believed Li Lan didn't want to see him either.

But the boy was wrong.

Just as he walked out of Grandpa Zhang's door, he saw Li Lan in a brown trench coat standing there.

Beside her stood quite a few old people from the compound with kind smiles on their faces.

Li Lan gently brushed her hair, wearing a warm and sunny smile, and while bending down toward the boy, she opened her arms:

"Son, come to Mommy quickly, Mommy misses you."

(End of chapter)