Chapter 165

It was a standard room, with one bed for each person. After showering, Xue Liangliang lay down on his bed as well.

He picked up his watch to check the time and said, “Little Yuan, we’ve got to get up early tomorrow.”

From the work they’d done today, it was easy to see that although Xue Liangliang was not the most senior of the group, his relationship with Luo Gong was the closest. He was the only one who could joke around with Luo Gong during work. And whenever Luo Gong went off to meetings, Xue Liangliang naturally took over organizing and assigning the team’s tasks.

“Mm.”

Li Zhuiyuan spread out his bedding, lay down, and prepared to sleep.

Wrapped in his blanket, Xue Liangliang turned onto his side to face him. “Little Yuan, it still doesn’t feel real to me.”

“Mm.”

Xue Liangliang said, “It all came so suddenly. Sometimes when I call my parents at home, I still feel like I’m a kid. And now, before long, I’m actually going to have a child of my own.”

“Mm.”

“Little Yuan, have you ever thought about becoming a father someday? Ah, why am I even asking you that? You’re still young. You’re not even old enough to legally get married yet.”

“Mm.”

“I bought a whole bunch of baby clothes today, for both boys and girls. Little Yuan, what do you think it’ll be? A boy or a girl?”

“A boy.”

Baijia Town should have some way of determining the sex of the baby in advance.

Once Li Zhuiyuan started looking at things from the perspective of being used, then the only way to reason it out was toward the worst possible outcome from the start: the bride was carrying a baby boy.

There was no chance Xue Liangliang would be killed off after being used. That was the common understanding in Baijia Town.

But according to tradition, a baby boy in her womb ought to be dealt with.

That was probably the bride’s true purpose. It also showed, from another angle, that she really had developed feelings for Xue Liangliang and wanted to protect the fruit of their love.

“A thousand years waiting for this once, this once;

A thousand years waiting for this once, and I have no regrets~”

On the television, the newly imported and wildly popular series The New Legend of Madame White Snake was playing.

Li Zhuiyuan felt Ye Tong and Angie Chiu should be replaced with Xue Liangliang and his wife.

“Little Yuan…”

“Brother, we have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Oh, right.”

Xue Liangliang got out of bed, turned off the television, and switched out the light.

Li Zhuiyuan kept a very regular schedule. He was used to getting up early no matter when he went to sleep. At first light, he opened his eyes and quietly sat up in bed.

He had just finished washing up when he saw Xue Liangliang getting up too.

“Little Yuan, you’re up so early.”

“I’m used to it.”

“Me too. Every time I’m with Luo Gong, my daily schedule immediately becomes perfectly disciplined.”

Once they had tidied themselves up, the two of them walked out of the room.

Xiong Shan came over to greet them. “Hang on a moment. I’ll have Lihua go buy breakfast.”

“It’s too early. The breakfast shops aren’t even open yet.” Xue Liangliang waved a hand. “We’ll eat at the guesthouse. You two take care of yourselves. Oh, and just in case, extend the room rental for another day and have the owner issue an invoice.”

Liu Changping was called up. Rubbing his eyes, he didn’t even bother washing up before heading off to get the car started.

Xue Liangliang took out two cartons of cigarettes from his bag and handed one to Liu Changping. “Thanks for the trouble, brother.”

Liu Changping took the cigarettes and smiled. “What trouble is that? People in our line of work are used to it.”

He opened the carton, took out one pack, and handed the rest back.

Xue Liangliang left them all in the car, casually patting Xiong Shan’s leg as he did.

Once they arrived at the guesthouse, Xue Liangliang led Li Zhuiyuan inside.

Breakfast at the guesthouse started early. Luo Gong and the others were already seated and eating.

Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan got porridge, pickles, and eggs, then went over and sat down with them.

By now, Li Zhuiyuan had gotten familiar with all his senior brothers. They were, by and large, a simple bunch.

Their most obvious traits were twofold:

First, they all looked far older than their actual ages.

Second, most of them weren’t married, and many of them had never even dated anyone.

After breakfast, they were all arranged to board a bus together and head once more to the construction site by Gaoyou Lake.

The setup at the site was much the same as yesterday, except there were even more non-construction personnel around than before.

As soon as Luo Gong arrived, he was taken off to a meeting. Xue Liangliang led everyone in rechecking the work they had completed the day before.

At ten o’clock, Luo Gong returned from the meeting. He first inspected everyone’s work results, then nodded. “You can all rest now.”

Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang walked out of the work tent and went outside. Following the path ahead, the two of them climbed a dirt slope.

Xue Liangliang squatted down, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and said,

“Little Yuan, this is what our work is like. Sometimes we do a lot of things that look useless afterward, but that’s part of being responsible.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Li Zhuiyuan’s attention was drawn to the lake in the distance. Three boats were moored there, and divers were periodically going down into the water and resurfacing to climb back aboard.

If that alone could still be called normal, then what he saw on the lakeshore to the northwest clearly was not. There was a ritual table set up there. A group of people seemed to be burning incense, and after placing their sticks into the burner, they entered the water one after another.

Some carried only a small air bladder, while others simply went bare-chested and empty-handed. Once in the water, they vanished almost at once like fish.

It seemed the investigation into the unusual dragon-summoning waterspout from the day before had already begun, perhaps even earlier than his own arrival.

Xue Liangliang followed Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze and looked over there as well, then said,

“That’s normal. Sometimes when a construction project runs into something unusual, specialized teams come in to assist. Publicly, they’re usually labeled as geological survey teams or archaeological protection personnel.”

At noon, boxed meals were delivered to the work site.

There was no special separation by group. Whoever was hungry just went to get one, then found somewhere to stand or squat and eat.

The food was simple: one dish of salted soybeans and pickles, one stir-fried green vegetable, and one dish of wheat gluten braised with pork. The gluten made up the bulk of it, while there were only two or three pieces of meat.

But for some reason, those white foam lunch boxes paired with rough disposable chopsticks made the food look especially appetizing.

After lunch, personnel evacuation began.

The first to be evacuated were the regular construction workers already on site. Because of confidentiality, none of them knew exactly what had happened. On top of that, with the end of the year approaching, none of them were very willing to leave the site at a time like this.

Fortunately, relevant officials came forward to guarantee things, and the site managers also issued the workers their year-end wages in advance. Only then did the workers leave happily.

Xue Liangliang pressed his lips together and said, “Nobody has it easy. These days, people who go out to work fear unpaid wages more than anything. The protections in that area really still aren’t good enough. We need to keep pushing to get them implemented properly.”

Li Zhuiyuan twisted open a bottle of water and took a sip. His attention was on the large trucks driving in, as well as the extra boats that had appeared on the lake.

Relevant personnel were evacuated in succession. Luo Gong’s team was among the last few batches. When they got back on the bus and started driving out, booming sounds rang out from the lake.

The people on the bus immediately began discussing it:

“Are they setting off explosives?”

“Yeah, probably blasting in the lake.”

“Like depth charges?”

“The kind they use to blow up submarines in movies?”

“My god, that kind of thing really exists?”

“So can they blast it out?”

“Even if they do, you won’t get to see it. Look over there, the whole area’s under lockdown. By the time the lockdown is lifted, everything will already have been cleaned up.”

“I really wish I could stay and watch with my own eyes. Then I’d have something to brag about the next time I go on a blind date, so I wouldn’t run out of things to say.”

Luo Gong could not help coughing hard several times. The bus instantly fell silent. Everyone sat properly and stopped talking.

Just before they reached the guesthouse, Luo Gong stood up and came to the front of the bus. He turned to face everyone inside.

“You all know what should be said and what shouldn’t. Watch yourselves. Keep a gate on your mouths, and keep some political awareness in your heads too.”

Everyone answered in unison that they understood.

After getting off the bus, Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang were called into Luo Gong’s room.

Judging from Luo Gong’s expression, what had happened today still did not count as truly bizarre or severe by the standards of his working life. The Goguryeo tomb in Ji’an that he had once told them about had been far more serious than this.

The conversation itself was simple, meant more as preparation in advance.

“Little Yuan, next semester, you won’t be spending much time at school.”

“I know, Teacher. I want to be out doing real work too.”

“Mm. No matter how well you study, you still need more practical experience. Theory has to be combined with practice.

After the new year, I’ll have Liangliang lead a team on his own. Wherever technical support or assistance is needed, that’s where he’ll go. When the time comes, don’t be afraid of hardship. Get out there and run around more.

Liangliang, Little Yuan is still young. You need to look after him.”

“Heh, don’t worry, I will.”

Xue Liangliang replied with a smile. He knew full well that if he really took Little Yuan along, it was hard to say who would be looking after whom.

Seeing that he was grinning so playfully, Luo Gong could not help scolding him, “You brat, be serious.”

Xue Liangliang immediately straightened his chest.

And truly, when he put on a serious, upright look, his appearance really did hold up perfectly. He looked as proper as a figure from an old New Year print. No wonder the Bai Family Matron had fallen in love with him.

Luo Gong set down his teacup and reached out to straighten Xue Liangliang’s already straight collar. Then, in a tone full of earnest concern, he said:

“Be steadier. Take on more responsibility. Always remember, the work we do may not be something on the scale of Li Bing’s achievements that benefit generations forever, but at the very least it must hold for a hundred years. You must never forget your sense of responsibility.”

Xue Liangliang nodded hard. “I understand, Teacher.”

Li Zhuiyuan knew this was really a way of paving the road for him. At his age, being able to lead a team out on his own meant that every mission would count as both experience and another step upward.

This was the sort of training opportunity ordinary people could only dream of. Most importantly, its rewards were guaranteed to be realized in the future.

He himself was also benefiting from Brother Liangliang’s good fortune. Otherwise, with him still only a freshman and still this young, even if Luo Gong wanted to cultivate him through special treatment, there would have been no real way to begin.

But at the same time, that also meant his coming experiences of river walk would become even more complicated and varied.

The range of question types available to the setter would grow much broader, and the waves he would face would become far more dangerous.

Even so, Li Zhuiyuan did not feel afraid. On the contrary, he was full of anticipation. He was already eager to give it a try.

Luo Gong said, “I’m going back to Jinling. Are you coming too? You can ride with me.”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Teacher, I’m already on winter break.”

Xue Liangliang said, “Teacher, I want to go home and have a look.”

“Mm, then stay home and wait to have a good New Year. I have a feeling that once things really get busy later on, even wanting to go home for a peaceful New Year and reunite with your family will become a luxury.”

The two accompanied Luo Gong downstairs. After watching him get into his car and leave, Xue Liangliang let out a long breath and said to Li Zhuiyuan,

“Little Yuan, Luo Gong was right. Next year, you’ll be very busy. You won’t get many chances to go home.”

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Xue Liangliang.

Xue Liangliang blushed.

No words were spoken, but the meaning passed between them.

No matter how busy you are, it still hasn’t stopped you from constantly going back to Nantong to jump into the river, and it certainly hasn’t stopped you from making a child.

Still, this was not really Xue Liangliang’s fault. Every time, he slipped back to Nantong during a break between projects or meetings.

He came in a rush and left in a rush, but it truly never delayed his work.

“Little Yuan, what do you think? This year, should I bring my parents to Nantong for the New Year?”

“That sounds good. Uncle and Auntie probably haven’t seen the sea yet.”

Xue Liangliang’s old face turned red again.

“But if I just call them over for a trip, that doesn’t seem like enough reason.”

“Tell them you have a project in Nantong and you’re really busy, so you can’t go back home for the New Year, and ask them to come spend it here with you.”

“That’ll work.”

“And when you talk to them on the phone, soften your tone a little and say you want to get married soon too.”

Xue Liangliang grabbed Li Zhuiyuan’s face and planted a loud kiss right on the boy’s head.

“A child prodigy really does have a good brain.”

Li Zhuiyuan let out a sigh and lifted his sleeve to wipe off his head.

Given how anxious Father Xue and Mother Xue were about Xue Liangliang’s marriage, even if they came only to pressure their son to marry face-to-face during the New Year, they would still gladly make the trip from home.

Li Zhuiyuan had met them before. The old couple lived happily now, yet they were also deeply troubled. Their son was simply too outstanding, which meant they had lost the ability to control or restrain him.

Liu Changping’s taxi had followed the bus to the outer perimeter of the site in the morning, and then followed it back to the guesthouse when it left.

So once the two of them came outside, they got directly into the car.

Xiong Shan asked, “Should the two of us stay behind and keep investigating?”

Li Zhuiyuan waved a hand. “No need.”

Official intervention had already entered the matter here.

Besides, Xiong Shan and his wife were not part of his direct team. Most of his own direct team was still laid up recovering from injuries.

And more importantly, Xiong Shan and his wife had already conceded defeat twice by relighting the lamp. Pulling them further into his own waves would not be appropriate.

Compared to that, Li Zhuiyuan was still more accustomed to operating when his own team under him was complete.

Besides, the New Year was coming. Considering that his previous two waves had both arrived seriously ahead of schedule, surely the setter would at least have the unspoken courtesy to let him catch his breath and enjoy a good New Year.

And even if the setter did harbor ill intent, once he stayed in Nantong, with that one in the peach grove there, ordinary waves would not be able to reach him anyway.

Xue Liangliang instructed Liu Changping to make a stop at Zhenguo Temple before leaving Gaoyou.

Zhenguo Temple had a long history. It was first built in the Tang dynasty. It was also known as the West Pagoda and had the reputation of being the Southern Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

There was no admission fee.

The group walked inside. The temple was not large, and a simple stroll around was enough. But when they reached the place for offering incense, Xue Liangliang asked whether everyone wanted to burn some.

Since they were already here, Xiong Shan and his wife said yes, and Liu Changping raised his hand too.

Only Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand and said no.

Buying incense cost money, so Xue Liangliang bought four sets.

Li Zhuiyuan stood far away, but he could still hear their prayers clearly as they offered the incense.

The first thing Xue Liangliang prayed for was “peace for the nation and safety for the people, favorable weather and timely rain.”

He had always been like this. Whether he was speaking loudly or praying softly, he never minded laying bare thoughts like that.

He knew perfectly well that clearly expressing certain views and convictions in times like these could draw unwanted attention, but he did not care. In fact, he did not care at all about the people who criticized him for it.

Then in his second prayer, he asked for “peace and safety for mother and son,” but apparently worried that the Buddha might mistake him for favoring boys over girls, he hastily added, “peace and safety for mother and daughter too.”

It really would be better if that Bai Family Matron gave birth to a son.

If it was a son, he could simply be discarded. But if it was a daughter… Li Zhuiyuan felt he might have to make another trip later to help by issuing a threat.

The only question was how long the Bai Family Matron’s pregnancy would last. For beings in that half-human, half-other state, the length of pregnancy was truly hard to calculate.

Lihua opened her prayer by praying for her own son, but Xiong Shan bumped her with his elbow and corrected her, after which the two of them began by praying in unison for the Dragon King’s clan.

Li Zhuiyuan knew Xiong Shan had long since realized just how good his hearing was.

These two had never hidden their utilitarian motives from the very start, but because of that, they were actually easier to deal with. For the sake of their son, they could be calculating, but for that same reason, they could also be utterly loyal.

After praying for the Dragon King’s clan, Xiong Shan and his wife began asking for blessings for their own son.

Liu Changping was much simpler. He prayed that he could get married soon.

At first, Li Zhuiyuan thought that would be the end of it. But what Liu Changping said next made the corner of his mouth twitch.

Liu Changping said, “I hope my buddy Xue Liangliang can soon move past the pain of losing his wife and child and welcome a new life.”

This once again proved that Tan Wenbin really had a sharp eye for people. Deep down, Liu Changping truly was a man of real feeling.

After the incense offering and prayers were done, everyone prepared to leave.

At the main gate stood an old monk in kasaya robes, holding a monk’s staff, his bearing solemn and dignified.

Under normal circumstances, an old monk would not dress this formally.

Xue Liangliang and Liu Changping walked ahead first to go start the car. Xiong Shan and Lihua stopped in front of the old monk and stared at him.

When Li Zhuiyuan approached, the old monk bowed to him. “Amitabha.”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “You know who I am?”

The old monk smiled faintly. “This old monk does not.”

“Then you weren’t waiting for me?”

“This old monk has been waiting for you, and yet not for you. The heavenly sign brought forth a dragon, and in the human world, a true dragon naturally turns its gaze upon it. What this old monk waits for is that auspicious sign within the mortal realm.”

“Then you really weren’t waiting for me.”

“Past, present, and future all exist freely. When you look back someday, benefactor, you will see that this old monk was already here waiting.”

“Oh.”

“You did not offer incense, benefactor.”

“Mm.”

“This old monk will pray on your behalf.”

“I also wish you good health, old monk grandpa.”

The old monk bowed again. With a final “Amitabha,” the two passed each other.

After Li Zhuiyuan left, the old monk’s body suddenly went limp. The two young novice monks who had been sent far away earlier, along with the two old security guards sitting by the gate, immediately ran over and helped support him.

Amid a flurry of concerned questions, the old monk slowly opened his eyes. He looked around at his surroundings, then at the kasaya on his body and the monk’s staff in his hand, and asked in confusion:

“I only took a nap at noon. How did I end up over here?”

…