Hibiskus als Gemälde

Kapitel 12

In the middle of the night, he vaguely heard what sounded like "thump thump" footsteps inside the old house. He listened for a while, but then it seemed to stop.

It's so late, who would be walking around? He must have misheard, he turned over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, the sky was clear and the spring sunshine was warm.

After breakfast, Mayor Guo took Youfu to the town government.

“Brother, Nizi is still young, we should take better care of her and not let her do so much work.” Youfu said to his brother Youcai as they walked.

"Sigh, it's all because of your sister-in-law, I can't say much." Mayor Guo hesitated, as if he had something to say but couldn't.

Before Youfu joined the army, his older brother Youcai had already married his sister-in-law Qin Ruhua. Qin Ruhua was a young educated woman from Ruicheng County who had been sent to the countryside in Fenglingdu. It was said that her father was a veteran of the Eighth Route Army and had served as a county magistrate. During the Cultural Revolution, he was persecuted and sidelined. The year after Youfu joined the army, he returned to work and became the county party secretary. The villagers said that Guo Youcai became the town mayor because he had climbed the social ladder.

The daughter of an official's family is probably quite fierce; no wonder her brother is so afraid of his wife. He has a rich desire.

The handover was straightforward. Youfu, being a former reconnaissance soldier, had a solid foundation for being a special police commissioner. He spent the entire day familiarizing himself with the case files, preparing to visit the fellow villager who had witnessed the tomb robbers that evening. The man's name was Guo Erxi, and he lived in the village west of Fenglingdu.

At dusk, Youfu ate dinner at the town government canteen and then walked alone along the mountain road toward Fenghouling Village. By the time he found Guo Erxi's house, it was already dark.

Guo Erxi was an honest and kind farmer, and he warmly received the special police commissioner from the town.

“That night the moon was very bright. I was taking my wife to her parents’ house, and on my way back, in the poplar grove in front of Fengling Temple, I saw some figures moving around. I initially thought they were people from a nearby village stealing trees at night, but when I got closer, I didn’t recognize any of them. They were carrying semi-cylindrical iron shovels, which I recognized as Luoyang shovels, the kind used by tomb raiders. I asked them what they were doing, and they replied that they were from an archaeological team, but they didn’t speak with our Hedong accent. I felt something was off. What kind of archaeological team would work secretly at night? The more I thought about it after I got home, the more suspicious it seemed, so I reported it to the town first thing the next morning.” Guo Erxi roughly recounted what happened that night.

"You mean the people we met near Fengling Temple?" Yu Fu asked.

“It’s Fengling Temple,” Guo Erxi replied.

After leaving Guo Erxi's house, Youfu looked up at the sky. The bright moon hung high, and the earth was bathed in clear light. He knew that Fengling Temple was not far from here, so he decided to go there that night to investigate the scene of the incident.

He touched the pistol tucked in his waistband, determined his location, and then walked alone toward the direction of Fengling Temple that he remembered.

Chapter 17 of the main text

Fengling Temple is an unassuming little temple nestled beside the old course of the Yellow River, built on a small loess mound facing south. The temple is a brick and stone structure; the main hall is made of blue bricks to the top, with gray tiles at the hipped roof corners. Under the slightly upturned eaves, dozens of small copper bells, about the size of water cups, hang from west to east. When the wind blows, the bells chime loudly, their sound carrying far. In the old days, boatmen on the Yellow River would often fall asleep to the clear, melancholic sound of the wind chimes when they moored their boats on the bank overnight.

Guo Youfu once visited Fengling Temple when he was a child. There was a tall ginkgo tree in the temple courtyard. The children would sneak in to steal ginkgo fruits and would often be chased by the monks in the temple.

Under the moonlight, gazing at the temple in the night, a gentle breeze blows, and the wind chimes still ring, evoking a sweet sense of nostalgia in my heart.

He silently walked to the poplar grove in front of the temple. The bright moonlight shone obliquely through the sparse, newly sprouted branches, casting a desolate and bleak glow on the ground. All was quiet. Not far away were several small mounds of yellow earth, spaced about ten meters apart. This must be the soil that Guo Erxi had mentioned the tomb raiders had dug out with their Luoyang shovels.

Youfu squatted down, grabbed some yellow soil with his left hand, and examined it by the moonlight. The soil was fine and free of any impurities, so there shouldn't be any tombs underground. He checked all the mounds of earth, and they were all the same. He stood up and walked out of the woods. In the distance was the old course of the Yellow River; even if the ancients were to bury their dead, they would never have chosen that place.

Judging from the situation, it's certain that these people are searching for an ancient tomb. They're staying close to the Wind Chime Temple, so perhaps the monks inside will see or hear something... With that thought, Yu Fu strolled towards the temple.

There are dozens of stone steps in front of the temple. The temple gate is not like the solemn mountain gate of a traditional Buddhist temple, but rather like the porch of an ordinary wealthy family. It is quiet all around, the gate is tightly closed, and only the sound of wind chimes can be heard intermittently.

Youfu glanced at his watch; it was already late at night. As he hesitated whether to knock on the door, he could faintly hear chanting coming from inside the temple.

"Knock knock knock..." Youfu decided to knock on the door anyway.

Before long, with a creak, the temple gate opened, and an elderly monk in a gray robe stood at the entrance.

"What brings you here so late at night, benefactor?" the old monk asked, speaking in a distinct Hedong accent.

The clear moonlight shone on the old monk's face. He had thin cheeks, long eyebrows, a high nose, and bright, piercing eyes. You Fu vaguely remembered that this old monk was the abbot of Fengling Temple, whom he had seen in the temple when he was a child.

"I am Guo Youfu, the special police commissioner of Fenglingdu Town. I would like to ask you about something. I apologize for disturbing you so late at night," Youfu said as politely as possible.

The old monk glanced at You Fu's empty right sleeve and nodded, saying, "Please come in."

The old ginkgo tree in the courtyard of Fengling Temple is still there. The moonlight is hazy, and the fragrance of sandalwood permeates the night sky, making people feel the purity and sanctity of this Buddhist holy place.

“Master, when I was young I was ignorant and even stole ginkgo nuts from the trees in the temple. Looking back now, I am truly ashamed,” Youfu said apologetically.

"Haven't you already attained enlightenment?" the old monk replied calmly.

"The attainment of enlightenment?" You Fu asked, puzzled.

"A special commissioner of public security, formerly known as a constable, isn't that a righteous person?" the old monk said with a faint smile.

Chapter 17, Part 2

A young novice monk, rubbing his eyes, came out of the room, muttering softly, "Why is someone visiting so late at night again?"

The old monk instructed the young novice to brew a pot of tea, then invited Guo Youfu to sit on a stone bench in the courtyard, introducing himself as "this old monk is Yidu."

Guo Youfu watched the young novice monk's retreating figure and asked, "Master Yidu, are there any other people visiting the temple late at night?"

Yidu nodded and said, "A few days ago, a group of people came to ask for lodging late at night, but they left the temple early the next morning."

"Oh," Youfu immediately became interested and asked, "Who are those people?"

"They said it was an archaeological team from the Yuncheng area," the old monk Yidu replied.

"What are they looking for?" Youfu pressed.

"I heard it's... they're looking for Feng Hou's tomb, but as a Buddhist monk, I've always stayed out of worldly affairs," Yidu said.

You Fu suspected that the so-called "archaeological team" staying at the temple was the same group that Guo Erxi had met. "Master, did they carry digging tools like the 'Luoyang shovel' with them?" he insisted.

"Yes," Ichido replied.

Guo Youfu then said seriously, "Master Yidu, I have come for this very reason. Those people may be a group of tomb raiders. Could you tell me more about them?"

Master Yidu nodded and began his story from the night someone knocked on the gate of Fengling Temple...

Late that night, the old monk was meditating when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the mountain gate. He then ordered a young novice to go and investigate. Before long, the novice brought in a plump middle-aged man, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, with fair skin and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"Master, my surname is Zhang. I am from the Yuncheng Archaeological Team. We are conducting an archaeological survey in this area. We are a little late and don't have time to get back to the Ruicheng Hotel. We would like to ask to stay at your temple for one night. There are seven or eight of us in total. Is that alright?" The man was sincere and spoke standard Mandarin.

“Since you are in trouble, this old monk should accept your help. Fengling Temple is a pure Buddhist place, and I hope you and your party will abide by the temple rules,” Yidu said.

"Don't worry, Master, we are all government employees and will not disturb the peace of the temple. If there is vegetarian food, we will pay the price accordingly," the man said gratefully.

"The vegetarian meals inside the temple are free of charge. If you wish, there is a donation box in the main hall. Please feel free to donate. Amitabha." Yidu clasped his hands and chanted the mantra.

The young novice monk led the group to the side hall where pilgrims stayed overnight and asked the fire-worker monk to prepare a vegetarian meal. Yidu noticed that they were all carrying bags and metal-handled Luoyang shovels.

In the early hours of the morning, Yidu was still meditating in the main hall when the team leader, surnamed Zhang, strolled in. "Master, you haven't rested yet?" he asked, surprised at first.

"Isn't Benefactor Zhang also unable to rest?" Yi Du replied calmly.

"Couldn't sleep, came out for some fresh air," the man said casually. "Master, have you ever heard of 'Feng Hou's Tomb'?"

"Yes, it's said to have been destroyed by the Japanese," Ichiwa replied.

"I'm talking about the real 'Feng Hou Mausoleum,' not the fake mausoleum that was destroyed by the invading Japanese army," Team Leader Zhang said mysteriously.

"A fake tomb? This old monk has never heard of any such thing as a real or fake 'Feng Hou Tomb'." Yi Du raised his eyebrows, looking at the uninvited guest.

Chapter 17, Part 3

"So, there are two 'Feng Hou Mausoleums,' one real and one fake?" Guo Youfu asked doubtfully.

"I do not know," Yidu replied.

"And then?" Youfu asked.

"The team leader, surnamed Zhang, yawned and said it was late and he was going back to his room to sleep. Before leaving, he put some money in the donation box, and they all left early the next morning," Yi Du recalled.

“That’s quite a lot of money. I counted it, and it’s five hundred yuan in total!” the young novice monk interjected.

Upon hearing this, Youfu blushed slightly, then got up and went into the main hall, intending to donate some incense money. However, after searching through his pockets, he only found a few coins. After thinking for a moment, he threw them all into the donation box.

After leaving Fengling Temple, Guo Youfu returned home overnight. All the way, he kept thinking about how much he had gained that night. First, he learned that there were two versions of the "Feng Hou Mausoleum," one real and one fake. Second, he discovered that the leader of the tomb raiders was surnamed Zhang, spoke fluent Mandarin, and was very generous—five hundred yuan, equivalent to almost a year's salary for him.

When the rooster crowed twice, Guo Youfu returned to Fenglingdu Village. Everyone in the old house was already asleep. The big black dog recognized him and kept wagging its tail. He tiptoed into his room, feeling quite tired, so he lay down on the bed fully clothed and quickly fell asleep.

Soon, the sound of footsteps from last night rang out again, a soft "thump-thump..." sound, but Youfu was already fast asleep and didn't hear it at all.

The next morning, while having breakfast, Youfu told his brother about what he had learned the night before.

"So, there really is a real 'Feng Hou Mausoleum'?" Mayor Guo yawned repeatedly, but his eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this.

"Brother, did you already know there were two Feng Hou Tombs?" Youfu asked in confusion.

"I only heard it from my father-in-law a few days ago," Mayor Guo replied.

"Secretary Qin?" Youfu was somewhat puzzled.

"You're quite something, being a reconnaissance soldier after all. You've already achieved a great result on your first day on the job, but you still need to keep working hard, follow the clues, and ignore everything else. You must find the real 'Feng Hou Tomb'," Mayor Guo said excitedly.

Youfu looked at his brother and asked in surprise, "Brother, isn't our main task to catch those tomb raiders?"

"This is Secretary Qin's instruction, so don't ask any more questions," Mayor Guo said, patting his younger brother Youfu on the shoulder as he stood up.

Youfu returned to his room and wrote down what had happened the night before, which would later be included in the formal investigation report.

“Uncle Guo…” came Nizi’s soft voice from the doorway.

"Oh, it's Nizi. What's up?" Youfu called Nizi in.

"Have you heard anyone walking around the room these past two nights? Is it Grandpa coming back to see Nizi?" Nizi asked timidly.

Youfu recalled that the night before, when he was half asleep in bed, he seemed to hear someone walking around. He had come home too late last night and hadn't woken up since he lay down, so he had no recollection of it.

“Nizi, your uncle seems to have heard some noise, but Grandpa has already passed away, so he won’t come back to see you. Besides, the sound doesn’t sound like human footsteps,” Youfu comforted Nizi.

“The sound of a ghost walking is different from that of a human,” Nizi said nervously.

Chapter 18 of the main text

“It’s Grandpa, he’s come to see Nizi…” Nizi said softly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't be sad, child," Youfu comforted Nizi. Seeing her dazed state, he felt sorry for her and said, "Nizi, come to my room tonight. We'll wait until that sound appears again, and then we'll go find it, okay?"

Nizi nodded and left silently.

She returned to the woodshed, then led Big Black out to the back mountain valley.

“Grandpa, did you come home these past two nights? Why didn’t you come to the west wing to see Nizi? ... Did you still think you couldn’t find Nizi because you lived in the old place?” Nizi murmured to her grandfather in the ground in front of the grave.

The warm spring sunshine bathed her in its warmth, and before she knew it, Nizi had fallen asleep, clutching Dahei...

In her dream, she saw her grandfather smiling as he walked towards her.

"Grandpa, was that your footsteps tonight?" Nizi asked, throwing herself into the old man's arms.

"Besides Grandpa, who else would come to see you in the middle of the night?" the old man said kindly.