The proprietress's politeness made Xu Zhengyang feel embarrassed to refuse. Apart from being good at bargaining and talking to rural women, he was really not good at socializing. He felt genuinely flattered, but he was also too embarrassed to actually take advantage of her and let her treat him. So he said, "I won't stand on ceremony and call you 'Big Sister' anymore. Let's not be formal. I won't pay for the broken things, but I'll still pay for the meal. You can't refuse!"
"Alright! You're a straightforward guy, young man!" The shrewd proprietress could easily see through Xu Zhengyang's pride and readily agreed. "Xiao Hui, take your brother Xu to a private room on the second floor. Pick a good one and brew him a pot of Longjing tea..."
A young girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old quickly ran over and said with a sweet smile, "Big brother, please come upstairs!"
"Hey, let's go!" Xu Zhengyang had never been treated so politely before, and he was a little nervous. He quickly agreed and followed the girl upstairs.
As Xu Zhengyang passed by Jin Yan and her companion, he stopped and smiled politely at them, who were still in a daze, saying, "Jin Yan, let's have a meal together. We're old classmates..."
"Ah? No, no." Jin Yan shook her head in a flustered manner and refused.
"Then I won't force you. We can sit down together another time." Xu Zhengyang said, and then walked upstairs.
Jin Yan and the girl who came with her stood dumbfounded in the lobby, watching Xu Zhengyang, dressed plainly, calmly walk up to the second floor. The two girls were utterly shocked. Xu Zhengyang, one a poor kid who traded millet, the other a penniless scoundrel, casually pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet—it looked like several thousand yuan, right?
Rich people!
He has a good relationship with Wu Feng, the deputy director of the police station... He's a powerful person.
So the two snobbish girls started comparing Guo Tian in their minds: Who does he think he is? Can he really carry several thousand yuan around as pocket money? His uncle, the police station chief, has probably been dismissed, otherwise why would the deputy chief have led a group to arrest him? He looks impressive, but why is he so useless in a fight? Several of them were beaten bloody by Xu Zhengyang all by himself…
If Xu Zhengyang knew what the two girls were thinking at that moment, he would probably run downstairs immediately, rush to the bank to deposit the money, and only keep three or five hundred yuan on him. After all, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it! The money he had was the one he left in his wallet when he went to Beijing to find his sister. These days, he was neither in the mood nor too lazy to deposit it in the bank, so it had been sitting in his wallet.
Hmm, that's too eye-catching!
Volume Two, Chapter 37: Face is given by others.
As night fell, the frogs and cicadas began to play a tune as if by prior arrangement, while curiously observing what the people gathered in front of the usually quiet and deserted local temple were up to.
Sudden!
Crackling sounds... Thump! Thud! ...
Amidst the crisp crackling of firecrackers and the explosive booms of double-bang firecrackers shooting into the sky, the frogs in the fields fell silent, burrowing into the grass or deep into the rice paddies; the birds resting on the treetops all flapped their wings, leading the cicadas and other insects in a terrified flight to the distance, fleeing this dangerous area.
The newly built local earth god temple was finally bustling with activity.
Xu Zhengyang and his friends seemed to have rediscovered some memories of their youth and the fun of their childhood. Some dragged long firecrackers, letting them explode and shorten rapidly, tossing them far away just before they hit their hands. The few remaining firecrackers were already gone before they even hit the ground. Others pinched the firecrackers between their index fingers and thumbs, lit them, and the huge impact of the first bang caused them to break free from their fingers, shooting into the sky and exploding in the twilight, flashing bright sparks.
At the entrance of the local temple and along the nearby roadside, a large number of villagers gathered, chatting noisily and watching the temple celebration that had not been held for many years.
Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's father sat on two chairs in the open space in front of the temple gate, smoking cigarettes and smiling as they watched their sons and their friends set off firecrackers.
The two mothers had already lit incense and offered sacrifices inside the temple, kneeling in gratitude with devout expressions...
Yes, Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao returned this afternoon, released without charge! They were taken away by police cars, and then brought back by police cars as well.
Village Party Secretary Zhou Qingguo turned on the loudspeaker at the brigade headquarters and proudly announced that he had something to say: "The villagers of Shuanghe Village do not do anything illegal. The country's policies and laws, as well as the relevant departments, will not wrong innocent people. We should thank the government, thank the people, thank..." and so on. Anyway, the villagers didn't really pay attention to his long speech.
Regardless of any past grievances or conflicts, the villagers and neighbors were all happy for the two families.
Now that the children are back, the Cao and Zhang families feel they have to make a big fuss about it. It's as if they can't save face if the whole world doesn't know their two children were wronged. That's just how rural people are sometimes; they can't get over it. When they've done something shameful, they feel ashamed to go out, but once they find out they've been wronged, they want everyone to come to them and say, "Oh, so that's how it is."
Sure enough, Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao hadn't even had a chance to rest when their parents rushed them to town to buy firecrackers, alcohol, and vegetables...
This has to be a big success! It has to be a lively affair!
The suggestion to go to the local temple to offer sacrifices and express gratitude was made by the mothers of both parties involved, and their fathers naturally acquiesced. After all, they had only heard Zhong Shan briefly mention that Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao were able to clear their names mainly because Xu Zhengyang had made a great contribution by providing important clues and information... How did Xu Zhengyang know these clues and information? Zhong Shan didn't say, nor did he need to; the two families naturally thought of the rumors that were being exaggerated and amplified in the village.
When Han Dashan learned that the Cao and Zhang families were going to hold a temple ceremony at the local temple, he immediately drove to both families and said that he should contribute no matter what. He said, "Let's all contribute money and make it a great event. I'll contribute half, and you two can contribute half."
"Alright, what's with the polite refusals? We're all neighbors. I'm not bragging, but my situation is definitely better than yours, right? Okay, okay, brother! Let's stop with the nonsense, that's settled!" Han Dashan said confidently.
Sure enough, as soon as it got dark, the area in front of the local temple became lively, even catching the stars in the night sky to come out and join the fun.
Han Dashan had a long cable brought from his factory, and the electricity was connected to the house of Widow Zhang on the edge of the village. A 100-watt light bulb was hung in the local temple, and a 200-watt light bulb was hung at the door.
Some elderly women and women were envious and tempted, so they followed along to the temple to offer incense and kowtow in worship.
After the firecrackers and double-bangs were finished, Han Dashan felt it wasn't lively enough, so he simply arranged for people to bring over his home theater, set up a table, and show a movie in front of the temple—a police and gangster action film… Over the years, showing movies had long faded from the villagers' leisure activities. Today was a rare occasion, and it wasn't one of those screen movies, but a 61-inch LCD TV, the only one of its kind in the village owned by Han Dashan's family.
Hmm, it just feels different.
People of all ages, men and women, crowded in the open space in front of the temple and along the roadside, waving fans to shoo away mosquitoes and flies, watching the movie...
It really had a unique, joyful, and lively feel to it.
Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated by the scene. Good heavens, if that old local earth god, who had already passed away, still had a spirit in heaven, what would he think if he knew that the villagers were showing him a modern movie? What would he feel?
While the villagers were watching the movie, a large banquet had already been set up in the main room of Zhang Hao's house.
Xu Zhengyang and his group of young people naturally couldn't take these seats. Besides them, relatives from both families and neighbors with good relationships were also invited to celebrate. Several ordinary tables were set up in the courtyard for them. The main guests at the banquet inside the house today were Zhong Shan, the director of Huaxiang Police Station; Zhu Zhenyun, the deputy director; Wu Feng, the acting deputy director of Futou Town Police Station; and Zheng Hong, who was very likely to become the deputy director.
We owe a great deal to them for their help with Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's situation!
The village party secretary and village head should also be invited, as they are officials of some rank. Having them accompany the director for meals and drinks will make the situation less awkward and will liven up the atmosphere.
Han Dashan certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to further his relationship with the police station chief. After learning that the Cao and Zhang families had prepared ordinary beer at 1.5 yuan a bottle, he immediately shook his head and rejected it. He then asked his eldest son, Han Kuisheng, to get a few cans of genuine Blue Ribbon beer from home and chill them in the convenience store's freezer for two hours in advance.
In Han Dashan's words, "How can we present that kind of beer? Wouldn't the police station chiefs laugh at our village for being poor?"
Inside and outside the house, the lights were bright, and the place was bustling with noise and activity.
If Han Dashan hadn't gotten involved, the villagers would have really thought he was being overly generous and putting on a show of wealth.
To be fair, in any village, if this happened, they would be willing to throw a big party and make a big fuss! That's how country folk are; they care about saving face!
Xu Zhengyang sat at the table drinking with his friends, his eyes narrowed into two lines, and his face beamed with a smile. However, what was surprising was that the young man kept his right hand in his pocket the whole time, as if his right hand was injured and wrapped in bandages, and he was afraid of catching a cold or being seen by others.
There's nothing we can do. People keep coming to the local temple to worship and make petitions, and the jade stone keeps popping up everywhere. If people saw this, they probably wouldn't just suspect that Xu Zhengyang was just putting on a magic show.
To Xu Zhengyang's embarrassment, the pleasant sensation that almost made him groan kept flowing through his mind. It was like the fleeting, sticky feeling he experienced in his sleep when he couldn't bear the loneliness and some kind of physical urge at night.
The problem is that tonight's pleasure isn't just a fleeting moment, but a sustained, uninterrupted pleasure!
Xu Zhengyang was worried that he might have gotten a stroke from being too excited!
Moreover, he discovered that this pleasant feeling didn't just come from the offerings and faith received at the local temple, but also... from when people privately thought of or mentioned the local god. It just hadn't been very noticeable before because of the small number of people, but when more people thought of and mentioned the local god, the feeling was like a trickle of water merging together to form a mighty river!
So this wonderful thing tonight led to Xu Zhengyang being seen as strange by others, who suspected that the kid might have suffered a stroke or something like epilepsy... You're happy, so what are you showing off for? Why do you keep shivering like that? Goodness, sometimes you even spill your wine all over your chest while holding the glass.
Also, is your right hand adorned with gold or silver? What are you doing with it in your pocket?
Xu Zhengyang explained helplessly to his buddies, "When I was setting off firecrackers just now, one of them went off and caught fire. I didn't bleed, but it's a bit swollen and doesn't look good..."
The brothers showed concern for a while, then stopped caring and wondered if he was trembling occasionally because of the pain.
After several rounds of drinks, everyone inside and outside the house was getting into the swing of things and the atmosphere became increasingly lively. Some friends and relatives of the Cao and Zhang families, emboldened by the alcohol, shamelessly went inside to toast the police officers, just to show their appreciation – such an opportunity was rare! Of course, they knew deep down that even if they toasted them tonight, it wouldn't mean much, but they still wanted to leave an impression; having connections makes things easier!
After a round of toasts, these grown men started shouting and bragging in the courtyard like children, talking about what they had done and how much they earned, as if they were afraid of not attracting the attention of the people inside.
As the conversation progressed, someone steered the topic towards Xu Zhengyang and his gang: "Look at these young people nowadays, none of them amount to anything. Sigh, each generation is worse than the last. All they do is eat, drink, and have fun, or cause trouble, making their parents worry themselves sick..." Once the topic turned to this, the older men and women across the table began lecturing the young people: "Ah, you yourselves have problems too. Even though you were wronged this time, you need to reflect on your actions. Why did you get wronged instead of others?" However, perhaps considering that Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao had just been released from prison, their words were implicitly and overtly criticizing Xu Zhengyang. After all, he was the leader of this group of young people. Well, he'd led Chen Chaojiang and Liu Bin astray and landed them in jail.
In short, one accusation after another was being slapped on the heads of these young people, with the elders putting on their airs perfectly! While disciplining the young people, these elders would occasionally peek into the house, hoping that by showing their authority in disciplining the young people, they could impress the important figures in the house with their character and integrity, attract their attention, and leave a deep impression!
Xu Zhengyang and his group were helpless. They were angry, but they couldn't act recklessly like they did with young people like Guo Tian. They could only swallow their anger and force a smile while offering sincere apologies...
Sure enough, the reprimands and education from these elders had an effect. The two police station chiefs came out of the house, their faces beaming as they looked at the people sitting outside the courtyard.
Ah, are the two directors coming to offer a toast? Apart from the young people's table, the other tables of men were filled with anticipation and excitement. Some had already stood up, ready to exchange pleasantries and make a good impression on the directors!
Two police station chiefs, standing out conspicuously in their uniforms among the crowd and exuding an imposing and awe-inspiring presence, smiled as they stepped off the platform and walked toward several tables in the courtyard...
Then, amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, he walked past several tables and arrived at the table furthest west of the wall.
Wu Feng slapped Xu Zhengyang on the shoulder: "You little rascal! It's been so long, why don't you come inside and have a couple of drinks with me?"
"You little brat, you've grown up, haven't you? Putting on airs, haven't you?" Zhong Shan's gruff voice was particularly loud in the now quiet courtyard.
Xu Zhengyang suppressed the euphoric feeling that had just erupted within him, squeezed his right hand hard, pulled it out of his pocket, stood up with an awkward smile, picked up his wine glass, and said with a simple grin, "Uncle, Director Wu, what are you saying? We young people are not qualified to sit at your table, and besides..."
"Shut up!" Zhong Shan slapped him on the head again, but it was clearly a friendly slap. It was probably the older men at the tables who would love for him to pat them on the head with a smile.
"Come on in, let's go inside and have a few drinks!"
"Isn't that a bad idea?" Xu Zhengyang replied with a wry smile.
Wu Feng put his arm around Xu Zhengyang's shoulder and shoved him into the house, saying, "Come on, kid, stop pretending to be well-behaved here. Come inside and have a drink with us. We have to go soon!"
Xu Zhengyang followed them into the house against his will, not forgetting to turn around and give his buddies an apologetic and awkward smile.
The courtyard was eerily quiet.
Look at those elders who go to great lengths to loudly reprimand and lecture young people, hoping to attract the attention of their superiors and leave an impression.
Their eyes widened, their faces filled with astonishment. They looked around at the others, hoping for an answer: what... what was going on?
Finally, everyone's attention fell on Xu Neng, who sat honestly and unassumingly in the corner.
Feeling the bright and eager gazes of the crowd, Xu Neng revealed a simple and honest smile. He probably understood the questioning look in their eyes, so he chuckled a few times, unsure of what to say or how to explain. He truly didn't understand why the two directors were so affectionate and fond of his son.
Finally unable to withstand the questioning gazes of everyone, the honest and unassuming Xu Neng picked up his wine glass, stood up with a hunched back, and gestured for everyone to toast. Then he gave an answer that was hardly an answer at all: "You little brat, you've grown up, you've become quite something!"
Glug glug...
Xu Neng straightened his back, tilted his head back, drank the beer in his glass dry, and his face was radiant!
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 38: Local Records Also Upgraded
In fact, Xu Zhengyang was also puzzled as to why Wu Feng and Zhong Shan gave him so much face.
Even knowing that Xu Zhengyang had some unusual connection with the legendary Earth God, and even though he made great contributions in the case of the theft of Haigang Construction Company's property, it wouldn't be right for the police station chief to take the initiative to curry favor with him and try to become close friends despite their age difference, would it? That's a bit much... After all, Xu Zhengyang didn't know what kind of person Wu Feng was, but he knew Zhong Shan's temperament very well.
We'll have to go back and ask about that later.
After returning home from drinking that night, Xu Zhengyang lay in bed thinking about the looks the village men had given him that evening, and how they had unusually been so friendly with his father, trying to get close to him and offering him drinks. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Being the local earth god was really something else! Well, now he wasn't just the earth god anymore, he was the official in charge of merit!
Xu Zhengyang was overjoyed and couldn't sleep. Taking advantage of the alcohol, he sat up, pulled out his notebook under the lamp, and stared at his bloodshot eyes, asking, "Hey, I'm planning to quit this millet business. I'll buy a motorcycle and drive around all nine towns and ten villages in the county every day, looking for treasures, um, I mean antiques and artifacts. That's not against the rules, is it?"
The local reporter ignored him.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head again and asked, "Damn, this takes a lot of time. Hey, do you know where in the whole county there are places where that kind of thing is hidden under the soil?"
Local media outlets still ignored him.
Xu Zhengyang was furious: "What the hell do you think you are? Damn it! You don't speak when you should, and you just jump out when you shouldn't!"
The local recording screen flashed briefly, then the answer was: County recording.
County clerk? Holy crap, I got promoted, so you got promoted too.
Xu Zhengyang crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and asked, "Now that you've been promoted from local to county level, you should know more, right? Tell me, how do I find the local earth gods? What if they're all neglecting their duties and not keeping their stalls up? Where am I supposed to find them? By the way, I guess there aren't many earth god temples left in the whole county these days..."
The image on the jade stone, now upgraded to the County Record, flashes and says: "The Chief Clerk inspects the locations of all the local land gods in the county and can summon them at any time using the County Record."
"Hey, that saves a lot of trouble!" Xu Zhengyang chuckled and immediately said, "Then quickly summon all the local earth gods of the county. I, oh no, I have something to ask them!"
The light on the smooth, white county record began to flicker slowly, as if it were sending a message.