“From Shuanghe Village,” Xu Zhengyang replied with a forced smile.
The young man cursed and said, "What the hell are you yelling about in the street at this hour? I'm giving you a heads-up today, don't let me see you in Xinzhuang Village again, or I'll beat you up every time I see you..."
"Brother, what are you talking about? Heh." Xu Zhengyang shook his head with a wry smile, too lazy to pay any more attention to the drunken young man. He figured that once the young man sobered up, he probably wouldn't take his drunken words seriously. So Xu Zhengyang didn't say anything more, turned around, and pushed his bicycle away.
"Hey, you son of a bitch, did you hear me?"
The so-called fault-finding, making trouble out of nothing, is exactly like this: relentless and unreasonable.
Xu Zhengyang was furious, but ultimately didn't want to cause trouble. He stopped, turned around, and calmly said, "Brother, have you had too much to drink? Hurry up and go home. There are people waiting for you to drink inside. Why are you arguing with me?"
"Fuck you, who do you think you are? Damn it!" The young man, emboldened by alcohol, picked up a brick from the base of the wall and threw it at him.
Xu Zhengyang turned his head to dodge, his anger rising. He almost couldn't resist grabbing the scale rod and beating this arrogant drunkard to a pulp. But then he thought better of it. He would be doing business here often anyway, and if he offended the village bullies, he wouldn't be able to withstand them tripping him up and causing trouble every few days, would he?
The young man seemed to have noticed the fleeting glint of ferocity in Xu Zhengyang's eyes, so he hesitated for a moment before turning around and shouting into the yard, "Hey, Qiang, Biaozi... anyone's got a problem with this? Come out and have a go! This bastard's challenging me right here in front of our house!"
"Holy crap, who's being so arrogant?!" came the immediate response from inside the courtyard.
Soon, four or five young men, their faces flushed from drinking, ran out of the courtyard gate. Two of them were carrying bottles of liquor. They looked aggressive and extremely excited, as if they couldn't wait to have a fight.
"Liangzi! Who's causing trouble? Who is it?" The guy who looked to be about the same age as Xu Zhengyang asked, shaking his shoulders and glaring.
"Brother Qiang, this son of a bitch, he should be replaced with Xiaomi!" The young man named Liangzi pointed at Xu Zhengyang and cursed.
Perhaps feeling confident with his help, Liangzi walked towards Xu Zhengyang while cursing, and several other people followed behind him.
"Sigh..." Xu Zhengyang shook his head helplessly. Why is today so unlucky?
Qiang, who was about the same age as Xu Zhengyang, took a few steps with bleary eyes. When he saw Xu Zhengyang clearly, he suddenly froze, stared at Xu Zhengyang with wide eyes, and instantly sobered up. He raised his hand and slapped Liangzi, who was walking in front, on the back of the head, cursing, "Damn it, are you blind?"
Liangzi stumbled after being slapped by Qiang Ge, and looked at him in surprise, saying, "Qiang Ge, what happened to you?"
"Are you blind? You're tired of living, aren't you?" Qiang Ge cursed angrily, then pointed at Xu Zhengyang and said, "This is Brother Yang, you son of a bitch, remember this!" After cursing Liangzi, Qiang Ge walked a few steps to Xu Zhengyang and said with a smile, "Brother Yang, this son of a bitch doesn't recognize you and is just messing around. Don't be angry, hehe."
"It's alright." Xu Zhengyang shook his head. "We'll get to know each other later. I'm busy here. Qiangzi, you guys go back and continue drinking." With that, Xu Zhengyang pushed his bicycle and was about to leave.
"Hey, don't go yet, Yang-ge." Qiangzi quickly grabbed the back rack of the bicycle and said with a chuckle, "It's better to be lucky than early, Yang-ge, why don't you come in and have a couple of drinks! Look at this hot weather, alright, alright, don't bother, we'll just exchange the rest of your millet for it, okay? Come on..."
Without saying a word, Qiangzi pulled the bicycle back.
Xu Zhengyang frowned and said, "No, I have other things to do."
"Oh, okay." Qiangzi saw Xu Zhengyang frown and quickly let go, awkwardly laughing, "Then you go ahead and do your thing, Yang-ge. If anyone dares to mess with you when you come to Xinzhuang Village in the future, just let me know."
"Okay, thank you in advance." Xu Zhengyang nodded, said nothing more, turned around and pushed his bicycle away.
Apart from Qiangzi, the other young people stared blankly as Xu Zhengyang left, not knowing what was going on.
"Brother Qiang, who is he?" the young man named Liangzi asked, unconvinced.
Qiangzi turned around and slapped Liangzi on the head again, cursing, "He's Xu Zhengyang from Shuanghe Village. From now on, keep your eyes open and don't mess with him!"
"What's wrong with Xu Zhengyang? Is he that awesome?" Another young man, seemingly unconvinced, muttered as he asked.
"Damn, have you ever heard of Chen Chaojiang?" Qiangzi asked, tilting his head and staring at him.
The young people were taken aback for a moment, then nodded, their eyes filled with admiration and respect.
Qiangzi sighed and said, "Before Chen Chaojiang went in, he was Xu Zhengyang's brother. His group all listened to Xu Zhengyang." As he spoke, Qiangzi pointed to Xu Zhengyang's departing figure, which was not very tall and was rather thin.
The hawker's cry rang out again: "Time to trade for millet..."
The young people were dumbfounded and stunned.
The young man named Liangzi wiped the sweat from his forehead, whether from fear or from the heat, it was hard to tell.
Qiangzi waved his hand and turned back into the courtyard. For him and his friends, Xu Zhengyang and his gang... especially Chen Chaojiang, that thin, fair-skinned, and kind-looking man, were simply their nightmare.
Of course, Xu Zhengyang had no mind to think about the past at this moment. He was annoyed by his bad luck today and wondered if he should go home now.
Two years ago, Xu Zhengyang's mother fell seriously ill, saddled the already impoverished family with a debt of 40,000 yuan. Then, after a fight, his friends Chen Chaojiang and Liu Bin were sentenced to prison; they were detained for half a month and each fined 3,000 yuan. Last year, Xu Zhengyang's younger sister was admitted to university, further straining the family's finances. Seeing her parents' graying hair, the sister tearfully said she wouldn't go to school anymore, only to be severely reprimanded by her parents, who said they would sell everything they owned to ensure her education.
That day, Xu Zhengyang seemed to have grown up and matured overnight. He no longer wanted to cause trouble or live a childish, foolish, and aimless life. Instead, he focused solely on how to earn money, help his family pay off their debts, and then earn even more money to escape poverty and become wealthy, so that his parents would no longer worry about him every day, his younger sister could go to school without worry, and the whole family could live a good life…
But enough of that. Xu Zhengyang had run into a frustrating situation. Business hadn't gone well for him that day, so he decided to ride his bicycle home. But unexpectedly, after leaving Xinzhuang Village, on National Highway 107, he was stopped by a middle-aged woman who came out of a shop by the roadside. After some haggling, she actually bought the remaining fifty catties of millet from Xu Zhengyang with cash.
This put Xu Zhengyang in a great mood. He then rode his bicycle to the grain store, excitedly sold the corn he had previously traded, bought a bottle of beer, and hurried back home.
Passing through Zhugezhuang, Xu Zhengyang suddenly remembered that he had entered the territory of Huaxiang. Curious and excited, he tried using his supernatural ability to see if, as the jade stone indicated, his gaze could penetrate walls and reach three feet into the ground. He stopped in the middle of the village, looked down, and with a thought, his gaze indeed penetrated three feet into the ground, seeing broken bricks, plastic bags, and other trash beneath the dirt road… Xu Zhengyang was overjoyed. He hopped on his bicycle and hurried back, determined to go out and wander around as soon as he got home. Who knew what treasures might be buried underground? Wouldn't that make him rich?
Upon reaching the east entrance of Zhugezhuang Village, Xu Zhengyang stopped the car again and looked into the two-story building, wondering if this family was wealthy and if he could see where they kept their money and how much money they had... It wasn't that Xu Zhengyang wanted to break in and steal, but rather that he was simply excited and curious.
With a thought, his gaze indeed passed through the wall and went straight to the second floor, where he saw the bedroom on the east side.
This sight was quite alarming. Xu Zhengyang was immediately stunned, feeling his mouth go dry, his blood boil, and something inside his pants instantly swelled and became erect.
It turned out that a young couple was engaged in a vigorous activity that was not for public knowledge inside the house.
On the Simmons bed, two naked bodies were entwined, whispering sweet nothings, their expressions dreamy, both drenched in sweat… The next moment, they embraced and got off the bed, standing against the wall in a fierce struggle. Suddenly, after a shudder, their violent movements stopped, and they huddled together on the edge of the bed, lying down on the pink lotus-patterned mat, whispering and laughing tenderly.
Xu Zhengyang licked his lips and came back to his senses. He looked down and found a small tent sticking out in his underwear. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was already twenty-one and still a virgin... Sigh, he should hurry up and make money, get married, and save himself from waking up in the middle of the night with his underwear sticky.
After watching the live action movie for a while, Xu Zhengyang got on his bicycle, shook his head, and left Zhugezhuang triumphantly.
With such skills, then from now on...
Xu Zhengyang immediately dismissed the filthy thought in his mind and instead seriously considered where to explore to find treasures and then sell them for money!
Volume One, Land, Chapter 007: Getting Rich
The moon hangs like a hook, the stars twinkle, and the Milky Way stretches across the sky.
The croaking of frogs filled the air, and a gentle breeze carried the moist scent of water and the fresh fragrance of grass, a truly refreshing aroma. The Fu River flowed gently, its reflection shimmering in the moonlight, creating a scene both real and dreamlike.
Xu Zhengyang, wearing only shorts and shirtless, carrying a shovel in his right hand and a flashlight in his left, arrived at the head of the stone bridge in the east of the village.
These past few days, Xu Zhengyang has been busy making money by trading millet, but in his spare time, he's constantly focused on whether anything valuable is buried underground. Of course, he occasionally plays pranks by spying on young couples, but he hasn't been lucky enough to witness the touching scene he saw in Zhugezhuang last time.
After all, those kinds of things mostly happen at night, and Xu Zhengyang doesn't have the bad habit of acting out in the middle of the night to spy on such things.
Young people, it's totally understandable, right?
This afternoon, on his way back from applying fertilizer to the rice paddies, Xu Zhengyang glanced under the bridge a few times as he passed the Fu River. He discovered a wooden box buried beneath the first, dried-up archway on the west side of the bridge. Although the depth and the box itself obstructed his view, Xu Zhengyang felt it must contain something valuable. Regardless of whether it was a treasure or not, the exquisitely carved wooden box alone made it worth digging up. If the box itself was an artifact, it would be worth a fortune!
At least, it's worth a try.
So Xu Zhengyang came here, intending to dig out this wooden box and become rich overnight.
He wasn't in a hurry. After slowly smoking a cigarette, he went down the riverbank and arrived at the first arch bridge.
Because of the reduced water volume and narrowing of the Fuhe River in recent years, the two arches of the stone bridge have long since dried up. The silt below has been piled with garbage dumped by villagers, and the rampant growth of aquatic plants has made the area under the bridge soft, slippery, and foul-smelling.
After confirming the location again with the flashlight, Xu Zhengyang wedged the flashlight into a crack in the bricks inside the bridge arch, spat on his hands, rubbed them together, and started digging!
After clearing away the top layer of garbage and weeds with a shovel, looking down, the box was found buried more than half a meter below the silt. Digging through the silt was easy; in no time, the silt was removed, revealing the box, covered in filthy silt.
Xu Zhengyang excitedly threw the shovel onto the pit, then pulled the wooden box out of the mud with both hands, climbed up excitedly, grabbed a flashlight, and went to the river to wash the box clean with the river water.
The wooden box was only seven or eight centimeters thick, a foot long, and half a foot wide. Under the moonlight, the box, having just been washed, shimmered with a dim, watery sheen. It was carved with exquisite peony patterns, making it exceptionally beautiful. I had no idea what kind of wood it was made of.
Xu Zhengyang examined the box from all angles, then pulled the iron pin on the clasp and opened it.
The box wasn't very spacious; it seemed to have been carved out of a single piece of wood, and because it had been soaked in water, it was damp and sticky. Two golden metal strips were placed side by side in the groove...
Xu Zhengyang immediately realized that this was probably a gold bar, and he couldn't help but get excited. He quickly took one out and examined it carefully, but he didn't know how to determine whether this metal was actually gold.
After a moment of excitement and confusion, Xu Zhengyang carefully put the gold bars back into the box, closed it, took off his vest to wrap the box, grabbed a flashlight, crawled under the bridge hole, pulled out a shovel, climbed up the riverbank, lit a cigarette, and hurried briskly towards the village.
...
Inside the "Zunxiang Gold and Silver Recycling Shop" on Trade South Street in Fuhe City, Xu Zhengyang sat calmly at an exquisite glass round table, sipping ice water, but in reality, he was quite nervous.
A pretty customer service representative sat opposite him, a professional smile on her face, and said, "Sir, the two gold bars you wish to sell weigh a total of 587 grams. Our current buyback price is 149 yuan per gram. Would you like to verify the weight of the gold bars?"
"Oh, no need," Xu Zhengyang said, putting down his cup with a smile. His expression appeared calm, but inside he was ecstatic. Wow, tens of thousands of yuan! He was rich!
"Alright, sir, do you have your purchase invoice with you?"
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang looked at the customer service representative with a puzzled expression. "What purchase invoice?"
Today, Xu Zhengyang was wearing an ordinary white short-sleeved t-shirt, faded camouflage pants, and a pair of white knock-off "Double Star" sneakers—the kind that cost a dozen yuan a pair. This outfit was probably the most presentable summer outfit he could wear. Usually, whether at home or out doing business, he would wear shorts and a tank top; he'd never worn long pants before.
A hint of disdain flashed in the customer service representative's eyes. This country bumpkin must have gotten incredibly lucky to acquire two gold bars; perhaps they were ill-gotten. However, due to her profession, she didn't show it and continued with a polite smile, saying, "So there's no invoice? Hehe, that's alright, sir. If you're sure you want to sell, please sign here." She then handed him a sales receipt and a ballpoint pen.
"You haven't even given me the money yet, and you're already asking me to sign?" Xu Zhengyang frowned, his hand gripping the two gold bars wrapped in red cloth tightly.
The customer service representative was taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, I'm sorry, please wait a moment." She then got up and walked inside, secretly looking down on Xu Zhengyang in her heart. "Country bumpkin," she thought, "would our 'Premium Gold Shop' really keep your little bit of gold? What a spineless coward!" Actually, it wasn't entirely the customer service representative's fault; Xu Zhengyang had been a bit too overprotective. Earlier, when the customer wanted to have the gold bars tested for quality and weight, Xu Zhengyang had insisted on going in with them, as if he was afraid they'd take his gold bars and not return them.
As Xu Zhengyang watched the customer service representative sway her shapely buttocks and long, slender legs, encased in flesh-colored stockings, beneath her light gray professional skirt, her long hair flowing, and her smooth, delicate shoulders bobbing, his eyes glazed over. How wonderful it would be to bring home a wife like that! He thought… after selling the gold bars this time, he could pay off the family's debts, and also have enough to marry a wife, right?
Unconsciously, Xu Zhengyang recalled the scene he had spied on in Zhugezhuang that stirred his soul—a real-life event, not a pornographic film.
As a virgin, Xu Zhengyang naturally felt a sense of identification and fantasized that the male protagonist in that scene was him, and the female protagonist was his wife. His wife was... let's take this beautiful customer service lady as the prototype for now.
As for the idea of opening a shop in the city that I had always been thinking about when I had money, I didn't have time to think about it now.
While Xu Zhengyang was indulging in innocent fantasies, the customer service lady came out with a few stacks of money, smiled, and sat down opposite him. She placed the money on the table and said with a smile, "Sir, please count it."
"Oh, okay, okay." Xu Zhengyang actually picked up the money and started counting it meticulously.
After finally counting out the exact 87,463 yuan, Xu Zhengyang picked up the ballpoint pen on the table, but couldn't find any paper. So he wrote down the formula on his palm, carefully calculated it, and the amount was correct. Xu Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief.
The customer service representative looked at Xu Zhengyang with increasing disdain. Now that the deal was done, she toned down her smile and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Sir, you've counted the money, so you should give me the gold bars now, right?"
"Huh? Oh, isn't it on the table? You can take it." Xu Zhengyang pointed to the gold bar wrapped in a red envelope on the table.
"Please sign."
"Oh, okay." Xu Zhengyang chuckled and signed the sales receipt.
The customer service representative pursed her lips, picked up the gold bars on the table, and got up to put them into the safe in the inner room. Unexpectedly, Xu Zhengyang said, "Wait, leave that red cloth for me, I still need it."
"..." The customer service lady was genuinely angry this time. She took out the gold bars, threw the tattered red cloth on the table, and walked inside with a sullen face, too lazy to pay any more attention to Xu Zhengyang.
Actually, Xu Zhengyang wasn't being stingy by asking for the old red cloth back; he just needed it to roll up nearly 90,000 yuan—enough to fill his pockets. Ignoring the customer service representative's expression, Xu Zhengyang focused on rolling up the stacks of money with the red cloth, wrapping it tightly, then lifting his undershirt to tuck the bundle into his waistband. He secured it tightly with his belt before letting his shirt down to cover himself, suppressing his excitement and trying to maintain a calm expression as he walked out.
Xu Zhengyang had never seen so much money in his life, let alone carried so much money on his person.
So riding his bicycle back home felt more strenuous than carrying 200 pounds of corn! It was as if everyone he encountered might suddenly rush over and rob him of his money. His muscles were tense, his mind was highly focused, and he rode back cautiously and anxiously. He even considered abandoning the bicycle and taking a taxi home.
But he eventually gave up on the idea. First, he was reluctant to spend the money, and second... taxi drivers might be bad people!
In fact, Xu Zhengyang had no need to worry so much. Judging from his appearance, who would guess he was carrying tens of thousands of yuan? And his bicycle—its dilapidated state was simply… well, let's just say that without affecting its mobility or cargo carrying, every part that could be removed was gone; even the pedals were just two metal rods. Aside from disdain and ridicule for his poverty and destitution, who would suspect he was a nouveau riche?
No wonder Xu Zhengyang was so cautious; he was terrified of being poor!
He is no longer the fearless, carefree village hoodlum he was two years ago. The pressures of real life and his sense of responsibility have forced him to become cautious and prudent.