Chapter 20 (Bomb Egg)
Xia Mingjiang paused for a moment, then frowned and sniffed.
"What? I can't smell it. Isn't it just this rotten smell?"
Luo Yin was puzzled, but she didn't see any joking on his face.
But she clearly sensed something was off, so she shook her head and suppressed the matter.
As the two were busy, they saw someone else coming from the outer city.
Luo Yin saw the familiar attire and quickly hid behind.
"Brother Xia, who are those people?"
Xia Mingjiang was squatting on the ground, carefully processing the newly unearthed pottery jar with tools. He looked up when he heard the little girl ask.
"You mean them? Of course, they're researchers too, here to help us."
Luo Yin looked surprised. "They are all?"
She looked suspiciously at the group of people walking towards them; the two leaders had menacing expressions and were clearly not simple people.
Xia Mingjiang stopped what he was doing and quickly stepped forward to block the crowd.
"Hey, wait a minute, what are you doing? These are cultural relics on the ground. Don't wander around or touch them. If you accidentally break them, you won't be able to bear the consequences." The group of people who came over didn't dare to step forward when they heard him say this. Their faces were all very ugly. One of them glanced at the leader and said directly.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you young comrade? This is Director Lin Hailin, who came here specifically to supervise your field investigation."
Luo Yin had already sensed that they didn't get along, so she secretly hid a little further back.
“I know, Director Lin came early this morning. This place is messy, there’s hardly any room to step. You guys could move back a bit.”
Xia Mingjiang showed them no mercy, forcing them to retreat as he spoke.
Lin Hai's chest heaved with anger, and his eyes were filled with fury as he looked at Xia.
But he didn't dare offend them, so he could only suppress his anger and force a smile, "Comrade Xia, I know your work is difficult, and we're not here to cause trouble. Look, we've brought several helpers with us today. How about we let Old Xia take a look and see if these guys can be of any help?"
He gestured for the people behind him to come out.
When Xia Mingjiang heard him mention Old Master Xia, his eyes narrowed as if he was about to speak again.
But when he saw several elderly comrades with weathered and aged faces, he was instantly speechless.
Seeing Lin Hai's expression soften, he felt smug.
His tone became even more aggressive as he said, "What's wrong with you old guys? Hurry up and introduce yourselves to Comrade Xia. Don't think things are still the same as before. Remember, the organization is giving you this opportunity to start anew."
"That's right, if it weren't for Director Lin and Team Leader Yang, you guys would still be in labor reform on the farm right now. Hurry up and say something."
As he spoke, the man stepped forward and gave him a push.
The old man was weak and lost his balance, so he fell forward with the force of the fall. There were some newly unearthed cultural relics right in front of him, and his expression immediately changed.
Try your best to control yourself from falling forward.
The people around also changed their expressions drastically.
They all tried to reach out and pull him up, but it was too late.
Lin Hai shouted angrily, "You really are bad elements, you came here just to cause trouble."
"Stop them right now and take them all back."
As he spoke, he pulled the two elderly men back and pinned them down.
Xia Mingjiang's face darkened as he looked at Lin Hai.
Lin Hai's smile hadn't even faded yet; he was already waiting for him to personally damage the artifact so he could take advantage of the situation.
In that instant, Lao Gu even thought about what would happen to him after his death, but he absolutely refused to allow cultural relics to be damaged because of him.
It was hateful that he reacted too slowly and couldn't control himself. He resented his current incompetence and slowly closed his eyes.
All of this happened in that instant.
Luo Yin saw everything clearly from the side, and although she didn't want to attract everyone's attention, it was probably too late.
She pulled out her whip, rushed forward, and grabbed and pulled Old Gu.
Then, like a sandbag, she picked him up and carried him away.
As soon as Lin Hai and the others saw the accident, they immediately turned their attention to her.
Old Gu sensed something was wrong and opened his eyes to see a little dark-skinned girl.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that she was the one who had saved him.
"Thank you, thank you, young lady!" Old Gu was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly thanked her while swaying unsteadily.
"It's alright, are you alright? I'm so sorry for the panic just now." She quickly let go of Old Gu and helped him sit down.
Xia gave her a thumbs up when she saw that everything was alright.
"Well done, you're a great girl." He praised her with a hearty laugh.
When he turned around, he immediately looked at the group with a serious expression.
"Director Lin, you should tell your men to stay away from this area. If he hadn't made the move, this wouldn't have happened."
He stepped forward and pushed away the people restraining them. "And those two comrades, since you're here to help, then we won't trouble you. Just leave them to us!"
Seeing his firm stance, Lin Hai didn't know what else to say.
He glared at his men, ordered them to release them, then lingered on Luo Yin's face for a while before leaving reluctantly.
The other two comrades quickly ran to Lao Gu. The older comrades whispered something to each other, and then looked at Xia.
Xia Mingjiang stepped forward and spoke to them in a low voice.
Luo Yin's gossip radar went off, and she pricked up her ears to listen. Before she could even ask, she heard shouts coming from underground.
"What's wrong?"
"Xia Mingjiang, where have you been? Come and get your things right now."
Xia Mingjiang was treating the old comrade's injury when he heard this and quickly called for Luo Yin.
"Go and see what's wrong, I'm busy here."
Luo Yin was speechless, but she could see that the other side seemed to have really injured his arm.
They had no choice but to run to the cave entrance and peer down into the cellar.
"Someone's here! What's wrong?"
Below is the excavation site. Due to limited conditions, people need to squat down and hand out the artifacts inside.
Down below, Huo Sen recognized the voice and asked, "Where's Xia Mingjiang? What happened to him?"
A deep male voice echoed into her ears.
Luo Yin, who was half-lying down, turned her head to look at him. "He's fine. He's helping someone out. If you need anything, give it to me. I can help you."
This position was uncomfortable to lie in for too long, so she quickly reached in.
The man underground finally breathed a sigh of relief. "No need."
"Ah, what do you mean you don't need it?"
She didn't hear clearly and wanted to lean closer to listen carefully.
As Hosen climbed up the wooden railing, Loin heard Siso's voice below grow louder.
She turned her head to the side and looked down.
A round, plump thing rose up.
"What is this?"
She reached out to take it, only to find it warm and very elastic to the touch.
She was startled.
She collapsed to the ground with a "Ah~".
"What the hell is this?!"
Hosen, whose face had been touched, was also startled. If he hadn't held on tightly, he probably would have fallen right away.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Startled by her shout, Xia Xia also ran over.
Luo Yin's face turned pale, and she pointed to the cave entrance.
There's something strange in there.
Upon hearing what she said, the people present all looked in that direction.
The "strange thing" that was being targeted popped its head out, and Hosen emerged from it with two muddy hands on his head.
"Pfft~ What's wrong with you?"
Xia Mingjiang couldn't help but laugh when he saw the handprints on his face.
Hosen remained silent, his gaze drifting to the ground.
I've confirmed it was her just now.
Luo Yin quickly got up and hid behind her.
That's so embarrassing, it's incredibly shameful.
She rubbed her hands together and realized she couldn't remember what had gotten into them so muddy.
Thinking about her behavior just now, she looked around and thankfully there was no one else there. There were only five people present besides her, and the three senior figures among them should not say anything.
He probably won't say it; Comrade Xia can just fool him and he'll forget about it.
Well, thankfully my face was saved.
As she was thinking this, she saw him exchange a few words with Xia Mingjiang, and the two of them pointed to the three comrades.
Soon, two of them followed him down.
Xia Mingjiang walked towards her. "I didn't scare you just now, did I? It's nothing, it was just a misunderstanding."
Xia Mingjiang explained, feeling somewhat apologetic.
"It's okay, but what's the cellar down there for? Is it still under construction?" she asked him curiously.
Xia Mingjiang had a look on his face that said, "You don't understand."
"You don't understand. Many things in this cellar have been damaged. As archaeological researchers, we have to be extremely careful to find anything of value inside."
"We can't just rush up here because of the difficult conditions."
"But I don't think there's enough oxygen down there with just this one opening."
Xia Mingjiang had a look on his face that said, "You know this too?"
"Of course it's not enough, but this cellar has more than one entrance, and they take turns coming out every few hours."
Seeing that they all had plans, Luo Yin felt relieved.
With the addition of three more comrades, the pace of the operation has accelerated considerably compared to before.
Luo Yin realized just how meticulous professionals can be when doing professional work.
The old man Gu, whom she had saved earlier, thanked her sincerely and gave her a silver coin that he always carried with him.
Luo Yin refused to accept it, feeling that she hadn't done anything wrong.
Old Master Gu insisted that she accept it, saying it was all he could offer.
Seeing that both of them insisted on their own way, Xia Mingjiang thought for a moment and decided to let her accept it.
He tried to persuade her, saying that the item was quite old, and giving it to her was a token of respect from Old Master Gu, a thank you gift for his help earlier.
Old Gu nodded repeatedly, expressing his sincere gratitude. He knew he would have given away far more in previous years, but this was all he could offer now.
Old Gu's expression revealed a touch of sadness as he thought of the past.
Seeing that further refusal would be too much, Luo Yin accepted it.
She touched the silver coin, not noticing its value, but feeling that it was an old item.
Xia, who was standing next to her, quietly reminded her, "If you were to trade this thing, it would be worth at least several tens of yuan."
"So many?" Luo Yin looked at him in surprise.
"Yes, of course, this is a very rare find."
"Oh, it's a classic model. I'll have to put it away properly."
Feeling uneasy about putting it in her pocket, she took it out again and put it inside her lining.
Everyone was so busy that they didn't get to eat until they changed shifts.
Luo Yin was so hungry that she sat in the corner, picked up the porridge and drank it. She really didn't expect that all these people were workaholics.
I didn't notice that it was almost sunset outside when I was having lunch.
After she finally finished eating, the people next to her who had already eaten started getting busy again.
Luo Yin shook her head to indicate that she couldn't. "Brother Xia, I'll go back first, feed my horse, and then come back."
Xia Mingjiang nodded and told her to go, then continued working with his comrades.
Luo Yin ran back to the camp and saw that Da Bai was already impatient.
Upon seeing her, it started barking, so she quickly led it out and fed it some beans.
Then he rode his horse and galloped away into the distance.
After it had frolicked and eaten its fill of grass and water, it slowly made its way back.
It was already getting dark, and Big White, exhausted, fell asleep.
When she returned to the inner city, she found it crowded with people.
Not knowing what had happened, everyone stared solemnly at the cave not far away.
As Luo Yin approached, she saw several familiar faces coming up from below.
I didn't see Elder Xia or Elder Gu.
She saw Xia and the dark-faced young man standing by the cave entrance. She wanted to ask what had happened, but seeing their equally somber expressions, she decided against it.
So they simply waited, looking expectantly down into the ground.
Time passed second by second, and many people who were standing switched to sitting.
Finally, a sound came from below.
"So, what did you find?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't shout and disturb Teacher Xia and Teacher Gu."
Luo Yin pricked up her ears, only to hear the babbling.
Then came a foul smell.
She frowned and looked down at her feet.
A sense of unease crept into my heart.
Sure enough, something else was handed up from below.
She heard the crowd cheering and jumping for joy, and she knew immediately that they were excited and looking forward to it.
Kroin, however, felt her earlobes burning.
The heat made her heart pound; she knew she had to get out of there quickly.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she rushed out; but while squeezing in was easy, getting out was not so simple.
Many people went inside, but she was the only one who wanted to go out.
Even though she was agile, it still took some time.
The researchers, who had been repeatedly told to be careful, finally managed to safely place the pottery jar down.
The researchers stood a few steps away, their eyes filled with curiosity and eagerness.
The group that climbed up one after another were Elder Xia and Elder Gu, who had discovered them.
As soon as the elderly comrades stood firm, they removed the hands that were helping them and looked at it with the same eagerness.
"This pottery jar has an ordinary design and simple workmanship; it should be a common item."
"Not bad, judging from the texture and pattern, it's an ordinary item, but there seems to be something inside. I wonder what it is?"
"There's a rattling sound inside, probably some liquid or something."
As they were talking, Xia Mingjiang spotted Luo Yin in the crowd.
He reached out and pulled her aside.
"Hey, be careful, come this way."
Someone carefully lifted the lid, and Luo Yin was instantly rendered speechless by the stench.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh~"
"Let me go first."
She staggered a few steps and stepped back.
The others, who were also affected by the fumes, looked at the jar with strange expressions.
Hosen frowned as he watched the little girl, who reacted more strongly than anyone else, run outside.
They quickly turned their attention back to Old Xia.
Just then, they poured something round out of it.
The thing rolled away.
Everyone present was stunned, and then Elder Xia asked in astonishment, "This is an egg?"
The veteran comrades also seemed incredulous.
Luo Yin covered her nose and looked back, seeing that they were all on the ground looking at something.
Suddenly, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Run! It's going to explode!"
Her exclamation caused everyone who heard it to turn their heads instantly.
Luo Yin waved her hand and shouted, "It really will explode, rotten eggs!"
The next second, the thing that had rolled on the ground really exploded with a "bang".
Suddenly, Luo Yin saw many small, broken things lying under the warm light.
Then, a vomiting sound rang out.
All the researchers were infected.
They were drenched from head to toe with rotten eggs!
Even though Luo Yin was far away, she felt a chill run down her spine when she saw their miserable state.
Luckily, I didn't get hit; I ran fast enough to avoid it.
Old Xia and the others, who had just realized what was happening, looked at the jar and their expressions changed repeatedly.
The elderly comrades looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Seeing that the others were vomiting from the fumes, Old Xia quickly told them to clean up first.
I was helped out along with several other comrades.
It was more than an hour later when they recovered.
The planned overtime work was also cancelled.
Let's just let everyone go home and get some rest, and continue the excavation work tomorrow.
Old Xia, who sat down to recount the events of the past, also looked somewhat pale.
"This egg is really dangerous!"
Much later, he said this.
Xia Mingjiang shivered from the cold. "Yeah, who knew there were eggs that had been sitting in there for so long?"
He had just washed in the river; the water was really cold.
Hosen, standing next to him, was still dripping wet, but he was much calmer than him.
"Old Xia, before we go down tomorrow, we might as well check it out first, just in case there's anything else inside."
Old Xia readily agreed, considering what was going on today.
Xia Mingjiang slammed his hand on the table. "I just remembered! Did that girl know beforehand? Why would she warn us?"
His question made both Elder Xia and Huo Sen serious.
"Indeed, she did remind us at the time."
"Yeah, could it be that she smelled it? But how did she know that thing would explode?"
After pondering for a moment, Old Xia explained, "Frying eggs isn't actually that difficult. Perhaps she's seen it before."
As Old Xia spoke, his expression remained quite serious.
"By the way, was Xia with you today?"
When he asked her about her, Hosen's eyes flickered.
“She’s been helping me out all day, and nothing’s gone wrong. She even saved Old Master Gu once.”
"Oh, is that so?" Old Xia asked in surprise.
Xia then explained what had happened, and the two of them finally understood.
Luo Yin, who had been nagged countless times, didn't care at all. After comforting Da Bai, she went back to rest.
Lying in her small bed, she felt a pang of homesickness.
I thought it would be easy to come out and get the money so easily.
But at this moment, she realized that these archaeologists also have it tough, as they often encounter dangerous situations.
Those researchers didn't have much ability to protect themselves.
She was genuinely worried about them, but there was nothing she could do.
She fell asleep amidst this helpless and anxious worry, her brows furrowed even in her sleep.
The next day, she felt much more relaxed when she got up.
Just like yesterday: feeding the horses, washing up, and eating.
I strolled over to the scene.
The scene appeared to have been cleaned up, but the air still reeked of unpleasant odors.
She looked around and realized that Comrade Xia was not there.
She searched frantically and found him behind another wall.
"Hey, you changed locations today?"
Xia Mingjiang nodded with a frustrated look, "We can't stay in that place for now. We dug a hole from here, which still leads inside."
Luo Yin followed the trail and, sure enough, it was true.
"So what do I need to do?"
Xia Mingjiang crossed his arms and observed her intently and carefully.
He saw her looking at him with a puzzled expression.
He then asked, "How could you be so sure yesterday that it would explode?"
Luo Yin was dumbfounded, then thought for a moment.
"Oh, because we've run into each other before."
"Didn't you know that if an egg or other type of egg is left in a sealed space for a long time, it may become infected when it is taken out?"
Seeing her so certain made me feel like I was ignorant.
He quickly changed the subject, "Next time something like this happens, remember to pull me up." No need for just words; a simple tug would do the trick.
Luo Yin nodded perfunctorily, watching the sky grow brighter and brighter.
I couldn't help but think of my second brother and the others.
I wonder how his competition results were.
The third day happened to be the time for the 30-kilometer endurance run.
Mu Ren got ready early and led Bai Xue to the competition venue.
The older brother and his fiancée standing next to him cheered him on.
Mu Ren looked into the distance with regret, thinking that he wished his younger sister were here.
The atmosphere at the scene was incredibly high after two consecutive days of intense build-up.
On the third day, the contestants gave it their all from the very beginning.
They urged the horses to gallop further, and at first everyone was holding their breath as they ran.
But the journey was too long, and there were always people who got hit, and many fell off their horses along the way.
Throughout the race, Mu Ren maintained a medium stance, running in the center.
Bai Xue seemed to have its own rhythm, maintaining its speed regardless of which horses overtook or replaced it. At first, Mu Ren was also anxious, thinking that something was wrong with it.
After gesturing for a long time, he realized that Bai Xue was doing it on purpose.
Having gotten a feel for its temperament, Mu Ren couldn't bear to whip it, so he could only let it run like this.
Fortunately, I wasn't at the bottom of the pack throughout the whole race; I always managed to get a front-row seat.
However, it seems unlikely that they can win in the top few places.
During the last two laps, they came into view from the stands.
Hada clenched his fists nervously as he looked at the distance between himself and Muren.
"This location is probably not good."
"Yeah, everyone else has started charging?"
As soon as the elder sister-in-law finished speaking, several horses were seen accelerating forward.
Many people even threw out their whips and lashed them hard on their horses.
Mu Ren was both anxious and helpless, so he had no choice but to pat its head.
"Bai Xue, look at this! Don't be lazy anymore, hurry up and get going!"
Bai Xue called out, and seeing many horses looking at it, it sped up and rushed out with its master.
He overtook the other horses on the bend, accelerated past them, and moved into third place.
With only one lap left, Mu Ren excitedly shouted, pulling on the reins.
"Snow White, charge!"
"Charge!"
Seemingly sensing its owner's emotions, Snow White did not slow down.
Continue chasing after the two horses' rumps ahead.
Mu Ren watched the whole thing, seeing it slowly catch up with one animal and then go after another.
Soon, in the final few steps of the finish line, the horse's high hooves crossed the red line.
"Aaaaaaahhhhh~"
"I won!"
"Bai Xue, well done." He hugged Bai Xue and kissed her several times.
Hada laughed and picked her up, spinning her around several times.
"Hahaha, that's my younger brother. He's the one who came in first place."
"Hahaha, I beat him, that's amazing."
Countless applause erupted at the scene, cheering for him.
Luo Yin was unaware that her second brother had overtaken her on the curve and won first place in the race.
At this moment, the researchers digging underground seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.
She sensed something from the faint scent emanating from the hole.
She was confused and felt conflicted!
I don't think I had this feeling before; it seems like it only started after she fell off her horse.
Her nose seemed to be working even better than before; she could always smell some strange odors.
The smells inside the camp were within the normal range.
But this is the second time I've smelled something indescribable here.
Just like those rotten eggs from yesterday!
The thought of rotten eggs made her face darken.
Looking at Comrade Xia beside her, she opened her mouth and said, "Comrade Xia, I'd like to go out for a bit."
Xia Mingjiang was busy and didn't see the change in her expression.
"Ah, go ahead."
"Okay!" She strolled out and wandered around outside for a bit.
I didn't go in right away; I quietly hid to the side.
Seeing that director from yesterday in the distance, I quickly hid behind an old wall.
Sure enough, Director Lin and his men came to cause trouble again.
"Comrade Xia, I heard you had some trouble yesterday. How is it? What's the situation now?"
Xia Mingjiang put down his pen and dealt with him with a sense of helplessness.
There was another comrade next to Lin Hai, Yang Lixin.
Team Leader Yang was even better at talking than him, and his words implied that he wanted to see the unearthed artifacts.
They ostensibly check work progress and prepare reports in advance.
Xia Mingjiang's face turned cold, as if he were about to turn hostile.
But remembering the instructions given by Elder Xia and Elder Gu, he held back and called someone over.
"Take them to tent number one, but remember, you can only look at what's inside, not touch it." He emphasized the second half of the sentence.
"Don't worry, isn't Comrade Xia coming with us?"
Xia Mingjiang forced a smile and said, "No, I still have to write the excavation report."
Lin Hai seemed reluctant, but in the end he followed along.
After watching the commotion, Luo Yin secretly glanced at the spot where she was squatting.
The back room of the shop was in a mess. Apart from a few traces, all the wood had rotted away.
According to Comrade Xia, this entire area was constructed of wood with carved beams and painted rafters during the Yuan Dynasty.
The outer city walls were protected by hard mud and sand, while the inner city incorporated Han Chinese house construction, which was quite unusual.
Luo Yin didn't notice anything different; she just marveled at how big the place was.
She had done some sightseeing in the two days she had been here, but she hadn't even finished exploring this city. They said there were thirteen such cities along the Jinlian River.
Luo Yin suddenly felt a little regretful. Could they finish their work within a month?
If not, wouldn't I be unable to leave?
She felt frustrated and sighed, realizing she had made a mistake.
Thinking this, she tried to stand up, supporting herself on the broken wooden stake.
I don't know what gnawed on it, but it broke in the middle when I applied force.
With a "poof" sound, it was as if something had been poked open.
Luo Yin looked over curiously and saw that a black hole had appeared where she had just been standing.
"What's going on? Is there a cellar?"
She forgot to ask what kind of shops were inside, but she didn't go up there rashly.
She turned around and ran to find Comrade Xia, and told him what had happened.
Xia Mingjiang hadn't expected this turn of events, so he ran over with a flashlight.
Upon seeing the light, his expression changed drastically.
"What's wrong?"
"You stay here and guard this place. Don't let anyone leave."
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