Seeing two villagers hanging themselves before him, just like his uncle who had recently been buried, Wang Fugui felt a chill run down his spine.
If his uncle's hanging was an accident, how could this be explained?
When his uncle died, Wang Fugui had harbored doubts. Who would be strangled by fresh rope grass? It was a joke.
For this reason, Wang Fugui had, when no one was paying attention, tugged at the rope grass his uncle had used to hang himself, to see if it contained iron wire or anything similar. It broke easily, with nothing else inside.
It must have been due to some transgression, or perhaps the coffin itself, that had caused his uncle's death.
That was why he had questioned Zhao the Cripple and the others in the side room, asking if they had taken anything from the coffin or encountered anything strange.
He had originally planned to invite a master from the neighboring village to take a look after dealing with his uncle's funeral rites.
But he never imagined that before dawn, another person would commit suicide by hanging, and not just one, but two at once.
Mo Lu Village had only thirty-odd households, with a total of over a hundred people. Three strong laborers dead in two days was already a major event for the village.
Wang Fugui no longer had the mood to find a master. He directly grabbed Zhao the Cripple, who was hiding in the crowd, and slapped him three times.
"Zhao the Cripple, did you f***ing take something from the coffin?"
Wang Fugui knew Zhao the Cripple had sticky fingers. Even after one of his legs was broken by others, he hadn't changed this bad habit.
Now that something had happened, Wang Fugui wouldn't believe for a second that Zhao the Cripple wasn't involved.
Zhao the Cripple was first stunned by Wang Fugui's slaps, and then his face turned bright red.
In the countryside, being slapped by someone was the most humiliating thing. As the saying goes, "Don't hit the face when hitting a person, don't reveal shortcomings when scolding." Being publicly slapped in the face was akin to forging a deadly feud.
Being slapped three times by Wang Fugui in front of so many people, even Zhao the Cripple, with his thick skin, was furious. He broke free from Wang Fugui's grip, looked around, grabbed a brick, and was about to fight Wang Fugui to the death.
If the others present hadn't held him back, another life might have been lost on the spot.
"I didn't take anything, I didn't take anything at all."
Looking at Zhao the Cripple's earnest denial, Wang Fugui inwardly wondered if he had misjudged.
He then turned his gaze to the other villagers who had gone to the back mountain, but found them all with clear eyes, showing no signs of guilt.
Zhao the Cripple broke free from the villagers holding him and glared at Wang Fugui, "If you don't believe me, just say it. Don't do useless things. I remember these three slaps. From now on, we go our separate ways, and I will be your sworn enemy."
The others present also exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed.
Wang Fugui could only arrange for the bodies to be taken down first and placed in the side room along with his uncle's body, waiting for dawn to find a master from the neighboring village.
The next day, as soon as it was light, Wang Fugui arranged for the fastest villagers to go to the neighboring village to invite a master.
Before noon, the master was invited over.
The master's surname was Qian. He was over sixty years old, with a goatee, his left trouser leg rolled up high, and he wore yellow rubber shoes. He didn't look like an otherworldly master at all.
However, Wang Fugui knew it was him.
In the upper and lower reaches of the village, he was the only master, nicknamed "Old Money Grub."
Because inviting him required money; no money, no talk.
Before the master even entered the house, his voice could be heard.
"Village Chief Wang, what major event has happened that you've summoned me before I've even finished my noon meal?"
Old Money Grub hadn't wanted to come, but he couldn't refuse the price Wang Fugui offered, so he came out of respect for "money."
Wang Fugui didn't hide anything. He recounted everything that had happened in the past two days, not even omitting the part about digging up the coffin from the mud.
After listening, Old Money Grub frowned, "Did they touch anything inside the coffin?"
Wang Fugui shook his head like a drum, "Absolutely not. I asked them. I even used force for fear they would lie to me."
"That shouldn't be the case. You all did a good deed to accumulate virtue. Even if you took a little something from inside, the deceased wouldn't mind. Why are people dying?" With a glint in his eye, Old Money Grub continued, "Are you sure no one took anything from inside?"
"This... if you don't believe me, I can call them all over, and you can ask them."
Before Old Money Grub could speak, Wang Fugui had the villagers who had gathered to come over.
Looking at the sparse dozen or so people, Wang Fugui couldn't help but frown.
"Where is Zhao the Cripple? Where did he go?"
"After you slapped him a few times, he packed his bags and left. He didn't tell us where he was going. We've already sent people to his house to look for him."
Wang Fugui knew he had been a bit excessive just now, but there was no time to apologize. He would apologize after dealing with these matters.
"Old Money Grub, everyone is here, except for Zhao the Cripple."
Although Old Money Grub looked like a farmer, his mind was much more active than Wang Fugui's. While these people's eyes were clear, when he met their gaze, their eyes would involuntarily flicker.
With this in mind, Old Money Grub closed his eyes and said, "Hmm, they indeed didn't lie to you. I'll stay tonight and see what is causing trouble."
With Old Money Grub's assurance, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
After sending everyone else away, Old Money Grub kept Wang Fugui behind.
"What for?"
Old Money Grub sighed and said, "Village Chief Wang, I'm afraid I'm powerless to help your village!"
When Wang Fugui heard this, he almost jumped up. "Old Money Grub, I know you like money, but the village has just suffered a disaster. The money I gave you is most of my fortune. Are you trying to extort more money?"
Old Money Grub's face turned dark, as if about to drip water. "Do I seem that greedy? I'm telling you, these people have dark energy on their faces. None of them will live for three days."
"Live... live for three days? Are you joking?"
"Hmph, I'm in no mood to joke with you. These people have dark energy on their faces, with a faint aura of death. This clearly indicates they have provoked evil spirits. Someone is likely to die tonight."
Wang Fugui heard this and sat down on the ground. "What... what should we do?"
If Wang Fugui still didn't understand that these people had brought disaster upon themselves by carrying the coffin, then he had lived in vain all these years. This matter had started because of him. If he hadn't arranged for people to carry the coffin to the back mountain, none of this would have happened.
With a rustle, Wang Fugui got up from the ground and grabbed Old Money Grub's sleeve.
"You must save them. I'm willing to pay any price."