Chapter 70: The Road-Building Madman (Part 24)

Chapter 70 The Road-Building Madman (24)

"Everyone has their weaknesses. What is this old man Li's weakness?"

Back in his own home, Hou Weidong found that no matter what he did, his mind was consumed by the problem of the graveyard, yet he remained at a loss for a solution.

That night, he had another bizarre dream. In it, he was holding a woman with long hair, spinning around in a dance hall, slowly savoring ten minutes of romance. The dream felt incredibly real and detailed; he could even feel the warmth of the woman’s body and the tickle of her long hair brushing against his face. However, her features remained indistinct. No matter how hard Hou Weidong tried to focus, her face stayed as blurry as a flower viewed through fog.

"The midnight radio is still repeating that song."

A familiar old tune played in the dance hall, its melody tinged with a hint of sorrow. Hou Weidong held the woman in his dream tighter and tighter, standing on the verge of this long-awaited intimacy.

Suddenly, Xi Zhaoyong and that fortune teller appeared mysteriously before him. Immediately after, a squad of Japanese soldiers charged into the dance hall from outside, bayonets fixed.

Hou Weidong grabbed the long-haired woman and ran desperately. They reached a mountain pass, and without hesitation, he leaped down. His body floated through the air, landing hundreds of meters away, completely unharmed.

But once he hit the ground, the woman in white had vanished.

Waking from the dream, Hou Weidong sat there in a daze. The plot of the dream was so absurd, yet the details were infinitely close to reality. Moreover, he had dreamed twice in one day—Zhang Xiaojia and the long-haired woman each appeared once, while the filthy figure of the fortune teller appeared twice in a row.

"This damn fortune teller, always disturbing my peaceful dreams."

Hou Weidong cursed under his breath. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him: Since Old Man Li was so superstitious, why not fight fire with fire? Use superstition to counter superstition. They should find a Feng Shui master to persuade Old Man Li.

The moment this idea formed, Hou Weidong became excited. He got out of bed and paced around the room, beginning to plan his strategy. His thoughts gradually became clear.

The next morning, Hou Weidong patiently cleaned the office, waiting for Xi Zhaoyong to wake up. By nine o’clock, after making several trips, he finally saw Xi Zhaoyong’s door open.

Xi Zhaoyong was wearing only a pair of shorts. He had just finished fifty tiger-push-ups and played with some iron dumbbells for a while, steam still rising from his head. Hearing Hou Weidong’s request, he asked strangely, "What? You want to find that fortune teller? Why?"

After Hou Weidong explained, Xi Zhaoyong couldn’t help but laugh. "Brother Hou, you really are stubborn, refusing to give up until you achieve your goal. That fortune teller, Liu Banxian, was released by me long ago. I don’t even know where he is now."

Hou Weidong felt a bit disappointed. "Do you know if there are any other 'Banxians' around here?"

Xi Zhaoyong wiped the sweat from his body with a towel. "Most of the local fortune tellers are familiar with Old Man Li. If we want to get this done, we’ll have to find someone from out of town." Seeing Hou Weidong’s disappointed expression, Xi Zhaoyong smiled. "There’s a market day in Xiaqinglin today. That guy is an old hand; he might have slipped away to Xiaqinglin again."

"Brother Xi, let’s go down and find him right now."

Xi Zhaoyong was somewhat reluctant, so Hou Weidong clasped his hands in a gesture of pleading. "Brother Xi, please help me out. Only someone like a fortune teller can handle Old Man Li. I’ll treat you to lunch and drinks."

Xi Zhaoyong was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve. Since he respected Hou Weidong, he didn’t hide his friendliness. "Alright, I’ll head down the mountain after I brush my teeth. For Brother Hou’s sake, I’ll see this through to the end."

The Xiaqinglin market was bustling with people, lively and crowded. The market-goers blocked the road completely, and large carts pulling coal moved slowly through the crowd, crawling like ants.

Xi Zhaoyong and Hou Weidong weaved through the crowd until they reached the most remote corner of the market. Xi Zhaoyong had sharp eyes and spotted the fortune teller immediately. He seemed to have taken a bath; his long beard looked quite elegant. He was holding the hand of a young woman, talking with an air of profound wisdom.

As soon as he took the money handed to him by the woman, Xi Zhaoyong and Hou Weidong appeared behind him. Xi Zhaoyong patted the fortune teller on the head and said, "Xing Banxian, how’s business today?"

Xing Banxian had just touched the young woman’s hand and earned twenty yuan, feeling quite pleased. Suddenly, someone slapped his head hard twice from behind. He looked up angrily and saw the face of "Government," smiling without reaching his eyes.

"I haven’t done anything. I was just sitting here resting."

Following their pre-arranged plan, Xi Zhaoyong took out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them onto Xing Banxian’s wrists. "You 139, what are you up to now?"

Article 139 of the Criminal Law referred to rape. In prison, "139" was a code for rapists. Those labeled as 139 held the lowest status in prison; besides being bullied, they were forced to do the dirtiest and most exhausting chores.

With his secret exposed, Xing Banxian hung his head dejectedly and followed Xi Zhaoyong to a bamboo grove outside the market.

Xi Zhaoyong counted Xing Banxian’s money and teased, "You scammed forty-three yuan in half a day. Your business is doing quite well." He raised his voice. "Confiscated. All of it."

Xing Banxian stuck to his old routine. "Government, please leave me five yuan for food. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet."

Xi Zhaoyong said, "This Government officer has something to say to you. Listen carefully. If you get the job done, we’ll return all this money, including what we took yesterday."

Xing Banxian was a veteran of the streets. He knew he wouldn’t gain any advantage dealing with the police, so he kept his mournful expression.

Hou Weidong explained the situation in detail. "As the saying goes, brine curdles tofu; every trade has its master. Your task is to persuade that man to move the grave." Xi Zhaoyong threatened from the side, "Don’t spread this around. If you say a word about this, you’ll never be able to operate in Yiyang again. I have acquaintances at every police station in the area. One phone call, and you’ll have a hard time."

"How dare I? How dare I?" Hearing it was about this matter, Xing Banxian felt relieved. This was his old line of work. With his silver tongue, persuading a superstitious old man should be as easy as turning over his hand. However, he didn’t want to agree too easily. He complained, "Government, I’ve reformed. Please find someone else for this."

Fortune tellers were usually honest, so Hou Weidong hadn’t expected him to refuse. He glanced at Xi Zhaoyong, waiting for him to speak.

Xi Zhaoyong stepped forward and kicked Xing Banxian twice. "Don’t give me that crap. You must get this done. If you fail, I’ll make you suffer." Xing Banxian had wanted to negotiate terms, but he hadn’t expected the police officer to be so arrogant, even more fierce than a prison guard. He had no choice but to say, "Government, I’ll go do it right now."

Xing Banxian trudged up the mountain with his head hung low. He washed his face in a paddy field, combed his hair, and tidied up his ethereal appearance.

The three of them appeared stealthily at the top of the mountain. Pointing at Old Man Chen’s house, Hou Weidong said, "Old Man Chen’s ancestral grave is right in front of the stone slope to the left of the house. You must persuade him to move it."

Xing Banxian observed Old Man Chen’s house carefully for a while. "Government, the Feng Shui of this ancestral grave is truly excellent. The descendants will either become officials or get rich."

Xi Zhaoyong said, "Cut the nonsense. Hurry up and go down."

Xing Banxian crouched in the grass and looked for a bit longer. "If you want me to do this, I have conditions. Otherwise, I’d rather die than submit."

Hearing the last sentence, Xi Zhaoyong almost laughed. "What conditions? As long as they aren’t excessive, I can consider them."

Xing Banxian narrowed his eyes. "As the saying goes, thieves have their own code. I need to go up the mountain and search for a grave with Feng Shui comparable to that family’s. Only then can I persuade him to move the grave; otherwise, it would damage my karmic merit."

Xi Zhaoyong nodded. "That’s acceptable." He then handed Xing Banxian five yuan. "I’m not afraid you’ll run away. I withheld ten yuan yesterday and forty yuan today. If this family moves the grave, I’ll return the money to you."

Hou Weidong was genuinely afraid he might escape, so he added, "If you succeed, I’ll give you an extra twenty yuan."

Xing Banxian bargained, "This isn’t an easy task. Fifty yuan."

Hou Weidong gritted his teeth. "Thirty-five yuan. No more haggling."

Xing Banxian smiled. "Fine, it’s a deal."

Xi Zhaoyong said fiercely, "You must be at Old Man Li’s house by ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Let me repeat: you must complete this task. Otherwise, don’t expect to stay in Yiyang."

After waiting until Xing Banxian’s figure disappeared, Xi Zhaoyong asked, "Do you have a way to reimburse that thirty-five yuan?"

Hou Weidong laughed. "As long as the job gets done, what does a little money matter?"