Chapter 102: Worm Hole

Just when I was at my wit’s end, several ordinary village women swaggered into the courtyard, carrying baskets of vegetables and fruit, with cured meat on their backs. My eyes lit up, and I immediately had an idea.

This was a rural custom, helping with cooking.

Qian Dagui’s cow had died in a strange way, and with the township head involved and a veterinarian called in, a proper banquet would have to be prepared to host everyone. In a situation like this, Qian Dagui’s wife would definitely have no mind to cook, so it was perfectly normal to call a few women from the market town to help.

I looked at the township head and said, “I do have to go to class this afternoon, but my home is in XX Village. It would take too long to go back for a meal at this time, right?”

“You did not bring a lunchbox?” the township head said, half annoyed and half amused.

“Can I just eat here? Please, uncle?” I tried my best to look greedy. It was easy to understand. What good food could a lunchbox have? A table like this, even if the taste was not great, there would definitely be plenty of meat.

Only someone thick skinned enough would dare to make such a request. I felt nervous the whole time, telling myself over and over that I was just a kid. Yes, I was just a kid.

The township head sighed helplessly and glanced at Qian Dagui.

Although Qian Dagui was stingy, he was actually a decent person. How could he bother over a child eating a meal? He said, “Let him eat before he goes to school. It is just one extra set of chopsticks.”

I finally had a legitimate reason to stay, but my ears were burning red. I could not help but admire my master. It must have taken real courage to freeload in villages for so many years.

Time passed slowly. I stared at the gate, waiting eagerly. Finally, when it was almost time to start the banquet, three people strode into the courtyard.

“It smells so good. Rural food is the best, big bowls of meat, big bowls of alcohol…”

No need to guess, that voice belonged to my master. I lowered my head and kept thinking a hundred times, I do not know him, I do not know him.

But Su Rou spotted me anyway. He ran over with heavy steps, even dragging a stool with him. He shoved me aside and sat down.

“San Wa Er, I ran myself to death looking for you, and you end up eating here? That is really unfair,” he said.

I felt like my face of nearly fifteen years was completely ruined by him. Do you have a grudge against me? Do you have to make my image of freeloading so obvious? But the torture was not over.

Something pressed against my right side, and Old Man Jiang squeezed in and sat down. “Good, good, stir fried chives and eggs, that is good. San Wa Er, did you tell the kitchen I like this?”

I felt like I could not breathe. I leaned over and said quietly to Old Man Jiang, “That wok has already been used to cook meat. 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 that is not killed for oneself is clean. Besides, this poor monk has compassion in his heart and does not even touch the three pure meats. Amitabha.”

Hui Jue spoke with a sorrowful, compassionate expression, even using a standard Beijing accent and chanting a Buddhist name.

Everyone at the table was stunned. Just moments ago he sounded like a rural farmer from Shaanxi, and now he had turned into a Beijing monk. How was that even possible?

Forget it. When dealing with this group, the first rule is to be shameless in order to survive peacefully. I kept telling myself I could not see, I could not hear, and simply ignored everything.

Something else pressed in beside me again. I knew my master had sat down. Without saying anything, he grabbed a piece of pig ear, threw it into his mouth, and chewed loudly. Then he poured himself a cup of alcohol and drank it in one gulp.

“What are you all waiting for? Eat,” he called out enthusiastically, acting like he was the host.

“Cough… cough…” Qian Dagui coughed. With such a strange group suddenly appearing, how could the real host stay calm?

“What are you coughing for? Do you not recognize me? I am the one who gave your cattle deworming treatment for free! I am here to help with your cow’s problem,” Old Man Jiang said, glaring as if greatly wronged, though at least he gave an explanation.

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

Remembering their identity made Qian Dagui slightly more at ease. At least they were not here just to freeload. They had done work for the villagers before. But thinking about their profession made his heart tighten again.

Deworming specialists.

Did that mean his cow had died from a parasitic worm disease? That kind of disease could not be avoided by humans either. If this spread from cattle to humans, things would be disastrous.

Qian Dagui looked at my master with a pale face. His wife also looked equally pale.

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 the reassurance was limited. Thinking of the cow’s miserable death still made them uneasy.

After the meal, Su Rou and I could legitimately stay without going to school. The excuse was simple. The two old men were now considered traditional doctors at the table, and we were their apprentices.

The township head muttered, “So you were just trying to stay for a meal after all.”

Old Man Jiang suddenly glared. “Go call your township chief. Tell him Jiang Lichun is looking for him.”

The township head inhaled sharply, unsure of what to do.

Old Man Jiang added coldly, “What are you waiting for? If I have to go myself, I will demote you when I come back.”

That was outright intimidation, but sometimes threats worked better than anything else. The township head left.

Later, when the township head arrived and saw the cow, he returned to the courtyard with a heavy expression. Shortly after sitting down, the veterinarian also arrived. Seeing him, the township head immediately rushed over and pulled him aside, whispering something.

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

“Obviously telling the vet to hide the truth. I guarantee he has never seen anything like this. If he starts shouting nonsense, what do you think the consequences will be? What kind of brain do you have?” Old Man Jiang said impatiently.

I grunted. I was not even fifteen. What kind of brain did he expect?

At that moment, Su Rou also ran over mysteriously and asked, “Grandpa Jiang, is the worm here?”

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

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

Old Man Jiang spat. “Go then. You are just in the way here anyway.”

Su Rou dropped his bag again. “I am not leaving. I am staying here.”

Old Man Jiang looked at him meaningfully. “Tonight…”

Before he could finish, the veterinarian was helped out. He looked like he had just vomited. Qian Dagui hurried over to ask about the situation.

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

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

Qian Dagui looked troubled. At first, he had suspected poisoning because the cow’s death was too cruel. He had not expected this result.

The township head put an arm around the veterinarian and led him away, likely to continue warning him.

Old Man Jiang sat calmly in the courtyard, lit his dry tobacco pipe, and I yawned. I wanted to sleep in Qian Dagui’s house, but thinking about the worm made me too afraid to relax.

Su Rou kept pacing in front of Old Man Jiang, asking again and again, “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 courtyard.

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

“Township head, you say the cow is dead, fine. 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 the couple.

“You should stay at the township government. It is safer. Deworming medicine only goes so far. One or two worms are fine, but if your stomach is full of them, how do you treat that?”

Qian Dagui and his wife were clearly frightened.

“How could we have worms in our stomach?” they asked.

“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, several people will come to help. We will boil a large pot of medicinal herbs specifically for deworming. There will be many other tasks. You two cannot help and will just be standing around inside the house. If you get infected, what then?”

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