Chapter 53: A Difficult Scripture to Recite

Since entering this line of work, I found myself constantly thinking along these lines.

We searched until about five or six in the morning but still found no trace of Jiang Hao.

The villagers helped look throughout the night, and Jiang Yuanshan felt somewhat guilty, so he let them rest first.

Back in the courtyard, my stepmother’s eyes were bloodshot. “If we find that little bastard Jiang Hao, we need to give him a good beating. We’ve spoiled him for so long, but now he’s running around recklessly.”

“Let’s find him first,” Jiang Yuanshan replied irritably.

After staying up all night, Jiang Yuanshan was visibly angry.

“Mom, Dad, what are you talking about?”

Inside, Jiang Hao stretched lazily, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he came out and asked.

Jiang… Jiang Hao?

At the sight of him, my stepmother suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion. She kicked off her shoes and rushed over to give him a fierce beating. “You little bastard, running around at night?”

“You scared me to death, didn’t you know that?” she scolded.

“I wasn’t running around! I was in the house the whole time,” Jiang Hao struggled to defend himself. “If you want to hit me, just say so—why make excuses?”

Was he really inside the room the entire time?

I didn’t believe Jiang Yuanshan hadn’t checked last night.

I glanced at Jiang Yuanshan and noticed his eyes weren’t on Jiang Hao but on his shoes.

Following his gaze, I noticed the dust covering Jiang Hao’s shoes.

He definitely went out last night!

It was probably unconscious, or perhaps something had drawn him out.

Of course, it could also be possession by some malevolent spirit.

But if that were the case, why was Jiang Hao conscious now?

I considered many possibilities, but none stood up to scrutiny.

“Did you see anything last night?” I stepped forward and asked. “No, wait. Let me rephrase: did you sense anything unusual last night?”

“What’s it to you?” Jiang Hao rolled his eyes at me.

“How can you talk to your brother like that?” Jiang Yuanshan snapped, slapping Jiang Hao across the face.

“Jiang Yuanshan, what are you doing? You should speak to Xiao Hao properly,” my stepmother interjected.

Having finally found their lost son, my stepmother’s initial tension and anger now softened into affection.

---

“That brat talks nonsense. Jiang Chen is your brother. What’s wrong with answering his questions? You keep spoiling him, and sooner or later, you’ll have him rot in jail,” Jiang Yuanshan yelled.

“Xiao Chen, you should go rest now,” my stepmother said, sending us away.

As I left the courtyard, I faintly heard an argument.

Every family has its own troubles; couples who never quarrel aren’t really couples.

This was their private matter, and I had no reason to intervene.

Back in the car, the old man stretched and yawned.

Liu Qingya had lost her usual vitality and collapsed into a seat, quickly falling asleep.

“Young master Jiang, are you sure you weren’t mistaken last night? That kid should be home, right?” the old man asked, curious since he was unaware of the full story.

“Go to sleep. I have a feeling something might happen tonight,” I warned. “Don’t sleep too deeply.”

I couldn’t be certain, but I sensed this matter might be connected to the ancient tomb beneath the river.

Could that riverbed tomb really be my ancestor’s grave, as I had previously speculated?

But if it truly was, why didn’t it protect the Jiang family? Instead, it seemed to bring only trouble.

Layer upon layer of issues piled up, and while I thought I had solved many, I now realized I hardly understood any of it.

It was like a web—though you could see one thread clearly, the rest were tangled in mist.

The old man fell silent, leaning back to rest.

I lay back in the car, preparing to sleep.

But before I could drift off, I felt something lean on my shoulder.

It was Liu Qingya—she hadn’t slept all night and must have fallen asleep quickly, leaning on me for support.

The faint fragrance she carried lulled me into sleep as well.

…

When I woke, it was afternoon. Jiang Yuanshan came to call us for a meal.

Sitting at the table, I noticed Jiang Hao was absent.

When I asked, I learned the boy was still asleep and wouldn’t get up no matter how much they called him.

I didn’t pry further and continued eating with Liu Qingya and the others.

---

By the time we finished eating, it was already four or five in the afternoon.

In rural areas, mealtimes are early—usually one around nine or ten in the morning, and another around three in the afternoon.

There was no breakfast, and no late-night snacks.

I didn’t know if this was the case elsewhere in the Greater Xia Kingdom, but at least in Miaodi Village, that was the routine.

Their meal schedule was practical.

During spring, summer, and autumn, they worked the fields from around six in the morning until about ten, just before noon when the heat became intense.

Having worked so long, they’d be famished and return home to eat.

As the day grew hotter at noon, they rested until around three when it cooled slightly, then returned to the fields.

Of course, during the busy farming season—especially when rain was forecast for the night—they would harvest crops even at midday.

After eating, Liu Qingya and I went to pay respects at Uncle Dazhuang’s grave.

That was the real purpose of our return.

The grave was already covered with fallen autumn leaves.

After clearing a patch of ground, Liu Qingya knelt and burned joss paper.

I stood quietly by, waiting.

She didn’t cry or speak, mechanically repeating the ritual.

I could sense her profound sadness.

Since Uncle Dazhuang passed, she had no relatives left in this world.

Now, the only familiar person might be me.

With parents, we are always children; without them, even the notion of home becomes unclear.

It’s somewhat ironic: even if I had parents, how different would my life be from Liu Qingya’s?

We were both unfortunate souls.

Liu Qingya burned joss paper for two full hours. By the end, her legs had gone numb, and I had to carry her back to the courtyard.

Paying respects to Uncle Wangcai was the most important matter of our visit.

We had originally planned to return yesterday and leave early today after the ritual.

But because of Jiang Hao’s situation, we slept in this morning and only came to the grave this afternoon.

If nothing untoward happens tonight and all goes well, Liu Qingya and I will return to the ancient capital early tomorrow.

Staying in Miaodi Village too long wasn’t practical—I still had studies to attend to and some side work to earn a living.