Chapter 45.4: Grandpa Shan's Fall

Then he collapsed to the ground, scrambling backwards on all fours.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng stepped forward to look. In the concave center of the rice vat, there appeared a mass of black hair.

There was someone in the rice vat!

No wonder Tan Wenbin was scared out of his wits. Anyone would be. Especially when you could practically imagine how, under all that rice, a person was curled up inside.

Li Zhuiyuan shut his eyes, then quickly reopened them, steadying himself. “Runsheng-ge, check again.”

“Alright.”

Without a word, Runsheng reached in and kept digging. Finally, beneath the hair, a forehead emerged—there really was someone there, a girl.

As they continued, the girl's eyes came into view.

Her eyes were open.

Her eyeballs were completely packed with grains of rice.

Tan Wenbin had just gotten back on his feet. When he leaned in and caught a glimpse, he recoiled in terror, stumbling backward again.

Li Zhuiyuan averted his gaze. He didn’t blame Binbin this time—those eyes were hard even for him to stomach.

“Xiaoyuan, we can’t dig any further unless we scoop out the rice or try to lift her out.”

“No need. Leave it for now.”

“Got it.”

Li Zhuiyuan sniffed. He caught a cloying scent.

“Runsheng-ge, do you smell that?”

“Uh, no. Just the usual faint corpse odor. What do you smell?”

“Something sweet.”

“Sweet?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and looked toward the water vat. The water hadn’t been changed in a long time, and the room’s dim lighting didn’t help—it looked murky, almost black.

“Binbin-ge.”

Tan Wenbin immediately started shaking his head, calling to Runsheng, “Runsheng-ge!”

Without hesitation, Runsheng—wearing only a tank top—didn’t even need to roll up his sleeves. He plunged his entire arm into the vat, swishing it around.

In the end, he pulled out his wet arm and flicked off the water. “There’s nothing in there.”

Tan Wenbin suggested, “Then… should we go outside?”

Runsheng gave him a look. “You were the one who insisted on coming. Now you’re the one scared to death.”

Tan Wenbin: “Isn’t that the normal reaction?”

Li Zhuiyuan headed toward the bedroom. Runsheng followed, and Tan Wenbin cast one last glance at those eyes in the rice vat…

Then quickly turned around and hurried after them.

The bedroom had two beds, one large and one small, both draped with blue mosquito nets and topped with bamboo mats.

On the large bed lay a neatly folded blanket; on the smaller one, a simple throw.

Under the mats on both beds were several layers of thick quilts, making them softer and more comfortable.

Runsheng pointed under the beds and toward the surrounding wardrobes and cabinets. “Xiaoyuan, I checked all those places—nothing strange.”

Tan Wenbin pointed at the blanket and shouted, “The blanket, the blanket! Why use such a thick one in the middle of summer?”

Runsheng stepped forward, lifted the mosquito net, and unfolded the blanket. It was, indeed, just a thick quilt.

Tan Wenbin: “Uh…”

“Runsheng-ge, lift both bed mats.”

“Alright.”

Runsheng started with the small bed. Underneath were layers of cotton batting.

When he moved to the large bed, Tan Wenbin rushed ahead and lifted the mat himself. Holding onto the edge, he rose onto his toes, trembling all over.

He was spasming with fright.

Under the large bed’s mat was also thick cotton batting.

But nestled in the middle of that batting was a person—a grown woman, very thin.

Most of her body was buried under the layers, with only her face, belly, and feet exposed.

Her eyes were open too. Her sockets were stuffed full of cotton, so much that they looked swollen.

And the cotton in her eyes bulged outward, as if new fluff had started growing from within.

“Put it down, Binbin-ge.”

“Okay.”

Binbin let go. The mat dropped back into place, covering the cotton and the woman beneath it.

Then, Tan Wenbin walked over to Li Zhuiyuan. Li Zhuiyuan stepped aside, so he went to Runsheng instead and hugged him. He needed a hug right now.

He was on the verge of tears. In fact, his eyes were already glistening.

With a trembling voice, choked with emotion, he asked, “Xiaoyuan, what do we do now?”

“Binbin-ge, don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid…” Tan Wenbin took a deep breath stubbornly, but Runsheng pushed him away the next moment.

Off balance, he toppled backward—landing right on the large bed’s mat.

“Ah!”

The moment he remembered what was underneath, he shot up like a spring.

“I’m scared! I’m scared!”

Li Zhuiyuan patted his arm. “Don’t be afraid, Binbin-ge. Let’s go call your dad.”

“Dad…”

Honestly, when the image of Tan Yunlong popped into his mind, Tan Wenbin’s fear genuinely subsided a bit. Even if his dad showed up right now and took off his belt, it would feel like a burning, comforting warmth.

Li Zhuiyuan left the clay house first. Runsheng picked up the window panel they had removed earlier, getting ready to reinstall it—until Tan Wenbin called out from inside.

Then came a click. He had locked the wooden door from the inside.

Next, he climbed out through the window and let Runsheng put the panel back.

“Hehe, Xiaoyuan-ge, I locked the door and wiped the key and the lock clean—now no fingerprints from when Runsheng opened it. Saves us some trouble.”

Tan Wenbin felt quite proud of his handiwork.

“Your dad can still have Runsheng unlock it again. And besides, you didn’t just wipe Runsheng-ge’s prints—you erased everyone’s.”

“Uh…” Tan Wenbin realized he’d done something utterly pointless.

“Come on. Let’s call your dad.”

Technically, one of them should stay behind to keep watch. But none of the three were suited for that. In the end, they all left together.

After walking for a while, they heard someone calling from behind: “Hey! Runsheng-hou! Runsheng-hou!”

The three turned around to see the village head riding a bicycle toward them, waving from a distance. “Runsheng-hou! Did you retrieve it? Did you?”

Runsheng raised a hand and shouted back, “Not yet!”

Just then, in their line of sight, the village head suddenly turned and raised a hand in greeting to his left, smiling as he said something.

A casual wave to someone standing in the yard of a house—just a neighborly gesture.

And in that direction was Zhou Yong’s home.

All three turned their heads toward Zhou Yong’s house.

Though it was far, they could just make out a mother and daughter sitting in the small courtyard.

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