Chapter 59: Stalemate
We have been busy all day and haven't had lunch yet. If we go back now, we'll be in time for dinner.
"There's a meeting tonight at the construction site dormitory. You can come or not, it's up to you."
After that, we left Uncle Hu's house.
As expected, it was about the same time as we expected. When we arrived at the construction site dormitory, we could already smell the fragrance of food.
Today's meal is different from usual.
Today in the cafeteria, besides seven villagers I had never met, there were only my cousin and Hu Yue.
The other workers were asked to return to their dormitories to eat, and it seemed that they had something to discuss.
We entered the cafeteria, we were so hungry that I didn't care what they were saying. Dong Jing and I wolfed down the food in front of us .
It wasn't until my stomach was bulging and I couldn't eat any more that I sat down obediently.
"What we have to do now is to dig out all eight coffins from under the construction site and return them to your ancestral graves according to the children 's families."
After my cousin said this, the seven people looked obviously unhappy.
He didn't know what was normal, after all, he didn't go with us to see Uncle Hu in the afternoon.
But we know the reason, and I'm not surprised by the looks on their faces.
The seven families included both male and female members, but they were all elderly and should be the children's parents.
"Is this something that must be done?"
Among them there was a guy who looked fat and big-eared. He was very strong and was comparable to Hu Yue.
After hearing what we said, he first asked us questions.
"What do you mean you have to do it? Isn't that your child? Do you really want him to be left to die in the wilderness?"
When this matter was mentioned, my cousin was more or less angry.
After all, he and I are of a different generation and there is a big age difference between us, so his thinking remains at the level of the previous generation.
The fat and big-eared man sells pork at the entrance of the village. His surname is Zhu and everyone calls him Brother Zhu.
Brother Zhu was stunned for a moment and was speechless.
"I just came back from Uncle Hu's house, and I roughly understand what everyone is worried about. But after all, it is still uncertain whether these children are jinxes. Before we have found out the truth, we cannot put the blame on the children." I touched my nose, intending to be a peacemaker.
Everyone turned their eyes to me, but their looks were clearly a little disdainful.
Because I am young, my words are not convincing.
"When you grow up, come and tell us about this. Why should a child interrupt when adults are talking?" Brother Zhu was a little angry and he slapped the table.
This action undoubtedly became the fuse, and the group immediately split into two teams. One team was those of us who wanted to bury our children back in the ancestral tomb, and the other team was the parents who were unwilling to take their children back to the ancestral tomb.
My cousin didn’t know how to talk to them. They were like a bunch of old stubborn people and nothing he said would make them happy.
But because I was too young, no one was willing to listen even though I was full of enthusiasm.
Just then, a man's voice was heard outside the door.
"Just listen to them and take the child back to bury him. After all, he is our own child. No matter what the villagers say, we as parents have to protect our children. Isn't that right?"
I looked back and saw that the person who spoke was Uncle Hu.
His eyes were red, and it was unclear whether he was angry or sad.
"Mr. Hu, you must remember what Hong Gu said back then, right? As long as the children are buried in the ancestral tomb, we who are left in the world will also suffer." Brother Zhu looked at Uncle Hu, his expression a little disdainful.
Uncle Hu did not argue with him too much, but just smiled and said: "Hong Gu also said that as long as the children were buried in the school's grounds, nothing would happen to our family. But in the end, something happened. And not only our family, but many families in the village have also encountered problems and accidents one after another. Could this also be related to our children?"
I looked at Uncle Hu and instantly felt that he was emanating a kind of wisdom.
It’s not that he hadn’t thought about it, but no one mentioned it anymore, so he just pretended nothing had happened.
But now the matter has been brought up again, and he still has his own ideas. If possible, I believe no parent would want their children not to be buried in the ancestral tomb.
Most of the older generation in the village don’t have independent thinking ability. What Uncle Hu said made sense and moved others a little.
But what Brother Zhu said was not without reason, which made them suddenly not know who to listen to.
My cousin stood up and lit a cigarette. "This matter is not so easy to resolve. Even if you say you want to take the children back to the ancestral tomb, we still have to perform other rituals. It's possible that your children may not be able to enter the ancestral tomb and will end up being thrown into a mass grave."
When everyone heard what my cousin said, they gasped.
"It's better to let him stay in school than to be thrown into a mass grave!" Brother Zhu slammed the table angrily after hearing this.
At this time, my cousin's temper became worse.
"We were invited back by the engineering team. We didn't take any money from your village. When you talk to me, I advise you to be polite! When you called me your nephew just now, I didn't say anything. I gave you enough face! Don't be so shameless!"
After my cousin yelled like that, most of the people present didn't dare to speak, even Brother Zhu was frightened.
"Then... I am telling the truth..."
Brother Zhu no longer had the momentum he had just now, and he began to stutter a little.
"I know what you said is true, but now the bodies of your children are occupying other people's places. They are not wandering ghosts. Why don't you, as parents take them back home? Don't exaggerate. They are not jinxes at all. They are being used."
At the end, my cousin spoke word by word.
He was afraid that those people might not understand him, so he spoke slower but in a heavier tone.
Looking at my cousin's expression, everyone was a little at a loss.
Many people in the village are like this, bullying the good and fearing the evil.
Especially the other five people besides Brother Zhu and Uncle Hu, otherwise they would not care so much about the eyes of the villagers and would not be afraid to take the children home.
Uncle Hu sat down next to us, which clearly showed that he had joined our team.
Brother Zhu, who was hesitating on the opposite side, also began to waver.
After a stalemate of less than a minute, Brother Zhu surrendered: "Since you are willing to help, we will do as you say. After all, it will be troublesome for us to ask someone to help pick up the child when the time comes."
