Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The Golden Statue was now propped up by wooden stakes, and everyone was busy at work.
Fat Ma had squeezed his way to the front, chatting away with someone. He learned that the Golden Statue had been dragged here.
When it was discovered, it was wedged in a crevice with dark currents flowing around it. The appearance now was the result of some cleaning and processing.
I looked up at the Golden Statue and felt something eerie about its visage.
Someone climbed onto the wooden stakes, continuing to clean and handle the Golden Statue.
An old man with his face covered also stepped onto the stakes and lingered for a while. I kept my gaze fixed on him, hoping to catch a glimpse of any flaw.
After the old man came down, the crowd around him dispersed slightly.
Someone directed, "Slowly lift it up; be gentle with your movements."
With that voice, using the wooden stakes as leverage, the Golden Statue began to move.
"It's rising," someone exclaimed in surprise.
I shifted my gaze; the Golden Statue had left the ground.
The wooden stakes creaked under pressure. They were about to break, I thought. But at that moment, no one paid attention to this; everyone was focused on the statue as it ascended.
The stakes creaked again. It won't hold! I shouted, "The stakes are going to break!" As my voice echoed, everyone stepped back.
At this point, the Golden Statue was already a meter off the ground. My warning had caught their attention.
But those operating nearby did not dare to leave.
"Don't panic, slowly lower it down," but before the words were finished, the Golden Statue tilted and fell over. Those who had not managed to escape were all trapped beneath it.
They let out cries of pain. I rushed forward to lift the Golden Statue, but it was of no use. "Come help!" I shouted.
Yet their expressions remained blank.
The Mud Man and Fat Ma had come closer to try and move the Golden Statue, but it was like striking a stone with an egg; it was completely ineffective.
The people trapped underneath were just inches away from me, suffering in agony, but I felt powerless. I shouted again, and finally, someone among them moved. Eventually, everyone joined in to help.
With hundreds of people pulling together, they managed to lift the Golden Statue slightly. The injured were pulled out.
"It's useless; even if we get them out, they'll be crippled," someone said.
I glared at him and replied, "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we should not give up on a life."
He ignored me.
In fact, those few did not last long before they died. This incident did not affect their progress; they continued with what they were doing as if nothing had happened.
The Golden Statue was soon righted.
I stepped forward and said to the old man, "It’s impossible for you to take it away!"
The old man paid me no mind.
I wanted to persuade him that completing this project without modern equipment would be very difficult! Just as I was about to speak, the old man said, "I know what I'm doing."
I had no choice but to remain silent.
Fat Ma stepped forward, trying to get on the old man's good side. He introduced himself with his name, registered address, and family details, almost revealing his birth year. Finally, he added, "Next time you have work to do, make sure to call us!"
The old man nodded and turned to leave.
Fat Ma chuckled happily.
I asked, "Fat Ma, what are you doing?"
"I'm paving the way for us in the future," Fat Ma replied seriously.
The Mud Man couldn't deny it either: "His ambitions are indeed grand. It reminds me of a school in tomb raiding known as Unloading Mountain Brute. Legend has it that this school specializes in rallying manpower for collective thievery rather than focusing on skills like other schools. The old man's methods resemble this school's style." The Mud Man added, "Unloading Mountain Brute thrived during the Tang and Song dynasties but declined during the Ming and Qing dynasties. By the time of the Republic of China, it had vanished. Strangely enough, they referred to Xiang Yu of Western Chu as their founding master."
"You really know a lot!" Fat Ma said.
"Of course! You can't get by in our line of work without some knowledge!" the Mud Man replied.
If what the Mud Man said was true, gathering so many people must have taken considerable effort; he wouldn't easily give up this golden statue.
At that moment, someone announced the time: it was exactly five o'clock in the afternoon.
Everyone dispersed, and we saw a group of people heading out from one direction of the Gorge.
"What are they up to?" Fat Ma asked.
The Clay Man said, "According to their style, they might be calling for help."
"Really?" Fat Ma replied, surprised.
"If they are indeed the Unloading Mountain Brute, then it's not surprising. A few people like this aren't much for them."
Once that group left, everyone sat down to rest. As night fell, the wind began to blow through the Gorge.
Fat Ma handed a cigarette to one of the men and asked, "Why did we stop?"
The man took the cigarette and replied, "This task can't be done quickly; we didn't bring all the tools. We'll start again tonight."
They waited until evening. Suddenly, a lot of grass and stones tumbled down from above the Gorge. I was puzzled and quickly asked, "What happened?"
"Don't panic," the earlier man said. "Our people have arrived." He stood up and looked up.
I followed his gaze. The moonlight illuminated the area, and the entrance of the Gorge had been cleared, casting a dim light down.
To our astonishment, several dozen people slid down from above.
The entrance of the Gorge was certainly wide enough for the Golden Statue to pass through. The key was how they would get it up there. Conservatively estimating, the entrance was at least twenty meters above ground.
Ordinary wooden stakes could never accomplish this task.
As I wondered what these people would bring, I suddenly heard a rumbling sound from above, resembling modern machinery.
"Everything is ready," someone called out.
A steel cable pulley descended, and they secured the Golden Statue with the steel cable.
"Listen to that sound; it’s like a crane!" Fat Ma swallowed hard.
His words startled me as well. They truly had remarkable abilities. Outside, there was still a struggle against private criticism and opposition to capitalism, yet they had stirred up such a commotion. It was impossible not to admire their methods.
Although the clay figure understood quite a bit, it couldn't help but feel astonished at that moment.
In the next second, the Golden Statue was pulled away from the ground, slowly disappearing from our sight as it left the Gorge.
Once the Golden Statue ascended, the crowd retreated like a tide, completely forgetting about the three of us.
Before long, the place was deserted.
However, one person remained—the old man.
He approached us and said, "You should come with me!"
I shook my head in refusal. Fat Ma seemed ready to say something but stopped when he saw my gesture. He stood firmly behind me, silent, while the clay figure did the same.
"This murky water is not something you can wade through. While you’re still unentangled, come with me!" His tone was serious.
Fat Ma replied, "Old man, don’t try to persuade us. What we decided as Grandfather Sun won’t change easily."
Hearing Fat Ma refer to me as Grandfather Sun surprised me, and I shot him a questioning glance.
Fat Ma winked at me, so I decided not to ask him about it right then.
The old man clearly hesitated as well.
At that moment, someone rushed over and whispered a few words in the old man's ear. The old man, who was about to say something, turned and left. We could tell that there was something urgent.
After he left, I felt a lot more relaxed.
I asked Fat Ma, "Why did you just call me Grandfather Sun?"
Fat Ma replied, "Old Sun, you really are out of the loop! I was trying to give you some face, raise your status so you could negotiate with him."
Fat Ma's serious tone made me feel a bit awkward.
The Mud Man mocked Fat Ma, saying, "Your life is in someone else's hands; what conditions can you negotiate?"
"You... I... forget it," I said, choosing not to argue with you. I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.
The Grand Canyon, which had been bustling before, now felt empty and unfamiliar.
The three of us chatted for a while before falling silent.
"Ghost!" Fat Ma shouted. The Mud Man and I immediately reacted.
"What happened? Where's the ghost?" Fat Ma pointed ahead. We saw a shadowy figure standing there, but its features were unclear.
With all the lights turned off, only the dim moonlight illuminated the scene.
"Who is it?" the Mud Man asked seriously.
"It must be a ghost!" Fat Ma responded.
"No, there's a shadow," I said. Fat Ma looked over clearly and immediately cursed, "Which son of a turtle dares to play tricks in front of Fat Master?" With that, he strode forward. I didn't have time to stop him.
Soon, a scream from Fat Ma echoed, accompanied by, "Let's talk it out; fighting will only hurt our feelings."
The Mud Man hurried over and saw that Fat Ma's hands were restrained behind his back.
After Fat Ma broke free, the Mud Man stepped forward and exchanged a few moves with him. Although I wasn't a martial artist, it was clear from their movements that the Mud Man was at a disadvantage.
After a few exchanges, both of them withdrew their hands. The Mud Man retreated to my side and whispered, "He's really strong; I'm no match for him."
Fat Ma seized the opportunity and charged again but missed his target, only to be subdued by someone else. Fat Ma said, "Good man, as they say, you don't know someone until you fight them!"
At that moment, I stepped in to mediate; the shadow was none other than Brother Jiang.
"This is what you need," Brother Jiang pointed to a pile of items not far away.
Fat Ma quickly ran over and shouted, "Old Sun, come look!"
It turned out they had left behind the tools they had previously taken from us and even provided some equipment for us.
Seeing that Brother Jiang was still standing there without moving, Fat Ma asked, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Brother Jiang casually replied, "I'm not leaving."
"What do you mean?" the Mud Man asked.
Comment 0 Comment Count