The police had arrived, and in great numbers, for the incident had already led to two deaths and one disappearance on the surface. Although the deaths of the two elderly were not due to homicide, the situation was decidedly different.
The police secured the scene, and Zhou Hai was temporarily detained as a criminal suspect.
Li Zhiyuan followed the Grandmaster to the police station to make a statement, and by the time they finished, dusk had fallen.
Li Sanjiang even went so far as to hug the gates of the police station, as if worried that it wasn’t enough, trying to embrace some more of the official aura temporarily, he even kissed the police station’s sign.
This action astonished the people in the guard room.
But seeing that the old man was not there to make trouble, they could only open the window and ask:
"Old comrade, what are you doing?"
While continuing his kissing, Li Sanjiang shouted back:
"Expressing my admiration."
After doing all this, Li Sanjiang couldn’t be bothered to return to the hospital to find Yingzi and her mother, and he also refused Chen Xiaoling’s invitation to stay at her house for the night.
Right now, Li Sanjiang just wanted to go home.
Taking a taxi back would be too expensive, as at this time, taxi drivers weren’t willing to take you to the countryside unless you paid extra.
Li Sanjiang stood on the side of the road hailing tractors, asking where they were headed.
Li Zhiyuan originally thought this act of trying one’s luck was like looking for a needle in the ocean. Just as he was about to sit down and wait patiently, the second tractor the Grandmaster flagged down happened to be delivering stone pillars to Shigang Town.
This was fortuitously on the way.
The Grandmaster shared a cigarette with the driver and then waved for Little Yuanhou to get on.
The tractor rattled along, with Li Zhiyuan and the Grandmaster sitting in the back, enjoying the evening breeze.
As they passed through the urban area, they witnessed the bustle of the city.
Midway, Li Sanjiang dozed off briefly but then woke up feeling pleased. He enthusiastically said to Li Zhiyuan:
"Little Yuanhou, your Grandmaster just had a hazy dream where I saw that girl again, but it was unclear, very blurry. She was talking too, but I couldn’t make it out.
It looks like she’s moving further away from me, I’m about to be fine. Tonight, when I get back, I’ll worship properly, pay respects to all the Buddhas at home, and completely sever ties with her."
"Grandmaster, you’re amazing."
Li Zhiyuan used to doubt Li Sanjiang’s abilities, but after the cat-faced old lady said, "Your Grandmaster has already shown his mettle," his suspicions dissipated.
Moreover, it seemed no matter what happened, the Grandmaster always had a solution, and his solutions always worked.
"Amazing? If it wasn’t for the face of your Grandfather Hanhou, I wouldn’t have come here. I’m even embarrassed to take the money for this, having unnecessarily endangered myself.
Such a loss, a huge loss indeed."
"Next time, I’ll tell my grandfather not to..."
"No, it’s not every time we come across such bad luck and danger. Your Grandmaster has to sustain himself, and you can’t eat big pieces of meat at every meal. Sometimes you get the stone in the rice that chips your tooth.
*Sigh*. I was planning on changing your fortunes after getting back this time, but I dare not now. She’s still not gone completely clean, and your Grandmaster doesn’t want to involve you."
Saying this, Li Sanjiang knocked on the iron sheet behind him and shouted to the tractor driver;
"Brother, there’s a small restaurant up ahead, mind if I treat you?"
"Hush, no need to be so polite. Find a place to stop ahead, let’s eat first then go on."
The tractor stopped in front of a small restaurant. After getting off and entering, Li Sanjiang first ordered a pound of yellow wine, selected two cold dishes, two hot dishes, and also ordered a plate of fried rice just for Li Zhiyuan.
After Li Zhiyuan finished eating, he sat beside and waited while the Grandmaster and the driver hit it off.
Li Sanjiang then asked the restaurant to heat up another pound of wine and ordered a can of Jianlibao for Li Zhiyuan.
Opened with the sound of fizzing.
Li Zhiyuan took a sip and Li Sanjiang asked, "Tastes good?"
"How about we buy a case to take back?"
The driver chuckled, "Big brother, you’re really generous with the kid."
In those times, bottled soft drinks like citric acid were recyclable. Ordinary people could afford them, but canned drinks were considered too expensive in the eyes of most parents.
"Hey," Li Sanjiang patted Li Zhiyuan’s head, "Isn’t the money earned for the kids to spend? Am I supposed to take it with me in my coffin?"
He didn’t tell the driver that this was his clan’s great-grandson.
"That’s right. My grandson is currently in high school. I’ve still got to keep driving to earn his college tuition. As long as he gets accepted, I’ll do whatever it takes to support him."
"Ah," Li Sanjiang sighed helplessly and patted the back of Li Zhiyuan’s head, "It’s a pity, my grandson is bright but he doesn’t like to focus on his studies."
Li Zhiyuan took another silent sip of his soda.
By nearly 8 p.m., dinner had concluded. At that time, there were no DUI checks, the driver, with a flushed face, pulled out the crank, inserted it into the tractor’s engine, and then turned it vigorously, restarting the tractor.
"Come on, get in, let’s go home!"
Back on the road home, as Li Zhiyuan gazed at the starry sky overhead, he began to ponder whether Xue Liangliang had already arrived at Si Yuan Village.
He felt he should inquire more about the deity statue at the river construction site since the coffin at Jiwei Port turned out to contain a Corpse, perhaps the statue... also did.
After all, though the river channel is newly excavated, it seemed to have been a waterway in the past.
Li Zhiyuan faintly felt that the Bai family seemed to specialize in these sorts of dealings.
While Li Zhiyuan was not at home, Qin Li returned to her usual spot, sitting on a bench inside the door with her feet on the threshold, staring ahead.