Chapter 8: The Deathday Rite

Granny Liu had said her granddaughter wasn’t just a typical autistic child. Now, Li Zhuiyuan believed her.

“Uncle Sanjiang! Uncle Sanjiang!”

Behind him, Niu Fu’s voice and footsteps were growing closer. The girl’s gaze was still locked on him, tracking his every move.

Can’t let her keep staring like that…

Li Zhuiyuan stepped toward the girl, stopping four meters from the threshold. Then he sidestepped twice, placing his body squarely in her line of sight to block her view of Niu Fu.

It would’ve been simpler to just go up and cover her eyes with his hands—but he didn’t dare.

Granny Liu’s earlier warnings weren’t made up, especially not after the bloody lesson with Li Sanjiang.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed the girl’s eyelashes were trembling slightly.

Was it because a stranger was getting close, or because of what she was “seeing”?

Still, she didn’t try to sidestep around him to keep looking. Instead, she turned her head back to its original angle and stared forward, gaze level.

She froze again.

Li Zhuiyuan let out a breath. He’d been half-expecting her to suddenly lunge up and bite him.

This was his first time getting so close to her.

Her old-fashioned clothes suited her perfectly, almost elegantly.

She sat there like he was the intruder, the one barging into her era, her private courtyard.

Just then, Liu Yumei walked over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly.

“Little Yuan, Grandma warned you, didn’t she? Don’t get too close to A’Li.”

“I remember, Grandma,” Li Zhuiyuan said, pointing toward the threshold. “I won’t go any closer.”

Maybe their earlier talk had made Liu Yumei warm up to the boy, because she teased him.

“So, what do you think? My A’Li’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s beautiful. Looks like you.”

“Hehehe…”

Liu Yumei chuckled. She stepped into the house and glanced at the wooden shelf inside, stacked six layers high with ancestral tablets—Lius on the left, Qins on the right.

She picked up a small empty dish, selected a few pastries from the offering tray below, and handed the dish to Li Zhuiyuan.

“Here, Grandma’s treating you to some snacks.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” Li Zhuiyuan took it with both hands.

“These are from the offering tray—they’re clean.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t mind. Picking up a piece of pastry, he bit into it. It was soft, delicate, and left a rich aftertaste.

“Is it sweet?” Liu Yumei asked.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “It’s good. Not too sweet.”

Liu Yumei sat on the threshold, studying him.

“When’s your mom coming to take you back to Beijing?”

“Depends on when she has time.”

“Miss her?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.”

“I miss her in my heart.”

“You’re a steady one. Got any siblings?”

“I’m an only child.”

“A’Li’s an only child too,” Liu Yumei said, glancing lovingly at the girl.

She raised a hand as if to stroke her granddaughter’s head, then let it fall.

“Granny Liu, where are you from?”

“My ancestors were riverfolk. No official hometown. But if you really want to trace it, then this Yangtze River—that’s Grandma and Grandpa’s ancestral home.”

When she mentioned Qin Li’s grandfather, a soft glow passed over Liu Yumei’s face.

She turned that look toward Li Zhuiyuan.

He understood and asked, “You and Grandpa were very close, weren’t you?”

“Not at first. Our families were enemies. Later that shameless rascal fell for me and insisted on marrying me. My dad and my brothers were so mad they almost tied him up and sank him in the river. The two families nearly went to war again.”

Li Zhuiyuan prompted her, “And then?”

“And then, well, I got tricked into marrying him. Had his kid.”

“Did your family accept him?”

“They did. Sank into the river right along with him.”

Liu Yumei suddenly caught herself. How’d she end up talking about this?

“Oh right, Little Yuan, why did your parents get divorced?”

The moment she asked, she regretted it. How could she ask a child that?

“They couldn’t live together anymore.”

“Your dad’s fault?”

“Dad loves Mom very much.”

Just then, Niu Fu’s voice echoed from the distance: “All right, Uncle Sanjiang, it’s settled then. I’m heading out. Wait for me at home.”

Li Zhuiyuan was surprised. That was fast.

He sneaked a look and saw Niu Fu at the edge of the dam, still hunched over. Relieved, he went off to find Li Sanjiang.

“Great-grandpa! Great-grandpa!”

“What is it?”

Li Sanjiang didn’t stop walking. He headed straight for the outhouse, undid his waistband, and sat down on his “dragon throne.”

Short Li Zhuiyuan stood below him—it felt like all he was missing was a horsetail whisk.

Actually, Li Sanjiang’s outhouse was fairly decent. Built behind the new house, away from view.

In contrast, many village toilets were right next to the main house and directly faced the village road. Sit on one during the day, and it was like holding court in front of officials.

If you knew someone walking by, they’d even stop to chat.

“Great-grandpa, you agreed to it?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Didn’t you see his back? That thing…”

“I saw. I wasn’t going to go, but then he doubled the hush money. All three siblings chipped in. Couldn’t say no to that—heh, it was just too much.”

“But it’s dangerous…”

“Little Yuanhou, money can make ghosts turn millstones. Danger only matters if the price isn’t right. Watch—Blind Liu will go too.”

“Great-grandpa…”

“Little Yuanhou, this is the life I chose. Don’t worry. I’ve seen more storms than you’ve had meals, and I’ve never capsized yet.”

“When are you going?”

“Depends on when Blind Liu picks a date. But it’ll be soon. When your Grandpa Hanhou brought you clothes, he said they’re about to organize the river digging.”

“River digging?”

“Yeah, dredging the river. Old tradition. Happens every few decades. Not just ten villages around here—the whole of rural Jiangsu sends its strongest workers.”

“So, we’ve got to finish the Deathday Rite before that.”

…

“Gotta finish the Deathday Rite before the river digging starts, or the family won’t have peace.”

Not far from Li Sanjiang’s house, Niu Fu stood beneath a tree by the stream. One hand braced against the trunk, the other undid his waistband to relieve himself.

After he was done and fixing his pants, he suddenly felt his back had straightened a bit. He even bounced on his heels.

Looking back toward Li Sanjiang’s house, Niu Fu couldn’t help thinking:

“Looks like Uncle Sanjiang is just like Granny Liu—has the gift!”

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