Chapter 164.2

Ordinarily, when a younger person buys a gift for an elder, it ought to be something worth being happy about.

But in this world, the proportion of elders who can actively respond with affirmation and provide emotional support to the younger generation is actually not very large.

Most elders, at a time like this, will only instinctively spoil the mood.

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs with Li Sanjiang to eat breakfast.

Breakfast had been made by Lihua: a huge bowl of freshly blanched beef rice noodles for each person, along with a bowl of sweet egg wine.

As for chili, everyone added it according to their own taste.

Xiong Shan’s bowl was heaped full of bright red chili.

Li Sanjiang had gotten drunk last night and gone to bed early, so he woke up before dawn.

Since it was Xiong Shan and his wife’s first day at someone else’s house, they naturally got up early too in order to make a good impression.

Lihua took the initiative to start making paper effigies.

For the couple, that kind of craft counted as a basic skill. The reason they usually used straw figures as puppets when employing Chenzhou talismans was simply because straw was convenient to obtain.

But when Xiao Yingying woke up on time as usual and came out of the coffin holding the child, she looked at the lifelike row of finished works Lihua had made and said coldly:

“These won’t sell.”

Every place had its own folk customs. No matter how well you made a certain style of paper effigy, people from the nearby villages and towns would not buy it if it did not match local tastes.

So Lihua could only first take the baby in her arms, feed the child, and learn from Xiao Yingying as she did so.

As for Xiong Shan, he had gone early with a hoe over his shoulder to work the field behind the house. He worked at it for quite a while before Li Sanjiang informed him that the plot behind the house belonged to someone else.

To be honest, Li Sanjiang’s first impression of the couple was not good. He found them a bit foolish.

Still, even though they had done the wrong thing, at least they had eyes for work.

Li Sanjiang also understood one principle: a mule could not be too clever. A mule that was too clever would slack off and would not work steadily.

Since they had been introduced by his own Little Yuanhou, he still had to take them in.

When discussing wages, Li Sanjiang deliberately named a low price.

The couple agreed immediately.

That actually made Li Sanjiang feel embarrassed. On a matter like wages, shouldn’t both sides at least haggle a little? If he named a low price, they ought to push it up.

But since they had already agreed, raising the wage himself now would make him look foolish. So he simply told them to work hard and said there would be red envelopes and holiday bonuses at New Year and festivals. He planned to make up the difference that way.

Seeing that Xiong Shan and his wife had already blended in here, Li Zhuiyuan felt relieved.

The reason the couple had come here was, first, to seek protection, and second, to seek a future for their son.

Protection existed here, buried right beneath the peach grove.

As for the child... back then even Granny Liu had once brought Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu here to work for Taigong, just to seek a little blessing for Ah Li. This couple was now basically receiving the same treatment the Dragon King’s clan once had, so they were hardly being slighted.

Very early in the morning, Liu Changping drove his taxi back here. Even for a charter driver, he had arrived a little too early.

That was because he had not wanted to spend money on a room at an inn in Shigang Town last night. Instead, he had made do sleeping in the car, and had come over early to save the cost of breakfast as well.

Then Liu Changping was promptly dragooned by Xue Liangliang.

Originally, he had not planned to drive Xue Liangliang anywhere, because the job he had taken was from that young man. But with Xiong Shan and his wife helping testify on his behalf, Liu Changping finally agreed.

At Xue Liangliang’s request, Liu Changping first drove him to South Street in the city.

This was the center of Nantong, the busiest district, packed with both traffic and crowds, and not easy for parking.

After parking in a lot some distance away, Liu Changping simply got out and followed Xue Liangliang into the department store.

Xue Liangliang bought a lot of clothes, for both adults and children.

He also went to a gold shop and bought the three gold bridal pieces, plus a pair of gold-and-silver longevity locks.

Seeing the three gold pieces, Liu Changping said with some feeling, “I’m getting those ready too these days.”

Xue Liangliang asked, “Getting serious with your girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” Liu Changping gestured with his hand. “Her family wants this much betrothal money. She’s also got a younger brother.”

“Whew, that’s a lot.”

“I think it’s fine. Not too much.”

“True enough. You earn a lot.”

“That’s because I’m from Jiangxi.”

“I get it.”

“What about you, brother?”

“When I got married, there was no betrothal money.”

“Oh...”

“I wasn’t marrying into her family.”

“Mm...”

“It was just that they were enlightened. It’s a new era, after all. No need to fuss over those things.”

“You’re right.”

After that, Liu Changping drove Xue Liangliang to the riverbank.

It was the same place they had gone yesterday.

“Brother, wait for me here.”

“Sure.” Liu Changping nodded and lit a cigarette.

Carrying a huge pile of gifts, Xue Liangliang got out and walked down the slope. Soon, he disappeared from sight.

Last night, Liu Changping had listened to Li Zhuiyuan and driven the car far away, but he had been intensely curious.

What was so special about this riverbank that they kept coming back here again and again?

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Liu Changping got out too with a cigarette in his mouth. But after heading down the slope, he discovered he could not see Xue Liangliang anywhere.

“Huh? Where’d he go?”

The place was wide open and boundless. Where could a person possibly hide?

As he searched, Liu Changping found clothes and shoes pinned down by stones at the shore. They were Xue Liangliang’s.

This was bad.

So frightened that the cigarette fell from his mouth, Liu Changping began running along the riverbank, shouting as he searched in panic.

He could swim, but with the vast river stretching endlessly before him, even if he wanted to jump in and rescue someone, he needed a target first.

After searching for a long time, Liu Changping despaired.

He gathered up Xue Liangliang’s clothes and shoes, returned to the taxi, and sat there blankly.

With something like this having happened, how was he supposed to explain it?

The thought even crossed his mind of immediately driving back to Jinling. As for the charter fee... when you had just driven someone to commit suicide, how could you still have the face to ask for money?

But on second thought, if he left so unclearly, what if the family reported him and the police thought he had murdered someone for money?

Just as he was wavering in fear and indecision, someone knocked on the car window.

Liu Changping turned his head and was so startled he nearly jumped.

Standing outside the car was a completely naked Xue Liangliang.

After getting into the car, Xue Liangliang said nothing and simply started putting his clothes back on.

Liu Changping, meanwhile, noticed that all the gifts Xue Liangliang had bought were gone.

“Where are the things?”

“I gave them to her and the child.”

“Oh.”

Liu Changping let out a sigh and silently lit another cigarette. He felt that he was very fortunate; at least his beloved was still alive.

And when he looked again at Xue Liangliang, a trace of admiration appeared in his eyes. After all, this was a deeply devoted man who still missed his dead wife and child to this day.

A man who was not deeply devoted would never be willing to buy so many expensive new clothes and gold ornaments just to throw them into the river as an offering.

On the way back, the pager at Xue Liangliang’s waist went off. He had Liu Changping stop at a roadside shop, got out, and returned the call.

When he got back into the car, Xue Liangliang said, “Drive faster. We’re going home!”

By the time the car returned to Li Sanjiang’s house, the family was eating lunch.

Xue Liangliang got out, strode over to Li Zhuiyuan, and said, “Luo Gong just called me. He wants me to go to Gaoyou in Yangzhou right away. He’s also on the road there now. Little Yuan, are you coming?”

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “What happened?”

Lowering his voice, Xue Liangliang said, “They say something strange happened on Gaoyou Lake.”

“Then I’ll go.” Li Zhuiyuan looked at Li Sanjiang. “Taigong, my mentor is over there and has called us to come.”

“As you should, as you should.” Li Sanjiang immediately nodded in agreement.

Xiong Shan said, “We’ll accompany you... we’ll go with you. There’ll be someone to help watch over things.”

Li Sanjiang nodded again. “As you should, as you should.”

Lihua packed up some food, and without delay the five of them all got into the car together.

Li Zhuiyuan sat in the front passenger seat, while Xue Liangliang and Xiong Shan and his wife sat in the back.

Actually, it would have been more appropriate for the young man to sit in the back, but if Li Zhuiyuan had sat there, Xiong Shan and Lihua would have felt uncomfortable. They would rather squeeze in with Xue Liangliang.

The farther they drove toward Yangzhou, the gloomier the sky became.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, felt fairly relaxed.

But through the rearview mirror, he saw that Xiong Shan and his wife in the back seat looked incomparably solemn.

Every now and then, they exchanged glances, their hands clasped tightly together.

There was a kind of tragic grandeur about them, as though they were calmly heading toward death.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize that the couple had misunderstood.

They thought this was the new wave meant for him.

Yet even so, though they had already withdrawn from the world after lighting the lamp a second time, they still took the initiative to stand up and go with him.

It seemed that in their minds, they were still thinking that the sooner he died, the sooner they could entrust their orphan to him.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “This is not a wave striking my boat.”

The couple looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then what appeared on their faces was not relief, but disappointment and regret.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Your child would rather have a complete childhood. What you believe is best for him may not be what he actually wants.”

The couple immediately nodded and said yes, though it was likely they had not truly taken it in.

Li Zhuiyuan paid them no further attention and instead asked Xue Liangliang, “Did you go down there?”

Xue Liangliang nodded. “Yeah. Bought some things and took them down for her and the child.”

“You used to go empty-handed?”

“How could I? Every time I came back from a project out of town, I’d bring two sets of local specialties—one to mail to my parents, and one to take to her.”

Liu Changping, who was driving, listened to this exchange and silently wiped the corner of his eye.

Gaoyou was not far from Nantong. They arrived after a little over two hours on the road.

Xue Liangliang got out and made another phone call. After getting back in, he gave Liu Changping the exact address.

It was a waterworks construction site by the lake, not small in scale. But though it ought to have been bustling with activity, it was eerily quiet at the moment.

All the workers had stopped work for the day and were staying in the site barracks.

Instead, all sorts of non-construction vehicles kept driving in and out.

The outer perimeter of the site could be entered, but the inner area had roadblocks set up, and police were conducting security checks.

Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car.

Li Zhuiyuan told Liu Changping to find an inn nearby and stay there, and ordered Xiong Shan and his wife to go with him.

“But you can’t be without people at your side.” Xiong Shan was unwilling to leave at such a moment.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “What danger could there be for me here? If I need you, I’ll call for you.”

Xiong Shan and his wife could only agree, so they stayed in the car and went off with Liu Changping to look for an inn.

After waiting there a while, a middle-aged man came jogging out from inside. “Liangliang, you’re here.”

Xue Liangliang introduced him to Li Zhuiyuan. “Little Yuan, this is Senior Brother Sun.”

“Hello, Senior Brother Sun.”

“So he’s Little Yuan?” Senior Brother Sun reached out and shook Li Zhuiyuan’s hand, showing no trace of contempt or neglect just because the boy was young. “Luo Gong talks about you all the time. He says that if you were around, the drafting work wouldn’t be progressing so slowly.”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “That means I’m not very popular.”

“Heh.” Sun Hongxing took out his ID badge, showed it to the police, and led Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan inside.

Xue Liangliang asked curiously, “What exactly happened?”

Sun Hongxing said, “A waterspout.”

Xue Liangliang said, “Isn’t a waterspout pretty normal?”

Sun Hongxing shook his head. “This one was different. Once you go in and watch the videotape, you’ll understand.”

Inside, many work tents had been set up, and the people moving through them were a chaotic mix.

As they passed several people in blue work uniforms, Li Zhuiyuan heard the sound of bells coming from beneath their clothing.

Sun Hongxing said, “Luo Gong is in a temporary meeting. He isn’t chairing it, so it’s not convenient for us to go in right now. Let’s wait over there first. They’re playing the video there.”

He lifted the tent flap and went in. Quite a few people were already inside.

Some held files, some held blueprints, and one group stood there with their arms folded, their bodies emanating a grim, murderous air.

Inside the tent was a television connected to a video player. On the screen, a local TV news report was being replayed over and over, with the station logo still in the upper-left corner.

The incident had happened yesterday afternoon, and this was the news broadcast from last night.

In the footage, a waterspout had appeared on Gaoyou Lake.

A waterspout, also called a water tornado, forms over the sea or water. It could be understood as a tornado appearing on the water’s surface, with one end connected to the water and the other to the sky, sucking the water upward as it formed.

The waterspout in the footage rose more than a thousand meters and looked spectacular, its upper end disappearing into the gray cloud layer above.

Originally, that was not anything too remarkable. It could only be called an occasional natural phenomenon.

But as the footage continued, a long black shape appeared within the gray clouds, moving and flying about inside them.

The people in the tent clearly were not seeing this for the first time, but when the footage reached that part again, everyone still unconsciously craned their necks and widened their eyes.

The long black figure did not appear for long—less than ten seconds at most—and the footage was very blurry. All one could make out was blackness, with no details.

But the problem was that its flight path and posture were far too smooth and natural, filled with a kind of vitality.

No one even needed to say it. The moment an ordinary person saw that scene, only one word would come to mind... dragon.

On the television, the anchor’s voice was also talking about the sudden appearance of a “dragon” in the clouds, which had attracted local residents to gather and watch.

Several people in front of them, the ones carrying that grim aura, whispered quietly among themselves.

Their voices were very soft, but Li Zhuiyuan’s hearing was sharp, and he still caught it.

They were saying:

“What do you think?”

“Very similar.”

“How does it compare to the one at Qinghai Lake?”

“The one at Qinghai Lake was clearer.”

People kept coming and going from the tent. Only after Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang had watched it five times did they walk out.

Xue Liangliang leaned close to Li Zhuiyuan’s ear and whispered, “Little Yuan, do you think it’s real?”

“I don’t know.”

Xue Liangliang said, “If it’s real, then that’s unbelievable. Are there really creatures like dragons in this world?”

Li Zhuiyuan asked in return, “Your wife can get pregnant. Isn’t that even more unbelievable?”

“Uh...” Xue Liangliang blinked. “When you put it that way, suddenly it feels perfectly reasonable.”

Luo Gong came out after the meeting ended.

“Little Yuan.”

“Teacher.”

“Come, both of you. Let’s go over the design drawings again.”

Luo Gong led everyone into another tent.

“Everyone, remember this: don’t talk about what’s happened here to outsiders. Most of you are still young, and in your future work, it’s very possible you’ll encounter similar things again.”

Xue Liangliang joked, “But the TV station already broadcast it...”

Luo Gong said, “That’s the TV station’s business. But the words can’t come out of our mouths. Even if you do want to talk, wait another ten years. Then when you’re drinking tea or liquor, brag all you like.

“All right. We were only called here to sit in and provide some consultation. First help me sort this all out again as a backup.”

Everyone got to work. The task itself was not complicated; the process was just somewhat lengthy, like a cleanup done in advance to prepare for a leader’s inspection.

But sometimes, work that looked repetitive and meaningless still could not be avoided. It was just another kind of preparation.

They worked until late at night. When the job was finally done, Luo Gong was called away to another small meeting. After he came back, he announced that everyone should go rest at the guesthouse.

Xue Liangliang went to explain the situation to Luo Gong. Luo Gong said, “Since you’ve already booked an inn yourselves, then of course you should go there. The conditions are bound to be better than the guesthouse. Just remember to get an invoice and give it to me.”

So Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan left the construction site.

Liu Changping had dutifully parked the taxi outside, while Xiong Shan and Lihua stood outside the car waiting.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan got into the car, a sedan drove past nearby. Through the rearview mirror, Li Zhuiyuan saw Yu Shu sitting in the front passenger seat.

The boy immediately lowered himself in his seat, avoiding any possible glance in his direction.

After the sedan drove inside, Liu Changping started the taxi and took everyone to the inn.

They booked three rooms in total: one for Xiong Shan and his wife, one for Liu Changping, and one for Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang.

Still, Xiong Shan and his wife planned to keep watch through the night, one inside and one outside the inn.

In the guest room, Li Zhuiyuan went to take a shower first, while Xue Liangliang turned on the television.

Halfway through the shower, Xue Liangliang shouted, “Little Yuan, come out and look!”

Li Zhuiyuan came out while drying his hair.

On the television was the local news, again showing the waterspout footage from yesterday, using exactly the same video material. At least for the moment it looked identical, even down to the anchor’s narration.

Ordinarily, yesterday’s old news should not be rebroadcast again tonight. But if it was major news, repeated airings were normal enough.

Yet as the footage continued, the image on screen was no longer that long, complete black figure. Instead, it had become three large birds flying side by side.

And the anchor’s voice changed along with it:

“Dear viewers, after the waterspout phenomenon occurred, three large birds appeared in the clouds. This scene attracted many local residents to gather and watch.”