Upon hearing Zhou Jiayu’s question, Ji Ba stood quietly on the turtle shell, his expression very calm: “I’m just a three-legged Golden Crow.”

“What’s on this paper?” Zhou Jiayu felt anxious just thinking about the scene he had witnessed. “Is it really the future?”

“It is the future,” Ji Ba confirmed. “But Zhou Jiayu, the future can be changed.”

Zhou Jiayu remained silent.

“Some succeed, some don’t. You know the cliff is ahead, but to avoid falling off, you need the right method.” Ji Ba lowered its head, meticulously preening its feathers. Its expression was solemn, as if speaking of something very sacred.

“Has Lin Zhushui’s future changed?” Zhou Jiayu asked. “Didn’t you say before that ever since I arrived, Lin Zhushui’s future changed?”

Ji Ba said, “I did say that.”

Zhou Jiayu was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Ji Ba added, “But until that day comes, no one knows the extent of the change.”

Zhou Jiayu had nothing to say. He looked at the kraft paper in his hand and fell silent.

Ji Ba said, “Although you know something now, I have a piece of advice for you: don’t ruin your present life for something that hasn’t happened yet. Because the present exists for the future, perhaps the continued development of your relationship with Lin Zhushui is the condition for changing the future.”

Zhou Jiayu still didn’t speak. Ji Ba didn’t know how to persuade him anymore. It helplessly scratched its beak with its claw and sighed, “That Xu Jinghuo, he really has ill intentions. He got himself into trouble and still won’t let you go.”

Zhou Jiayu recalled the destruction of the Xu family. Clearly, the method Xu Jinghuo used to predict the Xu family’s disaster was this page of kraft paper in his hand. And from the state of the kraft paper, it seemed to have been torn from something. If Zhou Jiayu hadn’t guessed wrong, there was probably more than just this one page.

“Alright.” Zhou Jiayu finally decided to temporarily put the matter aside. What Ji Ba said was actually reasonable; worrying too much about this thing would only lead to trouble.

So he locked the kraft paper back into the wooden box and lay down on the bed.

However, even so, those images were firmly imprinted in Zhou Jiayu’s mind like a brand. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lin Zhushui seemingly merging with flames, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Normally, Zhou Jiayu rarely suffered from insomnia, but today he was barely asleep all night, only getting a brief shallow sleep at dawn. But even in his shallow sleep, his dreams were still about Lin Zhushui.

Having not slept well that night, Zhou Jiayu woke up the next day with two dark circles under his eyes.

His haggard appearance startled everyone in the room. Shen Yiqiong asked what Zhou Jiayu had been doing last night, saying he looked like he could drop dead at any moment.

Zhou Jiayu said he was contemplating life last night.

Shen Yiqiong asked what life he was contemplating.

Zhou Jiayu said, “I’m thinking about the relationship between your life and the number seventy-three.”

Shen Yiqiong, upon hearing this, left in anger, declaring that Zhou Jiayu was openly discriminating against single people and should be severely condemned. With this distraction, everyone ignored why Zhou Jiayu hadn’t slept.

After dinner, Zhou Jiayu secretly called Xu Jinghuo again.

After answering the phone, Xu Jinghuo directly asked Zhou Jiayu what he had seen.

“Don’t worry about what I saw, I just have one question for you: can the future be changed?” Zhou Jiayu clutched his phone, his tone a little anxious.

Xu Jinghuo also guessed something from Zhou Jiayu’s tone and sighed: “Of course it can. Otherwise, what do you think I did all those things for back then? Zhou Jiayu, in the future I saw, the Xu family didn’t predict the disaster. Including me, everyone was gone—now, at least I’m still left, and a few children… and the little paper in your hand.”

Zhou Jiayu’s heart stirred upon hearing this.

“But I chose the wrong path,” Xu Jinghuo said sadly. “Ultimately, I couldn’t change what I wanted to change the most.”

Zhou Jiayu swallowed hard: “Then…”

Before he could finish, Xu Jinghuo interrupted him: “I suggest you’d best not tell Lin Zhushui about this. Now that I think about it, my biggest mistake was telling Old Xu about it. If I hadn’t said anything, but found other excuses to trick Old Xu out of She Mountain, perhaps history would have changed.” He chuckled bitterly, “Of course, I might have become a sinner of the Xu family then, but what does it matter? It’s better than… the entire clan being wiped out.”

Zhou Jiayu didn’t respond. He felt that the amount of information he had received was too vast, and for a moment, he found it difficult to process it all. He needed to think carefully before making a decision.

After all, this decision concerned his and Lin Zhushui’s future.

“That’s all for now,” Xu Jinghuo said. “I can only give you this much information.”

Zhou Jiayu said thank you.

Xu Jinghuo did not respond again and directly hung up the phone.

Zhou Jiayu stared at the phone in his hand, slowly covering his face. He felt as if he had been pulled into a quagmire, his body constantly sinking, and the more he struggled, the faster he sank.

---

Perhaps influenced by this incident, Zhou Jiayu became somewhat distracted. The most obvious sign was that he frequently cut his fingers while cooking. After a few days, his hands were covered in band-aids, and for the first time, he burned a hole in a pot due to zoning out.

The result of this situation was that before Zhou Jiayu could even react, Lin Zhushui stepped in, directly announcing that Zhou Jiayu was forbidden from entering the kitchen for the time being and was not allowed to touch knives or cooking utensils.

“Sir, I’m fine,” Zhou Jiayu still tried to argue.

Lin Zhushui held his hand, his voice chillingly cold: “Cut your hand six times in a week and you’re fine? Do you have to chop off your finger before you’re ‘fine’?”

Zhou Jiayu had nothing to say.

Lin Zhushui peeled off each of Zhou Jiayu’s band-aids, applied medicine, and then put on new ones.

The group in the house didn’t dare to argue in front of Lin Zhushui, but as soon as they thought about eating the noodles they made themselves, they all looked utterly dejected, even the weasel’s expression wilted a bit.

“I’m really fine, just minor injuries,” Zhou Jiayu lowered his head, watching Lin Zhushui’s actions, and whispered, “I think these minor injuries are really nothing compared to eating the noodles Shen Yiqiong makes…”

Shen Yiqiong was playing on his phone nearby. Hearing this, he immediately jumped up from the sofa and angrily said, “Guan’er, what do you mean? Are my noodles that terrible?” He instantly rolled up his sleeves, pointed at the kitchen, and said, “I’ve made great progress! If you don’t believe me, I’ll make you a bowl to try!”

“No, thanks.” Zhou Jiayu quickly tried to stop him but failed, watching Shen Yiqiong rush into the kitchen.

Everyone present who had eaten Shen Yiqiong’s noodles showed a rather pained expression. Zhou Jiayu also felt a little sad, but he noticed that Shen Yiqiong’s action of rolling up his sleeves looked very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before…

Twenty minutes later, Shen Yiqiong came out with the noodles. The noodles looked quite normal, topped with vegetables and a golden egg—from the fact that Shen Yiqiong hadn’t burned the egg, it seemed he had indeed made progress.

“Come, have a taste!” Shen Yiqiong untied his apron and loudly said, “If it’s not delicious, you don’t pay!”

Not a single person in the room moved. The most astute Shen Musi had already slipped away on some pretext when Shen Yiqiong entered the kitchen.

Shen Yiqiong looked around at everyone, finding that they all silently averted their gaze, and got angry: “Can’t you give me a little trust? Xiao Jin… Xiao Jin, you have the best taste, you try it!”

Only the newly arrived little golden dragon, lacking experience, said “Okay” expressionlessly when Shen Yiqiong said that, and reached out to take the noodle bowl.

“Eat.” Shen Yiqiong handed him the chopsticks.

The little golden dragon took the chopsticks, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and put it in his mouth.

Everyone watched him in silence. Shen Yiqiong’s eyes were full of expectation. Just as he was about to ask how it tasted, a booming thunderclap sounded from outside the window, followed by a downpour that enveloped the entire courtyard. It was quite unusual for such heavy rain in spring.

The little golden dragon put down the bowl and said to Shen Yiqiong, “Do you want me to die?”

Shen Yiqiong’s eyes welled up with tears, and he covered his face, weeping, saying they were too much, couldn’t they give him some face?

Everyone inside was completely unfazed; after all, giving Shen Yiqiong face came at the cost of one’s life.

Zhou Jiayu looked helpless, once again realizing his importance in the household.

That evening, Lin Jue still ordered takeout.

After eating, Zhou Jiayu originally intended to return to his room to rest, but Lin Zhushui called out to him.

“Come for a walk with me,” Lin Zhushui said.

Zhou Jiayu naturally had no reason to disagree and happily trotted out the door, following behind Lin Zhushui.

The cold winter had passed, and it was now the height of spring. Everything exuded a vibrant energy, and the roadside plants were tinged with a fresh, crisp green, as if the air itself had become clearer.

Lin Zhushui and Zhou Jiayu walked side by side on the path in the courtyard.

Zhou Jiayu had been at the Lin family for so long, but he still hadn’t explored the entire courtyard. Lin Zhushui led him forward, and Zhou Jiayu followed, soon seeing unfamiliar scenery.

There was living water in the courtyard, but this was the first time Zhou Jiayu had seen its source. It was a beautiful, massive rockery, with strange, rugged rocks, plants, and moss. A spring flowed from it, following a dug channel into the courtyard. Not far from the rockery, there was also a small bridge. The bright moon shone in the sky, casting a soft, shimmering light on everything below.

Lin Zhushui stopped by the rockery. He turned his head slightly to face Zhou Jiayu: “What’s bothering you?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “I…”

He had just uttered one word when Lin Zhushui extended his thumb and heavily rubbed it against his lips: “Don’t lie to me.”

Zhou Jiayu was speechless.

“Speak,” Lin Zhushui asked.

Zhou Jiayu, however, fell silent. He was thinking about Xu Jinghuo’s advice, whether or not to tell Lin Zhushui about this.

Lin Zhushui seemed somewhat displeased with Zhou Jiayu’s silence. He said, “Zhou Jiayu, I don’t want you to keep things from me.”

Zhou Jiayu bit his lip, not knowing how to begin.

“Could it be related to that express delivery you received earlier?” Before Zhou Jiayu could speak, Lin Zhushui’s words made him freeze.

“It truly is.” Catching Zhou Jiayu’s change in aura instantly, Lin Zhushui asserted, “Zhou Jiayu?”

Zhou Jiayu felt a bit helpless, thinking that he hadn’t even opened his mouth, and Lin Zhushui had already guessed almost everything. He said, “Sir…”

Lin Zhushui raised an eyebrow upon hearing “Sir”: “Is it related to me?”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” He just said “Sir,” and he guessed that?

“Zhou Jiayu,” Lin Zhushui’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. He said, “I’ll just ask you one thing: if I found out something about you but hid it from you under the guise of being for your own good, what would you think?”

Zhou Jiayu knew what Lin Zhushui wanted to say. He lowered his gaze, his mood somewhat complex: “Sir, I’m a little scared.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhushui immediately took Zhou Jiayu’s hand. His warm palm covered Zhou Jiayu’s slightly cold hand: “I’m here.”

That simple “I’m here” soothed Zhou Jiayu’s anxieties. He looked at Lin Zhushui’s profile, and the emotions he had suppressed for days burst forth. He said, “Sir, Xu Jinghuo told me that the paper he gave me can see the future, and I did as he said.”

“What did you see?” Lin Zhushui asked.

“I saw you in the fire,” Zhou Jiayu said in a daze, slowly describing the scene that had tormented him for days. “Flames surrounded you, igniting your body, and you disappeared into the fire…”

Lin Zhushui heard this and said, “Is that all?”

Zhou Jiayu said that was it.

Lin Zhushui said, “Zhou Jiayu, before I met you, that might have been my fate, but after meeting you, some things have already changed.” He paused for a moment and then added, “I’ll tell you something.”

Zhou Jiayu listened attentively. Lin Zhushui began: “I have two tribulations in my life: one at eighteen, and another at thirty…”

His voice was calm, recounting slowly, but it sent a chill through Zhou Jiayu. This was the first time he realized how close he had been to losing Lin Zhushui.

Thirty years old, that was last year. Lin Zhushui’s encounter with the sudden cracking of the jade in summer was indeed no accident. But thankfully, Zhou Jiayu was present at the time and averted the danger with his own blood, saving Lin Zhushui.

Lin Zhushui had never mentioned this matter, probably fearing that they would worry.

Zhou Jiayu felt distressed listening to this and asked Lin Zhushui to always tell him first if such situations arose in the future.

Lin Zhushui agreed, but also told Zhou Jiayu not to keep things from him either.

After their conversation, Zhou Jiayu felt much of his inner turmoil resolved. Some things he couldn’t handle, but Lin Zhushui might have a way. If Lin Zhushui truly fell into danger one day, he would save him, even if it cost him his own life.

In the following days, Zhou Jiayu finally recovered his state, no longer cutting his hands while chopping vegetables.

---

Regarding the Meng family, Lin Zhushui also received some news, stating that after the Meng couple passed away, they were buried separately. The husband was laid in the Meng family ancestral grave, while the wife was not allowed in.

“The exact location of the Meng family ancestral grave is hard to find, but this woman’s grave should be easy to locate,” Lin Jue said. “Should we go and see if we can find any clues?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhushui agreed to Lin Jue’s suggestion.

So, the group set off again, flying towards the northeast.

The Meng family’s ancestral home was in the northeast. Although the Meng family’s third son had broken ties with his family, he hadn’t left that land. After getting off the plane, everyone went directly to the rumored burial place of the third son’s wife. It was a relatively remote cemetery that looked quite old from the outside. There were no caretakers at the entrance, and it was overgrown with various weeds, appearing incredibly desolate.

They parked their car outside the cemetery and walked into it.

Zhou Jiayu noticed that many of the tombstones in this cemetery had no names, or perhaps the names on them were blurred due to age.

“Is no one managing this place?” Zhou Jiayu was a bit surprised. “Aren’t cemeteries quite profitable? Why would no one manage it?”

“Cemeteries are profitable in big cities. In these poor, remote areas where you can find burial spots anywhere, they’re not profitable,” Lin Jue explained. “The feng shui here is very ordinary, and they still charge fees. Not many people were buried here to begin with, and after cremation became popular in recent years, it’s become even more desolate…”

“So, where exactly is it?” Shen Yiqiong scratched his head. “Although this place isn’t big, there are quite a few tombstones. Are we going to look for them one by one?”

“Let’s look,” Lin Jue sighed. “The information certainly isn’t that precise. I only know it’s buried here, but the specific location is unclear.”

Helplessly, everyone began searching the cemetery.

Although this cemetery had been desolate recently, it still had several hundred tombstones, so searching like this wasn’t very efficient. But luckily, they had good fortune, and soon Zhou Jiayu discovered something different about one of the tombstones. The biggest difference between this tombstone and the others was that its surroundings were very clean, appearing to be frequently visited, and all the weeds around it had been cleared away during the visits.

“Found it!” When he saw the three characters Zhang Jingya carved on the tombstone, Zhou Jiayu confirmed he hadn’t made a mistake. He called out to the people around him, “It’s right here.”

Everyone gathered towards Zhou Jiayu’s direction.

“It is indeed that name,” Lin Jue said after inspecting the tombstone. “It seems someone visits here often.” She bent down and rubbed her finger over the tombstone, confirming that there was very little dust on it, indicating it was frequently cleaned.

“Could it be the child from the photo?” Zhou Jiayu asked.

Lin Jue stroked her chin: “Or, we could wait. It’s only a few days until Qingming, and this person will definitely come to sweep the grave…”

Although waiting like this was a clumsy method, it seemed to be their only option at the moment.

So, the group stayed in a hotel near the cemetery and began to secretly observe the graveyard.

As Qingming approached, this desolate cemetery became a bit livelier than usual, with many families driving up with offerings to visit graves. However, Zhou Jiayu and the others focused all their attention on Zhang Jingya’s grave, and soon, their wait yielded results.

Zhou Jiayu originally thought the cloaked man would come to sweep the grave, but who knew that a white-haired old lady appeared instead. The old lady carried a basket and walked unsteadily to the tombstone, then began to take out things from the basket to clean the tombstone. Her movements showed she was very skilled.

“Let’s go.” After squatting for several days, they finally got results. Lin Jue slightly raised her chin.

The several people then walked towards the old lady.

“Elderly lady,” Lin Jue walked to the old lady’s side and gently called out, “Who are you to Zhang Jingya?”

The old lady was clearly startled to hear Lin Jue’s voice. She then turned her head and vigilantly looked at them: “Who are you?”

“Well, we are friends of Zhang Jingya’s son…” Lin Jue fabricated a story. “He’s encountered some very bad things and has gone missing. We’re very worried about him, afraid something might have happened, and we’re looking for him everywhere now.”

The old woman frowned upon hearing this: “Are you really Xiao Tian’s friends?”

Xiao Tian? This was clearly the cloaked man’s name. Lin Jue said, “Of course. We met him in S City last month, but later there was an accident, and we got separated from him. We want to confirm his safety.”

The old woman was still a little suspicious, but at least not as wary as before. She sighed, saying that she didn’t know where Xiao Tian went and they hadn’t been in contact for over ten days.

“Is that so?” Lin Jue said. “That’s terrible…” Her face showed worry, looking exactly like someone genuinely concerned about the Xiao Tian the old woman mentioned.

Zhou Jiayu, seeing this, had to admit that the Lin family members were indeed all acting experts. Even Lin Zhushui, who usually showed no expression, subtly revealed a hint of concern.

The old woman also grew a little anxious upon hearing this and asked them what exactly had happened.

“Sorry, it’s not very easy to explain,” Lin Jue said with a bitter smile. “Madam, since that’s the case, we’ll take our leave for now. If you find any clues, please be sure to notify us. We’re afraid it might be too late if we go any later…”

The old woman heard this and quickly said, “What exactly happened? I’m Xiao Tian’s aunt. If something happens to him, I won’t be able to live either.”

Lin Jue said, “It’s like this…”

Then Lin Jue concocted a story where Xiao Tian became their companion and went missing trying to save them. Since they couldn’t contact Xiao Tian, they came here hoping to find some clues and see if they could get in touch with him.

The old woman grew more and more anxious as she listened, finally grabbing Lin Jue’s hand and asking if it was serious, and if something would happen to Xiao Tian.

Lin Jue comforted her: “Madam, it won’t be anything major. Xiao Tian is very capable.” As she said this, tears welled up in her eyes, giving the impression that Xiao Tian might sacrifice himself at any moment, but they just wouldn’t say it.

Frightening an old lady was truly a reluctant measure, but Lin Jue’s words clearly had an effect. The old lady fell into anxiety, saying that she didn’t know where Xiao Tian went, but it was Qingming Festival now, and if Xiao Tian was alright, he would definitely return to visit his mother’s grave.

At these words, Zhou Jiayu and the others all felt a sense of relief.

“That’s great!” Lin Jue said. “Madam, we came by car. If you don’t mind, we’ll give you a ride home. The mountain road isn’t easy to walk.”

The old woman seemed slightly hesitant, but finally, under Lin Jue’s reassurance, she agreed.

So the group sent the old lady home.

The old lady’s living environment wasn’t very good; there was no elevator and no security. The few of them carefully helped her up to the sixth floor, only preparing to leave after seeing her open the door and enter.

“Would you like to come in and sit for a bit?” By this point, the old lady confirmed they didn’t seem to be bad people. After a moment of hesitation, she kindly offered an invitation.

“We wouldn’t want to trouble you,” Lin Jue refused.

“What trouble?” the old lady said. “You’ve come all this way to bring me back…” She continued, “Come in and sit for a while; it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone to chat with.”

Her words made it somewhat impossible to refuse, and finally, they entered the old lady’s residence and sat on the sofa with broken springs.

“Xiao Tian has always been alone. I’ve been worried if he’d be bullied,” the old lady babbled while pouring tea. “Seeing you all, I feel much more at ease.”

Listening to this, Zhou Jiayu felt inexplicably complex. Clearly, they had found their target; the old lady before them was a very special person to the cloaked man.

“Oh, by the way, there’s something I want to ask you,” the old lady suddenly spoke.

Everyone was mentally prepared, thinking the old lady might ask a rather serious question. Who knew she would softly say, “Xiao Tian, has he found a partner?”

Lin Jue: “…” Same world, same parent.

---

Author’s Note: 

Zhou Jiayu, holding Lin Zhushui’s hand, says: Look at you, so old and still haven’t found a partner.

Cloaked man: …………..

Zhou Jiayu: Your elders are worried sick.

Cloaked man: Shut up!!