Chapter 75: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 6 Part 1
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After descending from the mountain road, the convoy quickly entered the rural road leading to their destination.
The sky had turned dark, and the convoy gradually turned on the interior lights. Under the soft, bright light, the atmosphere among the guests became relaxed and joyful as they chatted and played games.
However, the well-insulated windows of the luxury tour bus effectively blocked out any faint external sounds.
“Whoosh…”
“Whoosh…”
Like the wind rustling through the wilderness, dry branches tumbled over the desolate fields on both sides of the road, rolling down from the field ridges.
Then, a pale, bony foot stepped on one of them, producing a faint cracking sound.
The fleshless remains swayed as they walked through the fields, their hollow, dark eye sockets revealing numerous thin, wriggling white maggots, resembling white seaweed swaying in the sea.
The skeletons, as if sensing something alluring, followed slowly behind the convoy, crawling through the wilderness with their stiff, lumbering movements, pursuing the convoy.
Under the encompassing darkness of the night, the endless wilderness and the low-hanging canopy of darkness had only the convoy’s single source of light. It continued down the straight road, heading deeper into the darkness.
It was like a wild beast disguised in darkness, opening its pitch-black mouth, waiting for prey to stumble into it…
As they were approaching their destination, the Family Tomb Village, the driver suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?” and spoke strangely to Zhang Wubing, “Director, it seems like the road ahead is blocked. I can see a roadblock up ahead.”
Under the high beams, the metal roadblock in the distance reflected a cold and rigid light.
When Zhang Wubing heard the driver’s words and craned his neck, squinting to get a better look in the distance, he realized that it was not a simple road construction barrier. It looked more like a fence made of rusty iron wire and cables wrapped around the outside of an abandoned factory. It completely sealed off the relatively wide road, standing over a meter tall, preventing anyone from entering.
However, unlike the common roadblocks set up by authorities, this obstacle blocking the entire road seemed more like something the villagers had done themselves. It was piled with not only worn-out iron wire and cables but also various farming tools, wooden rakes, and broken furniture strewn across the road.
Zhang Wubing quickly glanced at his map app on his phone and noticed that there was no information indicating road closure on the map. He looked puzzled and said, “This shouldn’t be happening. If the road was closed, there should be an official notice on the map, and it would reroute automatically. What’s going on here?”
Among the experienced production crew, there was a speculation, “Could it be a roadblock for money? In this region, many villages block the roads that pass through their villages, and they won’t allow outsiders to pass without paying.”
“These types of road closures, which are not officially closed for road construction or due to nearby dangers, won’t be displayed on mapping software, so it’s normal not to find them. Roads leading into the mountains, like the one we’re on, are hard to understand unless you’ve actually been there.”
Zhang Wubing, who had never traveled far from home before working on this show and had been well protected by his elders, looked surprised. “Huh? How can this happen? Such things exist?”
“But…” The production crew member also leaned forward to the front window of the vehicle, observing for a while without seeing anyone guarding the roadblock. They couldn’t help but wonder, “Why isn’t there anyone here collecting fees?”
The driver also quickly added, “Director, if it’s really a village roadblock for money, we should stop the car immediately. When I was young, I encountered this kind of situation. They would scatter nails on the road, and if passing cars didn’t pay, they’d puncture the tires, making it impossible to leave. It’s dark now, and we can’t see whether they’ve scattered nails here. There’s also no place nearby to repair the tires, so if all the tires get punctured, it’ll be a big problem.”
Regardless of the situation, the road ahead was now impassable.
Zhang Wubing quickly made calls to the vehicles behind, and the convoy came to a halt, stopping just a short distance before the roadblock.
“Brother Yan, the road ahead is blocked. We can’t proceed,”
Zhang Wubing said, running over to the back of the guest vehicles. Wearing a pleading and apologetic smile, he explained to Yan Shixun the reason that had been speculated by the staff earlier. He fervently shifted blame, afraid of being scolded by Yan Shixun once again.
“A roadblock?”
Yan Shixun glanced at the darkened sky. It was already nightfall, and turning back or finding a service area to stay for the night on the main road was not an option.
The sight of the corpse-raising site on the mountain road they had just passed made Yan Shixun cautious.
In a few more hours, it would be midnight, no one could afford to camp outside when there might be potential danger. Besides, autumn nights could be quite chilly, and the equipment in the cars was insufficient to support everyone for camping.
The immediate priority was to find a place for accommodation and safely get through the night.
When the sun rose tomorrow, they could have more time to investigate the roadblock situation and find the way to their destination.
After a brief mental calculation, Yan Shixun instructed Zhang Wubing to look for nearby accommodations and then walked quickly to inspect the roadblock himself.
The obstacle blocking the road, rather than being a conventional roadblock, resembled more of a pile of debris.
The barricade was covered in barbed wire with sharp spikes. It featured a central construction of thick tree trunks and massive, heavy boulders, interspersed with farming tools and various other discarded, rusty iron items. It formed a comprehensive blockade from all directions.
Rather than primarily intended to prevent vehicles from passing, it appeared to be more focused on deterring individuals from attempting to climb over it.
Due to his master Li Chengyun’s love for traveling to various places, Yan Shixun had accompanied him since childhood, visiting many different terrains, including mountains, forests, and villages. They had even ventured into remote and secluded forests to visit certain reclusive individuals.
As a result, Yan Shixun had a broad perspective and had witnessed many things that most people wouldn’t see in their entire lives. He also had some understanding of remote villages.
Regarding the staff’s claim about the road closure requiring payment, Yan Shixun was familiar with it.
However, such roadblocks were typically designed to be movable. After vehicles passing through paid a fee, villagers would remove the roadblock, allow the vehicles to pass, and then put it back in place, waiting for the next vehicle.
However, the roadblock before him now showed no sign of being easily moved, suggesting a permanent closure, and it seemed to signify an end to any interaction or communication.
It appeared to be less about demanding payment and more like a situation where nearby villages had conflicts and had impulsively blocked each other’s access to disrupt communication and travel.
“Brother Yan, there’s a village nearby not far from here where we might be able to find accommodation,” Zhang Wubing said as he approached with his phone, showing the map to Yan Shixun.
Yan Shixun looked at the village layout displayed on the phone screen and couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
The terrain was quite intricate, with the mountain range surrounding the Family Tomb Village, their destination, resembling half of a yin-yang diagram.
The village where Zhang Wubing suggested staying was located just outside the semicircular range of mountains, very close to the road.
It was as if the tall mountains had blocked all the wind and light, casting shadows over the Family Tomb Village.
In Feng Shui and geomancy studies, having mountains to the north and water to the south is associated with yin energy and is considered unfavorable for residence. This configuration is believed to bring bad luck and potential disasters. Furthermore, the mountainous terrain in this area seems to align with the concept of “yin” in the Absolute Yin-Yang diagram, where it represents an abundance of yin energy, creating an even stronger yin influence, often associated with negative forces or spirits.
Even in everyday life, people tend to avoid choosing to live in such areas. This is because the limited exposure to sunlight can be detrimental to agriculture, and the constant lack of natural light can make people feel stifled and uncomfortable.
What made Yan Shixun feel most uneasy was the fact that, looking at the map, the location of the roadblock coincided exactly with the lowest point of the semicircle, splitting the entire perfect Yin-Yang diagram in half, as if it had cleaved Yin and Yang with a single stroke.
“Brother Yan?” Zhang Wubing, noticing that Yan Shixun had been silent for a while, couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Is there something wrong with this village? Maybe we could go a bit farther and find another village nearby…”
“No need,” Yan Shixun withdrew his gaze from the map and replied calmly, “Let’s stick with this village; it should be fine. Being closer allows us to ask the locals if they know the reason for the roadblock.”
Since the roadblock might be a result of a conflict between two villages, and its placement was so strategic, the village closest to Family Tomb Village was likely the one involved in setting up the roadblock.
If this were the case, they could inquire with this village to understand what kind of unresolved conflict had led them to openly confront their neighboring village, even defying their clan ties.
However…….Jia Village?
As Yan Shixun looked at the village name marked on the map, he recalled what the breakfast shop owner had mentioned earlier. The owner’s village was called Jia Village, and just beyond the hill was his wife’s village, called Wangzi Village.
Since the village they were about to reach was Jia Village, according to the owner’s words, Wangzi Village should be just beyond the hill. But now, according to the map, it was clear that once they crossed the hill, they would arrive at Family Tomb Village, and there was no village called Wangzi Village nearby.
Where had Wangzi Village gone? Had the entire village relocated?
Yan Shixun furrowed his brow, his expression serious.
……
The convoy soon arrived at the neighboring village.
In stark contrast to Yan Shixun’s vigilance, the village head’s enthusiasm was evident after hearing everyone’s purpose.
“Oh, it’s already this late. If you’re not planning to stay in our village, there’s nowhere else to go.”
The village head said, wearing a coat as he came out from the village. After introducing himself, he added with a cheerful demeanor, “During the last rainy season, the Moon Creek swelled, and many roads were affected. Since you’re not familiar with the area, it could be troublesome if you get lost or take the wrong path.”
As the convoy had several vehicles and initially stopped at the village entrance, Zhang Wubing had initially thought to approach a house alone to inquire about lodging. However, the sound of the vehicles starting startled the village head, who came out to greet them directly.
Upon seeing so many people, the village head wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, he cheerfully shouted back and called out several youngsters from his home, offering to help the crew with their luggage.
The village head said, “Since there are quite a few of you, you can stay at my house for now. In our village, my house has the most rooms. Originally, we prepared these rooms for our children’s weddings, but these youngsters turned out to be quite disappointing! I’ll have them gather some extra bedding from the village for you. Don’t worry; there will definitely be enough space.”
It seemed that the village head was quite experienced in accommodating outsiders passing through and was a warm-hearted individual.
This made Zhang Wubing feel a bit embarrassed. He quickly and politely declined the assistance offered by the youngsters. He expressed gratitude for the lodging offer and mentioned that they could handle their own luggage.
The youngsters, who seemed quite familiar with outsiders passing through, took it in stride and chatted and laughed with the crew members. They appeared to be cheerful individuals.
After the guests got off the vehicles, they were greeted by the refreshing and clean air of the village and the warm-hearted young villagers. The guests couldn’t help but smile as well, feeling that although they couldn’t reach their destination on time due to the unexpected road closure, they had come to experience rural life, so it didn’t really matter.
One of the young villagers walked alongside Zhang Wubing, leading them to the village head’s house. He enthusiastically asked where they had come from and whether they were passing through here for business.
The guests exchanged glances and then chuckled softly in a friendly manner, “We were planning to visit a rural homestay in the village behind this one, but the road is blocked, and it’s too dark to proceed. So, we’ll have to stay here for the night.”
As soon as they heard that the crew members were planning to visit the village behind the mountain, the young villagers who had been chatting warmly with the crew members had a sudden change in their expressions. They looked at each other with hesitation, their words caught in their throats.
Even the village head from the nearby village looked at them in surprise and asked, “Are you heading to the village behind the mountain?”
Zhang Wubing quickly replied, “Yes, we’re going to Family Tomb Village.”
The village head pondered for quite some time and only recalled with a prompt from a younger family member nearby, saying, “Oh, Family Tomb Village, right. Ah, I’m getting old; I keep forgetting.”
The village head furrowed his brow and quickly changed the topic, avoiding any mention of Family Tomb Village behind the mountain.
Yan Shixun had been silently walking in the middle of the group of crew members all along, listening to their conversations with the villagers. Naturally, he noticed the village head ‘s reaction.
This village head… seemed very reluctant to talk about Family Tomb Village?
Due to the narrow village roads and the absence of space for so many widened and lengthened minibuses, the convoy parked at the village entrance. They left a few staff members to watch the vehicles, and the rest followed the village head into the village.
Even those guests who were not familiar with rural life could see that Jia Village had developed quite well. Every household had built lovely multi-story buildings, some even had grand wrought-iron carved gates, and there were dim yellow lights hanging at the entrances, illuminating the courtyards and the village roads outside, ensuring that they were not completely in the dark at night.
The family’s large dog, kept in the yard, barked fiercely at the strangers, showing its teeth and growling.
The young man bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it directly towards the large dog.
It seemed that the big dog was familiar with the young man, and being hit brought back memories. It let out a whimper, lowered its tail, and crouched down again, no longer barking.
“The village dogs are like this, they bark at strangers. Didn’t scare you, did it?” The young man walking beside Yan Shixun scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, trying to reassure the crew.
Yan Shixun chuckled, “Guarding the home, it’s a good dog.”
The dog, which had already settled down, suddenly lifted its head as if it understood Yan Shixun’s praise, its eyes shining as it looked in Yan Shixun’s direction, and its tail began to wag.
However, no one paid it much attention.
“We’re here; this is my home.”
The village head cheerfully pushed open the gate and welcomed everyone into the courtyard. “The youngsters in the house have gone to the village to borrow some blankets, so they should be here soon. Please come inside and have a seat. I’ll wake up my wife to prepare a meal. There’s not much fancy food in the village, so I hope you won’t mind.”
Zhang Wubing quickly expressed their gratitude, assuring the village head that they wouldn’t mind at all.
The village head’s house was a five-story building, as he had mentioned. There were indeed several vacant rooms inside, which could comfortably accommodate the crew, even with dozens of people.
The village had already finished its meal. So. it would take some time to prepare another one.
While the village head was busy in the kitchen arranging food, the crew members went to check out their rooms and discuss their accommodation arrangements.
“I was wondering why there was so much commotion outside, look like we have guests,” a middle-aged man came down the stairs, wearing a half-draped coat. Appearing as if he had been awakened from sleep.
“Second Uncle,” a young man walking alongside Yan Shixun called out, seemingly on good terms with the middle-aged man. He quietly complained, “Second Uncle, you didn’t even hear it. Grandfather just hosted some guests at home, and he took the chance to criticize us, saying we’re not ambitious enough, saying we’re not even married at this age.”
The young man chuckled and expressed his displeasure, “Why get married? Are we going to harm ourselves and others like Uncle Yang Guang did? Everyone in the family knows what Uncle Yang Guang did back then…”
“Yang Tu!” The middle-aged man, who had initially appeared friendly, suddenly changed his expression. He glanced hastily at the crew members standing nearby and whispered to the young man, “You say too much, and you have no restraint in your words! Keep your mouth shut.”
Realizing his inappropriate remarks, Yang Tu immediately closed his mouth, feeling sulky and refraining from continuing.
Although the crew members were curious, they treated it as the village head’s family matter and didn’t pry. After exchanging greetings with the middle-aged man, they were led by several young villagers to their respective rooms on different floors.
Only Yan Shixun and Lu Xingxing almost simultaneously turned their attention to Yang Tu and the middle-aged man.
Uncle Yang Guang, Yang Guang…
The owner of the breakfast shop was named Yang Guang.
It seemed they were on the right track. Yang Guang had run away from this village several decades ago.
This Jia Village was the same as that Jia Village.
Lu Xingxing’s reaction was more pronounced. He couldn’t conceal his curiosity, and his gaze was inquisitive as he looked at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man noticed Lu Xingxing’s gaze, exchanged a few polite words with the group, and then hurriedly went upstairs, his expression not too pleasant.
Lu Xingxing immediately tried to catch up, hurrying upstairs, wanting to grab the middle-aged man and ask him what was going on, “Wait…”
But when Lu Xingxing passed by Yan Shixun, he was quickly grabbed by the collar and pulled back by Yan Shixun.
The sudden tightening of the collar almost took Lu Xingxing’s breath away, and he couldn’t smoothly ask his question. He just uttered a single sound and was muffled by Yan Shixun’s hand.
“Be quiet,” Yan Shixun said in a calm tone, whispering the words in Lu Xingxing’s ear.
His eyes were indifferent and calm, carrying a warning and a commanding tone that brooked no argument.
Lu Xingxing had expected himself to be angry, but inexplicably, when he met Yan Shixun’s gaze, he trembled and couldn’t utter a word.
Yan Shixun held Lu Xingxing with one hand and, without saying a word, watched the middle-aged man leave. He simply hung his head and listened carefully, relying on his keen hearing to track the footsteps of the middle-aged man.
As they ascended the stairs, the sound of footsteps indicated they had climbed three floors. Then the footsteps became steady, suggesting they were walking on level ground. One, two… they walked nearly a hundred steps and then stopped.
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