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"Everyone outside calls it feudal superstition, but I don't think so. The things that have been passed down by us Chinese people for thousands of years are not without merit. For example, feng shui and ghosts and gods. It's better to believe in them than not to believe in them," Secretary Qi said. "If we do things properly, the ghosts and gods won't blame us."
Qi Shuming chimed in, "Brother Dazhu, I don't know if you've noticed, but our village has been a bit strange these past few years. We always feel like we're luckier than other villages."
"Of course I noticed, otherwise I wouldn't be burning paper money so devoutly," Secretary Qi said with a smile, thinking to himself, "I'm not even this devout when I burn paper money for my own father."
He Jingyu smiled and said, "Actually, this is good. Having fear in one's heart keeps one sober."
“We don’t understand those grand principles you’re talking about, but I know that in life, we can’t act without a conscience,” Secretary Qi said. “Like those archaeological teams in the city, they demolished people’s homes, took their belongings, and then didn’t even cover them up. Even if you want to do research, shouldn’t you at least build some sheds? But look, there’s nothing there!”
"In that case, why don't we build a shed for them?" Qi Shuming suggested. There is wood and stone on the mountain, so we can use local materials. The only waste is manpower.
"Okay," Qi Shuming agreed.
However, after Secretary Qi led the strong men of the village to build sheds for these large tombs, hot springs began to overflow from these pits within a few days.
The area around Taoyuan is shrouded in steam because of these hot springs, making it feel like a paradise.
When Secretary Qi saw this situation, he was stunned and immediately went to the county to report it.
Director Yang and his assistants came over, looked left and right, but couldn't figure out what was going on. They could only fill a few bottles with water and go back to do the testing.
But there are always some reckless fools in the village; some will bring a large basin and bathe in it.
Because the water was boiling hot and the surrounding area was filled with steam, even if you were naked by the open-air pool, you wouldn't feel cold, which attracted even more people to take a bath.
Secretary Qi was dumbfounded. He felt that this was disrespectful to the tomb owner, but he couldn't stop them. So, he dug a large pit about 70 or 80 centimeters deep next to these large pits, which could accommodate more than 20 people at the same time for bathing. He then brought in hot water and made an outlet.
He Jingyu helped calculate the inlet and outlet water inlet, so the water temperature inside could be kept within a reasonable range. A group of men sat inside, naked, taking a bath.
Seeing that everyone was taking a bath inside without any problems, He Jingyu also went for a bath. And he had to admit, it was more comfortable than taking a bath at home with hot water.
The water that Director Yang brought over was tested and found to be just ordinary hot spring water, nothing special, so he left it at that.
Ever since a hot spring pool appeared in Taoyuan, He Tiantian and the young women and wives in the village have stopped coming to the Taoyuan area behind the mountain.
While offering the holy blood, He Tiantian caught up with the Snake King and asked, "What's with those hot springs? Won't soaking in them be bad for the villagers' health?"
The Snake King's voice was rather deep as he shook his head and said, "No!"
"Where does this water come from?" He Tiantian asked curiously. Those large pits were very close to where the Snake King cultivated, and she guessed that they were related to the Snake King.
"It's the heat I emit when I'm cultivating," the Snake King said, his head either tilted back to look at the sky or down to look at the ground, never glancing at He Tiantian in the middle.
He Tiantian also felt that the Snake King was different from before. He no longer used to call her "this king" all the time, nor would he call her "stupid woman, stupid woman," and he was even unwilling to talk to her much.
He Tiantian was very puzzled. Why was that?
"Snake King, is something wrong?" He Tiantian asked, reaching out to pat the Snake King's head a few times. "I've noticed you're not like you used to be..."
"What was it like before?" The Snake King glanced sideways at He Tiantian.
"You still look just like the Snake King. You seem to have grown up now and become more silent." He Tiantian still prefers the Snake King of the past, but she also knows that all things in nature have their own growth patterns, and it is inevitable that the Snake King will grow up.
"Yes, I've grown up, so don't touch my head anymore." The Snake King bared his teeth at He Tiantian, trying to scare her.
"Hahaha!" He Tiantian laughed. "Congratulations on growing up! By the way, now that your main body has become so big, your human form must have grown up too. Quickly transform and show me!"
Upon hearing this, the Snake King became somewhat uneasy and said, "Hurry up, I need to absorb the holy blood."
"Try to transform!" He Tiantian pleaded, wanting to see if the chubby little baby would turn into a big chubby baby.
But as soon as He Tiantian finished speaking, she felt a tingling and numbness in her ankle and lost consciousness.
The Snake King wouldn't want to transform himself next to He Tiantian. If he saw that she was already taller than him and looked about the same height as him, she would avoid him in everything she did in the future.
After the Serpent King absorbed the holy blood, he transformed into human form.
He wanted to reach out and pinch He Tiantian's face, but stopped just before he touched her cheek.
I want to touch it again after I've touched it!
Even if I wanted to touch it again, I couldn't get it, leaving only heartbreak!
Snake King gritted his teeth and disappeared from He Tiantian's room. This time, in his panic, he didn't help He Tiantian tidy up the room.
When He Tiantian woke up, the room was a mess.
When Wang Shuping came in to call her daughter for dinner, she saw the mess and, while tidying up, nagged, "Did you sleepwalk last night? The house is such a mess!"
He Tiantian smiled guiltily and said, "Hehe, I saw a mouse at night and was catching it."
"Rat?" Wang Shuping frowned. "Next time, have your dad go to the county town and bring back some rat poison! Sigh, we have more grain at home than in previous years, and there are more rats too."
"Yes!" He Tiantian replied haphazardly.
At this time, Zhao Dajiao came to visit.
"You pack your own things," Wang Shuping instructed before leaving her daughter's room.
Grandma Qi asked with a smile, "Big Foot, what brings you here today?"
Zhao Dajiao sat on a stool next to Grandma Qi and said, "It's not that some of the old women in the village saw the men enjoying themselves in the back hills, so they thought they could build a pool just for women to soak in."
"Haha, so that's what it is!" Grandma Qi said. "I've soaked in hot springs before, and it's really comfortable. Now that it's winter, taking a bath is much more comfortable than boiling water at home. You don't have to worry about the water getting cold and you catching a chill."
“Yes, washing at home uses too much water, isn’t comfortable, and can even lead to catching a cold or fever,” Zhao Dajiao said. “That’s why I came to ask Shuping and Tiantian if they agree. If they do, then ninety-three women in our village will support us. With so many people in favor, our request will also receive the support of the village branch.” (To be continued.)
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