Chapter 36: Reunion with an old friend

Zhao Jun’s shout startled everyone. What was so strange about the fog? The mountains and forests of Sichuan are naturally foggy. What everyone was concerned about was the sound of the snort, which made people feel creepy from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhao Jun looked at the fog and wanted to explain a few things, but this time the fog was different. It was only winding around the foot of the mountain, and there was no trend of spreading up the mountain. Seeing this situation, Zhao Jun didn’t say much.

But in any case, this was not a place to linger, so the group returned to the village.

The story ends here. Qin Huai and I listened with difficulty, staring at the master, waiting for him to continue, but the master just bit his pipe and said, “That’s it, I’m done.”

“Master Jiang, don’t fool me. Is this the end of the story? What about you? How do you know? What happened when you went there?” Yang Qinhuai asked anxiously.

This story is depressing and uncomfortable. I guess Qinhuai thinks the same way as I do, always wanting to hear a better ending, such as someone being rescued or someone actually hiding away.

“Us? The village chief reported the incident to the township, which immediately reported it to the city police department. You know, the police department has some files that are directly reported to the higher authorities. As the report went up the chain, it came to us.” My master said very casually.

“I know that these files are usually kept secret, which means that they are beyond the reach of ordinary police officers. When the time comes, there will be someone to handle them. The police department is responsible for eliminating the impact, right?” Yang Qinhuai is very familiar with this system, and he is the son of an official.

“Well, that’s the way it is.” The master took a puff of smoke and said with deep understanding.

“But, Master, what did you guys do? Why did the people in the neighboring village move away?” I thought that Master and the others went there and didn’t catch the old village chief, so what was the point? And why did the people in the neighboring village move away?

“The people in the neighboring village moved away because of the ‘humming’ sound that Zhao Jun’s group heard in the mountains. Good things don’t leave the door, and bad things spread thousands of miles. Such things can be covered up in a large area, but they can’t be covered up in neighboring villages. Slowly, people moved away. Think about it. Can you live in peace next to a village that has been slaughtered? This matter also had a tendency to spread to the county seat, but it was later suppressed by us using the plague as an excuse.” The master said in a low voice.

Yang Qinhuai originally wanted to eat a piece of beef, but the story was too upsetting for him. He played with it a bit and didn’t eat it. Instead, he poured himself a drink and then said, “I know that all the people who knew about it were all called in for a talk or something. In short, it’s rotten in the stomach and can’t be mentioned. But it’s no good to mention it, either. It makes ordinary people’s lives uneasy.”

“Master, you haven’t said what you were doing there!” I asked relentlessly.

“What could we do? I was still young at the time, and I wasn’t considered a capable leader. The country had more important things to do, things with other countries. The pillars of the country were all sent there. We walked into the village, stayed for half a day, and then came out. We didn’t even collect the bodies!” The master sighed and said.

“What? You didn’t do anything?” I asked in surprise.

The master ignored me and said to himself, “We were going to burn the village down, but that would have been pointless. There are mountains everywhere, and it would have caused a huge fire! We didn’t do nothing. We did some basic disinfection work and then sealed off the village.”

“Seal the village? How? Master Jiang, did you send troops to guard it?” Qin Huai asked eagerly.

“How could we send troops to guard it? The village was full of resentment. We asked the opinions of the older generation and set up a large formation to seal off the resentment in the village. In addition, we also searched for the whereabouts of the old village chief. Unfortunately, at that time…” The master didn’t say anything else. I understood what he meant. In that situation, a few young people didn’t have the courage to find it. What if they did? They couldn’t win!

But a large formation can seal off the surging resentment, but can it seal off the old village chief? What if he runs around, then…

As soon as I thought of this, I quickly told him what I was thinking.

The master said, “We were worried about this problem at the time, but a wise man said that the old village chief is a special being, and sealing the resentment will also seal him! If you deliberately look for him, you won’t find him.”

“Why can’t you find him if you look for him?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“At the time, I couldn’t figure it out either, but then I realized that if he burrowed into the ground, no one could find him,” said the master.

“He can even burrow underground? Fuck, what the hell is this?” Yang Qinhuai was simply unable to believe this.

“Drilling into the ground is just a saying. After all, if a person doesn’t need to breathe to live, and his body is hard, what else can’t he do?” The master was quite calm.

Yang Qinhuai and I both turned pale. I said, “Master, are you telling me that we’re going to clean up the mess this time?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean! And we have to get rid of the old village chief.” The master chuckled. How could he laugh at such a dangerous thing?

“Master Jiang, I’m getting off the train. I might as well go back.” Qinhuai had a look of pain on his face. The kid was completely scared.

“Fine, go back.” The master didn’t mind at all that this burden was going back.

Qin Huai didn’t go back in the end. After arriving in Chengdu, he still insisted on taking the car that came to pick us up and followed us to Nanchong.

After arriving in Nanchong, I realized that this operation was not just the three of us, but many people, about a dozen. In addition, the master also specifically stated that there were still people who had not arrived. No wonder this operation also included a special guesthouse!

I don’t know if anyone was missing, but I knew I was overjoyed because I saw an acquaintance, Yang Sheng!

How many years has it been since I last saw him? 8 and a half years. When I saw Yang Sheng’s familiar yet unfamiliar figure standing at the entrance of the guesthouse, my mood immediately improved. The moment I set foot on Sichuan soil, my mood began to soar. I never expected to see a friend I cared about, so how could my mood not be good?

As soon as the car stopped, I rushed out of the car and gave Yang Sheng a big hug!

“Brother Sheng!” I shouted.

Yang Sheng still looked the same, except that he had a little beard on his upper lip, which made him look more mature.

Obviously, my warm hug just now scared him. With his slow reaction to life, he was stunned for half a day, at least 5 seconds, before his eyes turned from blank to surprised, and he immediately patted my shoulder and said, “I was waiting for you here. You’re finally here. Haha, Sanwa, you’ve grown up and are a good-looking man.”

I was sweating. Where does a man praise another man for being good-looking? Doesn’t that sound weird? But that’s just Sheng’s style. I don’t mind.

I had a lot to say to Brother Sheng, but I didn’t want him to readjust his glasses and hold me again, saying, “Sanwa, the things I brought you from Xinjiang have been here for a few years, and today I can finally give you the first one! In addition, I want to introduce you to someone.”

“Who is it?” I thought Shengge looked a little shy.

“It’s Comrade Zhao Jingyi,” said Brother Sheng awkwardly.

“Comrade Zhao Jingyi? What does she do? What does she need to be introduced for?” At that time, the meaning of “comrade” was simple, but few people called people that way.

“She is a PhD in biology, and works in the same department as me. The reason for the special introduction is because she is my lover.” After Shengge finished, he took a big breath, as if introducing his wife was like strangling him.

I laughed heartily. I said that Shengge was dressed up and clean this time, and that he had a wife. I put my arm around Shengge’s shoulder and said, “Shengge, this is a good thing. The key is that you don’t be shy. Where is your wife? Introduce her to me.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard a hearty laugh coming from somewhere. I looked over and saw a young woman with fair skin and clean features approaching me. Her smile was especially bright, like the sun above my head.

“Yang Sheng, is this the third child you were talking about? Now I’ve finally seen the real person.” As soon as the young woman opened her mouth, I knew that she was my sister-in-law.

This was our first meeting, and in the long years to come, she would become someone I would always respect.

“Hello, my name is Zhao Jingyi.”

“Hello, I’m Chen Chengyi.”