The reason for building this local temple was that their daughter was destined to survive. She had a brush with death and returned, weeping and wailing, claiming that the local earth god and the local official of Cixian County had saved her. At first, Deng Erhu's family naturally didn't believe it, but as their daughter's story became more and more believable and vivid, they remembered that the doctor in the hospital had indeed said their daughter was dead, yet she had suddenly come back to life. Even the doctor afterwards said it was a miracle, unbelievable, and she had a very good life…
So this honest and kind family, to express their gratitude to the unseen Earth God and the Official of Merit, cleared out a space of less than three square meters in their own plot of land and built a small temple less than one and a half meters high. The reason they named it the Earth God Temple was simply because nowadays, who has ever heard of the "Official of Merit"? The name was neither pleasant nor catchy, while the title of Earth God was more resounding and easy for people to understand.
The temple was small, without a single new brick or tile, and without a foundation. The main beam was just a few old wooden sticks, which could be easily kicked down by an adult. There were two windows and one door, but they were empty. Rats and snakes could enter, and mosquitoes and ants could come out at will.
In front of the temple gate, a few broken bricks were used to pave an open space for burning incense and paper money. Inside the temple, a large blue brick was carved with the words "Position of the Earth God" and stood upright.
It's that simple.
As the sun sets, a family kowtows and prays before the temple, burning incense and making offerings...
Deng Wenjing knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, murmuring, "My lord, I'm so sorry you've suffered this injustice. After some time, my husband and I will reunite and be together. We will definitely rebuild the temple for you..."
Xu Zhengyang looked at the county register and sighed softly, "Trust lies in the heart, not in things. Be a good person."
Deng Wenjing suddenly looked up and stared at the five characters "Position of the Earth God" on an ordinary, old blue brick inside the small temple and its small door. She was stunned for a long time before kowtowing three times heavily to the ground.
Xu Zhengyang sighed softly.
He knew in his heart that as long as people had reverence, whether or not a temple existed was really irrelevant.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 81: Brother Jiang Wants to Treat Everyone
After Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao successfully possessed each other's bodies and returned to life, Xu Zhengyang became increasingly certain that in this world—no, within the legendary Three Realms—there were no longer any gods, let alone a Heavenly Court.
Otherwise, if the heavenly rules are inviolable, why didn't I receive any punishment or retribution for breaking them?
As for the high fever that Xu Zhengyang experienced, after recovering, he no longer considered it a punishment from Heaven. It wasn't that he hadn't experienced something like this before. After initially accepting divine power and becoming a half-land god, he had a high fever for two days in a row. Although it wasn't as severe as this fever, it came on just as suddenly and strangely. Moreover, his divine duties were not diminished after the fever.
Admittedly, granting Cui Yao and Cheng Jinchang the authority to possess corpses and using their supernatural powers to allow them to heal their internal ailments within the bodies exhausted their divine power, leaving them utterly drained. Within days, they even lacked the divine power to grant ghostly authority. However, their divine power continued to be slowly replenished by the power of faith.
Especially when Deng Wenjing's family built that pitiful little temple, Xu Zhengyang clearly felt a sudden surge in divine power. Almost at the same time the family worshipped on the ground, the divine power that was almost exhausted suddenly recovered to half of its initial state.
As for how to measure the amount of divine power in one's heart, Xu Zhengyang did not have a clear definition; he simply measured it based on his feelings.
But Xu Zhengyang was certain of this feeling. No reason was needed.
This explains that the high fever was not caused by violating heavenly rules and thus incurring punishment from the heavenly court, but rather by the sudden depletion of divine power and the inability of faith power to replenish it, which caused the body to be unable to withstand the strain.
So……
Xu Zhengyang pondered: When his divine power reaches a certain level, he might become a judge or even a city god, or even higher! What position would he hold if he went even higher? He might also enter the underworld, because in some books with relevant records, it seems that the Earth God, the Merit Officer, the Judge, and the City God are all most closely connected with the underworld, and have no direct relationship with the Heavenly Court.
Will he become one of the Ten Kings of Hell? The Ghost Emperor? Or...?
Sunlight filtered through the slightly yellowing grapevines, casting irregular patches of light onto the red brick floor, the stone table and benches, and Xu Zhengyang, who was reclining in a bamboo chair. A cool breeze was blowing. The sweltering heat had long passed, and the lingering summer heat hadn't yet arrived; this was the most pleasant and comfortable time of year.
The ringing of his phone interrupted Xu Zhengyang's thoughts. He frowned, picked up the phone from the stone table, glanced at the caller ID—an unfamiliar number—pressed the answer button, and held the phone to his ear: "Hello."
"My lord, I am Cheng Jinchang."
“Wrong,” Xu Zhengyang said calmly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm Zhan, Zhan Xiaohui."
"Um."
"I feel much better now, but I still can't get out of bed."
"Um."
"I want to see my wife, my parents, and my children."
"Let's wait until I recover. There will always be opportunities." Xu Zhengyang sighed softly. It was only natural and understandable.
"grown ups……"
"From now on, call me Xu Zhengyang. Remember that. Don't say things you shouldn't say."
"Yes, yes, I want to see you."
Xu Zhengyang hesitated for a moment, then calmly said, "Okay, focus on getting better. I'll come see you."
"Okay, okay."
Xu Zhengyang hung up the phone and sighed softly. He had promised to visit Zhan Xiaohui in a couple of days after her last call, but after much consideration, he decided against it for now. The reasons were twofold: firstly, he was genuinely busy with building a new house on the family's new land; secondly, he needed to patiently wait until Cheng Jinchang's heart was at ease. He needed to let Cheng Jinchang gradually become familiar with his new body, with his rebirth, and until the initial excitement had subsided before they could meet again.
As for Jiang Shiqing, Xu Zhengyang did not allow the ghost to harass him again.
Just as he described to Zhao Daqing his experience in interrogating prisoners, constantly slapping someone without stopping is not only tiring for yourself, but it also numbs the other person to the point of not feeling pain; you have to do it slowly and deliberately, as the saying goes, "cutting flesh with a dull knife," that's what really hurts.
Moreover, Zhan Xiaohui still needs the care of Jiang Shiqing and Zhan Xiaoyun.
Let's punish Jiang Shiqing and Zhan Xiaoyun slowly after Zhan Xiaohui recovers.
However, there was one thing that really gave Xu Zhengyang a headache... because Zhan Xiaohui and Deng Wenjing were bound to get married and become a couple. They were husband and wife in their past life, and now they had both been reborn as humans. Their children and parents from their past life were still alive, so it was absolutely impossible for them not to become a couple.
The problem is that Deng Wenjing and Jiang Shiqing once had some kind of relationship.
Well, even as an outsider, I can't stand this kind of relationship that's giving anyone a headache. It's unbearable! How are we supposed to meet in the future? Xu Zhengyang shook his head, thinking with a wry smile: Forget it, why think about this? Anyway, Zhan Xiaohui and Deng Wenjing definitely won't care about this, and Jiang Shiqing and Zhan Xiaoyun won't have a good time either.
Just as Chen Chaojiang was thinking about when to visit Deng Wenjing and take her along to visit Zhan Xiaohui, he rode his bicycle into the yard. As he got off and propped up the bicycle, he said, "Zhengyang, I was just thinking you'd be home."
"Hmm, what's wrong? Didn't go to work?" Xu Zhengyang asked with a smile, taking out a cigarette and tossing one to Chen Chaojiang.
Chen Chaojiang easily caught the cigarette that flew through the air, walked to the stone table, sat down, picked up the lighter on the table, lit the cigarette, took two deep drags, and said, "I took the day off today... Zhengyang, you're too leisurely every day. No wonder even Zhijun said you've become lazy and a hands-off manager. I've never seen you go to the shops in Fuhe City."
“Things haven’t been too busy over there lately, and we’re building a house back home…” Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
"Don't talk nonsense. Did you go to your family's new house site during the day?" Chen Chaojiang curled his lip and said, "Why are you reading books again? Do you want to go back to school?"
"Just flipping through it when you have nothing better to do, what's the point of learning anything?"
"Your uncle and aunt went to the land plot, right? You didn't go either..."
"Yeah, I was just thinking of going over to take a look."
The two chatted idly, and Xu Zhengyang was slightly puzzled as to why Chen Chaojiang seemed a little more talkative than before, though there wasn't much of a change. Perhaps it was due to his nature, but Chen Chaojiang's narrow eyes always maintained a cold and aloof expression.
Both the father and mother went to the new house site. Although all the work, including odd jobs like plastering and site supervision, was contracted out to Zhang Zhong's construction team, the homeowners didn't really need to worry about anything. However, Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin couldn't sit still at home. For typical rural people, building a new house is one of the most important things in a lifetime: supporting the elderly and raising children, building a new house, and getting their son married. So they went to the construction site every day to watch the construction team work, as if the team would slack off or cut corners if they weren't there.
There's really no need to worry, because the project cost was agreed upon in one lump sum, not calculated on a daily wage basis. So there's no need to worry about the other party delaying the work. Besides, everyone on the construction team is from the same village. The foreman, Zhang Zhong, has a good relationship with the Xu family, and most of the construction workers are also from the village. Who would steal your work or cut corners on your materials?
Besides, Xu Zhengyang's three best buddies, Cao Gangchuan, Zhang Hao, and Liu Bin, were working there as laborers, making them the best supervisors.
This is also why Xu Zhengyang was unwilling to go and take a look around the construction site. To be honest, he felt a little embarrassed. He was the one in charge, while his best friend was sweating and toiling away there... If he just leisurely watched them work in front of them, he could feel at ease, but he also had to consider their feelings.
Xu Zhengyang never considered giving these guys extra pay; that would be ridiculous, pretentious, and unrealistic.
Occasionally, he would bring wine and food to the construction site of the new house in the evening, where he would gather with a few buddies in the small shed to drink and chat. Zhang Hao and Liu Bin were the two men assigned by the construction team to watch the site at night, and it was perfectly acceptable for the buddies to have a few drinks together, and to prepare good wine, food, and cigarettes. Moreover, even if they understood Xu Zhengyang's intentions, they wouldn't feel embarrassed or resistant.
During the day, Xu Zhengyang would sit at home, drinking tea and reading.
He has grown to enjoy reading more and more, mostly books about ghosts, gods, and immortals, as well as some history books, with the aim of studying the details about gods and the Heavenly Court.
If you're in a position, you have to fulfill your responsibilities, right?
As for the antique shops in Fuhe City, nothing important happened, so he didn't bother going. He wasn't like Yao Chushun, that old guy who was obsessed with antiques to an abnormal degree, spending all his time surrounded by a bunch of antique enthusiasts, never getting tired of looking at them, and even enjoying it.
After the last incident involving the exorbitantly priced jade, Gu Xiang Xuan's reputation soared. Tang Jing, the renowned jade connoisseur from the capital, actually came to see the so-called priceless jade with his own eyes. He was pleasantly surprised and couldn't put it down. He even offered eight million to buy one of the jades, but Xu Zhengyang politely refused.
Putting that aside, after Zheng Ronghua spread the word that Gu Xiang Xuan was actually a shop he had invested in, Gu Xiang Xuan's reputation grew even more.
Zou Mingyuan has quieted down, at least for the time being, and hasn't dared to make any more small moves.
Those who had once harbored evil intentions have completely abandoned their wicked thoughts. Since Gu Xiang Xuan is a shop invested in by Zheng Ronghua, the boss of Ronghua Group, the remaining six priceless jade pieces must be kept in the most secure place. If they wanted to steal or rob the six jade pieces, they might as well just kidnap Zheng Ronghua.
Moreover, the existence of the priceless jade and the prestigious name of Zheng Ronghua makes Gu Xiang Xuan even more trustworthy and reliable.
Who would you sell your antiques to? Sell them to Gu Xiang Xuan! They're rich! They can afford the price!
Where to buy antiques? Gu Xiang Xuan! They have amazing stuff! Have you heard about the jade piece stolen from Tian Bao Zhai? It was bought from Gu Xiang Xuan, and that piece was only worth 3.5 million. Gu Xiang Xuan still has six pieces left, each worth over 8 million—that's the price offered by Tang Jing, the jade expert in Beijing. And don't complain about the price; Gu Xiang Xuan didn't even sell them! So, if you want to buy good stuff, go to Gu Xiang Xuan. They have several pieces of jade worth nearly 10 million each. What more could you possibly want? They're not worried about not being able to buy it; they're only worried about not having enough money.
Alright!
Xu Zhengyang no longer needs to busy himself with treasure hunting to fill the storefront of Gu Xiang Xuan. More sellers are coming to him on their own, and two of the secret connections that used to belong to Tian Bao Zhai have also started to make private contact with Yao Chushun.
With its booming business, Gu Xiang Xuan is poised to crush Tian Bao Zhai in no time.
With this income, Xu Zhengyang became too lazy to dig for treasure and sell it for money, since he wasn't short of cash anyway. If something unexpected happened that required a large sum of money, he could simply dig up a few treasures and sell them to Gu Xiangxuan. If he really needed more working capital, borrowing three to five million from Zheng Ronghua would be no problem at all.
So there's basically nothing going on right now, and if anything does happen, it's all good news.
In my leisure time, I read books and drink tea, and occasionally I drink, chat, and joke around with friends...
The so-called heavenly paradise that humans yearn for, the carefree life of immortals, is probably nothing more than this, isn't it? At least, if it were the Xu Zhengyang of the past, this would be the most he could hope for.
After chatting for a while, Xu Zhengyang asked, "You took the day off from work today, what are you busy with?"
"Nothing much, I was just fed up with being in the police station with those guys." Chen Chaojiang chuckled and said, "There's a new dog meat hot pot place that just opened near the grain station at the south end of Futou Town, wanna try it?"
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's go."
He knew in his heart that Chen Chaojiang wanted to treat him to a meal. Although there was no such thing as gratitude between brothers, the truth was that after Chen Chaojiang was released from prison, given his personality and reputation, no one would even hire him as a laborer on a construction team. So, how could he not be grateful that Xu Zhengyang had arranged such a job that many people envied for him? Even if he didn't think that it was a big deal for brothers to help each other, his parents would probably nag him every day to at least show some appreciation.
Xu Zhengyang wouldn't refuse, nor would he argue with Chen Chaojiang about paying the bill; there was no need, and it wouldn't be appropriate to be too pretentious. Sometimes, one shouldn't be too delicate and should always consider other people's feelings.
Chen Chaojiang said, "Give me the car keys, I'll drive it. I've never driven one of these before."
"Okay." Without saying a word, Xu Zhengyang tossed the motorcycle keys to Chen Chaojiang.
Chen Chaojiang took the car keys, got on the motorcycle, started it, paused for a moment, then shifted gears and slowly drove out of the courtyard gate.
Xu Zhengyang followed behind, locked the courtyard gate, then climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, patted Chen Chaojiang on the shoulder, and said, "Don't drive too fast, slow down..."
"They're pretty much the same." Chen Chaojiang said these four words out of the blue.
Xu Zhengyang understood what he meant, of course. It was simply that although he had never driven a sports car like this before, it wasn't really a technical skill. All you had to do was use the clutch, shift gears, and twist the accelerator, and remember to brake when necessary...
The motorcycle roared away from the alley and slowly drove out of the village on the main street. Chen Chaojiang no longer had the small wing he used to have, and he accelerated...
The southernmost grain depot in Futou Town is actually the grain depot of Nancheng Township. It is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of National Highway 107 and Xinchengfeng Road, at the junction of Futou Town and Nancheng Township. The grain depot has long since stopped purchasing and storing grain, and its old warehouses and buildings have long been rented out.
The newly opened dog meat hot pot restaurant is located in a rented grain depot building. They've added doors and windows to the back wall and hung up a sign that reads "New Moon Dog Meat Hot Pot." Perhaps because of the opening discounts, even before noon, several motorcycles, a nearly new Nissan sedan, and a police van were already parked in front of the restaurant.
A red paper was pasted on the restaurant's door, with words written in calligraphy such as "Grand Opening Special: All dishes are half price for the first week."
Chen Chaojiang drove his Yamaha 250 motorcycle, carrying Xu Zhengyang, and sped over to the parking lot in front of "Xinyue Dog Meat Hot Pot".
The prices at this type of restaurant are definitely not high, and are affordable for the vast majority of people in the countryside.
If Chen Chaojiang had invited Xu Zhengyang to dinner at "Tianwaitian," Xu Zhengyang might have politely declined. It wasn't that Chen Chaojiang couldn't afford it, but rather... he didn't want Chen Chaojiang to waste money trying to impress others. Of course, Chen Chaojiang wasn't that kind of person.
Inside the restaurant, there were no private rooms or VIP rooms. To the right of the entrance was the cashier, and further in, the newly built walls and corridor led to the kitchen, with a small window in the middle through which waiters would announce and serve the dishes. The main hall had four brand-new round tables, and against the walls on both sides were six small square tables.
At this point, four groups of customers were already seated in the restaurant, but only one group consisted of six people, eating and drinking around a round table in the center. The other three groups, consisting of three or four people, were sitting around square tables.
Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang sat down facing each other at a square table closest to the door. A waitress who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old approached with a smile and handed them a menu: "Welcome! Our restaurant is newly opened, so everything is half price..."