Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 34

Runsheng was riding his bike happily in front, and he felt that the blue sky, white clouds, fields and canals were so beautiful at this moment.

Since I was old enough to understand, my grandfather always said to me:
"Run Sheng Hou, grandpa is going to play cards. I'll buy you meat tonight when I win some money!"

At first, Runsheng was really looking forward to it; later, every time he heard this, he would immediately run to the rice jar to check if there was enough rice left to cook a bowl of porridge that was big enough to hold chopsticks for the father and son in the evening.

Today, Runsheng finally realized that playing cards... can actually make money.

After a long period of "family education", he almost feels that playing cards is a kind of sacrifice, just like offering sacrifices to the Buddha during festivals.

In contrast, Li Zhuiyuan, who was sitting in the back, did not look so pretty.

At his feet was a bag of money, including small, whole, new and wrinkled bills. Although the absolute amount of money was not that exaggerated, considering the current prices and labor costs in the countryside, it was enough for him to set up a small handicraft workshop behind his great-grandfather's house.

It’s normal to have good luck in playing cards occasionally. Who doesn’t eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year?
In essence, this is still a question of probability.

But when a series of good luck comes at you, the problem gradually turns from probability to metaphysics.

Considering his own memory loss after the luck-changing ceremony last night, Li Zhuiyuan is now almost certain: the ceremony worked.

Coming into effect is not necessarily a success; it just means that it worked and brought about changes, and even whether these changes are good or bad is debatable.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how much good fortune his great-grandfather had transferred to him, but judging from the "cooperation" of his tablemates just now, it should have been a lot.

Liu Yumei once said to herself that the grandfather's fortune was not so easy to obtain, it was more like a deal.

Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu, with such a low salary, work like slaves in my great-grandfather's house. All they want is those few coins in the corners that Liu Yumei mentioned.

I have taken so much at once, so what price will I pay for it next?
At this moment, there is no overflowing happiness, only overflowing fear.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head. He felt that wasting his good fortune on gambling was... stupid.

Like a short-sighted tomb robber, he risked his life and went through untold hardships to finally get into the tomb, but all he had eyes for were the gold and silver cakes, and he completely ignored the clothes, bronze ware, porcelain and other works of art.

"Brother Runsheng, don't let go."

"Okay, Xiaoyuan."

"Brother Runsheng, please ride slower."

"Okay, Xiaoyuan."

"Brother Runsheng, you should ride a little to the side. No, you should ride a little to the middle."

"..."

"Forget it, Brother Runsheng, just ride normally."

Just now, Li Zhuiyuan felt a sudden chill in his heart. He was worried that an accident might happen suddenly, such as a serious car accident.
But after a brief moment of anxiety, he quickly regained his composure.

If the backlash of Grandpa's good fortune was just this, it would be too cheap and might even make people feel like they were taking advantage.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy Li Zhuiyuan became, because it meant that something big would be waiting for him on the "road ahead" in the near future.

The tricycle drove into Uncle Shan's house. Runsheng scratched his head and asked Li Zhuiyuan:

"Xiaoyuan, can I lend you some money to help my grandfather buy some things? I'll pay you back when your grandfather pays me."

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

In the past, he would definitely say nonchalantly: Take whatever you want.

But he felt that this money, which was earned purely by luck without any skill, was a bit too hot to handle. It seemed a bit unfair to hand over this hot potato to Uncle Shan.

Li Zhuiyuan rummaged through the bag and took out a few bills. The amount did not exceed his capital, so it should not be a problem.

"You don't need so much, you really don't need so much, I can just buy some more rice, flour and oil for my grandfather, you're giving too much, Xiaoyuan."

"It's okay, just buy more."

"Don't buy too much. If you buy too much for him, he will sell it easily, and then he may not even have enough food to eat."

"It's better that you consider it comprehensively."

"hey-hey."

"By the way, Brother Runsheng, the fact that I won money playing cards this time must be kept secret and not told to anyone."

"But how do you explain this money..."

"Just say you won."

"Um, okay."

"Brother Runsheng, where is your toilet?"

"That side, go around the ridge behind the house, and you'll find the neighbor's toilet. We share it."

"okay."

As soon as Li Zhuiyuan went out, Uncle Shan came running back from outside.

Although the old man is old and in poor health, he is still very energetic.

This seems contradictory, but it is not. Such elderly people often do not linger on the sickbed for too long, but once the end of their lives comes, they pass away quickly.

That’s what neighbors often say: “I thought he was in good health, but how come he’s gone just like that?”

There were two reasons why Uncle Shan ran back in a hurry. One was that he had lost all his money.

He has a habit of never borrowing money to make up for his losses when he loses playing cards.

The second reason was that he heard that his own Runsheng won a large sum of money in the lobby!
Naturally, the person who passed the message could not convey it in such detail, and they did not know Li Zhuiyuan, so they naturally said that it was the money Runsheng won from playing cards.

"Master, please go back..."

"Snapped!"

Uncle Shan slapped Runsheng hard on the face.

"I told you not to learn your lesson and go play cards!"

"I was wrong, sir."

"Where's the money?"

"what?"

"Let me ask you, where is the winning money?"

"on the car."

Uncle Shan walked to the tricycle and saw the bag of money. His eyes widened.

"You won all these?"

"No, no, that's right, I won."

"It's not appropriate for a child like you to have so much money. I'll take care of it for you."

"No, no."

"Why, you don't want to give the winnings to grandpa?"

"Capital, yes, the capital belongs to Xiaoyuan, it's his pocket money."

"Oh, I see..." Uncle Shan took out half of the money in the bag, "Then I'll keep your share for you."

"Master, this, this won't do, this..."

"Okay, stop talking nonsense, that's it, what are you still doing at home?"

"Don't you want to eat together, Master? I'll go to town and buy some meat later, and then we can have a good meal together."

"What are you eating? You and Xiao Yuanhou can eat. Grandpa is busy."

After saying that, Uncle Shan rushed back to the battlefield. While running, he touched the heavy "bullets" in his arms. He was very excited. In his life, he had never fought such a rich battle.

Li Zhuiyuan came back and saw Runsheng standing there with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Xiaoyuan, I'm sorry..."

After listening to Runsheng's story, Li Zhuiyuan was stunned.

"Xiao Yuan, I'm waiting here for you to come back and ask for your consent. Let's tell the truth clearly. I'll go to the brothel and get your money back from my grandfather!"

"No need, Brother Runsheng. You and I earned it together. It's only right that you give half to Uncle Shan."

"Xiaoyuan, you're not angry?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. Not only was he not angry, he was a little touched.

"Brother Runsheng, aren't you going to buy something for Uncle Shan? Go quickly."

"But, my grandfather has already taken so much money..."

“You still have to buy what you need.”

"Xiaoyuan, you are such a nice person."

Runsheng went out on his bike to buy things, and Li Zhuiyuan found a small stool and sat down in the yard.

Tapping his forehead with his finger, he began to recall the content in the book on this subject, or more precisely, how to use the money.

He found it, and according to the logic in the book: he could use the money himself.

But it must be based on fairness or taking advantage of oneself. That is to say, when you buy things, you either get a fair price or lower the price yourself. You must never let the person who sells things or labor to you think that he is kind or that he is taking advantage of you.

Otherwise, the other party is sharing the cause and effect because you are also enjoying the extra benefits of the money.

"No wonder there was a saying in ancient times that collective punishment would be punished..."

Although the actual purpose is to strengthen the deterrence of lawbreaking, from a legal point of view, even the children in the family have benefited from the family's illegal gains.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and stretched, just as Runsheng came back.

"Xiaoyuan, I bought some cooked food. Since Grandpa is not here, we can have lunch by ourselves."

"Okay."

Runsheng cleaned the pot and lit the fire to cook. In addition to the braised pork liver and cold jellyfish salad, Runsheng also fried an egg and cooked a loofah soup.

However, the eggs were burnt and the soup was sticky and not refreshing at all.

"Xiaoyuan, this is the limit of my skills."

Runsheng took a bite and tasted the delicious food. Then he ate a piece of egg with chopsticks and drank a mouthful of soup, as if he was actively testing the poison.

Li Zhuiyuan also expressed his understanding of this, saying that you can't expect someone who can barely make a living from what he works to have any superb cooking skills.

After dinner, Runsheng cleaned the house and the yard, then rode his bike and took Li Zhuiyuan home.

Turning from the road into the village road, I saw Pan Zi and Lei Zi, both dirty, walking along, pushing a cart of bricks.

Nowadays, summer jobs are hard to find even in the city, let alone in the countryside.

It is not convenient to commute to places that are farther away, so the kiln factory close to home is a better place. Although it is hard work, it is good to be paid on a daily basis.

It is quite suitable for young people like Pan Zilei Zi, who can earn some money during the summer vacation to have fun.

"Brother Pan, Brother Lei!"

"Hey, Yuanzi."

"Hey, Toko."

There were blood scabs on the corners of Pan Zi's mouth, and bruises on Lei Zi's eyebrows and eyes. These were all signs of fatherly love.

"Yuanzi, it's a good thing you left early that day, haha."

"That's right. It's a good thing you left first, otherwise you would have to stay in the police station with us, and we would have to draw blood."

"Thank you for not telling me."

"That's impossible. We are brothers. How could we betray each other?"

"That's right, you are my younger brother. How can an older brother not protect his younger brother?"

In fact, the two of them were not so tough as to deliberately help Xiaoyuan conceal the truth. Instead, they knew very well that if they told this matter to others and let their father and grandfather know that they dared to take Xiaoyuan to watch pornographic movies, they would probably be beaten even more severely.

"Brother, are you guys going back to the kiln?"

"Yes, we are delivering bricks to the kiln today." Lei Zi said, taking out a cigarette from his pocket. He didn't know who gave it to him. He held the cigarette in his mouth, took out a match and lit it in a very cool manner. After taking a puff, he handed it to Pan Zi.

Pan Zi took it, took a sip, and handed it to Runsheng.

It was very common to see several guys taking turns smoking one cigarette at that time, and cigarettes in the convenience store were even sold by the stick.

Runsheng shook his head, took out a stick of incense, lit it with a match, took a puff, and blew out smoke rings.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi were both stunned and asked, "What are you smoking?"

Runsheng replied: "Authentic cigarettes."

Then, Runsheng handed the burning incense to them, intending to share it.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi quickly shook their heads and declined the kindness.

Then Pan Zi looked at Li Zhuiyuan and said, "Xiaoyuan, Sihaizi's family is going to build a fish pond tomorrow. The two of us are going to help. Do you want to come? We will provide you with a meal and fish."

"I'm not going. Grandpa doesn't allow me to go out recently. Today I can make an exception and go out because I'm accompanying Brother Runsheng to deliver something to his grandfather."

"Oh, I see. That's a shame."

"Then we'll send you a fish tomorrow night."

"No need, you guys can take it home and eat it. Brother, you guys are busy, I'm going back first."

"Okay, we'll come back to play with you some other time, Yuanzi."

After the tricycle drove a distance away, Runsheng asked curiously, "Xiaoyuan, don't you want to play with your brothers?"

"No, they are very nice to me."

"then you……"

"Brother Runsheng, I just don't plan to go out in the near future."

Before solving the problem of his fortune, Li Zhuiyuan decided not to go out unless necessary, especially not to go to places involving water.

Pan Zilei asked him to go and watch someone dig a fish pond, which was already a big taboo. He was worried that if he went there now, who knows what else would be dug up besides fish.

When he got home, he didn't see A'li sitting behind the threshold of the east room on the dam. Li Zhuiyuan guessed that the girl should be in her room now.

She has indeed changed a lot. She no longer just sits there and stares blankly. Even when I am not around, she will make some subjective movements.

Liu Yumei sat on a chair at the door of the east room, with her hands folded in front of her and her eyes closed as if she was taking a nap.

After realizing someone had returned, she slowly opened her eyes and once again looked at the boy as if nothing had happened. At the same time, she began to pinch the fingers of her left hand folded under her right hand.

Then she had to stop again.

Because the boy turned his head to the side, leaving the back of his head facing her, he walked into the house while asking Aunt Liu in the west room what to eat tonight and how the incense was cooked.

Liu Yumei felt confused: was it a coincidence or intentional?

It must be a coincidence. If it was intentional, that would be ridiculous.

In order for someone to be aware of my own calculations, his attainments in physiognomy must at least be at the same level as mine. How is that possible?

She knew that the child was reading a book, and she also knew that the child had created a number of practical tools according to the designs in the book. After repeated contact, she realized how smart the child was.

In her heart, she had already praised the child highly, and she also reluctantly admitted that the child had embarked on this path, but no matter what, it would not be to such an outrageous degree.

Liu Yumei has been living in this family, so she is sure that the boy has no teacher. Qin Li only taught him a little bit of horse stance. If he can really see that height by looking at the book, then wouldn't she be living a dog's life at her age?

It’s just that what happened today, there’s something wrong. How come Li Sanjiang’s good fortune was lost so much all of a sudden?
We have to observe again tomorrow. If Li Sanjiang's deficit can be made up slowly, then everything will remain the same. But if the deficit continues like this, then things will be troublesome.

Feeling upset, Liu Yumei stood up. She wanted to go back to the house and chat with "big guy".

I sat down in front of the altar, picked up a piece of shortbread, and was about to start a conversation, but suddenly I looked at the tablets on the altar with confusion:

"Why does it feel a little sparse?"

……

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs and saw Li Sanjiang washing his hair with laundry detergent next to a water tank.

"Grandpa, didn't you take a shower this morning?"

"I was just lying there taking a nap, and a dead bird came from somewhere and pooped on my head again. I don't know what happened today, but I got bird poop twice in one day. It's really bad luck."

Li Zhuiyuan probably guessed why.

"Xiao Yuanhou, why did you come back so early? Shan Pao didn't even invite you to have dinner before leaving?"

"Uncle Shan is busy playing cards."

"Oh, this old guy is just such a bad person. By the way, have you bought the things?"

"I bought it. I've added rice, flour and oil. Grandpa, you really care about Grandpa Shan."

"Yes, if he starves to death, I won't be able to find help when there's a big job. Although Shan Pao has a bad temper, he has skills and can always help."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said, indeed.

"Xiao Yuanhou, what's in the black bag you're holding?"

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a bag of money in his hand and said, "I bought some candy for Ah Li. Grandpa, do you want to try one?"

Like last time, Li Zhuiyuan still planned to ask Aunt Liu to help him with purchasing and negotiating prices. With Aunt Liu's professionalism, she would definitely make sure that the money was spent wisely.

If you go by yourself, don't know the business, and don't shop often, it's easy to get ripped off.

In business, people have to quote prices based on their business needs. Li Zhuiyuan could understand that, so he didn't go there himself. He wasn't a sower of misfortune, and those small vendors weren't guilty of that.

In fact, when he was downstairs just now, Li Zhuiyuan had planned to give the money to Aunt Liu, but who asked Grandma Liu to be watching him secretly.

Really, she watches it in the morning and in the afternoon and she doesn’t feel tired at all.

"I don't want to eat that. Bring me another handkerchief."

"Ah."

After giving Li Sanjiang a handkerchief, Li Zhuiyuan walked towards his room.

He pushed open Li Sanjiang's bedroom door halfway and wanted to check the formation on the tiles again, but found that it had been wiped off.

He still doesn't understand why the formation is still effective after he had clearly made some modifications yesterday.
He took a few steps back, turned sideways, and looked at the grandfather who was still washing his hair.

The most frustrating thing is that I cannot discuss this kind of thing with my great grandfather, even though he is the most important person involved.

Because Li Zhuiyuan knew that even if he asked the grandfather to reproduce the formation diagram he drew last night, the grandfather would definitely draw a new one for him.

Arriving at his room door and pushing it open, Li Zhuiyuan saw A'li sitting on a small stool, carving a wooden flower roll with a carving knife.

He actually didn't tell A'li that the black canvas was broken, but the girl discovered it herself and took the initiative to help him buy a new wooden flower roll.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the opposite side of the girl and watched her carving seriously.

This scene is very similar to the girl in the past looking at herself reading seriously.

As the girl was carving, she would look up at herself from time to time, which was exactly like his response to the girl when he was reading.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that this should be the most comfortable way for friends to get along with each other. No concessions, just enjoyment.

After watching quietly for a while, Li Zhuiyuan's originally anxious heart seemed to have completely calmed down.

He stood up and walked to the desk, intending to put the money he won this time into it first.

When he opened the drawer, he saw not only four stacks of brand new money, but also six small yellow croakers.

No need to guess, you know who put it there.

Although Li Zhuiyuan would definitely not want the money and gold bars, he would take them down and return them to Grandma Liu later.

But anyway, it didn't affect the fact that his heart was corrupted at this moment, especially after taking another look at the black bag in his hand...

It turns out that I don’t have to work so hard.

Li Zhuiyuan found an empty box, put the money and gold bars in the drawer into it, then walked to the girl, sat down again, and said seriously:
"Ari, thank you. I'm really happy to see you bring me these, but I can't accept them."

A'li stopped the carving knife in her hand, looked up and looked at the boy.

There was confusion in her eyes. She didn't understand. She saw the boy smiling at the money in his hand in the morning, so why didn't he want it when she gave it to him?
Moreover, every time Li Sanjiang gave him pocket money, he took it and smiled happily.

Obviously, she has a lot of things like this at home.

"Ari, gifts also have to be of appropriate importance. Next time before you give me something, you can ask me first. If it's appropriate, I'll accept it, okay?"

A'li looked thoughtful, then nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned. He just saw the girl nod, and the amplitude was very large, not the imperceptible one before.

"Ari, do you really understand?"

The girl nodded again to show that she understood.

"What would you say if you didn't understand?"

The girl shook her head, the same amplitude as a normal person.

Li Zhuiyuan had a smile on his face, which meant that the girl's condition had made a big step forward in recovery today.

Although I don’t know why.

Li Zhuiyuan's smile suddenly froze for a moment. Could it be... because of myself today?
Trying to get rid of his worries, Li Zhuiyuan decided to talk about something happy:

"Aunt Liu said that she bought some wood-smoked ham today. It seems to be produced in Jinhua, Zhejiang. We can try it tonight. Ah Li, have you ever eaten wood-smoked food before?"

Ali shook his head.

"It's a special flavor created by lighting this smoke... huh?"

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a piece of wood flower roll next to him.

The last time I made the black canvas, I took a piece of wood from the woodshed and pushed it out with a small tweezers.

This time, Ari was doing it herself, which means that she pushed the Muhanamaki out herself.

But why is the wood flower roll not yellowish white this time, but shiny black with a special fragrance, which smells quite good?

"Ari, what kind of wood did you use to push it?"

Ali pointed under the small table.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and his eyes widened, because there were three tablets under the table!
……

"Grandma Liu, I give this back to you."

In the east room, Li Zhuiyuan placed the box containing money and gold bars on the table next to Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei opened the box, took a look, and then closed it again.

"Grandma, you don't count?"

"They've all been sent back, there's no point in counting them."

"That's good."

Li Zhuiyuan also put a fertilizer bag on the table.

Liu Yumei opened the bag, looked inside, then immediately stood up, took out the three tablets, wiped them, and placed them on the altar.

"Ari, grandma will give you whatever you want to play with, but what's so fun about the tablets? Don't touch them next time."

Liu Yumei still speaks softly and does not scold her granddaughter.

Then she began to count the cards one by one with her fingers.

She seemed to have forgotten what she had just said: They have all been returned, there's no point in counting them.

"Hey, why are there still a few missing?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not respond, because the missing ones had already turned into wood flower rolls.

I couldn't pack up that bag of wood flower rolls and bring it over myself. Besides, half of them had been carved with patterns by A'li.

"Xiaoyuan, have you looked for it again? Maybe it fell somewhere after Ah Li took it out?"

"Grandma, I've looked for them, and there are only these three."

Li Zhuiyuan was not trying to shirk responsibility on purpose, but he felt that Liu Yumei would definitely be more accepting of the tablet being lost rather than having it dismembered.

"Hey."

Liu Yumei sighed and looked at Qin Li with some resentment.

The good news is that my granddaughter, who used to be uninterested in anything, is now obviously more lively and will give money from home to men outside.

But you can take money or gold bars, why do you take the tablet?
"Grandma Liu, I told A-Li that I will not move the tablet again. Do you think I am right, A-Li?"

Ali nodded.

Liu Yumei could only touch her forehead helplessly. Then, her whole body trembled suddenly and she looked at A'li in disbelief.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ali, grandma wants to confirm whether you know it or not. Tell grandma that you know it."

Ali nodded again.

Liu Yumei burst into tears immediately, turned her head to look at the altar, and said in a sobbing voice:
"The ancestors showed up, they blessed us!"

……

I walked out of the east room and helped close the door. Inside, Liu Yumei was taking A'li to thank the ancestors on the altar.

Li Zhuiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had managed to get away with this matter.

He hurried upstairs, took down the bag of money and handed it to Aunt Liu who was busy in the kitchen.

"Xiaoyuan, where did you get so much money?"

It just so happened that Runsheng was also in the kitchen at this time, eating and smelling the aroma from the pot while waiting for the meal to start, and he answered directly:
"I won it playing cards!"

Aunt Liu looked at Runsheng with suspicion, obviously, she didn't believe it.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Aunt Liu, this is the order. Please help me import some more things. Then, please find two bricklayers to help me build a small workshop behind the house, next to the back wall. It doesn't have to be too big, just about the size of a woodshed."

Runsheng said: "No need to hire anyone, I can do it. I can build walls. I built the wall around our house."

Li Zhuiyuan ignored Runsheng's self-recommendation. He had seen the collapsed wall of Uncle Shan's house today.

He didn't want the house to collapse and bury him while he was working in the workshop.

"Okay, Auntie got it."

"Also, aunt, you have to pay attention."

"What should I pay attention to?"

"This money is dirty, don't dirty your hands."

"Hmm?" Aunt Liu touched the bag, her eyes showing understanding, and nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

Runsheng asked in confusion: "Do you care whether the money is dirty or not?"

"Yes, Brother Runsheng, banknotes pass through many people's hands when they are in circulation, so there must be a lot of bacteria on them."

"Oh, I see."

There was still some time before dinner, so Li Zhuiyuan did not go back to the second floor, but went to the basement.

In "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons", both the tools and the kung fu require a lot of time and energy, and it is almost impossible to complete them in one go, so Li Zhuiyuan decided to choose another set of books and read them in his spare time.

"Snapped!"

Turning on the flashlight, Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the boxes.

Suddenly, at the edge of the flashlight's aperture, there seemed to be a wriggling black shadow.

Li Zhuiyuan was startled and subconsciously pointed the flashlight over there. The long black shadow seemed to be frightened as well and began to swim quickly.

It's a little snake!
"call……"

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. He was really afraid that something horrible had come into the basement.

However, the little snake moved to the left and then to the right, and then turned and swam towards Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan is not very afraid of snakes. He has been to some excavation sites with his mother before, where there were many snakes.

However, he was not professional or brave enough to ignore the snake, no matter how small it was, so he continued to back away, and when his back hit the box, the brass lock on the box made a crisp sound.

The noise must have scared the snake, and it quickly changed direction. Li Zhuiyuan kept shining the light of his flashlight on it until it disappeared into the corner of the wall. There was a crack as thick as a finger there.

After the snake left, Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at the box he had just hit.

Because this box is located at the very edge of the box group, it has never been opened by me.

This time, it's your turn.

Putting the flashlight on the ground, Li Zhuiyuan supported the lid of the box with both hands, stepped forward with his legs, and exerted force.

"Squeak!"

The lid of the box was opened and turned over to the back.

Li Zhuiyuan clapped his hands. He felt that since he persisted in practicing the horse stance taught by Uncle Qin, he had become much stronger. Different from the increase in strength brought about by his own physical development, this should be a tendency towards the use and control of his own strength.

I picked up the flashlight and shone it on the books in the box. I found that there was a lot of dust on them. It was not because the dust had settled down, but because the books were covered with dust when they were packed.

He turned his head and blew it several times before the top row of book covers barely appeared.

According to past experience, the books at the top of each box are generally average, and the good books have to be found at the bottom.

Li Zhuiyuan had originally planned to do so until he saw the names of the two sets of books placed in the middle of the top row.

"Liu's Qi-Observing Secret" and "Qin's Method of Observing Dragons".

Liu, Qin?
Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but think of the altar in the east room, which was filled with tablets of the Qin and Liu families.

"It can't be such a coincidence, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan took out the two sets of books. They were very simple and had no covers.

There are three volumes of "Liu's Qi-Watching Secrets", all of which are quite thick; there are four volumes of "Qin's Method of Observing Dragons", which are also quite thick, and they are not divided by volumes.

"Could it be that Grandma Liu left it here with Grandpa?"

Li Zhuiyuan quickly shook his head. That was not right. Great grandfather had said that the books in the basement had been deposited with him for many years, but Liu Yumei and her family had not been here for long.

It is even more impossible that Liu Yumei knew that there were books in the grandfather's basement, so she secretly put her own unique skills in there.

Firstly, there was a reason why Liu Yumei didn't do so, and secondly, the dust on the book silently told of how long it had been sealed.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the first volume of "Liu's Qi-Watching Secrets" and frowned as soon as he turned the page. The handwriting was too sloppy and ugly.

It's not the kind of cursive or connected writing. It seems more like the person who wrote the book was in a hurry and wrote quickly. In addition, he has no calligraphy skills, so it's simply ugly, like a ghost drawing.

There are quite a few words on it, and Li Zhuiyuan even needs to consider the context to guess what they mean.

I flipped through more than ten pages in a row and found that there was no fixed number of texts on each page. The volume name and chapter name were not at the beginning of the main page, but were interspersed in the content.

In Li Zhuiyuan's mind, a picture emerged: a person, with his left hand constantly turning the pages of a set of exquisite books, and his other hand quickly copying on the blank book in front of him.

While writing, he kept looking around, afraid that someone would come over.

So, this should be a plagiarized book.

Li Zhuiyuan opened "Qin's Method of Observing Dragons" again and flipped through it briefly. As expected, it was a book that was passed down from the same source and was also plagiarized.

That almost confirms that these two sets of books have nothing to do with Liu Yumei.

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that Liu Yumei told him that she knew what books she was reading, but analyzing the meaning from her tone, it seemed that she probably only thought that she was reading some esoteric books and did not know that what she was reading were precious and unique handwritten copies.

In addition, Liu Yumei should not have ever entered the basement. Both Liu Yumei and Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu have a sense of propriety and do not touch upon the great-grandfather's affairs and things.

If Liu Yumei had come to the basement and looked through these boxes, she would not have allowed these two sets of books to remain there. This would be stealing the inheritance of their two families and a serious taboo.

"Okay, these are the two."

Li Zhuiyuan himself didn't know whether he was curious about the contents of the two sets of books or about the affairs of the Qin and Liu families.

After closing the box again, Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the basement holding the two sets of books. After going up to the second floor, he placed the books on the desk, tore off the cover of each book, rolled them up, lit them, and then put the pages into his water cup one by one.

To some extent, it still needs to be covered up.

There are seven books in these two sets, and the most beautiful and clear words are the titles on the covers.

Li Zhuiyuan likes to sit on the second-floor terrace and read books, but he must be careful not to let Liu Yumei look up and see the title of the book.

As for A'li who likes to sit next to me and read with me, it doesn't matter. There's no need to hide it. A'li won't tell on me anyway.

Aunt Liu's voice came from the dam:
"time for dinner!"

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and sat at his own small table. A'li had already sat there waiting for him.

"Are you hungry?"

Ali nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face again. He felt that if the girl could continue to improve, she would not be far from being able to speak.

But if we continue...

"Ahei! Ahei! Ahei!"

Li Sanjiang sneezed three times in a row. He washed his hair before dawn, so he had a cold.

"Grandpa, after dinner I'll take you to Dr. Zheng to get some medicine or an injection."

"No, this is just a minor problem that can be cured after a good night's sleep."

Aunt Liu brought the soup and put it down, saying with a smile, "There is a kind of person in this world who advises others to see a doctor very often, but refuses to go when he or she is sick."

Li Zhuiyuan said again: "Grandpa, it's agreed that I will go with you later."

This time he emphasized his tone because he was worried that his grandfather might not be able to withstand the illness given his current condition.

"Okay, okay, let's go, let's go!"

Li Sanjiang waved his hand, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Aunt Liu laughed again and said, "After all, it is the great-grandson's words that count, haha."

Li Zhuiyuan had just finished distributing the small dishes to Ah Li when he heard Aunt Zhang shouting across the rice fields on the village road in the distance:

"Xiao Yuanhou, Xiao Yuanhou, phone call from Beijing!"

Li Sanjiang hurriedly urged, "Go quickly, Xiao Yuanhou, it should be your mother calling."

"Then Master, I'm going. Brother Runsheng, please come with me."

"Huh? Oh, good."

Runsheng had just waited until the meal was served and was about to light incense, but since it was Xiaoyuan's request, he immediately nodded, stood up, and followed Li Zhuiyuan out.

From a distance, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying standing outside the store.

That's right. Since Aunt Zhang has informed me, how could she not inform my grandparents? Moreover, from my mother's point of view, I should be living at my grandparents' house now instead of my great-grandfather's house.

Behind the grandparents was a group of Li's children, who were happily sharing snacks. When they saw Li Zhuiyuan coming, Shitou and Huzi immediately handed over the snacks:
"Brother Yuanzi, come and eat what grandma bought for us, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Cui Guiying usually was reluctant to buy snacks for the children at home. After all, there were many children in the family now, and she had to consider how much money all the snacks would cost.
The reason she was willing to buy it today was because she was so happy that her daughter finally called back.

You know, the last time my daughter came back, she brought her ex-son-in-law with her. At that time, the two were not married yet, and Xiaoyuan was not there. Since then, my daughter has never come back for so many years.

In the early years, my daughter would occasionally send me telegrams or letters to say hello, but after that, that gradually stopped.

Although the gifts for festivals and holidays were mailed on time, and the alimony was remitted every quarter, it never stopped;
Logically speaking, my daughter has done much better than all the children of her age in the village, but as her parents, sometimes they just want to hear their daughter's voice and talk to her.

This wish has been accumulated for too long and has gradually become a luxury.

"Xiao Yuanhou, come on, your mother called. Grandma and your mother just finished talking." Cui Guiying smiled brightly, then reached out and patted Li Weihan on the back, "Come on, Xiao Yuanhou is here, give the phone to Xiao Yuanhou."

Although Li Weihan was very reluctant, he still shouted to the other end of the phone: "Okay, okay, Lan Hou, I'll let Xiao Yuan Hou answer the phone for you first. Don't hang up after I finish talking. I'll continue talking to you later."

Li Zhuiyuan was very confused that his mother would actually call him on her own initiative. What was even more unbelievable was that his mother would chat with his grandparents for such a long time.

Li Weihan solemnly handed the phone to his grandson: "Hurry up, your mother misses you, Lan Hou, let your son answer the phone."

Li Zhuiyuan still didn't want to believe that this was true. Although he was looking forward to his mother calling him, he knew very well that expectation was not a wish.

Putting the microphone to his ear, Li Zhuiyuan heard a woman's voice coming from the microphone: "Hello, is this Xiaoyuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan's mouth twitched. The person on the other end of the microphone was not his mother, but his mother's secretary, Aunt Xu. He remembered that Aunt Xu's hometown was also Nantong.

So, the person who had spoken to grandpa and grandma earlier was not mom Li Lan, but Aunt Xu.

Grandpa and grandma, as they haven't seen their daughter for many years and haven't spoken to her on the phone, have long forgotten her current voice. In addition, Aunt Xu can also understand Nantong dialect, so it is impossible for her to tell that this is not her daughter.

At this moment, looking at his grandparents who were smiling happier than during the Chinese New Year, Li Zhuiyuan felt a strong disgust towards his mother's behavior.

Li Weihan: "Xiao Yuanhou, hurry up and call mom, hurry up and call, your mom said she misses you very much, tell mom quickly that you miss her too."

Cui Guiying: "Xiao Yuanhou must be embarrassed. Don't start crying when you hear your mother's voice. Otherwise, you will cry and shout for your mother at night, which will give Uncle Sanjiang a headache, haha."

It can be seen that the grandparents are looking forward to calling "Mom" to their daughter on the phone, because they have never seen the interaction between their daughter and grandson. The brothers and sisters around them are also laughing and cheering.

Although he knew it was Aunt Xu on the other end, Li Zhuiyuan still looked shy. He held the microphone tightly with both hands and shouted excitedly with a feeling of missing her:

"Mom, I miss you so much!"

The speakerphone must have been on, as there were two types of footsteps on the other end of the phone, one coming from far away and the other from near to far away.

Li Zhuiyuan could imagine that when his grandparents were talking to Aunt Xu as if she were their daughter, the owner of the footsteps thought it was noisy and deliberately walked away until they couldn't hear him.

Now, the person in the distance came back, and Aunt Xu walked out.

So, the next person who will speak is my mother.

Li Zhuiyuan felt a surge of anticipation in his heart. Although this thought was inappropriate and incorrect, he couldn't control himself from thinking this way: It seems that his mother treats him differently from his grandparents.

Li Lan's voice finally came from the other end of the phone:
"Li Zhuiyuan, you have become even more disgusting now."

(End of this chapter)