Chapter 118: Li Ying's Departure

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The Great Serpent King

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Town Chief Wang and Yang Huamin left. Xie Dapao burst into loud laughter.

“That was satisfying! Ha-ha... That bastard Wang Chaowei was like a dog today. And as for Yang Huamin, I’ll make sure to finish him off next time!”

Policeman Xiao Liu, who had been clutching his stomach and crying out in pain only moments ago, was perfectly fine now. Laughing, he joined the conversation.

“You fellows are quite the actors!”

Secretary Huang noticed Li Ying standing nearby and refrained from using any vulgar language. Otherwise, he would have cursed freely. He was delighted nonetheless. This had been a resounding slap in Yang Huarong’s face. As a deputy county magistrate born and raised locally, Yang Huarong enjoyed a certain amount of prestige in the county. But this incident had struck him like a blow to the head, leaving him unable to voice his grievances.

“I’m doomed now.” Le’er looked pitiful. “Deputy Magistrate Yang must hate me to death. Who knows what he’ll do to me in the future?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Xie Dapao patted Le’er on the shoulder. “With Secretary Feng backing you, who do you need to fear? Just keep your courage up. No one will dare provoke you!”

Xie Dapao did not care whether Li Ying was present. The vulgarities rolled from his tongue with astonishing ease.

“That’s right, Xiao Le. What are you afraid of?” Secretary Huang comforted him as well. “Secretary Feng is determined to clean up the investment environment in our county. Hmph! Those mad dogs of the Yang family have been forcing people into unfair deals for years. Several business owners who came to invest in our township were frightened away by them. They won’t meet a good end. And this situation is hardly unique to us. Secretary Feng has said that unless we deal with people like them, no one will dare invest here, and our county’s economy will never achieve sustained growth.”

Li Ying’s expression shifted slightly at those words, but she said nothing.

At that moment, Feng Shuya and Secretary Tao arrived with Tian Sihua. They had brought a large number of firecrackers, along with two banners.

“Le’er, Li Ying, congratulations on the opening of the breeding farm!”

Feng Shuya greeted Secretary Huang and Xie Dapao, and the group exchanged pleasantries for a while. Li Ying brewed another pot of tea, and everyone happily began chatting.

“I’ve brought some good news too,” Feng Shuya said with a broad smile. “Secretary Luo just called. The two-hundred-thousand-yuan poverty-relief loan for Great Serpent King Company has been approved. You’re to go handle the paperwork tomorrow.”

“Oh, that really is good news.” Li Ying smiled warmly. “Thank you, Secretary Feng and Secretary Huang—and you too, Director Xie, along with all the leaders who have shown concern for Great Serpent King Company.”

“As long as you make the company a success, that will be the greatest support you can give us,” Secretary Huang said with a hearty laugh. “Come on. Let’s go to Serpent Coil Mountain.”

“Actually... Secretary Huang, please don’t go over just yet,” Le’er said hesitantly. “Master Luo is performing the mountain-sacrificing ceremony. I’ll go take a look. You can wait here for a while.”

“A mountain-sacrificing ceremony?” Secretary Huang smiled. “Very well. We’ll wait here and go over once it’s finished.”

When Le’er arrived at Serpent Coil Mountain, all the preparations for the ceremony had been completed. They had been waiting only for him. The mountain was packed with people; villagers from several nearby settlements had come to watch.

At one side of the mountain gate, Master Luo had built a small altar out of earth and stone. The sacrificial animals—including pigs and chickens—had all been brought over.

“Hurry, Le’er. The auspicious hour has arrived,” Master Luo urged anxiously.

He wore black ceremonial robes and a strange, lofty crown.

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As the host, Le’er lit the candles first, then the first stick of incense, followed by the paper offerings. Master Luo lit incense as well, and the senior assistant officiant did the same before burning paper offerings.

Master Luo began to dance in a wild, ritualistic manner. Several minutes later, he opened his eyes and shouted:

“Bring forth the offerings!”

The senior officiant handed him a rooster. Master Luo seized it and launched into another series of frantic incantations. The rooster struggled and crowed continuously. When Master Luo had finished chanting, he bowed three times toward Serpent Coil Mountain, lifted a knife, and killed the bird. He then carried it around the altar, sprinkling its blood across the ritual platform.

A pig weighing nearly two hundred pounds was dragged up. Master Luo did not know how to slaughter a pig, so Second Uncle Sheng, the village butcher, took up his butcher’s knife and drove it into the pig’s neck. Several men then dragged the blood-spurting animal around the altar, splashing its blood along the ground.

The three sacrificial animals consisted of a chicken, a pig, and a fish, which was placed on the offering table.

Le’er continued burning incense and paper offerings. The senior officiant ordered someone to set off the firecrackers. Amid their deafening explosions, Master Luo once again performed the mysterious dance of a shaman, holding a peach branch in his hand while several of his disciples beat drums and gongs.

It took more than half an hour to complete the mountain ceremony. Master Luo then picked up another rooster and some paper offerings and went to the quarrying site, where he used the rooster to dispel evil influences and burned the paper.

As soon as things there were finished, Secretary Huang arrived. Banners were hung all the way from the road, and it took more than an hour to complete the opening ceremony. Secretary Huang and Town Chief Wang both delivered speeches. Then Secretary Huang broke ground with the first stroke of his hoe.

At once, firecrackers exploded and gongs and drums thundered. The construction of the Serpent Coil Mountain Breeding Farm had officially begun.

Amid the roar of the firecrackers, more than eighty workers raised their tools and began to work.

Everyone labored until late that day, and Lower Sand Village was in a state of jubilant excitement. Upper Tao Village had also invited many guests to the banquet. Eighteen tables were set up, and nearly two hundred people gathered on the threshing ground. The air was filled with voices and celebration.

The busiest people that day were Second Uncle and Luo Yinxang. Second Uncle hurried everywhere, greeting guests and arranging matters, ensuring that everything was handled properly. Luo Yinxang alone took care of buying the food and borrowing tables and benches, rushing about until she could hardly keep up.

Everyone knew that she was in charge of the accounts at the King Serpent Company construction site, and many people had begun currying favor with her.

They also knew that she was divorcing Sha Jinhai. He had openly kept another woman outside the marriage, even in front of her. So many migrant workers had returned that nearly everyone had heard about it. They knew of Luo Yinxang’s misfortune, and the story spread everywhere, embellished with every retelling. People sympathized with her.

Many cursed Sha Jinhai. Sister-in-law Taohong cursed him most viciously.

“What kind of man is he? That bastard has no money, no strength, and not even the courage of a man, yet he still goes looking for another woman. Isn’t he afraid that his little thing will get crushed?”

She had always been a person with a strong sense of justice.

“My Dahai saw it with his own eyes. Sha Jinhai brought that shameless woman home and beat Yinxang until she had to run for her life. If my Dahai hadn’t pulled him away, who knows what he would have done to her? That heartless bastard! Where could he possibly find another woman as virtuous as Yinxang? She works herself to the bone in the fields, handles all the farmwork herself, keeps the house spotless, and never lets Sha Jinhai suffer the slightest hardship. And this is how he repays her? Heaven must have gone blind!”

The story was not confirmed only by Sha Dahai. Many others had witnessed it as well. In an instant, Sha Jinhai became the village’s public disgrace. Not a single person had a good word to say about him.

“Sha Qiang can afford to keep a second wife because he has money. But who does that good-for-nothing Sha Jinhai think he is?”

“Exactly. He looks like a man without any backbone. Now that Yinxang has divorced him, let’s see him remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.”

Public opinion was a terrifying thing. Sha Jinhai’s parents suffered most of all; they were too ashamed to face anyone whenever they stepped outside.

Li Ying and Le’er heard these remarks as well. Li Ying sympathized with Luo Yinxang and even felt a certain fondness for this country woman who loved fiercely and hated fiercely. Luo Yinxang was not only hardworking but intelligent. She was skilled with her hands and quick-witted, and as a high-school graduate, she was fairly well educated.

Even so, she still harbored some reservations about the relationship between Luo Yinxang and Le’er.

Le’er had nothing to say. He only felt troubled. He had already sensed that Li Ying knew about his affair with Luo Yinxang, and the realization left him completely at a loss.

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He was furious, but he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Construction at Serpent Coil Mountain was now in full swing. The standards required for the project were not particularly high. There were no tall buildings to construct. The most demanding task was pouring concrete into the enclosure walls, to prevent rats from burrowing in and the snakes from escaping. Apart from that, there was the construction of the feed area.

Luo Yinxang devoted herself to the work with absolute dedication. This was Le’er’s enterprise, and anything connected with him mattered more to her than her own life.

Five days later, the court’s judgment in the divorce case between Luo Yinxang and Sha Jinhai arrived. Sha Jinhai had failed to appear, and the court granted the divorce in his absence. The judgment was delivered directly to Luo Yinxang and Sha Jinhai’s parents.

That afternoon, Luo Yinxang arrived at Le’er’s home dragging a suitcase. It contained everything she owned.

Le’er’s house had been completely renovated. Li Ying’s design was far superior even to Sha Le’er’s original plans, and its sense of style was beyond reproach. Modern and rustic elements had been combined, as had the old and the new, with seamless results.

The living room, for instance, was furnished entirely with modern sofas, yet it still possessed a rustic, fashionable charm. Ornately carved antique window frames had been turned into decorative pieces and mounted on the walls like paintings. Four exquisitely carved dragon-mouth capitals stood before the wall like museum exhibits. The modern sofas and carpets made it clear that this was the home of someone with contemporary tastes.

Upstairs were three rooms. The central room was a large sitting room, while the other two were bedrooms. Li Ying occupied one of them, where she had placed all the antique furniture. Le’er occupied the other. Carpenter Luo had bought him an old-fashioned bed and several pieces of furniture. They were not as fine as the pieces he had purchased before, but under Li Ying’s decorating, the room was still far superior to an ordinary bedroom.

Luo Yinxang no longer had a place to live. She had taken nothing from the Sha family home except her clothing and personal belongings.

“Le’er, I don’t have anywhere to live.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Le’er snapped angrily. He glanced upstairs at Li Ying. “Why don’t you go live in the village committee building?”

After saying this, an expression of helpless tenderness appeared on his face.

The village committee building had two floors, and the upper floor had already been rented to Great Serpent King Company. The committee rarely held meetings, so the upper floor had stood vacant. Since the company had no guest rooms, Le’er had rented the space for that purpose.

But just as he finished speaking, Li Ying came out.

“Le’er, let Yinxang stay downstairs.”

“Sis...”

Le’er wanted to say something, but he did not know what.

Li Ying walked downstairs and directed Luo Yinxang to move her belongings into the room where Li Ying herself had once lived.

Originally, that room had been intended as an office. Now that Luo Yinxang was living there, the office would have to be set up in the former living room and the small room where Le’er stayed.

Luo Yinxang was deeply moved.

“Sister Ying... I—”

“Yinxang, don’t say another word.” Li Ying spoke in the local rural dialect. “You’re an important member of our company now. Besides, your relationship with Le’er is hardly ordinary. It’s only right that you stay here.”

Luo Yinxang settled in happily. As long as she could live under the same roof as Le’er, she would have been delighted even if she had been given only a thatched shed. Her greatest fear had been that Le’er would abandon her. If that happened, she would have had no idea what to do.

Although Li Ying allowed Luo Yinxang to stay, she left three days later and returned to Guangzhou.