Huang Shitou hurried back to the dormitory and soon returned holding a flashlight in his hand: “Here, use this!”
Looking at that high-tech device, Liu Dashao fumbled with it for quite a while before finally managing to turn on the electric light.
To be honest, I’ve never actually seen this kind of switch before.
Proceeding into the pitch-black cave with an old-fashioned flashlight, he searched the interior. However, the illumination range of this antique flashlight was limited. After shining the light about thirty meters inside, he could no longer see further into the cave.
However, looking from here, there wasn’t much to see. Inside was pitch black, with flat, smooth stone walls, as if they had been polished by that large rock.
It seems that this stone has emerged from inside this cave.
Liu Dashao began to speak.
Fan Debiao also took a careful look at the cave entrance. Finally, he said in astonishment, “Master Liu, take a look at this handprint… There’s actually a child’s handprint here…”
When he finished speaking, Liu Dashao walked over to take a look. Indeed, there was a small handprint on the ground, appearing to be less than a third of the size of his own palm.
Liu Dashao said, “It seems this place is a bit strange. Everyone, go work over there first; we’ll leave this spot for now.”
Fan Debiao also spoke up: “Hmm, did you all hear that? Go do your work on the other side of the hill. Oh, Master Liu, do you think we should inform the engineering department about this matter?”
Liu Dashao examined it carefully for a while, and finally said with some reluctance, “Well, let them take a look too. Let’s see what’s really going on with this big cave.”
“Yellow Stone, Yellow Stone, come here. Go to the engineering department and tell them we’ve got a big hole here. Ask them how we should deal with it. Just say we encountered a hole on the way—should we fill it up or what…”
Huang Shitou was extremely excited. He always enjoyed business trips, and along the way, if he happened to meet some girl, he might even take care of his physical needs.
Huang Shitou was fairly confident about himself. As far as his looks went, he might not attract a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old virgin, but when it came to middle-aged women—who were often neglected and longing for attention—a little kindness or favor from him was usually enough to bring about mutual satisfaction.
Why not?
Seeing the happy smile on Huang Shitou’s face, one could tell that the kid had done this more than a few times.
The project is still ongoing, but the focus has now shifted to the other side of the mountain.
No one was moved by this stone. There were rumors in the group that it had rolled all the way from the Stone Mountain. Originally, it had planned to roll down the mountain to crush all these people, but later it was discovered by humans, so it quietly rolled back up.
Some people also say that the stone was deliberately placed here by the mountain god, in order to crush those who dug into the mountain. However, over such a long period of time, the stone sphere had actually become lodged exactly in this spot and could no longer be moved. Later, fearing that this stone would embarrass him, the mountain god retrieved it.
Later, some people said that the round balls here were actually the testicles of the mountain god. Since we kept digging up these testicles, the mountain god got so fed up with the pain that he finally took his own testicles away.
Anyway, there were various accounts. Liu Dashao didn’t have the heart to think about it either; his work points had seriously fallen behind these past few days. If he didn’t work a bit harder, he might go hungry this month.
It was another evening, and Fan Debiao took the lead in chatting idly inside the construction site dormitory.
“Ahh, I’m back, I’m back.” Just then, Huang Shitou came panting back out of breath. Seeing the others lying on the licorice mat, he plopped himself down onto the mat as well: “Damn it, running almost killed me.”
Fan Debiao hurriedly asked, “Shitou, have you heard anything? What did the Engineering Department say?”
“The engineering department said that if there’s a hole, we must plug it. No matter how big the hole is, we have big enough guns to handle it. And even if the hole is very small, we simply stop firing our guns into it,” Huang Shitou described vividly.
“I think you’ve encountered the Big Hole and the Little Hole, haven’t you?” Liu Dashao said. He actually knew Huang Shitou quite well, since Huang had privately told him about the Big Hole and the Little Hole before.
For Huang Shitou, that was the most sexually fulfilling experience he had ever encountered.
It happened when he was delivering a message. Stone met a widow and her seventeen-year-old daughter in a grove. As it turned out, the widow, overwhelmed by desire, insisted on having sex with Stone. However, seeing that her daughter was exquisitely beautiful, Stone jokingly suggested a threesome. Unexpectedly, the widow, extremely eager and desperate, actually agreed to it.
This matter left Master Liu feeling rather bitter inside: “Damn it, why doesn’t such good fortune happen to me?”
Fan Debiao cursed loudly, “Damn it, are these people a construction crew or a bunch of hooligans? Their team actually has gun barrels this thick and this long! Who among you has a gun barrel this thick and this long?”
Su Yougui said with a chuckle, “Heh heh, Boss, if you don’t mind, let’s go together…”
Hu Beikang cursed furiously, “Damn it all, you little shemale—do you actually think you can hold up this big cave? Give me a break! Your tiny little worm should go drill into a wasp’s nest instead.”
Su Yougui stood up abruptly, ready to confront Hu Beikang. But Fan Debiao cursed loudly, “You two shameless kids, what’s going through your minds? Can’t you think something pure for once? We’ll fill that big hole tomorrow; the power of the collective is great. Grandma’s sake, meeting’s over. Dismissed! Go to sleep, all of you!”
After speaking, Fan Debiao first returned to his dormitory and fell fast asleep. However, Liu Dashao couldn’t fall asleep. This cave was clearly strange. If it were simply filled in, who knows what kind of danger might occur.
But if we don’t fill it in, wouldn’t that be disobeying the leadership? We’d face criticism again.
Damn it, take it one step at a time. Let’s wait and see. We’ll find out then.
Liu Dashao no longer cared about any of that.
The next day, Fan Debiao led a group of people, with his elder brother holding a shovel, ready to fill up that cave.
Today alone, this cave has gathered over a dozen people. Because this is a task assigned by the organization, it offers more work points.
“Start filling!”
As soon as Fan Debiao started speaking, people rushed to fill things in with great haste.
However, just as the entrance was halfway filled, a sudden gust of eerie cold wind blew out from inside.
Liu Dashao couldn’t help but shiver all over: “Something’s not right. A draft? No, that can’t be. If it were a draft, then this cave should have another exit, right?”
Fan Debiao didn’t care about that and shouted loudly, “What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and fill it in! Everyone will get five work points once it’s filled!”
As soon as they heard that they would be credited with five work points, they nearly went crazy—five work points! They probably couldn’t earn that much even if they worked day and night. Wailing like ghosts, the wind blowing through the tunnel grew increasingly eerie as it escaped through the tiny remaining hole at the top, sending chills down people’s spines. No one could tell what exactly was happening inside.
Hurry up and fill in the topmost dot.
Fan Debiao shouted loudly. That eerie, wailing sound sent chills down his spine as well. He couldn’t help but curse out loud.
Huang Shitou finally patted down the last shovelful of earth. The ghost, as if suddenly having its mouth covered, fell silent.
“Damn it, finally got this guy sorted out.” Fan Debiao dusted off his hands. “Each of you gets five work points today. Now go on and get back to work.”
Everyone was delighted to receive these five work points unexpectedly, except for one person who remained somewhat puzzled.
This person is none other than Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao was also pondering that if this cave had been here for millions of years, it must have become a dead end long ago, and there definitely wouldn’t have been any through-draft. However, there was indeed a breeze passing through now, which strongly indicated that this stone cave must have arrived here only in the past few days.
Because he had previously examined the soil at the cave entrance, and the surface soil was fresh.
This is enough to show that the big hole was dug recently.
But who exactly dug it out? What was this big hole originally used for? And the legendary egg of the mountain god that rolled out from inside—what was its purpose?
For a moment, Liu Dashao couldn’t wrap his head around it either.
“What are you standing there for, Liu Dashao? Hurry up and get to work! Today, Boss Fan is giving us five work points. If you don’t work, don’t blame him for deducting points from you!” It was Huang Shitou who spoke. He had just returned from the construction team the previous night and hadn’t even had time to rest. Upon hearing that there were five work points to earn, he immediately got to work without delay.
“Yeah, let’s talk about this matter later,” Liu Dashao thought to himself as he made his decision. Then, he picked up the iron pickaxe in his hand and started working energetically with a clanging sound. Today, he could earn five work points, and he felt motivated.
Soon, he was drenched in sweat.
However, not long after, Liu Dashao’s shovel seemed to strike something, causing a sudden jolt. When he lifted the shovel again, the front part was completely bent.
That’s strange, what is this thing that’s so hard?
Liu Dashao looked at Huang Shitou, who was working enthusiastically, and said, “Shitou, come help me dig and see what’s underneath here. Why is it so hard?”
Huang Shitou rolled up his sleeves and spat into his palms, “We often come across stones here. Use a bit of force, pay attention to the technique, and you can dig the stones out from their roots. Watch carefully!” Saying that, he exerted all his strength, and with a loud clang, his shovel broke right in half.
“Oh no, this is bad. All the work points I earned today are gone, and I might even have to pay some money. I can’t afford to pay for this shovel.”
Huang Shitou’s face suddenly fell.
Hu Beikang, come and have a try. Let’s see what’s going on with this stone.
Liu Dashao said.
Hu Beikang was certainly not willing to listen to Liu Dashao. Just now, both of their spades had broken, and if his broke too, he couldn’t afford the loss. He immediately refused to do it.
“Master Liu, I think we should still go to Fan Debiao to get the new one. Maybe he will take your face into account and won’t make us two compensate for the loss…”
Looking at the hard stone below, Liu Dashao could only say, “Alright then, follow me. Let’s go find Fan Debiao and see exactly what this thing is. I have a feeling that it should be a pair with that big stone ball.”
Fan Debiao looked at the two young men coming down and knew something must have happened, watching the two of them carefully.
“Big brother, we’ve discovered something really important,” Huang Shitou panted, out of breath.
“What could it possibly be? Have you two found another one of the Mountain God’s testicles?” joked Fan Debiao, looking at the two of them gasping for breath.
“How did you know that?” Huang Shitou looked at Fan Debiao with a puzzled expression, “We just found out about it ourselves.”
“Damn it, you actually found another egg!” Fan Debiao sat up abruptly. “Lead the way, lead the way, quickly take me to see it.”
Fan Debiao urged the two people to hurry up the hillside.
The sun was about to set again.
Looking at the setting sun about to dip behind the mountains, Fan Debiao became somewhat impatient: “Damn it, it’s always when the sun is setting. Why do I feel like each day is getting shorter and shorter, huh?”
Liu Dashao’s heart suddenly sank. “The days are getting shorter and shorter? How is that possible? It’s not just Vandabiao who feels this way; even I feel the same. Every time I come into contact with this giant stone ball, I can sense time flying by at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, an entire day has already passed?”
Liu Dashao had an illusion in his heart; he seemed to feel that this stone could make time fly by in a flash.
“There we are, come on, it’s right down here.” As he spoke, the three of them had already arrived in front of the mountain god’s testicles: “Look, it’s right here below.”
“Hey, how come you know there’s a mountain god’s egg down there?” Hu Beikang asked Huang Shitou curiously.
Before they even realized it, they had actually started calling these stones “Mountain God’s Eggs.” On one hand, it was because the name was easy to remember, and on the other hand, they felt this name was quite elegant and vivid.
“It was what Master Liu said. Could Master Liu’s words be false?” Huang Shitou said confidently.
Nowadays, Young Master Liu has gained considerable prestige. On one hand, it’s due to his expertise and in-depth research in this particular field. On the other hand, it’s because even someone like Fan Debiao, who is highly respected by himself, holds him in great esteem. As a result, no one dares to provoke him anymore.
Liu Dashao found it somewhat amusing. He had merely mentioned it was just a hunch, yet this guy insisted on pinning it on him as if he had actually said so.
Fan Debiao’s voice, somewhat irritated, said, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and dig out this Mountain God’s egg!”
A group of people started scrambling into action. Before long, a stone the size of a ball emerged. As the project progressed, a mountain god’s egg as large as a house was finally revealed.
Damn it, it’s really a mountain god’s egg. Fan Debiao cursed furiously, “These have two big holes already. Let’s see how we’re going to shove our gun barrels into him this time.”
“Stop digging, all of you! Let this Mountain God’s egg stay here. We’ll temporarily halt the project here at this mountain. You can all go work on the other hills for now,” said Fan Debiao.
People were all talking animatedly as they walked down the hill. Liu Dashao, however, turned to Fan Debiao and said, “I think these stones aren’t as simple as they seem.”
“Yeah, these stones are indeed no ordinary ones. I always have this feeling that some of us will end up dying here,” Fan Debiao suddenly said, showing some concern.
“Yeah, that’s right, and this premonition is really strong. I don’t know why. Look at this stone—it seems to be hatching, maturing day by day. Today it sounds metallic, tomorrow it will sound like drums and gongs. Eventually, it will roll down and fly, and there’s even a baby’s corpse on top of the stone. Isn’t this just like a ten-month pregnancy?” Liu Dashao explained patiently.
“Wow, what you said really makes sense. Now that you mention it, I have some thoughts. If this truly is a process of gestation, I wonder what exactly is being nurtured inside. Is there something within the stone, or are the stones themselves being nurtured? I once heard that Sun Wukong from ‘Journey to the West’ was born from a stone.” Fan Debiao’s imagination is truly rich; he even thought of Sun Wukong.
Liu Dashao nodded his head, “This matter is very suspicious. Let’s keep observing this big stone and see what changes occur.” After saying this, he picked up his iron shovel, which had broken into two pieces, and showed it to Fan Debiao. Fan Debiao wasn’t angry at all, and simply said, “Go downstairs and get a new one, just tell them that I accidentally broke it during construction work. They’ll give you a new one, anyway I don’t have to pay for the tools I break.”
Liu Dashao obediently took the tools and went to the warehouse where the farming implements were stored. He approached the old man who watched over the warehouse and asked him for a new shovel.
Huang Shitou, on the other hand, was in big trouble. Not only were his work points for today deducted, but half of his work points for tomorrow were also taken away. This kind of behavior was clearly an indication of extravagance and wastefulness.
Sure enough, when everyone went to see the Mountain God’s Egg the next day, it actually emitted a faint glow. When tapped, a distinct metallic clinking sound could clearly be heard from inside.
Whispers spread through the crowd: “No wonder he’s the Mountain God’s own testicle; just look at the sound he can produce.”
On the third day, a bright light appeared, and cracks formed in the same shape as the previous mountain god’s egg.
It was only at this point that Fan Debiao began to prepare for action.
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