Chapter 64 The Sixty-Fourth Star



Zhou Qu originally only brought a team of expert consultants to take a look, but the work here is progressing so smoothly that they should hurry up and finalize it to avoid further disturbances later.

After everyone got together, they decided to go back to the base to rest at night, and then take their luggage to the workstation the next day to prepare for the long field investigation that was to follow.

Batu stayed at the work station for a long time, and those who returned were the remaining people.

The vehicle was jolting.

Chu Qianli was so disoriented in the car that she was dizzy when she got off. She could only hold on to Tan Muxing's backpack strap and slowly follow him back to the base: "Why do I feel like I've been riding in the car for the past two days?"

"Your feeling is right."

“This commuting time even exceeds that of first-tier cities.”

Pan Yicheng also had to arrange the work of other members of the expert advisory group. Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing went to the cafeteria to eat first, and then returned to the room to pack up and rest, preparing to set off again tomorrow.

In the dormitory, Chu Qianli finally had a smooth internet connection. She made a video call home and told her parents about her life over the past two days.

Yu Xin asked with concern: "Is Qianli used to living there? Is the dormitory environment good?"

"Our dormitory is decorated in the style of not forgetting our original aspirations." Chu Qianli held her phone obediently to show it. She walked around the room and said with a smile, "This is the kind of hard-working, simple, and exemplary feeling we want."

Yu Xin was worried that his daughter might not have enough to eat or drink when she was away from home, so seeing her laughing, he smiled and responded with a few words, and also told her to pay attention to weather changes.

He Zhenghe: "When will you be back?"

When He Shichen heard this, as the only careerist, he reminded her: "...Shouldn't you ask her about the progress of her project?"

"Of course the project went smoothly. I've only been here for two days and I've already received two sets of clothing." Chu Qianli thought of the shamanic robe and added, "Maybe I'll never lack clothes when I return!"

He Shichen looked confused: "What clothes? Project work clothes?"

"…It makes sense to call them work clothes."

After Chu Qianli informed her family that she was safe, she began to pack the things she had brought to the workstation. She inadvertently glanced at the outer robe she brought back from the village. She thought for a moment and put the outer robe into the box, intending to take it away tomorrow.

The next day, Pan Yicheng arranged for others to work elsewhere, and brought Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing to the workstation. After putting away their luggage, they visited the village again.

The environment in the village was the same as before. The natives were very friendly and enthusiastic. They waved to Tan Muxing with a smile, but were particularly respectful to Chu Qianli and saluted seriously.

Pan Yicheng sighed: "I didn't expect that the most popular ones were our little classmates."

Chu Qianli couldn't accept the villagers' worship, so she could only bow politely all the way. When she arrived at the place where the ceremony was held yesterday, she felt exhausted and sighed, "I was afraid of encountering this kind of situation. Every time I return to the village, I only contact Pingping. I didn't expect it to happen here too."

Tan Muxing smiled and comforted him: "This means that everyone recognizes your ability."

"But it's troublesome to bear other people's expectations. I'd rather feel like I'm nothing." Chu Qianli said helplessly, "Well, after we determine the location of the altar, I'll come to the village less often."

Today's animal bone divination went quite smoothly. The old lady completed the ceremony and led everyone on their way.

The old lady's name is Sarin. It is said that there was a shaman in her ancestor, but unfortunately she does not have such ability and can only simply follow the rules of her predecessors. She knows some simple treatment methods, and some life skills, and occasionally presides over sacrificial activities, which are all experiences passed down by her predecessors.

The surrounding environment is harsh, natural disasters occur frequently, and there is basically no trace of human life. The shaman led his people to settle here, and it became one of the very few villages left in this area, leaving a ray of life in the desolate area. Therefore, the villagers especially respect the shaman, and it can be said that the shaman is the core figure who maintains the clan.

Somewhere not far from the village, the expert advisory team discovered an altar under the guidance of Sharin, which was indeed a very small-scale Shaman relic.

Sarin worshipped respectfully in front, while Chu Qianli and others observed carefully and explored the totems and paintings nearby.

Pan Yicheng: "It's not really big, but it's quite old."

Tan Muxing held up the camera and asked tentatively, "Can we take pictures here?"

Sarin agreed to let the expert advisory group take photos and collect data. She stood by and waited quietly, occasionally explaining something.

"Is this the village history?" Chu Qianli admired the crude and primitive paintings. Countless images came to her mind, especially the starry sky in the picture.

"She said it was the story of when the village was built. The shaman looked at the stars in the sky and led the wandering people on the grasslands forward until they finally found a place to settle down."

Sarin looked at Chu Qianli and said a lot of things solemnly, his eyes were particularly serious.

The colleague said, "She also said that the Shaman appeared again. There must be a reason."

Chu Qianli looked panicked: "My dear, if grandma knew that I came to open up the mountains and build roads, which conflicts with their ideas, would she feel cheated?"

The two parties are now able to get along harmoniously, but they haven't talked about starting construction yet.

After seeing the altar, Chu Qianli was convinced that construction was inevitable, mainly because the shamanic relics here were not large and their value was far from enough. There were too many famous historical sites in the country, and the level of the village could not be called a tourist resource.

Pan Yicheng also had an idea in mind. Their job was to inspect and evaluate the project. Once they confirmed that there were no problems with the construction, Zhou Qu and others would complete the rest.

A railway passes through too many villages and areas, so it is impossible to stop at small villages.

After the expert advisory team collected the altar data, they were invited by the villagers to stay for dinner. This was the first time in their lives. Pan Yicheng knew it was because of Chu Qianli, so he declined the hospitality of the villagers and insisted on going back to the workstation for dinner.

At the entrance of the village, Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing stood there waiting. They were about to return to the workstation when they saw a woman and a child in ethnic costumes not far away.

The little boy, wearing a small hat and a pendant around his neck, shyly pulled at the corner of his clothes, hiding behind his mother. He secretly sized up the two of them with his eyes like black pearls, and hesitated in place, refusing to move forward.

The woman next to them tried to persuade them kindly. She bent over to comfort the little boy, and pointed in their direction with a smile, her expression showing encouragement.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing were watching this scene from the side, both of them were completely puzzled and at a loss for a moment.

After a while, the little boy finally mustered up the courage to run over. He ran over quickly with small steps, shyly stretched out his hands to the two people, put something in their hands, and then quickly ran back to his mother, as if he had used up all his strength.

Tan Muxing was stunned and said: "This is..."

Chu Qianli opened her palm and found a candy wrapped in a simple candy paper.

The two wanted to thank the little boy, but after he had done all this, he dared not look at them again. He fell into his mother's arms, blushing and unable to raise his head to see anyone, like an ostrich burying its head in the ground.

Someone at the workstation helped with the communication and exchanged a few words with the mother, explaining, “He said he hoped the shaman would like candy.”

Chu Qianli was stunned. She hesitated for a few seconds, peeled off the candy wrapper, put the candy in her mouth, and tasted the simple sweet and sour taste. She said, "Thank you, it's delicious."

The colleague passed the message back, and the mother told the boy.

The little boy's eyes were shining, but he still didn't dare to talk. He hid awkwardly in his mother's arms, just staring at the two of them quietly.

Tan Muxing waved to him friendly, but he didn't come over for a long time.

Until the group left, the little boy hid shyly and did not communicate with Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing.

"It's quite cute." Pan Yicheng said with a smile, "The kind of simple cuteness that the village kids have."

Chu Qianli said softly: "It's because I'm cute that I feel embarrassed."

Tan Muxing handed his candy to Chu Qianli and asked, "Do you want to eat more?"

"No..." Chu Qianli answered subconsciously. When she saw the candy in his palm, she suddenly hesitated and said, "Forget it, give it to me."

Chu Qianli did not eat the candy. Instead, she put it away and placed it on the table in her workstation dormitory.

In the next few days, after inspecting the village altar, everyone began to observe the terrain and provide suggestions for the engineering project.

Chu Qianli has been doing fortune-telling on the spot recently. As expected, she has not been to the village again. She and Pan Yicheng and Tan Muxing have been running around all day, covered in dust and suffering from backaches.

She did understand Feng Shui before, but she did not have much practical experience. Now she has learned a lot from Pan Yicheng, and has also understood some common points between civil engineering knowledge and fortune-telling, and learned to use scientific methods to explain some Feng Shui rules.

My grandfather used to understand Feng Shui but not civil engineering. He only taught methods but never explained the reasons. Professor Pan is now making up for this lesson.

The three of them gradually became familiar with each other at work and occasionally talked about the past in their spare time.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing would sometimes ask about Yetang Jushi's time and share his past deeds with Pan Yicheng.

Pan Yicheng took the red crystal compass and examined it again and again, saying nostalgically, "This is really an old compass. I don't know how long it has been since I last saw it. I never thought it would be in your hands now."

"I feel really old now that I see it." Pan Yicheng smiled bitterly, "I was traveling with your master back then, but now I'm traveling with you guys."

Pan Yicheng didn't observe for too long and returned the compass to Chu Qianli.

Chu Qianli asked curiously, "Does Professor Pan know the origin of the compass?"

Pan Yicheng once appeared in Chu Yilie's travel notes, and perhaps he knew where his grandfather went.

Tan Muxing: "And the stone on the compass."

"Your master also studied it, but in the end he didn't make any sense." Pan Yicheng pondered, "I remember that they each had one at the time, and they all had a master. I think I'm the only one who doesn't have one."

Chu Qianli reminded: "...No, you have a college diploma."

"There are only a few well-known schools of divination in the country. Although many people claim to be from a certain sect and claim that they are the orthodox ones, to be honest, the tradition has been passed down for too long and there are too many branches. However, the few people I knew when I was young were really amazing, and the founders of their sects basically had adventures, maybe similar experiences."

Pan Yicheng pointed to the red crystal in the center of the compass and said, "Your master wanted to know what that adventure was. We traveled all over the world. Of course, I was working on the project, and he came here to eat. Later, he told me that the time had not come yet, and he seemed to have returned to the sect."

Chu Qianli was stunned: "Free meal?"

Pan Yicheng: "That's right! In our time, supplies were scarce. I had a high rank and received a lot of subsidies, so I could exchange for more things. Your master only liked refined rice and flour. I couldn't finish it all by myself, so he often came over to have a bite..."

"It's really sad to think about it. Now is not the time to be hungry, and I don't earn as much as his apprentice." Pan Yicheng sighed sourly.

Tan Muxing said soothingly: "But we are still working under the professor now."

Pan Yicheng: "Yes! That makes sense when you think about it. Your master has eaten a lot of my food, and it's okay for him to be his disciple now!"

Chu Qianli: “?”

Chu Qianli suddenly realized that what grandpa wrote was not a travelogue, but a history of free meals. He ate wherever he went and even put the bill on himself.

When Pan Yicheng heard that the two were studying the compass, he guessed that Chu Qianli wanted to avoid premature death, and said, "I'll go back and ask someone to help you. If it doesn't work, I'll save face. I saw all three items before, but I've forgotten them after so many years. I'll see if I can lend them to you someday."

"Except for your master who ran away without saying a word, the others should still be contactable." Pan Yicheng sighed, "But he talked to me about his fate, so it's understandable."

Tan Muxing looked puzzled: "What fate?"

Chu Qianli explained calmly, "There are five disadvantages and three drawbacks to this line of work. Grandpa has no relatives to rely on in his later years. Logically, there is no one to bury him. If we force him to be associated with relatives and old friends, it may even provoke greater conflicts, and even the best relationship may be ruined."

The five evils are widowhood, widowhood, loneliness, solitude and disability; the three deficiencies are money, life and power.

Chu Qianli didn't expect that Pan Yicheng knew about this. No wonder Professor Pan always said "your master" instead of "your grandpa". It seems that he was confirming that Chu Qianli and Chu Yilie have no blood relationship.

Tan Muxing was stunned. Wang Ping once said that Chu Qianli arranged Chu Yilie's burial alone. At this moment, he suddenly had a deeper understanding.

After many days of hard work, the workstation finally adjusted the plan to move the railway further away from the village. This was not because of the villagers' beliefs, but because the area of ​​the original plan was checked and combined with the future trend of mountain changes, there might be unnecessary safety hazards. It would be better to make it foolproof now.

The good thing about this is that it reduces some trouble for Batu and others. The new plan is better than the old one and it is easier to communicate with the villagers.

Chu Qianli inspected the area nearby. Through the method of imagery, she was certain that there were many ferocious mountains in this area and estimated that the population would not increase in the future.

Chu Qianli held the candy in her hand, which was the gift from the little boy that day. She felt unhappy: "Ah, so once expectations are placed on you, things become very troublesome."

Tan Muxing noticed her confusion and asked, "What's the matter?"

Chu Qianli pinched the candy wrapper repeatedly. She looked at the melted candy in the package and said frankly, "The railway can also be seen as a kind of wealth route. The old plan was closer to the village and slightly extended the vitality of the village, but it conflicted with their beliefs. The new plan is far away from the village, so the influence is very weak..."

"But after all, this place is not suitable for people to live in. The feng shui itself is not suitable." Chu Qianli said distressedly. It would be fine if she couldn't see it, but the key was that she could see it. Whether she cared or not, things would happen one after another.

She has to determine the best choice, and this is how karma is generated, and different choices lead to different karmas.

Tan Muxing: "But Grandma Sarin said that it was the shamans who chose the location and said the village was the most suitable place to live."

"That's for sure. That was the limitation at the time. They could only wander around this area. The location in the village was like picking a general among dwarfs. There was no better place nearby." Chu Qianli said, "It's different now. We can go outside and have more choices."

Chu Qianli hung her head in despair: "But this will create new workload, and people may not be willing to accept suggestions."

Tan Muxing understood everything. Batu and others were divided over the idea of ​​starting construction. Chu Qianli bluntly said that they should not live here, which was a sharp poke in the villagers' lungs, no less than dancing in a minefield.

Tan Muxing: "Why don't we discuss this with Professor Pan? See if there are any other methods?"

Inside the workstation, Pan Yicheng was originally finalizing the details with Zhou Qu. When he heard the two's idea, he was surprised and asked, "Do you want to relocate the entire village?"

"This is inappropriate." Pan Yicheng glanced at Zhou Qu cautiously, fearing that the other party would angrily refute Chu Qianli's fantastic idea.

Zhou Qu was always conservative, but now he was quite calm. He glanced at Chu Qianli in surprise and said, "Old Pan, the people you brought are more thoughtful than you thought. In fact, we wanted to relocate them from the beginning and even found a place, but they refused to move."

Pan Yicheng was stunned: "I don't know about this, I thought it was you who started the trouble."

"No, we originally planned to relocate the village and merge it with other villages to form a Shaman Folk Village, which would be the people near our base, and then build a large village again." Zhou said, "But they didn't want to leave, so we started to open up the mountains, and then we called you here."

Chu Qianli said bluntly: "Maybe the relocation payment was not enough. If they demolished ten or eight houses, it should be possible. Maybe the money is not enough."

Zhou Qu: "Not really. The local folk village provides support and the conditions are actually quite good, but they don't want to leave. Village children now travel far to go to school and are unwilling to move closer to school."

Tan Muxing hesitated and asked, "Is it a belief? Worship the mountain god and never leave the mountain."

"I don't know." Zhou Qu looked at Chu Qianli and said seriously, "If we really want to relocate, we don't have to worry about the process. The key is whether you can persuade them. I heard that the locals have come to do the work several times. If we can do it, it will definitely be a great success."

Pan Yicheng: "If you really want to give it a try, you can ask Batu to take you there again. If he appreciates it, then move forward. If he really doesn't want to, forget it. A forced melon is not sweet."

The two originally thought that the possibility of mobilizing a large number of people to relocate the village was extremely low, but they did not expect that Zhou Qu and others had already considered it. The only difficulty turned out to be persuading the villagers.

On the familiar road, Batu and others walked in front, while Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing followed behind.

Chu Qianli went to the village again. Her mood was completely different. She said self-deprecatingly, "Could it be that I was a shaman before? Everyone will condemn me after today's conversation."

As an astrologer, Chu Qianli has experienced this very well. Sometimes, if you mention something that others don't want to hear, they may look down on you. However, sometimes you have to keep silent. She is not sure whether the villagers' attitude will change, so she can only do it with a clear conscience.

Batu comforted him: "It's okay, they probably can't beat your friend. After all, he has won a fight against the villagers. It's possible that we will be beaten."

Tan Muxing complained weakly: "Brother Batu, there seems to be something wrong with the way you comfort people..."

Chu Qianli became excited as she thought about it. She clenched her fist proudly and said, "No problem. There are stars. I guess I won't be the one getting beaten."

Tan Muxing: “?”

Batu already knew the whole story. As he walked towards the village entrance, he said, "Although I am doing a project at the workstation, I sincerely hope that they can move out. This will make things more convenient, but to be honest, I can understand their thoughts."

"Don't you want to move away?"

"Yeah, the main thing is moving around, but where are we going?" Batu sighed, "I have been moving with them since I was a child, but now I don't know what tribe I belong to except for my ID card information."

"My college classmates think I am a minority, but my grandfather's people think I am not. A lot of things are broken when it comes to me. Sometimes I don't even know which side I belong to, but I just live my life like this." Batu said casually, "There was a time when I wanted to learn Mongolian, but later I gave up because I felt tired, and it ended in vain."

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing fell silent after hearing this. They had never experienced this before and didn't know what to say for a while.

Batu smiled bitterly: "Sometimes I am afraid of forgetting my roots."

They are so closely integrated with the people around them that sometimes they even lose sight of themselves. They are thinking about picking up their own national culture, but it is diluted when too many things happen.

Tan Muxing noticed Batu's lost mood, he didn't know how to comfort him, he said: "If there is a chance, let you, Batu, choose again..."

Batu wiped away his sadness and said decisively: "They are still a minority, at least they have some extra points occasionally."

Tan Muxing responded to his quick response: “?”

Chu Qianli: "It seems that your subconscious mind has not forgotten your roots."

Batu said gratefully: "Thank you, I feel more confident now. If you ask me this, I will never forget it."

Tan Muxing: "..."


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