Chapter Thirty-Five: Lin County

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Once I had a goal, everything moved quickly. I began searching the entire county for a kiln. Only with a dedicated ceramic electric kiln could I fire a proper soul urn.

Yu Xiaoxue had no idea what I was looking for. Since she was no longer attending school, she had plenty of free time. As long as she could stay with me, sitting in the car counted as a sightseeing trip to her.

Unfortunately, my search ended in disappointment. The entire county had no high-temperature sintering kiln of the kind I needed. Even if one had existed, it would have cost several thousand yuan, far beyond what I could afford.

Then I remembered that there were quite a few brickworks in the neighboring county where my mother lived. Surely they would have something like that. I took out my phone.

“Mom, I’m looking for a high-temperature sintering kiln for firing ceramics. Do we have one at home?” I called my mother. She had used her savings to open a shop selling agricultural machinery, so there was a chance she might have one.

“What high-temperature sintering kiln? Those things cost tens of thousands. Are you planning to open a factory?” My mother sounded puzzled.

“No, it’s just a hobby. I want to fire a few small bottles and jars. They only need to be about the size of a palm.”

“Oh, if you mean a kiln, we do have one at home. It’s been sitting there for ages, and we haven’t been able to sell it.”

I immediately became excited. I went to the bank and withdrew the remaining thousand yuan I had.

At the gas station, I spent more than four hundred yuan filling the tank, then drove toward Lin County. Taking the expressway, the round trip should take only three or four hours.

When I arrived in Lin County, I parked in front of the shop. My mother apparently thought a contractor had come to buy something, but the moment she came out and saw me, she froze.

“This car…”

She stared in astonishment at the luxurious Audi SUV, then peered inside. There was no one else in the car.

Only Yu Xiaoxue climbed down from the passenger seat.

“Auntie! I’m here!”

“Oh, Xiaoxue! Why did you come with Tian? Where’s your father?” My mother was shocked. She had thought that everyone in Xiaoyi Village had died.

“Tian brought me out of Xiaoyi Village. My father disappeared, and we couldn’t find him, but Tian said he would help me look for him in the future.” Yu Xiaoxue explained sadly, taking my mother’s hand as tears welled in her eyes.

My mother had always been close to the people in the village, and she regarded Yu Xiaoxue almost as her own daughter. She immediately embraced the girl and comforted her.

“Don’t cry. If we can’t find him, we’ll search slowly. There’s no need to hurry.”

“Mm.” Yu Xiaoxue nodded.

“Mom, where’s the kiln?” I asked impatiently.

“It’s inside. I tied it up for you. You’ll have to carry it yourself. My back is no good, and A-Fei only just went back to his hometown yesterday.” My mother pointed toward the kiln by the door.

A-Fei was the worker my mother had hired. In this line of work, you needed someone strong enough to do the heavy lifting.

There was no time to waste, so I went to carry the kiln. I soon discovered that the thing was extremely heavy. In the end, I could only drag it around to the back of the car. With Yu Xiaoxue and my mother helping me, I finally managed to load it into the vehicle.

“This is quite a car. Whose is it?” My mother noticed the luxurious interior and sounded a little uneasy, as if she feared I had stolen it.

“Oh, it belongs to your future little daughter-in-law. What do you think, Mom? Does she seem reliable?” I grinned.

The title of eldest daughter-in-law obviously belonged to Sister-in-law. That left only the position of little daughter-in-law available.

Yu Xiaoxue instantly became displeased and looked at me with puffed cheeks.

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“You really do talk too much. You call people your little wife at the drop of a hat.” Seeing how unhappy Yu Xiaoxue was, my mother scolded me. She knew about Sister-in-law and, like Grandmother, did not dare show the slightest disrespect toward her. After all, Sister-in-law had saved her son.

Seeing my mother take her side, Yu Xiaoxue immediately returned the favor.

“Hmph! Auntie, the car belongs to Sister Zhao Qian. Tian saved her, so she invited us to stay at her villa. She is absolutely not Tian’s future little wife!”

“Then who is his little wife? Could it be our Xiaoxue?” my mother teased, looking at Yu Xiaoxue like a child. She did not know who Zhao Qian was, but she had always adored Yu Xiaoxue.

Yu Xiaoxue’s face turned bright red, and she could not utter a word. She wanted very much to nod, but she felt too embarrassed whenever she looked at me.

“Mom, where’s Grandmother’s book? I asked you to keep it safe before. I need it now.” After closing the rear door, I asked my mother. Since I had managed to escape Xiaoyi Village, she had surely guessed what had happened to me.

With Grandmother dead, Xiaoyi Village could no longer exist. Anyone who had survived and made it out had needed more than mere luck.

“It’s in the hidden compartment in your room. Have you eaten?” My mother looked at me and asked only whether I had eaten.

“Not yet. Xiaoxue and I had some snacks on the street.”

I went inside. My family was poor as well. The goods in the shop had all been taken from distributors on credit, and we would pay only after selling them.

“I’ve already cooked. Eat before you leave.” My mother had no intention of asking me to stay. I had been raised by Grandmother from childhood, and she knew I could never remain at home for long. In the past, staying for ten days or half a month had already been considered a long visit.

“Oh.” I nodded and took Yu Xiaoxue into the kitchen. After hurriedly eating a few mouthfuls, I went to my bedroom.

The room was not large. It contained only a bed and a cabinet, but everything was arranged neatly. My mother must have taken care of it regularly, and the sight warmed my heart.

The hidden compartment was behind one of the tiles along the lower part of the wall. Once I removed the tile, I found another narrow compartment inside. Grandmother’s book, its cover long gone, lay within.

I took it out and casually flipped through a few pages before laughing helplessly. Many of the pages had been scribbled over, covered in all sorts of messy cartoons. Looking at them now, I found them rather ridiculous.

Yet no matter how shabby the book had become, its importance to me was beyond question. The success or failure of the soul urn depended entirely on it. Back then, it had been my most precious treasure.

Of course, I had memorized everything in the book. Still, for certain intricate details, having it beside me to copy from while making the soul urn would save me a great deal of effort.

When I went downstairs, Yu Xiaoxue had finished eating as well. I pulled my mother aside and said, “Mom, Grandmother was murdered. When I returned to Xiaoyi Village, I almost didn’t make it out either. But I wasn’t the one who suffered the most. Xiaoxue’s father, Zhang Yidan, and Zhou Xuan all died. Zhou Xuan was… Forget it. They suffered far more than I did. I can’t swallow this grievance. I have to avenge them.”

I had wanted to tell her that Zhou Xuan had been refined into a walking corpse, but the truth was too horrific, so I kept it to myself.

“Your mother knew this day would come. Your life has been fragile since the moment you were born, yet you’ve had to bear more than anyone else. Whoever died because of you, you must avenge. It’s only right.” My mother let out a heavy sigh. There was not the slightest hesitation in her eyes as she looked at me.

“Mom, I understand. I’m leaving now, so you have to be careful.”

I nodded. The only person I truly could not let go of was my mother.

“You don’t need to worry about me. If anything happens that you can’t handle, call me. I’ll shoulder it for you.” My mother spoke resolutely, then took out a wad of money and handed it to me. “Take these three thousand yuan. If it isn’t enough, call me for more.”

“You’d better keep it for yourself. This little bit of money wouldn’t even cover my late-night snacks. Your son can afford to drive a luxury car, so I have plenty of money. I’ll head back to the county now. I still have plenty of things to do there.”

Although I was currently so poor that I had only a few hundred yuan left, I could not bring myself to ask my mother for money. Even if I had to slap my own face swollen, I still had to pretend I was well-off.

After exchanging a few brief farewells, I took Yu Xiaoxue and returned to the county.

It was already past five when we arrived. I bought a set of tools for making ceramic utensils on the way and then returned to the residential complex.

I checked the time. The two little princesses had probably slept for four or five hours, and under normal circumstances they would still need more rest. But it was dinnertime, so I asked Yu Xiaoxue to go wake them and bring them downstairs.

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I reheated some prepared dishes and cooked a pot of rice while I waited.

Women were truly difficult to serve. After Zhao Qian and Han Shanshan were called downstairs, they took turns combing their hair and putting on makeup in the bathroom. They did not appear until the rice was cooked and the dishes had been placed on the table.

Someone had called her up, and hot food was waiting for her. Zhao Qian was deeply touched by the care she received. She usually lived alone and had never experienced such familial warmth. Seeing the scene before her, she nearly burst into tears.

I handed Zhao Qian a pair of chopsticks. She accepted them, her cheeks faintly flushed. She had rested fairly well that day, because even while asleep she had known that there were people in the house.

Compared with Zhao Qian, Han Shanshan looked much more energetic. When she saw that I had not handed her any chopsticks, she immediately snatched the bowl and utensils from my hands and began eating without the slightest shame.

“Heh heh, I never knew you were so good at taking care of people. No wonder Zhao Qian has become more interested in her appearance since she started following you. She went into the bathroom and didn’t come out for ages.”

The small mouthful of rice Zhao Qian had just swallowed shot straight out, spattering my face with grains. She was so embarrassed that she did not know how to explain herself.

Yu Xiaoxue was displeased as well. Why did they always link Tian and Zhao Qian together? Why could no one ever link him with her?

“Can you eat without talking for once?” I glared at Han Shanshan and reached for a napkin to wipe my face.

Han Shanshan stuck out her tongue. How could she have known Zhao Qian would react so strongly?

“I’m sorry, Tian. I didn’t do it on purpose. Please don’t blame me.” Zhao Qian spoke guiltily as she handed me a napkin.

“It has nothing to do with you.” How could I blame you? You had already become such a pitiful little thing.

“Hmph, hmph.” Han Shanshan snorted through her nose, looking as though she was convinced there was something improper between the two of us.

“Han Shanshan, come outside with me when you’re finished eating.”

I was completely at a loss with her. Han Shanshan was missing a screw in her head, and if I said too much, she might even become more pleased with herself. It was better to say nothing and let her keep snorting.

“What? Are you planning to challenge me, a member of the criminal police unit, to a duel? Let me tell you, I’m very strong.” Han Shanshan waved her little fists.

I laughed helplessly. “You’re very strong, are you? Then later you can help me carry the electric kiln from the back of the car into the courtyard.”

“Heh, it’s only an electric kiln. If you can’t even move a kiln, you’re as weak as a little rabbit. All right. Since you worked so hard for our team today, I’ll reluctantly lend you a hand.”

Han Shanshan did not think much of it. She probably assumed I meant an ordinary oven used for roasting meat.

“Yes, exactly—a little electric oven. Be careful when you put it down. I’m counting on this thing to make a living in the future. If you can’t move it, you’ll be even weaker than this little rabbit.”

I gave her a cold laugh.

Han Shanshan snorted several more times, then took the keys and went outside to move the oven.

But when we finished eating and went out to check on her, she still had not managed to get the oven down. She was drenched in sweat.

The moment she saw me, Han Shanshan began shouting.

“Xia Yitian! You lied to me! This isn’t an oven at all!”

“Doesn’t it say so right here? Didn’t you go to school?” I pointed at the two words for “oven” printed on the packaging box.

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