Превратись в лебедя и прилети к тебе

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Zhou Song nodded perfunctorily, then changed the subject and asked, "Miss Qin's name is really interesting. Does it mean you look at your wardrobe every day and feel like you have nothing to wear? I think someone as naturally beautiful as Miss Qin would look good no matter how she dresses up."

Qin Wuyi looked up at Zhou Song and recited the poem word by word: "How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you. The king is raising an army. We will prepare our spears and shields and fight alongside you. How can we say we have no clothes? We will share the same armor with you. The king is raising an army. We will prepare our spears and halberds and fight alongside you. How can we say we have no clothes? We will share the same garments with you. The king is raising an army. We will prepare our armor and weapons and march alongside you."

Zhou Song was taken aback. This was the poem Feng Junzi had mentioned earlier. It seemed Qin Wuyi not only knew it but also knew it by heart. If Feng Junzi were present, he might have changed his impression of Qin Wuyi; this woman wasn't just a pretty face. At this moment, Qin Wuyi asked Zhou Song with a half-smile, "Mr. Zhou, could you explain this to me?"

Zhou Song also became interested and recited in a rhythmic tone: "Who says I have no armor? I'll share my battle robe with you. The king has sounded the war drums, and I'll polish my spear and we'll rush to the battlefield together." Then he asked, "Your father must have been a soldier?"

Qin Wuyi laughed: "Mr. Zhou's translation is really good, but this poem can also be read as a love poem, implying what can happen between men and women. I wonder if my understanding is correct? Actually, this is also the kind of boring thought that many men have when they see the words 'Wuyi'. Of course, Mr. Zhou is not that kind of person."

Zhou Song was a little confused by her words. He couldn't tell if Qin Wuyi was teasing him or praising him, but he found her intriguing, or at least increasingly so. There are some women in the world who, while not intending to have any intimate relationship with the men opposite them, like to create an atmosphere that makes men unconsciously fantasize, thus gaining a sense of accomplishment. The atmosphere of the conversation grew increasingly ambiguous, and Zhou Song's interest rose higher and higher.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the conversation turned to Jianjiang's "Cultural New City" project. Qin Wuyi smiled and said to Zhou Song, "Mr. Zhou, you really should come and see my place. Now is a great time to invest and acquire land. People in Binhai have already invested there. The main purpose of our delegation's visit this time is to attract investment, so this can be considered one of our achievements."

Zhou Song: "Are there still people investing in Jianjiang from Binhai? Who are they?"

Qin Wuyi: "Mr. Zhou must know him. He is a celebrity in your Binhai. His name is Wei Boxi."

Zhou Song was startled to hear Wei Boxi's name and was about to ask for details when Feng Junzi returned. Feng Junzi didn't return alone; he came with Professor Song, which surprised Qin Wuyi. Perhaps Feng Junzi had persuaded Professor Song to come, or perhaps Professor Song had figured it out himself: since the "vixen" had already come knocking, there was no avoiding her, so he might as well face her head-on.

When Qin Wuyi saw Professor Song, she seemed to be playfully blaming him: "You came back but didn't stay at home, making me look for you everywhere. It turns out that Teacher Feng hid you."

Professor Song seemed a little embarrassed and replied, "I was just about to contact you, but I didn't expect you to find them first."

Qin Wuyi persisted, "You lied to me, didn't you? You clearly ran to Teacher Feng's place to hide from me. Otherwise, why didn't you stay at home?"

Feng Junzi, unusually serious, said to Qin Wuyi, "Miss Qin, you've misunderstood. Professor Song did indeed come to my house to hide, but not to hide from anyone."

Qin Wuyi: "Oh? Why are you hiding if not from people?"

Feng Junzi thought to himself that he was obviously hiding from a "fox spirit," but he said aloud, "Professor Song doesn't want to say because he doesn't want others to misunderstand him as superstitious or cowardly, nor does he want to scare you, but I know that he is hiding from something unclean."

Qin Wuyi was clearly startled and asked, "Don't scare me. There's nothing unclean in the world. You've been reading too many ghost stories and you're just making up stories to fool me."

Professor Song, clearly having a prior understanding with Feng Junzi, slowly said, "I didn't want to tell you this, because I was afraid you would be scared or disbelieving, but it is indeed true. I recently encountered something incredible, and it is probably related to my experience in Jianjiang."

Zhou Song and Qin Wuyi were completely confused and asked in unison, "Professor Song, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what's going on!"

Professor Song lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought, and then told a story in a soothing tone. The following is Professor Song's narration:

You've all heard that Feng Junzi said I went to Jianjiang to investigate rush processing enterprises. Actually, I didn't investigate as thoroughly as Feng Junzi said, and I didn't draw any definitive conclusions. In reality, I only met one sick worker. That worker was either a migrant worker from out of town or a local farmer from Jianjiang.

Few locals from Jianjiang work in rush processing plants, but some do, and this man is one of them. He was originally a local farmer, but later the government requisitioned his village's land to develop the World Cultural Park. After receiving a one-time compensation, the government granted him urban residency. Without land to farm, he had nothing to do, and his child needed money for high school. The compensation was never enough, so he had to find work. With no other option, he went to work at a nearby rush processing plant.

When I met him, he was no longer working at the factory because he was no longer able to work. He lived near the World Culture Park planning area, and I happened to run into his family while visiting the area for sightseeing and research. His wife thought I was some high-ranking official on an inspection tour, and she kept talking to me about her husband, hoping I could give her an explanation. Later, I went to his house and was shocked when I saw him.

To be precise, he was no longer a person at that time. He was lying there, his muscles almost all withered and shrunken, like a skeleton, or a living mummy. He was not dead because he was still breathing, and the breathing sounds coming from his lungs were like a bellows.

The mummy recounted his illness to me with great difficulty, word by word. Initially, he was in good health and went to work at a nearby processing plant, mainly dyeing rushes. The workshop was filled with a greenish fumes, and although he wore a mask, it seemed to be of no use. Every day after work, the phlegm he coughed up was a greenish color. No one told him that this job was dangerous.

Sometimes when inspectors came, the factory would give them a makeshift gas mask, and the exhaust fans in the workshop would be turned on for a while. But the situation was the same; the gas masks hadn't had their filters changed in ages, so they were just for show and didn't actually work. Later, he felt his health deteriorating, often experiencing difficulty breathing, coughing up more and more phlegm, sometimes with blood in it.

Later, the city organized a health check for workers, and he was told he had tuberculosis and could no longer work, so he was laid off. Afterwards, the factory apparently gave him three thousand yuan, but he didn't know what it was for. He kept taking medicine given to him by the clinic; he didn't know why he was taking it, nor did he ask who gave it to him, assuming it was the government treating his illness. Some time later, a doctor told him he had silicosis and needed to rest in bed.

At first, he didn't know that silicosis was almost incurable and could only be treated conservatively, which for him was just waiting to die. Later, when he found out, he couldn't understand it and kept wanting to get an explanation. His family had approached many people before, and this time they came to me, thinking I was a leader from higher up who had come to inspect the area.

This man spoke calmly, seemingly having no choice in the matter of life and death, and therefore showing no fear. However, I could see hope in his eyes, a desire for me to give him an explanation and for his family to be accountable. I could only comfort him, leave all the money I had on me to his woman, and promise to give him an explanation, even though I knew I couldn't do it. But I couldn't refuse such a man.

When Professor Song's story reached this point, everyone fell silent. Suddenly, Feng Junzi asked, "He's not dead yet, so why does Professor Song say he's hiding from something unclean?"

Professor Song sighed and continued:

Yes, he was still alive then. He was happy when I left; finally, someone in higher positions was willing to listen to his story. He also believed that someone would give his family an explanation, even though I knew in my heart that I didn't have that ability. Judging from his condition at the time, he wouldn't last much longer.

What happened next occurred on my first night back in Binhai from Gwangju. I had just finished showering and was getting ready for bed when I suddenly heard what sounded like a knocking sound. I got up to open the door but saw no one. Thinking I had misheard, I went back to sleep. But as soon as I lay down, I heard another knocking sound. I opened the door again, but still no one was there. Thinking it was a prank, I went outside and searched for a while but couldn't find anyone. When I went back to sleep, I couldn't fall asleep. I listened carefully to the sounds outside, and after a while, I heard another knocking sound.

I practically rushed to open the door, but saw nothing. I'm not a coward, but I was terrified at the time. I shouted into the air, "Who are you?" Just then, I seemed to hear a sound—a cough, like it was coming from an empty bellows, with a screeching noise. Suddenly, I remembered where I had heard that sound before.

I suddenly had a feeling that he had come. So he was dead, but he was still unwilling to accept his fate after death. He went to great lengths to find me, or rather, to give me a sense of connection, hoping that I would not forget him.

That's why I moved to Feng Junzi's place the next day—not just out of fear, but also because I was ashamed and dared not face it. All I could do was submit the report to Jianjiang City; the way I wrote it was largely due to the impact of this incident. I couldn't help him in any other way, but at least I dared not flaunt my presence in Jianjiang again, and I was reluctant to become a director of the cultural company.

Professor Song's story ended there, and everyone listened in silence. Feng Junzi noticed that Zhou Song's expression was even more unpleasant than Qin Wuyi's, while Qin Wuyi didn't seem as frightened as Zhou Song. Qin Wuyi asked Professor Song, "Professor Song, you didn't make up this story to reject me, did you?" Her tone was very gentle.

Professor Song took out paper and pen, wrote a few lines, and handed them to Qin Wuyi, saying, "This is that person's name and address. You can go back and investigate to see if I'm lying."

Qin Wuyi seemed somewhat reluctant to accept the invitation, and looked up at Professor Song, saying quietly, "I understand what you mean. You won't accept my invitation. Is this what they call 'everyone has their own ambitions'?"

Professor Song looked slightly embarrassed and replied, "Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. If it doesn't involve other things, we can still be very good friends."

Qin Wuyi sighed and asked, "How do you expect me to explain this to my superiors when I get back, Professor Song?"

Feng Junzi spoke again: "I'll teach you the simplest way. Don't explain anything. Just report the story that Professor Song just told to the leader verbatim. Don't worry about the rest. Your leader isn't asking you to kidnap Old Song."

Perhaps to ease the tense atmosphere, Professor Song pointed at Zhou Song and joked to Qin Wuyi, "You can take Boss Zhou back with you. He can be an investor too. Boss Zhou is very interested in land. You didn't manage to invite me, but you've made up for it by successfully attracting investment."

Zhou Song: "I'm only interested in residential properties; I have no experience with golf courses."

Qin Wuyi: "Our cultural city also has residential areas planned. If Mr. Zhou is interested, he can go and take a look. Whether he invests or not doesn't matter. Just signing a letter of intent as a symbol of my work is enough."

Zhou Song knew that Professor Song was deliberately turning the topic to him, so he said, "Now that the situation of the project I'm working on has improved, I will definitely go to Jianjiang to take a look." He thought that as long as Hanlin Community could turn things around, going to Jianjiang to see if there were any opportunities would be a good idea.

Qin Wuyi forced a smile and said to the three of them, "Everyone has their own ambitions. Professor Song is not interested in Jianjiang, but Mr. Zhou has a different perspective. Doing academic research and doing business are just different."

Feng Junzi also laughed: "You should know that Professor Song is not interested in cultural parks and golf courses, but Zhou Song is different. He has had lofty ambitions to get rich since he was a child."

Qin Wuyi: "Is that so? How did Teacher Feng know?"

Feng Junzi put away his smile and pretended to be serious, saying, "I remember when we were little, our Chinese teacher assigned an essay titled 'A Good Deed I Did.' Zhou Song wrote that he found 100 million RMB on the side of the road and filled a canvas backpack with it."

Qin Wuyi: "And then?"

Feng Junzi: "And then? Of course, we handed it over to the police."

Qin Wuyi smiled and turned to Zhou Song, asking, "How did the police officer praise you?"

Zhou Song replied with a straight face, "The police officer praised me, good! What a good boy! I will continue to work hard in the future—pick up more next time." This time, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter, which eased the tense atmosphere.

After dinner, Professor Song escorted Qin Wuyi back to her hotel. Zhou Song also wanted to curry favor with her, but Feng Junzi stopped him. After Professor Song left, Zhou Song asked Feng Junzi, "Was the story Professor Song told true?"

Feng Junzi looked at the neon lights on the street and said, "Human stories are true, but as for ghost stories, I don't know. Actually, what's the difference?"

Zhou Song: "What should we do now?"

Feng Junzi: "Go home and sleep! You drive me home."

Part 1: Deceit and Deception, Chapter 22: A Golden Ingot Falls from the Sky

When Feng Junzi returned home, Professor Song hadn't come back yet. He figured Professor Song probably wouldn't be back tonight, so he washed up and went to bed. Just as Feng Junzi lay down, he suddenly heard what sounded like someone knocking on the door. "Could it be Professor Song coming back?" Feng Junzi wondered as he opened the door.

The door opened, but the empty hallway was deserted; not a soul was in sight, not even the motion-sensor lights were on. Feng Junzi suddenly remembered Professor Song's story about "knocking on the door" from that evening, and a chill ran down his spine. His left foot, for no apparent reason, began to ache—the very spot where he had been stabbed by the handle of a Luoyang shovel in Guangzhou. Feng Junzi felt as if he had forgotten something important, but he couldn't quite recall what it was.

Feng Junzi went back to sleep with unease, constantly listening for any sounds at the door, but there was no further movement, and he drifted off to sleep.

Two more days passed quickly. The infectious disease that started in Gwangju was spreading rapidly throughout the country, and the stock market still showed no signs of improvement. Three things happened in these two days: first, Qin Wuyi left Binhai and returned to Jianjiang; second, Madam Song returned to Binhai from overseas; and third, Chang Wu called to tell him that the murder case from last time had been solved—the murder case about the mysterious man with the left foot.

When Feng Junzi arrived at the police station where Chang Wu worked, Zhou Song was already there. Chang Wu gave them a lecture, telling them that the case had been solved and the murderer had been caught. The murderer was a fugitive wanted online, and it was a very ordinary robbery and murder case. The ghost story had no basis whatsoever, and he told them not to be so paranoid in the future.

After leaving the police station, Zhou Song said to Feng Junzi, "These police officers are usually so slow in handling cases, how come they solved this murder case so quickly? I really didn't expect it."

Feng Junzi asked Zhou Song curiously, "What's wrong with the police solving cases quickly? Don't you want the murderer to be caught? At least Xiaoya can rest assured now. Which of us should tell Qin Xiaoya?"

Zhou Song said, "I'll go talk to them." With that, the two walked out of the alley and came to the main road. At this moment, two women dressed as migrant workers came up from behind and stopped them to ask for directions, specifically how to get to the post office.

Feng Junzi pointed ahead: "It's not far ahead, that's the gate, just a few steps away."

After asking for directions, the two women didn't leave. Instead, they stopped Feng Junzi and pleaded, "Sir, can you read? Could you please help us?"

Feng Junzi was also puzzled; it was the first time someone had asked him if he could read. He immediately asked the woman why. One of the women mysteriously took out something from her bosom—a horseshoe-shaped, gleaming metal block—and said to Feng Junzi and Zhou Song, "We are migrant workers from a nearby construction site. We dug up some gold ingots while digging the foundation and want to secretly send them home, but we can't read. Could you help us write a parcel slip?"

Zhou Song almost burst out laughing when he heard this. Someone actually told Feng Junzi that they had dug up gold ingots at the construction site. It was like a con artist had met his ancestor. He was about to say that China Post does not allow the mailing of gold and silver items and that cultural relics should be turned over to the authorities when Feng Junzi replied, "Okay, I'll help you."

Zhou Song didn't want to get involved and thought he could just ignore this kind of person and leave, but Feng Junzi pulled him toward the post office. The woman followed behind, took out a pen and a piece of paper from her pocket, and said as she walked, "Sir, let me tell you the address first, and you can write it down for me."

Feng Junzi ignored him and quickly led Zhou Song into the post office. As Zhou Song had expected, the post office did not allow the mailing of gold and silver items. As they came out of the post office, a woman said worriedly, "What should we do now? It's too unsafe to leave such valuables in the work shed."

Another woman said, "Why don't you sell it to the bank? Banks buy gold. I asked last time, and one of these gold ingots is worth 50,000 yuan."

“No, what if they ask where this gold ingot came from? We can’t just say we found a cultural relic and didn’t turn it in, can we? We might as well find a place to sell it cheaply.”

Feng Junzi spoke up at this point: "Why not sell it to me? But I don't have that much money on me." Then he started haggling. Zhou Song had no choice but to stand aside and watch the show.

After some haggling, Feng Junzi suddenly turned to Zhou Song, who was standing to the side, and said, "Old Zhou, I want to buy this gold ingot. Could you help me get some money? Just go to the savings bank we came from earlier. I don't have enough cash on me, but I have a credit card." As he spoke, he took out his wallet and handed it to Zhou Song.

Zhou Song took the wallet, only to find that Feng Junzi had also handed over his phone and watch, saying, "These things are worth some money too. Keep them for now. If I don't have enough money on my card, lend me some." Zhou Song took the items, turned around, and quickly left.

Feng Junzi stayed there to continue haggling with the two women. After waiting for a long time without seeing Zhou Song return, one of the women seemed a little anxious and said to Feng Junzi, "Why hasn't your friend returned yet? Why don't we go with you to get the money?"

Another woman then took out paper and pen and said to Feng Junzi, "Sir, we need to fill out a remittance form when we send money later. Could you write it down for us so we can copy it? I'll read it and you can write it down, okay?" She pressed down on the pen and handed it over.

Feng Junzi held his breath, shifted to the upwind side, took the paper and pen, and worried about why Zhou Song hadn't returned yet. Just then, Chang Wu and several policemen suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the two women. Feng Junzi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After it was all over, Chang Wu said to Feng Junzi, "This isn't the first time this guy has used gold ingots to scam people. Before, he only scammed old men and women or menopausal women. This time, the scammer was too careless. Why did he choose you guys? I'm really surprised that such a simple scam has fooled so many people."

Feng Junzi: "There's something strange about their pens. Don't touch them yet. Wrap them in a plastic bag and check them carefully when you get back. It seems like the problem lies here."

As Zhou Song walked over, Feng Junzi was picking up a "gold ingot" from the ground, deep in thought. Upon seeing Zhou Song, he said mysteriously, "Zhou Song, do you believe that gold ingots can be dug up at construction sites?"

Zhou Song was both annoyed and amused: "You were meddling in other people's business and trying to catch the swindler just now, why are you asking such nonsense now? Did someone really slap you?"

Feng Junzi: "Maybe so. These two swindlers have reminded me that gold ingots can indeed be dug up at construction sites, as long as someone has buried them beforehand. Zhou Tuhao, let's find a place to sit down later. I have two important things to tell you."

Part 1: Deceitful Deception, Chapter 23: Reincarnation

Feng Junzi told Zhou Song two things: the first was Professor Song's "research findings," which was that a Hanlin scholar had indeed emerged from the vicinity of Hanlin Community—Han Sunlong, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy during the Ming Dynasty. The second was his own discovery in Hanlin Community, which was that ancient artifacts were indeed buried somewhere in Hanlin Community, which also showed that it was not impossible to dig up gold ingots at the construction site.

After Feng Junzi finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Song and said, "You are a smart man, you should understand what I mean. There may be dead people buried underground, or there may be treasures buried underground. It is only a fine line between good and bad. The purpose of telling you these things is not to hope that you will go to the construction site to dig for treasure, but to hope that you can use your brain in this regard. Your Hanlin Community seems to be based on the concept of a cultural community, right?"

Zhou Song sat there frowning and thinking for a long time, seemingly having figured out many things. He muttered to himself, "Hanlin Community - Mr. Hanlin - Underground Treasure - Feng Shui Superstition." Then he looked up at Feng Junzi and said, "I understand what you mean. Actually, it's similar to what I was thinking before. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked Professor Song to invite a master from Hong Kong. It's just that I hadn't figured out the specifics of how to do it. Now you've reminded me."

Then the two sat there and discussed for a long time, seemingly covering many specific details. Finally, Feng Junzi said, "Professor Song knows Professor Huang Ji from Hong Kong. Huang Ji is not only an architect but also a very famous feng shui master in Hong Kong. You can invite him to Gwangju, and Professor Song should go as well."

Zhou Song: "How can we expand our influence?"

Feng Junzi: "That's easy. The media is very important. First, we need to identify two media outlets: the local party newspaper, the Gwangju Daily, and the Gwangju Metropolitan Daily, which has the largest circulation in the area. I've already thought of some headlines for you. One will be an interview with Professor Song titled 'Talking about Gwangju's residential customs and cultural figures,' and the other will be an interview with Master Huang titled 'Modern People's Choice of Living Environment.' Neither of these interviews should focus on what happened in Hanlin Community, but the reason for the interviews should be related to what happened in Hanlin Community."

Zhou Song asked, "Doesn't this look like a soft advertisement?"

Feng Junzi: "There is one thing we must be very careful about: news reports should never directly mention the four words 'Hanlin Community.' Instead, they should say, 'Recently, a merit stele of Han Sunlong, a cultural figure from Guangzhou during the Ming Dynasty, was unearthed at a construction site of a residential community in our city. After expert verification, it has been found that...' Then, do the opposite and have Professor Song talk about feng shui and Master Huang talk about the living environment. As for which community it is, rumors spread faster than newspapers."

Zhou Song: "Will this trick work? What if someone points out that it's a scam?"

Feng Junzi laughed: "This is a series of schemes. The highest level of a scheme is to anticipate what your opponent will do, and their reaction is exactly what you hope for. Take this matter for example. If someone wants to cause trouble for you and prove that you have set up a scam, then they can only find experts to verify that the merit stele is fake. But to verify that the merit stele is fake, they must first verify that the story about the Hanlin scholar of the Ming Dynasty is true."

Zhou Song: "This is exactly the result I wanted. If Hanlin Community is indeed the former residence of Hanlin, then it doesn't matter whether the merit stele I dug up is fake or not. Your series of schemes have indeed left the opponent helpless. I would love for someone to investigate the history and help me spread the word."

Feng Junzi continued, "Actually, you don't need to worry about Zhao Dongshan going against you. Zhao Dongshan has something to hide. He sold you a piece of land where dead people are buried, but he just wants you to suffer in silence. As for what else you dig up, he won't make a fuss. You are actually using the same methods as him, but it's to protect yourself."

Zhou Song: "Then it's settled. I'm going to find Professor Song now to discuss our 'reincarnation' plan with him. Will you come with me?"