Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps by fate, Jian Yumei and his father arrived in the summer. As they arrived at the Chen family village in the dead of night, thunder and rain began to sound.
As dark clouds gathered in the sky, with fierce winds about to blow and lightning beginning to appear, Jian Yumei was summoned by his father.
"Mei'er, quickly, put on your raincoat and follow me!" Jian Tianhong urged.
Jian Yumei rose and retrieved two raincoats from the bundle, handing one to his father and donning the other himself.
"Let's go, we're heading to the barren land I showed you during the day! Hurry, the thunder is about to strike!" Jian Tianhong said.
With that, Jian Tianhong hurriedly led Jian Yumei out of the borrowed farmhouse.
They hastened to the desolate land. Here, the crops were sparse, and the terrain slightly higher than the surrounding fields.
"Mei'er, you stand over there, I'll be here. Listen intently while lying on the ground. Every time there's a thunder, change your position and listen again. If you hear any unusual sounds, let me know!" Jian Tianhong instructed.
"Alright, Father!" Jian Yumei replied.
At that moment, thunder roared. Jian Yumei listened carefully, feeling the earth tremble with each thunderous strike, as if the heavens and earth were about to split open.
As the thunder reverberated between the heavens and earth, the ground beneath Jian Yumei began to rumble. Despite his fear, he saw his father, also acknowledging the phenomenon with a pleased expression.
With the first thunder passing through the heavens and earth, the sounds from the ground echoed in unison. When the sounds dissipated, Jian Yumei remembered his father's instructions to change position.
He shifted towards the source of the sound from the ground.
Then, the second thunder struck, louder than before, emanating from below. It seemed as though the rumble from beneath was challenging the thunder from the sky.
Amidst the lightning, Jian Yumei saw his father gradually nearing his position.
As the final thunder continued, Jian Yumei and his father were already in the same position.
Together, they lay on the ground, listening to the earth's rumble, as if the earth were about to split open.
Jian Tianhong's face lit up with joy. "Mei'er, this is it!"
Having spoken, Jian Tianhong took a small wooden wedge from his pocket and inserted it there.
At that moment, a massive lightning bolt tore through the night sky!
"Father, look!" Jian Yumei pointed at the sky, somewhat frightened.
Jian Tianhong quickly turned around, observing the lightning still illuminating the sky, but its shape resembled a human face, specifically that of an ancient woman.
With her towering hair bun, long arched eyebrows, melancholic gaze, straight nose, and slightly parted lips, every detail was vivid!
She gazed at Jian Yumei and his father, as if sighing, as if wanting to say something.
In an instant, the lightning vanished, and the sky poured down torrential rain.
At that moment, Jian Yumei suddenly saw a mysterious smile on his father's face.
Many years later, when Jian Yumei understood the meaning of that smile, he regretted why he couldn't stop his father at that time.
Whether these signs were ominous or not, Jian Tianhong showed no intention of stopping; he became even more determined.
Once the location was confirmed, Jian Tianhong brought Jian Yumei here every night.
They dug until dawn each night.
Using a Luoyang shovel, they dug a thief hole, just wide enough for one person to enter. They carefully concealed the excavated soil in a low-lying area, covering it with plenty of wild grass.
That place was unlikely to be discovered by ordinary people, and indeed, no one had ever found it.
After working for over ten days, on the last night of digging, Jian Tianhong told Jian Yumei, "Mei'er, it's done. We've dug down to beneath the main tomb chamber. Just a gentle touch and we can enter the main tomb chamber!"
Because the top and sides of the main tomb chamber were reinforced with sturdy protective layers, Jian Tianhong chose to dig into the ground below the main tomb chamber and then ascend into it, a common method.
That day, after returning to their lodging, they slept until noon.
In the afternoon, Jian Tianhong went to buy some good wine and food. During dinner, Jian Tianhong and Jian Yumei had a good chat.
"Mei'er, your mother died early, and I haven't taken good care of you. I feel somewhat guilty. Today, let's father and son have a good drink!" Jian Tianhong said.
"Father, drink less; we have work to do later!" Jian Yumei said.
"Well, it's nothing. Your father's capacity for liquor is not a problem with this little wine! Mei'er, after we finish this job today, let's not do it anymore. I reckon we'll have a good harvest from this tomb! Look, when we found this tomb, there were hardly any other thief holes, which is rare. It suggests that this place has hardly been discovered. Our luck in finding this tomb is truly remarkable. It's fated for us to make a fortune!" Jian Tianhong said.
"Well, Father, actually, I hope we can live peacefully. This tomb, I always feel it's strange. You know, at night when I'm digging, I always feel like someone is watching me! I often feel inexplicably scared!" Jian Yumei said.
"Child, don't be afraid. I don't have that feeling at the moment. I feel very grounded and peaceful. Come, eat your vegetables. Once we finish this job, let's go buy that house and some land. In a few years, I'll find you a good wife, and then I can stay home and hold my grandson! Haha!" Jian Tianhong laughed.
Listening to his father's words, Jian Yumei remembered the ups and downs of these years, looking at his father's slightly graying hair, he nodded.
"Here, have another drink!" Jian Tianhong poured wine for Jian Yumei.
Jian Yumei finished it in one gulp, and Jian Tianhong smiled.
For Jian Yumei, it was rare to see Jian Tianhong so happy, as if he were going on a special date.
That night, when the village's night watchman struck the bell for the last watch, Jian Yumei followed his father to the tomb site.
As his father descended into the tomb chamber, Jian Yumei pondered the events of recent days. He always felt that something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. After all, his experience was still lacking, whether in tomb raiding or life experience.
In fact, he had already noticed that his father was acting oddly, but he couldn't stop him. Some things seemed unstoppable. He just remembered his father's eerie smile, the smile before descending into the tomb chamber, which kept him uneasy.