Next to the Audi A8, the tall and imposing Li Chengzong stood quietly, seemingly nonchalant, but in reality, he was keeping a close eye on everything around him and paying close attention to Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang smiled, raised his right hand holding the cigarette, waved to Li Bingjie, and then got up and walked towards the riverbank.
Xu Zhengyang, his parents, and the villagers were not surprised by Li Bingjie's appearance and did not observe or ponder it too much.
If Li Bingjie doesn't come to see Xu Zhengyang for a while, the villagers might gossip about it and have some doubts.
As the saying goes, habit becomes second nature...
Volume Four, City God, Chapter 183: Beliefs and Goals
This May, during the busy rice planting season, Shuanghe Village was the first in the township to finish irrigation and plant rice seedlings in all four production brigades. The reason was that when the fields of the first and second production brigades were being irrigated, people from the third and fourth production brigades went to help, which naturally made the process more than twice as fast; when it was the turn of the third and fourth production brigades, the villagers from the first and second production brigades naturally went to help as well.
In previous years, there were people who helped each other during the busy farming season because of their good relationship, but this year, everyone is helping each other, which is something that has never happened before.
There are countless villages like Shuanghe Village across the country, but it's hard to find many villages with such a positive atmosphere and peaceful spirit as Shuanghe Village this year.
When young women, married women, and older women sit together, they still gossip about news from the nearby villages; when men sit together, they chat about national affairs and daily life, or suggest going to someone's house for a drink... It seems that people's lives haven't changed much.
However, if you take a walk around Shuanghe Village, all you will see are sincere smiling faces, and you will hear laughter everywhere.
Over the past six months, the relationships between neighbors in the village have become increasingly harmonious. They are courteous and considerate of each other, and there have been no more disputes, insults, or even physical fights over trivial matters. There have also been no more instances of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law arguing in public; instead, they treat each other kindly. When women sit together to chat, they no longer gossip or instigate disputes as they used to. When young people or children have minor conflicts, the adults strictly discipline them, no longer spoiling them or instigating fights…
Perhaps initially, many people felt somewhat forced into these polite gestures, harboring some resistance, driven by fear and a sense of inescapable authority. However, as the habit became second nature, as they discovered how kind the villagers treated each other, and as they gradually felt happy and relaxed in this atmosphere, they naturally adapted, accepted, and occasionally reflected on their past mistakes.
When people from other villages visit relatives in Shuanghe Village, they often bring up trivial matters and complaints. The villagers of Shuanghe Village, as their relatives, will offer a few words of advice and comfort, but unlike in the past, they don't exaggerate or add fuel to the fire. They even offer some of the most simple and easy-to-understand truths.
In short, Shuanghe Village is now very harmonious and beautiful. Every morning, people from every household come out and compete with each other to clean the streets and alleys thoroughly.
The other villages were surprised and envious.
Some wealthy villagers, who rarely return to the village even after a year or two, occasionally do return and, as before, act arrogantly and self-importantly in front of others. They find that the villagers no longer look at them with envy, fawning, or jealousy… but rather with smiles. They are polite, courteous, and at the very least, they avoid them, letting them show off and enjoy themselves.
Human nature is inherently good; we say that people's hearts are made of flesh.
Those wealthy individuals who had made a lot of money outside inevitably felt somewhat neglected in this environment, which led to self-blame, reflection, and then overwhelming shame.
To put it slightly exaggeratedly, Shuanghe Village today is like a lotus root growing in mud and weeds, blooming with pure and untainted lotus flowers, not seductive, but fresh, beautiful, and pleasing to the eye.
Of course, not many people know about Shuanghe Village; it remains largely unknown.
However, the villagers of Shuanghe Village live a peaceful and tranquil life, enjoying themselves immensely.
This led Xu Zhengyang to sit on the porch of his new house. While drinking tea and reading, he would occasionally listen to the neighbors chatting about how good the village was now, and he would think of a story he had once read in a book, a beautiful place imagined by the author—Peach Blossom Spring.
It must be said that the changes in Shuanghe Village were what Xu Zhengyang hoped for, but he did not consciously bring about these changes.
Although he had thought before that he wanted to make the world a better place, in all honesty, since he ascended to the position of god and gained divine power, Xu Zhengyang's actions in Shuanghe Village were mostly driven by selfish motives.
It truly proves the old saying: "A chance encounter can lead to unexpected success."
Thinking about the changes in the village, Xu Zhengyang became even more determined in his heart. Since he had become a god, he had to do something: now it was just a village, but in the future it would affect a township, a county, a city, a province... and even more. And from a selfish point of view, how could he, Xu Zhengyang, not benefit from it?
From another perspective, Xu Zhengyang's abilities, his religious status, and the size of his jurisdiction determined whether he could uphold this belief and achieve his ultimate hope.
Hmm, it's directly proportional.
So Xu Zhengyang sat in front of his computer browsing the news online. When he saw those injustices, he would always feel the same righteous indignation as most netizens, wishing he could seize power, uphold justice, and help others... to accumulate merit for himself.
Unfortunately, his power is limited. Even though he can now come and go freely throughout the entire Hedong Province, he can only travel alone with two ghost messengers. Only then can the two ghost messengers perform extraordinary deeds in other places. On ordinary days, the ghost messengers cannot leave the territory of Fuhe City.
In the days after the busy farming season, Xu Zhengyang would still spend his days sitting in the Gu Xiang Xuan shop in Fuhe City, or visiting Jinghui Logistics Company; occasionally he would stroll in the park with Li Bingjie, take a walk on the river embankment in Shuanghe Village, sit and chat in the new house, and watch a movie online together... In the evening, he would travel with his spirit to the underworld, look through the files in the Southeast Yama Palace, and wander around the other ruins of the underworld.
Just as he had guessed, the underworld was circular, and the dark place where the netherworld was located was also circular.
At the edge of the underworld are black walls of unknown material, stretching to the inky black sky. Boundless and endless; from these walls extend inwards in all directions dozens of paths to the underworld; these paths are further divided into different routes for various beings—humans, animals, beasts, birds, fish, and insects; these paths lead to the River of Oblivion, where endless mountains and ridges form a circle; further inwards, at the end of the River of Oblivion, one enters another circle formed by towering mountains—the River of Three Crossings, which meanders through these mountains from beginning to end; at the end of the River of Three Crossings lies a verdant plain, dotted with countless circular pools of reincarnation…
It's unimaginable. Who created the underworld and established it with such order and discipline?
The longer one spends in the Southeast Yama Palace, the more case files and documents one flips through, and the clearer one's understanding of the rules and regulations of the underworld becomes.
Therefore, he was waiting for his divine power to be restored. At that time, he did not only hope to restore all the temples of the underworld gods around the Southeast Yama Palace, but also to rebuild the Mingnie Terrace, which should have been located at the junction of the River of Oblivion and the River of Three Crossings.
The Mingnie Terrace is actually a huge divine artifact that lies across the River of Oblivion, with cliffs at both ends. Any ghost that drifts across the River of Oblivion will have its sins and good deeds from past and future lives revealed by the Mingnie Terrace when it passes through this place, and it is impossible to escape. The ghost messengers on the Mingnie Terrace will separate the various ghosts and put them into different sections of the River of Three Crossings with different flow rates.
However, the Mingnie Terrace there has long since disappeared for some unknown reason.
Following the established procedures of the underworld, the Bright Platform illuminates the evil spirits, categorizing them into the middle stream and the slow stream according to the severity of their sins. When they reach the Bridge of Helplessness after enduring immense suffering, the evil spirits in the middle stream will pass smoothly. After their punishment, they will be transferred to the Pool of Reincarnation by ghost officials, where they will be reborn into ordinary families or even impoverished ones. The evil spirits in the slow stream will undergo another rigorous examination by ghost officials at the Bridge of Helplessness, again being categorized according to the severity of their sins. Those with lighter sins will be sent to hell to suffer various punishments and then thrown into the Pool of Animal Reincarnation, where they will be reborn as animals. Those with slightly heavier sins will have their souls shattered and be reborn as insects. The most severely sinful will be cast into the eighteen levels of hell, suffering all kinds of punishments, and perhaps even… never to be reborn.
The small office buildings beside the Pool of Reincarnation are the offices of the ghost messengers responsible for all these matters. These messengers are not only responsible for handling these affairs, but also for monitoring and preventing various ghosts from freely passing through the passages between the Pools of Reincarnation.
Hell lies beneath these pools of reincarnation.
Although Xu Zhengyang had the authority to visit Hell, he didn't want to go for the time being. What was the point? There were no punished evil spirits or law enforcement officers inside, so what use would it be?
In his impulsive act last time, Xu Zhengyang exhausted half of his supernatural powers to rebuild the Southeast Yama Palace, and his supernatural abilities have not yet recovered. Therefore, not to mention that he cannot arrange so many ghost messengers in the short term, he is also powerless to rebuild the Mingnie Platform.
Don't underestimate the half of your divine power that you expended that time.
When I was a local earth god or merit officer, I could quickly recover half of my divine power. However, now that I am a city god, although the faith power from the human world is constantly increasing, half of a city god's divine power... that is such a huge amount of energy. How much faith and merit would it take to recover it?
Xu Zhengyang had no idea what to expect, and when he rebuilt the Southeast Yama Palace, he didn't know it would consume so much divine power. It was just that once the divine power was released in his mind, he couldn't control it and used it up.
Fortunately, his divine power is gradually recovering. As time goes by, and as he does more good deeds and accumulates more merit, his divine power will become stronger.
This is also thanks to the ten ghost messengers, besides Wang Yonggan, who continuously punished evil and promoted good in the Fuhe region, making more people believe in the existence of gods in the dark, and thus their faith is constantly increasing and strengthening.
Xu Zhengyang made up his mind that one day he would rebuild this Southeast Underworld completely.
As for the ghost messengers in the underworld, they also need to be arranged one by one.
Volume 4, City God Chapter 184: Who's prettier, the two of us?
Xu Zhengyang, who had gotten used to being a hands-off boss, realized that he had indeed become much lazier.
Whenever Zhan Xiaohui, the current head of Jinghui Logistics Company, calls to ask for his opinion on the company's next development plan, Xu Zhengyang always dismisses him with one sentence: "You handle it. I trust you."
At first, Zhan Xiaohui was somewhat moved, feeling that the Judge trusted him so much, letting him do as he pleased—this was a great honor and blessing! But as time passed, Zhan Xiaohui finally came to his senses. It turned out that the Judge didn't care about Jinghui Logistics Company's business at all, and simply couldn't be bothered with it. Even so, Zhan Xiaohui dared not harbor the slightest disloyalty; he would never dare to embezzle any money, and he transferred every penny of his monthly profits to Xu Zhengyang's account.
Zhan Xiaohui and Deng Wenjing, of course, were unaware that Xu Zhengyang was now the City God of Fuhe City. In their hearts, they still recognized Xu Zhengyang's status as a judge. Whether he was the City God or a judge, the couple would absolutely not dare to embezzle Xu Zhengyang's money.
Yao Chushun, a half-owner of Gu Xiang Xuan who was obsessed with antiques and running the shop, was unaware of Xu Zhengyang's clerical status. He didn't care how much money he pocketed, and he wouldn't mind giving all his profits to Xu Zhengyang. However, as a business partner and a half-shareholder of Gu Xiang Xuan, Xu Zhengyang never paid attention to the shop's business performance. Whether it was profitable or not, he would spend all his time chatting on QQ and surfing the internet in his office. This made Yao Chushun both touched and resentful: Isn't this guy afraid I'll embezzle his money?
But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Even if it were someone with bad character, given Xu Zhengyang's current status—or rather, his girlfriend's status—who would dare to steal his money?
Whenever Yao Chushun grumbled and complained, Xu Zhengyang would say very seriously, "Master Gu, it's just that I don't know anything about this. When I'm in charge of the store, I just end up causing you trouble, right? How about this, if you feel it's unfair, I'll give you another 10% of the shares..."
"Go to hell!" Yao Chushun always used this phrase to curse back.
Xu Zhengyang was quite content to be a hands-off manager, and whenever he felt a little guilty, he would make excuses for himself: Actually, I am very busy, I have important things to do.
Time flies, and before we know it, it's the height of summer.
Xu Rouyue is back from her holiday.
This time, Xu Zhengyang did not personally pick up Xu Rouyue, because Chen Chaojiang, who spends most of his time at the Beijing branch, was coming back, so he could drive Xu Rouyue back. Moreover, Xu Rouyue was not coming back alone this time; Ouyang Ying and Diao Yishi also drove from Beijing together.
Xu Zhengyang thought to himself: Well, this summer vacation is going to be lively at home.
Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin, of course, had no objection to this. They weren't petty people, and their family was well-off now. Why would they care about having two more people to eat? Besides, their daughter studied in Beijing year-round, and didn't she always stay at Ouyang Ying's house? When the family went to Beijing for a trip at the end of spring, they stayed at their house as well.
Chen Chaojiang now drives a black Jeep Cherokee, while Diao Yishi still drives that Wrangler when he comes.
The two black SUVs arrived at Xu Zhengyang's new house around 1 p.m., when the sun was blazing and the cicadas were chirping the loudest.
Beneath the shade of several tall, lush elm trees on the east side of the courtyard gate, on a pebble-paved area, sat a black Audi A8. Xu Zhengyang stood under a weeping willow tree outside the gate, smiling and waving to them, gesturing for them to drive the car behind the Audi and park it in the shade. Beside Xu Zhengyang stood a tall, burly middle-aged man, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing sunglasses, casually smoking a cigarette.
Ouyang Ying and Xu Rouyue were both sitting in Chen Chaojiang's car. Before the car even stopped, Ouyang Ying said with a smile, "Rouyue, Brother Zhengyang changed his car? It's an A8!"
“That belongs to his friend,” Xu Rouyue said with a smile. Of course she recognized the car, and she also recognized Li Chengzong standing next to her brother.
"Oh." Ouyang Ying didn't seem to care much. As she got out of the car, she asked, "Who's standing next to him? He looks so cool, like a bodyguard."
Xu Rouyue whispered, "It's not just similar, it is."
"Huh?" Ouyang Ying was puzzled, but she didn't want to ask anything more, as it would be awkward if someone heard her asking.
Diao Yishi had already jumped out of the car and walked over with his arms outstretched in an exaggerated manner: "Brother Yang, oh my, oh my, I missed you so much!"
Xu Zhengyang, both amused and exasperated, let Diao Yishi give him a bear hug, then patted his shoulder and pushed him away, laughing, "It's hot outside, hurry up and go home."
"Hello, Brother Zhengyang, I'm bothering you again!" Ouyang Ying greeted him with a smile.
"Don't be so formal. Just make yourself at home." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and then invited them to his home.
As Ouyang Ying walked along with a smile, she looked up and glanced at the exterior of the new house, exclaiming, "The new house is so beautiful, even more beautiful than it looks in the photos!"
"Yes, yes, this house is really nice. I'll ask my dad to build me one like this when I get back!" Diao Yishi said seriously, as if he had really made up his mind.
Xu Rouyue and the other three chatted and laughed as they entered the house, followed by Li Chengzong.
Xu Zhengyang had informed Li Chengzong beforehand that the people coming today were all acquaintances and friends, so there was nothing to worry about. Although Li Chengzong understood Xu Zhengyang's meaning, he still came out of his house out of a sense of duty. He appeared nonchalant, but in reality, he had already carefully observed the visitors.
Outside the courtyard gate, Chen Chaojiang stood under the blazing sun, his expression still stern, slightly frowning as he surveyed the new house. Xu Zhengyang smiled, walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "How are things? Not bad in Beijing, are you?"
"Yes, everything is fine." Chen Chaojiang nodded.
"Let's go, what are we doing standing here in this blazing sun?"
Chen Chaojiang said, "I'll go home first and come back later."
"Okay, that works too." Xu Zhengyang nodded. Chen Chaojiang hadn't been back for a while, and his family missed him.
After Chen Chaojiang drove away, Xu Zhengyang stood under the weeping willow for a while, watching the Cherokee turn a corner in the distance, before turning around and entering the courtyard.
He knew that Chen Chaojiang had indeed been diligent and responsible since he started working at Jinghui Logistics Company. Although so far, no one in the various branches or sub-branches had made any major mistakes and been dismissed, there were a few employees who had made minor errors and had been singled out and warned by Chen Chaojiang.
Moreover, Chen Chaojiang is really dedicated. He has been learning how to manage and operate a logistics company. In Wu Juan's words, apart from being too aloof to be a business manager, Chen Chaojiang is absolutely capable of being a manager in other aspects.
The family had already prepared the meal and were just waiting for Xu Rouyue and the others to arrive so they could eat.
Now the house is fully equipped with all kinds of appliances, so the room is cool and comfortable, and cold drinks and juices are placed on the dining table.
Xu Zhengyang's family of four sat around the dining table, along with Li Bingjie, Ouyang Ying, Li Chengzong, and Diao Yishi. The atmosphere at the table was pleasant, thanks to the warm hospitality of Yuan Suqin and Xu Rouyue.
Xu Zhengyang felt a little embarrassed. Well, it was fine that Li Bingjie was sitting on his right; he was used to it. But Ouyang Ying, whether intentionally or unintentionally, pushed Xu Rouyue to sit on her left, while she sat down next to Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang hadn't paid much attention at first. It was only when he caught a fleeting glimpse of a certain look in his mother's eyes that he realized something was amiss.
Fortunately, nothing embarrassing happened, and everyone seemed quite happy. Li Bingjie and Ouyang Ying even introduced themselves to each other.
Xu Zhengyang and his mother exchanged a glance, wondering if they had been presumptuous.
During the meal, Diao Yishi was the most active, toasting Xu Neng and Xu Zhengyang, and then enthusiastically clinking glasses with Li Chengzong, introducing himself. Li Chengzong smiled and politely declined, saying that he had to drive and couldn't drink alcohol, so he would have to have a soft drink instead. Diao Yishi didn't insist; he treated Li Chengzong as just an ordinary driver and bodyguard. As for Li Bingjie, he only exchanged a few polite words: "This is Brother Zhengyang's friend, and very likely his girlfriend, which means she's your sister-in-law. You can't be negligent, you can't say the wrong thing, and you certainly can't fantasize..."
After the meal, Li Bingjie rested for a while before saying goodbye and politely asked everyone to stop at the door and not to see her off.
No one else needed to be seen off, but Xu Zhengyang naturally saw them to the door.