Chapter 16
The soil covering the surface was swept away layer by layer. When the gray-yellow soil particles were removed by the shovel, the bricks and stone slabs that had been sleeping for thousands of years were revealed underground.
At a depth of about seven or eight meters from the ground, facing southeast, the mountains are undulating. Standing in the cave and looking into the distance, you can see the mountains rising from here, extending along the terrain, and falling back through the gorge, opening up a wide field of vision.
She found a brush and carefully dusted the dirt off the coffin, her movements meticulous and serious. She circled the coffin and called over the young men waiting nearby. Together, the five of them worked to remove the stone slab pressing against it.
The slate creaked, the friction between the stones bringing a stale smell back. Even with a protective mask, the murky air still made every breath feel like the air was robbing my lungs of oxygen.
When the cover was fully opened, the few teenagers closest to it almost froze in place.
I was so scared that my eyes widened and it seemed as if even my breathing stopped for a moment.
His body, its outline and shape completely blurred, lay quietly within the coffin. Flesh and bones separated, his face began to rot, and flies and insects that specialized in feeding on decaying flesh flew out of his body.
The man's body was wrapped in one piece of clothing after another. He was wearing a dark robe with a rather wide collar. One could vaguely see the fabric undershirt he wore on the second layer, and even after so many years, one could still clearly see the delicate and complex pattern on the outermost garment.
Beneath the body lay a thick, finer silk blanket. Inside the coffin were carved patterns of mountains, rivers, and clouds. Zooming in, the pattern revealed a unique shape, a sense of lifelike flight, and a vivid, almost ethereal quality. Against the backdrop of the polarized silk at the base, the body's reclining posture and posture were remarkably tranquil.
"Li Cheng, this..." Zhou Shengnan stood up and waved when she saw several people running over.
Zhou Yiheng was confused. He just saw that everyone was rushing forward. Curiosity drove him to go over and take a look, but this one look scared him so much that he screamed.
Reports he had only occasionally glimpsed in TV dramas and on the news now appeared vividly before him. Those ancient and distant histories were now so clear that he could even smell the profound aroma of history.
Zhou Yi turned sideways, the shock of the scene stirring fear within him. His face was incomplete, revealing what looked more like a piece of rotting flesh than a face. Through the cracked skin, yellowed bones could be seen. His head screamed wildly, but he couldn't move. His pupils constricted, his heart skipped a beat, his body trembled, the hair on his arms stood up, and his calves felt cramped and weak. He stumbled and lost consciousness, just in time to see Xiao Xiao approaching.
Seeing the fear in his eyes, his heaving chest, and his disordered breathing, Xiao Xiao patted his shoulder and asked, "Are you scared?"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, trying to get rid of the scene he had just seen from his mind, but found that it was of little use. He squeezed his palms tightly and tried to calm himself down. "I have never seen anything like this before."
There was some trepidation and trembling in his voice.
Xiao Xiao continued to pat his shoulder and jokingly asked: "Have you seen The Walking Dead?"
Zhou Yiheng was still apprehensive, "These two are different"
There is a fundamental difference between what you see in reality and what you know is fake through a layer of glass in front of you as a TV drama.
Xiao Xiao wasn't surprised by his reaction. Anyone seeing something for the first time would probably react the same way. It was just his bad luck. If he'd come across a coffin that was hundreds or even thousands of years old, opening it would only reveal a pile of weathered bones. It was this kind of coffin, neither too short nor too long, that was the most unpleasant.
The natural consumption of the body's flesh and bones has a fixed cycle, and what he encountered this time was the most embarrassing period in this cycle.
Xiao Xiao gave him a tissue and said, "You'll get used to it."
Zhou Yiheng threw away the napkin and wiped the cold sweat from his face. He asked, "Aren't you afraid?"
"The same thing, you'll get used to it. Look at the boss's expression, does he look scared?" Xiao Xiao gestured.
Yang Ye had already walked to the front and was looking at the opened coffin, deep in thought.
The wind blowing in his face seemed to carry a disgusting smell of decay, a smell that was both pungent and stinging to the eyes, making Yang Ye's stomach churn and feel uncomfortable.
Those who were nearby began to run away, either raising their hands to cover their faces or looking around to see if there were any remaining masks.
Before anyone could react, Yang Ye suddenly knelt down, raised his hands towards the open coffin, clapped his hands upwards and bowed three times in a row, then stood up, touched the outer edge of the coffin, walked to the head and tail, and knocked three more times.
She closed her eyes and bowed to the sky.
"Excuse me," she said softly.
Zhou Yiheng was surprised and asked, "What is the boss doing?"
"Pray to the people and the ghosts, and respect the heaven and the earth," Xiao Xiao looked at Yang Ye and answered in a deep voice. She stared at the coffin and saw Yang Ye put his hands down and gently pat the outer edge of the coffin. When he saw her stand up, Xiao Xiao seemed to be relieved and joked, "Boss's belief, for good luck."
Seeing the person standing up, Zhou Shengnan glanced at Li Cheng and said with a smirk, "Didn't Li Cheng pat his chest and say that he could do it himself? Why did he call you over again?"
When Yang Ye saw her, he nodded as a greeting.
Looking at the cover they took off, the dark and heavy stone lid was stood up and placed aside. There were several obvious carvings on the surface. Perhaps because of the mixture of time and the mud stuck on it, the area around these carvings was turbid. Yang Ye asked Zhou Shengnan for a brush to clear away the loose mud on the surface bit by bit.
This is a very complete epitaph, but for some reason it was used as a lid on the coffin.
The inscription reads: "Mrs. Zhou is a virtuous woman. She married at the age of fifteen and remained a virtuous woman at the age of twenty. She has become more chaste over time and is highly respected by her countrymen."
Zhou Shengnan leaned closer and saw the lines of words engraved on it. She frowned slightly.
"I have been a widow for half my life and have never married," Yang Ye said softly.
Zhou Wangshi, her husband's surname was Zhou, and her name was Qingyi. She took her husband's surname, so outsiders called her Zhou Wangshi. As for her own name, it is unknown. She got married at the age of fifteen, and they loved each other after marriage. The next year, she gave birth to twins. Just as the children learned to walk, her husband was drafted into the army, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. Zhou Wangshi was only twenty at that time. For the sake of her children and the family, she made a living by working as a laundry maid for other families. When the children were a little older, she sent them to school. When the children grew up, her eldest son entered the officialdom and became a patrol inspector, and later promoted to a chief clerk. Her youngest son became a businessman, and his business was well-established in the north. His sons had happy families, and she also enjoyed a few years of family happiness. Therefore, she was buried with her husband.
"Are there many things here?" Li Cheng asked.
Zhou Shengnan put her hands on her hips and looked around. She was still a little confused about this newly excavated tomb. "It's not much, but judging by the situation on this side, it must have been robbed before. It's just that the stolen part is not very complete."
Yang Ye said: "The tombs of ordinary people should not have much significance, so let's put them back in place."
"That's not the case," Zhou Shengnan disagreed. "As long as there's even a slight difference, we'll verify it, send it out first, and then see how it goes."
Sitting on the ground in front of the iron shed, Yang Ye's body was enveloped by a faint, almost unbright, dark light that shone from within. She looked up at the sky above, where nothing was visible but a pitch-black expanse. Her legs huddled together, her hands wrapped around her knees. The night was deep, like a boundless piece of black silk, its enveloping darkness so complete that not even the slightest impurity could be contained.
She stared ahead, but there was nothing in sight.
Her thoughts were in a trance and gradually drifted away with the wind, leaving only the occasional chirping of insects and the sound of the wind in the distance. She just sat there quietly, and along with the black sky, seemed to become a part of this world.
Li Cheng worked hard inside the house for a while. When he emerged, he saw her sitting at the door. From behind, her delicate figure formed a subtle disconnect with the surroundings. Her frail form seemed even more isolated against the pervasive blackness of the sky. She stared into the distance, like a mindless marionette.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Cheng walked over and sat down next to Yang Ye.
"It's nothing, I just feel that life is so meaningless." This was the umpteenth time that Yang Ye had expressed the same sentiment in front of Li Cheng.
Li Cheng looked at her, without any extra movements, and it was unclear what emotions were hidden in her eyes. It seemed that there was only confusion left.
"Life is so interesting," Li Cheng said, "after all, what you see every day is different."
"How long do you think I'll live?" Yang Ye tilted his head and asked, "I've seen everything I need to see, and I've done everything I need to do. Others always live for a purpose, either for their ideals or for reality. I live for nothing."
"It's always good to be alive," Li Cheng said with a smile. "The other day I saw a joke that said some people live long so they can see for those who haven't lived long enough. I think that's quite true. You're alive, so you can tell us about things we haven't experienced before, about the Qing Dynasty, about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, about the liberation of New China. You can tell us, and we'll tell the next generation, passing it down from generation to generation."
Yang Ye chuckled and shook his head helplessly, "You're here again"
"This is the truth," Li Cheng said. "People should live not only for themselves, but also for others. To put it in a broader sense, you are living for those who have not seen the new era and have not lived the good life we have now. You are showing them how the new China they imagined before is changing with each passing day. What does it look like now?"
She looked at Li Cheng, sighed deeply, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "I remember you advised me the same thing before."
"Then I still advise you to live well. Only by living well can you see tomorrow."
His thoughts had already turned back. Yang Ye turned his head inadvertently and saw Li Cheng beside him. His hair was already gray, the flesh on his face was sagging, and there were wrinkles around his eyes. Yang Ye was stunned, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"You're old," she said.
Li Cheng chuckled and jokingly replied, "But I'm young at heart."
Yang Ye laughed out loud, her body swaying from side to side. She nudged Li Cheng with her shoulder and sighed sincerely, "Thank you."
The wind blew through his messy hair, and Li Cheng grabbed a handful of it casually, "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you to those of you who know and don't treat me as a monster"
"Who said that?" Li Cheng's expression turned serious, and he frowned, pretending to scare her. However, this pretense of seriousness didn't last more than three seconds, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. He looked ahead and said, "The world is full of wonders. You just lived a little longer than us. What's so strange about that? The longer you live, the more you see."
"Ouch," he struggled to get up from the ground and patted the dirt under his butt. It was already late at night when he came out. After talking to Yang Ye for such a long time, Li Cheng stretched his body. Before leaving, he said to Yang Ye, "I see that you don't feel like sleeping today. I'm going to sleep first. There are some chimes in the room that I haven't finished putting together. Remember to help me put them together."
"Yeah," Yang Ye responded, and she continued to look at the sky in silence.
She didn't know how long she sat there, but her neck felt a little stiff, so she stood up and walked into the house.
On the long table, several repaired fragments were placed in order. She saw that the chime, which Li Cheng said was not yet assembled, was now complete, and there was not even any trace of its previous breakage.
She saw a few antiques that had just been delivered. Yang Ye asked the students who were about to go back to clean up the tools and move the bench. In the dim light, she sat down and slowly cleaned away the dirt covering the antiques.
As the night deepened, Yang Ye felt a slight pain in his back bones. He stood up and moved his neck and shoulders.
She walked out of the room, wanting to get some fresh air outside.
Zhou Yi tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. When he came out of the house of a nearby villager where he was staying, he saw that the lights were still on in this house. He walked closer and saw from the window that Yang Ye was still working in the house. He turned around and went to the car to get a bottle of mineral water, but when he came back, she was gone.
When he entered the room, he saw a roughly shaped porcelain vase on the table. There was a blue-green pattern in the middle, and the exposed pattern seemed a bit strange. He walked closer to see it more clearly.
"What are you doing?" Yang Ye suddenly appeared behind him.
Zhou Yiheng was nervous. His hand holding the bottle of mineral water shook and the bottle fell on the table, bringing with it the porcelain on the table. There was a clanging sound and the porcelain fell to the ground, shattering into pieces, just like his mood at the moment.
Watching something fall, Yang Ye's usually calm expression finally cracked, and her wide eyes were full of disbelief.
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