Chapter 8: Shilitu
In fact, apart from inspecting the roof, there is nothing else that needs to be cleaned, as both the interior and exterior of the house are completely empty, with not even a single broken pot or bowl left behind. Fortunately, the kang in the house cannot be moved; otherwise, it would indeed be quite troublesome.
Although Yue Xiaodong was aware that Yue Weihua had been rescuing the people along the Heishui River and had won the hearts of many, he still left Yue Xiaodong with an impression of being unfilial. However, he did not expect that Yue Weihua had come here prepared with incense and paper money, which immediately changed his perception of Yue Weihua significantly. He then smiled and said, "Brother Hua, you are truly thoughtful"
"Young Master, look, that is the village ahead, known as Shili Village. It originally had over 20 households and more than 130 people. However, a few days ago, it was visited by bandits, and the entire village, young and old, was left with nothing. This incident has caused quite a stir in Aihun City. Although the authorities have intervened, it ultimately ended without resolution." Yue Xiaodong pointed to the quiet and silent village not far away, introducing it with a sense of emotion.
Looking at the sincere concern and advice from everyone, Yue Weihua felt a warmth in his heart. This is what brotherhood is all about. Without any surprises, they would be his left and right arms in the future. He smiled and said, "Hehe, it seems that you won't be at ease until you see for yourselves. Very well, just wait and see."
After spending nearly half an hour, everyone returned to the village. Yue Weihua then allowed everyone to freely form groups and choose their roommates, as well as select their courtyards. In any case, six to eight people would share one courtyard, and they each went to clean up, temporarily settling in. As for whether adjustments would be needed, that would be discussed later
Esteemed seniors, I, Yue, am preparing to temporarily reside in your esteemed town. I apologize for any disturbances this may cause and kindly ask for your understanding
Although Yue Weihua set an example by allowing everyone to choose first, everyone still consciously reserved the largest courtyard in the center of the village. The three tiled houses facing south are located in the north, with pigsties and a kitchen on both sides. It is not a landlord's property, but at least it belongs to a wealthy peasant family. The courtyard is also quite spacious, measuring around one to two hundred square meters, making it just right for holding small meetings or similar activities.
"Haunted?" Yue Weihua shook his head, seemingly unconcerned. As a person of later generations, he had essentially developed an immunity to the concept of ghosts and deities. After a brief moment of contemplation, he suddenly inquired, "Do you know where the people of this village are buried?"
Alright, regardless of whether you understand or not, now go and inform everyone to come and collect their items
The specific reason is unclear, but it is rumored that a villager in Shilitu offended a bearded man many years ago, and now this bearded man has become a mountain king, commanding hundreds of brothers. He destroyed Shilitu solely for revenge. As for the truth of the matter, it is indeed not very clear. Yue Xiaodong paused and continued: "Young Master Yue, this village seems to be rather unclean. Ever since the tragedy occurred, it is said that there are frequent ghostly disturbances here"
Brother Hua, is it really necessary to notify like this? But we didn't bring anything with us, what should we do?
"Elder brother, everyone has arrived," Yue Hai responded
It seems that this Yue Xiaodong must be a person of great filial piety. Uncle Xiang has no sons, and by taking Yue Xiaodong as his adopted son, he can be considered fortunate
Do not ask anything, nor say anything. I will not tell you why this is the case. However, there is one thing I can honestly tell you: these items did not appear out of thin air; they were all prepared for us by Aunt Shangguan over several days. Additionally, I am not a deity; I am simply Yue Weihua, your brother, the young clan leader, and your uncle. You can rest assured about this.
In response to the astonishment and curiosity, Yue Weihua had long anticipated this; explanations would undoubtedly be inadequate. Moreover, Yue Weihua had no intention of providing an explanation. To enhance the effect, he simply pointed to the empty right-side room in front of Yue Hai and others, then with a grand gesture, bundles of straw mats, piles of bedding, and stacks of pots and pans suddenly appeared in the room.
Shili Tun, backed by the Buren Mountain range (also known as the Lesser Khingan Mountains), is located more than ten li away from Aihun City. Upon entering the village, there is a sizable threshing ground. To the west of the threshing ground, there are clusters of typical northeastern courtyards scattered at the foot of the mountain. The entire village appears somewhat dispersed, and there are no visible walls enclosing it.
Certainly, Yue Weihua does not deliberately promote ghosts and deities, nor does he claim to be a reincarnation of a certain immortal or a reborn son of heaven come to save the world. If that were the case, he would become a member of the Boxers rather than a revolutionary hero
Yue Weihua glanced over it briefly and asked with some confusion, after all, the village is so dispersed and backed by the mountains. Unless there are hundreds of bandits surrounding all the small courtyards at the same time, otherwise, once the villagers sense something is wrong, as long as they burrow into the mountains, it would be quite difficult for the bandits to wipe them all out.
Brothers, take matters into your own hands, and you will have enough to eat and wear
Regarding the merit pagoda, it is impossible for Yue Weihua to tell anyone. However, it is also unrealistic to keep it a secret from everyone around him. Therefore, he can only seek some excuses and pretexts. If that fails, he can let others guess for themselves. After all, if Yue Weihua does not speak, others cannot do anything to him
"Where can I collect the daily necessities?" Several brothers and nephews looked on with puzzled expressions.
In this era, people's thoughts are not yet so open, and beliefs in ghosts and deities still have some market presence. Therefore, Yue Weihua sometimes presents himself as mysterious or demonstrates certain supernatural abilities or powers. On a certain level, this can actually help Yue Weihua establish authority in front of his subordinates and contribute to the development of his influence
I actually know about this, as I occasionally come here to hunt. After the incident, out of curiosity, I went into the village to take a look. The graveyard is not far from the village, just on the back mountain. If you like, I can take you there to have a look. " Yue Xiaodong suggested, although everyone in the village has died, it is still appropriate for Yue Weihua to bring people here to settle down and pay their respects first.
At this point, no one was astonished anymore; they merely looked at Yue Weihua with a sense of confusion, mixed with admiration, excitement, and a hint of fear. After all, this was a divine skill. Of course, there were also those like Yue Xiaodong, who felt a bit unnerved, finding it all too incredible.
Yue Weihua mysteriously walked into the side room on the left. This room was the cleanest, with nothing but a kang, truly devoid of anything else. Once the door was closed, with a thought from Yue Weihua, a large number of neatly stacked bags of rice and flour suddenly appeared in the room, followed by jars of grains and oils, and bags of salt continuously materializing.
It is impossible, how could so much grain appear out of nowhere
This is truly incredible, brother, what kind of skill do you possess?
... ...
Seeing the incense and paper money prepared by Yue Hai, Yue Xiaodong was momentarily taken aback. In fact, Yue Xiaodong had some opinions about Yue Weihua, as he felt that Yue Weihua was not very attentive to the affairs of the Yue family. On the contrary, it was Yue Xiaodong who helped Yue Xiang handle many matters. Although Yue Weihua had sent Yue Hai to participate throughout the process, as the young clan leader and the only son of the old clan leader, he had only appeared twice: once during the initial setup of the spirit altar and once during the burial.
Although Yue Weihua is a staunch atheist, out of respect for the deceased, it is appropriate to pay homage. Thus, with a command from Yue Weihua, over one hundred people busied themselves: some burned paper money, some set off firecrackers, some weeded, and some offered wine. Each action was performed with great skill, primarily because many had been buried in recent days, whether they were relatives, friends, or acquaintances. In any case, everyone had become somewhat numb to the situation.
This courtyard is naturally inhabited by the main family, namely Yue Weihua, Yue Hai, Yue Hu, Yue Weiyun, Yue Qingjie, and Yue Qingren, totaling six individuals. Of course, if Yue Xiaodong is also counted, then there would be seven people.
"Xiaodong, where did this beard come from, so powerful that it can wipe out the entire village?"
Yue Xiaodong has his own opinions about himself. From his polite demeanor throughout the journey, Yue Weihua could sense this. Yue Weihua has always been indifferent to it, but he did not expect that just because he brought incense and paper money, Yue Xiaodong would change so significantly, transforming directly from a polite young master into the affectionate Brother Hua.
After Yue Weihua finished speaking, without waiting for the crowd to react, he directly expelled each of the confused individuals, allowing them to digest the information on their own. As for how they ultimately understood it, it was of no consequence to Yue Weihua, was it not
Indeed, Brother Hua, at the beginning of our interaction, if you deceive everyone, it may tarnish your superior's reputation
Yue Weihua wanted to assemble a team, so he naturally needed to choose a suitable place as a base for training. Of course, it would be even better if there were a relatively steep mountain stronghold, especially with the imminent invasion of the Russian Empire. However, in such a hurry, where could he find a ready-made stronghold? Fortunately, there was an empty village nearby. Although it seemed somewhat ominous, it would have to suffice.
This is also my thought. Yue Weihua smiled and then called Yue Hai over, asking: "Have you brought the incense and paper money that I asked you to prepare?"
Only when this room was almost filled did Yue Weihua step out. Upon seeing the bewildered and curious expressions of Yue Hai and the others, he gestured for them to go in and take a look for themselves, then walked straight towards the right side room. However, before Yue Weihua could enter the right side room, a series of astonished howls erupted from Yue Hai's side, and one by one, they rushed over as if they had seen a ghost
Hehe, of course I came here to collect it, where else could I go?" Yue Weihua pointed to the ground beneath him and said with a smile
Next, under the leadership of Yue Xiaodong, the group quickly arrived at the cemetery on the back mountain. Since the government had hastily arranged for the burials, most of the graves lacked tombstones, consisting only of small mounds of earth. Although it was referred to as a cemetery, it resembled more of a mass grave.
Brother Hua, do you possess any magical abilities?
Although everyone used to be young masters and had hardly done any rough or miscellaneous work, Yue Weihua took the lead in rolling up his sleeves. Naturally, the others could not fall behind. The seven of them worked together, and in less than half an hour, they had nearly finished the cleanup.
Once everything was in order, Yue Weihua finally called over Yue Hai and the others, instructing: "Yue Hai, you all go to each courtyard and inform everyone to come over for a meeting, and also to collect some daily necessities."
As for pots, bowls, ladles, and other daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil, and salt, as well as mats and bedding, Yue Weihua had his aunt, Shangguan Yun, help prepare these items three days ago, and they are now all stored in the merit pagoda. It must be said that Aunt Shangguan Yun put in considerable effort and spent a significant amount of savings to prepare these daily necessities, and although Yue Weihua is quite carefree, he has kept this in mind.