different directory

"How did you know I would come?" Father Li took what was in Grandpa Li Hong's hand, and swept the thin snow off his shoulders.

Grandpa Li Hong smiled mysteriously, and changed the subject, "What are you doing here?"

"It's about the mine disaster 30 years ago. Recently, the village reopened the mine. I want to know what happened 30 years ago to close the mine."

Grandpa Li Hong shook his head angrily, "That mine can't be mined. Don't stay with me anymore, go back and tell that old Wangtou that if he dares to open the mine, he will bear the consequences." behind.

Father Li, who had no other choice, went directly to the village chief's house with his things.

It was already noon when we went there, and Father Li couldn't keep his eyes open under the scorching sun.When we arrived, the village chief was entertaining guests. He was about 50 years old, tall, with all white hair, wearing a tunic suit, and his eyes behind the glasses were always squinting, like a cunning old fox.

"Bieyun, why are you here?" The village head was obviously displeased with Father Li's arrival, but for some reason, he had to smile at him.

Father Li didn't care at all, he chose a seat closest to the guests and sat down. "you are?"

The guest nodded slightly, "Zhang Mingyi, the secretary of the village team who is here to report today."

Father Li did hear that the secretary of the village was dismissed last month, but he didn't expect such a difficult person to come, so he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

"Hey, I said..."

"Cunchang Wang, have you found all the people who opened the mine?" Zhang Mingyi didn't want to listen to his nonsense, the date of opening the mine was coming, and he had to be urged to do it all the time.

"I don't know why Secretary Zhang reopened the mine. I heard that the mine is unlucky." Father Li also squinted at the instigator in front of him, and the smile on his face disappeared.

Zhang Mingyi tapped his index finger on the table rhythmically, and shot the village chief with sharp eyes, "What are you doing!"

The village chief shrank back into the depths of the sofa in fear, and looked at Father Li in embarrassment.

"Of course it's for the safety of the village." Zhang Mingyi spoke on behalf of the village chief, "I asked an expert to see that 27 strong men must be sacrificed on the 69th day of the twelfth lunar month, so that the village will be safe and prosperous forever."

Father Li exploded when he heard it, "What the hell are you talking about, isn't the village fine!"

Zhang Mingyi was not annoyed, and threw the report on the table to him, "This is a report on the water quality of our village. Unknown substances were found in the water."

"In the past three years, the birth rate in our village was [-] percent of the death rate, and this number is still decreasing."

"Then, that and the sacrifice..."

Zhang Mingyi threw him another letter, "We received an anonymous letter a month ago, which gave us a solution."

Father Li opened the letter, which read: The turbid air in the mine has affected the water quality, and only 69 men need to be sent in to suppress it.

"You even believe this!" Father Li was speechless. Just because of an inexplicable letter, 69 lives would be buried in vain.

Zhang Mingyi pressed his hand to signal Father Li to sit down, "We asked Master Chongyang to read it, and he also thinks this method is feasible."

"So," Zhang Mingyi looked back at the village chief, with unspeakable anger burning in his eyes, "I asked him to gather 69 men who volunteered to join, but I didn't expect him to say a word, hum!"

Father Li also looked at the village chief angrily, and the village chief buried his head in his legs in remorse.

The next day, a notice was posted in the village, which only briefly wrote a few sentences of the reason, and a large part of it was full of various subsidies.

"Tsk tsk tsk, those who went there were all heartless." Wang Mangang pouted in disgust, not seeing that Father Li beside him was thinking.

"That's not necessarily true." Father Li pointed to the mother and son who were tugging at each other, "But her son is definitely not good, he looks like a sick child."

Wang Mangang didn't take it seriously, "Anyway, if I don't go, you won't either."

Father Li shifted his gaze to the notice again, ignoring his question.

"Not enough, not enough, why is there so much difference!" The village chief paced back and forth in the room with the list, while the secretary stood aside tremblingly.

"Village chief, we have all worked door-to-door, and we can only gather so many people."

Just as the village chief was about to throw the list in the secretary's face, a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, "Call me Li Biyun!"

Father Li knew the purpose of the village head calling him here, and looked at him with disdain.

"I hope you can help. After all, it is related to the life and death of the village." The village chief held out the cigarette to Father Li, and took it back halfway.

"Hmph, if the village chief also joins, I will find a way for you." Father Li sat on the sofa and played with the potted plants on the table. He came today just to disgust the parent official.

The village head stood by the window blankly with a cigarette butt in his mouth, the fire flickered on and off, "Okay, go back and find someone."

Father Li didn't know how he got out of the gate, and the village chief's determined face kept appearing in front of his eyes.

"I want to meet that Master Chongyang."

Father Li stood outside the door, looking at Zhang Mingyi inside through the crack of the door.

"Come in." Zhang Mingyi let Father Li into the room, and motioned him to sit on the sofa by the window.

"You said."

"I want to see..."

"I am Zhang Chongyang." Zhang Mingyi stuffed a brown pill into his mouth, and his hair slowly turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Father Li suppressed the doubts in his heart, and directly cut to the point, "Is there any other way?"

Zhang Mingyi stared at Father Li for a while, then casually said, "There is one more."

"But... I want you."

Father Li's eyes widened in astonishment, his fingertips turned white.

"Hahaha——" Zhang Mingyi stroked the hair on his forehead, "Don't get me wrong, I mean you can replace the other 68 people."

"but……"

All the notices posted in the village the next day were withdrawn, and even those who signed up were rejected for various reasons.The village chief was puzzled, but Zhang Mingyi just hinted that he should stay calm and not be impatient, and that the higher-ups had thought of other ways, so that he didn't have to do this spine-stirring thing again.

It was so peaceful until the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Every household was making final preparations for the Spring Festival. They almost forgot the "farce" that happened in the village a few days ago. Even the village head was immersed in the festive atmosphere.

At this time, Luo Shenghe was even more lonely, and even the two men in front of the mine could not add any vitality.

"Let's do it." Father Li lifted the sweater to his chest, revealing his copper-colored body that he had cultivated all year round.

Zhang Mingyi wiped off the alcohol on the blade, smiled and walked towards Father Li.

"Close your eyes, it may hurt a little." Without waiting for Father Li to move, Zhang Mingyi stabbed the knife into his chest. The knife slowly rotated in the flesh, and a piece of muscle was dug out.

Zhang Mingyi touched Father Li's cheeks that were white with pain, and continued to stab deeply.

"Old man, come out to eat." Zhang Mingyi yelled into the cave, and a wisp of black smoke floated out from the gap.

The black smoke swirled around Father Li's head, and penetrated into his body along the blood hole.The black smoke kept twitching inside until the flesh and blood were completely swallowed, leaving only a piece of human skin.

"Don't come out to be presumptuous in the future, or don't blame me for being rude!" Zhang Mingyi silently recited the mantra, and sealed the full black smoke into the cave.

"Ha - you haven't done too many bad things? You look like a human being now, don't think I don't know how to keep you alive!" The black smoke in the cave was not afraid of Zhang Mingyi's threats, and sarcastically sarcastically.

"Hmph! I can swim in the infinite mountains and rivers as a human being, but you can only stay in this dark and damp cave and do it for yourself!" Zhang Mingyi put Father Li's human skin away and put it in his bag.

"It's just a bug." The black smoke shook the rocks at the entrance of the cave, and drifted into the depths angrily.

Zhang Mingyi walked to the Luosheng River and put Father Li's human skin into the water, "What I promised you will be done naturally, you can reincarnate with peace of mind."

The human skin floated along the river for a while, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

This year's snow seems to be longer than usual.Li's mother opened the curtains and looked at the Yingying world outside, hoping that Li's father would come back early next year and eat a steaming meal of reunion dumplings.

The author has something to say:

Now that I wrote it, I reluctantly posted it, and I will continue the main thread tomorrow