As the saying goes: You can't hit a smiling face, and even if you kill someone, you only need to behead them.
Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law coming to apologize with smiles and sincere apologies, and repeatedly asking Xu to return to work at the factory, and even offering an extra hundred yuan in salary each month, Yuan Suqin naturally couldn't say anything harsh anymore.
She wasn't originally a shrewish rural woman; she was just a bit stubborn and wouldn't let anyone bully her. Besides, the family was struggling financially, and her husband couldn't find a job. So, having this stable, down-to-earth job to keep the family afloat and earn money made Yuan Suqin's anger completely dissipate, and she greeted everyone with a smile.
Han Dashan's wife said, "Suqin, it was all our fault before. We listened to the nonsense and stirring up trouble from the Wang family's wife and Widow Liu. We will never do that again."
“Oh, sister-in-law, it’s inevitable that neighbors will have some disagreements. A few words between them are nothing. Once we talk it out, we’re still good neighbors. Isn’t that what they say? A close neighbor is better than a distant relative.” Yuan Suqin pulled the other person’s hand and answered with a smile.
Xu Neng stood to the side, grinning foolishly, not saying a word, slowly smoking his cheap cigarette.
Huaixiu listened to her mother-in-law and Yuan Suqin chatting about everyday matters but not about anything serious, and she became anxious and worried. She interrupted, "Auntie, could you talk to Brother Zhengyang later and ask him to speak to the local earth god? We've already apologized, so please stop letting that little devil cause trouble at our house, okay? Besides, Xinxin is still so young, what does a six-year-old know? He's innocent..." As she spoke, Huaixiu couldn't help but choke up.
Yuan Suqin quickly comforted her, "Xiuer, don't cry, don't cry. I'll tell Zhengyang when he gets back and see what happened. But then again, everyone in the village says Zhengyang is related to the local earth god, but I, as his mother, don't know anything about it..."
"Auntie, please don't be angry, please." Huaixiu's tears fell like beads on a string. Clearly, she mistakenly thought that Yuan Suqin was still somewhat dissatisfied and was just going through the motions with her family.
"Hey, hey, don't cry, okay, okay, okay, I promise, alright?" Yuan Suqin panicked and quickly nodded in agreement.
Huai Xiu was so excited that she wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin quickly stopped her, saying that she was not worthy of such a gesture.
Actually, Xu Neng and his wife were also puzzled. Could it be that their son really had some connection with the local earth god? But they couldn't find anything wrong with Xu Zhengyang.
Sometimes rumors have such power that falsehoods, passed around, can become the truth.
Although Xu Zhengyang and the Earth God do indeed have an extremely close relationship, Xu Zhengyang has never admitted it.
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang was pushing his bicycle through the streets and alleys of Wangjia Village, calling out, "Swapping millet..."
When I went out to exchange my Xiaomi phone today, it was already 9:30 in the morning. The reason I came out so late was because it rained moderately before dawn, and it didn't stop until after 9 o'clock. The clouds cleared, the weather cleared up, and the sun shone brightly and intensely after the rain.
It was past eleven o'clock, and only forty jin of the hundred jin of millet he had brought had been exchanged. Xu Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry. Besides trading for millet, he had two other tasks for today: First, to find out where Wang Zhu's family lived and pass on the message. Although it was just some trivial matter, he had promised to keep his word; it was a matter of character. Second, he would also take the opportunity to wander around the stagnant water pit east of Wangjia Village, survey the terrain, and come back to dig for cultural relics that night.
"How do I switch to Xiaomi's?"
Xu Zhengyang stopped, turned around and looked at the woman who had just come out of a courtyard behind him, and asked with a smile, "Hey, auntie, what are you planning to use to exchange?"
"wheat!"
"Oh, two jin and three liang can be exchanged for one jin..."
"That's too expensive."
"It's not expensive at all. You know me, I'm always around the village. How can I treat a relative differently? Besides, if I take half an ounce more wheat from you, and you find out, wouldn't I be ruining my own reputation?"
"You little rascal, you've got a silver tongue," the woman said with a smile, waving her hand. "Come on over, I'll trade you ten pounds."
"Okay, all done!" Xu Zhengyang turned his bicycle back, pushed it to the woman's door, leaned against the wall, took out a scale, and untied the rice bag. While skillfully weighing the rice, he asked, "Auntie, where does a man named Wang Zhu live in our village?"
Which royal pillar?
"Oh, the one who just died a few days ago..."
The woman paused for a moment, then said, "He's on the street at the east end of the village. You'll see him when you get there. Today is the seventh day after his death, and there's a mourning tent set up on the street. Listen, they're playing mournful tunes on the loudspeaker. Why are you asking about him?"
"Oh, it's nothing, I was just asking."
"Hey, Xiao Mi'er, I heard that the local earth god in your village has appeared, is that true?" the woman asked gossipy.
"Ahem... I'm not too sure about that either. It's probably fake. There are no gods or ghosts around." Xu Zhengyang replied with an awkward laugh, thinking that the news spread really fast. But thinking about it, it makes sense. Rural women are mostly used to spreading gossip. They're always visiting relatives with their children in tow. If there's anything interesting happening in any village, it'll be known throughout the whole township within two or three days. So there's no need to be too surprised.
Hearing that Xu Zhengyang didn't seem very interested in this news topic, the woman felt quite bored. "We have different views, so there's no point in talking to each other," she sighed and said, "Oh, I see."
After weighing the millet, he put it into the bag the woman was carrying, and she went into the yard. A little while later, she came out with a bag of wheat. Xu Zhengyang weighed that too, poured it into his own grain bag, threw it on the back rack of his bicycle, tied it up, said goodbye to the woman, and then pushed his bicycle towards the east of the village. He thought to himself, "It's true, today is the seventh day after Wang Zhu's death. There will definitely be a funeral procession. I can find it by following the funeral music in the village without even asking around."
He was wise all his life but made a foolish mistake at one moment.
Upon reaching the easternmost street of Wangjia Village, looking south, one indeed saw a mourning tent erected, with many people busy at work. The mournful music, somewhat unsettling, emanated from a loudspeaker hanging in a tree.
After hesitating for a while, Xu Zhengyang still pushed his bicycle toward the mourning tent.
Seeing a white cloth hanging on the gate of an ordinary house to the west of the mourning tent, Xu Zhengyang guessed that this was Wang Zhu's home. So he pointed to the gate and asked an old man sitting in front of the mourning tent, "Grandpa, is this Wang Zhu's home?"
"Yes, that's right." The old man nodded, then said with some doubt, "If you want to exchange for Xiaomi'er's money, come back after the seventh day after her death. Today isn't a good day, is it?"
"Oh, I'm not here to collect a debt. I just wanted to talk to a family member about something," Xu Zhengyang quickly said.
"Something wrong? Oh, then come to my house. I reckon he's in the west room of the main hall." After saying that, the old man muttered again, "He's dead, but how many debts did he owe? He couldn't even have a peaceful seventh day after his death..."
Xu Zhengyang didn't think about what the old man meant by the second half of his sentence. After nodding and thanking him, he leaned his bicycle against the trunk of a poplar tree next to the mourning tent and said, "Grandpa, could you please keep an eye on things for me?"
"Go ahead, go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things, no one will steal your millet," the old man agreed.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and walked into the yard, thinking about how to tell Wang Zhu's wife what he wanted to say when he met her.
Delivering a message isn't inherently difficult, but delivering it for the dead, especially to their family, is a real headache. A single misspoken word can lead to trouble. Delivering a message for Zhao Laoguang serves as a cautionary tale!
Wang Zhu's house was just as lively as the street, with many people coming and going, including family members, relatives, and villagers helping with the funeral arrangements. After entering the house and casually asking someone a question, Xu Zhengyang walked towards the west inner room.
The door wasn't closed, only a white and blue checkered curtain was hanging down. Xu Zhengyang lifted the curtain and went inside.
"Han Dashan?" Xu Zhengyang was stunned as soon as he entered the room, and a name came out of his mouth.
"Xu Zhengyang, what are you doing here?" Han Dashan asked, looking puzzled, and stood up from his chair.
The woman sitting on the edge of the bed, head bowed and wiping away tears, looked up at Xu Zhengyang with suspicion and asked, "Are you... here to replace Xiaomi'er? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, yes, there is something." Xu Zhengyang nodded hesitantly.
"What's up?"
Xu Zhengyang coughed twice, figuring there was no need to avoid Han Dashan; in fact, it was a good opportunity to scare him and make him aware of the situation. So, he simply blurted out what Wang Zhu wanted to tell his family. Of course, to avoid upsetting Wang Zhu's wife or causing any misunderstandings, Xu Zhengyang specifically mentioned how the local deity praised Wang Zhu's good character in the dream, how he would be reincarnated peacefully, and how much he cared about his family.
After hearing Xu Zhengyang's words, Wang Zhu's wife was speechless. A dream from the Earth God was too bizarre!
"Well, auntie, I was just passing on a message... If you don't believe me, that's fine too." Xu Zhengyang carefully chose his words and then added, "Please accept my condolences!"
Wang Zhu's wife nodded blankly.
To Xu Zhengyang's surprise, Han Dashan spoke up, saying, "Sister-in-law, you have to believe what he says. The local earth god really has appeared. A few days ago, Zhao Laoguang from our village had an accident outside, and it was the earth god who sent a message home to Xu Zhengyang in a dream..."
"Huh? Is that him?" Wang Zhu's wife looked at Xu Zhengyang in surprise.
“Yes, we’re from the same village.” Han Dashan nodded. “I’m not lying to you. To be honest, sister-in-law, I was originally planning to come and pay back the money after Brother Wang Zhu’s seven-day mourning period and after I had finished dealing with things at home. But then, the local earth god appeared in the child’s dream and sent a message to me. As soon as I heard that the earth god had given me instructions, I rushed over to pay back the money today.”
Wang Zhu's wife was even more surprised.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head, puzzled as to why Han Dashan would help him cover up his mistake. Was he trying to curry favor with him? Given his personality, surely not?
"Alright, sister-in-law, you're busy here today, so I won't bother you any longer. Take care of yourself and accept my condolences. Sigh..." Han Dashan got up, gave Xu Zhengyang a wink, and then said goodbye and left.
Xu Zhengyang felt it wouldn't be appropriate for him to stay there any longer, so after saying goodbye, he walked out.
Inside the house, Wang Zhu's wife, thinking that her husband was still thinking of her and their home even after his death, became even more heartbroken and burst into tears.
Han Dashan was indeed startled by what Xu Zhengyang had just said. Recalling the incident with Zhao Laoguang, the haunting of his own home by Wang Zhu's ghost, and the things his wife and daughter-in-law had overheard in the local temple, how could he not be uneasy? And today, Xu Zhengyang was actually delivering a message to Wang Zhu's family on behalf of the local god, which further proved that Xu Zhengyang and the local god really had a relationship that was absolutely extraordinary.
Then... we'll have to really try to curry favor with Xu Zhengyang.
He didn't want anything else, he just hoped Xu Zhengyang could put in a good word for him with the local earth god and plead for mercy. After all, Han Dashan had done too many bad things in his life.
Thinking about what Wang Zhu's ghost had said the past two nights, "Heaven is watching what people do, and the local earth god has been watching you for a long time," Han Dashan became more and more frightened. After leaving Wang Zhu's house, he grabbed Xu Zhengyang and said, "Zhengyang, it's almost noon. Come on, let's go to a roadside restaurant and have a drink."
"No, no, I still need to exchange my rice." Xu Zhengyang quickly refused. He understood the principle that one is obligated to accept gifts and food, and besides... who was Han Dashan? Would he invite you to a restaurant for a meal and drinks for no reason? So after politely declining, Xu Zhengyang pushed his bicycle northward.
Han Dashan stood stunned on one side of the mourning tent. Given his temperament, it was truly rare for him to say such a thing and take the initiative to show goodwill.
Unfortunately, things are different now; the world has changed!
"Even gods and ghosts have shown up, it's time for people to change their ways." Han Dashan reasoned with himself, suppressing his proud and stubborn attitude. He then turned and drove his Santana into the alley to the south, crossing into another main street before turning to intercept Xu Zhengyang. Today, he was going to risk his reputation and have a good talk with Xu Zhengyang.
If I can get on good terms with Xu Zhengyang, maybe I can get in touch with this big shot, the Earth God, and do business with him in the future...
You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!
Volume 1 Land Chapter 013 Rival in Love
As the saying goes, it's hard to refuse such a warm invitation, and Xu Zhengyang ultimately couldn't turn down Han Dashan's unusually enthusiastic invitation.
So, for the first time, Han Dashan put a dilapidated bicycle—so old that only a scrap collector would be interested in it—along with a scale beam, weights, and bags containing wheat, corn, and millet into the trunk of his Santana sedan.
That noon, Xu Zhengyang entered the town's best restaurant, "Tianwaitian," for the first time, and also tasted "Wuliangye" for the first time.
As for the dishes on the table, well, they're nothing special. Small restaurants have them too, just at a different level.
Although Han Dashan wasn't a very good person, he was quite straightforward and didn't mince words. He directly admitted that he hadn't been a good person in the past and had done many bad things. He promised not to do anything bad again and hoped that Xu Zhengyang could plead for him before the local earth god. To show his sincerity, he offered to pay for the reconstruction of the earth god temple and also personally proposed that Xu Zhengyang's father return to work at the cement products factory and receive a raise.
Since he had accepted the food, Xu Zhengyang couldn't hold a grudge any longer. He could only vaguely agree, saying that if the local deity appeared to him in a dream again, he would definitely convey Uncle Dashan's words and attitude to the local deity.
Han Dashan was naturally very grateful, so he didn't bring up the matter again. The two drank and chatted about everyday things.
After drinking half a bottle of Wuliangye, Xu Zhengyang relaxed and stopped being so reserved when talking to Han Dashan. He chatted about everything under the sun, even mentioning his hope to open a grain store in Fuhe City in the future.
Han Dashan immediately expressed his encouragement and approval, mentioning that he had a storefront of over 60 square meters in Fuhe City that was currently under renovation. It was in a prime location, adjacent to three residential communities, and already had several tenants vying to rent it. He suggested that if Xu Zhengyang was interested, the storefront could be rented to him once the renovations were complete. However, while family ties matter, money is money, so the rent couldn't be cheap, but it certainly wouldn't exceed the market rate.
Xu Zhengyang not only didn't dislike this, but actually liked Han Dashan's personality.
That's how business is supposed to be. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts and talk things out upfront. It might look ugly on the surface, but it's not ugly at all. It's good for both parties and will prevent future conflicts.
However, Xu Zhengyang didn't immediately agree, since he didn't yet have enough funds to invest in opening a shop. Of course, he wouldn't tell Han Dashan this, because he felt that if he said he was short of money, given Han Dashan's current attitude, he would definitely offer to lend him money immediately... That wouldn't do; he couldn't owe Han Dashan a favor, that guy was really no good.
After a hearty meal, Han Dashan drove back to the village with Xu Zhengyang.
There's no main road leading from the town to the village, so there's no need to worry about the police checking for drunk driving. Besides, given Han Dashan's connections, even if he were caught by the local traffic police, nothing would happen. In Han Dashan's words, "A problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem."
Xu Zhengyang wholeheartedly agreed with this statement.
The Santana drove Xu Zhengyang straight to his doorstep, which surprised the villagers who witnessed it. Gossip spread like wildfire: "Han Dashan is starting to fawn over Xu Zhengyang. The local earth god must have dealt with Han Dashan again..."
Han Dashan's enthusiasm remained undiminished. He helped Xu Zhengyang unload his bicycle and grain, and didn't forget to buy the remaining 60 jin of millet from Xu Zhengyang. Not only that, Han Dashan insisted on going to Xu Zhengyang's house with him to chat with Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin, apologizing. He said, "It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. It was all my fault before. From now on, we'll still be good neighbors. If you have any difficulties, just come to me."
Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin were both amused and overwhelmed, even feeling a little flattered.
The couple felt more and more that their son had really grown up. Not only did he work diligently and honestly to run his business and earn money to help the family, but now he had inexplicably become involved with the legendary gods. This was outrageous!
After Han Dashan left, Xu Zhengyang, still tipsy, lay on the bed and slept soundly for a long time.
He didn't wake up until it was dark and dinner was ready, when his mother called him.
Upon waking up, Xu Zhengyang's first thought was that he had to go to the stagnant water pit east of Wangjia Village that night to dig out the two jars that might be cultural relics.
So after dinner, Xu Zhengyang told his parents that he was going to visit a classmate in a neighboring village and might be back late, then he got on his bicycle and left home. Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin didn't think much of it; Xu Zhengyang went out to visit his friends every night anyway.
After leaving home, Xu Zhengyang headed south of the village, intending to borrow a shovel and flashlight from Cao Gangchuan's house, and also get a bag. He knew he had these things at home, but to avoid arousing his parents' suspicion, he had to borrow them.
Upon reaching the main east-west street in the south of the village, and just as he turned west, Xu Zhengyang saw three people standing in the middle of the street under the dim yellow light of the streetlights.
One of them, a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing baggy shorts with his back bare and a shaved head, was Cao Gangchuan.