Li Zhiyuan believed that as long as he continued reading the book, he should be able to find out what method the Grandmaster used today.
At this time, Li Sanjiang began to snore; he had bled, was tired, and had fallen asleep.
Li Zhiyuan picked up the thin blanket beside him, gently covered the Grandmaster’s stomach with it, and then closed his eyes himself.
It felt like he had taken a brief nap, and when Li Zhiyuan woke up, it was already light outside.
He walked around the still-sleeping Li Sanjiang, got out of bed, and went to wash up.
When brushing his teeth, he habitually looked up towards the eastern room.
Behind the eastern room, a little girl was sitting, wearing a red dress today, her feet planted on the doorstep.
Next to her, Grandma Liu was combing her hair.
Li Zhiyuan smiled, feeling the sunlight warm his heart, and carried the basin back to his room.
As he left the terrace, Qin Li looked up.
Liu Yumei put down the comb, asking, "Did Grandma hurt you?"
Qin Li turned her head back, looking straight ahead, without a word.
Liu Yumei continued to comb the hair, smiling and asking, "You played for quite a while last night. Can you tell Grandma if there was something fun?"
Qin Li didn’t respond.
On the dam, Aunt Liu began to set out wooden stools, preparing breakfast.
The washed Li Zhiyuan descended the stairs to find a cleanly swept, empty first floor.
As he arrived at the dam, Aunt Liu smiled at him, "Xiao Yuan, it’s time for breakfast."
Li Zhiyuan sat down. On the wooden stool, there was a bowl of white porridge and a salted duck egg.
"Why are you spacing out instead of eating?" Aunt Liu placed a bowl of frozen fish jelly down.
"I was still sleepy."
"Young folks have it great, they eat well and sleep well," Aunt Liu commented, walking away with a smile.
Li Zhiyuan silently picked up his chopsticks. He remembered from last night’s closing feast, the cat-faced old lady calling someone to summon the main family, the fatty chef going upstairs, and several paper dolls running out to call the eastern room.
The Grandmaster was injured and bleeding, yet they behaved as if nothing had happened.
Li Zhiyuan picked up his chopsticks and conveyed a piece of fish jelly to his mouth; it melted on the tongue, with soybeans and peppers added, making it delicious and a perfect match for porridge.
At that moment, not far off, Grandma Liu led Qin Li by the hand to the wooden stools. Qin Li sat down, and Grandma Liu squatted beside her, beginning the "prayer" that precedes meals every day.
She hadn’t done up her bun today, her soft hair draped over her shoulders, paired with the red dress, she seemed both lively and proper.
Thinking of her silly appearance in his dream last night, Li Zhiyuan chuckled.
Some people indeed possess a special charm; she can be good at nothing and even not need to speak. Just by standing there, a single glance from you can immediately bring joy.
Just like how Li Zhiyuan once felt when he accompanied his mother in the cultural relics storeroom, seeing that exquisitely unearthed vase.
Seemingly hearing the laughter, Qin Li turned her head to look towards Li Zhiyuan who was opposite, eating.
Liu Yumei, still in the convincing process, also looked over with some perplexity.
Li Zhiyuan was slightly surprised. Could it be, the interactions from last night’s dream still lingered into the daytime reality?
Li Zhiyuan pointed towards the bowl of porridge in front of him, and softly shouted to her, "Eat."
Qin Li lowered her head, picked up the chopsticks, and began to sort various pickles and the sliced duck egg, then combined them with the porridge to start her meal.
Liu Yumei’s eyes widened, looking as if she had seen a ghost.
Qin Li ate even faster than Li Zhiyuan, and by the time he set his chopsticks down, she had already returned to sitting on the doorstep.
The figure of Aunt Liu appeared quickly; this time, she beat Li Zhiyuan to it and picked up the bowls and utensils.
"Thank you, Aunt Liu."
"Just leave them here after you’re done; I’ll clean them up. You wouldn’t want your Aunt Liu to lose her job, right?"
"I got it, Aunt Liu."
"Xiao Yuan, come over and brew tea for Grandma." Liu Yumei called out.
She was sitting in a bamboo reclining chair, with a tea set on the side table.
Li Zhiyuan walked over, and during this process, Qin Li’s gaze followed him as he moved.
Liu Yumei noticed this, and she raised her hand, gesturing Li Zhiyuan to halt.
Li Zhiyuan stopped and also looked towards Qin Li, then he began to back up, and Qin Li’s gaze still followed him.
Liu Yumei eyed Li Zhiyuan with a scrutinizing look.
"Grandma, shall I brew the tea?"
Li Zhiyuan walked over and began brewing the tea.
Meanwhile, Liu Yumei kept watch over her granddaughter; her granddaughter was looking this way. Oh, it had been a long time since she could enjoy being watched by her granddaughter, and it was all thanks to the young man beside her.
Both spoke at the same time, pausing for a moment. Just as Liu Yumei did not intend to yield and was about to continue, she heard Li Zhiyuan’s rapid speech:
"Grandma, why do you live here with my Grandmaster?"
Liu Yumei smiled, "Just scraping by for a living."
"But you are not lacking for a living, you have a lot of money. This tea set and the jade ring you said you would give me yesterday could buy a house in Beijing."
Then, Li Zhiyuan added, "But the antiques market isn’t booming yet. It’s more profitable to sell them in ten years."
The grandparents in the family courtyard who loved collecting had already started inquiring about and collecting old items in the alleys a decade ago. But they only collect, not sell, claiming the antiques of a prosperous era should either be sold after some years or kept for posterity.
"Xiao Yuan, you understand antiques too?" Subsequently, Liu Yumei sat up straight, her expression becoming serious, "Did your Grandmaster tell you that?"
Antiques is a field that relies on vision, knowledge, and experience; Liu Yumei didn’t believe that this boy could discern such things on his own.