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Chapter 211 The Ancestral Tomb is on Fire

Hukou Village, the hometown of Lin Mo and Su He's mother, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is relatively remote. It is named after the village's exit, which resembles the spout of a teapot.

However, that was in the past. With the development of society, villages began to build roads, and Huzui Village was no exception. Originally, there was only one road that Su He drove in on, but later, after the village's conditions improved, another road was built on the other side.

On the other side, it connects directly to the national highway and links to several other villages, greatly reducing the distance to the southern city and making the villages seem less remote.

However, since Lin Mo and Su He were both born to daughters who married out of the family, they didn't spend much time here when they were young. After their parents passed away, they rarely came back, unless it was for a relative's wedding or to sweep the graves.

However, today, the once peaceful village was suddenly attacked by unidentified vehicles.

"Old Zhou, Old Zhou, come out quickly, your nephew and niece are back!"

In an ordinary rural courtyard, an old man in his fifties or sixties suddenly appeared at the door and shouted loudly.

Soon, an old man with gray hair and dark skin came out of the house. He had a rolled-up cigarette in his mouth, and his clothes were dusty, indicating that he had just finished farm work. He walked with a swaying gait, not like a hooligan, but rather giving people a rugged feeling, as if he would hold up the sky if it fell.

This kind of temperament can mostly be seen in the older generation. Simply put, although they are old, they have a lot of yang energy. Young people today, including Lin Mo, give people the feeling that they haven't grown up.

The old man was Lin Mo and Su He's maternal uncle. He now lived in their rural hometown, raising cattle and farming—a typical rural old man.

"What's going on? My nephew and niece are back?" Zhou Jianping asked.

"Yes, your nephew and niece are quite something. They must be doing very well out there, maybe even holding official positions. Goodness, a hundred or two cars have come along. Old Zhou, you'd better go and take a look!"

The old man who came was about the same age as Lin Mo's uncle, and he was speaking excitedly.

This left Old Zhou completely bewildered. His nephew and niece were high-ranking officials, and they had arrived with hundreds of cars?
What is all this nonsense? He only has one nephew, who is in college. What kind of official is he? As for his two nieces, one is married and lives in another city, and the other works in Jiangning. I've never heard of her being an official.

Nevertheless, Lao Zhou went out with them, after all, they were family, and he had to go and check on them.

When Lao Zhou was led to the old roadside at the east end of the village, he was dumbfounded. There was a row of cars that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, and at the very front was a white car with two young men bowing to the drivers of the cars behind them.

"You've mistaken them for someone else. These aren't my nephew and niece." Old Zhou took a closer look and realized that the two young people were fair-skinned and clean-cut, and they weren't his family members at all. Especially the boy, who was smooth and fair-skinned, with a face as white as ice. Moreover, his clothes and demeanor made his nephew look like a stray dog ​​next to him. How could they be his family?

After saying that, Old Zhou was about to go home; he still had work to finish.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the girl below shout at him:
"Uncle, Uncle, it's me! It's Su He! Xiao Mo and I are back! Help, Uncle! You've finally come!"

"Uncle, well, I came to see you. Are you feeling alright?" Lin Mo said somewhat awkwardly from the side, finally seeing a relative.

Although the older guys behind them didn't blame them, they were the ones who led the way, and being watched by so many people must have been incredibly stressful!

Old Zhou was startled upon hearing this, and immediately took two steps forward to take a closer look.

"Uncle, it really is me! You didn't recognize me, did you?" Su He said with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou quickly recognized his eldest niece: "Hahaha, it really is you, you've become so beautiful!"

“Uncle, what about me?” Lin Mo said from the side.

Old Zhou:
That's right. Even though he looked closely, he still wasn't sure. The main reason was that Lin Mo's demeanor, voice, and clothing had changed so much that someone who didn't know better would think he was a rich second-generation.

Fortunately, although Lin Mo has changed quite a bit, his facial features are still the same, and his face is just a little paler.

"My goodness, child, you've gotten so pale! Are you alright?" After confirming that the two people in front of him were indeed his nephew and niece, Old Zhou quickly borrowed a ladder from a nearby house so that the two could climb up first.

For older people, dark skin is not a problem; it's a sign of health. But if you're that pale, it's definitely anemia, and you might even have some underlying health issues.

"Hey, I've been a bit busy lately and haven't seen the sun much, so I've gotten a bit tanned!" Lin Mo said vaguely, exchanging a glance with his cousin.

You can't explain this to an elderly person over sixty; you'd be better off telling them it's because they haven't been exposed to the sun.

Obviously, Old Zhou understood Lin Mo's explanation immediately. He patted Lin Mo's shoulder and laughed, "You little rascal, I almost didn't recognize you. But you need to get some sun, otherwise you'll be calcium deficient. Look at you, so pale, like a young lady, not manly at all. That won't do. How will you get a wife in the future?"

Lin Mo:
In the eyes of the old man, being fair-skinned is acceptable, but you have to be fair-skinned and plump. If you are only fair-skinned but as thin as a greyhound, then you don't look like a man. And Lin Mo just happens to be a greyhound.

"Hahaha, that's right, Uncle is right!" Su He laughed heartily.

But the next second, Old Zhou's voice came again: "Stop laughing. What's going on? The people in our village all say that you two are doing well outside, and that you've even become officials, having a whole bunch of people drive you back to your hometown. This doesn't seem like it."

Su He:
"Um, Uncle, this is a long story."

After ten minutes of persistent explanation from the siblings, the uncle finally understood the whole story.

"No, what should we do? Let them go back!" Old Zhou said.

But to everyone's surprise, both siblings lowered their heads and sighed.

“Uncle, going back is going to be a bit difficult. We just checked, and the traffic outside is completely jammed, while the road over there is still congested,” Lin Mo said.

"What? The traffic jam stretches for eight or nine miles? How many cars must be stuck there?" Old Zhou exclaimed in surprise.

While it's impossible to completely block the road, it's close enough that at least vehicles closer to the intersection will have a chance to reverse.

Finally, Uncle Zhou went down the ladder and chatted with the drivers of the first few cars.

"I'm so sorry everyone, my nephew and niece came home and forgot about the road construction!"

"It's alright, sir. We just followed along on our own. We thought we'd run into some locals!"

"It's you, sir. We were just trying to take a shortcut, but this happened. It has nothing to do with the child. We've already explained everything. Here, sir, give me a slap!"

Soon, his uncle had already mingled with the crowd and started smoking Hua Zi.

After finishing a cigarette, Comrade Zhou threw the cigarette butt away, crushed it with his foot, and said, "Alright, since things have come to this, and we can't get out anyway, let's call out to the back. Anyone who's thirsty or hungry, get off the bus and come to my house for a drink of water and a meal. The food may not be great, but whatever we have will do! Then we'll figure out a solution."

Rural people are simple and honest. They felt a little embarrassed to see so many cars stuck in traffic because of their nephews and nieces. Since they were there, they decided to treat them to something, at least a drink of water. It was better than being stuck in the car, especially since some of the cars had children in them.

And so, hundreds of people swarmed into Hukou Village. When the eldest aunt saw so many people at home, she was dumbfounded.

After some explanation, they finally understood. She quickly pumped water and prepared to cook, but being alone, she couldn't possibly cook for hundreds of people, no matter how hard she swung the spatula. She could only cook as much as she could. Fortunately, several women got out of their cars to help, and someone even cleaned the yard. But it wasn't without its benefits; the village store became incredibly popular. Instant noodles, sausages, snacks, especially the freezer, were all sold out. Even half a watermelon that someone had chilled was bought at a high price, making the store owner grin from ear to ear.

You have to understand, these are hundreds of hungry wolves who have been stuck in the heat for hours. They can tolerate what they eat, but they absolutely can't stand the high temperature. The ice-cold beer is a real treat, and they're devoured on the spot as soon as it's taken out of the refrigerator.

Several neighboring villagers also enthusiastically drew water from the well. The water, freshly drawn from the well, was cool and refreshing, and a sip of it on a hot summer day was incredibly comforting.

Soon after, traffic police arrived, but when they saw the scene, they were at a loss for what to do.

After inquiring about the reason, they were left speechless, both amused and exasperated. All they could do was set up warning signs at the intersection to prevent cars from continuing to pass, and then they would have to wait patiently.

"A few of you, come with me."

Just then, my uncle drove up in a tricycle with shovels, pickaxes, urea bags, and other such items on the back.

"Where are you going, Uncle?" Lin Mo asked as he stepped forward.

“Let’s fix the road. We can’t just keep waiting like this. I just asked the traffic police, and the east intersection is still blocked. It’s definitely not going to be able to turn back anytime soon. In that case, let’s put up that bumper so your cars can get on it and then you can pass through our village and go through the west intersection,” Old Zhou said.

Clearly, another idea genius has emerged in his family, and the kind who commands a huge following.

With hundreds of cars and hundreds of people, it's easy to gather dozens or even hundreds of men to build a two-meter-high ledge.

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, and then a large group of people followed.

Then I saw some shirtless men wielding shovels, and some men in suits filling bags with sand.

In just over an hour, a simple slope was erected.

"Fuck, that's awesome!"

"Is that all right?"

"Yeah, I only filled one bag with sand and that's it?"

"I only dug two shovelfuls of dirt, I'm so embarrassed. Wait, I still have two bottles of wine in my car, I'll take them to the old man's house, my wife is still eating there!"

"Hey? You mean I still have a pack of cigarettes in my car?"

"I only have one case of walnut milk!"

As soon as Su He's car arrived first, everyone knew that the road was open, and they were naturally happy.

After finishing the project, they prepared to give gifts. Some women in the village brought their children to buy some local fruits, such as melons, pears, and peaches. This is the season when fruits are in season.

They didn't encounter any mean-spirited people. When the child saw someone picking fruit from another tree, the mother chased after the villagers to give them money. The villagers of Hukou Village were also very hospitable. Seeing that everyone was very polite, they naturally refused to accept the money, which led to a bit of a tug-of-war.

"Sir, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Here are two bottles of wine; please accept them."

"I don't have much in my car, just a case of walnut milk, please don't mind."

"Sir, please take this cigarette."

Some of the car owners who ate at Lao Zhou's house brought gifts in return.

The gifts varied, including cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, health products, and almond milk, but none of them gave money.

The old man, my uncle, also declined repeatedly.

"No, no, it's just a matter of getting a sip of water, I can't possibly take your things!"

"What's wrong with eating? It's just a bowl of noodles, why would I take your money? Take it back!"

Seeing this, some people put down their things and left. Now that the road is open, they are all eager to go home.

Soon a strange scene appeared: many cars stopped in front of Lin Mo's uncle's house, left something behind, and then hurriedly left. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were blocking the road.

Although only a small number of people left their belongings behind, there were still quite a few items left after hundreds of vehicles arrived, more than the elderly couple could handle.

The unsuspecting villagers, seeing this scene and then Lin Mo and Su He standing at the door like two door gods, all said that the Zhou family's children had become high-ranking officials, and people were rushing to curry favor with them.

The siblings, like doormen, kept apologizing while trying to help their uncle and the person who left the things behind, their faces stiff with smiles.

Finally, after sending the last car away, it was almost 6 p.m. The first day of the holiday was over just like that, which was extremely absurd.

"You two, how old are you? Still doing such unreliable things. But these drivers are quite easy to talk to," the old man wearing a tank top said with a smile.

His vest was soaked with sweat. His uncle had been the main force just now, and as the idea master, he naturally had to take the lead in this kind of thing.

Those older men probably felt that they couldn't let the old man do the work alone, so they worked extra hard.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo smiled helplessly and said, "Uncle, if you think it's alright, I'll have my cousin come again at the end of the year. Maybe the scale will be even bigger!"

He was also covered in dust and dirt. He had helped out while they were working, so he couldn't leave his uncle to do it alone.

However, a few burly men came along and saw that he was as thin as a telephone pole and didn't even have the strength to dig. They took the shovel and did the work themselves.

"Again? Hurry up and pray. Today we almost died from exhaustion. By the way, you two stay for a meal later, and then go to your grandparents' graves to burn some paper money," the old man said.

But then my cousin Su He said, "No need, Uncle. We won't eat. As for visiting the graves, some of the older brothers and sisters who didn't get to do the work felt bad and came with me. They cleared all the grass around the graves and burned a lot of paper money. Our ancestral graves aren't even emitting auspicious smoke anymore, they're practically burning!"

Old Zhou:
Aunt:
Lin Mo:
His family must have been incredibly lucky. Even if their ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke, it wouldn't have helped. The ancestral graves were on fire. They called 119, but there was no signal!

What kind of kind person would lead a large group of strangers to burn paper money at their ancestral graves?

Looking at his eldest niece, Old Zhou, as the uncle, felt an urge to hit the child for the first time, but in the end he just sighed.

"A sin!"

(End of this chapter)