Was it because of "what you think about by day, you dream about by night"?
After all, he hadn't stopped feasting his eyes on her these past two days, practically treating her like an object of visual pleasure.
Then,
the next moment,
Qin Liang, standing on the courtyard, looked up toward Li Zhuiyuan standing on the terrace.
For the first time, their eyes met.
Li Zhuiyuan understood: she wasn't someone he had dreamed up; she had entered his dream. A dream was a projection of reality, and his fixed image of her had almost become habit—even in a dream, she shouldn't be making unnecessary movements.
Wait...
Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly.
This time,
was this really his own dream?
Could it be that he and Qin Liang downstairs were both participants?
Or had he simply not dreamed enough times to summarize many rules and experiences? He had only just started reading books, and they were still introductory popular science reads.
It was like a problem placed before him, yet he couldn't even understand what the problem meant.
Maybe Qin Liang would know something?
She had actively looked up at him—could he also expect her to speak?
But the first floor was now lively and noisy. To go downstairs, he'd have to pass through the middle of the first floor, which wasn't feasible.
The second-floor terrace wasn't too high, but with his small frame, jumping down directly wasn't realistic either.
Because this very likely wasn't his own dream, he had lost the privilege of recklessly adventuring and making mistakes.
Li Zhuiyuan crouched down and waved to Qin Liang below, gesturing for her to come closer to see if they could speak in low voices.
But before Qin Liang could react, Li Zhuiyuan heard footsteps coming from the stairwell behind him.
He turned back and saw four older women walking this way. They wore brightly colored clothes, with thick powder on their faces and rouge applied.
They saw Li Zhuiyuan too—in fact, they seemed to be coming for Li Zhuiyuan.
"Little kid, why are you here? The banquet is starting!"
"Hurry up, the banquet is starting! Quickly go sit in the first batch; you'll have to wait a long time for the second batch!"
"Yes, yes, yes! After the first batch finishes eating, hurry home to sleep so you don't miss school tomorrow."
When there are too many guests at a wedding or funeral banquet to accommodate at once, they eat in batches. After the first batch finishes, the table is cleared and reset with bowls, chopsticks, and cold dishes before the second batch sits down.
"I don't..."
Before he could finish refusing, an old woman reached out and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand.
In an instant, Li Zhuiyuan found his original clothes gone, replaced by a small blue long robe—very old-fashioned, but with fresh color.
The old woman's grip was very strong, pulling Li Zhuiyuan so hard he staggered several times. As they went down the stairs, Li Zhuiyuan still wanted to pry open her hand.
Her hand was very white—a sickly white—and he couldn't see any lines on it.
As if sensing his struggle, the old woman suddenly stopped and slowly turned her head:
"Little kid, you're not being good. You don't want to go?"
Her voice became slow and sinister. The light in the stairwell dimmed, and what little radiance remained all shone on the old woman's face.
Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face:
"Yes, I'll go to the banquet, I want to go to the banquet."
"Good child."
As soon as she spoke, the light in the stairwell instantly returned.
The old woman continued to hold Li Zhuiyuan's hand as they went down, all the way to the first floor.
Originally, the first floor of Great-Grandpa's house was purely a storeroom; the four walls were left unpainted, bare cement.
But now, the entire first floor was festooned with lanterns and decorations, arranged very festively.
Table after table was set up, each covered with red plastic film, with bowls, chopsticks, and cold dishes laid on top.
Many people came and went, men, women, old and young, all wearing excessively bright new clothes, with thick powder on their faces and obvious rouge.
Li Zhuiyuan roughly understood what they were.
Because the tables, chairs, benches, and dishes on the first floor were all set out, but there were no stacks of paper effigies in storage.
After pulling Li Zhuiyuan to the first floor, the old woman let go of his hand and busied herself on her own. Li Zhuiyuan turned around, only to find that the stairs he had just come down... were gone.
He didn't stand there foolishly, but walked toward the door. Great-Grandpa's house, for convenience in shipping goods, had many door panels as the main entrance; now the door boards had been removed and were completely open.
Therefore, the first floor and the courtyard outside were almost half-connected.
Just as he reached the door, Li Zhuiyuan saw two young women leading a little girl inside—it was Qin Liang.
Unlike him, her clothes hadn't changed; presumably because she was already dressed appropriately for this place.
At this moment, Qin Liang's eyelashes began to twitch, and her body started to tremble slightly.
Li Zhuiyuan guessed she might suddenly lash out and bite someone.
The two young women holding Qin Liang seemed to notice her abnormality too, and they all lowered their heads to look at her. At the same time, the light at where the three of them stood began to dim, and this darkness gradually expanded. Other people caught within it all ended their conversations and chatter, looking over with grim, cold faces.
Li Zhuiyuan now knew for certain: this wasn't his own dream.
Of course, it wasn't Qin Liang's dream either.
He had never heard of anyone acting improperly in their own dream and being attacked by the surrounding environment as a result.
This was clearly someone else's dream. Although he didn't know whose it was, that person was immersed in the dream, and illogical, improper behavior in the dream would disturb them and wake them up.
After waking up, they might throw a tantrum; or they might strangle the two little shrimps who shouldn't exist and had disturbed their beautiful dream, then continue the dream.
But either way, Li Zhuiyuan felt it was very disadvantageous for him right now.
So he actively stepped forward, stood in front of Qin Liang, and said with a smile:
"Little sister, I finally found you! You don't know how long your brother has been looking for you."
Li Zhuiyuan then looked at the two women holding Qin Liang's hands and said:
"Thank you for helping me find my little sister. She easily runs around by herself, and there's something not quite right with her here."
As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan also pointed to his forehead.
"Oh, I see."
"Your little sister is here."
The two women's faces showed a look of sudden understanding.
The shadows that had been spreading stopped spreading, but they didn't recede either.
People outside the shadows continued doing what they were doing, but the people inside the shadows continued to direct their gazes here.
Still not enough!
Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. He actively reached out and grabbed Qin Liang's hand, then reached his other hand behind him and gently patted Qin Liang's head:
"Little sister, be good, don't be afraid. Your brother is here, your brother will take good care of you."
After saying and doing this, Li Zhuiyuan was already waiting for the scratching and biting that might very well happen next.
But he had to take this gamble. Since Qin Liang had actively looked up at him from downstairs before, he'd bet that she could continue to endure this time!
Their bodies were very close, and Li Zhuiyuan could feel the girl's hand trembling.
From his one-sided observation over the past two days in reality, Li Zhuiyuan knew that the girl in front of him rejected all contact from the outside world.
Only her grandmother could softly persuade her to eat a meal beside her. Even Grandma Liu didn't dare make any affectionate gestures toward her.
However, what made Li Zhuiyuan feel pleased was that the girl's trembling gradually weakened, her breathing began to steady, and not only did she not push him away, she didn't even struggle to free the hand he was holding.
Seeing the girl finally calm down, the shadow beneath their feet began to shrink and finally disappeared.
Everyone who had been staring motionlessly at them turned their heads back to their own business, including the two women.
Whew... temporarily safe.
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Liang and asked in a low voice: "Do you know what to do next?"
Qin Liang didn't react; she just looked at him.
All right, she probably didn't know either.
If it were daytime, and he could hold her hand and have her gaze at him, Li Zhuiyuan thought he would be quite happy.
This feeling was like a perfect work of art producing interaction and response with you.
But under these current circumstances, Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to be in that kind of mood.
"The banquet is starting! The banquet is starting! Everyone, quickly take your seats!"
"All right, sit down, sit down, quickly sit down!"
Someone was organizing the seating.
At a time like this, the safest choice was to blend in.
"Let's go find a place to sit," Li Zhuiyuan said to Qin Liang, then held her hand and walked toward a table where only one little boy was seated.
Who knew that just as he was about to sit down, the little boy immediately bent over, covered the bench with his body, and shouted:
"This is my saved seat, this is my saved seat! My dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, uncle, second uncle—they're all coming right away! You can't sit!"
He had run into someone saving seats in advance.
If it weren't for the thick rouge on the little boy's face—clearly a paper effigy made into a child—Li Zhuiyuan might have suspected he was Huzi or Shitou.
Last time at Big Beard's house for a meal, Huzi and Shitou had also gone early to save seats for the older boys. This expression, tone, and posture were almost exactly the same.
"Little kid, little kid, there are two empty seats here. Sit here, and then our table will be full." An old man at the neighboring table, wearing a funeral shroud, actively greeted them.
"Okay, Grandpa."
Li Zhuiyuan immediately pulled Qin Liang over here. After sitting down, he saw Qin Liang was still standing, so he could only quietly remind her: "Sit down."
Qin Liang didn't move, still standing.
Li Zhuiyuan could only reach out, grab her waist, and press down; she sat down.
However, when he touched her waist, Li Zhuiyuan felt her start trembling again.
After he let go of her hand, she calmed down again.
He lowered his head and glanced at the hand he was still holding... Li Zhuiyuan roughly understood that this was probably the maximum level she could currently accept.
"Little kid, where are the adults in your family?" the old man in the shroud asked.
His tone was quite kind, but with this kind of makeup... no matter how kind a person was, they would look eerie.
Li Zhuiyuan: "My grandpa and grandma are helping in the kitchen, so they asked me to bring my little sister over to eat first."
"Oh, is that so? Hehe." Then the old man in the shroud looked at Qin Liang again. "This little girl looks so well-behaved. How old is she?"
Qin Liang ignored him.
Li Zhuiyuan knew that even if she were willing to respond, she couldn't answer, because she probably couldn't understand Nantong dialect.
Grandma Liu's family lived at Great-Grandpa's place. Auntie Liu and Uncle Qin helped Great-Grandpa with work, but they had no interaction with fellow villagers at all. Even when they spoke to Li Zhuiyuan, they used Mandarin, let alone Qin Liang, who liked to sit motionless behind the threshold all day.
Fortunately, it was fine that she didn't speak. If she opened her mouth and spoke Mandarin, it would only invite more curious questions. At this critical moment, saying more meant making more mistakes.
"Grandpa, my little sister is ten years old. When she was little, she had a fever and wasn't taken to the health clinic in time. It damaged her brain, so she can't hear or speak."
Li Zhuiyuan deliberately spoke very loudly so everyone at the table could hear. No matter what, he first had to plug up Qin Liang's side of the conversation.
"Oh, is that so? Alas, what a poor child. Tsk tsk tsk."
"Alas, we also have one in our team. She had a fever when little, and the adults at home didn't pay attention, so her brain got damaged by the fever."
"That's right. When raising little kids, you have to be more careful. Otherwise the child suffers, and later the adults suffer too by having to support her."
The people at the same table began exchanging stories with each other.
At this moment, the old man in the shroud asked Li Zhuiyuan again: "How old are you?"
"I'm eleven years old."
Li Zhuiyuan deliberately added a year. Although Qin Liang was actually only one month younger than him, he definitely couldn't say they were both ten—they didn't look like twins at all, and a "mother" couldn't possibly give birth two months apart.
Otherwise, they'd drag out another story about a widower's child and a widow's child forming a remarried family. Then the whole table's discussion would surely get more heated, and maybe even people at the neighboring table would join in.
"Are you in school?"
"Yes, fourth grade."
"Oh, what about your little sister?"
"My little sister isn't in school. She just stays home sitting all day. It's only today because there's a banquet that I brought her out."
"Mm."
The old man in the shroud stopped asking further and turned to chat with the others at the table.
Li Zhuiyuan finally got a moment of peace. He looked at Qin Liang sitting beside him, leaned over, and said softly:
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
This wasn't currying favor; it was reassurance. The underlying meaning was: stay calm, don't explode.
Qin Liang turned her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan.
Li Zhuiyuan couldn't see any emotion in her eyes.
Then Qin Liang turned her head back and continued to space out.
Li Zhuiyuan felt she should be able to understand. After all, she could feed herself—she wasn't incapable of daily self-care. And she had a compulsion for cleanliness. Every time after eating, Grandma Liu would help her wipe clean.
At this moment, the idle Li Zhuiyuan began to pay attention to the dishes on the table.
Right now, only cold dishes were served: spinach salad molded into cylinders, preserved egg and tofu, fried peanuts, sliced salted duck eggs...
Pure meat dishes were only two: sliced cured meat and braised small spare ribs. However, the portions of these two dishes were small, and fortunately they were cut small enough for everyone at the table to have two chopsticks each.
The braised spare ribs happened to be right in front of him. They were cold, sweet but not greasy. Last time at a banquet, Li Zhuiyuan had a deep impression of this dish.
But now, seeing this dish, he had no appetite at all. Who knew what this thing actually was.
At this moment, singing came from nearby.
People at the neighboring tables all looked that way, and many stood up.
Li Zhuiyuan also turned to look. In an open area at the center of the banquet grounds stood a man and a woman, with an old man beside them holding an instrument.
The man and woman wore opera robes, and their makeup was even more elaborate. On top of thick powder and rouge, there were additional extensions and exaggerations.
With the old man's instrumental accompaniment, the man sang first, with some body movements, then the woman continued singing.
Li Zhuiyuan knew this was a local Nantong opera genre—Tongzi Opera.
Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had once taken him to watch it on the courtyard at the village head. The opera's characteristics were strange, peculiar vocal styles, high-pitched and sorrowful, with strong impact.
To outsiders, it was just... extremely unpleasant to hear.
Back then, Li Zhuiyuan had just arrived in Nantong and was still in the stage of learning and getting familiar with the local dialect. At that time, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying listened with rapt attention, while Li Zhuiyuan felt it was like demonic sound in his ears, painfully unbearable.
This time was the same. Everyone at the table and nearby listened with great absorption, while Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Liang again. Fortunately, she had no reaction.
Accompanying the performance, someone with a basket began distributing chopsticks to each table, and another person specially brought vinegar and soy sauce to pour into small dishes. Each table had six small dishes, generally shared by two people.
"Come, little kid, eat."
The old man in the shroud picked up a piece of spare rib and placed it in Li Zhuiyuan's bowl.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Eat, don't just stare."
"Okay, Grandpa, you eat too."
"Mm."
"Woof!" "Meow!"
At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan discovered many cats and dogs running under the dining table. Not far from his feet, there was one.
Li Zhuiyuan picked up a spare rib, and when no one was paying attention, tossed it down. The dog underneath immediately grabbed it and started eating.
After that, every dish that the enthusiastic old man in the shroud served him, Li Zhuiyuan did the same—threw it under the table. Soon, many cats and dogs gathered on his side.
These cats and dogs were actually quite familiar to Li Zhuiyuan. He had seen them in the paper effigy making area during the day, but back then they weren't nearly this lively, nor this tasty.
The old man in the shroud said: "Little kid, call your little sister to eat. She's just sitting there, not eating anything at all."
Li Zhuiyuan could only turn his head and gesture: "Little sister, eat something."
Who knew that just as he finished speaking, Qin Liang picked up her chopsticks and began picking up food. She picked up three chopsticks' worth and placed them in her own bowl in front of her, then lowered her head and opened her mouth.
Wait, you're actually eating?
Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly tugged at her hand.
Qin Liang turned her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan. This time, there was actually emotion in her eyes—very faint, but truly there. It was confusion.
Li Zhuiyuan could only bring his mouth close to her ear. Well, it was quite normal for siblings to whisper to each other:
"Don't eat it. Feed the animals underneath."
Qin Liang lowered her head, glanced at the group of cats and dogs below, then stood up and directly picked up a platter of dishes from the table.
It looked like she intended to dump the entire platter down to feed them.
This act of directly carrying off a platter immediately drew displeased frowns from the other people at the table.
Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to stand up, snatch the platter, and put it back. Then he said with a smile, lecturing her: "Little sister, this is for everyone to share. You can't be greedy. It's not all yours."
Seeing Li Zhuiyuan say this, the adults at the table looked much better. Many people spoke up:
"Let her eat if she likes it. It's fine."
"Just put the plate in front of her."
Li Zhuiyuan kept waving his hands and shaking his head: "We can't do that. It doesn't follow the rules."
"Bang... slap!"
Outside came the sound of firecrackers being set off. The children at the nearby tables started covering their ears and crying out.
Firecrackers went off one after another, more than ten in a row. When the last one ended, the entire venue's tone darkened. The people at the other tables suddenly stopped moving, and the neighboring table also stopped moving.
Everyone sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead.
Although he didn't know what was happening, Li Zhuiyuan hurried to imitate this posture. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qin Liang beside him. Mm... she didn't need to learn; she was a professional at this.
Outside the door, an old woman walked in, surrounded by a group of boys and girls.
As soon as she appeared, the atmosphere of the entire venue became somewhat stagnant.
Through the gaps between heads, Li Zhuiyuan recognized her. She was the old woman he had seen in his dream at Liu Jinxia's house that day—the one carried by Niu Fu.
How was she here?
He clearly remembered that when Niu Fu left Great-Grandpa's house, he was hunchbacked.
The old woman's body was somewhat stooped, but her spirits were very good—so good it was abnormal. Green light gleamed in her eyes, and fine hair grew on her face.
In addition, it seemed like a few black threads were on her face... or like black whiskers growing out of thin air.
It looked like... a cat face.
The old woman walked to the main table below the stage and laughed, addressing everyone around:
"Today is my birthday. Everyone came to give me face. You must eat well and drink well, hehe."
As soon as she finished speaking, the tones that had dimmed returned to their former brilliance.
Everyone who had just been sitting straight and motionless very naturally began picking up food, eating, and chatting again.
Li Zhuiyuan felt fortunate that the seat he and Qin Liang occupied was half-facing away from that old woman, with several tables in between. They were small children, so they probably wouldn't be noticed.
But just as he was congratulating himself, in the blink of an eye, he saw the old woman actually pick up a wine cup and start toasting table by table!
He recognized her, so she surely recognized him too.
This should be her dream... no, Li Zhuiyuan now felt that this environment could no longer simply be described as a "dream." He and Qin Liang were likely in some kind of special situation.
But no matter what, he couldn't let her see him.
The old woman toasted quickly. She said a few words and raised a cup to an entire table at once. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she reached their table.
Li Zhuiyuan immediately shouted loudly to Qin Liang: "What, you miss your grandma?"
Qin Liang turned to look at him, again showing confusion in her eyes.
Li Zhuiyuan deliberately slapped upward with his hand under the table. Immediately, the whole dining table trembled several times, and many people who had just picked up food let it fall back.
"Ai, little sister, don't make trouble. We're eating right now. You're not eating yourself, don't disturb others!"
The confusion in Qin Liang's eyes deepened.
Li Zhuiyuan faced the others at the table and apologized: "Sorry, my little sister here..."
He pointed to his forehead again.
Everyone also showed expressions of understanding. Her brain was damaged, so acting unreasonably was normal.
Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Liang and left the table: "All right, I'll take you to find your grandma. Ai, I really can't stand you. I haven't eaten my fill yet!"
Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Liang toward the door. But just as he got close, he saw a row of men in old-fashioned servant uniforms standing outside.
Some were chatting, some were tearing firecracker fuses. Although each had their own business, they controlled the exit.
Leaving from here was impossible. Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan observed that judging from the old woman's posture, she didn't seem to plan on just toasting one round. If he continued to stay here, even if he kept playing hide-and-seek, it would be easy for her to notice him.
He looked around. The stairs to the second floor were gone. The only place left to hide was the northwest corner, which led to the kitchen.
At this moment, the sound of stir-frying came from there.
Li Zhuiyuan pulled Qin Liang toward the back kitchen. Along the way, to avoid attracting outsiders' attention, he kept scolding Qin Liang:
"Look at you. You insisted on making a scene to find your grandma."
"Good thing it's hard to get to a banquet once, and there are so many good dishes I haven't eaten yet."
"Ai, the old hen soup is about to be served. You made me miss the chicken drumstick!"
Sure enough, during this journey, the people at nearby tables were all eating and drinking, and no shadows appeared under their feet. Everyone felt it was very normal.
Finally, Li Zhuiyuan led Qin Liang into the kitchen. As soon as he entered, he saw a large plastic basin with many dirty plates piled around it.
Seven or eight old women were squatting beside the plastic basin, holding rags and washing plates.
But the plastic basin didn't contain water—it contained sand. They were washing with sand.
By the large stove, a fat chef wearing an apron was stir-frying dishes. His movements were very skilled; he was clearly a master chef.
But the ingredients in the baskets beside him were all stacks of white paper.
And what was in his seasoning jars was not oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar, but various pigments.
Next to him was also a large bucket filled with starch paste.
He saw him first heat the starch paste in the wok, then dump in a stack of white paper. While stir-frying, he continuously added various pigments. Finally, he boiled it down over high heat. When he lifted the wok to plate it, what came out was plate after plate of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.
Moreover, the flames rising from the large stove were not an ordinary color. They were gloomy and green, like ghost fire.
"Little kid, want to go play outside? Don't get in the way here!" The head chef urged him away impatiently.
Li Zhuiyuan spoke up: "Wow, you're so amazing! Your dishes are so delicious. When I grow up, I want to be a chef too. I want to learn from you!"
"Hehe." The fat chef put away his previous impatience and laughed. "Study hard, be a damn chef. It's so hot in this summer, it's bitterness itself."
"No, I really want to be a chef. Being a chef is great. You can eat so many delicious things. Also, my brain is slow, my grades are poor, I can't learn anything."
"Bad grades? Then you'd better learn a trade quickly, or you'll starve to death in the future."
"You're really amazing. Wow, is that how it's done? You're so amazing. I'll just watch from the side and not cause you any trouble."
The fat chef didn't agree, but he also didn't chase him away anymore.
Li Zhuiyuan stood by, occasionally praising him, and also helped pass plates and add pigments.
Actually, this praise was really insincere. After all, this chef, no matter what dish he made, was just a hodgepodge of starch paste, white paper, and pigments in the pot.
But watching finished dishes come out of the pot one after another... it felt really strange.
Just like that, he stood for a long time. Outside, someone came to announce: "The first batch is over. The second batch is taking their seats!"
Next, more dirty plates were brought over. After being scoured by the old women's sand, they were placed beside the chef to be refilled with dishes.
The first to come up were still cold dishes. There was a cold dish chef for those, so the fat chef could rest a bit. He first took the towel hanging around his neck and wiped his sweat. Then he picked up two pieces of "tiger skin meat" from the side, ate one himself, and handed one to Li Zhuiyuan.
"Come, eat."
"No, no."
"Eat, don't be polite."
"I've already eaten enough."
Li Zhuiyuan thought maybe he had praised too much earlier, causing the fat chef to be overly enthusiastic now.
However, just as he refused for the second time, the fat chef's expression suddenly turned cold.
Li Zhuiyuan noticed that a shadow appeared beneath his feet and was gradually spreading.
The cold dish chef plating dishes nearby and the old women washing dishes also all turned their heads to look at him.
Obviously... these days, where could you find a child who could refuse a big piece of meat?
Li Zhuiyuan had no choice. He took the piece of meat from the fat chef's hand, put it into his mouth, and while chewing, showed a bashful smile, as if his earlier refusal was just because he was shy:
"Delicious, really fragrant."
The fat chef's face broke into a smile. The shadow beneath began to recede, and the others around continued their work.
"Ai, little sister, why are your shoes broken? Why are you so careless? These are your new shoes. I don't even have new shoes to wear. Wait till your mom finds out, she'll surely beat you!"
Saying this, Li Zhuiyuan squatted down, pretending to fix Qin Liang's shoes, but actually secretly spat out the piece of meat in his mouth, quietly placed it on the ground, then grabbed Qin Liang's left ankle, lifted her foot, and made her step on the meat.
He hadn't thought about just swallowing the meat—after all, it would be like eating a bit of paper, no big deal. But the problem was that the moment the meat entered his mouth, a special, indescribable feeling of nausea surged up, straight to his forehead, and his stomach began to cramp.
As if he was eating something that absolutely did not belong to him.
After standing up, Li Zhuiyuan began to breathe deeply, trying to get rid of that strong discomfort as soon as possible.
Qin Liang lowered her head and looked at her foot. Her body began to tremble.
Li Zhuiyuan guessed she thought her shoes had been dirtied.
Holding her hand, Li Zhuiyuan leaned closer to her and said in a tired tone: "Please, bear with it for now, be good."
Qin Liang raised her head, gradually stopped trembling, and did not move her shoe away from the dirty thing.
Seeing her like this, Li Zhuiyuan actually felt a little moved in his heart.
But this feeling didn't last long. Probably because the fat chef, who had really been praised to satisfaction, actually produced a large chicken drumstick and handed it over:
"Come, little kid, eat chicken drumstick!"
Li Zhuiyuan: "..."
Without hesitation, Li Zhuiyuan took it, took a big bite, and smiled: "Chicken drumstick, really fragrant, really delicious."
Fat chef: "Hahahaha!"
"Ai, little sister, there's a grease stain scraped on your skirt. Really, you don't know how to cherish new clothes at all. No wonder your mom says you're a money-losing item!"
Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly squatted down again, pretending to clean the stain off his sister's clothes. He grabbed Qin Liang's right ankle, lifted it, and spat out the remaining chicken drumstick in his hand and the contents of his mouth, letting her right shoe step on it.
"Ah..."
His mouth turned bitter, his forehead spun, his stomach cramped. A nausea and rejection from his whole heart and body almost made Li Zhuiyuan unable to stand up. If he hadn't quickly propped himself up, he might have really collapsed to the ground.
But he finally managed to stand up with great difficulty through sheer willpower.
This food—he really couldn't touch it at all. This wasn't food for the living.
Fortunately, afterward, the fat chef didn't keep giving him food. He started busying himself with hot dishes for the second batch of guests.
After the second batch ended, the banquet would disperse. Li Zhuiyuan felt that if he and Qin Liang could last until the banquet ended, they could leave this place.
Finally, he saw the fat chef pour sweet glutinous rice ball soup out of the pot.
This was the dessert of this banquet, the final dish. When this dish came out, it meant the banquet was over.
Li Zhuiyuan was thrilled inside and squeezed Qin Liang's hand: Okay, it's almost over.
Who knew that just then, the old woman's voice came from the kitchen doorway:
"Truly hard work, masters. Making you go through trouble, I'm really embarrassed."
Li Zhuiyuan's heart tightened. He immediately pulled Qin Liang to squat behind the stove, using the stove and the fat chef's body to block the view from the kitchen entrance.
Fat chef: "Old Granny, long life to a hundred years, longevity as high as the southern mountain, hahaha!"
"Hehe, it's not good to live so long. Living too long annoys the children and grandchildren."
"That's not right at all. Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. I myself wish my own mother could live to a hundred."
"Your mother is blessed to have a son like you. My children think that if I live too long, I'll absorb my grandchildren's fortune and bring disaster to the family."
"What kind of nonsense is that? Who talks about their own mother like that? Truly useless."
"Ai, let's not talk about them. They might not be wrong either. I'm old now, no good anymore. Staying at home just wastes grain and makes them uncomfortable looking at me."
"No wonder we didn't see your two sons today. Your daughter didn't come either?"
"Mm, they didn't come."
"Truly, not coming for your mother's birthday. Too much."
"It's fine, it's fine. In a few days, I'll go find them myself, hehe... hehe... hei hei hei xi xi."
The old woman's laughter suddenly changed from normal to shrill, and the sound, previously outside the stove, gradually became faint, then closer and clearer, until finally it seemed to hover right above their heads.
Li Zhuiyuan, squatting on the ground, slowly raised his head.
Just a few centimeters from his face was the face of an old woman with a cat face.
He could clearly see the dense hair on her face and count the whiskers on her face. Her teeth were so long and sharp that her lips could hardly cover them, and in those green eyes was full of mockery.
"Little kid, you're here?"},
Chapter 9