Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 35

"Li Zhuiyuan, you have become even more disgusting now."

At this time, Li Weihan, Cui Guiying, a group of Li's brothers and sisters, Aunt Zhang, and several villagers who came to the store to buy things in the evening, all stared at Li Zhuiyuan with smiles and curiosity.

Everyone was very quiet and everyone was very enthusiastic.

The simple yearning for beautiful things is human nature.

Nothing can make onlookers feel more moved and comforted than a mother and child who are far apart but can still listen to each other's thoughts.

Li Zhuiyuan still held the microphone tightly with both hands. The shy expression on his face not only did not fade away but became even more intense. He slightly turned his body, as if trying to avoid everyone's sight, but in everyone's eyes, it was more like a child's reluctance to accept.

Everyone found this scene adorable and their smiles became even brighter, with their mouths slightly open, waiting for the next conversation.

Although they could not hear the sound on the other end of the microphone, they could imagine what the child's mother said and asked based on the child's response.

"Mom, I'm doing well at home. I'm very well behaved."

"Shouldn't you be angry? Shouldn't you throw the phone down in anger? Shouldn't you be crying or making a scene? Shouldn't you be questioning me as a mother?
Oh, right, you won't.

Ha ha,

Are they standing in a circle around you, watching you?"

"Mom, I don't miss home that much. I'm very happy here."

"Li Zhuiyuan, this is just the first time you've seen them, and this is also the first time they've seen you since you were born, so do you really need to continue performing in front of them?"

"My grandparents were very kind to me. Panzi, Leizi, Yingzi, Shitou, Huzi, and my brothers and sisters were also very kind to me. They all took me out to play."

"Li Zhuiyuan, you are so hypocritical. You clearly look down on them deep down and think they are ignorant and stupid, but you still want to create an image of yourself in front of them."

"The village is so much fun. There are fields and canals. You can catch fish and frogs. The sauce my grandma makes is delicious. She said you loved it when you were a kid, too."

"Don't you feel tired, my son? Why do you enjoy this game so much?"

"I also went to Aunt Xianghou's house. Aunt Xianghou told me a lot about my mother's past. Many people still remember you, mom."

"I am so amazing that I gave birth to a son who makes me feel disgusted."

"Mom, are you busy with work? Grandpa and grandma hope you can take care of your health, eat on time, and don't overwork yourself."

As Li Zhuiyuan spoke, he looked at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying. The old couple nodded vigorously, signaling Li Zhuiyuan to continue.

"I originally thought I could control it, but your birth was like a mirror, reflecting the part of myself that I hate the most, Li Zhuiyuan, do you know that every time I saw you in the past few years, I tried to control the urge to strangle you.

Every time you called me "Mom", it was like the devil's whisper in my ears."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded as he listened. In the eyes of everyone, he seemed to be following his mother's loving instructions. Everyone seemed to be able to guess that his mother must be teaching him various things to do on the other end of the phone, telling him to be good, obedient, and not to be naughty.

"I know, Mom, I know, I understand."

“I try my best to mend this piece of skin on my body. Every morning when I wake up, I look in the mirror and remind myself again and again.

But you always try to tear off my skin again and again.

You are me and I am you.

Li Zhuiyuan,
We, mother and son,

They are all monsters in human skin.”

"I understand, don't worry, mom, I will be obedient."

Li Zhuiyuan put his ear to the microphone and swayed his body gently, like a child who was a little impatient and a little embarrassed by his parents' nagging, but also felt sweet.

"Your father helped me control my illness, and my marriage also helped me to a certain extent. I should have gotten back on the right track until I gave birth to you.

Your birth destroyed all my efforts over the years.

in my eyes,

Li Zhuiyuan,
You are a mistake that should never have happened."

"Mom, can you send some more snacks? We love those cookies. And some stationery. Everyone likes my pencil case very much. I promised to give it to everyone."

When Shi Tou Huzi and the others heard this, they hugged each other excitedly.

"I shouldn't have tried to find a cure for you after discovering your true nature. The failures of my treatments on you seemed to make me witness my own failures.

My life was already dark, and it was you who completely blocked my last bit of light.

Xiaoyuan,

Why don’t you just die?”

"You too, Mom."

"If you died early, it might still arouse my maternal instinct, right?"

"Well, I won't."

"I'm going to participate in a secret project. That project is very dangerous. I don't know if I can come back alive."

"Mom, please take care of yourself. I will be worried about you."

"I tell you this because I don't want to die with these truths hidden in my heart without having the chance to tell you. I think we need such a confession between us.

In fact, you have always understood that while I can see through you, you can also see through me, right? "

"Yeah, I'm listening. I'll take note, Mom."

“This path is the one you chose.

When I divorced your father, no matter how much your father begged you, it was you who firmly chose to be with me.

Your father has always felt that I was sick and that I was torturing you and your son in various ways and bringing you pain.

But what he didn't know was that his son was a demon more terrifying than me, and all his expressions of fatherly love were just complete clown performances in the eyes of his beloved son.

He was sad, as he had already applied for a polar scientific research project.

When I wanted to help you change your surname back, your grandfather disagreed, but you were determined to change it.

Your grandma said that if you followed me, you would never be allowed to enter the house again, but you still grabbed my sleeve and left with me.

Li Zhuiyuan, do you think that by doing these things you can move me and make me change my mind?
My heart only has a cry of annoyance again and again:
why,
Why do you still insist on pestering me and torturing me!"

"Okay, okay, I know everything, Mom, you don't have to say any more, I know everything."

"I will be joining the project team tomorrow. I don't know if I can come back safely. I just hope that if I can come back alive, you will no longer be in my life.

I've figured it out and I've made up my mind.

Li Zhuiyuan, I'm going to get rid of this dog-skin plaster of yours.

I will transfer your guardian to your father's side. Although your father is not around, your grandparents should be happy to accept you. After all, you are a child who can enter the junior class and can be the pride of their family."

"I don't want it. I don't want anything else. Just send snacks and stationery. I want new models, Mom."

"I know you won't want it, and you will still hold on to anything related to me, so I will send you back to my hometown, a place I will never go back to in my life.

I will transfer the guardianship to my father, and your household registration and student status will be transferred over.

I am very grateful for this project, which provides us with the convenience to fully arrange our family relationships.”

"Mom, I'm living in Grandpa Li Sanjiang's house now. Grandpa likes me and asked me to live with him for a while. Grandpa is a very nice person."

"I see."

"Well, that's all, Mom. I'm going to give the microphone to Grandpa. Grandpa still wants to continue talking to you."

Li Zhuiyuan held the microphone and waited for a while. After hearing the sounds of footsteps leaving and approaching, he reluctantly handed the microphone to Li Weihan.

Li Weihan took the microphone and said, "Hello, Lan Hou, don't worry, Xiao Yuan Hou is doing well here, we will take good care of him."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to stay here and watch his grandfather chatting with Aunt Xu.

"Grandpa, grandma, I'm going back to my great-grandfather's for dinner."

Cui Guiying hurriedly said, "Go back quickly and don't keep your great grandfather waiting. Your grandfather and I will go ask your great grandfather in a while to see when you can return home."

"Okay, grandma. Goodbye grandma, goodbye grandpa, goodbye everyone."

Li Zhuiyuan waved goodbye to everyone, then turned and left.

Runsheng followed Li Zhuiyuan. He was very hungry, but he didn't dare to remind or urge the boy to walk faster.

He always felt that the boy had two faces. Although the boy always called him "Brother Runsheng", the word "Brother" sounded different when there were many people around and when there were just the two of them.

The former is a warm and respectful name for "Brother", while the latter is like "Brother Runsheng" as if one's name is one.

But he didn't have much curiosity to find out. His grandfather had said that he was stupid, so he didn't bother thinking about what was going on in smart people's minds.

He felt that the boy was in a bad mood, and all he could do was to walk slowly with the boy.

In Li Zhuiyuan's mind, his mother's words on the other end of the phone echoed over and over again.

I was very relieved that my mother hadn’t talked to me so much in one breath for a long time.

But he knew that these words from his mother were not actually spoken to her son, but more like to herself deep in her heart.

And the mother regarded her son as the embodiment of the coldness in her heart.

If it were me, if the expressionless self in the cabinet mirror would become my child in the future, he would also go crazy and become hysterical.

She tried her best and tried her best to hide and suppress the coldness, but in the end, she turned into a child who stuck to her and called her "Mom" all day long.

At this time, Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

He found it very interesting, like a funny and satirical black-and-white silent movie.

He stopped and squatted down facing the small canal beside the road.

It was already dark, and at this moment, all that could be reflected in the canal water was a dark face.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the face but didn't know who it was.

Runsheng also squatted down beside him and silently lit a stick of incense.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a stone nearby and threw it towards his own figure in the water.

"Pfft..."

After wrinkling a circle, it immediately returns to its original shape.

He knew that his mother was seriously ill.

The phone call tonight was a kind of self-abandonment on her part. She was tired and desperate. She would completely give up the struggle and no longer resist. She would blend in.

If you think in a positive way, this phone call was her final confession.

Although it is filled with ugly words, insults and curses.

At the same time, there is indeed a kind of hatred and even jealousy.

Her human skin had been completely torn, and she wanted to tear off her son's skin as well.

So mom, do you want to find someone like you after you have completely fallen?

Angry?

some.

But whether it was strong or not, Li Zhuiyuan didn’t know, because he could understand it.

Because this is absolute rationality.

She proved through her own practice that no matter how much she struggled, it was useless and meaningless, so she wanted to save herself this process through this method.

But Li Zhuiyuan was very confused because she shouldn't have sent herself back, she shouldn't have sent herself back to Nantong.

Sometimes, don't listen to what someone says, but look at what she does.

Continue to stay in Beijing, continue to attend the junior class, continue to study step by step, graduate step by step, and be assigned a job step by step...

As long as I follow the steps, I will be able to become the same person as her sooner.

She only needed to do nothing to turn herself into her, because she had fallen ill earlier than she did and her illness was much more serious.

But she still sent herself back to her hometown and said she would never come back in her life.

Is it because this place is the last fantasy you have always kept in your heart?

Is this your last protection and expectation for me?

Do you think that the life here is the reason why you became ill later than your son, and were able to get married, have children, and live a normal life?
Li Zhuiyuan held his head with both hands, with a painful expression: Or maybe all this is just my wishful thinking.

Runsheng saw the boy's body begin to sway back and forth, and he seemed about to fall into the ditch.

Li Zhuiyuan really wanted to fall in, so he jumped into the canal, slapping the water and crying. He thought he should vent his anger now.

But in the end, he stopped because he felt it was childish to do so.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at Runsheng who was squatting beside him.

Runsheng shuddered and immediately looked away. He didn't dare to look into those eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the incense in Runsheng's hand. He stretched out his hand and gently held the burning tip of the incense.

The burning pain came quickly, but there was no expression on the boy's face.

Until it reaches a critical point.

"hiss……"

The boy finally let go of his hand, his face showing pain.

"It hurts..."

The voice also turned into that of a wronged child.

Runsheng turned around. He just felt the shaking of the incense stick in his hand. He looked at the wound on Li Zhuiyuan's palm and immediately blamed himself anxiously:

"I'm sorry, Xiaoyuan, I didn't mean it. I really didn't mean it."

Runsheng thought that he accidentally burned the boy with the burning incense in his hand when he turned his head.

"It's okay, Brother Runsheng, I just grabbed it out of curiosity."

Runsheng was about to cry, and Xiaoyuan made up such a lame excuse to avoid blaming himself.

He felt even more guilty. He was still thinking too much and thought Xiaoyuan's look just now was scary.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the wound on his palm.

Has the condition worsened to the point where the patient has begun to seek self-harm?
Li Zhuiyuan stood up and said, "Brother Runsheng, let's go back."

"Your wound..."

"It's okay. I'll ask Aunt Liu for some ointment to apply."

When I walked back home, the big guys on the dam were still eating. They must have been slowing down on purpose, waiting for me to come back.

"Xiaoyuan, is this mom calling?" "Yes, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan sat down, picked up his chopsticks and ate while recounting the conversation between himself and his mother.

He appeared very happy and cheerful.

Like all normal children, there always comes a period when their parents are their idols, and they talk about "my dad" and "my mom" all the time.

Li Sanjiang listened very happily and interrupted from time to time. Every time Li Zhuiyuan gave him an answer, which made Li Sanjiang even happier. He kept tapping the bowl with his chopsticks and said, "I knew it, I knew it, hahahaha."

Aunt Liu was also very happy. She had a cheerful personality and was happy to see the atmosphere at home become more relaxed.

Even Liu Yumei asked Li Zhuiyuan a few questions.

I felt sad that no matter how smart this child is, he can't change his nature.

Runsheng was eating while chewing on the incense. Looking at Li Zhuiyuan's behavior, he subconsciously thought that the silence on the way home was just the child missing his mother.

He has no parents, only a grandfather, so as he watched Li Zhuiyuan continue to tell everyone, a look of longing gradually appeared on his face:

It turns out that having a mother is such a happy thing.

Only Ahri put down her chopsticks silently.

She liked to look at boys' expressions, but the excited and happy boy in front of her had no light in his eyes.

After the meal, Li Zhuiyuan forced Li Sanjiang to go to Zheng Datong to get some medicine.

Originally, an injection would have been more effective, but Li Sanjiang refused to take it.

After coming back, everything was back to normal.

Runsheng sat in front of the TV, watching TV and smoking a cigarette.

After cleaning the kitchen stove, Aunt Liu was busy coloring the paper-folding.

A'li was coaxed by Li Zhuiyuan and went back to the room with Grandma Liu to sleep.

Li Zhuiyuan was behind the house, carefully completing the horse stance.

When I returned to the second floor, I saw Li Sanjiang pouring laundry detergent into his hands.

On the stone slab next to the water tank, there was a basin of hot water and a towel hanging on it.

"Master..."

"Master, I have received good news again."

"Congratulations."

"Go, go, go, Shovel!"

"hehe."

Because of his mother's phone call that interrupted him, Li Zhuiyuan realized that the problem of his fortune had not been solved yet.

Unfortunately, there is no way to ask my grandfather directly because he himself doesn’t understand.

So, what was being bought and sold in this transaction that consumed so much good fortune?
Li Zhuiyuan walked back to his bedroom, turned on the desk lamp, and took out "Liu's Qi-Watching Technique".

He opened it and frowned.

He missed Wei Zhengdao's calligraphy.

I took out so many books from the basement, but only those written by Wei Zhengdao were the ones I felt most comfortable reading.

I endured the discomfort and read carefully page by page.

I don't know if I'm gradually getting used to the charm of this dog-crawling posture.
Or is it that the content of "Liu's Qi-Watching Secrets" is indeed profound and mysterious.

Li Zhuiyuan became more and more interested the more he watched, and gradually he couldn't stop watching.

This book talks about the feng shui of rivers, lakes and seas.

It is a very special category, because the "feng shui" in the normal sense has a relatively open pattern, water is one of them, but the more important ones are mountains and land.

After all, whether it is the living people living or the dead sleeping, it is basically on land.

This book focuses on the water system, which involves water burial, water prison, water disaster and so on, and mountains and land become supplements.

From a practical point of view, we can use an analogy:

If you really understand and delve into other Feng Shui books, you will be able to have a sense when traveling to famous mountains and rivers: there may be an ancient tomb here.

After reading this book, when you are on a boat and standing at the bow, you may feel something and point your finger: there may be someone dead here.

Li Zhuiyuan was not in a hurry to continue reading the Liu family's book, but picked up "Qin's Method of Observing Dragons" and took a look at it.

I found that the theme is consistent. It seems that the Liu and Qin families should have been big families of equal status in Jiangshang back then.

The theme is the same, but the route and method are different.

This is of great benefit to learners, as they can verify each other and deepen their understanding.

As long as you understand both books, your understanding of the Feng Shui of the martial arts world will become extremely profound.

I glanced at the time and it was time for me to go to bed.

Li Zhuiyuan put away his books, turned off the desk lamp, took a basin of water to take a bath, then returned to the bedroom, lay down on the bed, folded the quilt, lay down, and went to sleep.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Zhuiyuan sat up. He couldn't sleep.

No matter how strong the inertia of behavioral logic is, it cannot suppress the impact of this phone call from my mother on my heart.

Pushing open the door, walking to the terrace and sitting down on a rattan chair, Li Zhuiyuan stared at the dark night sky in a daze.

After an unknown amount of time, the door of the east room was opened by Liu Yumei. Looking at her granddaughter who was about to walk out, she only had time to hang a cloak on her.

Looking up, Liu Yumei saw the boy sitting on the second-floor balcony and felt mixed emotions.

It’s not enough to be together during the day, we have to play together at night too?
But looking at the boy's indifferent expression, she felt confused: Wasn't this child fine at dinner? Why is he like this now?

Do you miss your mother when you go to bed at night?
Although children's nature is natural, Liu Yumei felt that the little boy should not be so fragile.

The look on her face was an exact replica of her own A-li, who used to sit behind the doorstep.

Soon, she saw her granddaughter appear on the second floor, and the girl sat down on the rattan chair next to the boy.

After a while, the girl actually took the initiative to split her cloak in half and covered the boy with it.

Liu Yumei widened her eyes. Her own granddaughter would actually take the initiative to show concern for others?

She has been living in Li Sanjiang's house for some time, but A'li's condition has only been controlled and has not deteriorated. As for improvement, there has been no improvement at all.

Only after that boy moved in with his great grandfather did Ah Li's condition show signs of improvement, like water droplets finally forming on a piece of ice.

But no matter how it gets better, it can't compare to this day and night!
At first, he would nod and shake his head to express his feelings, but now he can also take proactive steps to show concern.

Liu Yumei raised her head, trying not to let the tears overflow from her eyes. She truly saw the hope that her granddaughter would recover, and it seemed that it wouldn't take too long.

She walked into the house, sat down in front of the altar, and pointed at them:

"Ali got sick because of your irresponsibility. If you had left a little spirit to protect her according to tradition, Ali would not have become like that."

Picking up the handkerchief and wiping away her tears, Liu Yumei said in a sobbing voice:
"If I had known that smashing your tablets would help Ah Li's condition, I would have chopped you all up and burned you for firewood."

……

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know when the girl came, but it seemed like she had been here for a long time. His back was also covered with something, and it felt warm.

"You're here?"

The girl looked at the boy, and this time she took the initiative to hold the boy's hand. Then she seemed to realize something, and while lowering her head, she pried the boy's palm apart.

There is a wound in the palm of my hand.

The girl stroked it with her fingertips.

This was a rare warmth, and Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but smile, but the smile soon froze.

Because the girl's five fingers were all pressed against his palms, and the five nails, which were neither long nor short, directly pierced into his flesh.

"hiss……"

Li Zhuiyuan stood up in so much pain that his body almost twisted.

"Ari, it hurts, it hurts..."

It is said that the fingers are connected to the heart, but the palm is still soft and sensitive. The girl's five nails are deeply embedded in the flesh and she is still exerting force.

It feels like using a rake to plow your hands.

When I was squatting beside the canal, I took the initiative to reach out and grab the burning incense in Runsheng's hand. At that time, I really didn't feel any pain, because I was not normal at that time.

But now, I am normal.

Begging for mercy seemed to have no effect at this moment. The girl who always listened to him the most seemed to ignore him at this moment.

Her eyelashes fluttered, her body trembled, and the light in her eyes disappeared, replaced by numbness.

A dangerous aura emanated from her.

In the past, whenever she was about to lose her temper, the boy only needed to hold her hand to calm her down, but now, it was the boy's hand that was exacerbating her outbursts.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled his hand away from the girl.

The girl's body gradually calmed down, her eyelashes stopped twitching, and her eyelids drooped.

She turned and walked towards the stairs.

The cloak that was originally covering the two of them fell down. Li Zhuiyuan picked it up and wanted to put it on the girl.

But as he approached again, the girl stopped and her back began to tremble.

Li Zhuiyuan had to stop and even took a few steps back.

The girl returned to normal, continued to walk forward, and her figure disappeared into the stairs.

Soon, the girl appeared on the dam. The door of the east room was not closed, so she walked in.

Li Zhuiyuan was standing on the second floor, still holding the red cloak in his hand.

In the past, the girl always liked to collect everything related to them. Now, she not only rejects contact with them, but also rejects things that have been contaminated by her.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at the five bloody cuts on his palm, which were still bleeding.

He was in pain, but not angry. Instead, he felt guilty.

The fingers of his left hand wiped away the blood, revealing the burn in the center.

He knew why the girl suddenly became angry.

Because she discovered that the person who she had originally hoped would help her climb out of the abyss was actually walking towards the abyss on her own initiative.

The greatest torture in the world is to give you hope in despair and then extinguish this hope with your own hands.

She was already used to it.

Li Zhuiyuan washed the wound, found a piece of clean cloth to bandage it, and then returned to his bedroom.

He lay down on the bed, not knowing whether he was really sleepy or he was subconsciously longing for a good sleep and dawn, when everything would be back to normal.

Anyway, he fell asleep.

He slept very lightly, and many times he was awakened by inexplicable palpitations after a short sleep, but he did not open his eyes and forced himself to continue sleeping.

Finally, after countless times, he felt a clear sense of light through his eyelids.

Its daybreak.

I turned my head and opened my eyes, but there was no one sitting on the chair at the door.

Li Zhuiyuan took the washbasin and walked out of the bedroom. When he passed by his great-grandfather's room, he saw through the screen door that his great-grandfather was not in bed.

After washing up and going downstairs, I didn’t see Runsheng at the table on the first floor.

I didn’t sleep too late today, why did everyone get up so early?

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the dam, and Aunt Liu came out from the kitchen: "Good morning, Xiaoyuan, we'll have breakfast soon."

"Aunt Liu, where is my great grandfather?"

"The village chief came before daybreak this morning and asked your grandfather to go to the town government, saying that there was something urgent. Runsheng then drove your grandfather there."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, then looked towards the east room.

Behind the threshold of the east room, a girl in a black dress was sitting there with her feet on the threshold, her eyes looking straight ahead, without any emotion at all.

"Xiaoyuan, Xiaoyuan, come here quickly."

In the morning, when her granddaughter didn't get up early as usual, she realized something was wrong.

After getting up and dressing, she actually picked up a stool and sat behind the doorstep.

In an instant, Liu Yumei felt like the sky was falling!
Now, the only thing she can count on is a boy.

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the east room. As soon as he got closer, the girl's body began to tremble. Her hands clenched unconsciously and a red glow appeared in the depths of her eyes.

Liu Yumei immediately reached out to stop Li Zhuiyuan from approaching, and squatted beside her granddaughter, whispering soothing words.

The granddaughter's reaction was more intense than when a stranger approached her before.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped back for a distance. After seeing the girl calm down after being comforted by Grandma Liu, he bit his lip and took a deep breath.

Yes, it’s the same as what I thought before going to bed.

After a sleep,
All recovered.

……

"What? Say it again, I didn't hear you clearly!"

Li Sanjiang was sitting in the Civil Affairs Bureau office, banging his head on the table. He actually heard it clearly, but he couldn't believe it.

The director of the Civil Affairs Bureau and several staff members could only patiently explain it to him again, even though this was the fourth time.

They also received a notice from their superiors that there was something that needed special handling and urgent approval, so they came to the unit early and waited.

In fact, they were also very confused after seeing the faxed documents.

Is this kind of operation still possible these days?
"Uncle, your name is Li Sanjiang, right?"

"I brought my ID card and household registration book with me, don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes, actually, the matter is very clear. Now, it depends on whether you are willing to sign. If you are not willing, we will send these documents back."

Li Sanjiang picked up the pen in confusion.
asked:

"If I sign this, will Xiaoyuanhou be registered as one of my citizens?"

(End of this chapter)