Chapter 5: The Legend of Guidaowan (4)

Lin Jianguo appeared in this small town on the banks of the Yellow River three years ago. It was also a time of late autumn approaching early winter. On a dusty afternoon, he walked into the town with a wooden stick, a bowl hanging from it, a small bundle on his back, and ragged clothes.

At that time, his name was not Lin Jianguo, but the townspeople called him Gou Sheng’er, so much so that his real name, Lin Fugu, was forgotten. He didn’t like people calling him by his real name, but when people called him by his rough nickname, he would laugh heartily and agree happily, so people got used to calling him Gou Sheng’er.

This is not a shame. After all, rural people believe that rough names are good for raising children. In an era when second dogs, dog babies, and dog leftovers ran all over the place, such names were quite common.

In the first few months, Gou Sheng lived in a remote alley or in a place where the wind could be blocked. Later, he lived in an abandoned shack.

There weren’t many people in the town, but in those days, they were all simple and kind. The shack was where they directed the dog to live. Although it had been abandoned for a few years, it had a windbreak wall on all sides, which was much better than sleeping on the street.

So, Gou Sheng’er went happily, and has lived there ever since. Some elderly people in the town say that Gou Sheng’er is a person who remembers favors.

At the beginning of his stay in this town, life was still difficult for Gou Sheng’er. After all, he had no foundation here, and could only do odd jobs for others, helping out in other people’s homes, just to get by. When there was no work to do, it meant going hungry. If a kind person could feed him, he would eat, but if not, he would just endure it…

But he never left the town to go to a bigger place or a better city to make a living.

So someone asked, “Dog Surplus, did you escape from your hometown because of famine?”

At this time, Gou Sheng would scratch his head and smile innocently, indicating a certain kind of acquiescence.

“Then, Gou Sheng, this town is not big, it’s hard to make a living, why don’t you go to a bigger place? After all, in a bigger place, even if… even if begging is better than here?” The person asking the question carefully organized the wording, even if it was a refugee, he didn’t want to hurt the other person’s self-esteem. That was the relative simplicity of the era, and the kindness that people could have with each other.

“I’m not going to a big place. I’ll just stay here for a few years, and then I’ll go back. If I go too far away, I’m afraid I won’t be able to come back. This place is already pretty popular, and it’s not interesting to go any further.” No matter who asked, Gou Sheng’er’s answer was always the same. But what is popularity? The people in the town didn’t quite understand, wondering if it meant that there were already a lot of people in the town, and that it was already much better than the village?

What a country bumpkin! The people in the town didn’t want to persuade Gou Sheng too much, but they secretly lamented in their hearts.

“I thought Lin Jianguo would always be in our town, escaping the famine, and then save up some money or tickets, and then go back. But this is not luck at all. It’s that other people are capable, and opportunities are always given to capable people. Lin Jianguo is a hidden talent.” At this point, Liu Er, the second master, took a sip of the wine that the old woman had already poured into his cup, and said with emotion.

“I said Liu Er, you’ve been going around in circles for a long time, and you haven’t gotten to the point. What exactly is this dog left, no, Lin Jianguo’s ability?” The old woman was a little dissatisfied.

Liu Er stopped drinking and stared at the old woman, making her feel uncomfortable. She wanted to scold him, but Liu Er sighed and said, “If you can’t remember what you want to ask, I’ll just say it. Do you remember Wei Dahan? He was from the east end of our town.”

“Ah.” The old woman replied, then slapped her thigh and said, “Yes, I remember. Wei Dahan, Wei Donglai. He was the strongest and most daring person in our town. He was the first person in our town to work at the timber distribution office. It’s a pity that such a good young man died in his first year of work! But this thing…”

“The year Lin Jianguo came was the first year the timber distribution office was established here, and it was also the year Wei Dahan died… there is a connection.” Liu Er said with a sigh.

“What? You mean Lin Jianguo timed his arrival here to get a job at the timber distribution office?” The old woman was a little confused.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just a coincidence. What are you in such a hurry for? Listen to me slowly. Do you think the Timber Transportation Office is not strange?” Liu Er seemed to have fallen in love with sighing. After saying this, he sighed again and then said, “Wei Dahan was not the first person to have an accident. The bad thing is that he was too brave, so the first accident happened to him.”

“Is the timber distribution office evil?” The old woman seemed to have never heard of this.

Liu Er-ye picked up his wine glass and began to tell the story without further ado…

Speaking of Mr. Liu Er, he used to have quite a bit of popularity in the town. Before the liberation, Mr. Liu Er’s father was a Taoist priest. He didn’t know if he was any good, but whenever there was a wedding or funeral in the town, Mr. Liu Er’s father would always be the one to handle it. Later, Mr. Liu Er also followed in his father’s footsteps and became a Taoist priest, and he also gained some popularity and prestige in the town.

Later, after the liberation, the government promoted science and literacy classes, and gradually, this set of things became less important in people’s hearts. Liu Erye’s business also faded, and the government also assigned him to a job guarding the gate of an institution. Liu Erye can be considered to have achieved a good result.

On the surface, it was like this, but the thoughts in Liu Er’s heart were not like this. His father was a Taoist priest, and although he was a Taoist priest with no real skills, he was deeply superstitious about some things. This kind of thinking undoubtedly influenced Liu Er… Not to mention the many taboos and rules that were extremely important to Liu Er, it was not necessarily a good thing to kill him like this.

But the trend of the whole society was like this, and even a smart man like Liu Er would not stand out and sing against the whole society. He just stayed at the gate of the government unit and guarded it until two years later, when the Timber Transportation Office was established here based on the topographical advantages of this town…

This was a big event in the town, and it caused a sensation throughout the town at the time, because the conditions offered by the timber transportation office were so good that every household in the town wanted to get in. But because of the special nature of the work, they generally only recruited young and strong men… Even female workers were rarely recruited, and only a few were recruited to be responsible for logistics, such as cooking.

This made the quota even more precious. After all, there was nothing else in the town, and there were still plenty of young men with strength. The old woman thought that according to Liu’s good reputation and prestige in the town, and that her eldest son was suitable, there was no problem at all with him getting in. But her eldest son didn’t get in, and it was difficult for him to get in later. For this reason, the old woman blamed Liu Er for not getting in.

“I didn’t care about this matter on purpose, but I never told you about it all these years. Do you think the timber distribution office is a good place to work? Absolutely not… It’s built in the backwater bay? What is the backwater bay? It’s also called the ghost-beating bay, where the water beats the corpses (floating corpses) gather. It’s full of evil spirits. Do you think it’s good? If you don’t have the right fate, you won’t be able to resist it. Going to work there… Hey… losing luck and fortune is a small matter, but your health will also decline quickly due to long-term exposure to negative energy. That’s the reason why the timber yard is so evil. Liu Erye opened his mouth and couldn’t stop talking.

This is something he has been thinking about for many years, something he has never even told his wife, and today he could not help but say it all at once.

“So you mean to say that you deliberately didn’t let our eldest son go to work?” The old woman was still the first time she knew the real thoughts in Liu’s heart, and her eyes were wide open.

“Isn’t that nonsense? Don’t forget what my father does. Even if he doesn’t have any skills, he can’t use any real skills. Don’t you know the taboo? I wouldn’t let my son die carelessly for money. I secretly looked at my son’s horoscope, and he’s not a hard-working person! Do you know that since the establishment of the timber transportation office, 17 bodies have been recovered in the first year, and none of them have found family members… Do you think they don’t believe it? Some nights I don’t come home until midnight. Did I tell you I was drinking with someone? That’s nonsense. The person in charge of that area actually asked me to perform a ritual. When Liu Er said this, he finished the wine in his cup.

“Is that true?” The old woman was a little scared.

“Do I still have to lie to you? When the Ghost Bay Timber Transportation Office was not established, did you think people from our town would go there? Everyone knows that it is evil there, and every few years, a few people have to drown to count! If no one had taken care of it before, those who had been floating in the water for a long time would either sink or drift away again… This… hey… let me tell you, Wei Dahan died because of this! Because that year, didn’t they pull out 17 bodies? The last corpse was really strange… It was this last corpse that caused the accident. I was thinking of moving with you at the time. I could see that it would never stop until twenty or thirty people died. In the end, you know who solved it? Liu Erye put down his wine glass and looked at the old woman seriously.

“You mean… Lin Jianguo?” The old woman asked with some uncertainty.

“It’s him! If it’s not him who strikes… our town is ready to hold a funeral. Without that kind of situation where every family has a funeral, it will never end.” Liu Er’s face was more serious than ever.

“Old man, are you bragging?” The old woman didn’t believe it. Who would be so sure of something that hasn’t happened?

“I’m bragging? Haha, if you’re not afraid, I’ll tell you the whole story.” Master Liu Er had probably had a few drinks, and his face was flushed. When his temper flared up, he didn’t care about anything else, and told his old lady about the incident that almost scared him to death that year.