The girl happily handed over another milk tea to Jiangli.
"I won’t go on the date this time, so this milk tea is for you to drink, Abbot." Seeing Jiangli seemed to really enjoy snacking, she smiled and said, "Next time on the first of the month, or when I get rich, I’ll come to offer incense and make a vow, and I’ll bring something tasty for the Abbot."
Jiangli said cheerfully, "Sure, sure, you can tell them that if they come to offer incense, they don’t need to bring money, just bringing me something delicious will do!"
The girl did not expect the Abbot to share her love for food as well and, laughing, she promised to do so, then left with great delight.
All the morning pilgrims had been ’sent off’ by Jiangli.
After sending them away, Xia Xin returned, and it was almost noon.
Xia Xin glanced at Jiangli, engrossed in her milk tea, and then at Chen Tianxu, absorbed in his studies, put her hands on her hips, took a breath, and said, "Fine, I’ll go cook, old ancestor."
Jiangli nodded, not forgetting to instruct, "I want to eat meat, something tasty!"
Xia Xin laughed and agreed, "Got it, I’ll get ready."
Jiangli waved her hand, urging her to hurry up.
Just as Xia Xin was getting ready to prepare lunch, Wan Jiayuan hurriedly ran back home.
His wife was surprised to see him return so suddenly, "Husband, why are you back at this time?"
Wan Jiayuan, with no time to explain and a rushed expression, ran into the bedroom to pack, looking like he was preparing for a long journey.
His wife followed him into the room and, seeing him take out a suitcase, asked, "Where are you going? On a business trip?"
Wan Jiayuan, while hastily packing with a pale face, said, "I, I need to go back to my hometown..."
His wife Wang Jiahui was somewhat bewildered, "Why the sudden trip back home?"
Wan Jiayuan opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain to his wife. Then, as if he remembered something, he took out his phone and quickly dialed his father Wan Ren’s number.
Wang Jiahui watched without understanding the reason.
Wan Ren promptly answered Wan Jiayuan’s call.
"Hello, Jiayuan, you should be at work right now, right? Why are you calling home?" Wan Ren spoke with the accent of their hometown.
He now lived in a county near their ancestral home, and thanks to Wan Jiayuan’s successful career, Wan Ren enjoyed a comfortable life.
Wan Ren was aware that at this time Wan Jiayuan would usually be at work, so he was quite surprised to receive his call.
Wan Jiayuan said anxiously, "Dad, do you remember the grave in our hometown’s field?"
Wan Ren confused, "What grave?"
"The one in the west field of our old home, isn’t there a grave there?" Wan Jiayuan explained, "That old grave, dad, do you remember it?"
Wan Ren went silent as if someone had suddenly shut off a valve.
The next second, he raised his voice sharply, "What grave! In broad daylight, why mention such things? Isn’t it inauspicious? Enough, enough, get back to work, don’t bring it up again!"
Wan Jiayuan was just about to ask further when he suddenly realized something.
Wan Ren’s reaction was very abnormal.
An average person, upon hearing such a sudden mention of a grave plot, would certainly inquire why he was asking.
But Wan Ren suddenly became angry, not allowing any further questions at all.
A sense of dread settled in Wan Jiayuan’s heart, realizing that something was not right...
If one were to consider the situation seen in the water bowl and the Abbot’s words from Jiaoyang Temple, his mother had died on the day she left home and was buried in the wild grave in their field.
If a stranger had committed the crime, how had his family never noticed?
Wan Jiayuan suddenly remembered that all this time, he had forgotten a key clue.