Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

"How many people can fit in one coffin?"

The peddler seemed to be asking Zhou He a question, but without waiting for his answer, he smiled and said:

"Of course it can fit a whole family, Young Master Zhou, you tell me," the peddler said, a sneer appearing on his drunken face.

"What kind of person could make a coffin like this?"

Zhou shook his head, but the peddler didn't look at him at all, instead fixing his gaze on the half-open door.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and the tall, thin carpenter walked in. Zhou He recognized him.

White carpenter.

"Chen the Donkey, are you trying to ruin my plans?"

His face was fierce, and he walked with his hands in his waistband.

The peddler shook his head and chuckled:

"Mr. Bai, you're being rude. We've known each other for a long time, and I only did this business because of you. I even delivered the meat. How can you say I ruined your plans?"

The white carpenter snorted coldly, his hands in his waistband, his eyes sharp as he sized up the peddler and Zhou He.

The peddler chuckled and stared back at him, while Zhou He hid himself under the brim of his hat, remaining silent.

After a while, the carpenter turned around, closed the door, and Zhou He heard a click.

"Don't look, the old carpenter has locked it. Hey, he's really afraid I'll ruin his plans."

"So, do you know how to do it?"

Zhou asked directly, and the peddler answered even more directly:

"We'll have to wait; it's not time yet."

As night fell, the courtyard gradually quieted down, but the house was incredibly noisy. The peddler leaned against the headboard and snored loudly.

When the moon was high in the sky, Zhou He had almost gotten used to the peddler's snoring. Suddenly, he stopped, put a finger to his lips, shushed, and carefully stood up, going to the door.

Zhou He then stood up, gripped the knife in his hand, and tied the yellow ribbon around his wrist.

"Hey, this old carpenter is really afraid I'll ruin things."

The peddler, holding a wire, poked at the door for a long time, sweating profusely, but still couldn't open the lock hanging outside.

He felt somewhat embarrassed as Zhou He approached.

"It's been a long time since I've done lock picking; I'm rusty, rusty."

As he spoke, he squatted down and knocked on the door, seemingly trying to come up with a solution.

Zhou He remained silent, leaning against the wall and waiting for him to unlock the door.

Voices gradually came from outside the door. At first, it was just a soft, fragmented conversation, barely audible. Later, the voices grew louder, seemingly an argument.

"Li Ermao, do you still acknowledge me as your mother?! If you dare harm me today, I'd rather kill myself!"

The shrill sound seemed even more piercing in the night sky.

It's Grandma Li.

"Li Ermao is Li Laoda. There was another one before him, who got sores not long after birth and died for some reason."

The peddler didn't even turn his head; he continued explaining to Zhou.

For a moment, Zhou He didn't know whether he really couldn't unlock the door or was just killing time.

The sounds outside continued; it was Li Ermao's voice, sharp and shrill, just like his mother's.

"Old hag, you've only been a grandma for a few days, and you already think you're some big shot? Let me tell you straight, it's our family's good fortune that she's taken a liking to Xiao Hai. If you utter another word of nonsense, I'll break your legs!"

The peddler's pace slowed, and he grinned broadly, explaining things to Zhou He as he laughed:

"Back when Li Ermao hadn't made his fortune yet, he gambled away money, kicking his mother out of the house in the dead of winter and leaving her to spend the night in the snow. That old woman must have been out of her mind; didn't she know what kind of son he was?"

Zhou He found it interesting and wasn't in a hurry. He leaned against the wall with his ear pressed against the door.

"Then you can't...you can't..."

Grandma Li's voice grew softer and softer until, in the end, Zhou could barely hear her if he hadn't been pressing his ear against hers.

"Go back and behave yourself. After tonight, we'll still be rich. I'll find two more wives, and in a few years we'll have a bunch of kids. If you upset him, you won't even have shit to eat. You hear me?"

With a creak, the peddler finally opened the door, and Zhou He was now certain that he was deliberately stalling for time.

Outside the door, Li Ermao and his mother stood in the yard, about the same height, but it was clear that his mother was hunched over, as if she was terrified of her son.

Seeing Zhou and the other two come out, Li Ermao was somewhat displeased. He pointed his finger at the peddler and was about to curse when he heard footsteps behind him.

Several of Li's helpers and servants, as well as relatives who had come to seek refuge with Li Ermao, who had made a fortune, all lined up together and squeezed into the courtyard.

Zhou glanced around and saw that there were probably no fewer than twenty people, men and women, young and old, all looking a little sleepy.

The old carpenter was at the very back, pushing the crowd like he was herding sheep.

Li Ermao quickly turned around, ran to the carpenter Bai with his short legs, and said with a fawning smile:

"Grandpa carpenter, what are you doing?"

The carpenter ignored him, his gaze like a knife piercing the peddler, who remained oblivious, counting the people in the courtyard with great interest.

Li Ermao bent down even lower, getting even closer, and said in a lower voice:

"Grandpa Carpenter, there are too many people. It might not be good if we start working later."

The carpenter still ignored him, staring intently at the peddler. The peddler, not to be outdone, stared back, but after a few seconds, he looked away and chuckled.

"Carpenter, you do your work, I'm just joining in the fun."

"Chen Donkey, you can leave, but the meat customer can stay."

The carpenter's voice carried an unquestionable tone.

Without hesitation, the peddler turned to leave, but upon reaching the courtyard, he turned back to look at the carpenter:

"Are you sure you want me to leave?"

The carpenter seemed to have thought of something, his face turning ashen as if he had swallowed a fly. After a long while, he suddenly slapped Li Ermao across the face.

"Damn it, couldn't you find someone else to carry the meat?"

After being slapped, Li Ermao immediately knelt on the ground, not daring to cover his face with his hands, and kept kowtowing:

"Grandpa carpenter, I was being silly, please don't be angry."

The carpenter was in a bit of a predicament, pacing around the courtyard. The others, who had been woken up in the middle of the night and brought over, gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

After a while, he suddenly stomped his foot, took out an inkwell, held it in the air, looked it over, and pulled out a line soaked in ink from the inkwell. It didn't seem to be fixed in place; the line seemed to have come to life, darting around like a headless fly.

"Zither".

With a thud, the line was stretched taut. The carpenter muttered incantations, and when he finished, it was as if a large black net had appeared in the courtyard. Wherever the ink line passed, black marks were left, spreading in mid-air and dividing everyone present into different areas.

"Donkey, don't get any ideas you shouldn't have!"

After warning the peddler, the carpenter pushed open the door to the room where the coffin was kept.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a beam of blue light burst out of the house, illuminating the courtyard with a blue hue, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Uncle, what does a carpenter do?"

A short boy mustered up his courage and tried to approach Li Ermao to ask him something.

"Don't move!"

Li Ermao exclaimed in surprise, but it was too late; the boy's body had already touched the ink line binding him.

"laugh"