At first, the person on the other side of the phone politely acknowledged and then hung up, giving themselves some face.
An hour later, the call came back, the tone became very agitated, and from the other end came yelling and shouting, asking if Tan Yunlong was sure it was that Youth Class.
And said that if everything was true, they could come to the school to handle the procedures immediately, accompanied by the principal and directors throughout the process, along with a series of preferential conditions.
Tan Yunlong knew Li Zhiyuan wanted to spend the summer holiday, so he didn’t tell the other side Li Zhiyuan’s name and address, pushing it back to bring the kid before the new semester starts.
However, Tan Yunlong confirmed one thing, this Youth Class was not the kind of primary school affiliated with a college he had in mind.
Runsheng was ready to sleep, feeling that the guy across the table seemed a bit dumber than himself.
Tan Wenbin then laughed to himself:
"Hey, do you know, when Xiao Yuan first told me he liked dealing with corpses, I foolishly asked him if it was some kind of snack."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tan Wenbin saw a light spark in Runsheng’s eyes.
Following that, a voice full of infinite aftertaste yet impactful came:
"It’s delicious, tasty!"
That night, Tan Wenbin slept curled up in the blanket, not even daring to get out of bed to pee.
The next morning, Tan Wenbin saw a girl in a red dress carrying a bowl of medicine passing in front of him and going upstairs, in a daze.
When he arrived last night, Alii had already been coaxed to sleep by Li Zhiyuan, so this was his first time seeing her.
"This little girl is so pretty, even prettier than the stars on the posters."
Runsheng sat up, loosened his neck, and warned: "Don’t get close to her."
"Except for Xiao Yuan, nobody can get close to her."
"There’s such a rule?"
By daylight, Tan Wenbin felt that Runsheng was not so scary anymore.
Runsheng was always sensitive in this aspect, he remembered the first time he went upstairs trying to approach Xiao Yuan and Alii, Alii’s body trembled.
At that time, the feeling that the girl gave him was even more terrifying than the scariest corpse he had encountered.
"Time for breakfast!"
Aunt Liu’s voice rang like the regular alarm every day.
Li Zhiyuan and Alii came downstairs, today he didn’t let Alii administer the medicine, so he had not washed his hair.
Tan Wenbin cheerfully thought about joining them for breakfast.
"Brother Binbin..." Li Zhiyuan quickly grabbed Alii’s hand, preparing to remind.
"You come and eat with me!"
Runsheng grabbed Tan Wenbin by the neck like he was lifting a little chicken, pulling him to his own dining corner.
How breakfast went, Tan Wenbin forgot, but after the meal, his eyes were red, slightly pained from being fragranced.
Early on, there was a loud gong and drum noise at Big Beard’s house, and loudspeakers blasted loudly.
The villagers had been informed by the village chief yesterday that an Overseas Chinese from the village had returned to the country to settle down, inviting everyone to a housewarming feast.
Moreover, it was clearly stated that everyone was welcome just to enjoy the feast without bringing any gifts.
With this, people from all over the village, young and old, came early to watch the excitement.
Li Zhiyuan and Runsheng came too, followed by a stubborn Tan Wenbin who insisted on coming along.
"What about him tonight, he’s very curious," Runsheng asked while making a karate chop gesture in front of Li Zhiyuan, "Knock him out?"
Li Zhiyuan’s eyelids twitched, he was afraid Brother Runsheng might get too into his role and accidentally kill someone with a heavy hand.
"No need for that, just tie him up."
Li Zhiyuan began to observe today’s banquet setup.
Because they had invited so many people, the dam and the inside of the first floor couldn’t accommodate everyone, extending down to the fields and setting up tents.
Additionally, the spot for the theatrical troupe’s performance was set up by the fish pond, where speakers and large drums were placed.
Li Zhiyuan knew this was to cover up the noise for grave-robbing at night.
Because it was a full day banquet, it meant a day and night of performance, with daytime for the living and nighttime for the dead.
The intention was to take care of both yin and yang, symbolizing a smooth and successful future.
However, full day banquets are rare in the countryside now, because the performance fee at night is several times more expensive than during the day, and ordinary families really do not want to spend that extra money performing for the dead.
With drums and loudspeakers blaring, no one in the village would find it odd no matter how loud it got at night.
Li Zhiyuan couldn’t help but feel in his heart that this was truly professional, and sparing no expense, buying houses and treating the entire village to a feast.
The troupe’s performance had started long ago, and the area around was packed with people. Li Zhiyuan pretended to be curious and walked around the stage with Run Sheng, then deliberately went with Run Sheng to a less crowded area opposite the fish pond to relieve themselves.
This was actually to determine the coordinates for Run Sheng to place the array flags.
"Have you memorized it all, Brother Runsheng?"
"Don’t worry, I’ve memorized everything."
"I’ll take two flags to plant, the rest is up to you."
The array flags were somewhat heavy, and at the moment, Li Zhiyuan could only run while holding two.
"What about me, what about me?"
Tan Wenbin caught up and also undid his belt,
"How many should I take?"
Li Zhiyuan comforted him: "Don’t worry, the rest are all yours."
"Guaranteed to complete the task." Although he didn’t understand what the task was, he just wanted to be involved.
Li Zhiyuan took Tan Wenbin with him and joined Li Sanjiang at the table on the first floor.
Tan Wenbin curiously asked: "Where’s Run Sheng, why isn’t he coming to eat?"
"Brother Runsheng is eating at home, also, don’t talk."
Tan Wenbin gave an "ok" gesture.
Run Sheng’s meals needed to be aromatic, and his actions attracted too much attention. Normally, when he accompanied the Grandmaster to feasts, the Grandmaster would also get him a separate meal to eat in a corner.
Under today’s circumstances, naturally, more so, to not arouse suspicion among the hooligans.
The quality of the feast was high, cooked by local chefs; after Tan Wenbin stopped talking, he ate very greasily.
After the feast ended, many villagers felt obliged to contribute money but were turned away, so they returned home to bring gifts instead.
The entire afternoon then unfolded as everyone watching performance after performance; no one would watch the evening events other than the performers due to the taboos concerned with the living.
The troupe was highly skilled, in singing, dancing, acrobatics, and even the Bone Shrinking Skill and breaking stones with the chest.
Li Zhiyuan noticed that the performances towards the end... were actually all genuine kung fu.
Judging from the actions and details of the performers, they were all routines used against corpses.
It seems, had it not been for the first two who leased the fish pond being knocked over by the spectral red evil energy in their bait hole, with their skills, it would not have been easy for the police to catch them.
At the same time, it also indirectly confirmed that Grandma Liu’s evaluation of this band of rogues was correct.
Because, this was not some hastily assembled ragtag group; this was a very professional band of hooligans.
After all, those that mingled without thought and aimed to get rich by tomb raiding, wouldn’t all particularly train against dealing with corpses.
Looking at Little Huang Ying facing them, who would win and who would lose was hard to say.
However, seeing the lively and noisy scene before him, Li Zhiyuan felt a bit melancholic.
The first time he saw Little Huang Ying was under such circumstances, back then, Little Huang Ying was performing on stage.
It was she who provided the newcomer to the countryside a shock of rustic wild beauty.
Li Zhiyuan’s gaze fell on the surface of the fish pond, wondering if the Little Huang Ying in the pond was also watching the performance?
In her heart, she must also harbor resentment toward the funeral troupe who took her money and then ignored her whereabouts, right?
Just then, Secretary Jin, who had just sung a song in a tight black outfit, walked to the edge of the stage with a mic and asked the audience:
"What song would everyone like to hear, feel free to tell me."
Being generally shy, the villagers did not dare to request a song the first time they were asked.
Li Zhiyuan was the first to raise his hand.
Secretary Jin recognized Li Zhiyuan, smiled, and waved at him, beckoning him closer to the stage: "Come, little friend, tell us, what song would you like to hear?"
She crouched down, extending the microphone to Li Zhiyuan’s mouth.
Li Zhiyuan, standing sideways to the stage and facing the fish pond, said in a clear voice:
’Thousands of Songs’."