Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 14

After a hearty breakfast, Li Sanjiang and his team prepared to set off.

The family actually had a human-powered cargo tricycle with a long wooden board at the back, which was used to deliver tables, chairs, and dishes to weddings and funerals. However, Runsheng didn't know how to ride a tricycle, and the elderly people didn't dare to let him learn today.

Therefore, Runsheng pushed a cart from the warehouse with a spacious front. After Li Sanjiang, Liu Jinxia and Uncle Shan sat on it, Runsheng first grabbed the handlebars to flatten the body of the cart, and then pushed the three elderly people down the dam very steadily.

I have to say, Runsheng has really great strength after a full meal.

But looking at their departing backs, Li Zhuiyuan still felt uneasy. After all, it was undeniable that this was still a very standard... combination of the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled and the young.

At home, peace returned.

Uncle Qin was chopping wood strips on the dam to make paper-made frames, Aunt Liu was coloring the newly made paper figures on the first floor, Liu Yumei was sitting in front of the east room drinking tea, and Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li were reading books in the southeast corner of the second floor.

Just like the previous two days, he calculated the time and took Qin Li downstairs to go to the toilet, drink water, and eat some snacks. When passing by Liu Yumei, he would smile and greet her.

Liu Yumei also saw the boy above her head doing a set of radio gymnastics seriously after reading for a long time.

However, half an hour before lunch, Li Zhuiyuan closed the book. He did not go into the house to pick up another one, but looked at Qin Li very seriously:

"Ari, I'm worried that Grandpa and the others might be in danger, so I have to go check them out. Can you wait for me at home?"

Qin Li didn't respond.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs. Qin Li followed him downstairs. However, Li Zhuiyuan took out the key and went into the basement, while Qin Li went to the east room.

Liu Yumei asked in surprise: "What happened?"

Her granddaughter got up early these two days, and as a grandmother, she also moved up the time to dress up her granddaughter every day.

The purpose is to read books with that little Yuan Hou early in the morning.

But it was almost noon, why did my granddaughter want to go back to the house alone?

Did the two children have a fight?
No, would our own A-li quarrel?
Then, Liu Yumei saw Xiaoyuan coming out with a peach wood sword in his hand. Oh, it seems that they were not just quarreling. If he really made her granddaughter angry, this kid would not be able to survive.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Uncle Qin and said, "Uncle Qin, I want to go to town to buy something."

"Okay, tell me what you want to buy and I'll buy it for you."

"I want to pick it myself. Uncle, please take me there on your bike."

Uncle Qin put down the wooden stick in his hand, clapped his hands, and nodded: "Okay."

However, he still asked again: "Is it in Shi Nan Town?"

"Shinan Town is too small, let's go to the neighboring Shigang Town."

Shinan Town only has a few shops on a cross street, and is certainly not as good as the adjacent Shigang Town, which has department stores, dance halls, karaoke rooms and other places. Villagers from several nearby towns will go to Shigang Town to buy big items or for entertainment.

Niujia is located in the village below Shigang Town, and is also the destination of Li Sanjiang and his friends.

Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then suddenly smiled and changed his tone, saying, "I'm busy today. If you want to go to Shigang, let's go tomorrow."

"No, Uncle Qin, I want to go."

"You want to go to your grandfather's place?"

"Well, buy something while you're at it."

"Xiaoyuan, your great grandfather went to work. My job is to farm, help with paper-making, and deliver tables and chairs. I won't do your great grandfather's work."

"Yes, I know." Li Zhuiyuan raised the peach wood sword. "Grandpa asked me to remind him to bring this last night, but I forgot it this morning. I just remembered it, so please take me to Shigang and I will give it to Grandpa. This is Grandpa's treasure and Grandpa can't live without it."

In Li Zhuiyuan's description, this peach wood sword seemed to have become an important weapon for slaying demons and upholding justice, but he still carefully covered the bottom of the hilt with his hand to hide the mountain gate - "Shandong Linyi Furniture Factory".

Uncle Qin was stunned. Delivering goods was indeed one of his job responsibilities, but he clearly heard another intention in the boy's words.

"Okay, give the sword to uncle and I will take it to your grandfather."

Li Zhuiyuan took the peach wood sword away and said, "Uncle, you forgot, I still have to go shopping. I have to go with you."

"Then wait a moment."

Uncle Qin walked towards Liu Yumei who was sitting there drinking tea and whispered something to her. Liu Yumei raised her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan who was standing in the distance. She said with a smile on her face:
"That Li Sanjiang is a rough man who doesn't know how to appreciate the good things he has, but this kid is a thoughtful person. He saw that we have a special background. No, he saw our background."

Seeing that one's family has good conditions is only the first level. Seeing another level of background is the second level.

"so what should I do?"

Liu Yumei didn't rush to answer, but picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

The kid must have made up his mind long ago, but he still managed to keep his composure and did the same thing as he did the previous two days. He was obviously worried that his grandfather was going to die, but he didn't show any sign of impatience.

Recalling the scene when he was taking A'li to the toilet and passed by her, and greeted her with a smile, the tea in Liu Yumei's bowl suddenly rippled.

He is so thoughtful...how can he still be a child?
"You can go with him." After a pause, Liu Yumei added, "But you have to explain things to the child on the way."

"I see."

Uncle Qin walked up to Li Zhuiyuan and said, "Xiaoyuan, wait a minute. I'll go push the car out."

"Okay, uncle."

Uncle Qin rode out an old 28-bar bicycle. Li Zhuiyuan wanted to sit on the back seat, but Uncle Qin grabbed him with one hand and lifted him onto the front bar.

When the two of them rode down the hill, Qin Li subconsciously walked in that direction, but Liu Yumei grabbed his hand.

The girl's eyelashes began to flutter.

"Ah Li, grandma knows you want to play with Xiao Yuan, but Xiao Yuan has his own things to do now, so you should wait at home for him to come back after he finishes his work.

If you just keep clinging to him, he will feel tired and disgusted, and then it is possible that he will not want to play with you anymore. "

Hearing this, the girl turned her head and looked at her grandmother, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

But Liu Yumei still caught it. She was very happy and very sad.

It had been a long time since she had been able to detect any other emotions from her granddaughter. This time, she finally felt it when she was talking to her granddaughter about this kind of thing.

"Ali, grandma doesn't mean that Xiaoyuan will really hate you. When he comes back, grandma will help you dress up beautifully so that you can go play with him, okay?

In fact, Xiaoyuan cares about you very much. This boy is very smart. He could have dragged you along and said he wanted to go to Shigang to find his grandfather to force us to surrender.

But he didn't.

So, grandma just returned the favor."

……

The 28-inch bar is very stable to ride, and sitting on the front bar with the rider's arms around you, you feel protected.

Li Zhuiyuan held a peach wood sword in his hand, and his eyes kept scanning the muscles in Uncle Qin's arms.

Looking at his own arms and legs, although they are whiter than Qin Shubai's, it is obvious that they are only good-looking but not practical.

"Uncle Qin, have you practiced before?"

"Ah."

Uncle Qin was a little surprised. He put the boy in front of him so that he could find an opportunity to talk. Unexpectedly, the boy spoke before he opened his mouth.

"Uncle Qin, can you fight?"

"Uncle won't."

"Impossible?" Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his fingers and pinched Uncle Qin's forearm. The touch was not as hard as it looked, but it was very firm.

"I'm not lying to you, Xiaoyuan. Uncle won't hit you."

"Does uncle still practice regularly?"

"I have to work and farm, so I'm busy and don't have time to practice separately. But after I learn kung fu, I can practice it while doing anything."

"I want to learn."

"Xiaoyuan, are you watching Shaolin Temple?"

"Shaolin Temple" starring Jet Li has long been popular all over the country. Even now, it is a frequent guest shown in open-air cinemas in rural areas.

"Uncle, I know it will be hard, but I'm not afraid."

"It's not just hardship, but times have changed. No matter how good your kung fu is, can it beat a bullet?"

“It’s good to exercise.”

"hehe."

"Uncle Qin, please take some time to teach me."

Although Jianghu Zhiguai Lu is only an entry-level encyclopedia that introduces the characteristics of falling dead, through continuous reading, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that many falling dead generally have the characteristic of great force, and in special and strange environments, sometimes the corpse lifter really has to rely on his physical fitness to force his way through.

The book also marks a lot of the dead's weaknesses and methods of attack. It's not that you can just use talismans or spells to knock the dead into ashes, but you really have to rely on your own hands.

The most common and practical ones are back fighting, wrestling, grappling, leg twisting...

From some illustrations, Li Zhuiyuan could tell that this did not seem to be traditional close combat. Judging from the movements of the characters in the portraits, it seemed that this was a kind of kung fu specially designed for falling to the death.

In addition, Runsheng's appearance yesterday also helped Li Zhuiyuan break through the reading fog in his heart.

Although Runsheng has a big appetite and some strange characteristics, in fact, Runsheng should have the most standard physique for a corpse retriever.

Moreover, my grandfather's physical condition is also very good, otherwise it would be impossible for him to carry the corpse all the way from Shanghai to here. Now at this age, he can still easily carry me on his back and walk on the country road.

Seeing that Uncle Qin hadn't replied, Li Zhuiyuan asked again: "Uncle?"

Uncle Qin lowered his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "We need to ask the elders if they agree."

"Okay, I'll ask when I get back."

Uncle Qin was very vague about the elders here, but Li Zhuiyuan knew clearly that he was referring to Grandma Liu.

"Xiaoyuan, uncle has something to explain to you in advance."

"Uncle, tell me."

"I am a lazy man. I only do my job. I will never do anything beyond my job."

"How could that be? Uncle is obviously very hardworking."

Even in today's rural areas, Uncle Qin is considered one of the most hardworking and capable people. He farms, works, and delivers goods. Even the old oxen in the village are not as capable as him.

"What uncle said is true. It is not my job to do anything. Even if I stand in front of you and the soy sauce bottle falls over, no matter how much spills out, I will not lend a hand to help."

"Really?"

"real."

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

Uncle Qin sighed inwardly. When talking to this child, he really felt like he was having a conversation with an intelligent person. He could feel that this child understood what he meant.

After a long while, Li Zhuiyuan responded:
"Uncle, I understand."

"Ah."

Siyuan Village is located at the northern end of Shinan Town, close to Shigang Town. Uncle Qin rode on a small road and passed through the village, which saved time.

After arriving at the road belonging to Shigang Town, Uncle Qin continued riding towards his destination.

"Uncle, do you know the location?"

"Yes, I have sent tables and chairs to that village before."

"Oh."

"Or do you want to go shopping in the department store in town first?"

"No, let's go to where Grandpa and the others are first."

"Row."

Passing through the town and down into the village, the road got smaller.

Not long after, a funeral was seen in the distance ahead.

"Uncle, you can stop now."

"Coming."

"I'm tired."

"You can rest there and drink some water."

"I need to pee, I can't hold it anymore."

"it is good."

Uncle Qin stopped the car, Li Zhuiyuan jumped out, found a place under the shade of a willow tree to urinate, and then squatted beside the ditch to wash his hands.

Qin Li originally thought that the boy would get back in the car after he was done with it, but he sat down on a smooth stone beside the ridge of the field and took out a bottle of drink, a few packets of biscuits and two books from his arms.

Qin Li still remembers the bottle of gourd-shaped drink. He bought it for the boy according to Li Sanjiang's instructions.

No wonder the boy’s clothes were bulging when he got on the bus earlier. It turned out that he had secretly packed so many things. It was obvious that he was not planning to leave, but was preparing to have a picnic and read books on the spot.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tired, let me take a rest. Uncle Qin, you sit down too."

"Aren't you going to give the sword to your great grandfather? It's just in front. Hurry and deliver it so I can go back to work. Your Aunt Liu can't finish it alone at home. The deadline is already very tight. If you don't finish it, your great grandfather will get angry and scold me."

"No, Grandpa said he would put the inheritance in my name. If something happens to Grandpa, I will be the young master. I won't lose my temper and curse at people."

"You kid..."

"Uncle, please sit down. You look so tired from working all day. Let's take a break and have a rest."

Qin Li walked up to the boy. He realized that the boy did it on purpose. As long as he didn't deliver the sword to Li Sanjiang, he would not have completed his mission and would still have to stay here with him.

What shocked Qin Li even more was that the boy seemed to have been prepared for the fact that he “would not even pick up the soy sauce bottle if it fell over.”

Is this still a child? This is clearly a monster in child's skin!
Suddenly, Qin Li felt relieved. Yes, no wonder A'li was indifferent to everyone but showed closeness to him.

Qin Li's center of gravity bent downward, and he planned to use brute force to carry the boy over and force him to complete the task.

"Uncle, it's really cozy for our two families to live together. Grandma Liu is very nice, and Aunt Liu is also very gentle."

Qin Li narrowed his eyes.

"The book says that harmonious coexistence between people is based on the most basic respect."

Qin Li: "Haha, aren't we?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, looked at Qin Li who was unexpectedly close to him, and said with a smile: "We are? We are."

Qin Li closed his eyes and stood up straight. He felt that he was being manipulated by a child.

After a while, Qin Li said, "Xiaoyuan, if your uncle doesn't agree to send you here, will you come alone?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I am just a child, I can't help in any way. I won't come alone, because if I come, I will only cause trouble."

"Okay, go find your great grandfather. I won't go back, but you have to remember that if the soy sauce bottle falls over, I still can't help it."

"Okay, thank you uncle."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately packed up his things, walked to the 28-inch truck, and urged:

"Uncle, hurry up and get in the car, we are just ahead."

……

"What's wrong with you?" Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan first, then at Qin Li, "Why did you bring my son here?"

"Grandpa, I missed you, so I begged Uncle Qin to come find you, but Uncle Qin couldn't persuade me."

"Little Marquis Yuan, is this the place you should be? Go, go, let Marquis Li take you back."

"No, I won't leave. I'm going to stay here."

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Li Sanjiang's clothes tightly, and a look of grievance appeared on his face.

Li Sanjiang wanted to say some harsh words to drive him away, but seeing the boy's behavior, a soft spot deep in his heart was touched as he was an old man who had never been married and had no children.

Therefore, when the elderly spoil their children, sometimes... they really don’t care about principles, especially when it comes to grandparents.

"Okay, Li Hou, keep an eye on the child and don't let him run around."

Qin Li nodded: "Yes, I will."

Li Zhuiyuan successfully stayed and began to observe the fasting event.

The funeral was held on an empty dam in the village, which used to be the village's collective threshing ground. A relatively small funeral team was also hired and was busy with the funeral.

Eight actors in Taoist robes were performing a ritual, each holding a magical instrument, chanting something, and circling around the altar.

Offerings were placed on the altar, and in the center was the black and white portrait of Old Lady Niu.

The sign said Niu.

Because the old lady was a child bride before marriage, she had no maiden family and no name. Later, when the village conducted a census and registered, she reported her husband's family's surname.

The filial sons and daughters knelt on the cushions, with white ropes tied around their heads, wearing linen clothes and black gauze around their arms. They cried and threw paper money into the brazier in front of them.

Niu Fu and Niu Rui just howled, wiping their tears from time to time. They moved but had no emotions.

The younger sister Niu Lian not only had great emotions and actions, her tears flowed out like a frozen faucet, and she also had a lot of words and sentences.

"Mom, our dad passed away early, and you worked so hard to raise the three of us, my goodness!"

"Mom, the times were tough in the early days, and you were reluctant to eat more, so you fed us all. Hiss ...

"Mom, the three of us have just grown up, and you haven't had time to enjoy the good life yet, why are you gone? Oh my!"

The "Si Yo Wei" at the end of each sentence not only concludes the content of the previous sentence, but also lays out the emotions of the next sentence, and also serves as a breath.

It was clearly a story, but it used singing tones. Perhaps, this was the earliest originator of rap in China.

Niu Lian's expression inspired her two brothers. They would repeat the ending of Niu Lian every time and cry along with her, like they were singing in harmony.

Li Zhuiyuan thought it was very interesting. Not to mention that he had met the old lady before, the content of the mourning alone was enough to make people laugh and cry. What did you mean that the children had just grown up and you passed away before you had time to enjoy happiness...

Have you just become adults? You are all grandparents now. If you really want to be filial, it will definitely be too late.

Thinking back to the last funeral of the bearded man's family, he mourned for his mother like a true filial son during the day, but at night he took his son to do things worse than those of an animal.

Therefore, no matter how well the funeral troupe performs in the afternoon show, it cannot compare to the main show in the morning. That is the real competition between the best actors.

However, this vegetarian feast is a little too lonely. Normally, a vegetarian feast should involve inviting people to a meal.

Li Zhuiyuan approached Li Sanjiang who was smoking and asked, "Grandpa, why are there so few people here? Aren't you inviting anyone to dinner?"

But not far away, I saw the cook busy at work.

Li Sanjiang sneered and said, "When the old lady passed away half a year ago, the three brothers and sisters held a funeral for their mother. Not only did they not hire a funeral team, they also tried to save as much as possible on food. They made a bland meal. The villagers gave money as a gift, but the food was not good, and they couldn't even fill their stomachs.

No one from the village came to celebrate the death anniversary this time, it was too unfashionable."

Li Zhuiyuan understood. It turned out that the three siblings had used their mother's funeral as a means to collect money as a gift.

The tradition of collecting membership fees for doing things in the countryside is intended to encourage everyone to work together to help the host get things done. Even if some people come in to try to get a bargain, they basically won't end up losing money.

Who would have thought that they would encounter three shameless people like this? Liu Jinxia was sitting behind the altar at this time, and she was suffocated by the smoke and had to wipe her tears with a handkerchief from time to time, but she continued to chant the sutras, and from time to time she took out some special talisman papers and handed them to the filial sons and daughters below to help burn them.

Her position is used to connect Yin and Yang, that is, to help the dead and the living communicate.

Uncle Shan spread a tattered mat and sat in the northwest corner, smoking his hookah.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled the contents of the book. Taking the altar as the origin, Uncle Shan was located right at the entrance to the evil spirit. If evil spirits wanted to enter, they had to pass through there.

Runsheng didn't rest either. He kept walking back and forth, turning the flag in circles. It was a very physical job as he had to keep the flag turning and not let it fall over.

On the contrary, it was his own grandfather who was sitting under the shed drinking tea. Li Zhuiyuan felt that he was not well-educated and could not tell which position his own grandfather held.

But...it should be extremely important.

They had already had lunch. During the afternoon show, the actors from the funeral troupe collectively changed into monk's robes, dressed up as monks, and began to beat wooden fish and chant scriptures.

Some of them have bald heads, which look quite realistic.

Runsheng came over from the kitchen carrying bowls and chopsticks. He was hungry. Others had afternoon tea, but he would have lunch as long as conditions permitted.

He was also very considerate and invited Li Zhuiyuan to eat with him. Li Zhuiyuan did not refuse and took an empty bowl, scooped up some food and started eating.

As for Uncle Qin, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng called him, but he refused to eat.

Since arriving here, Uncle Qin has been standing at the edge of the shed and has hardly moved.

Runsheng put incense in the food and waited for the incense to burn. He said to Li Zhuiyuan, "I told my grandfather that you were reading those books. My grandfather said that you are smarter than me and asked me to talk to you more in the future."

Unlike Li Sanjiang's belief that my great-grandson must return to Beijing to attend university, Uncle Shan saw early on that Li Zhuiyuan was a good candidate for corpse recovery.

"Okay, you can come and play with me often in the future."

In Li Zhuiyuan's view, Runsheng is an excellent link between his theory and practice.

"Really? That's great. Haha, you don't know, my grandfather is in poor health and needs to take medicine all the time. Our family is already tight on money, and I'm a glutton. Sigh.

Coming to your house, I can not only have enough to eat, but also save some burden for you. When there is work, I will go back to help you to retrieve the corpse, so that we can do both without any delay. "

"You want to stay longer?"

"Ah, is it not possible?" Runsheng touched his head.

"You'll have to ask my grandfather about this."

"Then I'll let my grandfather go and talk to your great grandfather. According to my grandfather's wishes, after he leaves, I will work for your great grandfather."

"Yeah." Li Zhuiyuan nodded. His grandfather was old, and it would be good to have Runsheng take over in the future.

After all, corpse retriever is Taiye's main job and also an important part of his image. Taiye's other industries also have a steady flow of business because he is a corpse retriever.

When the incense burned out, Runsheng couldn't wait to mix the food and incense ash together with chopsticks, and then started eating.

Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously, "If you don't light the incense, you really can't eat it?"

"Hmm." Runsheng answered while swallowing, "I can't eat it. Not only does it taste bland, but it also makes me feel sick."

"Have you eaten it before..." Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Did you die from it?"

Runsheng was startled, and immediately lowered his voice and said:

"My master has warned me that I can't say I've eaten outside."

"Then you must remember your grandfather's warning well."

"Of course, I always remember it."

Li Zhuiyuan finished eating quickly and looked at Runsheng who was still feasting. He thought that if only he could have come two days earlier, he could have made it in time for the old lady's paper doll birthday party and he could have had a whole table of food by himself.

As the afternoon passed and dusk approached, everyone began to pack up their things. Some took flags, some took streamers, and some took scriptures, quilts, and pillows.

They formed a team and walked along the ridge of the field to the grave of Old Lady Niu.

The two people at the end of the team kept setting off firecrackers, very easily and casually. After lighting one, they threw it across the field and ran out.

Li Zhuiyuan helped Runsheng hold a flag. As for Uncle Qin, he did not leave, but followed the team from a distance, keeping a distance of 100 meters.

Old Mrs. Niu’s grave is very small. Although cremation has been promoted in the city and burial has been strictly controlled, burial is still popular in rural areas. However, the scene of building tombs on a large scale and sealing them with cement is rarely seen.

Instead, there are small houses. The old ones are two-story buildings with red bricks and green tiles. There are also three-story buildings and courtyard houses.

If someone who doesn’t know the situation walks into this group of tombs, they might mistakenly think they have entered a model exhibition with the theme of “rural architecture”.

The grave of Old Lady Niu is just a grave mound, which was a "earth hat" dug out from the mud next to it with a shovel.

When visiting the grave, Niu Fu, as the leader, took off the earthen hat first, and Niu Rui took a shovel to dig a new one. After the grave-visiting ceremony was over, Niu Lian put the new hat on.

Placing incense and candles, burning paper money, and burning blood incense, everything was carried out in an orderly manner under the command of Liu Jinxia.

When it was all over and the new hats were put on, everyone went back and nothing happened.

But Li Zhuiyuan noticed that there was no relaxed look on Liu Jinxia's face, because according to the rules, this fasting ceremony had to be held until late at night. In the past, it was held at the 12 o'clock in the morning, but now it is unified at midnight.

The fasting ceremony is considered completed after midnight, which can also be considered as a vigil, but the body has been buried long ago and does not stay here.

It’s still okay during the day, but when it gets dark, it’s hard to say what will happen.

After dinner, the few villagers who had come to help left, and the families and children of the three siblings of the Niu family also went home. In fact, they were supposed to stay with the family, but were forcibly driven back by the three siblings.

After the funeral team packed up their things and left, the area around the mourning hall looked especially empty.

The three brothers and sisters of the Niu family were still kneeling on the cushions. They had stopped crying and continued to burn paper silently.

Niu Lian's voice has become hoarse, and Niu Fu and Niu Rui have lost their sister's creations, so they can't follow suit and can only remain silent.

Liu Jinxia was still sitting in her old seat, and it was obvious that she was uneasy.

Uncle Shan still sat in the unlucky position. He had smoked all the tobacco and switched to the cigarettes given by the host and continued smoking.

As for his own great-grandfather... Li Zhuiyuan found that his great-grandfather had fallen asleep leaning against the railing, his body moving up and down and snoring.

Runsheng found a deck of playing cards from somewhere and said with a smile, "Let's play Landlord."

"Four people, right?"

"Then you call him?" Runsheng pointed at Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He knew Uncle Qin would not come over. In fact, he was quite grateful. Although Uncle Qin could not hold the soy sauce bottle, he felt more at ease with him standing there.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng played three-person Landlord together.

There is only one deck of cards, divided among three people, so it is easy to count the cards.

Runsheng’s card skills were very poor, and the level of his next player was also average, which meant that Li Zhuiyuan would always win no matter whether he was a peasant or a landlord.

After fighting for an unknown amount of time, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What time is it?"

Runsheng shook his head: "I don't know, where is the watch?"

The next person said, "It's eleven o'clock."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's almost over, there's still one hour left."

Runsheng: "Yeah, I wonder if the host can take care of the meal again after it's over."

Xiajia: "They should take care of it. They prepared a lot of food today, but not many people came to eat."

Li Zhuiyuan got another good hand as landlord, and this round was boring again.

However, just as he was about to play a card, Li Zhuiyuan glanced at where Uncle Qin was standing and suddenly found that Uncle Qin was gone.

His support was suddenly gone, and Li Zhuiyuan shuddered in his heart, his mind became a little clearer, and then he seemed to have thought of something, holding the cards in his hand, in a daze.

Runsheng: "What are you thinking about, Xiaoyuan, come out quickly."

Next player: "Yes, hurry up and play. I know you have good cards."

Li Zhuiyuan played a card, a single king.

Runsheng's eyes widened: "What kind of tricks are you using?"

Next player: "This is a very good hand. Should I lay it out and play it?"

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Can you spread it out?"

Runsheng said: "If you want to divulge, just divulge. There is nothing we can do about the good cards."

Next player: "You have to think it over carefully. If you play it openly, you may get into trouble easily."

"Then let me think about it again." Li Zhuiyuan held the cards in his hand and thought, while glancing at the dozing great-grandfather, the three siblings of the Niu family sitting on the futon, as well as Liu Jinxia and Uncle Shan.

The scene that seemed normal before now gave me a sudden sense of horror. I could clearly hear all kinds of sounds around me, but they were all motionless.

When Grandpa Lian snored, his body didn't even straighten up. It seemed like the snoring came out of nowhere.

"Brother Runsheng?"

"What's the matter? Have you thought it through? Do you want to fight?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded slightly. Runsheng was normal, but this required an all-out fight. For the group of old, weak, sick, disabled and young people, the only one they could count on was Runsheng.

If Runsheng wasn’t here, what would those old people do?
"Spread out and fight!"

Li Zhuiyuan laid out the cards in his hand.

Runsheng asked doubtfully, "Hey, your cards aren't that good. I thought you had a bomb."

"Fight, my king, if you want to."

Next player: "You go."

Runsheng: “No.”

Li Zhuiyuan: "Three sevens with a five."

Next home: "I want it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Three tens with a seven."

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan, don't be in a hurry to sell it. My boss wants it."

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the small table and shouted to Runsheng:

"Open your eyes and look, we don't have any upper or lower customers!!!"

Runsheng was stunned by the shouting. He subconsciously wanted to refute, but turned his head to look around him and suddenly woke up:

"Yeah, there are only two of us. How can we fight a three-player Landlord game?"

The next moment, a cold evening breeze blew.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng shuddered at the same time, and then discovered at the same time that the two people who were originally playing cards in the funeral tent were actually sitting on the grave without them knowing when.

All around were two- and three-story houses that were colored red and green under the moonlight. Next to him was the grave of Old Lady Niu, which was still covered with a new earthen cap.

"I want three eights with Zhang San! I want three eights with Zhang San!"

Next to me, there was the sound of playing cards. It was a female voice, very shrill and sharp.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng looked at each other. Runsheng protected Li Zhuiyuan behind him, and the two of them walked around the tomb and came to the back.

There was actually a hole here. The entrance of the hole was very irregular, and there were bloody handprints left on it, as if it had been dug out by someone with their own hands.

When I got close to the hole, I could see that it was hollowed out. A woman was lying inside, her hands were bloody. There was obviously nothing inside, but her left hand was holding a card, and her right hand was like she was throwing a card:

"I want three eights with three!"

She kept shaking her face excitedly, causing her hair and dirt to spread out. It was Niu Lian, the youngest daughter of Old Lady Niu.

She dug open her mother's grave with her hands and crawled in.

But in the tomb, apart from the strong stench of corpses and an indescribable pool of turbid water, there was only a roll of tattered straw mat, and no trace of Old Lady Niu's body.

Logically speaking, even if it is a burial, there must be a coffin. This is not the time before liberation when there is a need for mass graves. But Old Lady Niu did not have a coffin. She should have rented one when the body was kept, but it was replaced when she was buried. The purpose is easy to guess... to save money on the coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan subconsciously covered his nose to suppress his instinct to vomit, but Runsheng seemed to have no objection at all.

At this time, because the card game was over, Niu Lian seemed to sober up a little, but only a little.

"You're not going to fight anymore, right? You're not going to fight anymore, right? Then I'll continue to be busy."

Niu Lian made a gesture as if he dropped the cards in his hand, then turned around and continued digging downwards with his bare hands.

If she dug for a while longer, the hole might collapse and she might be buried alive.

"Hey, stop digging. It's dangerous. I'm here to save you!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grabbed Runsheng.

"What's wrong, Xiaoyuan?"

"Go see your grandfather first, they might be in danger!"

"Ah, yes, but she--"

"Who matters?"

"My Lord is important!"

Runsheng no longer hesitated and directly pulled Li Zhuiyuan towards the vegetarian tent.

When he arrived at the shed, Li Zhuiyuan was already out of breath, and the two Niu brothers were no longer in the shed.

Liu Jinxia was crawling around the altar, imitating the meow of a cat as she crawled. The skin on the old lady's palms was broken, and a string of dense palm prints were left on the ground.

Uncle Shan was barking "Woof woof woof" while lying in front of a tree, lifting one leg and starting to urinate like a dog.

The urine flowed down and soaked his clothes, making him look very dirty.

After peeing, he actually used his hands and feet to dig the soil at the roots of the tree.

"Master!" Runsheng shouted hurriedly, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

This shout immediately attracted the attention of Liu Jinxia and Uncle Shan.

The two of them, one walking like a cat and the other crawling like a dog, both on all fours, pounced towards Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan with ferocious looks on their faces.

Runsheng opened his arms, took the initiative to block in front of Li Zhuiyuan, and shouted: "Xiaoyuan, you step back!"

Li Zhuiyuan obediently took two steps back, but felt that was not enough, so he took two more steps back.

next moment,
Liu Jinxia pounced on Runsheng, clamped her legs around his waist, and began to scratch and bite his chest;
Uncle Shan grabbed one of Runsheng's legs and bit his thigh. A piece of flesh was bitten off immediately, along with two old teeth.

"Master, Master, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

Runsheng did not resist, but just looked anxiously at his grandfather who was biting him.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately reminded: "Fight back, don't just stand there."

"But he is my grandfather, how can I do anything to him?"

Li Zhuiyuan said immediately: "Remember the book I read? It said that corpse demons have the ability to confuse people, just like we played cards just now. The way to break the miasma is to hit them in the face, slap them hard in the face!"

In fact, there are far more methods in the book than just this one, such as pure yang black dog blood, evil-breaking rune water, and consecration ritual instruments.

But the black dog blood, maybe the grandfather and the others really brought it, but it is not that Chunyang has never lost her virginity... Li Zhuiyuan is very suspicious. After all, the dog pack in the village has always been open and messy.

As for rune water, Li Zhuiyuan had no idea what it was because he had not yet reached that stage in his reading.

The consecrated instruments are those that have been nurtured and refined by those who have attained enlightenment. They are truly evil-dispelling items. Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe that when the Linyi Furniture Factory was producing this peach wood sword, they would invite a row of masters to collectively consecrate it on the assembly line.

Therefore, the only method left is the simplest and most brutal one, which is also what the book says: hit the person until he wakes up. If he doesn't wake up after one hit, then hit him a few more times.

Runsheng: "But... can it really be like this?"

Even though he was being constantly hurt by two crazy old men, Runsheng remained calm, as if he was not the one being hurt.

Li Zhuiyuan could only say firmly: "You are saving them. If you don't wake them up, they will be hurt more. Hurry up!"

If you don't wake them up, your mountain uncle will gnaw your legs until all his teeth fall out!
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Xiaoyuan!"

Runsheng nodded vigorously. Once he decided to do something, he would be resolute and would not drag his feet. He first grabbed Liu Jinxia's neck with one hand and lifted her up.

Liu Jinxia used all four limbs and waved her hands and feet continuously, but the old lady's arms and legs were too short to reach the target.

Then, Runsheng attacked Liu Jinxia's face left and right.

"Pop!" "Pap!" "Pap!" "Pap!"

Liu Jinxia's face was visibly swollen, and both corners of her mouth were broken and bleeding, but her whole body was calm, and her fierce eyes were once again covered by cataracts.

"I'm...steaming...my...mother?"

"Xiaoyuan, you are so awesome!"

After praising Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng raised his leg and kicked away the old man Shan who was holding his thigh and biting it.

Unfortunately, Uncle Shan landed on his face and slid for some distance.

After he sat down, Li Zhuiyuan saw that Uncle Shan was already stroking his face with his hands. He was obviously awake. He murmured to himself:

"I...I'm...not..."

Before he could recover from the shock, he saw his adopted grandson walking quickly forward, and then a huge slap came towards him.

"Crack!" "Crack!"

After all, it was the love between grandfather and granddaughter that Runsheng spanked Liu Jinxia four times in a row, while he spanked his grandfather twice before stopping to see the effect.

"Grandpa, are you awake?"

"Pooh!"

Uncle Shan sprayed Runsheng in the face and spat out two teeth that were knocked out by the slap he had just slapped.

"Not awake yet?"

Seeing that his grandfather was still aggressive, Runsheng raised his hand again.

Uncle Shan was so frightened that he shouted, "Stop, I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"Master, you finally woke up. I was so scared just now!"

Runsheng hugged Uncle Shan.

Uncle Shan: “…”

Seeing that Liu Jinxia and Uncle Shan were both awake, Li Zhuiyuan immediately went to look for his great-grandfather, who was his greatest concern.

Soon, he found it.

But after seeing his great grandfather, Li Zhuiyuan was a little bit unbelievable.

It was not because the old man was so miserable and embarrassed. On the contrary, Li Sanjiang was still leaning in the same position and dozing off, snoring one after another, and sleeping soundly.

It seemed as if everything around him had nothing to do with him and did not affect him at all.

Although Li Zhuiyuan was very happy that his grandfather was safe and sound, he was still deeply puzzled by the huge contrast in treatment between him and Liu Jinxia and Shan Daye.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan thought of what happened on the first floor of his home, and a guess suddenly came to his mind:
Is it because the cat-faced old lady is too afraid of the old master?
Don’t dare to attack the master?
(End of this chapter)