My tomb robbing past

old man's past

The journey was silent, with frequent reminders to drink water. Occasionally, I took out the jade to play with. At this point, he spoke up, "This... needs to be well protected! It's very spiritual!"

I responded with an "Oh." He continued, "Min'er, remember, you're only allowed to look, not touch. If you notice anything unusual, go to Grandpa's car. The family is all worried about you."

"Uncle! What could possibly happen? Grandpa already said, everything underground is dead!"

"You don't understand! There are many issues!"

Silence resumed. After eating my fill, I felt sleepy and dozed off. When I opened my eyes, two hours had passed. The scenery had changed, and the view was now an endless expanse of desert. Groggily, I asked my uncle, "Are we there yet?"

Uncle glanced at me and uttered a single word, "No!"

Feeling bored, I took out my phone, only to find there was no signal. Just then, the cars all stopped, and a group of people began urinating frantically by the roadside. Embarrassed, I found a more secluded spot, at least out of sight of Grandpa's car. As I was relieving myself, Sister Hua suddenly appeared out of nowhere, nearly startling me back into holding it in.

I blushed and stammered, "Ah! Sorry about that! Didn't notice you!"

Sister Hua smiled and walked away. My comfort was gone, and I returned to the car, still worried. Sure enough, Grandpa called me over. Could it be that she complained so quickly?

Nervously, I walked to Grandpa's car. Grandpa said, "Get in my car!"

I opened the front door and accidentally bumped into Sister Hua. She glanced at me and blushed. Grandpa saw this and said, "Who told you to sit in the front? Get in the back!"

I quickly hopped into the back like a rabbit. Once in, Grandpa said, "Drive!"

The car obediently started moving. I watched Grandpa as he held a compass and looked at a map, muttering to himself, "We're almost there."

I didn't dare say anything and sat quietly.

After a while, I gathered the courage to ask, "Grandpa, who is this Tang Ye? Are you close with him?"

Grandpa didn't look at me, "Him! He's had a tough life. He used to be worth six or seven million, a tough guy in the western Golden Triangle region. But since he started dealing with the Russians, he only grew poorer."

"Really? Why is that? He should be... should be rich, right?"

"He's a kind-hearted man! When he was forty, he picked up Niuniu from the street. Niuniu had a strange illness, coughing every night, and he spent millions trying to find the cause but never succeeded. Back then, he planned to retire, but the Russians offered him a million to go to the southern Gobi Desert. It turned out they wanted to silence him, afraid he would reveal their grave-robbing activities. Coincidentally, your uncle was still a kid and heard about it while playing at his house. When he came back and told me, we realized they were going there to silence him, not to find a big grave! His wife was brutally buried alive. When we went to rescue him, he had already lost an eye and a leg, but we managed to save him. I thought he would stop after returning, but he stayed in the Gobi Desert. He's a lovesick man!"

I nodded thoughtfully. Grandpa continued, "If you can visit in the future, remember to check on him every time you enter the Gobi. He's had a hard life! Without him, your grandpa might not have today's family business!"

I eagerly asked, "Grandpa, what happened?"

Grandpa looked at me with cloudy eyes, "We all call old Tang 'Barbarian,' he was a strong man. Back in '98, we found a grave in the desert and dug for two days to locate the entrance. That grave was sinister! There were hidden weapons and poisons inside. If it weren't for the age, many of us wouldn't have survived. That time, Barbarian brought the Russians. One got injured inside, and they couldn't stand seeing one of their own hurt. They offered Barbarian fifty thousand to go in first. Worried about his recklessness, I went in myself, with Barbarian following behind. Inside, there were rusty weapons and rotten sheepskins, smelling terrible, but there was a beheading sword, surprisingly well-preserved for centuries. The Russians wanted it immediately, but three of them were killed by the hidden weapons under the grave mound. I got injured in the leg, and Barbarian carried me out, running for hours to a small hospital. The doctor said if we had been any later, I would have bled to death. Thinking back, he really had that kind of brute strength."

I couldn't understand how Tang Ye was so strong back then, seeing how he now seemed weaker than me. I was more interested in the sword and asked, "Grandpa, what happened to the sword?"

"Barbarian gave it to me, saying I discovered it first and it should be mine. Later, a nouveau riche bought it for three hundred thousand!"

The story seemed less dramatic than I had imagined, but I wasn't satisfied and didn't know what else to ask. Grandpa continued, "Thinking back, that sword was sold too cheaply. It should have fetched at least ten million."

"Why is that?"

"The sword never rusted for a hundred years and had hidden weapons. The person who buried it must have thought it was valuable and didn't want anyone to touch it. But three Russian lives and half of mine, three hundred thousand was worth it. Without that money, our family might still be living like in the pre-liberation days!"

I started imagining the owner of that sword, picturing countless scenarios. The owner might have been a brave warrior, a commander of thousands, attacking a city. But he probably never imagined the sword would end up in the hands of a nouveau riche. That's fate.

Grandpa said he was tired and needed to rest. I sat in the car, enjoying the cool breeze, and began observing Sister Hua. The sunlight reflected off her wristwatch, occasionally dazzling my eyes.

She wore an army green T-shirt and blue jeans, which couldn't hide her perfect figure. I was gradually entranced, and she might have seen me looking at her through the rearview mirror. She gently coughed, bringing me back to my senses. Embarrassed, I asked, "Sister, how much further?"

Sister Hua adjusted her hair, "About an hour. Why? Can't sit still?"

"No, no, just asking! Sister, is the place we're going dangerous?"

After a few seconds, Sister Hua replied, "I don't know!" That was her answer.

Feeling awkward, I leaned against the window and looked outside. Watching the sunset over the vast desert, it seemed quite enchanting. I lit a cigarette, sticking my head out of the window, smoking aimlessly.

After nearly two hours, the car left the highway and began speeding across the desert. Only then could I appreciate the fuel efficiency of the Santana. The van had refueled twice on the way, and the jeep had even needed a few kicks from my uncle.