Chapter 72
In the eyes of many people, homesickness is like a jar of old wine stored in a cellar. It seems that it is not worthy to say homesickness without raising the glass.
But sometimes, it's more like a can of Jianlibao.
When you open the cap of the bottle, your emotions will be vented along with the gas, and tears and soda will overflow together; take a sip, and the bubbles will dance on the tip of your tongue.
Just like boarding students who rush home every school holiday, children are sent to other homes. They play well during the day, but cry and scream to go home at night.
Tan Wenbin is the most human-like among the children at home.
Therefore, his reaction was also the most exciting.
It seemed that only by stepping on the dam at home, giving Li Sanjiang a hard hug, and hearing Uncle Li call himself "Zhuangzhuang" could he finally confirm from the bottom of his heart:
Phew, I'm finally back, and all the thrilling and terrifying things I encountered along the way have really come to an end.
My own parents really couldn't give me this kind of feeling.
Li Sanjiang likes Zhuangzhuang. Of course, his favorite is definitely his great-grandson.
"Xiao Yuanhou!"
The familiar dialect is like the best catalyst.
Li Zhuiyuan also showed a special look in his eyes.
Li Sanjiang bent down and tried to pick up the boy. He failed the first time, but he succeeded after taking a breath in advance the second time.
It's not that it's too heavy to hold, but it's not as light as before.
Liu Yumei was sitting on a chair drinking tea. The weather was getting colder and she had already put on a small coat. She could not see the majesty she had in the mountain city. She really looked like a delicate old lady in the countryside.
Aunt Liu smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet. Wait, I'll make some noodles for you."
Li Zhuiyuan got off Li Sanjiang, walked into the house, and went upstairs.
Li Sanjiang held a cigarette in his left hand and supported his waist with his right hand. He walked towards Liu Yumei and said with emotion:
"Younger grows up very fast. It may not be long before I can't hold you anymore."
Liu Yumei picked up the tea cup and took a sip, just thinking that the old guy farted.
You can carry a dead float, but you can't carry a living person?
The old guy just saw that his great-grandson was back, and his heart became excited again, and he wanted to pick a matchmaking topic.
Seeing that Liu Yumei didn't answer, Li Sanjiang thought to himself again and said:
"I'm old, really, in the blink of an eye, tsk, man, it's true or false."
Liu Yumei: "Why don't you hurry up and prepare birthday materials?"
Li Sanjiang shook the ashes of his cigarette in embarrassment: "Well, yes, it seems we should really consider it."
"You can't just think about it, you have to hurry up. Nowadays, burials are becoming more and more strict. If you leave late, there will be no loopholes to take advantage of, and you will have to be taken to the crematorium for cremation."
Li Sanjiang smiled and waved his hands in response: "That's the truth, that's the truth."
"Uncle Li, let me introduce to you. This is Yin Meng, a native of Sichuan and Chongqing."
Li Sanjiang listened to Tan Wenbin's introduction to him, and the more he listened, the more he frowned. What, he will live at home in the future?
However, after hearing Yinmeng say that she only needed a place to eat and live without wages, Li Sanjiang felt comfortable. Not only did he agree to stay, but he also said that he would give her wages like Runsheng and Aunt Liu.
His business requires manpower, and he still needs normal small jobs, but he is afraid of having a big Buddha in his family.
Liu Yumei saw the shovel head exposed in Yinmeng's luggage and waved to her: "Girl, come here and talk."
Yinmeng walked over with a smile.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Okay."
Yinmeng grabbed a handful of tea leaves and put them in, then took a thermos and added hot water.
Liu Yumei regretted a little, if she had known she would have asked Xiaoyuan to make tea for herself before letting him go upstairs.
"Where are you from?"
"Fuling people."
“Where is Fuling?”
"Fengdu."
Fengdu, surnamed Yin.
Liu Yumei continued to ask calmly: "At the dock?"
"Well, my family runs a coffin shop in the county town."
"Ghost Street?"
"Grandma, have you been to our place?"
Liu Yumei shook her head: "I haven't been there."
The corpse collectors who usually work at the pier have not been qualified to meet her before, but she does know the Fengdu Yin family.
Because the ancestors of the Yin family are very famous, but only the ancestors, in fact, they have declined long ago.
"Why did you come here?"
"Grandpa is gone. I have no relatives or friends there anymore, so I followed brother Xiao Yuan... and followed Xiao Yuan here."
"You and Ating can live in the West Room."
"Well, okay, I'm pretty good at work and can work."
"Don't tell me this, I'm not the owner."
"Then you came here just like me?"
"So be it."
"The noodles are ready, come and eat." Aunt Liu stood at the door of the kitchen and shouted.
Liu Yumei raised her chin: "Let's eat noodles."
"Hey, that's good."
After Yinmeng left, Liu Yumei fell into deep thought alone.
Aunt Liu came over, sat down on the edge, and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong with you?"
"It makes me sad."
"Because of that girl from the Yin family?"
"Yes, and no. I'm thinking, what is a family inheritance? Is it a surname, something truly unique, or some kind of belief."
"How did you come up with this?"
"After returning from the mountain city, these things have been spinning in my mind."
Aunt Liu covered her mouth and chuckled. She knew that the old lady was looking for a way out for herself.
"Ating, what are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at you."
"No rules, slap your mouth."
"Okay, okay, I'll hit, I'll hit." Aunt Liu pretended to give herself a few blows on the face.
Liu Yumei was also amused and waved her hand to drive her away:
"Go, go, don't show your eyes in front of me, go about your business."
"Hey."
Aunt Liu stood up and passed by the three young people who were eating noodles, and said enthusiastically: "Eat slowly, there is still more in the pot, I will fry a few more eggs for you."
Entering the kitchen, opening the lid of the pot, Aunt Liu hummed while adding oil to the pot.
Old lady, let's see how long you can hold on.
When I think about the day in the future, the noble matron will have to put down her dignity and decide which of her children will have the last name.
Liu Ting couldn't hold back the corners of her mouth, she was quite looking forward to it.
It's getting colder and the screen door has been removed.
Li Zhuiyuan opened the door and saw Ah Li standing inside.
He didn't see anyone at the threshold downstairs before, so he knew the girl was in his room.
On the painting table, there are several completed paintings. The painting paper is surrounded by door frames and the bottom is the threshold. The paintings in the center are all terrifying existences that make people's scalp numb.
Li Zhuiyuan admired the past paintings one by one, and the fascinating paintings made him happier and happier.
This means that Ali begins to look directly at the horrors in the past that she has been avoiding.
Her condition has taken another big step towards the recovery stage.
"Well, why is there still one pressed here?"
Li Zhuiyuan uncovered the painting above, revealing its true appearance.
The perspective of the painting is from bottom to top. Next to the terrace on the second floor, there is a boy holding an ancient book and reading it with gusto.
Ah Li actually painted herself.
"Why not draw yourself up there?"
Ah Li also moved this painting away. The painting below was at an even angle, showing the profile of a boy sitting on a wicker chair and reading a book.
Next, there are two pictures. One is a boy standing on the dam at home at night, with a long-haired shadow wearing a black cheongsam behind him.
The last picture is of Ding Lao'er kneeling in front of the Ding family's mourning hall in the mountain city, and the boy giving Ding Lao'er the enthronement ceremony.
The girl's eyes are all about herself.
An ordinary balcony would not move, but he was a living person, so the girl's eyes would move with him.
Lifting the palm of his right hand again, the previous burn was no longer visible due to the ointment applied by Aunt Liu, but the lesson from last time was still there.
The girl's condition is getting better and better, but if something happens to her again one day, it will inevitably collapse with her.
However, the boy does not feel that this is a burden of responsibility, but more like a counterweight for walking in the strong wind.
Holding the girl's hand, he sat back on the wicker chair on the terrace on the second floor. The two naturally played three games of Go in the distance. At the same time, Li Zhuiyuan also began to tell her the interesting things he had learned after leaving the mountain city.
As he talked, the focus was on Yin Changsheng. The boy said with certainty that when he grew up, he would go to Fengdu again and try to see the Fengdu Emperor, whether he was an immortal or a corpse.
The girl rested her chin on her hand and smiled in her eyes. The boy's expectations were her expectations. If he found the future interesting, he would also have visions for the future.
"Who is that little girl? Oh my God, she's so beautiful."
Although there are many examples of people who were good-looking when they were young but became disabled when they grew up, Yinmeng felt that the little girl upstairs would definitely not be the same. Her current appearance was too tolerant of mistakes. Moreover, her appearance could change, and her temperament could not be changed. Things are hard to change.
Runsheng: "Ali, surnamed Qin. But don't get close to her, she doesn't like strangers."
Yin Meng: "Seriously?"
Runsheng: "Seriously."
After the two of them finished eating, they sat on the dam and weaved the paper figurine frame. Yinmeng used to make small coffins, so this kind of work was even easier.
She even asked Li Sanjiang who was sitting there smoking with great interest:
"Uncle Li, don't you consider opening a coffin shop? I will do it."
Li Sanjiang threw the cigarette butt that reached his butt on the ground and stepped on it with the sole of his shoe:
"If you don't do it, the rabbit's tail won't grow long in this industry."
After a pause, Li Sanjiang said again: "It can be customized."
Yin Meng said boldly: "Sure, I'll make a preparation for you first."
Li Sanjiang clapped his hands: "Yes, you can."
Just then, Aunt Liu walked by, and Li Sanjiang greeted her and asked, "Would you like to order one for your mother-in-law?"
"What to order, a coffin?"
"That's right. It's cheaper to buy the materials yourself or make them yourself."
"No need, our family members will not be buried."
Yin Meng suddenly raised her head and looked at Aunt Liu.
Aunt Liu continued: "In response to the trend of the times, we all plan to be cremated."
Yin Meng lowered her head and continued working.
"Okay, let me think about who else I can make it for. Make one for Shanpao?"
Runsheng looked at Li Sanjiang happily.
"No, I can't even afford mountain cannons. How can I have the money to order a coffin?"
"Uncle, please deduct it from my salary."
"Hey, uncle, I'm kidding you. Even if he has no money, we can still afford to give him a coffin. He was also an orphan without a father or a mother. He has no ancestral grave. From now on, he will be buried with me and next door. I Chat with him when you have free time
Runshenghou, what do you think? ”
Runsheng was silent. When his grandfather was at home, he often scolded Li Sanjiang behind his back.
He said that every time he went out to work with Li Sanjiang in the past few years, he suffered hardships, and it was Li Sanjiang who stole the show.
Grandpa said that the biggest mistake he made in his life was to meet Li Sanjiang, and he would definitely stay away from this old guy in the next life.
If they were buried together and became neighbors, Runsheng was really afraid that his grandfather would be so angry that he would commit suicide.
"Marquis Runsheng, I have a question for you!"
Even in the face of Li Sanjiang's urging, Runsheng did not dare to reply with a perfunctory "yes", because although Uncle Li was much older than his grandfather, he always felt that his grandfather would most likely be ahead of Uncle Li.
If I accept this decision right now, I won't be able to change it until my grandfather kicks his legs off.
Tan Wenbin walked out of the toilet behind the house at this time and said while fastening his belt:
"I said, Uncle Li, what's so good about your ancestral graves? If you ask me, you have to choose a new Feng Shui location, so that your descendants can be prosperous!
As for Uncle Shan, unless he begs me, he won’t want to share Xiaoyuan’s future fortune with me. ”
"The enemy, we can't let the mountain cannon take advantage of this."
Li Sanjiang stood up and beckoned: "Come on, Zhuangzhuang, come with me for a walk in the village, and pick out whose graves are good."
"Yes, this is a big deal, and I have to give you good advice."
"Before you go to see the land, you have to go to Liu Xiazi's house first."
"Then I have to go and let her order one first. Grandma Liu has money."
The two men walked down the dam side by side, talking and laughing.
Yinmeng bumped Runsheng with her arm and asked: "Isn't it Binbin? Why is it called Zhuangzhuang?"
Runsheng: "We recognize each other as God's relatives."
"Then should I recognize one too?"
"Then you have to make the coffin well, and don't be lazy at work."
"Uncle Li likes hard-working and down-to-earth children?"
Runsheng hesitated for a moment, then recalled what Li Sanjiang called him on weekdays, and said:
"Uncle likes mules."
……
The days passed by like this.
Li Zhuiyuan only suspected it before, but now he can say that he has confirmed that the person buried under the peach tree of Big Beard's family has changed the feng shui of the village and even the town.
At first, death was like leeks, appearing one after another, making people overwhelmed;
It's fine now. I haven't heard any news about his death in several months, which makes people miss him very much.
It is estimated that this situation will continue for several years. When that person is completely wiped out and disappears, the nearby scene of vigorous vitality and all things competing can be restored.
However, although he temporarily lost his life, Li Zhuiyuan's life was very fulfilling.
He didn't go to school anymore, but his days were as if he had scheduled classes.
The first thing when I wake up in the morning is to admire Ali's clothing style today.
Then we played a few rounds of chess with Ali, and then went to have breakfast.
Li Zhuiyuan spent most of the day reading.
One-third of the book written by the ancestors of the Qi family has now been cracked. He deliberately slowed down the pace and only used his spare energy to crack it every day.
He has read all of the Yin family tree, it is really exciting.
It contains not only the Yin family's various research and verification on Yin Changsheng, but also many people's own travel notes. Although it is only one surname, it has been passed down from generation to generation since the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it equals many examples and experiences of corpse collectors.
This ordinary and orthodox perspective of the corpse collector has been of great help to Li Zhuiyuan today. Although Wei Zhengdao's book is accurate and lofty, it is somewhat not grounded enough.
The bamboo slips have been restored, but Xue Liangliang said that he would deliver them in person, so now they cannot reach him.
After studying, Li Zhuiyuan and Ah Li played chess, blew the wind, and played some private games between the two of them.
Nowadays, Li Zhuiyuan can calmly stand in the "Ali Threshold Perspective" and look at the "scenery". He does not deliberately delay time and wakes up in time. There are no serious side effects, at least he is a little dizzy.
The old man Yin Fuhai once said that he was "strong". He thought that after this period of special training, he should be able to become stronger.
Moreover, Ali's special training was actually just the beginning, because he was still standing within the threshold. If he wanted to go further, he only had to cross that threshold.
But it was too dangerous, and Li Zhuiyuan didn't dare. He hadn't grown up yet, and he didn't want to risk an early death for himself.
Yin Meng has integrated into local life almost seamlessly. She is an expert at making paper figures and coffins, and she usually accompanies Runsheng to deliver tables, chairs and dishes to weddings.
She has a good relationship with Runsheng.
Because Binbin had to go to school every day, he didn't have breakfast at home and had to rush to study in the morning.
However, he still can't attend self-study in the evening. Otherwise, although others live here, he will hardly be seen at home.
At night, he would practice kung fu with Yin Meng on the horse step.
Although family knowledge is not allowed to be passed on to others, she is the only one left in the Yin family. Doesn't she have the final say whether it is passed on or not?
Runsheng would sometimes practice with him, and everyone basically started to follow the path of the Yin family's corpse hunter. At least, there was an orthodox path.
This is also a historical reason. The earliest path of the Yin family must have been very high-end and difficult to follow, but who said that the Yin family declined early and passed on long enough? Generations of Yin family members have thought about reducing the number of people to reduce the difficulty, and at least pass on the basic kung fu. Came down.
The Qin family's kung fu is maintained by a high level, and it cannot be practiced blindly without the guidance of a dedicated person. Now Li Zhuiyuan is the only one who continues to practice breathing.
There was no way, as soon as Uncle Qin left, he never appeared again, as if it was completely cut off at once, leaving no trace of involvement.
Every night, Yin Meng would teach first, and then Runsheng would teach Wei Zhengdao's moves that he had "summarized" from Li Zhuiyuan.
The Yin family is responsible for laying the foundation, while Wei Zhengdao is responsible for raising the ceiling.
At first, the three of them practiced on the terrace on the second floor. After Li Sanjiang scolded him for disturbing him to sleep, the three of them ran to the fields to practice.
Facts have once again proven that excellent teaching materials combined with excellent qualifications will definitely produce good results.
Yin Meng's skills have become extremely flexible now, and her moves can be controlled freely.
Runsheng is even more frightening. Now every punch and kick brings a roar. In the past, he could only rely on instinct to deal with death, and he would often pounce on him and bite him like a wild beast. Now, he can do it more calmly, like a beast. It’s the beast who learns to wear a suit and tie, which feels more oppressive.
Tan Wenbin, who was practicing together, could be said to be drooling with envy at their progress. His companions were improving at a speed visible to the naked eye, but he himself could only achieve the effect of physical training.
The three of them would practice moves every night, and they would first let Tan Wenbin choose one, and then the chosen one would quickly knock Tan Wenbin down, and then the two would practice sparring.
The only thing that could give Tan Wenbin some confidence back was when Xiaoyuan taught the three of them how to move Yin, and he made the fastest progress.
Although Xiaoyuan was forbidden to complete the last step to successfully walk Yin, he had figured out the previous steps clearly. On the other hand, Runsheng and Yinmeng were slow to learn how to walk Yin. But despite this, Tan Wenbin also discovered something was wrong, that is, when he went to bed at night or took a nap in the classroom, he would easily get into bed.
After telling Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan said that this was a side effect. In the few days after being pressed into bed by the ghost, he had to stop practicing walking.
Li Zhuiyuan really couldn't solve this side effect, or in other words, it couldn't be solved at all, because it was one of the negative aspects.
But during the teaching process, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that people who seem to have more active and sensitive thinking are more likely to learn to walk in the dark.
Every once in a while, Tan Wenbin would come to Li Zhuiyuan to get his customized exercise set, and then send another copy to the school.
The sales volume of "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" is now very good in Nantong, and it has also been sold out of this city.
There is a considerable amount of dividends coming down every month.
Tan Wenbin has already prepared a new plan for Li Zhuiyuan.
Starting from the next semester, we will no longer provide sets of exercises based on knowledge points of each subject, but entire test papers.
Because the second semester of the senior year is the key point for the sprint, students and teachers have finished reviewing the previous knowledge points, and the demand for the entire volume is huge.
The entire volume can be divided into levels of difficulty, including basic volume, simulation volume and improved volume.
The basic papers enhance confidence, the simulation papers are of normal college entrance examination difficulty, and the improvement papers are specially used to torture people.
Originally, Tan Wenbin wanted to suggest that Li Zhuiyuan fill in the entire paper. For example, for a paper, it is best to have only a few high-quality questions. The rest of the questions can be done casually, and then the teacher can choose a few questions on the paper. Let students do it.
In this way, the burden of setting questions is reduced and sales are increased.
But after thinking about it, Tan Wenbin gave up the idea. Now is still the time to build awareness, but he can't tarnish the brand, and he doesn't just earn this year's share.
After building the brand, the big deal is selling the "Chasing the Lost Secret Volume" brand in the future. That's the big deal.
Tan Wenbin, who studies and practices martial arts at the same time, is very busy every day, and his appetite continues to increase. However, he is not fat, but has lost some weight.
"Brother Xiaoyuan, the final exam is coming up. Do you want to take part?"
"Well, it's a test."
"Then I will go with you tomorrow morning?"
"No, I'll go in the afternoon."
"But there are Chinese and mathematics tests in the morning."
"We can take the exam together after I go there."
It snowed at night, and before dawn the next day, Tan Wenbin rode his bicycle to school in the wind and snow.
At noon, Li Zhuiyuan had just finished lunch when he saw Principal Wu driving the school car and parked at the end of the farmland.
After getting into the car, Principal Wu pointed to the car seat on the other side with a smile: "Xiaoyuan, there are snacks and drinks inside."
"I have eaten, Grandpa Principal."
"Then wait a moment, I'll take you home first."
Principal Wu got out of the car, took a large bag of snacks to Li Sanjiang's house, and started the car again when he came back.
After arriving at the school, I walked into the principal's office, where the team leaders and teachers of each subject were waiting.
Li Zhuiyuan sat down and started working on the final exam papers.
Although two exams had already started in the morning, no one would suspect that the boy would cheat by leaking questions.
When writing a Chinese composition, Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the tape recorder placed on the principal's desk.
"Let's listen to English."
"Ah, now?"
Principal Wu immediately urged: "If I tell you to let it go, just let it go. Are you the teacher or he is the teacher!"
"Oh, okay."
Principal Wu said something stupid, but no one in the room laughed.
Put the tape in and the listening begins:
"Excuseme...the price of the shirt is £9 15p.
So you choose option [B] and mark it on your test paper..."
After Li Zhuiyuan finished writing his composition, he started writing the physics test paper. After finishing physics, he had finished his English listening test for a long time, so Li Zhuiyuan picked up the English paper.
"I'll play it again..."
Li Zhuiyuan finished writing the listening questions "shuashuashua".
The teacher wisely shut up.
In fact, after learning the twelve methods of the Yin family, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that his ability to multi-task has been further strengthened.
After writing the test papers, many subjects had been corrected on the spot to get full marks.
Principal Wu's old face smiled like a flower, and he came over to help the boy massage his sore wrist.
"Xiaoyuan, the National Olympiad is about to start. Is there anything inconvenient for you here?"
"I can go."
"That's good, that's good."
At this time, Teacher Yan, the leader of the mathematics group next to him, also smiled and said: "Then let's go early, so that Xiaoyuan can still have fun in Beijing."
Wu Xinhan glared at Teacher Yan and cursed: "Are you out of your mind? Xiaoyuan grew up in Beijing."
"Oh, right." Teacher Yan patted his forehead where the hairline was receding, "I forgot."
"Grandpa Principal, are we going by train?"
"It's so tiring to take the train. Let's go by plane."
Wu Xinhan and a group of teachers accompanied Li Zhuiyuan out of the office and all the way to the school gate.
At this time, an exam had just ended, and the senior high school students walked out of the exam room while stretching.
Monitor Zhou Yunyun, who was obviously not in the examination room on the same floor, happened to meet Tan Wenbin outside the examination room.
"How did you do in the exam?" Zhou Yunyun handed over a White Rabbit toffee.
Tan Wenbin took the candy, then reached into his pocket and took out a chocolate packaging bag, but half of the chocolate inside had been eaten by him during the exam.
Zhou Yunyun didn't dislike it and naturally reached out to pick it up.
But Tan Wenbin put the remaining half of the chocolate into his mouth.
"Oh, I'm so hungry."
Zhou Yunyun naturally made a half circle with his outstretched hand and turned it into arranging his hair.
Tan Wenbin saw the boy surrounded by teachers and leaders at the school gate. He did not wave his arms and shout, but smiled and walked back to the classroom.
After sitting in his seat, Tan Wenbin placed the small coffin pencil box on the desk.
Previously, he entered the examination room with a coffin in hand.
Zhou Yunyun sat in Li Zhuiyuan's seat, opened his pencil case, and took out a note from it.
"Let's check the answers?"
Tan Wenbin shook his head: "No need to."
"Afraid of affecting the status of the next exam?"
"No, I think I can pass the exam."
"Can you change the pencil case?"
"No." Tan Wenbin turned to look at Zhou Yunyun, "You don't like it, why do you want one from me? I won't see you using it even if you do."
Zhou Yunyun was speechless for a while. She asked for one, and Tan Wenbin also gave it to her, but she only put it deep in the drawer and did not put it out for use.
Firstly, this thing is a little off-putting, and secondly, the two of them have not established a relationship, so what's the point of using a coffin and pencil case together?
If the relationship is really confirmed, she, she, she... will use it.
Mainly, she found that she liked this big boy more and more. In the past, she was just a good student and appreciated this kind of flamboyance.
Later, he got better and better at studying, and somehow, his whole temperament also changed. Although he still looked lazy and out of shape, his eyebrows became more and more interesting and attractive.
If we talk about the past, both parties still had a good impression of each other, but they had a tacit understanding to keep their distance and not reveal it. Now it is Zhou Yunyun who is more proactive. She even hinted several times that the relationship was confirmed, but the man showed no reaction.
Even Zhou Yunyun himself couldn't figure out what was going on with him.
But in fact, this is normal. Not to mention that they are all high school students now, even college students, their eyes are clear as if they are in an ivory tower.
As for Tan Wenbin, he has experienced life and death crises several times. Although his appearance has not changed much with his age, his mentality has already caused a dimensionality reduction blow to the classmates around him.
But the more this happens, the less he will accept Zhou Yunyun's hint. He is still young, so he should focus on his studies. Don't delay you.
The most important thing is that he is like riding a hot wheel every day. He is so busy that he has no time to fall in love.
Puppy love is not as interesting as death.
Although he hasn't seen anyone fall down for a long time recently, he is not in a hurry. The preparations now are all for seeing bigger ones in the future.
Principal Wu drove Li Zhuiyuan back to his home. When he came to his home, Li Zhuiyuan heard someone calling him on the second floor. When he looked up, he saw that it was Xue Liangliang.
"Xiaoyuan!"
"Brother Liangliang."
Xue Liangliang just took a shower and changed into new clothes.
Li Zhuiyuan felt that if he had not gone to the river, he might have sprayed perfume on his hair.
"Xiaoyuan, I have put the restored bamboo slips on your desk. It has indeed been delayed for a long time, but I can't help it. I don't trust others to deliver such an important thing, so I can only deliver it myself."
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Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe it.
He felt that the reason why Brother Liangliang insisted on delivering the bamboo slips in person was because he wanted to have an excuse to come to Nantong again.
Then, based on the principle of "come as you come," make up an excuse that you have no other choice, and then go to the bottom of the river.
"Brother Liangliang, will you sleep here tonight?"
"No more sleep."
"Then you want to go to other cities overnight?"
"Well...it doesn't count."
Li Zhuiyuan looked at him.
Xue Liangliang sighed and said helplessly: "Oh, I have no choice but to come."
"Yeah."
I don’t know who it was, but they used to fight hard at the negotiation table to extend the frequency of going down to the river. How many years would it be next?
It's better now, come to Nantong whenever you have time, and go into the river when you come.
"Oh, by the way, Xiaoyuan, remember when you talked to me on the phone last time, you said that there are big secrets buried in Fengdu Ghost Town. Will you go there again in the future?"
"Well, I have to wait until I grow up before going. Brother Liangliang, do you want to come too?"
"I think, you have to call me when the time comes. However, you have to grow up quickly, and it's best not to delay too much when you grow up, otherwise..."
"What else would happen?"
Xue Liangliang shrugged: "Otherwise, the ghost town may be flooded."
"Is that so? I understand."
"Remember..."
"I understand, Brother Liangliang, I will keep it a secret."
"Haha, then I'll leave."
After Xue Liangliang left, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room and looked through the bamboo slips.
The writing capacity of the bamboo slips is there, so there are not many words on them, and what is recorded is not the deeds or methods, but the location.
There were nine locations in total, and Li Zhuiyuan could only confirm three of them.
No way, the bamboo slips were written in the Spring and Autumn Period, and even the objects they were copied on may have been written earlier, so the landmark vocabulary is simply not consistent with the present. There is still a big debate in the historians about where some place names are. The influence of geological changes was not considered.
Of the three confirmed places, one is the mysterious seabed where the masked man and Zheng Haiyang’s parents have visited.
One is Fengdu Ghost Town.
The last place should be in the current plateau area, near Linzhi.
Li Zhuiyuan excerpted the contents on the bamboo slips. Since he was going to Beijing soon, he could ask his grandparents in his family's courtyard to help him analyze and confirm the location.
In addition to bamboo slips, Xue Liangliang also brought a lot of professional books, as well as various design plans and drawings that can be packed in sacks.
Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but feel touched. Brother Liangliang went out of his way to prepare these for himself when he couldn't wait. It was really not easy.
Because he flew to Beijing to take an exam and then came back, it didn't take long, so Li Sanjiang was not worried. If he hadn't known that Xiao Yuanhou was coming back from Beijing, he would have really wanted to suggest that the school should have a longer round-trip air ticket. Convenient for public travel.
Accompanied by Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan, Li Zhuiyuan came to Beijing and checked into the hotel selected by the competition team.
The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan got up early, and the exam actually started in the afternoon.
Wu Xinhan asked with concern: "Xiaoyuan, are you nervous?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and took out his breakfast coupon: "It's time to have breakfast."
In the restaurant, there are many teachers leading students, as well as some members of the competition group.
The hotel thoughtfully prepared authentic Beijing-style bean juice, and many people from out of town came to pick it up and drink it.
Li Zhuiyuan drank the hot milk, watched Principal Wu and Teacher Yan in front of him pick up the bowls, watched them lower their heads expectantly and took a sip, and finally watched them spit it out.
Even so, Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan still did not draw any conclusions about the taste of the bean juice, and still wondered whether they drank it in the wrong way.
They both took another sip, and this time they swallowed it forcefully. However, the strong aftertaste made both of them narrow their eyes and wrinkle their faces together.
Wu Xinhan couldn't help but ask: "Xiaoyuan, is this bean juice really authentic?"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Authentic."
"Really? Xiaoyuan, do you want to have a taste?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "There's no need to taste it. Just by looking at your expressions, I know it's authentic."
"No, what's so good about this?" Teacher Yan couldn't understand. "I would rather change my career to teach Chinese than drink this every morning."
Li Zhuiyuan: “Actually, not many locals drink this.”
Wu Xinhan asked: "Then how can it continue to be sold?"
Li Zhuiyuan: "Sell to tourists."
Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were speechless for a moment.
At this time, an old man passed by surrounded by three people, all wearing the badges of the competition group.
The old man saw the boy, frowned and walked over on his own initiative: "Xiaoyuan?"
Li Zhuiyuan stood up and looked at the old man: "Professor Zhu."
"You have returned to Beijing, no, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to compete."
"What game?"
Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the competition group badge on the old man's chest.
Professor Zhu understood and held his breath in his neck for a long time before finally spitting out: "Nonsense!"
Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan also stood up and began to ask each other about their identities, while handing out their business cards to introduce themselves.
Professor Zhu dealt with it for a while, then sat down on the chair next to him and asked Li Zhuiyuan: "What have you been doing in the past six months?"
"Go to school."
"Study in high school?"
"Yeah."
Learn how to survive.
Professor Zhu closed his eyes and suppressed his anger.
Because the old professor is sitting here, he attracts a lot of attention. When people pass by later, they will also go here specially.
More and more prominent people gathered together, and Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan were silently squeezed to the table next door.
Sitting here now are three professors who have taught me, as well as a few seniors.
When he learned that Li Zhuiyuan was here to take an exam, a senior laughed and scolded him: "It's a crappy exam. I can give you an award directly."
The seniors are not here for exams, but for the competition group.
Professor Zhu finally calmed down and suggested, "Why don't you just stop taking the exam and let the competition team award you an honorary award."
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Principal Wu and Teacher Yan sitting at the next table, and they both nodded.
"No, I want to take the test."
Professor Zhu was about to lose his temper when two professors next to him held him down and said to Li Zhuiyuan: "Only this time, only this time!"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Okay."
Next, the professors began to persuade the boy to come back and continue schooling. After learning that the boy had been admitted to Haihe University, everyone looked confused and surprised.
In the end, it was Li Zhuiyuan who modified Liangliang's version of "My future lies in the southwest of my motherland" and told them, which made them unable to continue persuading them.
The afternoon exam went smoothly. After Li Zhuiyuan finished the exam, he asked Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan to take him to the family home by taxi.
When I first entered the family home, the first thing I heard was the happy voices of the elderly:
"Oh, Xiaoyuan, where have you been in the past six months?"
"Isn't this Xiao Yuan? Ha, I haven't seen you for a long time. I've grown taller."
Li Zhuiyuan used to eat a lot of food in the family courtyard, and he got along very well with the elderly. Many of them treated the boy as their own grandchild.
But soon, another piece of news came out from the mouths of the old people:
"Xiaoyuan, did you come back with your mother?"
"Are you not sure? I saw his mother came back this morning."
Li Lan, are you back?
Li Zhuiyuan handed the excerpted bamboo slips to a retired history professor named Zhang, and left his current contact information. There are also ancient Chinese and geography students in the family courtyard. Li Zhuiyuan believed that Grandpa Zhang would know how to do it himself. Call friends.
After completing the purpose of coming to the family home today, Li Zhuiyuan asked Wu Xinhan to take him away. He didn't want to see Li Lan, and he believed that Li Lan didn't want to see him either.
But the boy was wrong.
As soon as he walked out of Grandpa Zhang's house, he saw Li Lan standing there in a brown windbreaker.
Next to them, there were many elderly residents of the family home with loving smiles on their faces.
Li Lan gently lifted her hair, with a warm smile on her face, and while bending down to the boy, she opened her arms:
"Son, come to mom quickly. Mom misses you."
(End of chapter)