Zhang Lisheng walked along the winding stone road all the way back to his ancestral house. He did not encounter any villagers on the dark mountain road.
He stood in front of the square lock made of brass in the old house and rubbed the heavy wooden door for a while before taking out the key from his pocket to open the copper lock. He walked into the courtyard and bolted the wooden door with two heavy bolts just like before.
The scene in the courtyard was exactly the same as when the young man left a few years ago. The broken well, the messy kitchen, and the central room that was still cold even in midsummer.
Standing on the mud ground quietly, Zhang Lisheng looked around for a long time. In the end, he saw the bright table in the central room through the night and muttered, "I've been gone for four to five years, but the table is still spotless. This house is really built in a gloomy place." Then, he strolled into the side room that he used to live in.
The furnishings in the room were familiar but simple. Other than an old computer with a spherical display, there was only a wooden bed and two wooden boxes painted red at the head of the bed.
The young man touched the computer that allowed him to learn countless biological knowledge and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. Then, he climbed onto the wooden bed and easily opened the lid of the two wooden boxes that he used to have to use all his strength to lift.
Looking at the ancient books that were neatly arranged in different materials, Zhang Lisheng breathed a long sigh of relief. He began to chant an ancient incantation in a 'pst shh …' manner. Calming himself down, he carefully picked up an ancient sheepskin book and began to read it word by word attentively.
One would not notice the passage of time when one was concentrating. Unknowingly, the sky had already turned bright. When the sunlight shone into the side room of the old house, Zhang Lisheng only realized that the night had passed.
Although the ancient books did not have many words, their meaning was profound and concise. Reading them carefully, he only managed to read less than ten books in a night. If he continued to read in this manner, he would need about ten days to finish reading the two boxes of ancient books. Since he had to stay in the mountain village for such a long time, he had to meet the villagers first.
As the young man thought of this, he put down the ancient book in his hand and closed the wooden box again. He walked out of the room and wiped his body with cold water according to his habit since he was young. After pondering for a while, he walked to the main room that his father used to live in and took out a set of black coat, black pants, and black cloth shoes made of homespun cloth before walking to the door.
When Zhang Lisheng walked to the wooden door in a few steps and was about to open the door latch, he suddenly heard a series of bustling footsteps coming from outside the door. Then, he heard a familiar young voice shouting, "Uncle Ah Lie, why are you so stubborn? Mountain Worm has already gone to the US to enjoy his life and won't be coming back. Why are you still keeping this old house?
Moreover, this house has no property rights to begin with. It's our village's collective house. Now that there's a big boss working with the county's tourism bureau and the town government to change it into a 'historical homestay', it's a great thing. Not only that, they've already said that they're planning to do 'protective development'. This is also a good thing for the Zhang family, isn't it? Tell me, you … "
"Get lost, Ermu! When Mountain Worm left, I've already said that I want to see his old house. What 'historical homestay'? What 'protective development'? Are you kidding me? They're just changing the Zhang family's old house into a hotel or a hotel …"
"Comrade Lielin, so what if it's changed into a hotel or a hotel? Wouldn't the money be shared by the entire village?
This is good for both the collective and the individual. Tell me, you're the deputy village chief who's been a soldier and carried a gun before. Why is your consciousness not even comparable to an ordinary person?
I've already walked to the door of this house today. I've already made up my mind to open this door no matter what. This is also a collective decision made by the entire Guawo Village. Let go now, or else the nature of this will change. "
"No, Mayor Song, this old house really can't be changed into a hotel. T-Other than the Zhang family's people, nobody else can stay in this house!
Ermu, you coward! Tell me the truth! If this is changed into a hotel, do you dare to stay for a night? "
"I-I … Of course, I dare. W-What's the big deal about this?" Just when the young man's words left his mouth, Zhang Lisheng opened the latch slowly and pushed the wooden door open. Striding out, he said while smiling calmly, "Alright, Brother Ermu, you're really a man. You're the first person in our Guawo Village in the past thousands of years who dares to stay in my Zhang family's house.
How about this, I'll give you three days to buy a set of clothes. You'll stay in my house three days later, and I'll only send you up the mountain. We're a seven-foot tall man, so we shouldn't bring trouble to our family, don't you think so? "
It was past 10 o 'clock in the morning, the midsummer sun was already extremely hot. However, when they saw the Zhang family's old house's wooden door opening slowly, the hearts of the Guawo villagers who were surrounding the door jolted right away. They felt goosebumps all over their bodies.
"Daowu … Old Daowu …" When they saw Zhang Lisheng walking out of the house in black clothes, black pants, and black shoes, the faces of a few older villagers turned pale right away. As they screamed, their legs trembled so much that they could not even stand properly. They staggered and fell forward, pushing a short and fat middle-aged man who was wearing a beige striped sweatshirt and black pants to the wall.
"W-What are you guys doing? Didn't you guys eat breakfast? You can't even stand properly at your old age!" The short and fat middle-aged man let out an 'ouch' and touched his face that was burning in pain. When he saw that there was no blood, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned his head to yell at the villagers behind him.
After yelling to vent his anger, he shifted his attention to the young man who walked out of the old house and asked Tao Lielin who was by the side, "Village Chief Tao, who's this young man?"
"Mayor Song, he's Zhang Lisheng, the owner of this Zhang family's old house." Tao Lielin, who was wearing a cheap suit with his head wrapped just like a few years ago, was stunned for a while before answering with a wry smile. Then, he said to Zhang Lisheng, "Mountain Worm, why are you back? When did you come back? Why didn't you tell me that you're back?"
"Uncle Ah Lie, I've just returned to my hometown last night. I was just about to go out to meet the villagers this morning, but I heard that someone wants to take over my Zhang family's old house. This world is really a place where money moves people's hearts, and people want money more than their lives. I've only left for a short period of time, but I've already forgotten my lesson after four to five years.
That's good, that's good too. Humans need to see more coffins before they know how to shed tears. "
Upon hearing this, although they already knew that the reason the Zhang family's old house's door suddenly opened was because Zhang Lisheng had returned home and not because Zhang Daowu's corpse had come back to life, the Guawo villagers' expression did not turn better at all. They could only blame themselves for not being able to buy medicine for regret.
Only the deputy mayor of Damu Town who had just come from the exchange frowned and shouted at the top of his voice, "Young man, why are you talking in such a weird way? You're even threatening people.
I've been working in the town for half of my life. The homestead in that village is not a collective property right. It's decided by the national policy. If the household registration is moved out, the homestead will have to be taken back … "
After saying a few words, he suddenly recalled that the person whom he was teaching a lesson to was an 'international friend'. It would be a big trouble if he really petitioned for his rights. His voice gradually became softer and he thought of the homestead that he had taken in guiltily. With a change of attitude, he shook his head and said, "Of course, I don't know about the specific situation in your village.
The town government can only think from a macro perspective. It's a big highlight for the first historical homestead in China to appear in Guawo Village. Besides, this choice is also approved by your village meeting.
However, it seems like there's a new change in the situation now. Since there's a change, we'll have to reconsider some issues. Erm, Village Chief Tao, please send me a letter after your village committee has made a final decision on this matter. Let's call it a day. "
"Sure, Mayor Song. I'll contact you by phone." Tao Lielin could tell that Chief Song had the intention to retreat, so he gave him a way out in time.
"Alright then, Little Wang. Let's go." Mayor Song nodded and turned around to walk out of the village along the stone steps. He did not notice that a gush of black blood mist that was clearly visible under the sun drifted out of Zhang Lisheng's body and caught up with him. It seeped into the small wound that he got when he hit the wall just now.
However, when the villagers who were standing still on the stone road of the mountain village saw this strange phenomenon, they felt chills running down their spines. They did not even dare to say a word. Only Tao Lielin was stunned for a moment before shouting at Zhang Lisheng with a pale face, "M-Mountain Worm! What are you doing? Mayor Song is a national cadre! We can't, we can't …"
"Uncle Ah Lie, according to the old saying, occupying the ancestral house means that he's planning to open the coffin lid of Guawo Village's Old Zhang Family. Why would I care if he's a national cadre or not?" Zhang Lisheng interrupted Tao Lielin's words and glanced around with a sinister gaze. "If I don't say anything else and give you an explanation, this matter won't be over."
When the young man was still unwilling to give up, Mayor Song and the clerk by his side had already gotten into a black Passat that looked like it was 50 to 60 percent new at most in the open space at the entrance of Guawo Village.
"This is really a trip after 18 kowtows. It's obvious that the matter is about to be settled, but in the end, the 'owner' suddenly appeared. This is really, really …" Sitting in the back seat of the car, Song Zhengge frowned and said angrily, "And those Guawo Village villagers are also a bunch of cowards.
I'm a public official, so I have to pay attention to my influence and maintain stability. It's not good for me to have a conflict with foreigners and overseas Chinese. Tell me, what are those ordinary people afraid of?
It's related to their own income and interests, so they should fight for it when they should. Look at those people's expression just now, it's like they've seen a ghost. "
"Mayor, you don't know this, but the Zhang Family in Guawo Village is very strange …"
"Little Wang, even though you didn't solve the organization's problem, you've been trained by the party for many years. Why do you still believe in these supernatural things?
Let me tell you, even though I'm not a native of Qu County, I've heard a lot of rumors about the Zhang Family in Guawo Village. Such rumors and myths are all feudal dregs … "Song Zhengge interrupted the accompanying clerk's words and scoffed. All of a sudden, he was blinded by a few insects that flew into the car.
Rubbing his eyes hard, he said with a belly full of complaints, "There are so many flying insects in the summer when it's close to the woodland. The four windows of the car are closed, and the insects are blinding my eyes. Little Wang, bring me my sunglasses …" Then, he opened his eyes abruptly and was dumbstruck to see countless flying insects rushing into the car from the air conditioner vent. Soon, he was completely drowned.
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