Chapter 4: The Legend of Guidaowan (3)

The sharp knife cut through the scarred skin. The wound was not deep, and did not reach the flesh beneath the thick dermis, but it was not shallow either. At least the scarred skin was completely cut through, and blood spilled from the wound, flowing into a thin stream in an instant.

Lin Jianguo let out a painful groan, but his face did not change much, obviously he was used to this kind of pain.

He caught the blood with one hand, quickly stood up, picked up the terrifying skull statue, and placed it on his wound. The blood quickly and strangely seeped into the black statue, and together with the blood on his hand, Lin Jianguo did not waste it, and smeared it all over the black statue.

He gave a silly “hehehe” smile, as if the wound on his abdomen was not on him, and the flowing blood was not his… This smile was also very nervous. This kind of smile could often be seen in mental hospitals, a madman’s smile, a silly smile with no focus in the eyes, but with a great sense of peace.

This strange ritual ended quickly. Lin Jianguo’s wound stopped bleeding, and the skin around the wound turned a strange pale color, as if the blood had already drained away.

Lin Jianguo finally let go of the black statue in his hand. The statue had clearly absorbed enough blood, but the bloodstains seemed to be even paler. Lin Jianguo didn’t care about this, but slowly stood up, wrapped the statue in the flowery cloth again, placed it in the hole in the kang, and then buried it completely with kang ash. Only then did he cover his stomach and moan in pain for several times.

Then he stood up and took out a cloth bag from under the pillow. The bag was full of clean white cloth strips and a bottle of wine. He took out the wine and took a big sip, then “puff” sprayed it on the wound. The severe pain brought on by the alcohol disinfection made him moan again, as if he were taking medicine. He quickly swallowed the remaining wine in his mouth, and a pale and haggard face flushed with a sickly redness, which was better.

Biting his teeth, Lin Jianguo used the white cloth strips to bind the wound, and then he completely let out a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly, he raised his head in a nervous manner and muttered to himself, “No, I just lost so much blood. I have to replenish it… I have to replenish it…”

So, under the cold moonlight, the sound of cooking and cooking could be heard again in the dilapidated shack…

Master Liu usually enters the threshold of his home at this time every night, and the old woman in the house naturally complains when he enters.

“Every time after dinner, you just leave the table without washing the dishes. What do you think you’re doing?” Women’s mouths are always quick, even after decades of marriage, a man’s silence cannot change a woman’s quick-talking, just as a woman cannot change a man’s silence.

Facing the old woman’s daily “required course,” Liu Er also chose to remain silent as usual, entering the house with a smile.

But it seems that today the old woman is not going to let him off the hook. She still scolds him, “If you don’t say anything, I won’t know what you’ve been doing. You’ve just been going to see that Lin Jianguo, haven’t you? Every day after dinner, you help clean up the dishes. You go there every day, and during the day, you don’t do your work properly. You go to him whenever you get the chance… He works at the timber distribution office, so he doesn’t have to worry about food or drink. Don’t forget, our youngest son hasn’t even found a wife yet! Besides, that Lin Jianguo is very strange. He…”

Master Liu Er has a good temper, but his wife has a rather fierce temper. In the male-dominated Northwest, his family is somewhat of a matriarchal household.

So Master Liu always squats in the doorway, with a smile on his face, smoking a pipe, and letting his old woman scold him. But when she gets to this point, Master Liu’s smile disappears, and he growls, “You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry. You’re just a woman, and your job is to cook and do the laundry

The old woman was dumbfounded and didn’t understand why Master Liu dared to confront her like that today. She immediately flew into a rage and rushed over to yell, “What do you mean by saying that my hair is long and my knowledge is short? I do a lot of housework and work all day long. Don’t think that you are the only one supporting the family! You are still acting up today, aren’t you? What? You don’t allow anyone to say a word about your husband Lin Jianguo? What is your relationship? Is it closer than that of a wife and children? Are you two doing something that you shouldn’t be doing in the light of day? You don’t want me to say it, but I’m going to say it anyway. That person doesn’t live in a good place, but insists on…”

Master Liu was furious. Lin Jianguo was a capable man, so why would he say such nonsense? It was all his fault for being too indulgent with this woman, and for even saying such unpleasant things. He was afraid that… At this thought, Master Liu’s courage grew, and he rushed over and shouted at the old woman, “Shut up, you old hag! Do you believe I’ll fix you today?”

“Do you dare? Do you dare to touch me? I’m going to say it today, that Lin Jianguo…” The fifty-something old woman was not an ordinary one when she was being violent.

Liu Er, who was forced to do nothing, finally could not hold back any longer and rushed over, slapping his old lady hard in the face.

The slap was loud and clear, leaving both of them stunned. In the end, the old woman reacted first. This was like stabbing a hornet’s nest. She rushed up and grabbed Liu Er, then shouted, “I’m going to fight you to the death…” She had already taken off her shoes and smashed them on Liu Er’s head.

“Enough, stop!” Liu Er was forced to do nothing, shouted a sentence, but in return for a more violent ‘attack’, even the younger son at home was alarmed, came out at a loss for what to do and looked at the fighting parents, Liu Er had no choice but to hold his wife tightly, and then whispered in her ear: “Don’t fight, there is a reason for this. Lin Jianguo is a capable man.”

“What did you say?” The old woman finally stopped her hand movements and looked at Liu Er with some suspicion.

“Can I do something without a reason?” Liu Er said angrily, then looked at his youngest son and shouted, “What are you standing here for? Go back to the house! What if you don’t go to work tomorrow?”

Master Liu was afraid of his wife, but his sons were afraid of him. When they saw him yelling at them like that, the youngest son bowed his head and turned around to go back to the house. Only then did Master Liu say to the old woman, “I was going to keep this to myself, and I think everyone who knows about it feels the same way. But today, look at you… I have no choice.”

“What’s the matter?” The more Liu Erye acted like this, the more confused the old woman’s face became. She knew her man, and from his expression and words, it seemed that something really important had happened.

Liu Er looked around, then sighed again, picked up the pipe that had been thrown on the ground during the fight, and said to the old woman, “Let’s go inside and talk.”

In the room, an oil lamp was lit. Mr. Liu and the old woman both sat cross-legged on the small table on the kang. Mr. Liu lit the pipe again, and the two of them were silent for a long time, and Mr. Liu did not speak.

“You were so secretive just now, why don’t you say anything now?” The old woman couldn’t stand it any longer and spoke first.

Liu Er-ye coughed out a thick cloud of smoke and then looked up and said, “Bring me a jug of wine.”

“Are you looking for an excuse to drink?”

“What reason do I need to drink? There are some things that you can’t talk about without a little courage.” Liu Er said to the old woman helplessly.

Although the old woman was somewhat skeptical, she still brought a jug of wine from the house to Liu Er, and incidentally made some snacks for the leftovers from the evening, and grabbed some peanuts, which were then placed on the small table on the bed.

Liu Erye picked up the wine bottle, and without bothering to pour it into a glass, he took a sip and didn’t touch the appetizers. Then he said to the old woman, “Do you remember how Lin Jianguo came here?”

“Did he come here to escape the famine?” The old woman recalled and said uncertainly.

“Yes, it looks like he came here to escape the famine, but the key is why he entered the timber transportation office. Think about it. What else happened that year, the year he came here?” After Liu Erye said this, his face changed. He quickly grabbed the wine pot and poured himself a drink.

The old woman, however, was lost in thought. Had something happened?