The shop owner found some newspapers, wrapped up the chopped cooked vegetables, and handed them to Boss Yu.
"Alright, Second Brother, I'll head back now. Why don't you come over for a couple of drinks?"
Old Master Yu called out to Second Brother Liu, and after seeing him wave repeatedly, he turned and walked home.
When Yu returned home, he looked around, locked the gate to the yard, untied the chain of the wolfhound, and then went inside.
"Big brother, we can't just ignore what happened to the second brother. How about I find someone and spend some money to get him out of trouble?"
In what appeared to be an empty room, a voice suddenly rang out. It turned out that a person was sitting upright on a chair in the corner of the room. However, this person was rather thin, probably only about 1.5 meters tall. If you didn't look closely, you might mistake him for a child.
The eldest brother didn't reply. Instead, he drew the curtains on the only window in the room, then placed the cooked food he was holding on the table and said, "Manage? How? Make us sit in here too? I've told the second brother many times that if he stays here steadily for another three years, I guarantee he'll have no worries about food and drink for the rest of his life. He doesn't listen to me, his older brother. How am I supposed to manage him?"
The short man hesitated for a moment, then stood up, opened the packets of cooked food, and said, "But what about our matter..."
He had barely opened his mouth when Boss Yu waved his hand, interrupting him.
"No buts, he doesn't know anything. That's good, it can help us divert attention. I had a feeling a while ago that we were being watched, but now that this has happened, the attention is definitely on them. As long as we can succeed quickly, no one can trace it back to me. Then we can move freely, whether we stay or leave. After we finish this job, even if we want to go abroad, it won't be a problem."
At this moment, Yu Laoda's eyes were full of ruthlessness. If the people in the village saw him, they would definitely think that he had become a different person. Was this still the same Yu Laoda who used to smile at everyone and was indecisive in doing things?
"Brother, this matter needs to be arranged in advance. Should I send my nephew out first?"
The short man pulled out a bottle of Xifeng liquor from somewhere, took out two bowls, and filled them both to the brim.
"Xiao Ba, when did you become so fussy? We're doing things that put our lives on the line, how can we care about such things?"
When Old Master Yu heard about his foolish son, his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and he glared at the short man with displeasure.
"Brother, I'm just saying. Whatever you say, I'll do it your way."
Seeing Yu Laoda glare at him, the short man trembled in fear, spilling a lot of the wine he was holding, and hurriedly tried to explain.
"Okay, you leave in a bit. Tell the people below to stay home and behave themselves. Nobody is allowed to cause trouble, or I'll skin them alive. After the archaeological team leaves, we'll hurry up and take everything out. We might as well not stay here anymore."
Old Yu picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against the short man's, tilted his head back and downed it all in one gulp. Without even using chopsticks, he grabbed some cooked food from the table and started eating.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the short man named Xiao Ba left. He seemed to have a quirk: he liked to walk close to the wall and his feet were very light. Because of his small stature, even in broad daylight, few people noticed him after he left Old Master Yu's house.
"Wife and son?"
After Xiao Ba left, Boss Yu continued drinking alone, a sinister smile occasionally appearing on his face. If anyone saw his expression now, they would definitely feel a chill run down their spine.
After leaving Liujiazhuang in the 1980s, Yu Laoda was taken to Luoyang, Henan by his father. It was then that he learned about his origins and realized that his usually kind father was not so good after all.
During those seven or eight years, Yu Ku came into contact with a world he had never dreamed of. With his extraordinary patience, quick wit, ruthless methods, and harmless disguise, he rose from the ashes and took over the family's ancestral business.
Women? Yu Ku has kept several young, beautiful, and educated virgins in various places. He has also given birth to two sons. Why would he care about his wife, who is not presentable, and his foolish son?
Speaking of women, there's a pretty young lady in the archaeological team that's been there for almost a week. Boss Yu downed a bowl of wine, and his eyes became a little glazed.
Meanwhile, the girl who was considered pretty good by Boss Yu was standing with her hands on her hips, making things difficult for Zhuang Rui, who had gotten himself into trouble for his loose tongue.
Chapter 241 The Eighteen Tombs of Guanzhong
"Gentlemen, I really didn't mean it. I just said it casually, there's no need to take it so seriously, right? I admit I was wrong, I apologize to you all..."
Zhuang Rui originally wanted to come and see this field archaeological excavation, but he didn't expect this little girl to be so difficult to deal with, so he had second thoughts. If he can't afford to offend her, he can at least avoid her.
"An apology? An apology must be sincere..."
The girl named Qiuqian darted around with her big eyes, then stared intently at the big watermelon in Er Mao's arms.
"Swing, you can't do that, the teacher will scold us if she finds out."
However, the young man named Ying Ning next to them couldn't stand it anymore and said to Zhuang Rui, "It's alright, you guys can leave. It's true that unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter here."
“How are we considered outsiders? The land you’re digging belongs to my uncle. You’re the outsiders.”
Er Mao was a little indignant. This area used to be a vegetable garden, but it has all been cleared away now. Although the archaeological team compensated Er Mao's uncle's family for the losses, the land does indeed belong to their family.
"Alright, Er Mao, stop talking. Call your sister-in-law over, let's eat watermelon together. It's so big, everyone can have some."
Fearing that Er Mao would continue talking and the two sides would start arguing again, Zhuang Rui quickly stopped Er Mao and took the watermelon from his arms. The watermelon weighed more than ten kilograms, and it was enough for everyone present to have a slice.
Seeing that Zhuang Rui insisted, Er Mao didn't say anything. Zhuang Rui was Changfa Ge's classmate and a city dweller, so he still respected him.
"Hehe, you should have done this earlier. I'll go call Grandpa to come and eat watermelon."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui had given in, the girl smiled smugly and walked towards the bottom of the pit. However, after taking only a few steps, she turned back and said, "You're the one who brought us the watermelon to eat. We didn't ask you for it."
"Yes, yes, I gave them to you myself, okay?"
Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated by the girl, but he wasn't angry. Although she was a bit unreasonable, she wasn't annoying.
"Let's all take a break, then work a little longer. We'll continue working tonight."
A voice rang out from the pit, and immediately young women and wives rushed up from the bottom of the pit, surrounding Zhuang Rui and Er Mao. Some of the wives who were familiar with Er Mao even pinched his cheeks and joked with him.
Zhuang Rui was also taken aback by the scene, and quickly used the watermelon knife in his hand to cut the watermelon into more than a dozen pieces, handing them out one by one.
Several people accepted the watermelon and thanked Zhuang Rui. After chatting with them briefly, Zhuang Rui learned that they were all staff members of the local cultural relics department.
"Young man, thank you."
As Zhuang Rui handed over the last slice of watermelon, he noticed an elderly man standing in front of him. The man was quite old, with completely white hair and beard, but he was in good spirits and didn't sweat much despite standing under the blazing sun.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright, I'm just being generous with other people's money, haha. These are watermelons from my classmate's family. Don't mind them, old man. If it's not enough, I'll bring two more over later."
"That's not suitable, let's buy it instead."
The old man looked at the large pit below, thought for a moment, and said, "I reckon I'll have to stay here for another half a month. How about I have my classmate bring two watermelons over every day? Twenty yuan each, what do you think?"
"No need, it doesn't have to be that expensive, five or six yuan is enough."
Before Zhuang Rui could speak, Er Mao chimed in, which made Zhuang Rui look at this teenager with new respect. Just now he had acted like a little miser, but now he was actually asking for less money.
"Then it'll be ten yuan each, Er Mao. You deliver two watermelons here every day, and I'll let your long-haired brother know later."
"Um!"
Er Mao nodded heavily, his earlier resentment long gone. Watermelons weren't worth much in the countryside; anyone passing by a melon patch could pick a couple to eat without a problem, as long as the vines weren't damaged.
"Grandpa, come eat some watermelon!"
While Zhuang Rui was talking to the old man, the girl had finished her watermelon and was licking her lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction.
Here you go. You can eat it, you little glutton.
The old man smiled tolerantly and handed the watermelon in his hand to the girl.
"Teacher, please eat it yourself. I haven't eaten mine yet."
The student named Ying Ning quickly pulled the old man's granddaughter away and gave the girl the slice of watermelon that he had been allotted to him.
"Young man, my granddaughter's parents are both abroad, and I don't usually have time to discipline her. I'm sorry you had to see this."
The old man had actually overheard their conversation and knew that his granddaughter was being unreasonable.
"Old man, you're too kind. It's nothing. I'm just quite interested in archaeology. I heard there's an archaeological team excavating here, so I wanted to come and see for myself. I misspoke just now."
Zhuang Rui was still somewhat curious about the identity of the old man in front of him. Seeing the attitude of the local cultural relics department staff towards him, Zhuang Rui knew that the old man was probably in charge of the archaeological excavation. However, for such a serious matter, bringing his granddaughter and students along seemed a bit too frivolous.
"Hehe, young man, you can use the words 'official thief' to describe your knowledge of archaeology or cultural relics, so you must pay a lot of attention to this topic, right?"
The old man had no taboo against the term "official grave robbery." His thinking differed considerably from others. He believed that digging up graves was grave robbing, and even if it was done in the name of the state, it was still grave robbing. However, the artifacts unearthed by the state were mostly for exhibition or research into the social structure of the time, unlike private grave robbing, which was entirely for personal gain.
"Grandpa, I just enjoy collecting things in my spare time. I don't know much about archaeology. I'm thinking of getting a master's degree in archaeology to improve my knowledge."
Although Zhuang Rui had been cramming on archaeology knowledge during this period, he naturally dared not show off in front of the old man.
"Oh? There aren't many people applying to archaeology these days. It's a rather tedious job, and you're often out in the fields. Sometimes you can't even go home all year round. What brings you to this idea, young man?"
The old man was taken aback when he heard Zhuang Rui's words, clearly surprised by Zhuang Rui's answer.
"Hehe, old man, as I just said, I just want to systematically learn about the customs and culture of China throughout history through archaeology. This will also be very beneficial for collecting. It doesn't mean that I will engage in archaeological work in the future."
Zhuang Rui didn't hide his thoughts. With his wealth, there was no need for him to do this kind of work. He could probably enjoy staying in the wild every day, but Zhuang Rui definitely couldn't stand it.
Which university did you apply to for the archaeology program?
The old man asked casually.
"Peking University, I've heard that it has the strongest faculty..."
The old man's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he said, "Peking University is not easy to get into. Although the archaeology major is very unpopular, the department head, Old Man Meng, is a stubborn old man."
"Hehe, I did quite well in chemistry in college, and I have some knowledge of Chinese history and classical Chinese, so I believe it shouldn't be a problem. Does the old gentleman also know Professor Meng from Peking University?"
Zhuang Rui said confidently that when he graduated from university, his mother originally wanted him to continue to pursue a master's degree, but Zhuang Rui considered the family's situation and went to work instead. Now, only two years after graduation, he hasn't lost much of his knowledge and can just review it again.
"Of course I know him. I've known him my whole life. That old man, tsk tsk, he's really hard to deal with. Here's what we'll do, young man, I'll ask you a few questions. If you can answer them, I'll put in a good word for that old man Meng..."
Zhuang Rui didn't notice that when the old man spoke, his eyes, which had seen through the ways of the world, inadvertently revealed a hint of childlike innocence.
"Old man, there's no need for pleading. But I really don't have much experience with postgraduate entrance exam interviews. Please ask me any questions you have. I'll take this as a chance to get some practice."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and said that Uncle De had already spoken to Professor Meng. He and the old man in front of him were complete strangers, so how could he trouble him? Besides, judging from the old man's words, Professor Meng was a bit eccentric. If too many people pleaded on his behalf, it might backfire.
"Alright, then let me ask you, do you know whose tomb this is that we're excavating now?"
Zhuang Rui frowned at the old man's question. There were simply too many large tombs in Shaanxi. Putting aside everything else, from the Qin and Han dynasties to the fall of the Tang dynasty, Shaanxi had been the capital of the country. There were countless famous scholars, emperors, and generals. The old man's question was indeed difficult to answer.
Zhuang Rui looked down into the pit, and spiritual energy emanated from it. However, he found no clues in the soil, only some broken ceramic vessels with very faint spiritual energy. Zhuang Rui couldn't tell what era they were from.
As Zhuang Rui withdrew his spiritual energy, he saw the armed police officers on duty. A thought struck him: with the national cultural relics department taking the lead, local authorities providing full assistance, and armed police protecting the site, this tomb must be extraordinary; it must be an imperial tomb.
The imperial tombs are just too large, spanning from the Qin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty and involving dozens of emperors. Who knows which one it is?
"The Eighteen Tombs of Guanzhong!"
The term suddenly popped into Zhuang Rui's mind. He recalled a document he had read not long ago that talked about the tombs of the eighteen emperors of the Tang Dynasty. It seemed that the tombs of several emperors, such as Emperor Ruizong's Qiaoling, Emperor Xuanzong's Tailing, Emperor Xianzong's Jingling, and Emperor Wenzong's Guangling, were located in this small county town.
The document said that these tombs were all built against the mountain, which was similar to where he was now. However, the document said that Qiaoling was magnificent and had exquisite stone carvings, making it the best of the eighteen tombs in Guanzhong. It shouldn't be that one. As for which of the remaining emperors' tombs it was, Zhuang Rui could no longer guess.
Chapter 242 Professor Meng
"Old man, the above-ground palace of this tomb has been destroyed. However, judging from the surrounding earthen mound, the project must have been very large back then. The person buried here must have been of noble status. If I'm not mistaken, it should be one of the three mausoleums of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Emperor Xianzong of Tang, or Emperor Wenzong of Tang?"
Zhuang Rui voiced his thoughts, unsure if they were right or wrong. The ancients placed great importance on funerals, and there were simply too many large tombs in Shaanxi. It wasn't just emperors who could build palaces on top of tombs; some feudal lords also had this right.