Experts arrive during the National Day holiday
After drinking quite a bit, the old blind man left, feeling dizzy. He'd been a bit disoriented these past few days and had no interest in doing business. Just then, his mother called that afternoon, urging him to go back to the village for a blind date. She said he was already in his mid-twenties and should find a wife, as many of his peers in the village had been married for years and some even had children who were already a few years old.
I didn't want to go at first, but then I thought I'd just go back to the village to relax. Besides, I really should find a wife. Although my conditions are pretty good in our area, I just don't seem to have any luck with girls. I've dated a few, but they all ended in failure.
Just as I was packing up to go home, my phone rang. I answered it, and it turned out to be a call from a town official. He said that a few archaeological experts from Chengdu were coming to our town to conduct an archaeological activity, and asked me to go and receive them. After all, in this town, I'm considered an 'expert' in burial studies.
It was hard to refuse, so I closed the shop and headed straight for the town government. Our small hill town isn't very big; there are only two streets, and you can walk through them in half an hour.
When I arrived at the town government, the old gatekeeper naturally recognized me, greeted me, and let me in. In the mayor's office, I saw five well-dressed city people sitting there, completely ignoring my arrival. These five city people were clearly archaeology experts from Chengdu—three men and two women. The two older ones appeared to be the leaders, while the other three younger ones were likely students or assistants.
The town mayor and the propaganda minister were inside. When they saw me come in, they quickly stood up and introduced us to each other.
"Come, let me introduce you to all the experts. This is our town's famous Liu Zhihua, Master Liu."
"Professor Liu, these are archaeological experts from Chengdu. They're going to conduct an archaeological study here. If there's anything we can do for you, please cooperate!"
I smiled and nodded, but the archaeological experts were clearly unimpressed. They sat there without even glancing at me. Only Professor Huang, who was in charge, nodded at me, while the others, especially the younger ones, snorted disdainfully.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the town mayor and the propaganda minister exchanged a few polite words and told me to have a good talk with them before leaving.
Of course I understand what these archaeological experts are thinking. They consider themselves superior and disdain associating with charlatans like us, whom they see as tomb raiders.
Just like what's said online, when ordinary people dig up graves, it's called grave robbing, but when these experts dig up graves, it's called archaeology. In reality, they're all the same; they're both digging up people's ancestral graves.
I found a chair, sat down, made a cup of jasmine tea, and drank it all by myself. I don't care where you experts come from; I don't deal with you, so why should I have to put up with your attitude?
"Hey, Mr. Liu Zhihua, the mayor and the others said that you are highly skilled in feng shui and yin-yang techniques, and can already see the direction of mountains and rivers. But you look like you're only in your early twenties. Could it be that you're lying?" one of the male students asked Assistant Jian.
I couldn't be bothered to answer. Once they left, I could leave too. I still had to go back for a blind date. My mom said this girl was nice, very gentle and virtuous.
I lay back in the chair, closed my eyes, and took the opportunity to rest since I had just had a little wine.
"Hey, I'm asking you a question, did you hear me?" The male assistant raised his voice, as if he was about to get angry.
Seeing that I still ignored him, the archaeological assistant named Tang Cheng looked ugly. He wanted to lash out but held back in the end, and sneered, "Just a charlatan who cheats and swindles people. What's there to be proud of?"
I still didn't answer, but just smiled slightly and waved my hand.
"The art of Yin-Yang Feng Shui? I think it's just a bunch of bullshit and a scam. Since you know about it, why don't you tell us about it and see if you can fool us?"
"Ignorant child, how could you possibly understand the arts of Feng Shui and Yin-Yang? Go back to your books and study. These arts have been passed down through five thousand years of Chinese civilization; you can't dismiss them with a single sentence. Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I have things to do at home," I said, standing up to leave.
Just as I reached the door, Professor Huang, who was in charge, stopped me. "Mr. Liu Zhihua, wait a moment. I have some questions I'd like to discuss with you." He stood up and pulled me aside. "Young people are often a bit impetuous. I hope you won't mind. Please, have a seat."
I was originally planning to leave, but then I thought, after all, they are archaeological experts from the city. Although they are not officials, they are still experts and professors. These days, which expert or professor doesn't have connections? I don't care, but I'm afraid that if I anger these experts and professors, they will play dirty tricks behind my back. At that time, the town mayor and his group will probably be in big trouble.
After I sat down, Professor Huang handed me a cigarette. I saw that it was an imported cigarette, similar to a cigar, and thought to myself, "He really is an expert from the city; his class is definitely different."
Professor Huang coughed a few times while smoking. "I won't beat around the bush. Actually, we came here to search for the relics of the ancient Shu people. After several years of research and investigation, we discovered that the origin of the ancient Shu people is in this area. Combining historical records and various other sources, we found a dragon vein here, which may contain the tombs of the ancient Shu people. However, for some reason, this dragon vein has been hidden. Throughout history, many capable and wise people have tried to find it, but all have returned empty-handed. I wonder if Mr. Liu Zhihua has heard of it?"
Hearing Professor Huang's words, I was somewhat surprised, but I didn't show it. "I don't know," I said. "I grew up here and have never heard of that before."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
