Chapter 101: Lies

Just when I was at a loss, several ordinary village women swaggered into the yard. They were carrying vegetables and fruits in their hands and meat on their backs. My eyes lit up and I immediately had an idea.

This was a rural custom, helping with cooking.

Because Qian Dagui’s cow had died in such a strange way, they would need to trouble the village cadre and invite a veterinarian. In situations like this, a table of food had to be prepared for hospitality. Since Qian Dagui’s wife was clearly not in the mood to cook, it was normal to call a few women from the market town to help.

I looked at the village cadre and said, “I have to go to class in the afternoon, but my home is in Village X. It is too far to go back and eat right now.”

“You did not bring a lunch box?” The village cadre looked both annoyed and amused.

“I will just eat here, is that okay? Uncle?” I tried my best to look greedy. It made sense. What good food could a lunch box have? A banquet like this might not be amazing in taste, but there would definitely be plenty of meat.

Only someone thick skinned enough would make such a request. I felt uneasy, repeating to myself that I was a child. Yes, I was a child.

The village cadre sighed helplessly and looked at Qian Dagui.

Qian Dagui, though stingy, was actually not a bad person. How could he care about a child eating at the table? He said, “Let him eat before going to school. It is just one more pair of chopsticks.”

I finally had a legitimate reason to stay, but my ears were burning red. I even admired my Master. Staying in villages eating and drinking for years must have taken incredible courage.

Time passed second by second. I stared at the gate, waiting eagerly, and finally it was almost time to eat when three people swaggered into the yard.

“So fragrant. Rural food is the best, big bowls of meat, big bowls of liquor…”

No need to guess, that voice was my Master. I lowered my head and muttered a hundred times in my heart that I did not know him, I did not know him.

But Su Rou saw me at that moment. He ran over with heavy footsteps, even bringing a stool with him. He squeezed me aside and sat down, then said, “San Wa Er, I ran myself to exhaustion and you are already here eating? That is not right of you.”

I felt like my nearly fifteen years of dignity had been completely ruined by Su Rou. Do you have a grudge against me? Did you really have to make my image of freeloading so vivid?

But the torment did not end there.

My shoulder tightened as Hui Jue, that old monk, squeezed in on my right and sat down. “Good, good, stir fried chives and eggs, very tasty. San Wa Zi, did you know I like this? You even told the kitchen.”

I felt like I could not breathe. I lowered my voice and said to Hui Jue, “That wok cooked meat earlier. Do you not mind? Eating eggs is one thing, but chives too? What kind of monk are you?”

“It does not matter, it does not matter. What the eye does not see is not killing. What the ear does not hear is not killing. Meat not killed for oneself is clean. Besides, this humble monk has compassion in his heart and would not even touch the so called three pure meats. Amitabha.”

He looked like a compassionate sage, even speaking in a standard Beijing tone and chanting a Buddhist invocation.

Everyone around the table was stunned. He had clearly been a Shaanxi country bumpkin just now. How had he turned into a Beijing monk?

Forget it. To survive among these people, the first skill you needed was shamelessness. I silently told myself I could not see it, I could not hear it, and stopped caring about anything.

Another squeeze beside me. I knew my Master had sat down. He said nothing, grabbed a piece of pig ear, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing loudly. Then he poured himself a cup of liquor and drank it in one gulp.

“What are you all standing there for? Eat.”

He greeted everyone enthusiastically as if he were the host.

Qian Dagui coughed. With such a group of strange people showing up, it was hard for him to stay composed as the host.

“What coughing? Do you not recognize me? I am the one who gave your livestock deworming medicine for free! I am here to help with your cow situation.” Old Man Jiang glared as if deeply wronged, but he finally gave a proper explanation.

Only then did everyone at the table react. These two old men were the ones who had distributed deworming medicine. No wonder they were not recognized. They had rushed in like a gust of wind and squeezed straight onto the table. Who would recognize them?

Thinking of their background, Qian Dagui felt a bit better. At least they were not here just to freeload. They had done work for the market town before. But thinking of their identity still made his heart sink.

Deworming specialists.

He had just said they were here to help with the cow. Could it be that his cow was infected with some kind of worm disease? If it could affect cows, it could affect people too. If this spread from cattle to humans, things would be disastrous.

Qian Dagui’s face turned pale as he looked at my Master. His wife also looked pale. Just as Qian Dagui was about to speak, my Master said, “Eat first. If you are infected, there is deworming medicine. Do not worry.”

These words reassured Qian Dagui and his wife somewhat. The medicine did work. But their relief was limited. Thinking of the cow’s miserable condition, what if this happened to a person?

After the meal, Su Rou and I were able to stay under a legitimate reason. It was simple. The two old men were now regarded as traditional doctors at the table, and we were their apprentices.

The village cadre heard this and said, “So you were planning to stay for food after all. I thought you were just freeloading.”

Old Man Jiang suddenly glared and said, “Go call your township head. Tell him Jiang Lichun is looking for him.”

Such a big attitude made the village cadre inhale sharply, unsure of the situation. But then Old Man Jiang added, “What are you waiting for? If I go myself, I will demote you when I return.”

It was a blatant threat, but sometimes threats worked best. The village cadre left.

When the township head arrived and saw the cow, he returned to the yard with a grave expression. Shortly after sitting down, the veterinarian also arrived. The township head immediately rushed over and pulled the veterinarian aside, whispering something.

After speaking, the veterinarian went to examine the cow. I quietly asked Old Man Jiang, “Master, what is the township head doing?”

“Of course he is telling the vet to hide the truth. I guarantee the vet has never seen something like this. If he starts shouting nonsense, what do you think the impact would be? What consequences would there be? You really do not have much intelligence, do you?”

I grunted unhappily. I was not even fifteen yet. What intelligence did he expect?

Su Rou then sneaked over to Old Man Jiang and asked, “Grandpa Jiang, is the worm here?”

Old Man Jiang looked seriously toward the house and said, “Guess. If Qian Dagui had not made such a big fuss about his cow today, I can guarantee that after tonight, their entire family would be nothing but a pile of rotten flesh. Do you believe it?”

Su Rou was startled, quickly put on his school bag, and said righteously, “Grandpa Jiang, I am a good student. I need to go to class this afternoon.”

Old Man Jiang spat and said casually, “Go on then. You are just in the way here anyway.”

Su Rou put down his bag and said, “I am not leaving. I am staying here.”

Old Man Jiang looked at him mysteriously and said, “Tonight…”

Just then, the veterinarian was helped out. He looked like he had just finished vomiting. Qian Dagui quickly went up to ask.

The veterinarian said weakly, “It is an infection caused by a parasitic worm. I do not have any special deworming medicine, so there is nothing I can do.”

This explanation was clearly coached by the township head, but it was enough to fool Qian Dagui and his wife.

Qian Dagui looked worried. He had originally suspected someone had poisoned his cow because the death was too cruel. He did not expect this result.

The township head put an arm around the veterinarian’s shoulder and led him away, likely to continue feeding him warnings. Old Man Jiang sat calmly in the yard and lit his dry tobacco pipe. I yawned and wanted to sleep in Qian Dagui’s house, but thinking of the worm made me too afraid.

Su Rou kept pacing in front of Old Man Jiang, asking, “Tonight, what are we doing tonight? Grandpa Jiang, just tell us.”

But Old Man Jiang ignored him.

At 4 p.m., in Qian Dagui’s yard.

The township head was still trying to persuade the couple, but Qian Dagui and his wife remained confused.

“Township head, you say the cow is dead, so be it. If people get infected, there is deworming medicine. Why do we have to stay overnight at the township government?” Qian Dagui’s wife asked.

This was hard to explain. The township head was at a loss and looked helplessly at Old Man Jiang.

Only then did Old Man Jiang slowly stand up, clasp his hands behind his back, and walk over to Qian Dagui’s couple.

“You should stay at the township government. It is safer. Deworming medicine is limited in effect. One or two worms are fine, but if your belly is full of them, how can you treat it?”

Qian Dagui and his wife were clearly frightened.

“How could we have a belly full of worms?”

“There are none now, but there might be tonight. That cow was so big. How many worms do you think were inside it? It stayed in your cattle pen for so long. How many could have crawled into your house? Tonight there will be several people helping. We will boil a large pot of medicinal herbs specifically for deworming. There will be many other things to handle. You two cannot help and will just be standing in the house. If you get infected, what then?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the township head looked at Old Man Jiang with admiration.