Soon, everything was adequately prepared.
Under the dark sky with howling winds, upon entering the tomb, a nauseating stench assaulted our senses.
Yang Laohan and the nanny goat were piled up in an extremely eerie manner, their bodies rotten and decomposed, intertwined in a ghastly fashion. It was horrifying.
"Guangting, why are you standing there? Let's go," urged Zhang Wenjie.
At the tomb entrance, Chen Lao Da and Chen Lao Er each wielded an electric hammer with a drill bit, starting to bore holes in the tomb door. Chen Duoyu stood by, pouring water on the drill bits to cool them down.
The tomb door was incredibly hard. It took over two hours and six drill bits to barely create a hole on each side.
"Ouch, I'm exhausted," Chen Lao Er groaned, rubbing his lower back after hammering for a while.
After a brief rest, the Chen brothers rolled up their sleeves and swapped their tools for spades to start enlarging the holes, aiming to fit in the truck tires.
Just then, the walkie-talkie crackled, and the voice of Uncle Ding came through.
"Someone's here. Lingzi is handling it. Be careful," Uncle Ding's voice warned.
Chen Lao Da's face turned grim. He turned off the switch and said, "It's so late. Who could it be? Could our whereabouts have been exposed?"
"It shouldn't be. We've been very careful in our actions."
Zhang Wenjie turned to me. "But just to be safe, Goushou, go take a look."
I listened for any sounds at the entrance, peeked out to confirm the surroundings, and then climbed up.
A Jianshe 60 motorcycle was parked outside the greenhouse, with a cardboard box still strapped to the backseat.
Wang Tiancai went to attend to some matters, drinking and eating late into the night, until he saw lights still on in the greenhouse under the faint moonlight and decided to come check.
Drinking white wine makes the mouth bitter like bile, so Zhang Ling poured him a cup of hot water.
As Zhang Ling poured, Wang Tiancai took advantage, grabbing her hand and lewdly touching it.
"So soft, so fair, so smooth, so fragrant."
"Wangshi, you've had too much to drink."
"Girl, ever since you arrived, I've taken a fancy to you. How come you're so beautiful, like stepping out of a painting? Come on, let's get cozy, little sister."
"You shameless rascal, shame on you."
Zhang Ling forcefully pulled her hand back and gave Wang Tiancai a hard slap.
"Beating is loving, scolding is caring. Without beating or scolding, it's just a grudge, hehe."
Wang Tiancai touched his face, not showing any restraint but rather grinning as he lunged at Zhang Ling.
Uncle Ding stepped forward to intervene but got punched in the eye by Wang Tiancai, "Ouch!" he cried, covering his eye and squatting down.
Uncle Ding got anxious too, grabbed a hoe, raised it over his head. I rushed forward, grabbed the hoe from him, dragged Wang Tiancai to the door, and pushed his head into the water tank with a loud thud, breaking the ice layer and plunging his head into the chilling water.
"Gulugulu," after drinking a few mouthfuls of cold water, Wang Tiancai sobered up a lot, realizing he had made a big mistake. He hopped on his motorcycle and dashed away like a frightened rabbit.
Through the walkie-talkie came Zhang Wenjie's voice, "Goushou, what's the situation?"
I picked up the walkie-talkie and replied, "It's Wang Tiancai. He drank too much and caused a ruckus, but it's all fine now. How are you all doing? Is everything progressing smoothly?"
Zhang Wenjie didn't respond, leaving me hanging.
Things weren't going smoothly. The tomb door was harder than expected, causing the spade to slip off and sparks to fly. Progress was slow, and it seemed that it would take at least another three or four days.
Currently, there is another pressing issue to be resolved.
Wang Tiancai returned home in disappointment this time. With his character, he certainly won't take it lying down. If we don't thoroughly eliminate this potential threat, it might lead to further complications.
"The best defense is a good offense. We need to take the initiative," proposed Zhang Wenjie, adjusting his glasses.
Everyone agreed that this was a good strategy.
After a light meal, the others lay down to rest and regain their strength. Meanwhile, Zhang Ling and I went to Dazhong Village together.
As soon as we arrived at the village entrance, we saw Wang Tiancai, holding a teacup, greeting people and playing mahjong everywhere. He didn't owe a cent, even when the wives called for dinner, the game continued until dawn.
Seeing us approach, Wang Tiancai's face changed, he closed the cup lid and was about to slip away. Zhang Ling hurriedly took a couple of steps and grabbed his arm.
"Wangshi, don't leave."
"Is there, is there something?"
"You truly have the gall to act innocent after pulling your pants down and sleeping with me last night. How could you forget so quickly?"
This revelation was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone present.
"I, you, don't talk nonsense. I didn't."
"No? Then what's this?"
As Zhang Ling spoke, she loosened her collar, revealing a clear scratch on her snow-white skin. The villagers widened their eyes, saying they had never seen a woman as fair as her, as white as a steamed bun.
"You crazy woman, I don't even know you. Let go of me."
Wang Tiancai stubbornly denied it, and I chimed in.
"Wangshi, you're the one who did it. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Goushou, f*ck your mother, stop spreading rumors."
Wang Tiancai panicked, shook off Zhang Ling's hand, and tried to leave.
Zhang Ling fell to the ground, grabbed Wang Tiancai's leg tightly, and started rolling in the mud, crying and wailing.
"I don't want to live, I can't live anymore, I'm too ashamed to face anyone."
Zhang Ling, noble, beautiful, and graceful, I had never seen her like this before. Her performance was seamless, absolutely believable, and her acting skills were superb.
At this moment, not far away, a middle-aged woman whom I had seen before, Wang Tiancai's wife, stepped firmly through the mud and came over, giving Wang Tiancai a dozen slaps.
"F*ck, no wonder you came back so late last night, your clothes soaked through. Did this woman piss in your mouth while you knelt down?"
Wang Tiancai blushed like a monkey's buttocks, almost bleeding, and was dragged away by his wife, holding onto his ear.
Zhang Ling made it clear that the men of Dazhong Village were welcome to come to the greenhouse to sleep with her if they wished, and she would take good care of them.
This commotion had the desired effect. Who would dare to come and stir up trouble at the greenhouse after this? Even when the village chief came, he spoke from a distance, asking us to be careful not to damage the walnut saplings planted along the roadside.
Zhang Ling invited the village chief in for a drink before he left, but the village chief waved his hand repeatedly and walked quickly away through the wheat field.
These days, we haven't been idle. Finally, we've expanded the openings a bit. Now they're about the thickness of a thermos flask.
On this evening, apart from Uncle Ding and Zhang Ling, everyone else gathered outside the tomb door.