But it's cheap! And I've heard that Nokia phones are sturdy; even if they fall to the ground and break into pieces, they can still be put back together and used.
So, under the shop owner's slightly disdainful gaze, Xu Zhengyang bought this brand-new old-fashioned mobile phone that was about to be phased out by the market.
I have to say, cell phones are really fun.
Xu Zhengyang, the country bumpkin, treated the phone like a precious treasure, fiddling with it and occasionally flipping through the instruction manual, feeling quite pleased with himself. If it weren't for the fact that his family didn't have a telephone, he would have called home immediately to tell his parents he'd just bought a phone and would call this number if anything came up…
Yao Chushun finally grew impatient with Xu Zhengyang's enthusiasm. He pulled a roll of fingers from his worn-out travel bag, rubbed his hands haphazardly a few times, then pulled a silver-gray Motorola flip phone from his pocket, slammed it onto the small table, and said disdainfully, "What's the point of fiddling with that crappy phone? Look at this, the latest model, with a camera that can take pictures and record videos..."
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang paused, put down his own phone, and picked up the phone Yao Chushun had thrown at him with a puzzled look. He examined it carefully, pressed a few buttons, and realized it was genuine, not some cheap imitation. His gaze towards Yao Chushun grew even more suspicious.
"Never seen this before, have you?"
"Um."
"You don't know how to play, do you?"
"Um."
"You bumpkin." Yao Chushun spat on the ground without any manners, rolled his eyes, and said arrogantly, "More than five thousand yuan."
"Where did you steal it from?" Xu Zhengyang asked with a suspicious look.
"Pah, pah, I bought this. Do you want me to go back and get the receipt for you?" Yao Chushun glared at Xu Zhengyang with dissatisfaction, grabbed the bottle and chugged it down again. Then, while gnawing on a chicken leg, he said disdainfully, "I'm not trying to be mean, but a country bumpkin like you doesn't know how to spend money. You don't know how to enjoy life. You even buy the cheapest phone. What are you going to do with all that money?"
Xu Zhengyang felt a little embarrassed by the teasing, so he shook his head with an awkward laugh, put down Yao Chushun's phone, and picked up his own phone to continue studying.
"Hey, I'm talking about drinking. I can't possibly finish all this food and drink by myself," Yao Chushun mumbled, chewing on chicken. "I bought enough for two people, and it'll spoil if we don't finish it in this heat. Let's eat quickly..."
Yao Chushun had a very loud voice, and he spat everywhere. He sat cross-legged on his seat, gesticulating wildly. Coupled with his striking appearance and slovenly clothes, he was extremely conspicuous in the carriage.
Xu Zhengyang looked around the carriage with a bitter expression, and the people who had been looking at them with disdain and disgust all turned their heads away.
"Alright, keep your voice down." Xu Zhengyang reluctantly picked up a bottle of beer that Yao Chushun had already opened for him on the table, took a few sips, and then said, "Hey Mr. Gu, are you rich or poor?"
Yao Chushun paused for a moment, wiped his mouth with his hand, and said, "A penniless wretch."
These words were spoken with considerable force, as if they were a matter of course, and even carried a hint of pride.
"Well... isn't this a waste?" Xu Zhengyang kindly advised, "A cell phone is just for making calls. Whether it's three hundred yuan or five thousand yuan, it's all just for making a call, isn't it? Besides, you bought so much food and drinks..."
"Stop, stop, I'm asking you..." Yao Chushun waved his hand impatiently to stop Xu Zhengyang from continuing, and instead asked, "What do you use the money you earn?"
"Uh... I understand what you mean, but we can't waste it." Xu Zhengyang shook his head and sighed.
"You country bumpkin!" Yao Chushun snorted, tilting his head as he said, "Do you even know what life is?"
Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated. He raised the bottle as a gesture, took a few sips of beer, and then went back to examining his phone.
Yao Chushun completely ignored Xu Zhengyang's attitude. After letting out a burp, he opened another bottle of beer. Perhaps too full to drink any more, he placed it on the table, leaned back in his chair, and squinted out the window, muttering, "We're almost at Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital. The beef-filled steamed buns at Shijiazhuang train station are absolutely amazing. I'll buy two baskets later..."
Xu Zhengyang raised his eyelids and glanced at Yao Chushun, thinking to himself that the old man's belly didn't look that big, but it could really hold a lot of things.
A warm current surged through his mind, and Xu Zhengyang shivered comfortably. His right palm went numb, and the jade pendant suddenly appeared, almost knocking the phone to the ground. Fortunately, Xu Zhengyang reacted quickly and reached down with his left hand to catch the phone, thus preventing the tragedy of the new phone being dropped.
"Hey, Zhengyang, this time I'll have to see what kind of family heirloom you have!" Yao Chushun had drunk too much and had long forgotten Xu Zhengyang's reluctance at the train station. He scratched his messy, straw-like hair with his greasy hands and said with dissatisfaction, "You really are something. If it's a family heirloom and you don't want people to see it, then don't keep taking it out to show off. Isn't that just bewitching people? And every time you do it like you're performing magic... Hey, how do you do it? I've never seen you take it out from anywhere, and I've never seen you put it away anywhere either."
Looking at the excited light shining through Yao Chushun's small, triangular eyes, which were red from the stimulation of alcohol, and listening to what he was saying, Xu Zhengyang really had no temper at all. This old man seemed to have an extremely fanatical obsession with treasures and the like.
"Here, take a look, but don't break it." Xu Zhengyang handed over the record and casually said, "Also, help me see what era it's from."
Xu Zhengyang wasn't worried that Yao Chushun would see the writing or images on the local record, because he discovered that once the record left his hand, it would become like ordinary jade. Moreover, Xu Zhengyang guessed that even if he held it in his hand and showed it to someone, an ordinary person would probably not be able to see anything else on it.
As for why this speculation is made, it's very simple: how can the things of the gods be seen by mortals?
However, Xu Zhengyang will not try to see if his guess is correct for the time being.
"Okay, okay, no problem." Yao Chushun excitedly and carefully took the jade in his hand, his eyes shining as he stared intently at it, like a lecherous man seeing a naked beauty. He mumbled dismissively, "It's a good thing. Let me take a closer look. Hmm, I really can't tell..."
Yao Chushun seemed to be very interested. He put the jade on the table, then took out a tissue and wiped his hands vigorously. He then picked it up again and began to study the jade carefully.
Where is there even a trace of his former irresponsible, decadent, and carefree lifestyle?
Seeing Yao Chushun's serious expression, Xu Zhengyang lost interest in studying his phone. He picked up the bottle and slowly drank the wine, a wry smile on his face.
Recording this kind of thing locally will probably bring me a lot of trouble in the future, like a magician.
Ever since the ghost of Wang Zhu caused havoc on Han Dashan's family, and Han Dashan's family went to the local earth god temple to burn incense, worship, and kowtow to beg for forgiveness, villagers, and even villagers from other villages who had heard of the earth god's miraculous appearances, have frequently come to offer sacrifices and burn incense. This has become quite annoyed for Xu Zhengyang, because every time someone burns incense, kowtows, and begs for forgiveness, he can feel it in his mind, and the earth god's spirit seems to pop out of his palm at any moment.
While the feeling of receiving offerings and worship was undeniably exhilarating—a feeling he couldn't quite describe—it was also undeniably troublesome. Moreover, the sudden appearance of the local artifact from his palm was quite worrying. It wasn't that he was concerned about it falling and breaking; after all, unless he intended to release it, it would remain in his hand like a finger. Xu Zhengyang's concern stemmed from the fact that each appearance, seemingly out of nowhere, drew too much attention.
Let's not even talk about these things that happened to me.
Just talking about those people who burn incense, kowtow, worship, and petition, which annoyed him to no end, made Xu Zhengyang extremely helpless. Being a local earth god is not easy. There are just too many big and small matters, trivial and insignificant. Moreover, people never seem to consider whether their requests are reasonable, whether the earth god will be in a difficult position, whether he will grant them, or even whether he might get very angry about it, so it is not worth it...
To this day, there is still nothing that makes Xu Zhengyang, this idle local deity, feel the need to lend a helping hand.
Admittedly, apart from being able to command ghosts and having X-ray vision, he seems to have no other ability to grant people's wishes.
Here are some examples:
1. The Wang family's wife kowtowed and prayed, hoping the local earth god would bless her husband and son so that each of them could earn double wages while working away from home. Well, that's understandable. But expecting the earth god to bless the boss on the other side so he'd be confused and give you more money is a bit much, isn't it?
2. Zhao Laoguang's wife, Xiangqin, prayed to the Earth God to bless her son, Zhao Lin, so that he could marry a beautiful, gentle, virtuous, capable, filial, and honest woman… If the Earth God really has such power, I definitely need to find myself such a perfect wife first!
3. In Lucun, an old woman, along with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law, offered several clean apples, burned incense, and prayed. They actually hoped that the local earth god could help their granddaughter-in-law get pregnant soon, and even more so, have twins... Even the Goddess of Mercy who grants children would be furious if she heard that!
4. And then there were those guys from the village, supposedly involved in organized crime in Fuhe City—men in their forties, thirties, and twenties—who one night drove two cars to the local earth god temple, set off fireworks, offered sacrifices, burned incense, and worshipped. They were actually asking the earth god to bless them so that everything would go smoothly when they did bad things and after committing immoral acts. Damn it, isn't this something Lord Guan (a legendary figure associated with righteousness) should be concerned with?
...
And so on and so forth, all stemming from insatiable greed and excessive selfishness. Xu Zhengyang was caught in a dilemma, unable to remain calm or angry. He wondered what was wrong with people these days. Bad people prayed to the gods to protect them from doing evil, disobedient wives prayed for their in-laws to die soon, and men with a little money prayed for them to find mistresses…
What the hell is all this about?
Ah, people...
Xu Zhengyang sighed deeply.
Volume One, Land, Chapter 21: First Arrival in the Capital
The North Square of Beijing West Railway Station. (This story is fictional and not based on reality. For detailed geographical information, please refer to Beijing Railway Station, not Beijing West Railway Station.)
Xu Zhengyang stood squinting in the sun, gazing absently at the endless stream of cars on the highway, the towering skyscrapers in the distance, and the bustling pedestrian overpass...
This is the heart of the country, the capital city of Beijing!
Stepping onto the grounds of Beijing for the first time, Xu Zhengyang suddenly felt incredibly small, so small as to be negligible. Perhaps it was because he had just emerged from the second basement level, with the skyscrapers of the West Railway Station towering behind him; perhaps it was because of the towering buildings everywhere, the dazzling array of billboards; or perhaps it was because of the crowds surrounding him, denser than a rural market day, and the endless stream of vehicles on the highways.
Perhaps there are other unknown reasons.
Xu Zhengyang, a country bumpkin who had never been to a modern metropolis before, just stood there in the square, lost in thought.
If, when he left home and was on the train, he still mentally described himself as a crab crawling out of a rice paddy, with a hard shell and a pair of large pincers to protect himself and make him feel more secure when he was away from home, then now he felt like this somewhat clueless crab walking sideways, as if he had left the water and suddenly entered an endless desert, unable to reach the water, in an extremely unfamiliar environment, where everything was completely unrelated to the environment he was supposed to live in.
The difference is huge, like heaven and earth.
Where is Tsinghua University? Where is my sister?
Xu Zhengyang was in a daze.
"Zhengyang, come on, have a bottle of green tea to refresh yourself."
With a fawning smile, Yao Chushun handed a bottle of green tea to Xu Zhengyang.
"Oh, thank you." Xu Zhengyang came back to his senses, took the ice-cold green tea bottle, unscrewed the cap and took a few sips. The cool green tea poured into his mouth and slid into his stomach. He felt the refreshing coolness throughout his internal organs. Feeling comfortable, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but open his mouth and exhale a breath.
"Zhengyang, you've never been to the capital before, have you?"
"Um."
"The big bar in Beijing?"
"Um."
Do you know how to get to your sister's school?
"have no idea."
"Country bumpkin..."
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback, shook his head with a wry smile, and didn't care about Yao Chushun's sarcasm and mockery. The truth was, he had never been to Beijing before. Before coming, he hadn't thought much of it, figuring he was a grown man, not going to be robbed or kidnapped. Not knowing the way or getting lost wasn't a problem; he still had a mouth to speak, right?
"Hehe, just kidding, don't mind me..." Yao Chushun's smile was somewhat flattering and obsequious.
If Xu Zhengyang were a child, the police officers patrolling the square would have immediately handcuffed Yao Chushun and taken him away without a word. Not only did he have a cunning look, but his smile was also so lewd. He was clearly no good. Therefore, two police officers stood a short distance away, watching Yao Chushun and whispering something to each other.
"It's nothing, hehe." Xu Zhengyang forced a smile. Even though he knew what Yao Chushun's purpose was in trying to please him, he still felt a chill in his heart when he saw Yao Chushun's smiling face.
Yao Chushun gulped down half a bottle of green tea, wiped his mouth, and said seriously, "Sigh, what can I do? I'm just too honest with my friends, right? Well, I know quite a few people in Beijing. Which school does your sister go to? I'll go with you. Oh, you don't know, Beijing is a big city, but people's hearts are as small as pinholes. If you want someone to help you ask a question, nobody will even bother with you. It'll be like we're all bad guys..."
"No need, no need, I have the address, I can find it myself." Xu Zhengyang said politely, but in his heart he thought that there were still more good people in this world than Yao Chushun described. Why was he so enthusiastic in offering to help me? He just wanted to keep studying my local records. That was impossible. Trying to get close to him was useless.
Oh, that makes sense. No wonder Yao Chushun felt that way. After all, with his appearance, wouldn't people be afraid and wary of him wherever they go?
Yao Chushun looked anxious and scratched his head, saying, "Zhengyang, are you going to sell that piece of jade you have? Although I can't tell which dynasty it's from, it's definitely a treasure. I guarantee I can sell it for at least 1.2 million. How about it?"
"Really?" Xu Zhengyang's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, even more..."
Xu Zhengyang almost couldn't resist nodding in agreement immediately. Wow, over a million! That means if he sold this piece of local land, he could instantly become a millionaire!
However, a last shred of reason reminded him that this local record absolutely could not be sold.
People have the life to earn money, but they also need the life to spend it, right?
Regardless of how useful this local record will be in the future, just imagine the fury of the official who might come to inspect it in the future when he finds out that you sold the local record! Put yourself in his shoes, even if you have a subordinate, he can be lazy, but you can't sell the work items you were given to him and put the money in your own pocket!
"No sale, family heirlooms cannot be sold."
"Come on, your so-called family heirloom might fool an amateur like Officer Zhong, but it won't work on me." Yao Chushun looked around, then leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "The pair of 'blue and white dragon and phoenix jars with lotus scrolls' that you brought out last time were genuine official kiln porcelain from the Qianlong era. They were either for the imperial court or belonged to a prince. How could your family have passed down such a treasure?"
"Why can't our family have it?" Xu Zhengyang was a little angry and a little guilty. That damn Yao Chushun, he really is worthy of being called Master Gu.
Yao Chushun chuckled and continued in a low voice, "Don't worry, I won't ask you where you got the treasure. I know about these things. Hmm... how about it? Take a good look at that jade again. I'll think about it and, once I confirm its age, maybe it will fetch a higher price."
"Not for sale." Xu Zhengyang's tone was firm, and his expression turned serious.
"How boring, forget it then." Yao Chushun sighed helplessly, turned around and left in disappointment, but after taking a few steps he turned back and said, "Zhengyang, when we had dinner in Fuhe City last time, you said you had something you wanted me to help you sell. Was it not this jade, but something else?"
"No," Xu Zhengyang shook his head.
Yao Chushun pursed his lips, waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything." With that, Yao Chushun grumbled and walked towards the pedestrian overpass on the east side of the square.
Watching Yao Chushun leave, Xu Zhengyang shrugged indifferently. The old man had finally decided to leave.
If it weren't for the fact that the Local Record could be stored in his body at any time, Xu Zhengyang would really worry that Yao Chushun might have some ulterior motives and steal or even rob the Local Record. However, Yao Chushun is someone he really can't afford to offend too much, since if he ever digs up some antique treasures from the ground again and wants to sell them for money, he'll really have to rely on Yao Chushun's help.