The crowd gradually dispersed amidst the noisy chatter. The buzzing discussions annoyed Long Gen to no end. His brows were knitted together, and annoyance was written all over his face.
Did he forget to check the almanac before going out today or what? He happily went to the head of the village to wait for someone, busting his ass running around, playing out thousands of potential problems in his head and coming up with solutions for all of them. Yet, despite all his calculations, he completely missed Aunt Flo. He couldn't exactly just shove his rod in and chase Aunt Flo away.
And on this end, the turtle pond was just about to have its foundation laid. While digging, they actually unearthed massive piles of human bones, chilling white skeletons piled all over the ground, making people's hair stand on end. The project had to be dropped again. In another two or three months, it would be autumn harvest and winter. If the first batch of turtles didn't hatch, what the hell would they eat next year?
He borrowed 500,000 from He Jingwen. How was he supposed to pay her back? He couldn't really take off his pants and become a gigolo, could he?
"Fuck, absolute worst luck. Running into ghosts while wearing a Daoist robe, getting cold water stuck in my teeth!" Long Gen cursed as he sat on the heated brick bed, swearing non-stop.
Shen Lijuan furrowed her brows, shook her head, and didn't make a sound. Chen Xianglian also had a look of worry on her face. They had poured so much money into it, and just as the turtle pond was almost finished, this had to happen?
If it were one or two skeletons, they could just treat it as digging up someone's ancestral grave, burn some paper money, and brush past it. But there were dozens of bodies dug up at the site, along with coffins and stuff. Not to mention the bad omen, the project delay was the real issue!
Liu Yuxin wasn't worried about taking responsibility right now, since they hadn't excavated it intentionally. It was just a coincidence. God knows how long those bullshit experts would take to investigate. The turtle eggs would get sun-baked to death before they even finished.
Re-selecting a site and excavating again meant that the hundred thousand or so yuan they invested would be completely flushed down the drain, without even seeing a bubble.
"Little Long, we still need Jingwen to help out. Just go through the motions and pull some strings. If they investigate thoroughly, who knows what else they might dig up!" After weighing the options, Liu Yuxin offered her opinion.
Right now, the best method was to suppress this matter, turn a big problem into a small one, and let it slowly calm down. Then, speed up construction and start hatching and farming the turtles as soon as possible!
"Making a phone call is fine, but the problem is I don't know what's down there either!" Long Gen threw his hands up and shrugged, looking completely helpless. His face was as twisted as a bitter melon. "What if there really is an ancient tomb? If they insist on studying it, I can't just chop them up and eat them, can I?"
Liu Yuxin was taken aback. She opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to say something but stopped.
"Motherfucker! If the sky wants to rain, or a mother wants to remarry, no one can stop it! Whatever happens, happens. I'm going all in!" He thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution, so he gave up on thinking. He slapped his thigh and told Chen Xianglian to go cook first.
Shen Lijuan frowned, looking at Long Gen with worry.
This little bastard was a bit wicked, fickle, and a womanizer. Every woman hated men like that, but what could she do? She just liked being with him; if she didn't see him for three days, she missed him terribly. It was a mix of love and hate. Seeing the little bastard so stressed right now made her feel terrible too.
"Little Long, don't, don't worry. Maybe it's nothing major. You rest for a bit, I'll go make food."
Long Gen waved his hand and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, not knowing what he was thinking. Having a beauty sitting next to him unexpectedly gave him no feelings, and the massive thing in his crotch was uncharacteristically well-behaved for once.
*
The fact that this happened in Shanghe Village meant everyone in the village knew about it. It was like farting under the covers; the stench permeated. In a place no bigger than a fart, if someone stirred-fried meat, the whole village could smell it.
Such a huge commotion by Qingshui River made the village explode with panic. As the sky just started to turn dark, the streets were completely empty. Everyone said that digging up bones was a bad omen, especially that many.
According to the village elders, it was the Japanese devils committing atrocities back in the day, digging a mass grave and burying their ancestors alive. Just hearing it sent chills down people's spines and made them break into cold sweats. Their legs trembled when walking. Who would dare go outside to cool off and chat? They all locked their doors early and hid in their beds.
But there are no absolutes in the world. Nowadays, the bold gorge themselves while the timid starve; you never know when your luck might change. In the dark of the night, two sneaky figures, one in front of the other, carrying something, quietly slipped to the edge of the turtle pond. Under the moonlight, the white bones lying in the pond looked ghastly, emitting a cold, eerie glow.
"Uh, Uncle Sanchou, maybe... maybe we should go back. It's... it's too scary... Digging up people's ancestral graves doesn't sound good..." The man in the back was a bit cowardly, shivering.
The man in front was none other than Li Sanchou, with his sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks, looking unpleasant from every angle.
"Hmph! Niu Da, you worthless coward. No wonder your wife won't let you in bed; even I look down on you!" Li Sanchou sneered and cursed, "Useless prick. Riches are sought in danger, don't you understand that?"
"Your dad is dead, what does your Wei family have left? Your land is the furthest and most barren in the village. Do you expect to dig up gold ingots in those fields?"
He shut up. He thought about it, and it was true. Ever since his old man hanged himself, what did the Wei family have? Nothing. They were dirt poor. The second brother had some skills, but what good was that? Let alone coming home, he didn't even care about his beautiful wife at home, so how could he care about his brother?
Li Sanchou's eyes flashed, knowing Niu Da was tempted, and continued:
"Niu Da, you're not that old, but you've heard some of the village rumors. Our Shanghe Village is not ordinary. Good mountains, good water. Old Man Wang in the village said a long time ago that the feng shui here is excellent, perfect for burials! I reckon this is definitely a tomb, maybe even a royal or noble cemetery."
"Think about it, could there be a shortage of treasures? Maybe one swing of the hoe will dig up a lump of gold! So, are you in or out?"
Niu Da furrowed his brows, cracking his knuckles. Being a man without power was pathetic. It was one thing if you made money, but right now the Wei family had neither reputation nor money. Forget about his wife not letting him in bed, he even looked down on himself!
"Uncle Sanchou, say no more. I'll do it! Fuck it, I'm going all in!" Niu Da gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and jumped into the pond first.
Crack. He snapped a white bone underfoot.
Niu Da didn't react at all. Carrying his hoe, he walked toward the center of the pond. He had been there this afternoon when they were digging. In the middle, some wood had been exposed—probably coffins. Once they opened the coffins, all the burial goods would be theirs!
"Hehe, there's a reason the Wei family fell into ruin. Fucking idiots!" Li Sanchou sneered and followed him.
The two then started digging furiously in the turtle pond, panting heavily.
Under the moonlight, two shadowy figures dug in the pit, panting like cows, sweating profusely, their eyes red like madmen.
"Look, look, Uncle Sanchou, look! There's a hole here... Look, Uncle Sanchou, it's glowing! That's gold, right? Gold, gold!" Niu Da suddenly shouted, tossing his hoe aside.
Lifting a broken stone slab, a hole about a meter in diameter was revealed. In the pitch-black hole, several glowing objects appeared, shining like gold.
Li Sanchou dropped his hoe and went over to look. Overjoyed, he slapped Niu Da on the back of the head, looked around, and whispered curses, "Idiot, why are you yelling so loud? Do you want to attract the whole village?"
Niu Da smiled foolishly, pointing into the hole, "Uncle Sanchou, let's go in, there's gold inside..."
Li Sanchou nodded. The two bent down and entered the hole one after the other.
Suddenly, two miserable screams rang out—Ah! Ah! The pond had caved in. The night returned to tranquility once more. Under the pale moonlight, there was a new splash of crimson...
Things still had to be done, whether you liked it or not. After sleeping through the night and beautifully releasing his giant rod, Long Gen stretched and got out of bed.
If the turtle pond really couldn't be dug, he'd just go to the city to learn how to drive. Money could be discussed later. His current fuck buddies were incredibly solid, so getting a little cash wasn't an issue. Besides, he was handsome and martial, his giant rod was amazing, and people liked him. What if he ran into another rich lady or two?
He wouldn't want for anything!
Thinking this, he felt at ease. He was just about to give Shen Lijuan and the others a few instructions before heading to town when someone outside the convenience store started shouting frantically.
"Lijuan, Lijuan! Something happened! Something happened! Someone died in the pond again! Quick, go look..." It was Li Sanshui's voice, Long Gen heard it clearly.
Shen Lijuan was startled. No way, someone else died?
"No time to explain, let's go look at the scene. It's too terrifying, scared me to death," Li Sanshui looked deeply shaken.
He had gotten up early to walk the old ox, let it eat some grass, and stopped by Qingshui River to give it water. He figured since he was near the pond, he might as well take a look.
There, in the middle of the pond, a hole the size of a dustpan had collapsed. Two hoes were thrown to the side, and half a human head was sticking out, soaked in blood. The eyes were wide open, the face covered in blood; it was impossible to tell who it was.
Another death in the turtle pond quickly caused an uproar. The villagers rushed toward it like crazy, looking worried and muttering among themselves.
"I told you, a mass grave, heavy grievances. Digging up their resting place, they're definitely going to torment us..."
"Sigh, they even said digging the pond would make money. Now it looks like it's just committing sins..."
"You're telling me! Yesterday we dug up bones, today someone died. Is tomorrow the end of the world?"
"Go, go, stop talking so scary. Let's go see."
"..."
Shen Lijuan was worried sick. With a dark expression, the group walked toward the river. No matter what happened, she had to go take a look. As for what to do next, they would have to wait until the police and archaeological experts arrived to make a decision. But at least for now, the turtle pond could not be dug!
Whether it could be dug in the future was still up in the air.
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