Corpse Retriever

The girl’s eyes lit up.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan kept his promise and went to the East Wing. Liu Yumei wasn’t inside, nor was she outside sipping tea as usual—she was deliberately keeping her distance.

This was Li Zhuiyuan’s first time stepping into the East Wing. Seeing the memorial tablets filled with the surnames of the Qin and Liu families on the Spirit Hall’s altar, an uncanny sense of familiarity stirred in him.

It was as if he had once been to a place just like this, had felt the same sensation—but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall when or where, or who had taken him there.

He bowed low and paid his respects to the memorial tablets, then began tidying up the altar: removing several dirty rags and a foul-smelling duck egg.

Just then, Qin Li reached out and grabbed his arm. Her eyelashes didn’t flutter, and her body didn’t tremble, but the gesture made her unwillingness clear.

Had it been anyone else—not even Liu Yumei, but anyone—touching these things, the girl would have flown into a rage.

“Be good, A’Li,” Li Zhuiyuan said gently. “Don’t leave things here if you want to keep them. We can find a better spot for your treasures. This is a place to honor our ancestors, understand?”

A’Li lowered her head, clearly disheartened.

Li Zhuiyuan began to ponder what kind of gift he could give her.Food was out of the question—she’d definitely stash it away and let it rot again.

“A’Li, how about I give you that chess set? Not a new one—the one we used this morning. It’s packed in a small wooden box.

You can keep it with you. Every morning, bring it out and we’ll play together.”

Qin Li lifted her head. Her expression didn’t change much, but a warmth seemed to brighten her whole demeanor.

Outside the door, Liu Yumei, who had deliberately avoided the room earlier, had now crept back and was eavesdropping by the wall. She rolled her eyes.

She could already picture her granddaughter cradling that worthless little toy set with all the care in the world.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped out and saw Liu Yumei.

“Granny Liu.”

“Mm.”

He didn’t leave right away. “Granny Liu, the weather’s beautiful today. You should get out for a walk and enjoy some fresh air. It’s good for your health.”

“I told A’Li’s dad—he’ll teach you tonight after he finishes work. Don’t be afraid of hard training.”

“Of course not. Thank you, Granny Liu.”

As Li Zhuiyuan held Qin Li’s hand and headed upstairs, they ran into Li Sanjiang coming down. When there was no work to do, Great-Grandpa usually slept in.

“How’s school?”

Li Sanjiang had forgotten he’d already asked the night before. He just liked the feeling of asking about his great-grandson’s studies.

If he actually paid attention, he’d realize what kind of books Li Zhuiyuan had been reading lately.

Well, part of the reason he didn’t pry was because Qin Li was always there reading with Zhuiyuan, and he was a bit intimidated by the girl, still hesitant to get too close.

“It’s a bit hard, but I’ll keep working at it.”

“Good, that’s what matters.”

Back at the northeast corner of the second-floor terrace, Li Zhuiyuan pulled out his book, set up his magnifying glass, and opened a blank notebook beside him.

The Comprehensive Treatise on Yin-Yang Physiognomy contained many terms about ”dimensions” and ”cutting”—as well as a lot of abstract classical Chinese text, likely standard fare in old medical manuals.

He could recognize the characters but had no real grasp of the concepts, so he started jotting them down.

Luckily, he could ask Liu Yumei about the former—he could tell, just from Qin Li’s tailored clothes, that she had a hand in alterations. For the latter, he could ask Aunt Liu—she clearly knew medicine.

By this time, Uncle Qin had returned with the incense-making ingredients, and Aunt Liu was already preparing the traditional recipe.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but marvel—what kind of family was this girl from?

Shaking off the thought, he focused and began memorizing the text.

There were two students in his class who truly had photographic memory.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he couldn’t compare—not even close. He had to read everything two, three times over.

After a while, holding the magnifying glass in a hunched posture made his neck ache.

He kept reading with his left hand and used his right to knead his sore neck.

Then another hand—warm, soft—pressed gently on the other side of his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan smiled. What an adorable little perfectionist.

All morning, except for helping Qin Li go to the bathroom and drink water once, he was memorizing.

His mind now felt stuffed full of “eyes” in every shape and form.

Once he memorized the parts on “ears, mouth, and nose,” his brain would probably be crowded with countless, tangled human faces.

Even the top-tier hairstyle catalogs in Beijing’s fanciest salons would seem woefully sparse in comparison.

After lunch, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying arrived.

Li Zhuiyuan was so focused he didn’t notice what was happening outside, and Qin Li—of course—didn’t alert him.

It wasn’t until he felt her body trembling that he looked up, startled, and saw Cui Guiying approaching on tiptoe.

He quickly grabbed Qin Li’s hand, afraid she might lash out at her grandmother.

Cui Guiying noticed her grandson was deeply engrossed in study and smiled gently. “Studying hard, Little Yuanhou?”

“Mm. Grandma, where’s Grandpa?”

“He’s talking with your great-grandpa.”

“Is something going on?”

“Nothing serious. Doesn’t concern you.”

“Is it about Third Aunt’s family?”

“Uh… yes. They want your great-grandpa to take a look at something.”

“Oh.”

When conventional hospitals ran out of options, families often turned to more unorthodox methods. And a couple both falling ill at the same time wasn’t common—it was strange.

“She’s such a pretty little girl.”

Cui Guiying reached out to touch Qin Li’s head, and Li Zhuiyuan quickly stepped in front of her.

“Um…”

Cui Guiying blinked, then just patted her grandson’s head.

“She’s shy.”

“Is she? But she gets along so well with you.”

After chatting a bit, Li Weihan came up to see his grandson too.

He asked a couple of questions about meals and sleep, then fell silent—just stood and looked.

When it was time to go, he said, “Oh, right, Little Yuanhou—your great-grandpa’s heading out the day after tomorrow, won’t be home that night. The village is organizing a river dredge. Why don’t you come with me?”

Cui Guiying frowned. “What are you thinking, taking the boy to dredge the river?”

Li Weihan shrugged. “It’s only two days. One night away. No big deal. It’s not like the old days—dredging doesn’t take long anymore. All four of our sons are going. Lei’er and Pan’er too.”

Cui Guiying protested, “Even if Sanjiang Uncle’s going to Jiuwei Port and won’t be home, can’t Little Yuanhou just stay with us?”

“Uncle said it’s not proper. The boy’s been initiated, hasn’t reverted yet.”

Really, Li Weihan just missed his grandson—and with the whole family joining the river dredge, he thought it’d be fun to take him along.

“Little Yuanhou, do you want to come with Grandpa?”

“Sure, Grandpa.”

“See? He’s in.”

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying left. The main purpose of their visit was to relay a message from Jiuwei Port to Uncle Sanjiang.

Apparently, a visiting relative of a patient at the hospital—someone from Shigang Town—had shared a fantastical story about the corpse retrievers in Siyuan Village.

Their in-laws, hearing that this was where their daughter had married into, quickly reached out, hoping to invite someone to take a look.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan went to the yard as promised. Liu Yumei hadn’t gone back on her word—Uncle Qin brought him to the backyard and began teaching him kung fu:

Horse stance.

Under Uncle Qin’s guidance, Li Zhuiyuan began squatting. Uncle Qin corrected each movement, pointing out key pressure points and murmuring instructions.

After a grueling hour of adjustment, he finally stopped talking.

Li Zhuiyuan was drenched in sweat, legs trembling.

But Uncle Qin only let him rest a short while—then made him squat for another hour.

When he went upstairs, Li Zhuiyuan had to support himself against the wall.

That night, Liu Yumei sat at the doorway cooling off, and Uncle Qin came over.

“How’s he doing?”

“Smart as a whip.”

“Weak limbs?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. He learns fast—way faster than I did at his age. He’s already sensing the rhythm of grounding his steps.

But kung fu requires hardship. We’ll see if he can stick with it.”

“You’re thinking of taking a disciple?”

“No, not at all.”

“Just teach him well. Only kung fu.”

“Understood.”

Liu Yumei went back inside and sat before the memorial tablets. She picked up a pastry from the altar and took a bite, chewing slowly.

The foul stench in the Spirit Hall was gone. At last, she could relax.

“That Li family boy A’Li likes to play with is learning kung fu from A’Li’s dad now. Let’s see if he can really go the distance. If he’s smart and tough…

Heavens, I’d love to know what kind of woman gave birth to that boy.”

Getting ready for bed, Liu Yumei reached for the bronze mirror on her vanity—but her fingers found nothing. It was gone.

This room couldn’t possibly be robbed. No one would touch her things. Unless…

She walked to the bedroom and looked at her sleeping granddaughter, who was hugging a small wooden box.

“A’Li, you little rascal. Did you really take my bronze mirror as a return gift?”

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