Folklore: The dragon splits into two bodies, and the village worships the dragon as a deity in its p

Chapter 33 The Beginning of Differentiation

Shanghe Village.

Dense fog.

The house was faintly visible.

The land along the river was even more blurred.

The usually clear view of the opposite bank of the Qinghe River has been reduced to a hazy gray shadow.

The fog seemed not just to be water vapor, but to be a boulder pressing down, plunging the entire village into a silent, unspoken stillness.

Liu Laosi pushed open the creaking courtyard gate, and a rush of steam rushed in, making his face wet. He didn't go out immediately, but stood inside the threshold, quietly gazing in the direction of the slope.

Deep in the fog, the few acres of vegetable fields washed by the rain were not very clear, but it was clear that they were there, showing signs of new green emerging from the wounds caused by pests.

This greenery represents both hope and a target.

Liu Laosi tightened the worn-out carrying pole on his shoulder, picked up the empty water bucket, and walked towards the old well. The stone path under his feet was wet with mist and gleamed coldly.

Old Liu encountered Old Zhang, who was up early collecting manure. Their eyes met briefly before looking away. Old Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only mumbled a "hmm" and hurried past with his head down.

Several women were gathered by the well, beating clothes with mallets, making muffled thuds. When they saw Liu Laosi coming over, they paused, their whispered conversation vanished as if cut off, and they lowered their heads.

Liu Laosi silently filled two buckets of water. The carrying pole pressed down on his shoulder blades, giving him a heavy, reassuring feeling. As he turned to leave, he felt the gazes of several women fixed on his back, filled with inquiry, doubt, and even a hint of barely perceptible envy.

Liu Laosi turned and walked back.

"Fourth Uncle".

Yang Hu emerged from behind a clump of half-withered wild grass beside the side road. His young face was pale from the mist, but his eyes were bright and piercing. He spoke in a low voice and looked around.

"Uncle Lu asked me to pass on a message; things aren't going well on his end either."

"His neighbor, Widow Wang, cornered him yesterday evening and asked him which deity he had been chanting the name of during his prayers that night. She also gave him two eggs, saying they were to nourish his child."

"There's something strange and unusual about this whole thing."

Yang Hu moved closer and spoke even softer, so that only he and Liu Laosi could hear him.

"Have you collected the eggs?"

Liu Laosi didn't stop walking, but the carrying pole on his shoulder made a rhythmic creaking sound with each step.

"Brother Lu didn't dare accept it and pushed it back. But I saw the look in Widow Wang's eyes. It wasn't curiosity, but rather a sense of desperation. Her vegetable garden was the worst affected by insects; she's afraid she won't harvest anything."

"Without the harvest from this vegetable garden, let alone earning money to supplement the family income, the children will probably go hungry."

As Yang Hu carefully considered the words, he vaguely felt that Widow Wang might be a fellow traveler.

"understood."

"At three-quarters past dusk, at the usual place. Let's split up and take a longer route."

Liu Laosi's voice was steady.

Yang Hu nodded emphatically, and his figure quickly disappeared into the thick fog, like a drop of water flowing into a river, leaving no trace.

Old Liu carried water into his own yard.

His wife, Zhou Xia, was starting a fire in the stove. The firewood crackled softly in the firebox, and the firelight illuminated her still thin but no longer ashen face. In just a few days, she had gone from being on the verge of death to being able to get out of bed, walk around, and do some light work.

"The water tank is almost empty."

His wife, Zhou Xia, raised her eyes, her lips twitching as if she wanted to force a smile. A serious illness and the ensuing rumors in the village weighed heavily on her shoulders, making even her smiles appear cautious.

"Um."

Liu Laosi agreed and poured the clear water into the large black pottery water vat.

The walls of the vat were cool to the touch, the water rippled, then gradually calmed, reflecting the dim light from the kitchen and my own blurry reflection.

Liu Laosi stared at the water for a while and suddenly felt that the water seemed clearer than usual, and there were fewer fine impurities at the bottom of the tank.

Is it just my imagination?

Or is there really some difference?

Liu Laosi shook his head, no longer wanting to think about it.

In the center of Shanghe Village.

The doors and windows of the main room were tightly closed, the air was stuffy, and mixed with the smell of old wood, dust and an anxiety that was hard to dispel.

Lu Liang sat in the chair, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the armrest, making a monotonous tapping sound. His eyes were dark and swollen; he hadn't slept a full night since Ling Yu's night.

The rain not only fell on the vegetable garden, but it felt like it was being poured directly onto my forehead, the cold water running down my face.

Sitting next to Lü Liang were Lü Houde and Chen Yun, the village elders, who looked like two somber door gods.

Lu Houde held the copper pipe in his hand, but didn't light it. He just rubbed the already cold mouthpiece repeatedly with his thumb, feeling extremely irritated.

Chen Yun, with his eyes half-closed, held a string of polished peach wood prayer beads in his thin hand, slowly and forcefully turning each bead. The soft sound of the sandalwood beads colliding was particularly clear in the silence.

"We can't wait any longer!"

"What's the situation in the village now?"

"By the well, on the field ridges, they whispered amongst themselves, their eyes darting around! What were they talking about? The Liu family's vegetables, that rain, Shixi Village!"

"What about our ancestral rules? If this continues, people's hearts will fall apart, and will the village still be the Lü family's village?!"

Lu Houde finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his pipe on the table, making a cracking sound.

"Liangzi, Houde's words may be rough, but the principle is sound."

"Excessive worship and licentious rituals have corrupted the mind and have been the root of all evil since ancient times."

"Liu Laosi and his gang are usually so quiet, but now they dare to pull this stunt. They must have some powerful backing behind them to have gotten so bold."

"What happened that night was too coincidental and too accurate. What if that thing really was backing us up?"

Chen Yun lifted his eyelids, his cloudy eyes turning to Lü Liang, his voice low, like sandpaper scraping against a rough stone.

"That's why we need to act decisively and swiftly!"

"Whatever their reliance or what they may be, within the territory of Shanghe Village, they must abide by the rules of Shanghe Village!"

Lu Liang's voice was a little high-pitched. He coughed and steadied his tone.

"I've confirmed it. The newly plastered mud at the back wall of Liu Laosi's kitchen is a different color, it must be hiding something dirty inside! That's the source, it has to be uprooted and burned clean!"

"Let's find a time after sunset. I'll take a few capable young men from my clan with me."

"My two uncles don't need to show their faces; they can just stay at home and oversee things. If the matter is resolved, it will be the clan's responsibility to clean house; if anything goes wrong, I, Lü Liang, will bear the blame alone, and it won't involve the clan elders."

Lu Liang leaned forward, his gaze sweeping over Lu Houde and Chen Yun's faces, his voice low.

That's a well-chosen statement; it both saves face for the clan elders and takes on the actual responsibility of getting things done.

Lu Houde's complexion improved slightly, and Chen Yun stopped fiddling with the prayer beads.

"Let's do it this way."

"Don't make too much noise, but be ruthless. Let the whole village see what happens when you follow these heretical gods!"

Lü Houde spoke in a deep voice.

Chen Yun nodded slowly, closed his eyes again, and began to slowly pluck the prayer beads, but the force he used seemed to be stronger.