The black Bentley sped all the way to Oak Manor, finally stopping directly across from the Xu family villa.
The villas in Oak Manor were all detached houses, with green landscaping walls separating each villa to protect the residents’ privacy. However, the main road in front of the front yards was shared. In other words, the two villas were separated only by their front yards and the main road. In fact, if someone stood on the second-floor balcony, they could see what was happening at the Xu family villa diagonally across the street.
If the two families happened to leave their homes at the same time, they might even run into each other face-to-face.
Xu Muchen was speechless for a moment, his whole face scrunching up.
“Don’t tell me this is the new house Brother was talking about?”
Wei Xilou lowered his eyes at him in confusion. “A-Chan doesn’t like it? Old Man Wei said Oak Manor is one of Jiang City’s top villa communities.”
Xu Muchen frowned. “The Xu family is right across from us.”
“Silly A-Chan. It’s precisely because I knew the Xu family was right across the street that I deliberately chose this place.”
Wei Xilou smiled, his eyes filled with undisguised malice.
“Don’t you think it’ll be fun to go out every day and watch their expressions change?”
Xu Muchen didn’t find anything fun about it. But since Wei Xilou seemed to like it so much, he simply kept his mouth shut.
Wei Xilou took him by the hand and led him through the front yard.
“Come on. Let’s go inside and have a look. Old Man Wei already had people clean it up. See if there’s anything else that needs to be changed.”
Unlike the European-style luxury of the Xu family home, this villa was decorated mainly in a traditional Chinese style. The backyard had been designed as an imitation of an ancient garden, complete with a small bridge and flowing water. The interior maintained the same style, with all the furniture giving off a strong antique-inspired atmosphere.
Xu Muchen wasn’t picky about food or accommodations. In his opinion, this villa was already far too extravagant for two people to live in.
Wei Xilou, however, seemed extremely dissatisfied.
One moment, he complained that the wood used for the furniture was no good. The next, he complained that the porcelain displayed on the shelves was actually a reproduction…
In short, the luxurious villa that Xu Muchen thought he could move straight into with his bags was nothing but junk in Wei Xilou’s eyes.
Xu Muchen began to wonder exactly what kind of “junk” he had given Old Master Wei.
In the end, Wei Xilou let out a long sigh, rubbed Xu Muchen’s head, and said, “There isn’t anywhere better for now. A-Chan will just have to put up with staying here for the time being.”
“…”
Xu Muchen didn’t feel the slightest bit inconvenienced by living here. He walked around the villa once, picked out a room he liked, and said, “I’ll still stay in a room on the first floor.”
He chose a room where he could see the backyard. When he pushed open the carved antique-style glass window, a breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers blew straight toward him, and the worries weighing heavily on his heart were blown away with it.
He turned his head to look behind him and saw his brother standing just behind him, in front of a decorative folding screen. He was frowning as he examined the painting on it, his expression dissatisfied. Clearly, he was once again criticizing the screen for being no good.
Xu Muchen pressed back a smile, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“I’ll go to the Xu family’s house later to pack up my things.”
Xu Muchen actually didn’t have much luggage. After staying at the Xu family home for all this time, the only things he wanted to take with him were his brother’s shrine, his school uniform, and his schoolbag.
At this time of night, Xu Qingming and his wife would normally have already gone upstairs to rest. Xu Muchen thought he would quickly grab his things and leave, then call Xu Zhifei afterward to let her know.
But he hadn’t expected the Xu family home to be brightly lit when he walked in.
Not only that, Xu Qingming, Xu Zhifei, and Xu Wangchuan were all there, looking exactly like they were holding another family trial.
Xu Muchen frowned and slowed his steps. After thinking about it, he simply said directly, “I came back to get some things. I won’t be living here anymore.”
As for where he would live, Xu Muchen didn’t want to say, nor did he feel there was any need to tell them.
But to Xu Qingming, those words sounded like his son was deliberately throwing a tantrum at him.
Originally, after his wife’s persuasion, he had agreed to temporarily take a step back. As long as Xu Muchen took the shrine away and didn’t keep it in the Xu family home, he could put it anywhere he wanted.
But after school, Xu Muchen hadn’t come home at all. Xu Qingming had waited until now, and his patience was already exhausted. Then he heard Xu Muchen announce that he was leaving home.
His anger immediately flared.
He said coldly, “Now that your eyes are better, you’ve grown wings too! Since you don’t want to live at home, then get out right now. Why did you even come back?!”
Xu Muchen didn’t want to argue with him. He silently turned around and went to his former room, taking out the luggage he had packed long ago.
With his schoolbag on his back and his brother’s shrine held in his arms, Xu Muchen walked out without the slightest reluctance.
When Xu Zhifei saw him like this, she hurried forward and stopped him, gently persuading him.
“Muchen, don’t argue with your father out of anger. The family business hasn’t been going very smoothly lately, which is why your father has become so suspicious. He insists that you throw away the shrine. If the shrine is important to you and you don’t want to throw it away, then just keep it. The family has other houses. You can put the shrine there. That way, your father won’t feel uncomfortable about it.”
She held Xu Muchen tightly by the arm, worry covering her face. Clearly, she genuinely hoped that the father and son could both take a step back and find some middle ground.
Xu Muchen looked steadily at her, hugged the shrine in his arms tightly, and shook his head.
“No need. I can live well on my own. I’ve lived that way for many years already.”
And he still had his brother.
Xu Zhifei’s face immediately turned pale, and her grip on his hand loosened.
Of course she wanted to make up for what had happened to this child. Ever since bringing Xu Muchen home, she had been trying to ignore the events of the past and do her best to be a competent, good mother.
But Xu Muchen clearly still remembered what had happened before.
He was unwilling to forgive them.
Xu Zhifei’s face was pale, her body swaying as though she might collapse. Xu Muchen walked around her and headed outside.
Xu Zhifei still wanted to follow him, but behind her, Xu Qingming finally lost his patience and shouted angrily, “Why are you still chasing him? If he wants to leave, then let him leave! If you have the guts to walk out, don’t come begging to come back later!”
“From now on, I, Xu Qingming, have only one son!”
Xu Zhifei hesitated and stopped in her tracks.
Xu Muchen walked outside without looking back.
Xu Wangchuan, however, pretended to chase after him and grabbed Xu Muchen by the arm.
“Muchen, Dad’s just angry right now. He didn’t mean what he said. They were just words spoken in anger. Why do you have to argue with Dad?”
“Just admit you were wrong. Dad and Mom won’t blame you.”
“Let go.”
Xu Muchen was too annoyed to waste time struggling with him. He was about to make a move when a familiar voice, thick with amusement, came from behind.
“Putting on a show this late at night? What’s all the excitement about?”
Wei Xilou slowly walked in and immediately saw Xu Muchen being held by the arm.
Displeased, he grabbed Xu Wangchuan’s wrist and squeezed until the pain forced him to let go. Only then did he lower his eyes and smooth out the wrinkles on Xu Muchen’s sleeve.
“How long does it take you to pack a few things?”
He was obviously asking despite already knowing the answer.
Xu Muchen didn’t want to play along. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Wei Xilou didn’t mind when he received no answer. He looked toward the stunned Xu family and smiled as he introduced himself.
“Mr. Xu, Mrs. Xu, I’m Xu Muchen’s older brother. We met once before at the Wei family banquet. From now on, A-Chan will be living with me, so the two of you don’t need to worry about him anymore.”
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and added, “Oh, right. I just moved into Oak Manor, the villa right across from yours. From now on, we can be considered neighbors.”
“Of course, I’m only telling you this to let you know that A-Chan will be living well. I’m not inviting you over as guests.”
Wei Xilou was in a very good mood today, and his face had been wearing an enthusiastic smile that was almost unnaturally fake the entire time.
After saying everything he wanted to say, he gave everyone a slight nod, took Xu Muchen’s schoolbag, and took his hand.
“Come on. Let’s go home.”
Xu Muchen left with him.
Behind them came Xu Qingming’s furious roar:
“Xu Wangchuan, close the door!”
After returning across the street, Xu Muchen casually put his few clothes into the wardrobe. He then wandered around the living room for a while before finding a table with good lighting and a good orientation.
He placed the shrine on it, and the simple stone-carved divine statue sat upright in the center of the shrine.
Xu Muchen turned around and asked the person involved for his opinion. “Should we just put the shrine here?”
Actually, the old shrine no longer served any purpose for Wei Xilou. But he liked the way A-Chan took the shrine so seriously, so he said, “Let’s put it here.”
Seeing that he agreed as well, Xu Muchen solemnly set up the incense burner and then lit three sticks of incense.
By the time he finished, it was already late. Xu Muchen went back to his room to shower and sleep, only for Wei Xilou to follow him in.
Xu Muchen turned around in confusion, holding his pajamas. “Brother, I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep.”
Wei Xilou said, “Go ahead.”
Seeing that he had no intention of leaving at all, and had even started undoing the buttons on his shirt while adjusting the pillows on the bed, Xu Muchen could only be more direct.
“Brother, there are plenty of rooms in the villa. We can each have our own room.”
Wei Xilou stopped undoing his buttons. The top two buttons hung casually open as he stared intently at Xu Muchen.
“A-Chan doesn’t want to live with Brother?”
Xu Muchen pressed his lips together, but still said, “It’s a little cramped with two people.”
Wei Xilou nodded and finally got up and left.
Xu Muchen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He carried his pajamas over to close the door. As he was closing it, he heard movement from the room next door. Brother had probably gone inside.
Thinking that having him next door wasn’t so bad, he finally felt at ease and went to take a shower.
Xu Muchen had a very regular sleep schedule. After his shower, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Moving to a new place didn’t make him feel uneasy. In fact, he slept even more soundly than before.
It was just that sometime in the second half of the night, he vaguely felt cold. It seemed as though his body was wrapped in something cold and sinister. Half-asleep, he reached out to look for his blanket, only to suddenly wake up.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side, only to see a tall, pitch-black figure lying beside him, turned slightly away. A pair of human-like arms were wrapped around his body, holding him tightly in its embrace.
Xu Muchen: “…”
So the room next door was still just for show.
Xu Muchen felt a wave of helplessness. In the end, he still couldn’t resist his sleepiness. He pulled the blanket over his face, choosing to pretend he hadn’t seen anything, closed his eyes, and continued sleeping.
After he fell asleep, the motionless figure slowly began to move. More limbs resembling arms extended from its back, wrapping Xu Muchen up so tightly that not even air could pass through.
At the same time, another hand carefully pulled the blanket that had been covering his head down to his chin.
That faceless face pressed tightly against Xu Muchen’s. If it had a nose, they could almost have been described as nose-to-nose.
Xu Muchen, fast asleep, didn’t know that non-human creatures had no need for useless sleep.
His brother simply watched him like that for the entire night.
The days after moving out of the Xu family home could be described as comfortable.
Xu Muchen no longer had to force himself to deal with complicated family relationships, nor did he have to worry about making a living. After receiving his custom-made glasses, Xu Muchen devoted himself wholeheartedly to his studies.
Previously, with his poor eyesight, although he had barely been able to keep up with his classes, catching up with the material had not been easy.
Now that his eyesight had recovered and there were no other distractions, Xu Muchen got Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang to help him gather a complete set of exercise books and test papers covering everything from the first year of high school through the first semester of the second year.
He began frantically doing problems and making up for what he had missed.
Time always passed quickly when he was focused on studying. Before he knew it, it was the end of May, and Xu Muchen took Nánmíng’s monthly exam for the first time.
Nánmíng didn’t have weekly exams, but there was a monthly exam every month. The monthly exam scores were totaled, but rankings weren’t announced. The results were privately sent to the parents, so in reality, there was still a ranking among the students.
This month’s exam was extremely difficult. As soon as the students walked out of the examination hall, cries of despair could be heard everywhere.
Wei Yao threw his head back and let out a long howl before asking Wen Dajiang solemnly, “I’m not going to come in dead last, am I?”
Wen Dajiang gave him a look as if asking whether he had taken the wrong medicine.
“You’re not coming in dead last for the first time. Why do you care?”
Wei Yao said heavily, “I don’t know what instructions my grandfather got from the Golden Flower Goddess, but he suddenly ordered my parents to keep a close eye on my grades. He said my parents have spoiled me too much and are practically raising me into a useless person. If I come in dead last again this time, I’ll only get five hundred yuan a week in pocket money from now on.”
Five hundred!
Was that even reasonable?!
That wasn’t even enough to treat someone to a meal.
He used to get fifty thousand a month. Even though he couldn’t spend it all, at least he could put the rest into his little private stash!
Wen Dajiang was shocked too.
“Five hundred a week?”
Wei Yao sighed repeatedly. Seeing Xu Muchen sitting beside them without saying anything, he reached over and poked him out of boredom.
“Hey, how did you do?”
Secretly, he was hoping Xu Muchen had done badly.
After all, Xu Muchen had only transferred here less than two months ago, and this month he was still redoing first-year high school exercises and test papers. Maybe he simply couldn’t keep up with the pace and could help him cushion the bottom, letting him come in second-to-last or something.
But Xu Muchen coldly shattered his fantasy.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “It should be okay.”
After a month of frantically doing exercises and making up for what he had missed, Xu Muchen had basically caught up with the curriculum.
Although there were regional differences in teaching, once he understood the underlying concepts, everything connected. Xu Muchen hadn’t found it particularly difficult.
In this monthly exam, aside from the final long-form math and physics problems, which he wasn’t completely sure about, he felt fairly confident about everything else.
“What does ‘okay’ mean?”
Wei Yao immediately rolled over and sat up.
“How much of the math did you do?”
Xu Muchen said, “I finished it. I was just a little unsure about the last big problem.”
Wei Yao looked confused.
“Wasn’t Yundong’s education level supposed to be pretty backward?”
This math exam had been extremely difficult. He had scratched his head and struggled his way through only about three-quarters of it, and he hadn’t even touched the final big problem.
Yet Xu Muchen had actually finished the entire thing, and didn’t even look like he had struggled?
If even Xu Muchen couldn’t cushion the bottom for him, then who could?
Was he really going to have only five hundred yuan a week in pocket money from now on?
Wen Dajiang sympathetically patted his dog head.
“Sometimes the gap between regions isn’t as big as the gap between people. But you might not necessarily come in dead last. He Jiaqi hasn’t returned to school to take the exam yet, has she? She should be able to cushion the bottom for you.”
He Jiaqi had been taking leave because of family matters and hadn’t come back, but she often chatted with the four-person group chat they shared.
According to He Jiaqi, her grandmother’s death had ultimately been determined to have been caused by a heart attack, while the dismemberment had occurred after death.
Following the trail from the spirit money, joss paper, and other things her parents had bought earlier, the police discovered that her grandmother and parents had joined some kind of cult and had also participated in several superstitious rituals.
Perhaps these things had ultimately caused He Jiaqi’s parents to suffer a mental breakdown after her grandmother’s death, leading them to commit the horrifying act of dismembering and eating her body.
In the end, He Jiaqi’s parents were sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
He Jiaqi had started school late and happened to become a legal adult right around this time. Since she was capable of living independently, she chose to stay at home alone.
Once she had finished dealing with her grandmother and younger brother’s funerals, as well as her parents’ hospitalization, she would return to continue her studies.
Wei Yao hadn’t thought of this before. He immediately felt secretly delighted, though he pretended to be reluctant.
“This feels a little like winning unfairly.”
Wen Dajiang rolled his eyes.
“Just cherish this hard-earned second-to-last place. Otherwise, once He Jiaqi comes back, you’ll be firmly seated on the throne of dead last.”
Wei Yao flew into a rage at that. He rolled his book into a cylinder, jumped up, and began smacking Wen Dajiang’s dog head with it.
Bang, bang.
Wen Dajiang dodged left and right while repeatedly begging for mercy, all the while letting out pig-like squeals.
Annoyed by their noise, Xu Muchen put on his headphones and worked on reading comprehension.
Before the monthly exam results came out, the Dragon Boat Festival holiday arrived first.
Nánmíng wasn’t too harsh on the first- and second-year students when it came to holidays. They got the normal three days off for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Wei Yao happily packed his things while nudging Xu Muchen with his elbow.
“What are you doing for the Dragon Boat Festival? Want to go out and have some fun?”
Xu Muchen said, “I’m going back to Yundong.”
“Why are you going back to Yundong? Visiting relatives?”
Wen Dajiang also came over and excitedly discussed it with Wei Yao.
“Otherwise, we could go to Yundong too. It’s a pretty good place to travel.”
Wei Yao was just about to agree when Xu Muchen said, “Your Old Ancestor is going too.”
Wei Yao immediately changed his tune.
“Yundong is so far away. What can we even do there in three days?”
After saying that, he grabbed his schoolbag and hurriedly ran off as though a ghost were chasing him.
Wen Dajiang asked Xu Muchen in confusion, “Why do I feel like he’s been really afraid of your brother lately? Not long ago, he was calling him ‘Old Ancestor’ every other sentence, and sounding so affectionate about it.”
Xu Muchen couldn’t figure it out either.
So, while they were on the plane, he turned his head and looked inquisitively at the man sitting beside him.
“Did you bully Wei Yao?”
Wei Xilou turned his head to look at him, his brows slightly furrowed, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “What is A-Chan talking about? Why can’t I understand?”
“Why would I bully him?”
Xu Muchen complained inwardly.
You don’t need a reason to bully someone. Finding them unpleasant is enough.
But then again, Wei Yao was a descendant of the Wei family and was more or less related to Brother. And he looked lively and energetic, with all his limbs intact, which meant that even if Brother had bullied him a little, he hadn’t gone too far.
So Xu Muchen stopped dwelling on it and instead asked about their destination.
“We’re not going back to Leigong Village, so where are we going?”
He had only found out the day before they departed that they would be returning to Yundong for the Dragon Boat Festival.
During this period, Xu Muchen had been completely focused on studying and hadn’t paid attention to what his brother was doing. When his brother told him they were going back to Yundong for the Dragon Boat Festival, he naturally assumed they were returning to the village.
But now that they were on the plane, he learned that they weren’t going back to the village this time.
Wei Xilou said, “It’s a little complicated to explain. You’ll know when we get there. I’ll tell you more when the time comes.”
After they got off the plane, a Jeep was waiting to pick them up.
The two of them got into the vehicle.
Xu Muchen noticed that the man driving the Jeep didn’t seem like an ordinary person. Although he had a plain-looking face and was broad and sturdy, looking like a farmer from the countryside, his eyes held a shrewdness and cunning completely different from that of an ordinary farmhand.
Xu Muchen glanced at the man sitting beside him. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he temporarily suppressed his curiosity as well.
After the Jeep got onto the airport expressway, however, it didn’t head into the city. Instead, it took another exit and followed a winding mountain road, twisting and turning through countless bends.
Then they traveled along a dirt road, bouncing around for another two hours before finally arriving at a village that looked somewhat abandoned.
Xu Muchen was even more puzzled. He jumped out of the car and stretched his stiff limbs a little, only to see a man who looked like the leader quickly coming over. He bowed respectfully to Wei Xilou.
“Mr. Wei, you finally came.”
Wei Xilou held Xu Muchen’s hand and followed the leader inside. “How’s the excavation going?”
The leader said, “We’ve dug down to the main tomb chamber’s entrance, but your ancestral tomb is really quite strange. The brothers didn’t dare open the door and go down on their own, so we could only wait for you to arrive.”
Wei Xilou nodded. “I won’t take too many people down with me. Five will be enough. Go count the men and ask who’s willing to go. There may be considerable danger on this trip, and I can’t guarantee everyone’s safety. Those who are willing to go down can sign an agreement themselves. Those who don’t want to go can stop here, take their severance pay, and leave today.”
The leader got his answer and immediately went to count the men.
Meanwhile, Xu Muchen, who had been silent beside them, was already dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, and it took him a long while before he managed to speak.
“Grave robbing is illegal…”
So that was why he had been wondering how his brother had suddenly become rich.
Wei Xilou thought his stunned expression was cute. He rubbed his hair and said, “A-Chan doesn’t need to worry. This isn’t someone else’s tomb. It’s the Wei family’s ancestral tomb. Old Man Wei has already taken care of the legal formalities.”
Hearing that did not make Xu Muchen feel much more reassured. He didn’t quite understand.
“Why are we digging up the Wei family’s ancestral tomb?”
But he quickly thought of something. Wei Yao was always calling him “Old Ancestor, Old Ancestor,” and his expression suddenly became strange.
“This isn’t your own tomb, is it?”
Wei Xilou laughed and patted his head.
“A-Chan is really smart.”
Xu Muchen’s face scrunched up.
“Didn’t you say before that your coffin was kept in the Wei family ancestral hall? How do you have a tomb too?”
And if they were going to dig up a tomb, why did he have to bring him along?
He was always worried that this matter wasn’t legal enough. What if they got caught and it turned out to be an illegal criminal act? What would he do if it affected his chances of taking the civil service exam in the future?
Wei Xilou said, “I don’t remember why I had this tomb built either. But after I came here last time, I remembered that there’s something very important to me inside. I have to retrieve it as soon as possible.”
Xu Muchen still didn’t want to go, so he said, “Then I’ll wait for you up here.”
Wei Xilou shook his head and pinched the back of his neck.
“A-Chan has to come too. This trip may be a little dangerous, but there’s something inside that will be useful to you.”