Chapter 68: Chang Gui (8)
It really wasn’t easy to find such a movie after searching for a long time.
Hai Di chuckled silently, took out his phone, and sent a message to his assistant, telling him he would head back tomorrow.
Jiang Si’s sleep was very restless. After Hai Di pulled the bed curtains closed, the entire bedroom was completely devoid of light, yet Jiang Si still unconsciously covered his eyes.
Hai Di watched quietly for a while, and just as he was about to leave, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Jiang Si.
Thinking he had woken up, he looked back and found that Jiang Si was still in the same posture.
After a while, Jiang Si said in a low voice, “Don’t leave, stay with me for a bit.”
“You—”
Hai Di only hesitated for a few seconds before decisively choosing to lie down with him while fully clothed. Jiang Si changed to a comfortable position, lying on his side, and asked softly, “Does Auntie know you came to Rongcheng to see me?”
“Will they be unhappy that you’re neglecting work for me?”
“How could they? They won’t interfere with my itinerary.” It was rare to hear Jiang Si speak so gently; Hai Di’s heart was about to melt.
No matter how many calls they made, they couldn’t compare to actually meeting in person. Having the person he cared about by his side provided a sense of peace that no amount of contracts could replace.
Jiang Si was also very happy. “That’s great. I’m going to help settle some bone ash tonight; you can help me out.”
“???”
The dim light couldn’t clearly show the other’s expression, so Hai Di could only go by feel. He reached out to pinch Jiang Si’s face and said helplessly, “Aren’t you filming? Where did more bone ash come from?”
Jiang Si’s bone structure was extremely well-developed, with high depth; despite having a small face, there was actually a thin layer of flesh when pinched.
It felt very good, so Hai Di couldn’t help but rub it again, but his hand was slapped away.
“I encountered it while filming,” Jiang Si said. “A very pitiful person who was tortured to death and then forced to guard property for the culprit after death, unable to leave. Even though he hasn’t truly harmed anyone yet, I’m afraid that if he lingers for a long time, he might lose his reason and do something evil.”
“It’s better to send him off early.”
Hai Di was helpless. “Do as you see fit; I’m fine with anything.”
“Once I’m done with the matter at hand, I’ll take you to meet someone.” Jiang Si said half and hid half, only saying it was a very important person whom Hai Di absolutely had to meet.
Seeing that he couldn’t get anything more out of him, Hai Di simply stopped inquiring further and told him to shut his mouth and rest while there was time.
Jiang Si thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep and closed his eyes to make a show of it, but little did he know that when he opened them again, it was already dark outside.
Calculating that it was about time, Jiang Si and Hai Di had a quick bite to eat and hurried over.
Bai Qiniang was a junior in her family and was often lectured by various elders. But away from home, she was at least a rare snake within her clan who had successfully sought a title and possessed spiritual intelligence.
She commanded all the snakes in the area to come out and work, and it didn’t take long for them to actually find it. Along with it, they unearthed the silver hoard that the person had hidden for many years.
It is recorded in the Supplement to What the Master Would Not Discuss that the places where a Yinchang hides are mostly near the silver hoards of bandits. Once discovered, the hiding spot must have a pungent and unpleasant odor. This also meant that the shackles binding the Yinchang ghost were broken, giving it a chance to reincarnate freely.
Jiang Si held his breath as he stood by the mound of earth and looked inside. In the bags made of special material, half was paper currency and half was gold. The light shimmering in the night was simply mesmerizing.
Hai Di took a glance and roughly estimated the amount. “It’s only about three or four million. But several decades ago, it was indeed a huge sum of money.”
“…” Jiang Si rubbed his nose. “Actually, it’s a huge sum of money even now.”
He sighed and turned to ask Uncle Li, “Is this where you saw him bury the money back then?”
“This is it,” Uncle Li nodded. “I later heard the factory director was caught, and the police found a sum of money at his home, which the court used to sentence him. I didn’t expect that even unto death, he wouldn’t reveal that there was also a hoard hidden here—even his wife and children didn’t know.”
“I heard that after the factory went bankrupt, they couldn’t even pay the basic resettlement fees for the workers. It turns out it was all here with him.”
“Embezzlement and bribery; he deserved his death.” As Jiang Si spoke, he gave Shen Hu a call, asking him to help coordinate with the police through the Heavenly Master Association to handle this money.
After all, he couldn’t just say that a snake immortal had helped find it; if he said that today, he’d be sent to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation tomorrow.
Before any outsiders arrived, Jiang Si first found a place to settle the bone ash. Following the rules, he performed a simple ritual, burning paper to invite the gods, so that the Yinchai could take Uncle Li away to the underworld for reincarnation.
After sending him off, Jiang Si turned around to meet Bai Qiniang’s piercing and meaningful gaze.
Her eyes couldn’t help but drift toward Hai Di, and after a couple of glances, they circled back to Jiang Si. Even without speaking, one could tell something was off at a glance.
Jiang Si acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, focusing entirely on waiting for the police to arrive so he could hand over the bone ash and the money together.
Hai Di had no impression of her and followed Jiang Si without looking sideways, but he couldn’t prevent Bai Qiniang from coming over to gossip and ask, “Do you still remember me?”
Hai Di remained silent.
Bai Qiniang covered her mouth and giggled to herself. “Alright, you guys wait here; I’m going off to play.” After saying that, she turned around and vanished on the spot.
The swarms of snakes following her also retreated as completely as a tide within those few moments.
After the police arrived, it was unclear how Shen Hu had sent word in advance. Not a single extra question was asked.
One of the arriving officers was a policeman who frequently assisted the Heavenly Master Association and was long accustomed to supernatural things that couldn’t be explained by science.
He had Jiang Si leave his name and phone number and then said they could go.
A younger policeman didn’t quite understand. “We’re just letting them go like that?”
“Otherwise? What else do you want to know?” The older policeman glanced at him and lowered his voice. “Sometimes it’s best to turn a blind eye. This matter is too strange; the reason behind it is definitely not something we want to know.”
“Ah?” The young policeman half-understood.
Their discussion gradually drifted away. Jiang Si exited the gates of the abandoned residential building and saw a vast expanse of wild grass under the sky, with broken bricks and rotten tiles everywhere; there was no trace of the grandeur from decades ago.
The cold, clear moonlight was scattered across the ground. Except for the sound of their footsteps on the earth, there was nothing else.
Now that the business was finished, his physical strength was also exhausted. After walking for a while, Jiang Si couldn’t help but hang himself on Hai Di, letting him drag him along.
The two were in two different cities, and it was hard for them to meet, let alone be together every day. At this moment, even without speaking, there was a special kind of enjoyment.
The first date was a very novel experience for Jiang Si.
The pace of life in Rongcheng was slow, but the various basic facilities were quite complete. Whatever first-tier cities had, this place also had, and with mountains and water, it was a good place for retirement and living.
The two were like an ordinary couple, eating after watching a movie and then wandering around everywhere.
There was a cultural square nearby, and for some unknown activity, thousands of lanterns were set up in the evening, arranged in two rows winding along the square. Many small stalls were set up nearby to sell goods, attracting many nearby residents to watch; it was very lively.
Jiang Si didn’t like to crowd into places with many people. Seeing this, he frowned and was about to pull Hai Di to avoid this path.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a corner of a lantern being blown by the wind, with a long streamer fluttering.
He immediately stopped in his tracks, wondering, “Why is that thing here?”
“What?” He spoke in a small voice, and the surrounding crowd was boisterous and too noisy; Hai Di could only hear the sound of him opening his mouth but couldn’t hear specifically what he was saying.
Jiang Si moved a bit closer to him and said, “Wait a moment; I need to take a photo.”
So Hai Di waited for him to take the photo.
Jiang Si pulled the viewfinder to its maximum and found that he hadn’t seen wrongly; it was exactly as he thought. He casually pressed the shutter, taking several consecutive shots before he was satisfied.
Just as he was about to put away his phone, he suddenly remembered he was out on a date today.
He moved closer to Hai Di and enthusiastically took a photo together.
Hai Di didn’t refuse, but he looked a bit stiff in front of the lens. Jiang Si told him to try and smile and not look so grim.
Hai Di did as he was told, but the result was even worse than not smiling. The photo looked like one taken during an inspection with a superior, just short of wearing a suit and tie.
Jiang Si looked at the photo and commented, “I’ve seen people who look worse in photos, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone become ‘government-official style’ in a photo.”
“How about I take a photo for you? I’ll take a good one of you.” Hai Di didn’t mind himself, but it would be good to keep a few photos of Jiang Si.
“Don’t speak yet.” Jiang Si pondered over the photo for a few seconds and decisively commanded, “Take off this trench coat. Yes, drape it over your arm, and then unbutton two of your shirt buttons.”
Director Jiang, after all, had been immersed in the field of art for a long time, was well-traveled, and had a sharp eye. After having Hai Di obediently do as he said, he indeed looked much better than before.
Finally, just one more thing…
Taking advantage of his inattention, Jiang Si raised his hand to ruffle his hair. Just as Hai Di looked over, he pressed the shutter.
Jiang Si was satisfied this time and pulled him to look at the photo.
In the photo, all the various colored lights in the background were out of focus. Several nearby weeping willows were appropriately blown by the wind. Jiang Si was holding up a peace sign with one hand toward the lens, while behind him was Hai Di looking over somewhat blankly. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with a smile as he silently watched Jiang Si.
The lights and the crowd were frozen at this moment, recording the best of times.
Hai Di was also very satisfied and immediately posted it to his Moments, leaving a group of business partners and family members who were viewing his Moments in a state of bewilderment, not knowing what to make of it.
It wasn’t a holiday or a festival; why would a person who didn’t post to his Moments even once a year suddenly do so?
Several bosses who had always wanted to cooperate with Hai Di even called their secretaries to analyze and research if there was any profound meaning in this, trying to understand his thoughts so they could cater to his interests and leave an impression on Hai Di’s side.
Mother Hai was the first to comment and like the post; she knew her son too well and could tell at a glance that the photo must have been taken at Jiang Si’s instigation.
She also stated that it was a very well-taken photo and welcomed Xiao Jiang to come and play at their house next time.
“What did you see just now? Your expression was so strange.” Hai Di put his coat back on, linked arms with him, and asked as they walked.
Jiang Si touched his face in surprise. “Was I?”
Seeing him nod, he could only be honest. “I just caught a glimpse from the bridge and noticed that there seemed to be soul-calling banners on the lanterns over there.”
Speaking of this, he specifically pointed it out. “Soul-calling banners are also called Mingjing. As the name implies, they are items used to summon deceased souls and lead them to heaven. Since ancient times, there has been a custom of hanging soul-calling banners during funerals, allowing the soul to return to heaven as the coffin is laid to rest.”
“It’s just that the sudden appearance of soul-calling banners here is too strange.” Jiang Si still didn’t understand. “I can’t figure out what use there is in hanging those things here.”
“If you can’t figure it out, just ask.” Hai Di said as he walked over there. There were volunteers maintaining order for this activity, so he found someone and asked a couple of questions.
After a while, he came back to talk to Jiang Si. “They said it’s an activity sponsored by a local enterprise, and these lanterns were also provided by them. These volunteers aren’t clear on what exactly is involved.”
“A local enterprise?” Jiang Si asked. “Did they say which one?”
“It’s a real estate company; the boss seems to have the surname Shi.”
Jiang Si nodded. Seeing that he still wanted to use his phone to find someone to investigate, he stopped him. He said helplessly, ” I’m just curious; I don’t necessarily need to know what’s going on.”
“If we have time, let’s go wander around other places.”
He turned and tossed the matter to the back of his mind, focusing on having fun. He had no idea that just a few days later, this boss with the surname Shi would personally come to his door.
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