Katzenliebling 1

Kapitel 7

29. The cow is wearing trousers

Unexpectedly, two days after my feature article was published, that "Empress Dowager Cixi" woman approached me for the first time. She said that while the article's theme was good, beautifully written, and its viewpoint clear, it was somewhat off-topic and contradictory. Off-topic because we run a fashion magazine, while this article primarily focused on emotions, although it mentioned fashionable high heels and expressed her own opinions; contradictory because our magazine should strongly encourage women who love beauty to embrace fashion and show off their style, but this article didn't have that promotional message. Instead, it suggested that choosing shoes was tiring and urged people to stop buying shoes easily and to ditch high heels. She added, "Even if it's tiring, don't say it out loud; everyone knows that loving beauty is quite tiring, you know it." I was speechless. Her incisive criticism made me admire her wisdom and realize that fashion magazines truly are "trendsetters." A few days later, I learned that this "Empress Dowager Cixi" was actually our magazine's editor-in-chief, and I had to listen to her.

After I started working, I noticed Yang Kai had more things to do and was often out. Two nights I came home from get off work to find the house dark, so I figured he wasn't back yet. I stopped sitting by the door, afraid of running into Bai Gui again. My work wasn't very demanding; I just updated some things every day and left on time. Things gradually got going, and I rarely saw "Empress Dowager" anymore.

One evening, Da Zhu and I came back after dinner. The mansion was dark; Grandpa was already in bed, and Yang Kai was probably out again. It was very hot, so we took a shower first and then went to the terrace to cool off. This time we had a new piece of furniture—a bamboo mat chair, which Da Zhu bought a few days ago nearby. I've been monopolizing it every night, while Da Zhu still sits in his rattan chair. I was there when they bought it, and I was worried it wasn't sturdy enough, but the shopkeeper said it could easily support 200 pounds. On the way back, I said to Da Zhu, "Didn't you hear the shopkeeper making fun of you?"

The big pig, not understanding, asked, "Didn't you realize? What are you making fun of me for?"

“He’s laughing at you—you don’t even weigh as much as a pig…ha, ha, ha—” Zhu Qingyuan chased after me and pinched me, but he couldn’t run as fast as me carrying the bamboo chair. “Remember this, I’ll get my revenge on you someday.” Of course, the big pig was joking; he doesn’t hold grudges, so we were always happy together.

The moonlight was as bright as water, a gentle breeze made it cool, and insects were still chirping around—summer nights were their happiest season. I lay on the bamboo chair with my eyes closed, feeling very comfortable. Big Pig pulled my hand and said, "Zi'er, let me lie down on this chair and enjoy it for a bit, just two minutes, okay?"

"Oh no, I'm afraid you're a little liar who'll trick me into staying with you and then take you all by yourself. I know exactly what you're thinking!"

"I swear I'm not lying."

"I don't believe you. I don't need your swearing. Tell me a few jokes, and if you make me laugh my head off, I'll give them to you."

"Really, listen to me, what I'm about to say is like this joke: At the 1948 London Olympics, an athlete from a poor country participated in a weightlifting competition. Weightlifting has strict weight regulations for each weight class, and this athlete's weight was just right before he arrived in London. But when he got to London, he suddenly gained two pounds. Just two hours before the competition, he relieved himself but was still overweight. So he ran several laps, sweating profusely, but his weight still wasn't up to standard. With the competition approaching, the coach hurriedly brought out clippers and shaved the athlete's head bald. He then vigorously scrubbed the athlete's entire body with a towel to remove dirt, hoping to reduce his weight. Even so, the athlete was still a tiny bit overweight. The athlete was anxious and held back his anger. At the last moment, when he was weighed, he was allowed to compete because he let out a long fart, and his weight dropped..."

"Hehe, you're the one talking nonsense, it's not funny, I won't give it to you."

After a pause, Zhu Qingyuan, feigning nonchalance, mimicked Zhu Bajie's words, "Two heifers lost their jobs, so they often rubbed their butts together—competing to be the coolest; recently, one of the heifers found a job, and started wearing shorts—her coolness couldn't be contained anymore..." At this point, I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, and I couldn't even bring myself to scold him. The big pig continued, "A few days later, one of the heifers got sick—her coolness was ruined, so the old cow gave her an injection—truly cool, and after recovering, the heifer happily sat in the wine vat—the coolest of them all..."

I was laughing so hard I couldn't even speak, and I grabbed Big Pig to stop him from talking. It took me a while to catch my breath. I had to keep my word, so I offered Big Pig the bamboo chair to lie down, but I didn't sit on the rattan chair; I just sat on the edge of the bamboo chair. We held hands, gazing tenderly at each other. Perhaps it was the matchmaker who had bound our hearts together, allowing us to fully enjoy the sweetness of love.

For six years, our relationship has been stable and wonderful. Zhu Qingyuan has always been incredibly loving and caring towards me. Just like last time I told him to prepare the bridal sedan chair for me next year, I really should marry him next year, have a baby, and enjoy our family life. Zhu Qingyuan pulled me closer to the middle of the bamboo chair. Looking at his face under the moonlight, so sincere and moving, his eyes sparkling, I felt a surge of emotion. I leaned down and kissed my "frog" (my boyfriend), and he hugged me tightly. We lay on the bamboo chair, experiencing the most tender romance under the moonlight, a blissful kiss, neither of us wanting to let go.

There was a creaking sound, and before we could even react, a dull thud followed as we crashed heavily to the ground, still embracing each other…

30. Knocking on the door in the middle of the night

After the heavy fall, I was still on top, not feeling any pain, when I heard Big Pig cry out, "Ouch, ouch—," groaning in pain. I quickly scrambled up and pulled Big Pig up by the hand. It turned out that the damn bamboo chair had broken; the wire had probably snapped, causing it to crash down.

I hurriedly asked Big Pig where he was injured and how serious it was. He groaned and said in pain, "Oh, my lower body is hurting from the shock. Several pieces of bamboo pinched my flesh, and it's probably all bruised. You're pressing down on me from above, so I'm trapped on both sides."

I quickly pulled Zhu Qingyuan inside to see how serious it was, cursing as I spoke to vent my anger: "This damn bamboo chair, I told you it wasn't sturdy, and it really is like this."

"Hey, don't blame her. It's our fault. We're both overweight together. You little pig, you need to lose weight."

"Oh, don't just talk about me. You also need to exercise more and lose weight, or you'll develop a belly in a couple of years."

"Okay, from now on, we'll run to the bus stop every morning, exercise together and keep each other accountable. You're not allowed to slack off."

Looking under the light inside, I saw that Zhu Qingyuan's back was covered in bruises, clearly from being pinched by bamboo strips—these kinds of pinches are very serious. I felt a pang of heartache seeing him like this. Zhu Qingyuan, true to his tough nature, could endure it and even joke around. Having no other medication, I could only soak a tissue in some floral water and wipe his back. He gritted his teeth and hissed in pain. It seemed he wouldn't recover for a week; he couldn't sleep lying down, couldn't be jostled by others at work, and would have to sit upright in the office—he was really going to suffer. I felt incredibly guilty.

He patted my shoulder and said, "Don't worry, it's okay. I can handle it. The pain will subside in a few days. Don't feel too bad about it. As long as you smile every day, I'm happy."

After wiping everything down, he ignored the broken chair. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight; Zhu Qingyuan would be in excruciating pain, throbbing like a chicken pecking at rice. He could only pretend to be asleep. Just as he was about to lie down, the iron gate outside banged loudly—someone was knocking heavily.

We were startled. Who could it be so late? It might be Yang Kai, because we hadn't seen him all evening, and the lights weren't on. But he has his own key, so why would he be pushing and knocking so loudly?

The iron gate was still rattling, and our lights were still on. We opened the gate and went outside. The light in the small hut next to the cook downstairs was on; the old man had gotten up. Since the old man had gone to open the gate, I was going to close it and leave it at that, but Zhu Qingyuan said, "Let's go down and check on him. My injury is nothing to worry about." I knew Zhu Qingyuan meant well, so I didn't say anything and went downstairs with him.

We went into the yard and turned on the lights. We'd only taken a few steps when the old man opened the door. We saw a dark figure fall onto him. Oh no, what if the old man had been attacked? We rushed forward. The figure was kneeling, head drooping, hair disheveled, body and hands hanging limply. The old man was supporting him to keep him from collapsing.

We quickly realized that this person was Yang Kai, and we could smell a strong odor of alcohol—he was drunk tonight.

Zhu Qingyuan was taller and bigger than Yang Kai. Because of his injury, he couldn't carry Yang Kai on his back, so he had to lift Yang Kai up by the waist and carry him back to the hall. I held Yang Kai's hand to prevent him from rubbing against Zhu Qingyuan's injured back. I held Yang Kai's hand and felt how rough it was, from the palm to the back of the hand, all wrinkled, like an old farmer's hand. I hadn't looked at his hands carefully before, nor had I paid attention to them, but the hands of most men in their forties don't look like that, especially since he's an artist and his hands should be well-maintained.

I didn't think about it too much; perhaps everyone has different experiences. Zhu Qingyuan wanted to carry Yang Kai to his room on the west side of the stairs, but as soon as they started climbing, Yang Kai reacted violently, struggling and shouting, "I don't want to go up!" His legs were even pushing against the stairs. Carrying him up the stairs was already difficult enough, and seeing his resistance, Zhu Qingyuan carried him to the sofa in the living room. The old man found a blanket for Yang Kai, and seeing him fall asleep peacefully, we went back to our own rooms.

"What's wrong with Yang Kai tonight? He's usually quite refined."

"I don't know. Everyone has their own difficulties. Men all have pressure. Maybe he has something on his mind."

"Why doesn't he let you carry him to his room to sleep, but prefers to sleep in the living room? That's strange." Yang Kai usually sleeps in his room, going to bed earlier and waking up earlier than us, because he still has a few 'beggar' customers in the morning. I remember now, no wonder his hands are so rough, it turns out he often uses his hands to apply makeup and they've been corroded by various chemicals for quite some time.

"That's a bit unclear. Maybe he doesn't want us to go into his bedroom?" Zhu Qingyuan guessed. I think that might be the answer. We've been to or seen all the places in the mansion that we're supposed to be in, but there are still a few mysterious places. One is the dressing room below our room; beggars always go into this room. The second is Yang Kai's bedroom, but that's private, and I would never pry into it. There's also a storage room at the top of the stairs, but I've never seen Yang Kai go in.

I don't want to think about it anymore, I just want to rest. I have to go to work tomorrow. I wanted Zhu Qingyuan to ask him to take a day off, apply some medicine, and rest at home. But Zhu Qingyuan said he should go to work anyway, since he's just sitting there, and he doesn't want to get his pay docked.

The next morning, we all got up very early, but I still fell asleep. Zhu Qingyuan stirred and woke me up, so I got up too. Zhu Qingyuan went to wash up first, and when I pulled back the curtains to look outside, something strange happened—our old bamboo chair was gone from the terrace without a trace. Was it haunted last night, and everything that happened was just my imagination? I quietly went into the laundry room. Da Zhu was brushing his teeth. I patted him on the back to see if it was real or not. Suddenly, I heard a sharp scream, and Da Zhu sprayed his teeth onto the vanity…

31. Drunkenness

Big Pig spat out a mouthful of toothpaste water, glaring at me angrily: "Why did you hit me when you knew I was injured? I was in so much pain I didn't dare make a sound." Seeing his aggrieved look, I lifted his T-shirt, and sure enough, there were still patches of green stains from applying floral water, which had scabbed over.

"I'm so sorry, Piggy, I misunderstood you! I was just wondering if the place was haunted last night and wanted to verify if your injury was real."

"Of course it's true. If you had just told me, I would have shown you. This blow killed so many of my muscle cells that I can't even make up for it with a week's worth of nutrition."

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. I'll go buy you some medicine later. Just stay home and rest for the day. I'm worried about you too!"

"You're so sweet, haha, but you still have to go to work. What did you suspect was haunted?"

"Our broken bamboo chair is gone from the terrace. Could it have been taken away by a ghost?"

"There's no need to make a fuss. Maybe the old man moved it early this morning," the big pig said dismissively.

I think so too. There are no ghosts in this world. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and overthinking things, scaring myself with my suspicions. I picked up a towel to wipe the pig's mouth. He seemed to appreciate my concern and chuckled sheepishly. We remained as close as ever.

After washing up, I opened the door and went out to check. I had no idea, but before I knew it, a man sprang up from the floor at the top of the stairs to the right of the door – it was Yang Kai. Apparently, he was sitting on the mahogany floor, repairing the broken bamboo chair we'd damaged last night, carefully stringing the bamboo strips together with wire. He had been sitting on the floor, but sprang up when he saw me open the door.

"Zi'er, good morning! Thank you so much for your help last night." He even knew I was drunk last night, so why am I up so early today? He's an artist, and he even helped us repair our bamboo chairs. He's really capable, amazing!

“It’s our pleasure… Oh, Mr. Yang, you can even fix chairs? Thank you so much, we were thinking of exchanging it.” I noticed he wasn’t actually sitting on the floor, but on the steps leading up to the storage room. The door to that storage room was half-open, and it was dark inside; we couldn’t see anything from our side, probably just some tools and odds and ends.

“I did this when I was younger, I know the ropes, my hands are itching to fix it, once it’s fixed I don’t have to go back to replace it,” Yang Kai said calmly, as if last night’s events had never happened, and didn’t elaborate further. Just as Zhu Qingyuan said, every man has his own troubles, there must be a reason he got drunk. I’ve been living here for a month now, but I’ve never seen his wife, nor heard him talk about her. Now it seems there must be some problems between them, and most men get drunk because of women; they hope to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

That evening, Zhu Qingyuan and I went to the same restaurant as last time. The waiter asked how many people were in our party, and Zhu Qingyuan said two. The waiter then asked, "Is your teacher, Ms. Yang, not coming today?"

Hmm? The waitress seems to know us quite well. Turns out, she was the one who served us when the three of us ate here last time. It seems Yang Kai eats here often; he's a regular customer. I replied that I was busy.

Unexpectedly, the waiter added, "Ms. Yang drank too much last night and didn't get home until very late. Are you alright?"

"Oh, he was drunk when he got home, but it's okay."

After ordering, I noticed the waitress was standing to the side with no customers yet, so I quietly asked her, "Does Teacher Yang often eat here?"

"Yes, he's been coming more often this year, but always alone. He also came occasionally last year, but with his wife. I heard that divorces are common in the city, and Mr. Yang has been drinking a lot lately. Maybe he's having some relationship troubles?"

This answer made us feel awkward, but Zhu Qingyuan reacted quickly: "We don't know much about it, and we don't want to get involved in other people's affairs."

A customer arrived, and the waiter went to get busy. Through these few simple words, just as I suspected, Yang Kai was probably troubled by love. Because I've been working lately, I haven't known much about Yang Kai's daytime life. Everyone has their own troubles; I think I should just mind my own business.

On Saturday, Yang Kai asked me to paint another portrait. This time, it was a complete portrait of me, with eyes, eyebrows, nose, and body all included. Unlike the previous ones, this time he asked me to pose like the Mona Lisa. After the painting was finished, at first glance, the pose did resemble the Mona Lisa. The only recognizable feature was, of course, the face. This time, he captured the real me. Throughout the entire process, Yang Kai and I didn't exchange many words. He wasn't serious or aloof; he just calmly and focused on his painting, occasionally exchanging glances with me.

After I finished drawing and looked at it, I hesitated, but ultimately said nothing. Yang Kai seemed to have something to say to me as well, but his lips twitched a few times without him speaking, indicating that I could go back. Before this, I had tried several times to apologize to Yang Kai for entering the "Silkworm Room," but I hadn't had the courage. I couldn't see any blame on Yang Kai's face; he was very polite in asking me to be his model, letting me choose the program I liked to watch, and my cooperation while drawing was much better.

Also, Yang Kai didn't finish telling me the story of Gai Tianli last time, and I remembered Zhu Qingyuan's words, so I didn't press him further. Yang Kai probably wanted to tell me the ending, but likely had reservations, so he didn't. As for his wife's matter, I don't think we'd pry into other people's privacy. Living our own lives is too tiring; who has the time for that!

32. Dwelling in a cramped space

It hasn't rained in a long time, and the weather is very hot. We are all longing for a heavy rain.

It was the weekend again, and around midnight, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Finally, the long-awaited rain arrived—a really heavy downpour. It had been a long time since I'd experienced such a refreshing downpour. It was just in time; the weather would be clear for a couple of days afterward. The best thing was for the vegetables in the garden; they could finally eat their fill and grow vigorously, saving us a few days of watering. The weather forecast was pretty accurate; we prepared in advance, bringing in the laundry and closing the windows, so we weren't worried at all.

This morning, I woke up earlier than Zhu Qingyuan, which was unusual for me; his back injury had already healed. Zhu Qingyuan has been very busy with work lately, sometimes coming home quite late. Today is Sunday, and he's worked hard all week, so I'll let him sleep in a bit more over the weekend.

The rain had fallen for half the night and stopped in the morning, so it must have been a fresh, clean world outside. I flung open the curtains with a whoosh, and the scene before me stunned me. I took two steps back and sat down on the floor…

I took two deep breaths and saw that the floor-to-ceiling window was covered with black dots, each the size of a coin, with long, fleshy tails, and some of them were still moving.

I quickly shook Zhu Qingyuan awake, urging him to look out the window. Zhu Qingyuan rubbed his sleepy eyes, glanced at the window, and almost burst out laughing: "What did I say? You're such a coward. Is it raining heavily?"

"Yes!" It's so frustrating! He's beating around the bush. "Tell me quickly, what is this?"

"Don't be so surprised. It's just a snail. Why are you so scared? Never mind it, they'll run away when the sun comes out. We can just clean the glass." After saying that, he went back to sleep.

"You're such a pig, all you do is sleep," I scolded playfully, but still couldn't bear to disturb him any further. I grew up in a small town and had never seen snails before. Hundreds of snails, all black and clinging to my windowpane, what girl wouldn't be scared?

I went to exercise on the terrace. I got up early today and saw a few beggars going out again. It's the season when the trees are lush and the flowers are in full bloom. There are more tourists in Xiushan on weekends than usual. Many people come here to hike, enjoy the spring scenery, and admire the flowers. The beggars have also seen the business opportunity here. After disguising themselves, their "business" must be much better.

Zhu Qingyuan said he wanted me to lose weight, but he still insisted that I eat breakfast and even prepared milk for me every morning. This made me feel very happy. Women are actually very simple: a glass of milk, a few words of greeting, and thoughtful care can make a woman feel warm inside.

After breakfast, Zhu Qingyuan excitedly told me, "Zi'er, let's go mushroom picking today. The mushrooms on the mountain sprouted up overnight after the heavy rain."

"Great! Great!" I cheered excitedly. I've been here for so long but haven't been to the back mountain yet.

The hill behind Mona Lisa Mansion is not the main mountain of Xiushan, but just a low hill; the main mountain is more than a kilometer away. This hill is also covered with trees and shrubs, mainly pine trees, and has a lot of thorns. In addition, it doesn't have any special features, so few people go there.

We can't go up from anywhere behind the mansion; there's no path leading uphill from here. So we have to go north along the dirt road, and there's a slope over there.

The mountain was relatively gentle, and following the slope, there was an old path, marked by human footsteps. Halfway up the slope, we saw a small flat area with what appeared to be buildings. Upon closer inspection, we discovered it was a collection of cement blocks – a cemetery. Several tombstones stood there, shaded by green trees, giving it a somewhat eerie feel. Coupled with the cool air after the rain, I got goosebumps from the tension.

“I’ve seen many graves like this, it’s nothing, they’re all old graves.” With Zhu Qingyuan beside me, I wasn’t so afraid. I went over and looked at a few tombstones. Some were erected in the early 20th century, with green stone tablets, and were now a hundred years old. There were also a few mound-like graves without tombstones, which could hardly be called graves anymore. It seems that Xiushan is indeed a treasure land!

We ventured into the dense forest on the mountainside from one side, and I spotted the mushroom first—a large, black one lying under a pine tree root, still covered in needles. I exclaimed excitedly, as if I'd discovered a new continent, "There's a big one here!" and reached out to pick it. Zhu Qingyuan turned around and quickly said, "That's a cow dung mushroom, don't pick it. There are plenty today; let's pick some fresh, sweet ones. This one isn't good."

I thought it was poisonous, but it turns out it's just not tasty. It seems that concentrated good things come in small packages. This big cow dung mushroom is all about size but not good for eating! Zhu Qingyuan found a few tall mushrooms, white and tender, and he told me to pick these specifically.

We hadn't picked up many mushrooms when we suddenly heard shouts of "Thief! Thief!" coming from the road we'd come from. We then vaguely saw several people chasing each other up the mountain. As they got closer, we saw a man dressed as a beggar in front, and two others in ordinary casual clothes behind him, all shouting "Thief!" However, the "beggar" ran faster and faster up the mountain, proudly shouting, "You dare chase me? Our companions are all up there!" The two behind him stopped, almost bumping into each other, unsure if the beggar was telling the truth, and considering whether to continue the chase. Zhu Qingyuan quickly handed me the plastic bag of mushrooms, telling me to hide behind a tree. He quietly hid behind a clump of bushes by the roadside. I guessed Zhu Qingyuan wanted to be a "hero," and I was a little worried for him.

33. The Pursuer of Life and the White Bones

The beggar's words weren't very effective. Although the two people behind him didn't chase after him, they continued walking uphill at a leisurely pace. The beggar didn't dare to run either, and instead retreated up the mountain.

"You, you better give us back our phones right now! If you do, nothing will happen. If you don't, we absolutely will not let you off today!"

"No way, come and chase me if you dare." The beggar said smugly, patting his pocket, presumably where the phone was. It was obvious that the beggar had picked up or snatched the phone, which was why he'd chased them all the way here. They'd likely come from the bus stop, judging by their panting and how long they'd run.

The two men below weren't fools. In broad daylight, why would a beggar hide in the mountains if he wasn't begging? So they didn't believe the beggar's words. They exchanged a few words and gradually pressed him up the mountain. Seeing that intimidation had no effect, the beggar resorted to drastic measures. He pointed down and cried out, "Snake! Snake!" and then tried to turn and run up the mountain.

At that moment, several things happened simultaneously. Zhu Qingyuan sprang out from behind the bushes and tackled the beggar to the ground. Caught off guard, the beggar was disoriented and easily overpowered. The two men down the mountain, initially startled by the sound of a snake, quickly ran up the mountain upon realizing it was a false alarm. I was the most frightened; I'm terrified of snakes, and this wretched beggar had scared me so badly that my knees buckled and I collapsed to the ground. Zhu Qingyuan saw through the beggar's tactic and ignored me. When I came to my senses and saw there was no snake, I was too afraid to come out and could only watch quietly from behind a tree.

The two men searched the beggar and found his phone, yelling, "You wretched beggar! We just dropped our phones to pick them up, and you snatched them and ran off like a shot, scaring everyone! Should we settle this officially or privately?" They made a move to beat him up and threatened to take him to the police station. The beggar argued a couple of times and then fell silent, knowing he was in the wrong and being cornered by the three men, he had no choice but to obey. It was Zhu Qingyuan who stopped them: "Just take him to the road and let him go. Don't beat him; he's had a hard life. Let him learn a lesson!" The beggar thanked them and reluctantly followed them down the mountain.

They took the beggar away, and only then did Zhu Qingyuan come looking for me. Seeing that I was still hiding behind the tree, he started playing hide-and-seek with me.

The mushrooms we had picked earlier were all crushed by my weight, but there were still plenty in the woods, and we filled two more bags. As we wandered around, I saw that our mansion was just below, not far away. Zhu Qingyuan led me to see if there was a path down there, since it was closer. Passing through the pine forest, near a clump of bushes, I tripped over a thorn on my trouser leg and reached down to pull it off. As I bent down, I saw a pile of fresh soil under the bushes. Looking closer, I saw several finger bones on the soil, and I screamed, "Bones!" "Bones!" I jumped over in terror.

Zhu Qingyuan caught me from ahead, asked what had happened, calmed me down, and quickly turned around to look. The bones were on top of the mound of earth. Zhu Qingyuan understood and explained to me, "It rained heavily last night, and the soil was loose. There might have been a grave under the mound, which was disturbed by pangolins and rats, so the finger bones inside were brought to the surface."

"Are you sure this is human bone? Won't it give you nightmares if you see it?"

"Yes, it is indeed a finger bone from a dead person. But they've been dead for many years, and the bones have turned white. Don't even think about it!"

“It’s easy to say, but I just saw it, and it’s still on my mind. I can’t get it out of my head… You should quickly bury those bones with soil.”

Zhu Qingyuan did as he was told, picking up a thick branch and burying the bones with fresh soil. I dared not look at the ground, but I saw Zhu Qingyuan suddenly stop and carefully examine what was buried underground.

"Big Pig, what are you looking at? Hurry up, let's go home as soon as possible."

"I've made a major discovery! I found a smooth stone, it looks like a seal. I've already picked it out, and it's covered in nice soil. I'll show you the stone after I bury the bones!"

Zhu Qingyuan moved the soil and stones aside, quickly buried the bones, and even stomped on them to compact them. Then he used a branch to roll the stone in front of me, and I leaned over to look. I used a small twig to remove the soil, and sure enough, it was a seal. The seal was bigger than a thumb, square at the bottom and flattened round at the top. There was still wet mud on the side with the characters, so I couldn't make out what the characters were at first glance; they were ancient characters.