Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 72

In the eyes of many people, homesickness is a jar of old wine stored in a cellar. It seems that one is not worthy of expressing homesickness if he does not raise the wine glass.

But sometimes, it is more like a can of Jianlibao.

Open the bottle cap with a "pop" sound, and the emotions are released along with the gas, and tears and soda overflow together; take a sip, and the bubbles dance on the tip of your tongue.

Just like boarding students rush home during school holidays, children who are sent to other homes have fun during the day, but cry and shout to go home at night.

Tan Wenbin is the most human among the children who left home.

Therefore, his reaction was the most excited.

It seemed that only after he stepped onto the dam of his home, gave Li Sanjiang a strong hug, and heard Uncle Li call him "Zhuangzhuang", could he confirm from the bottom of his heart:

Phew, I'm finally back, and all the thrilling and terrifying things I encountered along the way have finally come to an end.

This kind of feeling can't be given by your own parents.

Li Sanjiang likes Zhuangzhuang, but of course, his favorite is definitely his great-grandson.

"Little Yuan Hou!"

The familiar dialect accent seems to be the best catalyst.

There was also a special look in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

Li Sanjiang bent down and tried to pick up the boy. He failed the first time, but he succeeded the second time after taking a breath in advance.

It's not that it's too heavy to hold, but it's not as light as before.

Liu Yumei was sitting in a chair drinking tea. As the weather turned cooler, she had put on a small jacket. She no longer looked as majestic as she did in the mountain city. Now she looked like a delicate old lady from the countryside.

Aunt Liu smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet, wait, I'll make noodles for you."

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

Li Sanjiang held a cigarette in his left hand, supported his waist with his right hand, walked towards Liu Yumei, and said with emotion:
"My child is growing fast. It may not be long before I can no longer hold him."

Liu Yumei picked up the teacup and took a sip, thinking that the old man was just talking nonsense.

You can carry a heavy dead boat, but you can’t carry a living person?
The old man was simply excited to see his great-grandson come back, and he wanted to find a topic to start a matchmaking process.

Seeing that Liu Yumei didn't respond, Li Sanjiang continued to talk to himself:

"I've grown old, really, in the blink of an eye. Tsk, people, how can you be true or false."

Liu Yumei: "Why don't you hurry up and prepare the funeral supplies?"

Li Sanjiang shook off the cigarette ash awkwardly: "Yeah, yes, it seems that it is time to consider it."

"You can't just think about it, you have to hurry up. Burials are getting stricter and stricter now. If you leave too late, there will be no loopholes to exploit, and you will have to be taken to the crematorium for cremation."

Li Sanjiang smiled awkwardly, waved his hand and said, "That's right, that's right."

"Uncle Li, let me introduce you. This is Yin Meng, from Sichuan and Chongqing."

Li Sanjiang listened to Tan Wenbin's introduction and frowned more and more. What? I'm going to live at home from now on?

However, after hearing Yin Meng say that she only needed a place to eat and live without any wages, Li Sanjiang felt relieved. He not only agreed to let her stay, but also said that he would pay her the same salary as Runsheng and Aunt Liu.

His business already requires manpower, and he still needs normal laborers, but he is afraid of having a giant Buddha in his house.

Liu Yumei saw the shovel head sticking out of Yin Meng's luggage and waved to her: "Girl, come over and talk."

Yin Meng walked over with a smile.

"Would you like some tea?"

"it is good."

Yin Meng grabbed a handful of tea leaves and put them in, then took the thermos and added hot water.

Liu Yumei felt a little regretful. If she had known earlier, she would have asked Xiaoyuan to make tea for her before letting him go upstairs.

"Where are you from?"

"From Fuling."

"Where is Fuling?"

"Fengdu."

Fengdu, surnamed Yin.

Liu Yumei continued calmly, "Dockside?"

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

"Ghost Street?"

"Grandma, have you been to our place?"

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

In the past, ordinary corpse-salvagers working at the docks were not qualified to meet her, but she did know the Yin family of Fengdu.

Because the ancestors of the Yin family were very famous, but that was only their ancestors, and they had actually declined long ago.

"Why did you come here?"

"Grandpa passed away, and I have no relatives or friends there, so I followed Brother Xiaoyuan... followed Xiaoyuan to come here."

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

"Well, okay, I'm pretty good at it, I can do the work."

"Don't tell me this, I'm not the master."

"So you came here like me?"

"That's it."

"The noodles are ready, come and eat." Aunt Liu shouted from the kitchen door.

Liu Yumei raised her chin and said, "Let's go eat some noodles."

"Hey, good."

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

Aunt Liu came over, sat down beside her, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with you?"

"The scene made me sad."

"Because of the girl from the Yin family?"

"Yes and no. I'm wondering what exactly counts as family inheritance. Is it the surname, or some real unique skills, or perhaps some kind of belief?"

"Why are you thinking about this?"

"After returning from the mountain city, these things have been spinning in my mind."

Aunt Liu covered her mouth and chuckled. She knew that the old lady was trying to save face.

"A Ting, what are you laughing at?"

"I'm just laughing at your twisted mind."

"No rules, slap in the face."

"Okay, okay, I'll hit you, I'll hit you." Aunt Liu pretended to hit herself lightly on the face a few times.

Liu Yumei was also amused and waved her hand to drive him away:
"Go away, don't show yourself in front of me, and go do your thing."

"Hey."

Aunt Liu stood up and passed by the three young people who were eating noodles. She said enthusiastically, "Eat slowly. There's more in the pot. I'll fry a few more eggs for you."

After entering the kitchen and lifting the lid of the pot, Aunt Liu added oil to the pot while humming softly.

Old lady, let’s see how long you can keep being stubborn.

When I think about the day in the future, the noble mistress will have to humble herself and discuss which child should take whose surname.

Liu Ting couldn't suppress the smile on her face, she was quite looking forward to it.

It’s cooler now, and the screen door has been removed.

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

Because he didn't see anyone at the door downstairs, he knew the girl was in her room.

There were several completed paintings on the drawing table. The drawing paper was surrounded by door frames and the bottom was a threshold. The paintings in the center were all terrifying creatures that made one's scalp tingle.

Li Zhuiyuan admired the paintings one by one. The creepy paintings made him happier and happier.

This means that Ahri began to face the horrors that she had been avoiding in the past.

Her condition has taken another big step towards recovery.

"Well, why is there another one here?"

Li Zhuiyuan uncovered the painting above, revealing the true appearance of the painting.

The perspective of the painting is from bottom to top. On the second-floor terrace, there is a boy sitting, holding an ancient book and reading it with great interest.

Ari, actually drew herself.

“Why not paint yourself on it?”

A'li moved this painting away as well. The painting below, with a flat angle, was a side profile of a boy sitting on a rattan chair and reading a book.

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

The last painting shows Ding Laoer kneeling in front of the Ding family's mourning hall in Shancheng, with the boy performing the ceremony of ascending the throne to Ding Laoer.

In the girl's eyes, it's all about herself.

Ordinary balconies will not move, but I am a living person, so the girl's gaze will follow me.

When he raised his right palm again, the previous burn was no longer visible due to Aunt Liu's ointment, but the lesson from last time was still there.

The girl's condition is getting better and better, but if something goes wrong with me again one day, it will inevitably collapse with her.

However, the boy did not feel that this was a burden of responsibility, but more like a counterweight when walking in the wind.

Holding the girl's hand, he sat back on the rattan chair on the second-floor terrace. The two of them naturally played three games of Go across the air. At the same time, Li Zhuiyuan began to tell her about his interesting experiences after leaving the mountain city.

As he spoke, the focus was on Yin Changsheng. The boy said confidently that when he grew up, he would definitely go to Fengdu again and try to meet the Emperor of Fengdu, no matter if he was an immortal or a corpse.

The girl supported her chin with her hands, with a smile in her eyes. The boy's expectations were actually her expectations. If he thought the future was interesting, then she would also have aspirations for the future.

"Who is that girl? Oh my god, she's so pretty."

Although there are many examples of people who were good-looking when they were young but became ugly when they grew up, Yin Meng felt that the little girl upstairs would definitely not be like that. Her current appearance was too error-proof. Moreover, although appearance could change, temperament was difficult to change.

Runsheng: "Ali, her last name is Qin. But don't get close to her, she doesn't like strangers."

Yin Meng: "Seriously?"

Runsheng: “Seriously.”

After the two finished their meal, they sat on the dam and started to weave the frame of paper figures. Yin Meng used to be able to make small coffins, so this kind of work was even easier for him.

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

"Uncle Li, why don't you consider opening a coffin shop? I will do it."

Li Sanjiang threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it with his shoe sole:
"No, this business is like a rabbit with a long tail in our area."

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

Yin Meng said proudly: "Okay, I'll make one for you as a backup."

Li Sanjiang clapped his hands: "Not bad, it's OK."

Aunt Liu happened to walk by at this time, and Li Sanjiang stopped her and asked, "Do you want to make one for your mother-in-law?"

"What do you want to order, a coffin?"

"Yes, it's cheaper and more cost-effective to buy the ingredients yourself and make it yourself."

"No, we don't bury people in our family."

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

Aunt Liu continued, "We are following the trend of the times and are planning to cremate the body."

Yin Meng lowered her head and continued to work.

"Okay then, let me think about who else I can make it for. Can I make one for Shan Pao?"

Runsheng looked at Li Sanjiang happily.

"No, I can't even afford the rural food, how can I have the money to order a coffin?"

"Uncle, please deduct it from my salary."

"Hey, I'm teasing you, kid. Even if he has no money, we can still afford to give him a coffin. He is also an orphan without a father or a mother, and there is no ancestral tomb. He will be buried with me, next to me. I will talk to him when I have nothing to say.

Runsheng Hou, what do you think? "

Runsheng was silent. When his grandfather was at home, he often cursed Li Sanjiang behind his back.

He said that every time he followed Li Sanjiang to work over the years, he was the one who suffered the hardships, while Li Sanjiang was the one who stole the limelight.

Grandpa said that the worst thing he had done in his life was to meet Li Sanjiang, and he would definitely stay away from this old man in his next life.

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

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

Even in the face of Li Sanjiang's urging, Runsheng did not dare to reply with a perfunctory "OK", because although Uncle Li was much older than his grandfather, he always felt that his grandfather would most likely die before Uncle Li.

If I agree to this now, there will be no way to change it once my grandfather passes away.

At this time, Tan Wenbin came out of the toilet at the back of the house, and said while tying his belt:
"Uncle Li, what's so good about your ancestral tomb? In my opinion, you should choose a new Feng Shui location, so that your descendants can also prosper!

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

"That's right, we can't let the mountain artillery take advantage of this."

Li Sanjiang stood up and waved, "Come on, Zhuangzhuang, accompany me to take a walk in the village, and pick out the best graves."

"Yes, this is a big deal. I have to give you some advice."

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

"Then we have to go. We have to ask her to make one first. Grandma Liu has money."

The father and son walked down the dam side by side, talking and laughing.

Yin Meng nudged Runsheng with her arm and asked, "Isn't it Binbin? Why is it Zhuangzhuang again?"

Runsheng: "I'm a godparent."

"Should I recognize one too?"

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

"Uncle Li likes hardworking and down-to-earth children?"

Runsheng hesitated for a moment, thinking of how Li Sanjiang usually addressed him, and said:

"Uncle likes mules."

……

The days just passed one by one.

Li Zhuiyuan had only suspected it before, but now he can be said to have confirmed that the person buried under the peach forest of Big Beard's family has changed the feng shui of the village and even the town.

At first, death was like leeks, cropping up one after another, making it hard to keep up;

Now I am fine. I haven’t heard any news about death for several months. I miss him so much.

It is estimated that this situation will continue for many years. Only when that person is completely worn out and disappears, the surrounding area will be able to regain the vitality and flourishing scene.

However, although he temporarily lost his life, Li Zhuiyuan's life was very fulfilling.

He no longer went to school, but his days went on as if he had a schedule.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to appreciate Ari's clothing style today.

Then I played a few rounds of chess with A-li and went to have breakfast.

Li Zhuiyuan spends most of his time during the day reading.

One third of Qi's ancestor's book has now been cracked. He deliberately slowed down the pace and only used his spare energy to crack it every day.

He read the entire Yin family tree, which was really fascinating.

It contains not only the Yin family's various studies and verifications on Yin Changsheng, but also many people's own travel notes. Although it is just one surname, it has been passed down from generation to generation since the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it is equivalent to the examples and experiences of many corpse lifters.

This ordinary and orthodox perspective of a corpse lifter is of great help to Li Zhuiyuan today. Although Wei Zhengdao's book is accurate and lofty, it is somewhat not down-to-earth enough.

The bamboo slips have been restored, but Xue Liangliang said he would deliver them personally, so they cannot be in his hands for the time being.

In his spare time from reading, Li Zhuiyuan would play chess, enjoy the breeze, and play some private games with A-Li.

Nowadays, Li Zhuiyuan can calmly stand in the "Ari threshold perspective" and watch the "scenery". He does not deliberately delay time and wakes up in time. He does not have any severe side effects, at most he feels a little dizzy.

Old man Yin Fuhai once said that he was "strong". I think after this period of special training, I should be able to become even stronger.

Moreover, Ahri's special training is actually just the beginning, because she is still standing at the threshold. If she wants to go further, she just needs to step over that threshold.

But this is too dangerous. Li Zhuiyuan doesn't dare to do it. He hasn't grown up yet and doesn't want to die young.

Yin Meng integrated into local life almost seamlessly. She was an expert at making paper figures and coffins. She would usually accompany Runsheng to deliver tables, chairs, bowls and dishes to funerals.

She has a good relationship with Runsheng.

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

But he still didn't go to evening self-study, otherwise, even though he lived here, he would hardly be seen at home.

In the evening, he would practice horse stance and kung fu with Yin Meng.

Although family knowledge cannot be passed on to outsiders, she is the only one left in the Yin family. Doesn't she have the final say on whether the knowledge should be passed on or not?

Runsheng would sometimes practice with them, and everyone basically started to follow the path of the Yin family's corpse lifters. At least, they had an orthodox path.

This is also due to historical reasons. The earliest Yin family's path must have been very high-end and difficult, but who could blame the Yin family for declining early and having a long history? Generation after generation of Yin family members figured out how to reduce configuration and lower the difficulty, and at least the basic skills were passed down.

The Qin family's kung fu is maintained at a high level and cannot be practiced blindly without the guidance of a dedicated person. Now, only Li Zhuiyuan continues to practice breathing exercises.

There was no way. Once Uncle Qin left, he never showed up again. It was as if he had cut off all ties with him completely without leaving any connection.

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

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

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

Facts have once again proved that excellent teaching materials combined with excellent qualifications will definitely not produce bad results.

Yin Meng's skills have become extremely flexible now, and he can control his moves freely and at will.

Runsheng was even more terrifying. Every punch and kick now made a whistling sound. In the past, he could only deal with the enemies instinctively, and would pounce on them and bite them like a wild beast. Now, he could do it more calmly, like a wild beast learning to wear a suit and tie, which made him more oppressive.

Tan Wenbin, who was practicing with them, was drooling with envy at their progress. His companions were improving at a speed visible to the naked eye, but he himself only achieved the effect of exercising his body.

The three of them would practice their moves every night. They would let Tan Wenbin choose one first, and then the chosen one would quickly knock Tan Wenbin down, and then the two would practice against each other.

The only thing that made Tan Wenbin regain some confidence was that he made the fastest progress when Xiaoyuan was teaching the three of them the Yin move.

Although Xiaoyuan was forbidden to complete the last step of the successful Yin Walking, he had figured out the previous steps. On the contrary, Runsheng and Yinmeng were very slow to learn the Yin Walking. But even so, Tan Wenbin also found something wrong, that is, when he was sleeping at night or taking a nap in the classroom, he was prone to sleep paralysis.

After I told Xiaoyuan, Xiaoyuan said that this was a side effect and that I had to stop practicing Yin Walking for a few days after being sleep paralyzed.

Li Zhuiyuan really had no way to solve this side effect, or rather, it was impossible to solve it because it was part of the Yin-Walking Sect.

But during the teaching process, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that people with more active and sensitive thinking seem to be more likely to learn to walk in the Yin position.

Every once in a while, Tan Wenbin would come to Li Zhuiyuan to get his customized exercise book, and then send another copy to the school.

The sales of "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" are very good in Nantong now, and it has also been sold outside the city.

There is a considerable share of the profits every month.

Tan Wenbin has already helped Li Zhuiyuan draw up a new plan.

Starting from the next semester, we will no longer prepare exercise books based on the knowledge points of each subject, but instead prepare entire test papers.

Because the second semester of senior year is the key sprint point, students and teachers have completed the review of previous knowledge points, and the demand for the entire paper is extremely high.

The entire paper can be divided into different levels of difficulty, including basic paper, simulation paper and advanced paper.

The basic papers boost confidence, the mock papers are of normal college entrance examination difficulty, and the advanced papers are designed to torture people.

Originally, Tan Wenbin wanted to suggest to Li Zhuiyuan that he should pad the entire test paper with water. For example, on a test paper, it would be best to have only a few high-quality questions, and the rest of the questions could be handled casually. Then the teacher could choose a few questions on the test paper for the students to do.

This not only reduces the burden of setting questions, but also increases sales.

But after thinking about it, Tan Wenbin gave up this idea. Now is still the time to build popularity and he cannot tarnish the brand. It's not just about making money from this year's share.

After the brand is established, the worst that can happen is that the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" brand will be sold in the future, and that would be the big profit.

Tan Wenbin is busy studying and practicing martial arts every day, and his appetite continues to increase. However, he did not gain weight, but instead lost a little weight.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, the final exam is coming up, do you want to take it?"

"Yes, you need to take the test."

"Then I'll go with you tomorrow morning?"

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

"But we have Chinese and math exams in the morning."

"I can just take the exam together when I get there."

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

At noon, just after Li Zhuiyuan had finished lunch, he saw Principal Wu driving the school car and parked it at the other end of the farmland.

After getting in the car, Principal Wu pointed to the other side of the car seat with a smile: "Xiaoyuan, there are snacks and drinks inside."

"I've had my meal, Grandpa Principal."

"Then wait a moment, I'll take it home for you first."

Principal Wu got out of the car, took a large bag of snacks to Li Sanjiang's house, and then started the car again after returning.

After arriving at the school, I walked into the principal's office, and the group leaders of each subject were waiting inside.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down and started working on the final exam paper.

Although two exams had already been held in the morning, no one suspected that the boy would cheat by leaking the questions.

While writing a Chinese composition, Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the tape recorder on the principal's desk.

"Let's put on the English listening test."

"Ah, now?"

Principal Wu immediately urged: "Let go if I tell you to. Are you the teacher or is he the teacher?"

"okay."

Principal Wu made a grammatical error, but no one present laughed at it.

The tape is inserted and the listening begins:
"Excuse me... the shirt costs £9 15p.

So you choose option [B] and mark it on your test paper…”

After Li Zhuiyuan finished writing the composition, he started writing the physics test paper. After finishing the physics test, the English listening test had been over for a long time, so Li Zhuiyuan picked up the English paper.

"I'll put it in again..."

Li Zhuiyuan finished writing the listening questions quickly.

The teacher shut up tactfully.

In fact, after learning the Yin family's twelve methods, Li Zhuiyuan also found that his ability to multitask was further enhanced.

After completing the test papers, many subjects had already been given full marks on the spot.

Principal Wu's old face was smiling like a flower, and he came over to help the boy massage his sore wrist.

"Xiaoyuan, the National Olympiad is about to begin. Is there anything inconvenient for you here?"

"I can go."

"That's fine, that's fine."

At this time, the head of the mathematics group, Teacher Yan, also smiled and said, "Then let's go early, so that Xiaoyuan can have a good time in Beijing."

Wu Xinhan glared at Teacher Yan and cursed, "Are you confused? Xiaoyuan grew up in Beijing."

"Oh, right." Teacher Yan patted his forehead where his hairline had receded, "I forgot."

"Principal, are we going there by train?"

"It's so tiring to take the train. Let's go by plane."

Wu Xinhan and a group of teachers accompanied Li Zhuiyuan out of the office and sent him to the school gate.

At this time, an exam had just ended and the senior high school students walked out of the exam room while stretching.

Class monitor Zhou Yunyun, who was not in the same examination room on the same floor, happened to meet Tan Wenbin outside the examination room.

"How did you do in the exam?" Zhou Yunyun handed over a White Rabbit milk candy.

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

Zhou Yunyun didn't feel disgusted and naturally reached out to take it.

But Tan Wenbin put the remaining half of the chocolate into his own mouth.

"Oh, I'm really hungry."

Zhou Yunyun naturally moved her outstretched hand half a circle and started to tidy up her hair.

When Tan Wenbin saw the boy surrounded by teachers and leaders at the school gate, he did not wave his arms or shout, but smiled and walked back to the classroom.

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

Before, he entered the examination room to take the exam carrying a coffin.

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

"Let's have a look at the answer?"

Tan Wenbin shook his head: "No need to be right."

"Are you worried that it will affect your performance in the next exam?"

"No, I think I did OK."

"Can you change your pencil case?"

"No." Tan Wenbin turned his head and looked at Zhou Yunyun, "If you don't like it, why did you ask me for one? I don't see you using it even if I asked for it."

Zhou Yunyun was speechless for a while. She had asked for one and Tan Wenbin gave it to her, but she just put it deep in the drawer and didn't use it.

Firstly, this thing is a bit disgusting to look at, and secondly, the two of them haven't established a relationship yet, so what's the point of using a coffin pencil case together?

If the relationship is really confirmed, she, she, she... will use it.

Mainly, she found that she liked this older boy more and more. In the past, she just admired his flamboyant and unruly character as a good student.

Later, he studied better and better, and somehow, his whole temperament changed. Although he still looked lazy and unruly, his brows became more and more charming and attractive.

In the past, both parties had feelings for each other, but they tacitly kept their distance and did not point it out. Now, Zhou Yunyun is more proactive. She even hinted several times that they could establish a relationship, but the man did not respond at all.

Even Zhou Yunyun herself couldn't figure out what was happening to her.

But in fact, this is very normal. Not to mention that they are all high school students, even college students have the clarity of being in an ivory tower in their eyes.

Tan Wenbin has experienced life-and-death crises several times. Although his appearance and age have not changed much, his mentality has already formed a dimensionality reduction attack on the students around him.

But the more this happened, the less likely he would accept Zhou Yunyun's suggestion that he should focus on his studies since he was still young and not let anything delay him.

The most important thing is that he is now as busy as if he is on a Hot Wheels every day, and he has no time to fall in love at all.

It's more interesting to fall in love early than to die.

Although he hasn't seen any dead ones in a long time, he is not in a hurry. His current preparations are all for seeing bigger ones in the future.

Principal Wu drove Li Zhuiyuan back home. When they arrived at the dam, Li Zhuiyuan heard someone calling him from the second floor. He looked up and saw it was Xue Liangliang.

"Xiaoyuan!"

"Brother Liangliang."

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

Li Zhuiyuan thought that if he hadn't been going down the river, he might have sprayed perfume and styled his hair.

"Xiaoyuan, I have already placed the restored bamboo slips on your desk. It was indeed delayed for quite a while, but there is no other way. I am not confident in asking someone else to deliver such an important item, so I have to deliver it myself."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe it.

He felt that the reason why Brother Liangliang insisted on delivering the bamboo slips personally was that he wanted to have an excuse to come to Nantong again.

Then, based on the principle that we are already here, we can make up an excuse that we have no other choice and go to the bottom of the river again.

"Brother Liangliang, are you sleeping here tonight?"

"Won't sleep anymore."

"So you're going to other cities overnight?"

"Well... not really."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at him.

Xue Liangliang sighed and said helplessly: "Alas, I have no choice but to come here now."

"Ah."

I don't know who it was, but he was trying hard at the negotiation table to extend the frequency of going down the river. When will the next time be?

Now, I come to Nantong whenever I have time and dive into the river.

"Oh, by the way, Xiaoyuan, I remember you told me last time on the phone that there is a big secret buried in Fengdu Ghost City. Will you go there again in the future?"

"Well, I'll have to wait until I grow up. Brother Liangliang, do you want to come with us?"

"Think about it, and you have to call me when the time comes. But you have to grow up quickly, and it's best not to delay too much after you grow up, otherwise..."

"What will happen otherwise?"

Xue Liangliang shrugged: "Otherwise, the ghost town might be flooded."

"Is that so? I understand."

"remember……"

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

"Haha, then I'll leave."

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

The text-carrying capacity of bamboo slips is limited, so there are not many words on them, and what is recorded is not deeds or methods, but places.

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

There is no way. The bamboo slips were written in the Spring and Autumn Period, and even the objects they were copied from may have been written even earlier. Therefore, the landmark vocabulary does not match the current one at all. There is still a lot of debate in the historical community about the specific locations of some place names. Even so, the impact of geological changes has not been considered.

Among the three confirmed locations, one is the mysterious underwater world that the masked man and Zheng Haiyang’s parents had visited.

One is the ghost town of Fengdu.

The last place should be in the present-day plateau area, near Nyingchi.

Li Zhuiyuan wrote down the contents on the bamboo slips. Since he was going to Beijing soon, he could ask the grandparents in the family compound to help him analyze and confirm the location.

In addition to the bamboo slips, Xue Liangliang also brought a large pile of professional books, as well as various design plans and drawings that could be packed in sacks.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but feel touched. It was not easy for Brother Liangliang to prepare these things for him even though he couldn't wait.

Since he would be flying to Beijing to take an exam and would not take long, Li Sanjiang was not worried. If he had not known that Xiao Yuanhou was coming back from Beijing, he would have really wanted to suggest that the school allow a longer interval between round-trip tickets to facilitate public-funded travel.

Accompanied by Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan, Li Zhuiyuan came to Beijing and stayed in the hotel selected by the competition team.

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan got up early, although the exam actually started in the afternoon.

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

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and took out the breakfast coupon: "It's time to have breakfast."

In the restaurant, there are many pairs of teachers leading students, as well as some members of the competition group.

The hotel thoughtfully prepared authentic Beijing-style soy milk, and many visitors from other places went to get some to drink.

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

Even so, Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan still did not jump to conclusions about the taste of the soy milk, and still suspected that they were drinking it incorrectly.

They both took another sip and this time forced themselves to swallow it. However, the aftertaste made them squint their eyes and wrinkle their faces.

Wu Xinhan couldn't help but ask, "Xiaoyuan, is this soy milk really authentic?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Authentic."

"Really? Xiaoyuan, do you want to try it?"

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

"No, what's so good about this?" Teacher Yan couldn't understand. "I would rather change my career and teach Chinese than drink this every morning."

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

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

Li Zhuiyuan: “Sell it to tourists.”

Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were speechless for a moment.

At this time, an old man passed by, surrounded by three people, all of whom were wearing badges of the competition group.

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

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

"You're back in Beijing, no, what are you doing here?"

“I’m here to compete.”

"what match?"

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

Professor Zhu understood, and he held his breath in his neck for a long time before he finally uttered: "Nonsense!"

Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan also stood up and began to ask each other about their identities, while handing out their business cards to introduce themselves.

Professor Zhu dealt with it briefly, then sat down on a chair next to him and asked Li Zhuiyuan, "What on earth have you been doing in the past six months?"

"go to school."

"Studying in high school?"

"Ah."

Learn to fish for the dead.

Professor Zhu closed his eyes and suppressed his anger.

Because the old professor was sitting here, he attracted a lot of attention, and when other people passed by later, they would deliberately walk here.

More and more important people gathered, and Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were quietly squeezed to the next table.

Sitting here now, there are three professors who have taught me, and several seniors.

When a senior student learned that Li Zhuiyuan was here to take an exam, he laughed and scolded him: "What's the point of taking an exam? Let's just give you a prize."

The seniors were not here to take the exam, but to participate in the competition group.

Professor Zhu finally calmed down and suggested, "Why don't you just give up the exam and let the competition committee give you an honorary award."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Principal Wu and Teacher Yan who were sitting at the next table, and they both nodded.

"No, I want to take the test."

Professor Zhu was about to lose his temper, but two professors beside him held him down and said to Li Zhuiyuan, "Only this time, only this time!"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Okay."

Next, the professors began to persuade the boy to come back to continue his studies. After learning that the boy had been admitted to Haihe University, everyone looked confused and surprised.

In the end, it was Li Zhuiyuan who modified Liangliang's version of "My future lies in the southwest of the motherland" and told it to them, which made it impossible for them to continue to persuade him.

The afternoon exam went smoothly. After the exam, Li Zhuiyuan asked Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan to take him to the staff quarters in a taxi.

As soon as I entered the family compound, the first thing I heard was the joyful voices of the elderly:

"Hey, Xiaoyuan, where have you been for the past six months?"

"Isn't this Xiaoyuan? Ha, I haven't seen you for a long time. You've grown taller."

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan ate at many houses in the family compound and had a very good relationship with the elderly people. Many of them treated the boy as their own grandchild.

But soon, another piece of news came out from the mouths of the elders:

"Xiaoyuan, did you come back with your mother?"

"That's not certain, I saw his mother came back this morning."

Li Lan, are you back?

Li Zhuiyuan gave the excerpted contents of the bamboo slips to a retired history professor named Zhang, and left his current contact information. There are also ancient Chinese and geography professors in the staff quarters, and Li Zhuiyuan believes that Grandpa Zhang will call his friends himself.

Having accomplished the purpose of coming to the family compound today, Li Zhuiyuan asked Wu Xinhan to take him away. He didn't want to see Li Lan, and he believed that Li Lan didn't want to see him either.

But the boy was wrong.

As soon as I walked out of Grandpa Zhang's house, I saw Li Lan standing there in a brown windbreaker.

Next to them, there stood many elderly people from the family compound with kind smiles on their faces.

Li Lan gently lifted her hair, with a warm smile on her face, and while bending down to the boy, she opened her arms:

"Son, come to me soon. I miss you."

(End of this chapter)