Chen Yang put the small fish into the bucket as if nothing had happened. He raised his hand to wipe the water off his face, and a hint of fishy smell mingled with his panting breath.
"That's Yang Erzhu's wife's fish."
Chen Yang returned to the river and spoke in a voice that only Chao Jian could hear.
"Let's catch the fish first, and wait until the fishing tide is over." Chao Jian scooped the weeds in the scoop net onto the shore, picked out two shrimps from it, and casually threw them into the bucket.
Chen Yang nodded and continued to fish, but his attention was no longer as focused as before.
The information brought by the fish just now was shocking. The speculation that Yang Erzhu’s wife’s fish was caught and eaten by someone, which led to her death, was overturned.
She didn't die from eating someone else's fish.
Because from the townspeople's attitude towards the name fish, it seems that some people in the town have robbed others of their lifespans and are still alive and well, so they are all fine.
Chen Yang thought that the only explanation was that Yang Erzhu’s wife had violated a taboo.
But what taboo would she have violated
Was the death of old man Zhao related to her
Chen Yang picked up the scoop net and threw an ordinary small black fish into the bucket. As far as it can be seen, the corresponding fish will not disappear for the dead.
As long as they are not caught and eaten, the fish will come down from the waterfall again and again and rush into the river with the fish tide.
Chen Yang couldn't understand what the meaning of a dead person's name appearing in the fish tide was.
Moreover, once Yang Erzhu died, his life ended. Why did his wife still eat his fish? Wasn’t there any life left for her to take away
Chen Yang thought of something and felt a slight numbness on the back of his head. It might not be that Yang Erzhu’s wife wanted to eat it, but it might be that she was possessed by a ghost.
The owner of the fish bone in the trash can hated Yang Erzhu and his wife, so he scared Yang Erzhu to death, possessed his wife, and ate his fish, causing his wife to experience the rapid slipping away of the life she had robbed, and to grow old alone.
Because it is taboo to eat fish from a dead person.
Eating the fish of a dead person not only does not shorten your lifespan, but instead accelerates your death
It feels somewhat reasonable in this way.
Chen Yang tugged at the coat that was sticking to his chest and back, but this was just a guess and there was no clear clue to confirm this.
A figure appeared in front of his eyes and his fishing action suddenly stopped. Something was wrong. It didn't make sense.
There is a bug in that speculation, Old Man Zhao.
When he ate Li Erban's fish, Li Erban was alive.
And then he died.
Chen Yang wiped the water drops on his chin with the back of his hand and sighed deeply in his heart. Taboo is something else.
Need to think about it again.
There were shouting and cursing coming from upstream; a group of people started fighting.
After listening for a while, Chen Yang understood the general cause of the dispute. A townsman caught a spotted fish, but he failed to hide it well and was seen by others. The other party was jealous and wanted to snatch it away.
The other families had their own ulterior motives. Some wanted to fish in troubled waters, while others were afraid that the fish was theirs and wanted to know what the words on the fish's back said.
The group hand-to-hand combat is still going on, and some people are already bleeding.
Chen Yang frowned. Fortunately, he and Chao Jian did not go upstream, otherwise Chao Jian who was sitting by the river would be trampled.
At that time, more intense violence is bound to occur.
Gao Degui arrived at some point and he tried to dissuade them at the top of his voice on the river bank.
In the confusion, the fish fell into the river.
No one succeeded.
The battle for the fish ended abruptly amid shouting, cursing and the smell of blood.
After a while, there was another commotion by the river. This time, someone caught Old Man Zhao's fish.
The crowd was in chaos.
"Didn't Old Man Zhao die? Why is the fish still here? Is it a coincidence?"
"Is there anyone named Zhao Gui?"
"No, there is no duplicate name!"
"… "
"So, he didn't die because the fish was eaten!"
"Then how did he die?"
The noise suddenly disappeared, and the townspeople gathered in a circle and looked at each other. The children's ignorant and fearless play formed a sharp contrast with their panic.
The water in the river is flowing rapidly, and occasionally a fish jumps into the water, splashing tiny drops of water.
After a few moments, another anxious voice was heard.
"What's going on? Why are dead fish in the river?"
"Are all the ones that weren't eaten still there?"
"… "
Old Man Zhao's fish was lying in the grass by the river. It was a pretty big crucian carp, weighing almost one kilogram. Every time it jumped, the townspeople's hearts would beat with it.
"What now?"
"He's already dead. He has no more lifespan. Why capture him? Just let him go."
"Yes, let it go!"
Not far away, Chen Yang saw the townspeople put Old Man Zhao’s fish into the river, and everyone else made room and watched it leave.
Chen Yang moved his toes which were stepping on the mud. The taboo of "not eating fish from dead bodies" was indeed illogical.
Normal people wouldn’t eat it.
Five minutes later, the fish tide disappeared and the one or two hundred people in the river sparsely came ashore.
I don’t know how many people’s lives will be taken away this time.
A fish can at least cause a murder and destroy a family.
Chen Yang threw the scoop net onto the shore. He sat down next to Chao Jian, water dripping down his trouser legs.
"I only caught one name fish, and you didn't catch any..."
Chen Yang stopped talking when his wet right arm was caught. He quickly changed the subject: "In terms of species, you are better than me. You even caught some shrimp."
"..." Chao Jian pulled his hand away.
Chen Yang looked over and saw that his injured fingers were all white from being soaked in water. One of them had a small cut on it, which was also white from being soaked in water.
A bit disgusting.
Chen Yang shrank his wet and wrinkled fingers: "What?"
Chao Jian released his arm: "I want to eat milk slices, you help me peel them."
"..." Chen Yang raised his hands, "Look, my hands are wet and a little fishy, you should peel it yourself."
Chao Jian grabbed three milk slices and threw them into his arms.
"Then help me open my backpack. There is paper inside. Let me wipe it first..." Before Chen Yang finished speaking, Chao Jian grabbed his hand and wrapped it with his clean coat.
"Okay, wipe it." Chao Jian seemed very impatient, with a shadow between his brows.
Chen Yang subconsciously wiped the water off his hands with his coat.
Chao Jian ate the three milk slices at once. After he finished, he started browsing his phone and ignored his wrinkled jacket.
However, Chen Yang was used to his neat appearance, so he helped him smooth it out a little.
Not long after, Xiangdong came over empty-handed. Chen Yang asked him, "Where's the fish?"
"Fish, shit." Xiangdong picked up his wet jacket and wiped his head. His clearly defined abdominal muscles were covered with several old scars. "They are all ordinary ones. They are thrown away after being caught."
Chen Yang glanced at the painter who was walking from the other side. He was not wearing the clothes given by Widow Zhou. He was still wearing the same shirt and trousers he wore when he came. His collar and sleeves were buttoned tightly. There was no unpleasant smell on his body, and there was no sweat on his forehead.
The sweat glands seem to be very underdeveloped.
He is tall and thin, with a skinny face and a dark yellow face, like a breeze filled with the smell of disinfectant. His sickly and aloof temperament is unique.
The painter did not go into the water. He stood by the river, away from the crowd, and tried to fish with a long scoop net, but to no avail.
Chen Yang was dazzled by the object between the painter's fingers. He asked, "Painter, what are you holding in your hand?"
The painter pinched something with his gloved thumb and fingers and showed it to Chen Yang.
It was a little blue diamond.
Chen Yang thought of the painter's feat of giving the ring in the mission world. He wanted to ask a few questions, but Xiangdong asked before him.
"You're not going to scatter diamonds around town, are you?" Xiangdong said.
"They dispersed in the attic. Unfortunately, evil spirits only like to create illusions and don't like diamonds." The painter said regretfully, "No one brought fish to me to discuss business."
"In theory, such a business does exist and is very realistic. After all, no matter how long you live, you will still be poor if you don't have money. If you catch a famous fish and sell it to a rich person, you can immediately make a fortune."
The painter looked at himself and said, "Isn't it obvious enough that I'm a rich man?"
"That's enough." Chen Yang said, "It's obvious."
He added: "I didn't look for you because I was hesitating. Besides, there are two big families in town. They also have money. You are not the first choice."
When he said this, something flashed through Chen Yang's mind, but he failed to catch it in time.
"That makes sense." The painter smiled.
Chen Yang was stunned for a second. If the painter could regain his complexion and grow back the lost flesh, his appearance would definitely not be too bad.
The painter tossed the little blue diamond into Chen Yang's arms: "This is for you."
Rich but calm.
Xiangdong glared: "Fuck, why don't you give it to me?"
The painter said, "You can't use it."
"No," Chen Yang picked up the small diamond in his arms and said strangely, "I can't use it either."
The painter said nothing.
Xiangdong knew what the painter meant. His face turned pale and he pounced on him like a bandit leader.
I'll make you eat dog food!
The painter was two or three centimeters taller than Xiangdong, but he was not as strong as him. He could not break free and could only pick up the spray and spray everywhere.
Chen Yang looked at the small diamond in his hand. His sister liked such shiny things, but unfortunately their family could not afford such a rare colored diamond.
It's so small, I wonder how expensive it is.
There was a faint gaze coming from the left. Chen Yang turned his head and found that the boy was still browsing his phone. It was an illusion.
Chen Yang gave the diamond to Chao Jian without much thought: "Take it."
Chao Jian didn't respond to Chen Yang. He didn't know what he was pressing and his face was expressionless.
The phone is full of gibberish.
The diamond went into Chao Jian's pocket and became friends with Naipian.
Soon, others came to Chen Yang's side.
Teacher Xie, Ge Fei and Zhu Zhu were all carrying a bucket.
Zhuzhu's was heavier, so she changed hands several times, and when she couldn't lift it, she called the big-eyed girl for help.
They each held one on each side, carrying it tremblingly.
"Why are you carrying buckets one by one? What the hell are you doing?" Xiangdong grabbed the scoop net and strode forward. He stirred the three buckets one by one, and made eye contact with Chen Yang without saying a word, as he didn't notice.
Chen Yang sat on the grass and looked at his teammates who were coming. Teacher Xie and the others in front of him had their trouser legs rolled up, were holding their shoes, and were walking barefoot, looking disheveled.
As they approached, the smell of fish hung heavy on their clothes.
Some of them still had fish scales on their hands.
Among this group of people, only Miss Qiao and Xiang Zimu, who were walking at the back, were not wet and did not have any fishy smell.
Chen Yang narrowed his eyes. There was not much difference in the styles of the clothes that Widow Zhou prepared for them. They were all jackets and pants, but the girls' jackets had long sleeves, and the cuffs just covered their slender wrists.
The girl with big eyes put down the bucket and slumped down on the grass: "I'm so tired."
Chen Yang said: "We caught a lot of fish."
"There are so many, but none of them have names." The girl with big eyes rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms covered with mosquito bites. "My luck is so bad, I didn't see a single named fish."
Chen Yang was shocked by her mosquito bite: "What are you putting it in the bucket for?"
"Zhuzhu told the inn." The big-eyed girl covered her face with her hands to block out the scorching sun. "Anyway, I will never touch any fish food again. The fish eyes that morning caused great harm to my weak heart."
Chen Yang looked at Zhu Zhu and said, "It should be given to the inn."
"I think," Zhuzhu shook the bucket, "some of the fish in there, we lost their scales when we caught them, they are almost dead, they won't survive if we put them in the river, so we might as well bring them back to the inn and use them as food."
Chen Yang asked the other two people carrying buckets: "Are you doing the same?"
Teacher Xie and Ge Fei both nodded.
"Some of the fish have their bellies turned upside down. It's a waste to throw them away." Teacher Xie pointed to the bucket behind Chen Yang and asked, "Mr. Chen, is this yours?"
Chen Yang said "hmm".
Teacher Xie moved closer and peered into the bucket: "It looks like there's a lot."
"It's all grass." said Chen Yang.
Teacher Xie: “…”
Chen Yang released all the small fish and shrimps that he and Chao Jian had caught, including the fish caught by Yang Erzhu's wife.
Some of the twelve people were standing, some were sitting, and some were lying down.
Today is the third day since they entered the town. They all look much more haggard. The rats in the room hold parties at night and they can't sleep at all.
The food is not good either.
Although the chef at the inn was very skilled, he served fish for every meal, which not only made him get a sore throat, but also made him feel like vomiting.
Their current situation is that they can’t eat or sleep well, and they can’t leave even if they want to.
"I haven't seen your name fish," Ge Fei sat down with his back against the bucket, took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and took a sip, "What about you? Have you seen it?"
No one said "yes".
Ge Fei breathed a sigh of relief: "Then our names shouldn't be on the fish's back."
The big-eyed girl happily got up from the grass: "The flag is invalid, that's great!"
"I was scared to death, too." Old Wu's dark face was covered with sweat. He looked up at the smoking woman and said, "Miss Qiao, do you want to sit on the floor? I'll take off my coat and lay it on the floor for you."
Miss Qiao smiled and refused: "I won't sit down."
There was some anger in Old Wu's eyes. At first, this slut seduced him everywhere, and later she hooked up with all the men in the town and treated him like shit.
Seeing the woman flirting with a young town resident, Old Wu acted like a husband who caught his wife having an affair: "Miss Qiao, this is a mission world. We are on a mission. At this critical moment of life and death, shouldn't you be careful about your behavior?"
Ms. Qiao: “Hmm?”
She bent her slender waist, slightly opened her red lips that were biting the cigarette, and blew a thin puff of smoke onto the middle-aged man's face, full of surprise and teasing: "Who cares about me?"
Old Wu's face immediately turned the color of liver: "You!"
"Alright, alright, calm down." Ge Fei tried to smooth things over. "Brother Wu, Miss Qiao, let's talk about business. Let's talk about business."
No one responded.
"Mr. Chen," Ge Fei called again, "Mr. Chen!"
Chen Yang turned his head helplessly.
Ge Fei winked at him and asked him to help ease the atmosphere.
"..." Chen Yang touched Chao Jian's crutch. He asked the mission upstream whether the fact that Old Man Zhao's fish was still alive would affect the townspeople's fishing in the future.
Teacher Xie said: "I was panicked, but it didn't happen to me or my family, so I didn't feel it deeply enough."
"The main reason is that some people ate the fish and didn't die." Zhuzhu pulled up the white hat and covered the top of his head, "Their level of fear can't be increased."
"I feel that some townspeople still have this mentality," Ge Fei said, holding a bottle of mineral water, putting on the identity of a townsperson, "I am afraid and dare not touch the named fish, but there are still many people catching them. In order to prevent others from catching my fish, I must join in and cannot retreat."
Zhuzhu agreed, "Yes, what they were thinking was, I don't want to eat someone else's name fish, I just want to catch the one for me and my family."
The girl with big eyes followed her words and said, "Then use this flag to capture other people's things."
"By the way." The big-eyed girl shrugged. "I didn't mean to catch it and eat it. I just couldn't help it. I will definitely burn more paper on this day next year."
Everyone: “…”
"The people in this town are getting smarter each time. I've been observing for a long time, but I can't see who has caught the famous fish and hidden it away." There was a hint of frustration in Teacher Xie's words.
Chen Yang looked at the curly-haired boy who kept rubbing his hands: "Qian Han, what's wrong with your hands?"
Qian Han was caught off guard by being named. He was stunned for a moment: "My hands were sticky from catching fish, but after washing them, the feeling seemed to still be there."
The girl with big eyes said sympathetically: "Brother, I understand you. I was also hurt by the fish."
Qian Han: “…”
Chen Yang talked about the fish of Yang Erzhu’s wife.
Teacher Xie was the first to come up with a conclusion: "Then she died just like Old Man Zhao. The cause of death was not because the fish was eaten by someone. They violated a taboo."
This topic died as soon as it was started.
Because no one could continue the conversation, it seemed that no one knew what the taboo was.
Chen Yang was always secretly paying attention to the changes in everyone's expressions, especially Xiang Zimu, Miss Qiao, and Ge Fei, who appeared to be lively and cute, whom he couldn't see through.
However, he didn't catch any clues.
Either these three people really know nothing, or they are masters of expression management.
"The mayor is here!" the big-eyed girl said quickly.
Chen Yang pulled Chao Jian up, gave him a cane, and shouted to the middle-aged man approaching from afar: "Mayor."
Gao Degui's voice choked up: "Everyone, you didn't steal my life, did you?"
"Why would we rob?" said the girl with big eyes, "We won't rob."
Gao Degui's nervous expression eased a little: "It's good that you didn't rob. I was worried that you would be influenced by the atmosphere in the town and be bewitched for a while."
Chen Yang glanced over: "Bewitched?"
"That's it." Gao Degui said hoarsely, "Everyone has his or her own destiny, which is determined by the fortune in the previous life. You will live as long as you are supposed to live. What you snatch is not yours after all, and you will be retaliated against."
"Mayor, you don't need to do this kind of ideological work for us. We all know it." Teacher Xie said seriously.
Gao Degui smoothed back his sparse hair that had become messy from running. "So how's your investigation going? Do you have any suspects?"
When Gao Degui didn't get a reply, his shoulders slumped and his eyes were red. "Four days left."
He looked at them one by one, not missing any.
"Everyone, I know it's difficult to find the person who has snatched the most lifespans within a week, but you are my only hope."
Gao Degui bowed 90 degrees: "I really beg you!"
Everyone had different reactions.
Xiangdong leaned close to Chen Yang's ear and said, "The NPC is so genuine. It's so fucking awkward."
Chen Yang also had the same feeling. It seemed as if they were really searching for the target for the survival of the town, rather than simply completing a mission.
After returning to the inn, everyone took a rest or walked around the town.
Chen Yang was looking at the population registration form on his mobile phone in the room. The battery of the phone was basically not used, which made him feel at ease.
Chao Jian was sleeping beside him with her legs hanging over him.
Chen Yang fanned himself with the palm-leaf fan given by Ge Fei. He stopped to rest when his hands felt sore. He fanned intermittently, watching Jian sleeping soundly with his arms hanging down.
"..." Chen Yang used a palm-leaf fan to lift up the hair in front of Chao Jian's forehead. He wanted to play a teasing on him, but he didn't control the strength well and the fan poked the other person's forehead.
Chao Jian showed no signs of waking up.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Chen Yang's back. He wanted to pull Chao Jian's arms and legs away, but as soon as he touched them, the other party frowned.
Forget it, forget it, just leave it hanging and die from the heat together.
On the other side, Xiangdong and the painter were wandering around the town. On the first day they arrived, all the shops on both sides were open, but now one third of them are closed.
In two days, I'm afraid few stores will be open.
Xiangdong is handsome and has a good figure. He is very charming when he doesn't swear or act aggressively. Not long after he turned around, a little girl gave him a melon.
Also very considerately washed.
Xiangdong wiped the melon: "Boss, would you like a bite?"
Painter: “No.”
Xiangdong bit off the top of the melon with a "crack". "You are so out of touch with the world."
He glanced at the painter's inhuman appearance and asked, "You didn't take the advice I gave you?"
"What advice?" The painter responded after asking, "You asked me not to use disinfectant spray when I am with Chen Yang and Chao Jian, especially in a closed space. What is your intention?"
Xiangdong ate the melon with big mouthfuls, and curled his lips mysteriously: "You will know if you try it."
The painter raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Let's try again when the task is completed."
Being in the same space with others is enough for him to bear, and if he doesn’t use the spray, it will be very painful for him, so he usually won’t try it easily.
After turning east for a while, he saw that only half of the melon was left. He suggested, "Shall we go for a walk at the entrance of the town?"
The painter said, “Okay.”
So the two of them went to the town entrance along the same route they came.
The idea behind such a trip eastward was that someone was trying to escape from the town with his fish, but died at the entrance of the town, and his body stood upright like a tombstone.
In the end, there was no one in sight.
"Damn it." Xiangdong cursed in extreme dissatisfaction.
The painter was neither angry nor disappointed. He pushed back his long ponytail that had been blown down by the hot wind and slid over his shoulders: "Go back."
Sweat beads rolled down Xiangdong's neck and the ends of his hair were wet, but the painter didn't sweat at all. The two of them seemed to be in two different seasons.
As they were walking back, they met a middle-aged couple.
The middle-aged couple was visiting the grave. They didn't place any incense or candles, but just burned some paper money.
Ashes were flying all over the sky with the wind. The painter was far away, crouching towards the east, hiding in the grass and eavesdropping.
The people living in the grave are the ancestors of a middle-aged couple. Today, they both ate fish named after other people, which robbed each other of their lifespans, so they can live half a lifetime longer.
Now they come to thank their ancestors in heaven for blessing them.
The middle-aged man used a branch to stir the burning paper money and said to his wife, "Come here and kowtow."
The wife kowtowed three times devoutly, muttering to herself, "Ancestors, please protect me and Lao Xiao from getting our fish caught by others, or else it will be useless even if we snatch their lives."
As she spoke, the wife kowtowed a few more times.
When the paper money was almost burned out, the middle-aged man also knelt down and kowtowed.
After visiting their ancestors' grave, the couple walked hand in hand through the thatched roof that was as tall as a child and headed towards the town.
"Old Xiao, why did Liu Qing suddenly..." the middle-aged woman muttered, "When the fish tide first came, she was lucky enough to catch her own fish and kept them in the house. Only we knew about this. We have been neighbors with her for decades, so we didn't tell anyone."
"Today she caught someone else's fish again. I asked her whose fish it was, but she just said it wasn't ours. Before I could ask again, she ate the fish."
"I didn't expect she would die after eating it. I didn't even realize how she died." The middle-aged woman held her husband's arm. "The fish she kept in the house were still so energetic."
The middle-aged woman kept mumbling nervously: "It's hard for others to catch their own fish. She was so lucky. How could she die with such a good life..."
The middle-aged man shouted, "Stop talking and go home."
Xiangdong came out of the bushes. He asked the painter to retreat first and followed the middle-aged couple all the way until he determined their house number. Then he went back to the inn and told Chen Yang about it.
Chen Yang gave the phone to Xiangdong and asked him to look at the one-inch photo and recognize the middle-aged couple.
They then identified the middle-aged couple's neighbor, Liu Qing, based on the house number on the registration form.
"Have you found it? Any clues?" Xiangdong's eyes hurt from looking for photos.
Chen Yang enlarged Liu Qing's registration form: "I'm thinking."
Xiangdong turned the chair to the side and sat facing the bed. He glanced at the mung bean soup in Chaojian's bowl and glared at him, "Where did you get this soup? Did you cook it yourself?"
"Why turn on the stove? It's cooked in the kitchen." Chen Yang said.
Xiangdong immediately brought in a bowl. He sat down and drank the soup carelessly, kicking his crutches with his feet.
When Chao Jian raised his eyelids and looked over, Xiangdong said with his eyes, "Aren't you going to help Chen Yang?"
"Do you want me to help you?" Chao Jian asked Chen Yang.
"Don't do that yet, let me think about it myself." Chen Yang has passed the stage of wanting to ask the teacher for the answer.
"Yeah." Chao Jian handed half a bowl of mung bean soup to Chen Yang. Chen Yang drank it without even looking at it, without any hesitation.
Xiangdong leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face, saying, "I'm going blind."