amaotonovel Chapter 451 It would be strange if he didn't take his anger out on me!
Chapter 451 It would be strange if he didn't take his anger out on me!
Upon hearing the word "ancient tomb," the atmosphere on the construction site instantly changed, with dozens of eyes fixed on the bluish-gray stone slab.
"Make way, let me see." Zheng Dehou squeezed into the crowd, bent down, and carefully examined the stone slab.
The carvings on the stone slab have become less clear due to the erosion of time, but a few ancient characters can still be vaguely discerned.
“This is…” Zheng Dehou reached out and wiped the dirt off the stone slab, frowning as he tried to decipher the writing on it. “This looks like an epitaph!”
"An epitaph? Then there must be an ancient tomb down there!" a villager exclaimed.
These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
"Tombs usually contain burial goods..."
"What if it's the tomb of a high-ranking official? There might be gold and silver treasures inside..."
"I've heard that jade artifacts are buried in ancient tombs..."
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Li Xiangyang noticed that Zheng Dehou's expression had become unusually complex.
Zheng Dehou stood up, glanced around to make sure no one from other villages was nearby, and then said in a low voice, "Everyone, don't make a sound, let's get back to work."
The villagers were taken aback, but they quickly nodded in understanding, pretending to be calm as they picked up their tools and pretended to continue working, while actually listening intently for Zheng Dehou's next words.
Zheng Dehou walked over to Li Xiangyang and said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, "Xiangyang, what do you think about this matter..."
Li Xiangyang frowned: "Uncle Dehou, what do you mean?"
Zheng Dehou scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed: "What I mean is, we've dug this up, should we report it? Right now, we're still digging irrigation ditches, the reservoir hasn't even started construction yet, each village is doing its own thing, and there's no one supervising our section..."
Li Xiangyang looked at Zheng Dehou in disbelief, never expecting that this usually upright production team leader would have such thoughts at this moment.
Zheng Dehou was annoyed by Li Xiangyang's gaze and glared at him irritably: "What kind of eyes do you have? Even if there's treasure, you can't take it all to my house, can you? I'm just asking for your opinion. After all, if we report what we've dug up, it'll only be a verbal reward. But if there's a lot of treasure, wouldn't our whole village be better off?"
Li Xiangyang glanced around at the others, seeing that they were all practically straining to hear him, and could only steel himself and whisper, "Uncle Dehou, I think... we should still report it. Even if there really is some treasure underground, it's not worth much these days. Taking it all to your family might make you rich, but expecting the whole village to get rich is too unrealistic."
"But......"
"Uncle, calm down. This can't be kept secret. Even if there really are some good treasures, is it possible to distribute them absolutely fairly? If any family feels they've been cheated, they'll definitely make a fuss... Besides, there are ancient tombs here, but not elsewhere? What if they unearth a huge tomb when the reservoir construction starts? That would be a huge problem."
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's words, Zheng Dehou's expression shifted several times before he sighed deeply, "You're right, we should still report it."
After saying that, Zheng Dehou turned to the villagers who had gathered around and shouted, "Disperse, everyone! Go do what you were doing. I'll report this. None of you should say a word!"
Hearing this, the villagers, though unwilling, could only return to their posts and continue working.
But the pairs of eyes that kept glancing at the stone slab betrayed their inner curiosity and resentment.
That afternoon, Zheng Dehou rode his bicycle to the town and reported the discovery of the ancient tomb to the relevant authorities.
Li Xiangyang and other villagers were instructed to bypass the area around the stone slabs and continue digging the irrigation ditch.
As dusk fell and the day's work was coming to an end, Zheng Dehou returned from town.
"So? What did they say?" The villagers crowded around, asking impatiently.
Zheng Dehou wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "The town said they'll send someone to take a look; they'll arrive tomorrow. They told us not to touch the stone slab yet, and just get on with our work."
Everyone nodded, somewhat disappointed, but they had no choice but to accept the outcome.
After finishing work, Li Xiangyang walked back with the other villagers.
"Xiangyang, do you think there are really treasures in that tomb?" Li Daqiang asked curiously.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Who knows? But even if there are, they're cultural relics, belonging to the state. We can't be greedy."
"Of course, of course." Li Daqiang nodded quickly, but the curiosity in his eyes didn't diminish at all. "Just curiosity."
When he got home, Li Xiaoyun had already prepared dinner and was sitting at the table waiting for him.
"Did your day go well?" Li Xiaoyun asked with concern.
Li Xiangyang nodded and then told her about digging out the stone slab.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoyun's eyes widened: "An ancient tomb? Could there be something unclean inside?"
Li Xiangyang chuckled: "Where would you find so many unclean things? There are no unclean things, but a huge pile of gold and silver treasures. I'm afraid I'm in trouble this time."
Li Xiangyang was worried, blaming himself for being so talkative. Seeing his wife's concern, he quickly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl. "Don't worry. Eat more; this will help get rid of dampness."
The next morning, as soon as Li Xiangyang arrived at the construction site, he found that a cordon had been set up around the stone slab, and several people in uniforms were busy there.
“Those are people from the Cultural Relics Bureau,” Zheng Dehou said to Li Xiangyang in a low voice as he approached. “They arrived last night, rushing over overnight. It seems this matter is quite important.”
Li Xiangyang nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly saw a jeep parked not far away, and several neatly dressed people got out.
"Those are county leaders!" Zheng Dehou exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly went to greet them.
Li Xiangyang didn't go over; instead, he continued with his work. But he could sense that the atmosphere on the construction site had become tense because of these people's arrival.
During the lunch break, Zheng Dehou found Li Xiangyang.
"Xiangyang, the experts from the Cultural Relics Bureau say this tomb is at least two hundred years old, dating back to the mid-Qing Dynasty. The approximate location of the tomb has now been determined; it won't affect the main structure of the irrigation canal, only requiring a slight route change."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "That's good."
"Oh, by the way," Zheng Dehou patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder, "the county leaders said they're going to give you a commendation!"
Hearing this, Li Xiangyang's face turned bright red, and he grabbed Zheng Dehou's arm and shook it: "Uncle, aren't you putting me in a dangerous situation!"
His eyes swept over the villagers whispering amongst themselves in the distance, and he lowered his voice, stamping his feet in frustration, "They really want the whole village to know that I was the one who instigated the report about the ancient tomb!"
Zheng Dehou rubbed the corner of his clothes, his face embarrassed: "Xiangyang, I didn't expect the county to attach so much importance to this..."
"What's there to care about!" Li Xiangyang plopped down on the edge of the field, grabbed a handful of weeds and crushed them violently. "Think about what your first thought was when you found out? Now everything's gone, no wonder everyone's taking their anger out on me!"