After a hearty breakfast, Li Sanjiang and his group prepared to set off.

The family actually owned a three-wheeled cargo pedicab with long wooden planks at the back, typically used for delivering tables, chairs, and dishes for various events. However, Run Sheng didn’t know how to ride a bike, and the elders didn’t dare let him learn on the spot today.

So, Run Sheng pulled a flatbed cart out of the storage room. Its front was spacious. After Li Sanjiang, Liu Jinxia, and Grandfather Shan sat on it, Run Sheng first gripped the handlebars to level the cart, then steadily pushed the three elders down the embankment.

It had to be said that a well-fed Run Sheng possessed truly astonishing strength.

Yet, watching their departing figures, Li Zhuiyuan still felt uneasy. After all, it was undeniable that this was still a truly vulnerable group.

Back at home, peace was restored.

Uncle Qin was splitting wood on the embankment to make frameworks for paper effigies, while Aunt Liu was downstairs coloring newly made paper figures. Liu Yumei sat by the front door of the east room, sipping tea. On the second floor, in the southeast corner, Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li were reading books.

He continued as he had for the past two days, keeping track of time, bringing Qin Li downstairs for bathroom breaks, water, and snacks. When passing Liu Yumei, he would still smile and greet her.

Liu Yumei also saw that, after reading for a long time, the boy earnestly performed a set of calisthenics.

However, about half an hour before lunch, Li Zhuiyuan closed his book. Instead of going back inside to pick up another, he looked seriously at Qin Li: “A-Li, I’m worried that Grandfather and the others might be in danger, so I need to go check on them. Will you wait for me at home?”

Qin Li didn’t respond.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs. Qin Li followed him down, but while Li Zhuiyuan took out a key and entered the basement, Qin Li walked to the east room.

Liu Yumei asked, somewhat surprised, “What’s wrong?”

Her granddaughter had been getting up early these past two days, which in turn made her, the grandmother, get up earlier to help her granddaughter get ready.

Wasn’t it all so she could read with young Zhuiyuan earlier?

But it was almost noon; why was her granddaughter going back to her room alone?

Had the two children argued?

No, could her A-Li even argue?

Then, Liu Yumei saw young Zhuiyuan emerge with a peach wood sword in his hand. Oh, it seemed they hadn’t argued after all. If he’d truly angered her granddaughter, the boy wouldn’t still be bouncing around.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Uncle Qin and said, “Uncle Qin, I want to go to town to buy some things.”

“Okay, tell me what you need, and I’ll buy it for you.”

“I want to pick them out myself. Uncle, could you give me a ride?”

Uncle Qin put down the wooden strips, clapped his hands, and nodded, “Alright.”

However, he asked again, “Is it Shinan Town?”

“Shinan Town is too small. Let’s go to Shigang Town next door.”

Shinan Town only had a few shops on a single cross street and certainly couldn’t compare to the adjacent Shigang Town, which boasted department stores, dance halls, and karaoke rooms. Villagers from nearby towns would all go to Shigang Town for major purchases or entertainment.

The Niu family lived in a village under Shigang Town and was also Li Sanjiang’s destination.

Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then suddenly smiled and changed his mind: “I’m busy today. If you want to go to Shigang, let’s make it tomorrow.”

“No, Uncle Qin, I want to go today.”

“You want to go to your great-grandfather’s place?”

“Yes, and buy a few things along the way.”

“Zhuiyuan, your great-grandfather is there for work. My job is farming, helping with paper effigies, and delivering tables and chairs. Your third uncle’s line of work is something I don’t touch.”

“Yes, I know,” Li Zhuiyuan said, raising the peach wood sword. “Grandfather told me last night to remind him to bring this, but I forgot this morning and just remembered. So please, Uncle, take me to Shigang. I need to give this to Grandfather. It’s his treasure; he can’t be without it.”

In Li Zhuiyuan’s description, this peach wood sword seemed to have become a mighty artifact for slaying demons and upholding justice. However, he was very careful to cover the bottom of the hilt with his hand, concealing the “Shan Dong Linyi Furniture Factory” inscription.

Uncle Qin paused. Delivery was indeed part of his job, but he clearly detected another intention in the boy’s words.

“Alright, give the sword to me. I’ll take it to your great-grandfather.”

Li Zhuiyuan moved the peach wood sword away and said, “Uncle, you forgot, I also need to buy things. I have to go with you.”

“Then wait a moment.”

Uncle Qin walked over to Liu Yumei, who was sitting and drinking tea, and whispered something to her. Liu Yumei looked up at Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing at a distance, and with a smile, she remarked, “That Li Sanjiang is a boorish man who doesn’t appreciate his blessings, but this child is a thoughtful one. He’s seen that our background is unusual. No, he’s seen our true colors.”

Realizing their family’s comfortable circumstances was the first layer; discerning their deeper background was the second.

“So what should I do?”

Liu Yumei didn’t rush to answer. Instead, she picked up her teacup and took a sip.

This child had probably made up his mind early on, yet he still managed to remain calm, doing the same things as the previous two days. Though he was worried sick about his great-grandfather, there was no sign of impatience or anxiety.

Recalling the sight of him earlier, taking A-Li to the restroom and passing by her, smiling and greeting her, the tea in Liu Yumei’s bowl suddenly rippled.

His mind was so profound… how was he still a child?

“You go with him,” Liu Yumei said, pausing, then added, “But on the way, you need to make a few things clear to the child.”

“I understand.”

Uncle Qin walked up to Li Zhuiyuan and said, “Zhuiyuan, wait here. I’ll get the bike out.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

Uncle Qin rode out an old-fashioned “28-inch” bicycle. Li Zhuiyuan tried to get on the back seat, but Uncle Qin grabbed him with one hand and lifted him onto the front bar.

As the two rode downhill and departed, Qin Li instinctively started walking in that direction, but Liu Yumei grabbed her hand.

The girl’s eyelashes began to flutter.

“A-Li, Grandma knows you want to play with Zhuiyuan, but Zhuiyuan has his own things to do right now. You should wait at home for him to finish his tasks and come back.

“If you keep clinging to him, it will make him feel tired and annoyed, and then he might not want to play with you anymore.”

Hearing this, the girl turned to look at her grandmother, and in her eyes, a hint of imperceptible doubt seemed to surface.

But Liu Yumei still caught it. She was both delighted and saddened.

She hadn’t detected other emotions from her granddaughter in a long time. It was a struggle to finally feel one, and it happened when she was telling her granddaughter something like this.

“A-Li, Grandma doesn’t mean Zhuiyuan will actually dislike you. When he comes back, Grandma will help you get dressed up nicely to play with him, okay?

“Actually, Zhuiyuan cares about you very much. That boy is smart. He could have easily taken you along and said he was going to Shigang to find his great-grandfather to force our hand.

“But he didn’t do that.

“So, Grandma might as well return the favor.”

The “28-inch” bicycle rode steadily. Sitting on the front bar, surrounded by the rider’s arms, gave a sense of being protected.

Li Zhuiyuan held the peach wood sword, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over Uncle Qin’s arm muscles.

Then he looked at his own small arms and legs, which, though fairer than Uncle Qin’s, were clearly more for show than for use.

“Uncle Qin, have you practiced martial arts?”

“Mm.”

Uncle Qin was a bit surprised. He had put the boy on his front bar to find an opportunity to talk, but he hadn’t even spoken yet when the boy started the conversation.

“Uncle Qin, can you fight?”

“I can’t.”

“No way?” Li Zhuiyuan reached out a finger and squeezed Uncle Qin’s forearm. It didn’t feel as hard as it looked, but it was very firm.

“I’m not lying to you, Zhuiyuan, I don’t fight people.”

“Do you still practice normally?”

“I have to work and farm, I’m busy. I don’t have time to specifically practice anymore, but once you’ve learned the basics of kung fu, you can practice it implicitly with everything you do.”

“I want to learn.”

“Zhuiyuan, do you think this is like watching ‘Shaolin Temple’?”

‘Shaolin Temple,’ starring Jet Li, had long been a sensation across the country, and even now, it was a regular feature at outdoor movie screenings in rural areas.

“Uncle, I know it will be hard, but I’m not afraid.”

“It’s not just hard, the times are different. No matter how good your kung fu is, can it beat a bullet?”

“It would be good for exercise too.”

“Heh heh.”

“Uncle Qin, could you spare some time to teach me?”

Although ‘Jianghu Monster Compendium’ was just an introductory encyclopedia describing the characteristics of the revenants, through continuous reading, Li Zhuiyuan discovered that many of these entities generally possessed great strength, and in particularly strange and eerie environments, one sometimes truly had to rely on physical fitness to force their way through.

The book also highlighted many weaknesses of the revenants and methods of attack. It wasn’t about using talismans or spells to make them vanish; one really had to engage in close combat.

Among the most frequently mentioned and practical techniques were back strength, wrestling, grappling, and leg locks.

In some illustrations, Li Zhuiyuan could discern that this didn’t seem to be traditional close-quarters combat. The movements depicted in the character drawings appeared to be martial arts specifically designed for the revenants.

Furthermore, Run Sheng’s appearance yesterday helped Li Zhuiyuan clear up the confusion he felt while reading.

Despite Run Sheng’s large appetite and peculiar characteristics, he actually seemed to possess the most standard physique.

Moreover, his great-grandfather’s physical condition was also excellent; otherwise, he couldn’t have been carrying corpses from the Bund in Shanghai all the way to now. Even at his current age, he could still effortlessly carry Li Zhuiyuan along country paths.

Seeing that Uncle Qin hadn’t replied, Li Zhuiyuan pressed again, “Uncle?”

Uncle Qin looked down at Li Zhuiyuan: “You’ll have to ask the elders if they agree.”

“Okay, I’ll ask when we get back.”

Uncle Qin was vague about “the elders,” but Li Zhuiyuan knew he was referring to Grandma Liu.

“Zhuiyuan, there’s something I need to tell you beforehand.”

“Yes, Uncle?”

“I’m a lazy man. I only do what’s within my duties. Anything beyond that, I absolutely won’t do.”

“How can that be? Uncle is clearly very diligent.”

Even in today’s rural areas, Uncle Qin was among the most hardworking and capable, farming, working, and delivering goods. Not even the village’s old draft oxen were as industrious as him.

“What I’m saying is true. If it’s not my job, even if a soy sauce bottle tips over right in front of me, no matter how much spills out, I won’t reach out to pick it up.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

Uncle Qin sighed inwardly. Talking to this child truly felt like talking to an intelligent person. He could tell the child understood his meaning.

After a long moment, Li Zhuiyuan responded, “Uncle, I understand.”

“Mm.”

Siyuan Village was located at the northern end of Shinan Town, adjacent to Shigang Town. Moreover, Uncle Qin took a shortcut through the village, which saved even more time.

Once on the road belonging to Shigang Town, Uncle Qin continued cycling towards their destination.

“Uncle, do you know the location?”

“Yes, I’ve delivered tables and chairs to that village before.”

“Oh.”

“Or do you want to go to the department store in town to buy things first?”

“No, let’s go to Grandfather’s place first.”

“Alright.”

Passing through the town and descending into the village, the road narrowed.

Soon, they spotted a funeral being held in the distance.

“Uncle, you can stop now.”

“Almost there.”

“I’m tired.”

“We’ll rest when we get there, and you can have a drink of water.”

“I need to pee, I can’t hold it anymore.”

“Okay.”

Uncle Qin stopped the bike. Li Zhuiyuan jumped off, found a spot shielded by a willow tree to relieve himself, then squatted by a nearby ditch to wash his hands.

Uncle Qin had expected the boy to get back on the bike after he was done. To his surprise, the boy sat down on a smooth stone by the field ridge and pulled out a bottle of drink, a few packets of biscuits, and two books from his clothes.

Uncle Qin still remembered that gourd-shaped drink bottle; he had bought it for the boy at Li Sanjiang’s request.

No wonder the boy’s clothes had looked bulky when he got on the bike earlier. He had secretly packed so many things, clearly intending not to leave but to have a picnic and read there.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m tired, just resting. Uncle Qin, you sit down too.”

“Aren’t you supposed to give the sword to your great-grandfather? It’s right up ahead. Go deliver it quickly, then I can go back to work. Your Aunt Liu can’t finish everything alone at home. The deadline is tight. If we don’t finish and deliver, your great-grandfather will get angry and scold us.”

“He won’t. Grandfather said he’d put his inheritance in my name. If something happens to Grandfather, I’ll be the young master, and I won’t get angry and scold people.”

“You little rascal…”

“Uncle, sit down. Look how tired you are working all day. Let’s take a break, balance work and rest.”

Uncle Qin walked up to the boy. He realized the boy was doing this on purpose. As long as the sword wasn’t delivered to Li Sanjiang, he hadn’t completed his task and would still have to stay there with him.

What shocked Uncle Qin even more was that the boy seemed to have anticipated his “I won’t pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle” stance.

Was this still a child? This was clearly a monster in a child’s skin!

Suddenly, Uncle Qin felt relieved. Yes, no wonder A-Li was indifferent to everyone but showed affection only to him.

Uncle Qin shifted his weight, planning to use brute force to pick up the boy and forcibly complete the task.

“Uncle, our two families living together is really heartwarming. Grandma Liu is very kind, and Aunt Liu is very gentle.”

Uncle Qin’s eyes narrowed.

“The book said that harmonious coexistence between people is built on the foundation of basic respect.”

Uncle Qin: “Heh heh, aren’t we?”

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head, looking at Uncle Qin, who was surprisingly close to him, and smiled, “Are we? We are.”

Uncle Qin closed his eyes and straightened up. He felt he had been outmaneuvered, by a child.

After a while, Uncle Qin said, “Zhuiyuan, if I hadn’t agreed to bring you, would you have come alone?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “I’m just a child, I can’t help with anything. I wouldn’t have come alone, because if I did, I’d only cause trouble.”

“Alright, go find your great-grandfather. I’m not going back, but remember, if a soy sauce bottle tips over, I still won’t pick it up.”

“Okay, thank you, Uncle.”

Li Zhuiyuan immediately packed his things, went to the “28-inch” bicycle, and urged, “Uncle, get on quickly, we’re almost there!”

“What’s wrong?” Li Sanjiang first looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then at Uncle Qin. “Why did you bring the child here?”

“Grandfather, I missed you, so I begged Uncle Qin to bring me to you. He couldn’t refuse me.”

“Young Zhuiyuan, is this the kind of place you should be? Go on, let Uncle Qin take you back.”

“No, I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.”

Li Zhuiyuan clung tightly to Li Sanjiang’s clothes, a look of grievance appearing on his face.

Li Sanjiang had intended to say harsher words to make him leave, but seeing the child like this, a soft spot deep within the old man, who had never married or had children in his life, was profoundly touched.

So, when elders dote on children, sometimes… they truly abandon all principles, especially with the affection between generations.

“Alright, Uncle Qin, keep a close eye on the child and don’t let him wander off.”

Uncle Qin nodded: “Yes, I will.”

Li Zhuiyuan successfully stayed and began observing the funeral rite.

The rite was being held on an open ground in the village, which used to be a collective threshing floor. A small funeral band was busy at work.

Eight performers in Taoist robes were conducting the ceremony, each holding ritual instruments, muttering incantations, and circling the altar.

Offerings were arranged on the altar, with a black-and-white posthumous photo of Old Lady Niu at the center.

The tablet read “Niu Shi.”

Because the old lady had been an adopted child bride before marriage, she had no birth family or given name. Later, during a village census, she registered using her husband’s surname.

The filial children and grandchildren knelt on prayer mats, their heads wrapped in white ropes, dressed in hempen clothes, with black armbands. They wept while throwing paper money into a brazier in front of them.

Niu Fu and Niu Rui merely let out dry wails, occasionally wiping their tears; they went through the motions but showed no emotion.

Their younger sister, Niu Lian, however, displayed excellent emotion and action. Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes like a frozen faucet that had burst, and she recited continuous eulogies.

“Oh Mother, our father left early, and it was you who tirelessly raised the three of us, woe is me!”

“Oh Mother, times were hard in our early years, and you couldn’t bear to eat an extra bite, feeding it all to us, woe is me!”

“Oh Mother, the three of us had just grown up, and you hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy life, how could you leave, woe is me!”

The “woe is me” at the end of each line served as an end to the previous sentence, an emotional setup for the next, and also allowed for breathing.

Though clearly narrating, she used a chanting tone. Perhaps this was the earliest form of domestic rap.

Niu Lian’s performance spurred her two older brothers. Each time, they repeated her final phrases, joining in the wailing like a chorus.

Li Zhuiyuan found it very interesting. Aside from his prior encounter with the old lady, just the content of these lamentations was enough to make one laugh and cry at the same time. What did she mean, “the children had just grown up, and you hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy life before you left”…

Were they just adults? Each of them was already a grandparent. If they truly wanted to show filial piety, it wouldn’t be too late.

He then recalled the previous funeral at Old Hu’s house, where they wailed for their mother during the day like truly dutiful children, yet that didn’t stop them from taking their son to do something worse than animals at night.

So, no matter how well this funeral band performed in the afternoon, it couldn’t compare to the main event in the morning—that was where the true acting prowess was displayed.

However, this funeral rite was a bit too quiet. By custom, funeral rites should involve inviting people to eat.

But not far away, a chef could be seen busy working.

Li Sanjiang scoffed, “When the old lady passed away half a year ago, these three siblings organized her funeral. Not only did they not hire a funeral band, but they also saved on food wherever possible, serving a meal of clear, watery soup. Villagers who came with their contributions not only didn’t eat well but didn’t even fill their stomachs.

“This time, for the post-mortem birthday celebration, villagers aren’t coming. It’s just not right.”

Li Zhuiyuan understood. So, last time, these three siblings purely used their mother’s funeral as a way to collect money.

The rural tradition of collecting contributions for events was originally meant for everyone to collectively help the host family manage the affair. Even if a few opportunistic people joined, the host usually wouldn’t incur a loss.

Who knew they would encounter three such shameless individuals?

Liu Jinxia was currently sitting behind the altar, occasionally wiping away tears from the smoke, but she continued chanting scriptures and occasionally took out specific talismans, handing them to the kneeling filial children and grandchildren to burn.

Her position was for “connecting yin and yang,” which meant relaying messages between the deceased and the living.

Grandfather Shan, meanwhile, had spread a tattered mat and sat in the northwest corner, holding a water pipe and smoking continuously.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled the book’s content: using the altar as the origin point, Grandfather Shan’s position was directly at the “evil-breaking” point. If malevolent winds and evil spirits wanted to enter, they would have to pass through there.

Run Sheng also didn’t rest, constantly moving back and forth, circling the banners. This was a physically demanding task, as he had to keep the banners rotating without letting them fall.

In contrast, his own great-grandfather sat under the canopy, drinking tea. Li Zhuiyuan felt his knowledge was too shallow to discern exactly what position his great-grandfather was holding.

But… it must have been extremely important.

They had already eaten lunch. In the afternoon session, the funeral band performers collectively changed into monk’s robes, impersonating monks, and began tapping wooden fish and chanting scriptures.

A few of them were bald, making them look quite realistic.

Run Sheng came over from the back kitchen with bowls and chopsticks. He was hungry. While others had afternoon tea, he, whenever conditions allowed, had afternoon dinner.

He thoughtfully invited Li Zhuiyuan to eat with him. Li Zhuiyuan didn’t stand on ceremony, taking an empty bowl, piling in some food, and starting to eat.

As for Uncle Qin, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng had called him, but he wouldn’t eat.

Since arriving, Uncle Qin had stood at the edge of the canopy, barely moving.

Run Sheng stuck incense sticks into his food. While waiting for the incense to burn down, he said to Li Zhuiyuan, “I told my grandpa you’re reading those books. My grandpa said you’re much smarter than me and told me to talk to you more often from now on.”

Unlike Li Sanjiang’s belief that his great-grandson must go back to Beijing for university, Grandfather Shan had long seen Li Zhuiyuan as a good prospect for corpse retrieval.

“Great, you can come and play with me often from now on.”

In Li Zhuiyuan’s view, Run Sheng was an excellent link between theory and practice.

“Really? That’s great, heh heh. You don’t know, my grandpa isn’t well and often needs medicine. Our family is already struggling, and I’m a big eater, sigh.

“Coming to your house, not only can I eat my fill, but I can also ease some burden on Grandpa. When there’s work, I’ll go back and help Grandpa with corpse retrieval. It won’t delay anything.”

“You want to live here permanently?”

“Huh, is that not allowed?” Run Sheng rubbed his head.

“You’d have to ask my great-grandfather.”

“Then I’ll ask my grandpa to talk to your great-grandfather. According to my grandpa, after he’s gone, I’ll work for your great-grandfather.”

“Mm,” Li Zhuiyuan nodded. Grandfather was getting old, and having Run Sheng take over later would be good.

After all, this was Grandfather’s true calling and important public image. His other ventures also flourished because of who he was.

The incense burned out. Run Sheng eagerly mixed the food with the incense ash using his chopsticks and then began to eat heartily.

Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously, “If you don’t light the incense, you really can’t eat it?”

“Mm,” Run Sheng replied while swallowing, “I can’t eat it. It has no taste in my mouth and makes me nauseous.”

“Then have you eaten…” Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, “…a revenant?”

Run Sheng paused, then immediately lowered his voice and said, “Grandpa warned me not to say I’ve eaten one when I’m outside.”

“Then you need to remember your grandpa’s warning well.”

“Of course, I always remember.”

The afternoon gradually passed. As dusk approached, everyone began packing up. Some took flags, others banners, some scriptures, blankets, and pillows.

They formed a line and walked along the field ridges towards Old Lady Niu’s grave.

The two people at the end of the procession continuously set off firecrackers with ease and flair; after lighting them, they’d toss them into the fields, and they’d shoot off.

Li Zhuiyuan helped Run Sheng carry a flag. As for Uncle Qin, he didn’t walk with them but followed the group from a distance, maintaining a hundred-meter gap.

Old Lady Niu’s grave was small. Although cremation was already promoted in cities and earth burials were strictly regulated, earth burials were still popular in rural areas. However, the sight of large-scale tomb construction with huge concrete seals was rarely seen anymore.

Instead, there were small houses: older ones were two-story, with red bricks and green tiles; there were also three-story ones and traditional courtyards.

Someone unfamiliar walking into this graveyard might even mistake it for a model exhibition with a “rural architecture” theme.

Old Lady Niu’s grave mound, however, was just a mound, a “dirt cap” dug out of the nearby mud with a shovel.

When visiting the grave, Niu Fu, as the eldest, first removed the dirt cap. Niu Rui then dug a new one with a shovel, and after the grave visitation ceremony, Niu Lian would place the new cap on top.

Arranging incense and candles, burning paper money, burning blood scriptures—everything proceeded methodically under Liu Jinxia’s direction.

When everything was finished, the new cap was placed, and everyone went back. Nothing unusual happened.

But Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Liu Jinxia’s face showed no sign of relief. According to custom, this funeral rite had to continue until late at night. In the past, it followed specific zodiac hours; now, it was uniformly set to midnight.

After midnight, the rite would be considered complete, which also counted as a vigil, though the body had long been buried and wasn’t kept there.

During the day, it was fine, but once night fell, there was no telling what might happen.

After dinner, the few villagers who couldn’t bring themselves to leave had also departed. The Niu siblings’ families and children also went home. They should have stayed to keep watch, but the three siblings had forcefully sent them away.

After the funeral band packed up and left, the area around the mourning hall felt particularly empty.

The three Niu siblings remained kneeling on the prayer mats, no longer wailing, but quietly continuing to burn paper money.

Niu Lian’s voice was already hoarse. Niu Fu and Niu Rui, without their sister’s creative lead, couldn’t echo her, and so remained silent.

Liu Jinxia was still in her usual spot, visibly agitated.

Grandfather Shan was still in the “evil-breaking” position. His tobacco was used up, so he switched to the rolled cigarettes provided by the host family and continued smoking.

As for his great-grandfather… Li Zhuiyuan noticed Grandfather had fallen asleep, leaning against the railing, his body jerking with each snore, sleeping soundly.

Run Sheng found a deck of playing cards from somewhere and said with a smile, “Let’s play ‘Fight the Landlord’.”

“Don’t we need four people?”

“Then you call him?” Run Sheng pointed at Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He knew Uncle Qin wouldn’t come over. In fact, he was quite grateful. Although Uncle Qin wouldn’t pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle, just having him standing there made Li Zhuiyuan feel much more at ease.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng, just the two of them, started playing a three-player game of ‘Fight the Landlord’.

With just one deck, divided among three, it was easy to count cards.

Run Sheng’s card skills were terrible, and the “next player’s” level was also average, which meant Li Zhuiyuan won whether he was the “peasant” or the “landlord.”

They played on, and after an unknown amount of time, Li Zhuiyuan asked, “What time is it?”

Run Sheng shook his head: “I don’t know, where would there be a watch?”

The “next player” said, “It’s eleven o’clock.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Then it’s almost over, one more hour.”

Run Sheng: “Yeah, I wonder if the host family will provide another meal after this.”

The “next player”: “They should. They prepared a lot of food today, and not many people came to eat.”

Li Zhuiyuan got another good “landlord” hand. This round was also boring.

However, just as he was about to play a card, Li Zhuiyuan glanced at where Uncle Qin had been standing and suddenly realized Uncle Qin was gone.

His reliance was suddenly gone. Li Zhuiyuan shivered, his mind clearing slightly. Then, as if something occurred to him, he stared blankly at the cards in his hand.

Run Sheng: “What are you thinking about, Zhuiyuan? Play your card!”

The “next player”: “Yeah, play it! We know your hand is good.”

Li Zhuiyuan played a card: a single Big Joker.

Run Sheng’s eyes widened: “What kind of move is that?”

The “next player”: “Is your hand so good you’re going to reveal it?”

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “Can I reveal it?”

Run Sheng said, “If you want to, then do it. Good cards can’t be helped.”

The “next player”: “You should think it through carefully. Playing openly can easily backfire, you know.”

“Then let me think again.” Li Zhuiyuan held his cards, contemplating, while his peripheral vision flickered towards his dozing great-grandfather, the three Niu siblings sitting on prayer mats, as well as Liu Jinxia and Grandfather Shan.

The scene, which had seemed utterly normal moments ago, now struck him with a sudden sense of dread. He could hear all sorts of sounds around him, yet they were all motionless.

Even when Grandfather snored, his body didn’t naturally twitch. The snores sounded as if they were coming from thin air.

“Run Sheng?”

“What’s wrong? Have you decided whether to reveal your hand?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded slightly. Run Sheng was normal, but that made it even more crucial to reveal his hand. In this group of the elderly, weak, infirm, and young, Run Sheng was the only one they could rely on.

If Run Sheng weren’t there, what could those elders do?

“Reveal them!”

Li Zhuiyuan laid down his cards.

Run Sheng asked doubtfully, “Hey, your cards aren’t that good. I thought you had a bomb?”

“Play. Big Joker, do you want it?”

The “next player”: “You play.”

Run Sheng: “No.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Three sevens with a five.”

The “next player”: “I want it.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Three tens with a seven.”

Run Sheng: “Zhuiyuan, don’t play so fast, my ‘player above’ wants it.”

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the small table and shouted at Run Sheng: “Open your eyes and look! Where are our ‘player above’ or ‘next player’???”

Run Sheng was stunned by the shout. He instinctively wanted to retort but turned his head to look left and right, then suddenly realized with a shock: “That’s right, there are only two of us! How can we play three-player ‘Fight the Landlord’?”

The next moment, a cold evening wind blew.

Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng simultaneously shivered, then both realized that the two of them, who had been playing cards in the funeral tent, were now, somehow, sitting on a grave mound.

Around them were two- and three-story houses, red and green in the moonlight. Beside them was Old Lady Niu’s grave, still covered with the new dirt cap.

“I want it, three eights with a three! I want it, three eights with a three!”

Nearby, a card-playing sound came, a female voice, very shrill and piercing.

Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng exchanged glances. Run Sheng shielded Li Zhuiyuan behind him, and the two walked around the grave mound to the back.

Here, there was actually a hole. The opening was irregular, with blood-stained handprints remaining, as if someone had dug it out with bare hands.

Peering into the hole, they could see it was hollowed out inside. A woman lay within, her hands bloody. Though there was nothing there, her left hand was positioned as if holding cards, and her right hand as if throwing them: “I want it, three eights with a three!”

She kept frantically shaking her head, sending her hair and mud flying. It was Niu Lian, Old Lady Niu’s youngest daughter.

She had dug open her mother’s grave with her bare hands and crawled inside.

But inside the grave, apart from a strong stench of decay and an indescribable pool of murky water, only a tattered straw mat was visible. There were no traces of Old Lady Niu’s remains.

Normally, even for earth burials, a coffin was required. It wasn’t pre-Liberation era when bodies were simply discarded in mass graves. The fact that Old Lady Niu had no coffin meant it was likely rented during the wake but replaced before burial. The reason was easy to guess… to save money on the coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan instinctively covered his nose, suppressing the urge to vomit from the stench. Run Sheng, however, seemed completely unaffected.

At this moment, as the card game ended, Niu Lian seemed to regain a bit of clarity, but only a bit.

“Not playing anymore, huh? Not playing anymore, huh? Then I’ll get back to work.”

Niu Lian made a gesture of discarding cards, then turned around and continued digging downwards with her bare hands.

If she dug any more, the hole might collapse, and she could be buried alive.

“Hey, don’t dig anymore! It’s dangerous if you keep digging. I’m coming to save you!”

Li Zhuiyuan, however, reached out and grabbed Run Sheng.

“What’s wrong, Zhuiyuan?”

“Go check on your grandpa first! They might be in danger!”

“Ah, right, but she…”

“Who’s more important?”

“Grandpa’s more important!”

Run Sheng no longer hesitated. He pulled Li Zhuiyuan and ran wildly towards the funeral tent.

Arriving at the tent, Li Zhuiyuan was out of breath. Inside the tent, the two Niu brothers were nowhere to be seen.

Liu Jinxia was crawling around the altar, meowing like a cat as she moved. The old woman’s palms were already raw, leaving a dense trail of handprints on the ground.

Grandfather Shan, meanwhile, was barking “woof woof woof” while lying in front of a tree, lifting one leg and urinating like a dog.

The urine flowed down, soaking his clothes, looking utterly filthy.

After urinating, he actually started digging at the tree roots with both hands and feet.

“Grandpa!” Run Sheng quickly cried out, “Grandpa, what’s wrong with you?”

This shout immediately attracted the attention of Liu Jinxia and Grandfather Shan.

One crawling like a cat, the other like a dog, both on all fours, they swiftly charged towards Run Sheng and Li Zhuiyuan with ferocious expressions.

Run Sheng spread his arms, instinctively shielding Li Zhuiyuan, and shouted, “Zhuiyuan, step back!”

Li Zhuiyuan obediently took two steps back, felt it wasn’t enough, and took two more.

The next moment,

Liu Jinxia pounced on Run Sheng, clamping his waist with her legs and beginning to scratch and bite at his chest.

Grandfather Shan, meanwhile, grabbed one of Run Sheng’s legs and bit into his thigh, instantly tearing off a piece of flesh, along with two of his old teeth.

“Grandpa, Grandpa, what’s wrong with you, what’s wrong?”

Run Sheng didn’t resist, only looked anxiously at his grandfather, who was constantly biting him.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately prompted