Chapter 8 The Villagers' Fear
1219 Words
"Um, what do you mean, village chief?" Qian Cangyi tried hard to make his actions look very flustered.
"I am getting old and need to consider choosing a successor," Shi Wenwei answered Qian Cangyi's question directly.
"Oh, wasn’t the successor decided a long time ago?" Qian Cangyi said with a wry smile.
Yes, it has been settled, but Hai Min, your return has given me a different perspective. Hong Ye is too honest; without you, choosing him as the village chief wouldn't be a bad idea, but he is destined to be unable to further develop Yu Xi village. As for Xing Yun, although he is clever, his intentions are not right. If he becomes the village chief, the village will not only fail to develop further, but it might even deteriorate. As for Xue Zhen, there's nothing more to say. I have considered the other villagers, but unfortunately, they all have various flaws. Only you are different, Hai Min, and I hope you will seriously consider my words.
The words of Shi Wenwei made Qian Cangyi alert. It has been less than a day since he entered the village yesterday, yet Shi Hai Min is already close to becoming the heir to the village chief.
"By the way, Hai Min, it seems like you have been very close to Mr. Zhang? You have seen the world, and your perspective is much broader than ours. I’ve heard that the world outside has changed significantly; you must have your own ideas about the development of the village." After finishing, Shi Wenwei looked at Shi Hai Min and smiled.
The smile on his face was very kind, but in Qian Cangyi’s eyes, it appeared rather strange.
"It seems that the last point is the most important. The criticisms previously directed at Shi Haijin could also apply to Shi Wenwei, as they are merely perspectives from different positions. Since that’s the case... I might as well just deal with him for now." Qian Cangyi analyzed Shi Wenwei's words in his mind and identified the key point in the conversation.
"Village chief, actually I don't know Mr. Zhang Zian very well either. Perhaps because I have been outside for a while, it's easier for us to chat. But the relationship between us is not as good as you think, Village Chief." Qian Cangyi appeared troubled, with a reluctant tone.
Hmm, I understand.
To Qian Cangyi's surprise, Shi Wenwei did not continue to persuade him.
"You should go back first. By the way, don’t tell your mother about what happened here; I’m afraid she will worry. Once the matter is investigated clearly, I will talk to your mother, understood?" When saying this, Shi Wenwei was different from usual; his expression was serious, and his tone was grave.
After experiencing what happened last night, Qian Cangyi understood Shi Wenwei's thoughts and did not expose them, agreeing instead.
Upon leaving the house, Qian Cangyi encountered Eagle Eye, and the two began to exchange their views.
"You should have noticed as well; the corpse has been tampered with." Eagle Eye stated directly. Since he did not see the first scene and could not conduct an investigation, he chose to let the village chief report to the police.
"Well, I have thought about it, but I'm not very clear. By the way, just now Shi Wenwei said he wanted me to be the village chief. He mentioned many reasons, but the key point should be that I have seen the world outside the village and that I seem familiar with you." As he said this, Qian Cang couldn't help but laugh.
"There's nothing funny about it. This may not necessarily be our world, and anything could happen," Ying Yan said sternly.
"No, it's because of what he said afterward. He told me not to tell Shi Xi about this and that he would talk to Shi Xi himself after he investigates clearly. How can I not laugh at that?" Qian Cang put away his smile, but the mirth in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
However, under Ying Yan's silent gaze, Qian Cang's expression quickly turned serious. He waved his hand, 'Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore.'
"I've found out the date of the death festival. Counting today, there are four days left. It will be held at the altar on the hillside behind the village. The villagers have already started preparations. However, what puzzles me is that the people of Yuxi Village neither show enthusiasm for the death festival nor treat it with grandeur. Instead, I see fear in their eyes. If they are unwilling to hold the death festival, then they can simply not hold it. Unless they must hold it, or else very bad things will happen." Eagle Eye shared his intelligence.
Qian Cang listened attentively, but he felt very dissatisfied with his own performance.
With my capabilities, I should have found out about this earlier. The first day can be explained by my unfamiliarity with the environment, but by the second day, I should have asked Shi Xi. Yet, I was still disturbed by last night's events. Although I am playing Shi Haijin, I should have had a change in my perspective regarding the village head and Shi Xi. However, for Shi Haijin, the reason for returning to the village remains the death festival. Moreover, if Shi Haijin's leaving the village is related to last night's events, then the information about the death festival is even more crucial for him.
With this in mind, Qian Cang sighed and slightly adjusted his mindset, asking, 'What shall we do next?'
"In the afternoon, let's go see the place where the ritual is held; perhaps we will find something unexpected. Afterwards, we can inquire more about the death ritual. After all, this movie is called 'Death Ritual.' If it had nothing to do with death rituals at all, or only the slightest connection, it wouldn't be called that." Hawkeye revealed a bit of insight related to the movie.
"Understood." Qian Cangyi suddenly thought of a person, Shi Jingfu, whom he met when entering the village.
After returning home, Qian Cangyi used an excuse related to the village chief to brush off Shi Xi, according to his agreement with the village chief. Upon hearing that it concerned the village chief's arrangements, Shi Xi didn't ask any further and continued with his work.
Seeing Shi Xi working diligently, Qian Cangyi rubbed his chin with his right hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked about the death ritual.
Hearing Qian Cangyi's words, Shi Xixian was taken aback for a moment, then continued with her work, casually saying, 'The death ritual is just a ceremony for the deceased, what's so strange about it? Every village has one!'
Since he had talked with Eagle Eye before, Qian Cangyi paid special attention to Shi Xi's eyes, but Shi Xi was currently looking down, making it impossible to see her expression.
'But I see that everyone seems not very concerned about the death ritual, it seems like... they are just going through the motions,' Qian Cangyi chose a more tactful word.
'How could you not care about the twenty-year death ritual? It was already prepared long before you came back; everything will be arranged properly the day before the death r
- Writer
