Chapter 332

"Xiaoyuan Hou, buy cigarettes."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Aunt Zhang's convenience store entrance, reaching out to point at the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes on the shelf. "I want that one."

Aunt Zhang: "Oh, Uncle Sanjiang is quite stylish these days."

Li Sanjiang, walking behind, hadn't noticed anything. He just casually replied, "Of course, I've always been very stylish." As he got closer and saw Aunt Zhang hand Xiaoyuan Hou a pack of Zhonghua, he paused slightly but just smiled, reaching into his pocket. The cigarettes were expensive, not for everyday use, but he could afford a pack once in a while.

Before Li Sanjiang could pay, Li Zhuiyuan took out money and handed it to Aunt Zhang himself.

Aunt Zhang: "That's too much money."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'll take a carton."

Aunt Zhang: "Alright."

Li Zhuiyuan placed the pack of Zhonghua into his great-grandfather's hand. The young man carried a plastic bag containing a carton of the cigarettes his great-grandfather usually smoked. Li Sanjiang tore open the wrapper, opened the cigarette box, pulled out a cigarette, sniffed it under his nose, then put it in his mouth, pulling out a match to light it.

Aunt Zhang laughed: "Uncle Sanjiang, you're really blessed."

Li Sanjiang adjusted the cigarette filter and responded, "Indeed."

Unlike other elderly people, Li Sanjiang was not stubborn; he was open-minded and adaptable. He used to feel a little lost when Xiaoyuan Hou no longer needed his financial support, but now, he rather enjoyed the boy's occasional acts of filial piety. After all, all his possessions would eventually be left to Xiaoyuan Hou; he had even made his will long ago.

Aunt Zhang: "We slaughtered a pig at home. Uncle Sanjiang, would you like some meat?"

Li Sanjiang: "What's the occasion?"

Nearly every household in the village had a pigsty, but locals were frugal and liked to scrimp, so there wasn't even a custom of slaughtering a pig for New Year's. They would only reluctantly slaughter one when there was an event requiring a feast, as it was better than buying from outside shops.

Aunt Zhang: "Our little girl had appendicitis last week, had surgery at the town clinic, and she's back now."

Li Sanjiang: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Aunt Zhang: "It was just a minor illness and a small operation, no need for a big fuss. Counting both our families, three tables of relatives would be the most."

Li Sanjiang: "That's true."

For minor illnesses, only close relatives would visit and give a red envelope. After discharge, it was customary to treat these relatives to a meal.

Aunt Zhang: "One pig is too much to eat."

Li Sanjiang: "Send it to my place. We go through a lot there. Oh, and please get me some extra blood."

Aunt Zhang replied, "Alright, I'll have my family send it over to you shortly."

Li Sanjiang: "Your youngest girl, she's not young anymore, is she?"

Aunt Zhang: "Indeed."

When Zhao Yi was here, Aunt Zhang thought he was good-looking and had considered him, but Zhao Yi's remark about "two wives" truly frightened her.

Li Sanjiang: "Still looking for a live-in son-in-law?"

Aunt Zhang had only daughters. If one wanted an easy life, marrying off all the daughters was an option. However, those with some ambition and decent family conditions would usually keep one daughter to marry a live-in son-in-law. Liu Jinxia had originally found a live-in son-in-law for Li Juxiang.

Aunt Zhang: "That's what we used to think, but after that incident, my husband has also become a bit more open-minded lately. Ah, who would have thought?"

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, who would have thought."

Aunt Zhang: "It still comes down to fate. If they're meant to be family, they'll enter the family. If not, they'll only bring trouble."

"That's true."

Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan left the convenience store and continued their post-breakfast stroll.

"Xiaoyuan Hou," Li Sanjiang said, "don't buy these cigarettes by the carton anymore. We have plenty of loose packs at home." Li Sanjiang usually managed funeral rites and ceremonies, often receiving cigarettes by the box, so he never worried about running out. Sometimes, when he went out, he would deliberately carry an empty cigarette pack in his pocket to collect loose cigarettes on his way home, filling it up.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Next time, I'll buy a carton of Zhonghua."

Li Sanjiang raised his voice: "I'd be like an immortal, smoking whole cartons of Zhonghua, haha!"

He exhaled a smoke ring, flicked off the ash, and then asked, "By the way, Xiaoyuan Hou, what did that old lady specifically call you over for this morning?"

"Grandma Liu is going to the city today and asked me to go with her."

"Oh, is she going to buy something for you?"

"Probably not."

"If she does buy something for you, just accept it. Let that materialistic old lady bleed a little more; she loses at the card table anyway."

"Okay, Great-Grandfather."

When they returned home from their walk, they found that Aunt Zhang's husband had already delivered the pork and pig blood. There was a good amount of meat, and Aunt Liu had already paid for it; it was much cheaper than buying from the butcher shop in town. There was no worry about not being able to finish all the meat, as the family consumes a lot. Li Sanjiang picked up a bag of pig blood and started to prepare it.

It wasn't for making blood curd, but for creating "black dog blood," used during rituals. Li Sanjiang was very experienced at this "fake production." First, he filtered and processed it slightly, then carried the basin into the main hall and began to mix in pigments. This kind of "black dog blood" had red as its base color and black for solemnity. When sprinkled, it quickly solidified and produced a good visual effect.

While Li Sanjiang was busy, Little Hei's dog bed was right beside him. Little Hei rested its head on its paw, eyes open, watching Li Sanjiang create the artificial "black dog blood." Little Hei was very intelligent, definitely smart among dogs. After all, it knew how to make choices. To continue its life of good food, drink, and laziness, it even disdained canine romance. Whenever blood was collected, Little Hei would actively extend its paw, and after the collection, it would shake it, signaling with its eyes that more could be drawn. During breaks from "walking the river," when the use of "red mud" was low, the frequency and amount of blood collection would also decrease. Little Hei would become anxious about this, actively reaching out to nudge Runsheng or Tan Wenbin, fearing it would lose its source of income.

But seeing Li Sanjiang right in front of him, Little Hei had no desire to flatter, because Li Sanjiang was making a whole basin of it. After preparing it, Li Sanjiang used a container to store it. Then, he went to bring out all his tools and equipment, wiping what needed wiping and airing what needed airing. Especially the peach wood sword, whose hilt was marked with the stamp of a Shandong state-owned furniture factory, was Li Sanjiang's cherished possession. He even applied a layer of oil to it to make it appear more lustrous.

Lin Shuyou squatted beside him and asked, "Great-Grandfather, is there a big job?"

Li Sanjiang nodded: "Yes, a very big job. You should get ready too; you're coming with me this afternoon to dance the spirit."

Lin Shuyou: "What I do isn't dancing the spirit'..."

Ever since a generous venue owner hired them for an event, Li Sanjiang had Lin Shuyou perform "Guang Jiang Shou" (General Commander dance). After receiving a large red envelope, Lin Shuyou's Guang Jiang Shou became an extra service for Li Sanjiang's funeral business.

When they met clients with deep pockets, Li Sanjiang would recommend Lin Shuyou.

Li Sanjiang: "It's all the same; you dance very well."

Lin Shuyou: "Of course."

Li Sanjiang: "Today's a fierce one, be careful."

Lin Shuyou: "How fierce can it be? Grandfather, don't scare yourself."

A-You knew that with the peach forest there, the Nantong area was very stable and peaceful, and even the greatest resentment would find it difficult to manifest into a ghost.

Li Sanjiang: "It's fierce. An entire family is gone; they were wiped out."

Lin Shuyou: "When did this happen?"

Li Sanjiang: "Those few days when you went back to Fujian."

Lin Shuyou: "Who did it? Robbers or drifters?"

Social order at that time was not very stable, and almost every year, news of murderers committing crimes across multiple provinces would break out and be continuously reported by newspapers and television.

Such cases, wherever they occurred, would cause great social panic, even sparking a craze among local residents to reinforce or replace their doors and windows. Li Sanjiang mumbled a few times, shaking his head: "There must be an explanation; otherwise, they wouldn't have invited me. Just wait and see."

Lin Shuyou: "Should I get ready too?"

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, put on your makeup beforehand; you can start dancing as soon as we arrive."

Lin Shuyou: "Okay."

In fact, Lin Shuyou no longer needed makeup when performing his facial transformations for spirit possession; it was now something he did naturally.

The lunch dishes were very substantial.

Although the food standards at Li Sanjiang's home had always been high, their pure oil and fat consumption alone was greater than that of a factory with a hundred people in the nearby town. But today's lunch was exceptionally different from usual. Runsheng, who had returned from the fields, looked at the basin filled with braised pork and gazed at Li Sanjiang with some confusion.

Tan Wenbin: "I say, Old Man Li, did you win the lottery again?"

Li Sanjiang: "No way."

Tan Wenbin: "So, are you just planning to live it up?"

Li Sanjiang: "Eat up, eat more. You're all coming to work with me later."

Tan Wenbin: "Is there a big job? Hmm... wait, shouldn't there be a meal provided for a big job?"

Li Sanjiang: "Zhuangzhuang, can't food shut your mouth?"

Tan Wenbin: "Shut, shut, I'll shut it now."

After the meal, Li Sanjiang directly assigned tasks. From Uncle Qin and Xiong Shan, to Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou—all the workers in the family were dispatched. Usually at this time, Li Zhuiyuan would also ask to go along, but today, Grandma Liu had something planned. Li Sanjiang led everyone away, pushing out three flatbed carts, all fully loaded with various paper effigies.

As Aunt Liu cleared the table, she specifically asked Liu Yumei, "Shall I go with you?"

"No need. I didn't even call Ah Li, and they won't bring him either."

Liu Yumei waved to Li Zhuiyuan, and the young man walked over.

"You'll accompany me to meet a few people later."

"Okay, Grandma Liu."

"Don't call me Grandma."

"Is it that you don't want them to know who I am?"

"If you're willing for them to know, that's fine too." Liu Yumei took a cup of tea from Aunt Liu, rinsed her mouth, and spat it out. "But aren't you reluctant to display our family's name on the 'river'?"

"I'm willing."

"Oh?"

"And I often do display it."

"Hmph."

Liu Yumei smiled. This was the first time she had discussed this issue in detail with the young man. In just a few sentences, the old lady's doubts were largely dispelled.

"Very good, much better than Ah Li's dull head," Liu Yumei said, pointing to her temple. "I've always thought the Qin family members throughout generations were a bunch of simpletons. What do you think?"

"Grandma, I'm also considered a Qin family member," Li Zhuiyuan said, glancing at A-Li, who was sitting nearby.

Liu Yumei retorted grumpily, "Sigh, if it weren't for pitying the Qin family, I wouldn't have let A-Li take the Qin surname. How much better it would be if she took mine."

Li Zhuiyuan offered a polite smile.

Liu Yumei looked up at the sun and said, "Alright, it's about time. Let's go, Grandma."

Aunt Liu: "I'll go get that box from under the bed for you."

Liu Yumei raised a hand: "Don't bother. It's better to go empty