Song Haizhu held onto Madam Bai's legs, calling out "Ailian" repeatedly, and even requested hugs and kisses, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
It took all of us together to reluctantly pull Song Haizhu away.
Madam Bai and Huang Erhei moved aside, murmuring something quietly. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see that Madam Bai's expression was not good.
After a moment, she sighed heavily, finally making a decision.
Turning around, Madam Bai suddenly changed her demeanor, becoming coquettish and flirtatious, nauseating everyone present.
"Zhu Zi, my dear Zhu Zi."
Ugh, I almost threw up.
Song Haizhu's eyes lit up as he grabbed Madam Bai's hand, saying, "Ailian, I miss you so much, I can't sleep properly, oh, no, I mean, I can't sleep without thinking of you."
With that, he tightly embraced Madam Bai.
Madam Bai exclaimed, "Oh my!" Her face alternated between light and dark, almost unable to contain herself.
"Zhu Zi, I miss you too," Madam Bai shivered all over, then continued, "Why are you here? Tell me what happened?"
With immense strength, Song Haizhu easily lifted Madam Bai and placed her on his lap, reminiscing about the past.
Three years ago, there was indeed a Southern investor who wanted to develop Yanmen Mountain into a tourist attraction. So, he approached Eyeball and offered a sky-high price of a hundred thousand yuan.
Many wealthy people believe in geomancy, and Eyeball, who was knowledgeable in geomancy, was invited to inspect the area. With him came Wen, Eyeball's assistant.
After a few days of wandering, they found a cave entrance.
All of us in this business have a common vice: greed.
After a brief discussion, the four of us decided to explore the cave. Little did we know, we would never come out again.
They also found a circular pit filled with bronze artifacts. Although the quality was mediocre, it was still profitable. After packing them up, we prepared to leave.
Eyeball, however, was not convinced that things were as simple as they seemed and decided to stay behind.
At this point, their supplies had run out, so they turned to the bats for food.
As is well known, there are significant differences in dietary habits between the North and the South. While the North's cuisine is relatively normal, the South's is entirely different. In the South, if it swims, crawls, or flies, it's edible.
The four of them began to eat bats.
On the third day, Eyeball finally made a breakthrough, saying he wanted to continue digging the original thief hole deeper, but he didn't say why.
When they dug two meters deep, an unexpected incident occurred.
Bats carry dozens or even hundreds of viruses and parasites, and they were all infected. Their personalities changed dramatically, and they began to kill each other.
The other three were no match for Song Haizhu and were killed one after another.
Although Song Haizhu had the mildest symptoms, severe damage was done to his brain nerves. After eating his three companions, he survived by consuming raw bats. Now, Song Haizhu is completely insane.
However, he still remembers the two most important women in his life: his mother and Ailian.
Love is a mysterious thing that cannot be explained.
Suddenly, Song Haizhu asked Madam Bai, "Ailian, where's my mother? Why isn't she here?"
Madam Bai was taken aback, got up to look for her, and in an instant, she transformed into Song Haizhu's mother.
"Son, my dear son."
Song Haizhu knelt down and knocked his head heavily on the ground three times for his mother.
"Mother, your son has been unfilial and caused you suffering."
I was dumbfounded. I had thought Zhang Ling's performance during the commotion in Dazhong Village was worthy of the Best Actress award, but it turned out that Madam Bai was the real seasoned actress. Her expressions were spot on, her emotions genuine, and every move she made was theatrical.
Nose Cannon whispered to me, "Only the dead kowtow three times, right?"
I replied, "Customs vary from place to place. Don't be surprised by what you see."
Madam Bai asked, "Son, what does the guide look like?"
Song Haizhu rolled his eyes and thought for a moment. "I don't know, Eyeball has seen him."
Madam Bai phrased her question differently, "What's his name?"
Song Haizhu rubbed Madam Bai's hand. "I don't know, Eyeball knows."
Madam Bai shook her head and stopped asking.
Under Madam Bai's reassurance, Song Haizhu's emotions gradually calmed down, and he became less agitated.
I asked, "Xiao Jing, you arrived early. Did you discover anything?"
Nose Cannon chimed in, "Bro, we found a giant python here."
Everyone was shocked to hear this.
Shi Jingxia said, "You're mistaken. It's not a python; it's a dragon."
Once again, everyone was astonished.
"Wow, Sister-in-law, there are no dragons in this world. It must be a python, no doubt."
"I don't want to argue with you."
Ignoring Nose Cannon, Shi Jingxia pulled me over to take a look, and the others followed.
Sure enough, on the ground lay something resembling a snake or a dragon, about a meter long, pieced together with human bones. It twisted and turned, as if about to take flight.
Due to its age, it was difficult to distinguish its details. However, despite the ravages of time, one could still sense a majestic aura.
This creature, half dragon and half snake, with its head facing west and tail east, had a person sitting on top of it. One leg was crossed, while the other dangled naturally, with flowing robes and an air of elegance.
In its hands was an object, square and about the size of a cigarette box.
I scratched at it with my hand, excitedly exclaiming, "It's made of bronze."
Madam Bai tossed me a dagger, and I used it to pry open the edge. Unexpectedly, Huang Erhei suddenly extended two fingers and effortlessly extracted the object.
Nose Cannon smirked and whispered, "That guy's fingers are really something, hehe."
If he hadn't chuckled under his breath, I wouldn't have thought much of it.
"It seems to have a pattern on it," Huang Erhei said, handing the object to Madam Bai.
Madam Bai took it, and Song Haizhu quickly stepped forward, gesturing for her to wipe it on him. Madam Bai naturally complied and then examined it carefully.
Nose Cannon also leaned in, standing on tiptoes and stretching his neck, earnestly looking.
"Bro, there's nothing interesting to see. There's a bone pattern on it, probably a seal."
"That's oracle bone script, not 'bone pattern'. You're barking up the wrong tree if you think you can understand anything. Move aside."
Nose Cannon scratched his head and stepped aside.
I didn't recognize oracle bone script, but it definitely wasn't words. It seemed to be a pattern of a bronze tripod.
"Grandmother, please tell Xue'er what this thing is all about?"
Madam Bai said slowly, "This is the clan emblem."
Bai Ruoxue asked curiously, "Clan emblem? What's a clan emblem?"
Madam Bai uttered six words.
"The work lasts forever, and the craftsman endures."