During the wait for breakfast, Ning Wei learned the identity of the deceased.
The middle-aged man was nicknamed "Fathead Fish" because he was a fishmonger, and he was very fat with a particularly large head, much like a big-headed fish. Thus, he earned the moniker "Fathead Fish."
"Fathead Fish's" real name was Yu Baohua. He originally had a wife, but she left him because she found him inadequate in that regard. After that, Yu Baohua lived alone.
His nephew was named Yu Jiansheng. Everyone said he had good fortune because Yu Baohua had earned a considerable amount of money selling fish. With no heir, it all fell to him.
It was precisely because Yu Baohua left behind substantial wealth that Yu Jiansheng arranged such an elaborate funeral.
Ning Wei wasn't concerned with the Yu family's lineage. She was more curious about how Yu Baohua had died.
At the funeral, people were bored and prone to idle gossip. However, discussing the cause of death in front of the deceased would be extremely disrespectful, so Ning Wei couldn't gather any information.
One thing was certain: Yu Baohua's death was highly peculiar.
Everyone called him "Fathead Fish," yet when Ning Wei had dealt with the corpse the previous day, she found it quite thin, and its head certainly didn't resemble that of a plump fish.
How could a person suddenly become so emaciated? Could it be a terminal illness?
However, Ning Wei found no trace of any medication in the house, so that theory didn't hold up.
Ning Wei couldn't figure it out, so she planned to have everyone split into groups after breakfast to gather more information.
The funeral was encountered on the way from the station, and the guiding cat also appeared here, indicating that this place must hold some clues, they just hadn't discovered them yet.
Ning Wei knew that Yu Jiansheng would certainly not tell her the answers to these questions. They needed to find the answers themselves outside.
After all, there were so many people in town; surely someone would be willing to talk.
Breakfast ended quickly. Since there wasn't much to do but no one could leave, Yu Jiansheng simply placed peanuts, melon seeds, and several decks of playing cards on the table.
Soon, the funeral became lively.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten their panic and flight from the previous day's reanimated corpse. The women sat together, whispering gossip, while the men gathered to smoke and play cards.
Ning Wei and her group had already quietly left the courtyard.
It was too noisy inside the courtyard, so they decided to split into groups at the entrance.
Ning Wei and Li Ye left from different directions and happened to meet Tang Tang at the intersection.
She looked behind Ning Wei in surprise, "Why isn't Li Ye with you?"
Ning Wei looked at her strangely, "Why should he be?"
"Did you have a fight?" Tang Tang lowered her voice, her tone filled with curiosity.
Ning Wei frowned slightly, "Why would you think that?"
Seeing her deflect the question and not answer directly, Tang Tang's expression immediately became knowing.
"Alright, I won't expose you. I understand everything!" Tang Tang winked at Ning Wei, who looked even more bewildered.
The two talked past each other until Ning Wei finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"You should go!" Ning Wei gave Tang Tang a gentle push.
Tang Tang, holding Yuanyuan, walked away, looking back and saying, "Don't worry, I understand!"
Of course, she understood. She was Ning Wei's biggest fan, and now she was a fan of the "Ning-Li" pairing.
These two had never been separated, and Li Ye had always stayed behind Ning Wei in a protective stance. Yet today, they were apart.
Aside from a quarrel, Tang Tang couldn't think of any other reason.
Yuanyuan, seeing Tang Tang's thoughtful expression, reminded her to watch her step.
"Do you think we should help?" Tang Tang then shifted her attention to Yuanyuan.
Yuanyuan knew what she was referring to, but she personally felt that this kind of matter should be resolved by Ning Wei and her group themselves.
If outsiders got involved, it might make things worse.
Yuanyuan's attitude didn't convince Tang Tang, but she also stated that if they continued like this, she would still intervene.
Seeing Tang Tang's expression, Yuanyuan guessed some of it.
Although she didn't understand what a "fan" meant, she knew it was best not to get involved casually.
"I suggest you don't get involved carelessly; it might backfire." Considering they had gone through many dangers together, Yuanyuan decided to offer Tang Tang a reminder.
It was already difficult enough here. If not for Ning Wei, they wouldn't have come this far.
Therefore, whether out of personal interest or other reasons, Yuanyuan didn't want to offend Ning Wei, let alone the peculiar Li Ye.
The best solution for their issues was to observe.
Yuanyuan feared Tang Tang would mess things up. Although Tang Tang said she wouldn't act rashly after her persuasion, Yuanyuan was still uneasy and resolved to keep a close eye on her from now on.
Ning Wei walked through the streets, occasionally passing by people. This was a small town, so the residents had heard about her dealing with the reanimated corpse.
"Master, are you here for something?" someone approached Ning Wei to inquire.
"Are there any unspeakable matters here, otherwise why would you think I have a purpose for coming?" Ning Wei wasn't foolish and decided to question him directly.
The man looked somewhat embarrassed. "How could there be? Please, go ahead."
Seeing him flee in disarray, Ning Wei genuinely felt a pang of suspicion.
However, judging by his reaction, the people here were tight-lipped, so it wouldn't be easy for them to gather information.
Ning Wei walked straight down the street and stopped at a teahouse.
Many people were seated inside the teahouse; no one noticed the addition of one more person.
After Ning Wei sat down, the owner approached.
"What tea would you like?"
Ning Wei looked around and noticed that most people were drinking tea from a specific type of cup, so it was surely the cheapest option.
She was originally penniless. Due to the incident with the bus, she had lost everything she had on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have struggled so much when encountering the reanimated corpse yesterday.
Fortunately, Zhu Yilian and the others were lucky. While looking for water to drink in the kitchen, they unexpectedly found a small pouch of money in a cabinet.
This place was originally inhabited only by Yu Baohua, so this money must have been his hidden stash.
Yu Jiansheng, who appeared so shrewd, hadn't even noticed Yu Baohua's secret provisions.
Considering that lodging and food required money, Zhu Yilian very generously took all of it.
To avoid exposing her, she divided the money into seven portions, giving everyone a share.