Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 83

Get out of bed, walk to the balcony and look down.

Aunt Liu was standing under the sycamore tree, wearing a floral shirt, blue trousers, wooden sandals, and her hair draped over her shoulders.

It was much brighter than when she was at my great-grandfather's house, and looked like a female university teacher who had just been married for a few years.

Li Zhuiyuan waved to her.

Aunt Liu smiled and pointed in front of her, signaling the boy to tidy up before coming down.

Li Zhuiyuan went to wash up first, then left a note for Tan Wenbin on the desk before walking out of the dormitory building.

"Xiaoyuan, you seem to have grown taller again."

"Aunt Liu, you look younger too."

"Haha, let's go. Your grandma Liu is waiting for you to come over and have breakfast together."

Li Zhuiyuan followed Aunt Liu out of the north gate, walked along the road for a while, and then turned into a villa area.

Although it is called a villa area, the area is not very large and the villas and houses inside are not built to uniform standards. Some houses even have signs hanging in front of their doors recording the identity of the previous owners.

"This is it."

Aunt Liu pushed open the gate and saw a three-story Western-style house inside. It was not tall, but very spacious. The courtyard had obviously just been renovated and the scenery had been rearranged.

After entering the yard, I looked up and saw A'li in a white dress sitting on the balcony on the second floor.

The moment he saw the girl, Li Zhuiyuan felt himself relax.

He even began to reflect on whether he was too indifferent to Runsheng and Yin Meng, and to the people and things around him.

Beautiful things can make people love life uncontrollably. There are countless beautiful things in this world, but there are really not many that can make young people empathize.

The girl also noticed the boy. She stood up and put her hands on the white railing. She didn't wave, stamp her feet, or even say a word, but the movement of her mouth could be seen clearly even from downstairs.

Aunt Liu stood by, looking up and then looking in front. These two children were very pleasing to the eye when they were together.

Of course, while some people enjoy watching it, others may feel uncomfortable.

The screen door of the side room on the ground floor was pushed open, and Liu Yumei stood there with her eyelids drooping slightly:
"Hey, are you going to starve an old lady like me to death?"

Aunt Liu quickly looked away, fearing that she would laugh out loud.

"Grandma Liu."

"Hey, here we come."

Liu Yumei's low-key aura visibly subsided when the young man walked towards her.

When we live together, the feeling is not obvious, but when we really separate, I miss you all the time.

After a year of being together and seeing each other almost every day, she can barely say that she watched the boy grow up.

There was a small round table in the restaurant. Liu Yumei sat at the main seat. A'li walked downstairs and sat with Li Zhuiyuan.

Liu Yumei asked, "Are you still adapting to school?"

Li Zhuiyuan: “Those who have adapted are all doing well.”

"You look haggard. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"

"Well, sort of."

"Why are you not sleeping so late at night? Are you sneaking out to set a fire?"

"Yes, it was a big fire."

Aunt Liu brought the side dishes first.

Li Zhuiyuan took a salted duck egg and A'li also took one. They both knocked the hollow end of the egg against the table, then carefully peeled the end and naturally exchanged them.

Aunt Liu in the kitchen called out, "Do you want vinegar? And pickled garlic."

Liu Yumei: "No, it's already on the table."

A basket of soup dumplings, a basket of steamed dumplings, and a plate of dumplings were placed on the table. These were all made by Aunt Liu herself.

Next, each person had a bowl of plain noodles.

The soup is clear and attractive, and the noodles in the bowl are very neat. People who don’t like it will find it bland or even undercooked.

But people who love to eat it just love its freshness and chewiness, and putting any toppings on it would be unsightly.

"Aunt Liu, thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard. Without Runsheng and Zhuangzhuang, cooking is simple."

Liu Yumei asked, "What do you usually eat?"

"School hasn't started yet, and the cafeteria is basically closed. We usually eat outside the school."

"Come over here when you feel hungry and let Aunt Liu cook for you. It's just a matter of adding an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks."

"Okay, thank you grandma."

"If Runsheng and the others are coming, they have to let me know in advance so I can add a big pot." Aunt Liu reminded.

"Yes, I will."

After breakfast, Liu Yumei stood up and walked to the door: "You and A'li can play first, I'm going to take a walk first, come down later, I have something to talk to you."

"Okay, grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan and A'li went upstairs.

A'li's room is spacious, with a desk and a drawing table.

There are several paintings hanging on the wall, depicting the main house, dam, east and west houses of my great-grandfather's house, as well as the rice field village scenery viewed from the house.

Obviously, the girl didn't like it here, she preferred her original life.

The building doesn’t need to be that tall, and the room doesn’t need to be that big. After getting up early and dressing up, you can go to the boy’s room and wait for him to see you the first time he wakes up.

The details in the painting include a small table made of wooden stools for eating, a terrace on the second floor, and a pair of rattan chairs made by Uncle Qin himself.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped in front of the painting. At this moment, he was also missing someone.

"Ari, do you want to go back?"

The girl nodded.

At the door, Aunt Liu, who came in with a fruit plate, stopped.

Since moving, A'li has been in a bad mood. Originally, Liu Yumei wanted to wait for a while before calling Xiaoyuan home, but she was still afraid that her granddaughter's condition would get worse.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the paintings on the wall and said, "Because we came out, these pictures and memories of the past are more beautiful."

A'li took the boy's hand and when she looked up at her own paintings on the wall, there was a lot more spirit in her eyes.

Aunt Liu smiled silently, knocked on the door gently, brought in the fruit plate, and pointed upwards: "You can go to the top floor."

Li Zhuiyuan brought a fruit plate with A'li to the rooftop, which had also been renovated. Under a parasol, there were two identical rattan chairs.

The two of them lay down and started playing chess, still starting three games at the same time.

While playing chess, Li Zhuiyuan talked about what he experienced after coming to school.

Every time when a key point was mentioned, Ali's fingers would exert a little force. She was trying to respond and prove that she was listening carefully.

After finishing speaking, Li Zhuiyuan felt a little dry in the mouth, so he turned sideways and started to eat some fruit.

He picked up a piece and handed it to the girl, who shook her head and blinked.

Li Zhuiyuan understood, put down his fork, lay down again and closed his eyes.

What ordinary people call "getting into each other's hearts" is an exaggerated description only in words, but for the two of them, it is the most straightforward realism.

When he opened his eyes, Li Zhuiyuan felt the scorching wind and the cool sunlight.

Looking up, the sun in the sky and the halo around it exuded a pale color.

In the fields and by the streams in front of us, there are terrifying creatures working and playing.

But while they were doing their own things, they all deliberately glanced over here with a hint of teasing and amusement.

It seems that everything here is absurd and weird, tailor-made for him.

Looking back, I saw the house and the threshold behind me.

Ali, who left home, also walked out of that threshold and placed herself in an environment of "horrible wilderness".

When he opened his eyes again and returned to reality, his face was covered with cold sweat.

He deliberately held on a little longer, wanting to experience the feeling of Ari closing her eyes.

The girl used her sleeve to wipe the boy's sweat with a smile in her eyes.

"Our Ahri is really strong."

The sense of happiness can be enhanced through comparison, and the sense of pain can be weakened as a result. Their companionship is a way for them to draw confidence and strength from each other.

After lying down for a while to calm down his mood and dizziness, Li Zhuiyuan sent A'li back to the room and went downstairs himself.

"Your grandmother Liu hasn't come back yet. Look, over there is the study. You can go there and wait for her."

"Okay, Aunt Liu."

Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the door of the study and walked in. There was no traditional desk inside, just a coffee table with a pile of books on it, envelopes underneath, and a couch at the back.

Sitting on the stool opposite the coffee table, Li Zhuiyuan's eyes involuntarily swept to the book on the top - "Liu's Qi-Watching Secrets".

I reached out and flipped through it, and found that the handwriting on it was clear and neat. Well, this is the regular version, so there is no need to read it.

Li Zhuiyuan simply made a pot of tea. As soon as the tea was ready, Liu Yumei came in, sat down on the couch, and leaned back against the soft pillow.

She glanced at "Liu's Qi-Watching Technique" and noticed that the pages had been turned, and a hint of pride appeared in her eyes.

"Grandma, have some tea."

"Ah."

"Grandma, didn't Uncle Qin go to Jinling with you?"

"He's busy and has a lot to do. He'll be back when he's done."

"Oh."

"What book are you reading recently?"

“Some scriptures.”

The book I have been reading seriously recently is the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra". It was also thanks to this book that I was able to control the memory scenes so freely last night.

"Didn't you come across any interesting books?"

Liu Yumei took a sip of tea. If this boy asked to borrow it, then she would lend him the "Liu's Qi-Watching Art".

Take a look at it in advance, learn slowly, and ask yourself if you don’t understand. This way you can be more efficient.

"There is an interesting book, but it's so interesting that I'm afraid I'll lose my ambition because of it, so I haven't dared to read it yet."

That book with a white cover and a black background will give people a wink.

"That's not a big deal. Books are written to be read by people. It's fate that a book can be placed in front of you."

Liu Yumei chuckled in her heart. This child actually knows what is good and what is bad in a book.

"I don't think it's the right time yet. I want to wait until I'm older and more confident before I muster up the courage to watch it."

Just like the copper coin buried in the cemetery in Shigang Town, one day I will go back to dig it out and face it.

"Books are meant to help you grow. It doesn't matter when you read them. If you don't even dare to face them, you're really being looked down upon."

The more the boy refused, the more pleased Liu Yumei felt.

"Grandma, do you really think so?"

"Of course, if you don't see it, you can't understand it. Maybe you feel one way when you see it now, and another when you grow up and mature. Giving up the present and pursuing the future is not worth the loss."

"Yeah." Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Deep down, he was really curious about the book, but he was afraid of following the same path as Mao Chang'an and his son. Although he was very confident, who among those who opened the book would not be full of confidence and feel that they were special?

"Don't be afraid of you laughing at me, I'm actually a little scared."

"As the old saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. What is there to be afraid of? Meeting is fate. People and books are also destined. If you don't flip through it, how can you know whether it is specially prepared for you?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Ah."

Liu Yumei put down her teacup and waited for a while, but the boy did not mention borrowing books from her.

She was not in a hurry, thinking that the boy was being polite and wanted to wait until the conversation was over and before he got up to leave before formally making this request.

"Runsheng and the others have followed you to school. What are your plans?"

"I don't have any specific plans. Let's take it one step at a time."

What Li Zhuiyuan said was not discouraging or negative, because he had a great job right after arriving at the school, and after leaving his hometown, his life suddenly became more exciting.

"You can take the road step by step, but you must have a goal. As the old saying goes, a turtle seeks the bottom of a pond, while a dragon must cross the river. It depends on your own determination." "Come across the river?"

Yin Fuhai once said to himself, "After so many years, someone from the Liu family finally left the country."

"A metaphor for great ambitions."

"Grandma Liu, I want to know what it originally meant?"

“What did it originally mean?
From the beginning to the end of the river, all the people and things you encounter should be dealt with as needed.

A new family must rely on the river to establish its home;
The house in my hometown has to be stabilized by crossing the river.

The river nourishes people, and it is easier for people to transform into dragons than for pythons to do so. "

"Uncle Qin back then..."

Now that she was no longer at her great-grandfather's house, she could speak more freely. However, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Grandma Liu was still a little hesitant when she spoke. This was probably because A'li's illness had not yet fully recovered and she had not spoken yet. Who knows, someday in the future she might have to go back to her great-grandfather to "fulfill a vow."

"Ali did cross the river, of course, but he didn't finish and almost died. It's my fault. I was too impatient at the time."

There was a hint of reminiscence in Liu Yumei's eyes.

"Did something happen?"

"Well, let's not talk about trivial things." Liu Yumei opened the topic, "What about you, kid, what do you want to do in the future?"

"Grandma, how do we get across the river?"

"Haha." Liu Yumei laughed, "This question is just like asking where the Jianghu is. There is no exact answer. If you really want to leave, isn't the river right under your feet?"

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

"Is grandma talking about something profound?"

"I understand."

"Oh?"

“Once you enter this field, you won’t want to stop and will keep going.”

When you want to make a fortune, while you are looking for trouble, trouble will also "grow legs" and come to you.

This is very similar to the "cleaning ball" that I mentioned to Tan Wenbin on the truck when we came to Jinling.

But this seems a bit idealistic.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but look up at the roof, thinking of the way he and Mao Chang'an fooled the way of heaven, it seemed that the way of heaven was also a bit idealistic.

In addition, the Yin family genealogy also records the travels of their ancestors, but they did not use the term "zoujiang". Perhaps this is a special term for families like the Qin Liu family, just like ordinary people cannot use "li lin" when visiting a scenic spot.

There is a common feature in the travel notes of the ancestors of the Yin family. No matter how high-spirited they were when they set out, they all returned to their hometown in Fengdu after encountering some setbacks in the end. Well, there are also many people whose travel notes only recorded half of it and then came to an abrupt end. It seems that they could not even return home.

For example, the four ancestors of the Yin family who carried the bed for the snake girl in the underground palace.

So, sitting in seclusion is actually similar to living in seclusion, going to a port and settling down. It is not really about dividing spheres of influence, but more like bowing to fate.

Li Zhuiyuan poured Liu Yumei another cup of tea, stood up and handed it to her, and asked, "Grandma, the past is the past, and the present is the present. Can the situation still be the same?"

"Before, the foreigners' Amethyst sailed into the river, but now they haven't come. Does that mean they don't want to come anymore?"

"You mean, it's different on the surface, but the fundamental contradiction still exists?"

"Please explain it another way. This one doesn't sound right to me."

“The scenery on both sides of the river has become more beautiful, but the undercurrent beneath the river is still the same as it was a hundred years ago?”

"Hehe." Liu Yumei pointed at the boy while laughing, "I now understand why Ah Li likes to be with you. I've heard your great grandfather say before that your grandparents favor your mother the most. I guess you inherited your mouth from your mother."

Li Zhuiyuan: “…”

“No matter how many dams are built on the river, no matter how calm the river surface looks, the mud at the bottom of the river can still easily bury a person. This river is still not easy to travel on.

However, it is still too early for you to realize these things. Just focus on studying and growing up."

As she spoke, Liu Yumei lowered her eyebrows and glanced at the "Liu's Qi-Watching Secret" which was placed in the most conspicuous place.

Li Zhuiyuan also lowered his head. He felt that if he took Runsheng, Binbin, Yin Meng and others to enjoy saving people from death, they might have already shown signs of dying.

Uncle Qin became so powerful even though he failed to leave. What if I succeed?
I have reached a bottleneck in my studies. If I want to continue to make progress and improve, I can only actively accept the gifts of fate.

"Stay here for lunch? I'll let A-Ting do it."

"No, I'd better go back to school first. I'll come to see A-Li tomorrow."

"alright."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and said, "Thank you for your teachings."

Liu Yumei nodded, as a token of farewell.

Then Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the study and left.

Liu Yumei looked at the book on the coffee table with some confusion. Did this brat forget something?

Aunt Liu pushed open the door and walked in.

"The brat is gone?"

"Well, I'm leaving. Why is the book still here? Are you too strict?"

"In my life, I have never been so kind to any outsider. I was afraid that this boy would be embarrassed to speak, so I comforted and encouraged him."

"That's because your attitude isn't clear enough. I'm a shy kid and I'm embarrassed to ask."

"Isn't it obvious enough?" Liu Yumei picked up the book "Liu's Qi-Watching Secret", "I'm just about to present the book to him respectfully, asking him to read it and then guide me!"

"That shouldn't be the case. This child is very smart. Could it be that he was careless this time and didn't understand what you meant?"

"Forget it, let him be."

"Are you really willing to do that? I heard your laughter outside just now."

"How far is this place from his school?"

"It's not far. Just walk a short distance from the school gate."

"Isn't there a school wall diagonally in front? Can we get closer if we open a door?"

"I'll go and coordinate the arrangements."

"I see there are houses in the school, too."

"That house is very small. It's where the retired teachers and professors of the school live. I'm afraid you won't be able to get used to it."

"Oh, I've already moved into the small east room, so why am I not used to this? Go and make some arrangements and ask one of the families to vacate their house. If that doesn't work, we can just swap houses and live closer to the school."

"You just said you didn't want him anymore."

"I did that for him, eh? I saw our Ah Li stood up and looked at him when he came, and I felt sorry for him."

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say, but I won't change this house. The houses on campus don't have basements that can hold all of our Ah Li's stuff."

"You go and do it. I'll go upstairs and lie down for a while. This brat didn't even borrow a book."

As soon as Liu Yumei walked out of the study, she saw A'li walking out from the room opposite.

That room was specially used for placing the altar, and there was a whole set of newly made tablets made of the finest thunder wood.

Ordinary thunderwood is not difficult to find, but specific species, specific qualities, and even those that have been nurtured in a specific era are simply out of stock.

At this time, A'li walked out of the room, holding four tablets in her arms.

A'li didn't rush upstairs, but looked at her grandmother.

Well, once that kid comes, my granddaughter will have to work as a handyman for him.

Liu Yumei opened her mouth but waved her hand:
"Good boy, come and carry me up.

Ah Ting, Ah Ting, go and get Ah Li's tool box up to her."

……

It was almost noon when Li Zhuiyuan returned to school. He wanted to go to the dormitory building to see if Tan Wenbin was awake, but when he passed by the door of a cheap store, he saw Runsheng.

Runsheng was still wearing the same white vest, with bandages visible on the exposed shoulders.

"Xiaoyuan."

Runsheng jogged over, his arm swings not quite coordinated yet.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there without moving, watching Runsheng coming over.

He has been trying not to perform in the "intimate" relationship network, hoping that he can give some emotional feedback.

The advantage of doing this is that it may motivate you to improve yourself, but the disadvantage is... it can easily hurt others.

After all, even if two friends are normal and healthy, being "honest with each other" can easily lead to a breakdown of friendship or even enmity.

"How's the injury?"

"It's not quite healed, but I can get out of bed. Anyway, I've been fine lately, so I'm leaving the hospital. It's not good to lie down all day, hehe."

He did not leave the hospital yesterday because he was afraid that his discharge would make everyone think that he was eager to join the action. He did not want to put pressure on the team, and he did not want to become a burden.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his arms and walked forward, but halfway through the movement, he just patted Runsheng's hand with one hand.

Then he turned around and walked back to the dormitory.

"Hehehe." Runsheng looked down at the back of his hand that Xiaoyuan had just patted, and walked into the store.

Yin Meng, who was standing on the steps at the entrance of the store, witnessed the whole scene and whispered, "It seems that our Brother Xiaoyuan is still angry with you."

"No, Xiaoyuan is very enthusiastic."

……

In the next few days, Li Zhuiyuan's life was very regular.

Fishing for dead bodies is very much like fishing. The joy of a fisherman lies in taking a break from his busy schedule to enjoy the brief peace and quiet.

As for Tan Wenbin, he started to prepare for university courses, studying until late at night every day.

After Li Zhuiyuan woke up in the morning, he went to Liu Yumei's house for breakfast. After spending half a day with A'li, he went to Runsheng Store for lunch. After eating, he packed a portion and took it back for Binbin who woke up in the afternoon.

There was no such step originally, but when Binbin woke up in the afternoon and felt hungry, he would habitually go into Lu Yi's dormitory on the way to wash up and take a sausage to eat. I heard that dumplings were also served later.

Lu Yi's family conditions are average, otherwise he would not have stayed at school to work part-time during the summer vacation. In order to prevent Binbin from continuing to harm others, Li Zhuiyuan can only bring him meals.

The main reason was that Lu Yi broke the dormitory door himself after he was possessed by evil spirits last time, and it couldn’t be locked when no one was there, so Binbin was able to open the door and go in to enjoy the offerings every time.

The repairman will have to wait until the school officially starts before he can start working full-time. During the holidays, he will come once in a while to deal with a batch of problems. You can report the problem to the dormitory manager, and she will come to repair the door lock in two days. The problem is that the dormitory manager of this dormitory is missing.

Lu Yi went to the logistics and maintenance department to ask, and the person on duty said that the newly appointed logistics director who was in charge of this work was also missing.

Runsheng also reported the disappearance of Sun Hongxia. Although he knew the truth, he still had to go through the necessary procedures.

The freshmen had to undergo military training, so the registration date would have been brought forward. However, when the freshmen from other classes were arranged by the organization to collect their military training uniforms, there was no movement from the class where Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin were, as well as the two neighboring classes, because the school had just started... and their counselor disappeared!

Recently, police cars have appeared frequently in schools.

The disappearance of five people at once in a university was already a very serious matter, and a little investigation revealed that the source pointed to the case seven years ago, which naturally attracted great attention.

That evening, when everyone was cooking hot pot in the store, Xue Liangliang, who was on a business trip to Shancheng with Luo Gong, called the store and asked directly:
"What on earth did you guys get?"

The police investigation call was made to Xue Liangliang. After all, he was the owner of the store and Sun Hongxia was his employee. He immediately saw through the reasons behind this disappearance case that caused a sensation on campus.

Tan Wenbin answered the phone and replied:
"They are selling fresh tripe and thousand-layer tripe. They are very delicious. Do you want to come back again?"

Xue Liangliang understood the hint and said he would wait for him to come back.

He also said that Engineer Luo was quite helpless after knowing about this. After all, the last time he specially opened the table in order to arrange a good study and life for Xiaoyuan, but the three people who were specifically responsible for greeting him simply disappeared.

This means that we will have to open another table after returning to Jinling.

After Tan Wenbin hung up the phone, Yin Meng asked, "Do we have phone monitoring as well?"

"No, I just don't want to waste time talking to Brother Liang. I'm afraid my tripe will get burned."

Tan Wenbin sat down and started to scoop with chopsticks.

At this time, several people walked towards the store door from outside.

Runsheng looked up and said to Tan Wenbin, who was still concentrating on picking up the vegetables:
"The police are here. It's your father."

Tan Wenbin said without raising his head:

"Bullshit! My father is just a small captain of a township police station. If he can be promoted to the provincial capital in one go, there is only one possibility, that is, our ancestral grave is on fire!"

Li Zhuiyuan moved a little further away from Tan Wenbin.

Yin Meng and Run Sheng also held their bowls and moved to the side.

Tan Wenbin asked in confusion: "You guys eat it, it will burn you to death, hehe, if you don't eat it, I will take care of it all!"

"boom!"

Binbin was kicked out.

(End of this chapter)