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Chapter 30

End of Volume 2

At two o’clock in the middle of the night, Yan Tuo drove along a country road. In about fifteen minutes, they would reach the plantation. Lin Xirou sat in the back seat, her only choice for this late-night trip was Yan Tuo, as Xiong Hei and his more capable subordinates were absent. She couldn’t just bring anyone along in this situation.

The bumpy country road was poorly maintained, causing the vehicle to jostle. Lin Xirou snapped out of her reverie and asked, “Xiao Tuo, are you tired? If you are, we can go slower.”

Yan Tuo didn’t respond, and Lin Xirou, having made her casual comment, soon fell back into her daze.

The plantation was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint white light illuminating the guard room at the front gate. Yan Tuo bypassed the front entrance and drove to the back gate, honking twice as they approached. The stainless steel electric gate slid open, and he drove straight to the main building.

The side door on the first floor was open, and Xiong Hei was waiting there. Lin Xirou got out of the car and made her way briskly toward the entrance, her high heels struggling on the uneven ground, her windbreaker flapping with each step. Yan Tuo remained silent in the driver’s seat.

As they reached the side door, Lin Xirou remembered Yan Tuo and called out, “Xiao Tuo, come here.”

Yan Tuo unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Lin Xirou gave Xiong Hei a wry smile. “This kid is too honest. He wouldn’t move if you didn’t call him. It’s late at night, and I shouldn’t let him stay alone in the car.”

Xiong Hei squinted at Yan Tuo, a look of disdain curling the corners of his mouth. “Too honest, huh?” He wanted to complain further but held back upon seeing Lin Xirou’s displeasure. There’s a saying online that only women can spot a cheap woman, just as only a man can recognize a cheap man. Xiong Hei thought Lin Xirou had raised a son who seemed to embody this saying too well.

Yan Tuo, in Xiong Hei’s eyes, was far from honest, despite never having caught him in dishonesty.

They proceeded to the underground floor. Yan Tuo reminisced about the past when technology was less advanced and there were fewer cameras and sensing equipment. Now, the place was heavily secured with electronic surveillance and advanced control systems. The underground area, improved over time, featured stainless steel doors with explosion-proof glass and double security measures including password and fingerprint verification. From the outside, it appeared perfectly normal and secure.

Xiong Hei led them to a small room. Despite the soundproofing, noises of smashing and clattering were audible from inside. Xiong Hei commented with contempt, “Smashing the place, huh?”

Lin Xirou frowned. “Isn’t he tied up?”

“No, let him vent his anger first. The furniture is sturdy and won’t break easily. He’s wasting his energy. He’s really stupid to be so worked up with no one around.”

Xiong Hei entered the code and opened the door. The lame father, having heard the electronic sound, tried to strike the door with all his might. “Is there any law here? How dare you tie me up…”

Despite his fierceness, the lame father was no match for Xiong Hei, who swiftly kicked him against the wall and tossed the wooden crutch aside. “Got quite the temper.”

Sitting on the ground, the lame father glared fiercely at Xiong Hei and Lin Xirou, then his gaze locked onto Yan Tuo. His face contorted with rage as he shouted, “You set the fire!”

Although he had wondered if Yan Tuo’s accomplices were responsible for his kidnapping, he had no solid proof until now. Seeing Yan Tuo’s face, he was certain. He roared and attempted to crawl towards Yan Tuo, forgetting his disability and falling heavily to the ground. His fighting spirit remained undiminished as he dragged himself forward.

Lin Xirou watched coldly, while Yan Tuo lowered his gaze, feeling a mix of emotions. Despite the harm these people had caused him, he didn’t wish to see them suffer too much.

Xiong Hei approached, grabbing the lame father by the neck and leg, lifting him like an eagle seizing prey. “Enough of this, old man.”

He tossed the lame father into a chair, handcuffing him behind the chair, and then turned to Lin Xirou. “Sister Lin, is this acceptable?”

Lin Xirou smiled. “Yes, that’s fine. You all can go out now.”

As Yan Tuo exited the room and the door closed behind him, he couldn’t hear what was happening inside. He was initially concerned that the lame father might reveal something, but seeing Lin Xirou’s reaction, he relaxed. It seemed the focus of their discussion would be on past issues rather than anything current.

Xiong Hei looked at Yan Tuo with a smile and suggested, “Let’s go to the lounge and have a couple of drinks?” He had no suspicions about Yan Tuo and maintained a friendly demeanor.

Yan Tuo replied, “How is the dogtooth recovering now? Can I see him?”

Xiong Hei hesitated for a moment but then agreed, “Alright, come with me.”

They entered a cultivation room, where Xiong Hei walked to the farthest corner. He reached out to break the long “operating guidelines” hanging on the wall. Behind it was a small door, leading to a cramped hut of less than ten square meters.

Inside, there was a round pond about two meters in diameter, with cement walls designed to hold water. The pool was filled with a nearly viscous, muddy liquid, and the dog’s teeth lay face down in the foul water, appearing like a floating corpse.

Yan Tuo stood at the edge of the pool, struggling to keep his stomach in check, and remarked, “I used to wonder how you could get injured so quickly… This treatment is quite unique.”

A large hook rake with a bamboo pole leaned against the wall. Xiong Hei used it to hook the dog’s teeth by the neck and pulled him towards the edge.

The dog’s eyes were closed, and his face was pale and swollen with the muddy water. However, Yan Tuo could see that his left eye, which should have been a bloody hole, had healed significantly. New eyelids and flesh had grown, though they were still a pinkish hue.

Yan Tuo muttered, “That’s impressive.”

Xiong Hei glanced at him and asked, “Are you envious?”

“Yes,” Yan Tuo squatted down by the muddy pool. His reflection rippled in the water. “I grew up beside Aunt Lin and have been friends with you for seven or eight years. I’m not foolish. I can see that everyone is different—Aunt Lin hasn’t been in public much lately. Probably because she doesn’t want people to notice she hasn’t aged in years. In another few years, she’ll probably move again.”

He continued, “We’re all human. Why are you so capable? It’s hard to say I’m not envious. Brother Xiong, with your methods, can’t you share some of that light with me? Who doesn’t want to stay young forever? It’s said that women fear aging, and men do too.”

Xiong Hei laughed and squatted down beside Yan Tuo, playfully stirring the water in the pool. “So, you’ve been thinking about this. You’ve really been paying attention.”

Yan Tuo smiled faintly. “People look up to high places. If I had the ability to regenerate like the dog’s teeth, I’d be unstoppable. And if Aunt Lin’s secret to immortality could be developed, utilized, and commercialized, she wouldn’t have to worry about money for ten lifetimes.”

Turning to Xiong Hei, he asked, “Aunt Lin doesn’t need to say anything to me directly, but she always treats me like an outsider in these matters. Take your trip to Qinba Mountain in August; I was only a messenger. Brother Xiong, can you help me out? How can I get Aunt Lin to fully accept me?”

He pressed his fingers to his heart. “Honestly, from the bottom of my heart.”

Xiong Hei snorted. “It’s not so simple. You can’t have what we have. You’re not like us at all.”

He realized he had let something slip, abruptly stopped, turned his head to look outside the small door, and awkwardly changed the subject: “Hey, Sister Lin and that old man, I don’t know how to talk about it…”

The crippled father found the situation inexplicable. Why leave such a young and beautiful woman in front of him while he was nearly buried in the ground? Was he supposed to be swayed by her beauty despite his condition? He was so frustrated that he couldn’t move his hands and feet. His remaining leg, only half-amputated, was in a bad state. The woman’s gaze was unsettling; it was fine to glance at him a few times, but her prolonged stare was eerie.

The crippled father stiffened his neck and roared to muster some courage: “What are you looking at? Call your stewards and have them talk to me!”

Lin Xirou laughed and said, “Don’t you recognize me?”

The crippled father was momentarily stunned, then carefully examined Lin Xirou. It seemed absurd; how could he possibly know her? With such a striking face, he should have remembered if he had seen her before.

He frowned and asked, “Do you know me?” Upon seeing Lin Xirou’s confirmation, he was even more puzzled. “When did we meet?”

Lin Xirou responded, “Let me give you a hint. At the end of ’91 and the beginning of ’92.”

The crippled father thought she was joking. “Little girl, in ’91 and ’92, you weren’t even born yet. You’re trying to fool me—still too young for that.”

Lin Xirou smiled and said, “I didn’t mean to deceive you. Let me give you a hint: back then, you were underground.”

The crippled father felt a chill run down his spine. He had been leaning on a chair, but now he sat up straight, alarmed. “How do you know? What did your elders tell you? Who are you? What are you?”

Lin Xirou laughed, then leaned closer to the crippled father, supporting herself on the edge of the table. Her smile faded as she said, “Do you still not remember? How did you lose your leg?”

The crippled father’s blood ran cold, and his broken leg throbbed with heat. “How do you know? Who are you?”

Lin Xirou asked, “Why are you asking me? What about my son?”

Her eyes grew red, and anger surged in her chest as she stared at the crippled father’s wrinkled old face. She opened her mouth wide and let out a terrifying roar.

Beauty can be charming most of the time, even when crying like pear blossoms in the rain. But when she was enraged, her beautiful face distorted, her features becoming grotesque. Moreover, under Lin Xirou’s rolled tongue, there was a black and white, porcupine-like thorn that stood out, covered in short, sharp spines.

November 26, 1993 / Friday / Sunny

I haven’t written in this diary for a long time, and the pages are now yellowed. This diary has been a good friend to me. As a mother, my time is no longer my own. From morning to night, the days just slip away. It’s true what they say, “a daughter-in-law makes a mother forgetful,” but for me, it feels more like “a son makes a mother forget her former self.” I can hardly even recall what the mountains look like.

Today, I have some rare time, so I’m writing more extensively. The most significant event this year has been the addition of Xiao Tuo to our lives. He is such a well-behaved little angel, rarely crying, and always smiling. His smiles make me laugh for half an hour without getting tired, like a happy fool. I’m even a bit jealous of his future wife; it’s no wonder that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships are often strained—how can they not be when this starts so early?

Dashan mentioned that if I love children so much, we should have another one, ideally a daughter, so we’d have both a son and a daughter. He assured me not to worry about family planning fines, patting his chest and saying, “Now that we have money, we can pay the fine without a second thought.”

It would be nice to have a daughter, Xiao Tuo could have a well-behaved little sister. Just imagining it brings me joy. However, having a child takes quite a toll on women. After giving birth to Xiao Tuo, my health hasn’t been great, and I’ve had issues like urinary leakage. I had to take maternity leave repeatedly and eventually resigned. Dashan, being considerate, suggested finding a babysitter.

I was surprised—this seemed like a bourgeois lifestyle. Dashan laughed and told me to look at the changing world, referencing the Third Plenary Session of the 14th CPC Central Committee and the shift towards a market economy.

Last week, he brought home the babysitter, Li Shuangxiu. I’m not entirely satisfied with her. Two main concerns: first, she’s exceptionally beautiful, almost star-like. Can someone so attractive be content as a mere nanny? Second, she is too young and seems unreliable.

However, it feels ungrateful to complain about someone helping out. Dashan privately told me that Li Shuangxiu is related to our family. He asked if I remembered Li Ergou. Shuangxiu is Ergou’s sister. Dashan thought working in the mine was too tough for her, so he brought her in as a nanny.

Li Ergou, who stole money from the mine and disappeared over a year ago? Dashan’s connections are impressive; Li Ergou had stolen 10,000 yuan. I told Dashan that it seemed impossible since Li Ergou was so unattractive compared to Shuangxiu, who is extraordinarily beautiful.

Dashan said there are many such cases. I guess I need to broaden my knowledge.

Despite my doubts, Shuangxiu is quite effective with the child. Sometimes, when Xiao Tuo can’t be comforted in my arms, he calms down with her. I really question if she has ever had a child of her own.

That’s enough for today. It’s been over a year since I wrote, and it feels like a running account.

P.S. Changxi visited today, bringing two old hens. Despite the meager wages from the mine, she always buys things from me. I’ll need to discuss with Dashan about giving Changxi more money at the end of the month.

—[Excerpt from Lin Xirou’s Diary]

 

This is the end of Volume 2 everyone. See you in the next update and happy reading!✨

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An Owl Rising From The Green Soil

An Owl Rising From The Green Soil

Love On The Turquoise Land (Drama)
Score 8.0
Status: Ongoing Type: , Author: , Artist: Released: 2020 Native Language: Chinese
Over two thousand years ago on a deep night, Xu Fu* set sail to the eastern seas in a treasure ship to search for immortality, but few people knew that at the same time, a group of black-turban soldiers secretly entered the vast and dense Nanbao forest… A millennium later, the dark legend continues to slowly grow in the shadows. Xú Fú: Qin dynasty court necromancer and was tasked by Qin Shi Huang to look for the elixir of life between 219 BC and 210 BC. He never returned after departing on his second mission in 210 BC.

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