Chapter 38: Snake God (1) "Ghost" Pressing Down on the Bed
Baijia Village is a relatively remote small village. When driving along the way, the flat road disappeared, and the only road to the village entrance was the kind of loess road without cement.
There are no mountains or forests outside the village, but there are green rapeseed fields, a few paddy fields, a pond, and then there is an ordinary village entrance with a big stone standing next to it with three words on it - Baijia Village.
"According to the navigation, this should be it."
The houses in Baijia Village are very ordinary rural houses. Most of them are ordinary one- to two-story bungalows. Occasionally there are a few three-story self-built houses with courtyards that look pretty good, with some flowers and plants planted on them, but there is not much sense of design to speak of.
After all, Baijia Village is not near any tourist attractions, and all the houses are inhabited by villagers themselves. Some of the houses look very dilapidated, and their exterior walls are not even painted, but are made of simple red bricks.
The car stopped at the entrance of the village, and the car keys returned to Tan Yue's hands. The director got out of the car, took a pack of cigarettes, and went to talk to the owner of the convenience store at the entrance of the village.
"Boss, this is Baijia Village, right?"
The boss took the cigarette but didn't smoke it. He put it between his ears, glanced at him, and said unhappily, "You can't read. There are three big words on the outside: Baijia Village!"
He pointed at his own sign: "Doesn't it say Baijiacun Grocery?"
"Oh, then do you know Bai Zile? It's a viewer named Bai Zile who submitted a post to our program team."
"Program team?"
"Yes, we are the staff of the "Towards Science" column team. We received the submission from the village and came here to interview."
Tan Yue walked over. It was May and the weather was still a little cold. He was wearing a brown and white waterproof jacket with a shirt underneath and black trousers. He looked smart and refreshed.
"The TV station." The boss glanced at Tan Yue, then at the director, "The young man is very handsome, he really looks like a big star, he will be very famous soon! This bald guy doesn't look like one."
He shook his head, revealing his black and yellow teeth from chewing betel nut: "It's obvious that this bald guy has no destiny to be a star!"
Intern Zhang Yunyun couldn't help but burst out laughing. Fearing that her boss would hold a grudge against her, she quickly covered her mouth, hoping that the director didn't see it.
Director Zhao Qian was a little embarrassed: "We are just behind-the-scenes staff, why do we need to look good?"
Tan Yue explained: "Uncle, I'm not a big star, I'm just an ordinary host, just like everyone else, with a fixed salary."
Now he is still a newcomer in the TV station, and Tan Yue has no plans to become a big star. He just hopes that his job will be successfully converted to a regular position and he can feel at ease after getting a regular position.
Hosts like him who have passed the exam all have regular jobs. Normally, as long as they don't make any mistakes, they can end their internship period and become regular employees after half a year, and the salary they receive will be higher at that time.
"Uncle, do you know who Bai Zile is who submitted this article?"
The manuscript they received had the name, address, and email address written on it, but no mobile phone number. They didn't receive a reply after sending the email, so they could only ask the villagers when they arrived at the place.
The uncle was very shrewd. Even though Tan Yue was very good-looking, he would not speak casually: "Buy something in my store, and I will tell you who Bai Zile is."
He recommended: "If you drive a lot, you can buy some betel nuts. We have authentic betel nuts here."
Tan Yue shook his head, and the director waved his hand: "No."
Of course, those who make the program know that eating too much betel nut can easily lead to oral cancer, but the truth is sometimes harsh, so they won't say anything: "We have some in the car, just add some water."
The environment of the convenience store is very ordinary, looking dirty and old. There is an old tungsten filament bulb inside. It is not turned on in broad daylight, so it seems a little dim.
There are some advertising papers on the table, which look very historical and have been patinated for at least ten years.
The girls from big cities didn't dare to buy anything for fear of buying pirated or expired products, which would be very troublesome if they got sick from eating them.
Fortunately, the water should be fine. It has a long shelf life and if it is unopened, it won’t be a big problem if it expires.
"We need two boxes of water." The director took a look at the date of the drinks and said with a flourish, "Everyone has worked hard on coming here. I'll buy you some drinks."
Cameraman Shao Meng immediately said, "Thank you, Director Zhao!"
He got a Coke, a few girls asked for sparkling water, and Tan Yue asked for a can of iced Sprite.
In fact, he rarely drinks carbonated drinks now, and he always keeps zero-calorie Oriental grass leaf jasmine tea in his trunk for health and wellness.
I also carry a large thermos with me all year round and use it to brew various scented teas.
But driving all the way here is really tiring, and I need carbonated drinks to bring some special taste stimulation.
The boss took a hundred yuan in cash and finally spoke: "Bai Zile, isn't that Xiaole? He is the beloved grandson of our village chief. He is the first college student in Baijia Village and graduated from a prestigious school. At that time, the village chief was very happy and set up 99 tables for banquets in our village..."
The owner of the convenience store is very talkative, but he also speaks in a long-winded way.
Tan Yue asked: "The letter said that the snake goddess you worship seems to be alive."
When the shop owner heard about the snake god, his eyes widened immediately: "The Snake Goddess is alive, what do you mean by seeming alive!"
This villager from Baijia Village seemed to be a devout believer in the Snake God. He had to pay money to give Bai Zile information before, but now he kept trying to tell the program team about the greatness of the Snake God: "Do you know how many years our village has existed? Thousands of years!"
Zhang Yunyun couldn't help but mutter, "How can it be that long? It looks quite new."
It's not like she hasn't traveled to those thousand-year-old villages before. Tourism is everywhere now. The houses in the thousand-year-old villages have an ancient charm at first glance. The houses here are obviously made of reinforced concrete, or modern bricks. The styles are at most a few decades old, and at most a hundred years old.
"You little girl, you know nothing!" The shop owner cursed, obviously dissatisfied with her questioning.
The program's copywriter was a professional woman in her thirties named Gao Mei. Upon hearing this, she gave Zhang Yunyun a look to shut up and stepped out to smooth things over: "She is indeed young and naive. Don't mind it. Keep talking."
The shop owner reached for the cigarette and was about to smoke it, but when he thought of the Snake Goddess, he put the cigarette back to his ear: "Thousands of years ago, our Baijia Village was not called Baijia Village, but Snake Village. The villagers made a living by catching and selling snakes. They also relied on exotic snakes for tax exemption. Over the years, they have experienced many wars and disasters, but Baijia Village has survived because of the protection of the Snake Goddess. So when you enter our Baijia Village, you must respect the Snake Goddess..."
Zhang Yunyun didn't say anything, but she couldn't help but complain in her heart: "Catching snakes and selling them, skinning and bone the snakes, and making snake wine. How can this be called respect?"
If snakes had spirits, wouldn't they hate the snake catchers? It always feels weird to expect protection from one's enemy.
Tan Yue looked at the scenery in the village. Baijia Village was not big, with only about a hundred households. Compared with some residential areas in big cities, there were much fewer people. It took about ten minutes to basically tour the area where the villagers lived.
But the village definitely has more land than this. In addition to the farmland at the entrance of the village, there is also a not-so-high mountain behind the village, which looks to be about three hundred meters high.
This mountain is very majestic and there is a spire on it.
"Uncle, what is that tower behind the village?"
"That is the tower of the Snake Goddess. Outsiders must not go up the mountain casually. Our mountain is very famous in the area and is also called Snake Mountain. Tourists are not allowed to enter."
Tan Yue asked, "There are a lot of snakes on Snake Mountain, right?"
"Of course, there are thousands of snakes! It's spring and summer now, and May and June are the time when snakes mate. If you disturb the snakes and get bitten to death, we won't help you."
The shop owner waved his hand and chased them away: "Okay, okay, don't block the way here. The aisles in the village are blocked by your cars. Go somewhere else and don't disturb my business."
When they got on the bus, Zhang Yunyun complained, "Why did the director choose such a place? The villagers here are so annoying."
Later, Wang Xiaotong was a stay-at-home girl wearing glasses and with dark circles under her eyes. She got off the car and moved around for a few minutes before staying in the back to rest, without saying a word.
Gao Mei, who looks like a white-collar elite, said: "Whatever the director says is the truth. Don't be picky about your work."
Anyway, the traffic of their show is like this now, and it won’t get worse no matter what they do. Why bother offending the director who has experience and connections?
Although the shop owner was not enthusiastic, he did not stop them from looking inside the car. After a few questions, they led them to the village chief's house.
The conditions of the village chief's house are definitely the best in the village. The house has obviously been renovated. It is a three-story self-built villa with a large yard. There are a lot of flower pots outside and some lush trees planted.
There are osmanthus flowers and fruit trees, but at this season, the fruits have not yet been produced, so they are all green and not very aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Although it is a village, the door of the village chief's house is locked, and he doesn't seem to be welcoming other people as guests. Of course, it is also possible that there is no one at home.
Tan Yue looked up and saw that the village chief's house had large glass windows and the entire balcony was covered. He looked up carefully and saw that the sunlight was shining on the glass. The light pollution was very serious and he couldn't see clearly whether there was anyone inside.
"I'll go knock on the door." The intern volunteered.
"Is anyone there? We're from the TV station! We're from the Imperial Capital TV station!"
Although the salary is not high, the company is well-known. When Zhang Yunyun reported the company's name, her tone was particularly proud.
"I'm coming." Less than two minutes later, someone opened the door. It was a chubby, short old lady with black hair, who looked to be in her fifties.
She narrowed her eyes, glanced at the strangers, and asked warily, "Who are you?"
The director quickly squeezed forward with a smile, and then showed the email: "We are here to look for Bai Zile, and the program team is here to investigate the strange things that happened in the village."
He didn't mention the "Snake Goddess" directly. We are not fools. The villagers are so in awe of the Snake Goddess that of course we can't say it directly, but we can still find out more indirectly.
When she heard Bai Zile, the old lady grinned immediately: "It was someone Xiaole found, and he's from the Imperial Capital TV Station!"
The old lady was happy when she mentioned her precious grandson. He was admitted to a prestigious university, so it was normal for him to get to know the TV station. She took a look at the work IDs shown by several people and enthusiastically invited them in: "Please park your car in our yard. Our yard is big and can accommodate several cars."
The conditions of the village chief's house are indeed very good. There is a large open space in the small yard for parking, which can accommodate five cars. There is also a van parked there now.
There is a big guard dog in the yard. It is a yellow country dog, but very strong, with shiny fur, and it is obvious that it is well-maintained.
Because the old lady brought the person in, even though he was a stranger, the big dog didn't yell.
Several female colleagues on the show quickly praised: "You have a really good dog."
The old lady was very proud: "Our Dahuang is one of the best dogs in the village, but his favorite is Zile."
The old lady enthusiastically laid out a fruit plate. It should be used to entertain guests during the Chinese New Year. The pattern was very festive, a bright red peony, with a compartment filled with peanuts, one compartment filled with melon seeds and longans, and the rest included some uneaten candies and the like.
"Everyone, have something to eat. My son Zile has gone to college and is not home right now. The old man has gone to the back mountain."
Such an enthusiastic old lady made everyone's expressions relax a little. After all, many people have such elders in their families, who are kind, enthusiastic and hospitable.
About half an hour later, the old man came back and said, "Zile's parents are working outside."
Tan Yue reminded, "Do you have a phone? Give me a contact number so we can make a video call?"
The signal in the village is not very good, but there is internet, but it is slow to refresh.
Even though the old man and his friends are using old-fashioned phones that cannot support online video, they do have normal telephones. As long as they contact the program team and add Bai Zile's contact information, they can chat with Bai Zile face to face via video.
The old lady slapped her thigh and said, "Video, yes, Zile told us that we can have a video call."
She found a smartphone that looked a little old and successfully contacted Bai Zile.
The other people in the program crew came over to watch for a while. Bai Zile fits everyone's stereotype of a good student. He is gentle and fair-skinned, has a flat head, looks rather thin, and wears a pair of glasses.
Maybe it was because of the built-in filter on the phone, but Tan Yue felt that Bai Zile in the other video on the phone looked like his eyes were a little empty and his face was very pale, without any blood color.
But all mobile phones are like this now, with built-in filters that try their best to make people look whiter and smooth out all facial wrinkles. Even an old lady with a wrinkled face can be turned into a smooth boiled egg. Tan Yue just found it subtle, but not strange.
Bai Zile seemed very surprised by the arrival of the production crew: "I sent the email, but I didn't expect you to really come... Grandpa, let the production crew stay at our house to make it easier for them to record the show. When the show is broadcast, our village will become famous and we won't be as poor as we are now. Maybe we can even repair the road in front of the village."
With his grandson as a guarantor, the seemingly silent old man became much more enthusiastic and said he would invite everyone to dinner.
The program's copywriter, who was also in charge of the financial affairs, took the initiative to give the old lady 200 yuan as meal expenses for today: "Thank you for your help."
The food expenses for the six of them were based on a standard of 100 yuan per person per day. This amount of money could not get you anywhere good to eat in a big city, but it was different in the countryside. 600 yuan could be enough to hire a chef to prepare a buffet and set up a very sumptuous banquet.
I give 200 just to see how it goes. If the lunch is really bad, I can just eat that meal and use the rest as accommodation fee.
You still have to save a little in the early stage. The extra money can be used to pay the remuneration given by the program team. You have to know that their program has very little funding, so you still have to be thrifty.
The two elderly people quickly prepared lunch, which was so sumptuous that the program team was a little embarrassed: there were several large dishes on the table in stainless steel basins, including steaming lotus blood duck, stir-fried pork with green peppers, pork with preserved vegetables, steamed silver carp, and stir-fried sausage with garlic...
There were meat, vegetarian dishes and soup, and most of them were core dishes, totaling 10 dishes and one soup.
Everyone in the program crew was eating around the table. The food was just ordinary farm dishes. It couldn’t be said to be out of this world delicious, but the ingredients were solid and the food was good.
The most important thing is that we drove for nearly a whole day to get to the destination, and only ate some instant noodles at the service area on the way. Now we have a good meal, which makes us burst into tears.
"Old man, this is your cooking skill! It's more than enough to open a restaurant!" The director praised it endlessly, and others also echoed it, making the serious old man laugh, "If it's delicious, you can eat more."
There was no problem with the meal. Tan Yue ate quite a bit, and his appetite was quite amazing. He almost cleared out all the remaining dishes and rice, which shocked everyone else.
"Teacher Tan, even if it's delicious, you can't eat so much. It seems that there is no pharmacy here. It's hard to buy stomach-strengthening and digestion-promoting tablets."
Tan Yue said: "I am strong and I eat a lot, it's natural."
He wiped his mouth embarrassedly and took out another 200 yuan: "I ate more than everyone else combined. This is my share. You must accept it."
He certainly couldn't take advantage of the simple villagers. Fortunately, he had some savings and didn't have any hobbies, so his monthly salary was all spent on food, except for paying off the car loan and basic expenses.
The more Tan thought about it, the more he decided to stay in the capital. After all, the TV station had a free employee cafeteria and it didn't cost any money.
The old man didn't say anything, but after repeated refusals, he finally accepted the two hundred.
He said cheerfully, "Eat more. Being able to eat is a blessing. Young men need to eat more to grow. They say that young men eat their fathers out of poverty."
That night, the copywriter gave the old man the accommodation fee. Originally, the old man said that his family was poor and refused to accept their money. But after some haggling, the two sides decided to charge a total of 100 yuan per day for six people staying in four rooms.
After all, there are three men and three women. Two girls can squeeze into one room, but one man and one woman, who are not in a romantic relationship, cannot live together.
Tan Yue and the post-production staff are in a separate room, mainly because Tan Yue is a newcomer and the director and cameraman are more familiar with him.
The intern wanted to please the copywriter and insisted on living with him.
The old man arranged the best room in the house for Tan Yue: "You look clean and polite, kid, live in our family's Zi Le's room, don't be disgusted, there is also some crooked husband in the house, you can go online."
"It's wifi, right?" Everyone was quite happy. After all, it's very expensive to use data traffic outside every day.
The old man said cheerfully, "Yes, I don't understand either. This was made by our Zi Le last year. It's very convenient. The password is posted on his computer."
Everyone came in to take a look, and then left after getting the password.
Bai Zile's room was very clean. The bed sheets were black and grey striped sheets. The quilt was spread out and looked fluffy and soft, giving off a smell of being exposed to the sun.
There is a wall-mounted bookcase in the room, which contains some comics, some old magazines, and a few reference books such as dictionaries.
There is a computer on the hidden desk that connects the left wall to the right wall. It is an old LCD computer that looks like it was built three or four years ago.
The old man is always very proud when he mentions his grandson: "Our son Le Kuai graduated from university, and this is what he bought for his college entrance examination."
For the program team, today is a very ordinary day. Although it is hard work, it is still going smoothly as the villagers are relatively simple and honest.
The program crew has been to many places, and the villagers are very curious when they see them carrying the video. Most of them are quite normal and enthusiastic. Only in a few cases will they encounter the best.
Everyone was really tired. After eating, their brains were congested and they felt sleepy, so they took turns to use the bathroom to take a shower.
The village chief’s house is self-built, but it has all the necessary electrical appliances, including rice cooker, washing machine, refrigerator, color TV, computer... and a water heater.
However, the water heater is not the common electric water heater. It is a very large bucket. The old man said that many people in the village use this mobile water heater.
Tan Yue was no exception. After eating, he took a walk in the village to digest the food. When he came back, it was almost his turn to take a bath. When everything was over, he lay down on the bed.
It was still relatively cold in the village in May, and Tan Yue was covered with a slightly thin autumn quilt. His sleep quality has always been very good. He closed his eyes and fell asleep soon.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but Tan Yue was awakened by a slight noise. However, his eyelids were heavy and he couldn't open his eyes.
It seems like I'm dreaming, but it also seems like I'm not.
Something came in, and then it crawled in with a rustling sound.
The dark thing in his consciousness lay in from the extremely narrow gap in the door, then opened the door from the inside, just coming in uninvited.
It followed the cold blanket in the room, crawled all the way to the bed that was about half a meter high, and then climbed on top of itself. This ghost thing pressed down on Tan Yue obediently, making him unable to move.
Is he being oppressed by a ghost? Is he being replaced by Bai Zile? But Bai Zile didn't write anything in the email? Maybe it's a strange thing, it's not that the snake goddess came back to life, but that he was oppressed by a ghost.
This ghost is so stupid. He only recognizes the bed and not the person.
In a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, Tan Yue's consciousness was also vague. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but there were no overly intense emotions.
Until the ghost thing that climbed up started to move. It crawled into the quilt, then into his pajamas, and began to crawl into his belt: What a pervert!
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