Human bone cart
On Cheng Jialu's cell phone screen was the picture he had secretly taken when he was circling the human bone cart while the village chief was not paying attention.
There were so many people in the room at that time, and Lao Wang only had a pair of eyes, so of course he couldn't see what he did behind his back.
The angle was good, and the entire appearance of the chariot was captured in the picture. Even because of the effect of light, the subject of the photo appears weird and mysterious, making people want to take a closer look.
"What are you afraid of? Didn't Old Wang tell you that those things happened many years ago? They were just accidents that just happened to happen. With so many of us together, what could possibly happen? And don't underestimate this mere photo; it's worth a lot of money."
Cheng Jialu spoke nonchalantly, looking at the photo with great satisfaction. He was about to send it out, but found that the photo had been turning in the dialog box for a long time and there was no signal at all.
He tutted his words, "Didn't they say there's internet here? Why is the signal so bad?"
Zhai Ting became interested when she heard about the money involved: "Do you think anyone would want to buy this photo?"
"Yes, I came across the place called Nanhu Village on a forum on a website about strange stories. Everyone was chatting with each other there. After I successfully registered, I posted a reply saying that I was going to visit during the summer vacation, and then someone contacted me privately."
He said he was curious about the human bone car mentioned by netizens, but because of some taboos he could not come there in person, so he thought of asking someone to help take photos, but of course the labor fee was also a considerable amount.
Since he could come and see things that interested him and earn a living at the same time, why not do it? Cheng Jialu agreed immediately.
The other party paid the deposit very readily, which made him more interested.
As for Zhai Ting, after understanding the whole story, she felt that she had gotten a good deal and finally stopped complaining. She happily packed herself up and went out to eat with her boyfriend's arm around her.
*
"She's wearing human bones, probably around the coccyx. Even after cutting, the shape of the corners is still easy to see, but it's been there for quite a while."
After Xiaoshui walked away, someone came over to talk to him. Ding Can turned his head and found that it was the person who had just been in the hut and recognized that the chariot was made of leg bones.
The little girl naturally didn't understand any of this and just thought it looked very pretty, so she hung it around her neck. However, where these bones came from is quite a thought-provoking question.
Gao Wenwen came over and said, "Dude, you really are a doctor. One of our roommates on the same floor also works in a hospital. It's a pity he wasn't teleported to the same place as us, otherwise he would have been able to tell."
The man took the initiative to introduce himself: "My name is Yang Qi, I'm a forensic doctor, and I'm the only one left on this floor. I see that the three of you are very familiar with each other, so I can tell at a glance that you haven't just met. Since you've made it all the way here, you must be quite capable."
His words imply that he wants to make friends with them and hopes for opportunities for cooperation.
"Of course." Hearing the praise, Gao Wenwen's eyes began to shine again.
Yang Qi didn't seem to want an answer right away: "Go in first, don't keep the village chief waiting too long."
The open space in front of the village chief's house was very small, only enough to accommodate two large round tables, but it was enough for their group.
Ding Can chatted with the others at the same table. There were 18 people in this tour group that was formed before the trip. They were all selected based on relevant information found on the Internet and screened through questionnaires and other information.
"It's probably for the village's revenue. They organize some tours every year. Although the registration fee is not much, the villagers don't have high-end material consumption, so it's enough."
“Why doesn’t the local cultural tourism industry just start its business here, instead of having the villagers recruit people themselves?”
As for the person in charge of registration, he is a young man named Wang Zhi, the nephew of the village chief. He is not in the village and has long gone to work in a big city.
It’s just that the older people in the village don’t know how to use the Internet, so he handles it when he is not busy at work.
The fees collected from each event will be converted into supplies and distributed to each household, so everyone is willing to clean up the courtyard in advance before the event. In order to give tourists a better visiting experience, people basically get up early during the busy farming season to avoid affecting tourists' travel.
"Well, since there's a legend about the bone cart here, there must be some unnatural factors at play. The cultural and tourism department wouldn't dare take any responsibility. If something really happened to a tourist here, who knows how many people would be implicated."
Cheng Jialu talked about what happened before he came here. He originally wanted to go through the official route, which would provide better guarantees in terms of procedures and personal safety.
But after searching on the Internet, I couldn't find any travel agency responsible for visiting Nanhu Village.
Although we now advocate and respect science, people still have a sense of awe towards such theories about ghosts and gods.
The people of Nanhu Village have been deeply influenced by this tradition from generation to generation. They believe that the human bone cart is haunted by ghosts and may accidentally hurt outsiders, so they cannot carry out tourism projects on a large scale.
However, the relevant departments will not obstruct this kind of private and spontaneous organization. After all, Nanhu Village is far away from the prefecture and county, and its economic conditions are much worse than other villages. It can be regarded as a poverty alleviation measure.
Gao Wenwen opened his mouth and said, "So those who can come here are just curious people."
This is no different from wanting to explore a haunted house. It's all because of excessive curiosity.
Cheng Jialu picked up his chopsticks and said, "It's okay. There are so many of us here. If you go out, go in groups. The village is not big, so if anything happens, someone will definitely hear you if you shout."
Although the village is simple, the local dishes here are indeed delicious. They may be added with traditional spices, which makes people's appetites grow.
Someone saw the village chief scooping a bowl of wine from the wine vat under the eaves and asked, "Village chief, is this your homemade wine?"
Old Wang came back with the bowl in hand. "Yes, but although this wine isn't that strong, it can easily make people drunk if they haven't tried it before. I'll take you to the village later this afternoon, so you can't drink it now. If you're craving it, I'll bring it back to you in the evening."
"That's a deal."
Ding Can was halfway through his meal when someone came to tug at his clothes. He turned around and saw that it was Xiaoshui who had come over again. There were still rice grains on the corners of her mouth. She must have been strolling around after eating.
She wiped the corner of Xiaoshui's mouth clean: "Are you okay?"
Xiaoshui curled her lips, but her eyes sparkled: "Well... aren't you guys going to play by the lake this afternoon? Can you help me pick some flowers? Grandpa never lets me play there, saying there are water ghosts."
Someone died near the lake before, so it's not a lie to say there are water ghosts. The water is deep and children really shouldn't get close to it.
Ding Can agreed: "Okay, what color do you want?"
"It doesn't matter. The wild flowers there are growing beautifully, in all colors. Some are tall enough to reach me." Xiao Shuibian said, pointing to his collarbone with his hand.
"Okay, then come to the ancestral hall to find me at night." Ding Can touched her head.
"Thank you, sister." After receiving the reply, Xiaoshui took out two pieces of candy from her pocket and placed them on the edge of the table with a smile.
"The little sister is quite smart." When Gao Wenwen saw that it was milk candy, he took a piece directly, tore open the package and put it in his mouth.
Ding Can looked at the pendant around her neck again: "Who gave you this necklace?"
Xiaoshui saw Gao Wenwen eating candy, so she took out another piece and ate it herself. She spoke incoherently, "My grandfather gave it to me. I've been wearing it since I was a kid. He said it can drive away some unclean things, so I basically never take it off."
"Have you seen those things?"
"Of course not. I've been told it will keep the dirt away. Besides, I'm in very good health and haven't been sick at all."
"Xiao Shui, don't disturb the guests' meal. We have something to do later." Lao Wang shouted from another table.
"I understand, Grandpa." Xiaoshui made the shape of a flower with her hands again to remind her not to forget, then she jumped and turned and ran away.
Yu Fu saw Ding Can lowering his eyes and taking small sips of rice from his bowl. "What are you thinking about?"
"It's probably difficult for wildflowers to grow to this height. Now think about it, the weeds we saw at the village entrance were also very tall. It's amazing that they can still grow so well in such a dry environment."
"Are you saying there's something wrong with the land here?"
"Perhaps there's some kind of fertilizer buried underground that's suitable for plant growth. Thousands of years ago, there were indeed many corpses of prisoners of war here."
"Ah!" Gao Wenwen lowered his voice. "But no matter how slowly a corpse decays, it can't possibly last this long. Could it be that the plants have evolved as well?"
Ding Can poured himself a bowl of soup and said, "Let's go over and see it this afternoon. Eat well, as we'll probably have a long walk."
Although there are no hills or anything like that around Nanhu Village, the terrain is quite complex, so every time there are foreign tourists coming, the tour route is fixed.
Before each activity begins, the weeds and fallen leaves on the path will be cleared away, and any potholes after rain will be filled and repainted.
Adjacent to the southwest of the village is the former site of Nanhu Village.
Just as Lao Wang said, the houses here are in such dilapidated condition that they cannot be lived in after being repaired. No wonder a new batch of houses have to be built.
However, it can be seen that there is almost no difference in shape and architectural style.
Old Wang, wearing a straw hat, explained, "My grandfather's generation still lived here. Then one year, there was heavy rain, and the adobe houses were severely damaged. Fearing the risk of collapse, they rebuilt a new village nearby."
Cheng Jialu was still thinking about his own things: "Village Chief, is there only one bone cart in the hut? Are there more complete ones? Weren't there thousands of them made back then? There's no way they only have this one."
Although I took some precious photos, there was a wheel missing after all.
If he has the chance to see something else, he can negotiate with the buyer to increase the price of the balance, which will make the trip even more worthwhile.
Lao Wang waved his hand: "Well, so many years have passed. Even if there were any, they would have been torn apart and buried somewhere. Anyway, I haven't seen them."
It may seem strange to outsiders, but for the villagers of Nanhu Village, they have seen it since childhood and it is no different from other farming items.
"Oh, I see..." Cheng Jialu felt a little regretful, but he also thought that it would be nice to take some other pictures, just in case the boss was interested.
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