After leveling the pit, Dazhuang imdiately took Xiao i out of the cold carriage.
He held his head high and walked with firm, powerful steps, all to give the girl a relatively decent farewell.
Gently placing the girl’s stiff corpse into the pit, Dazhuang carefully smoothed the wrinkles on the white cloth caused by transportation pressure.
He smoothed it with great care, just like comforting a wounded child.
After the preparations were done, Dazhuang recited a few words of mourning for the girl. These were customs from their hotown; though he wasn’t sure how significant it was, it was better than nothing.
Once the mourning was complete, Dazhuang picked up a soldier’s shovel and began filling the grave pit with soil. He shoveled with such force that each stroke produced a distinct "sand-sand" sound from the friction against the shovel’s surface.
One shovel, two shovels, three shovels, Dazhuang silently counted the number of shovels, as this was the only way to slightly ease his heavy, grieving heart.
Indeed, Dazhuang was deeply pained at this mont. Thinking about the girl who was supposed to enjoy her youthful years but had quickly turned into a cold corpse filled him with uncontrollable rage.
The shovel continued to swing with "determination," with almost every stroke causing a pang in Dazhuang’s heart.
Finally, after nearly 13 or 14 minutes of "tornt," the long grave pit was "completely filled."
Exhaling a long breath, Dazhuang’s shirt was already soaked with sweat, yet he didn’t care about these things and instead walked straight to a red paulownia tree by his side, raising the Scythe in his hand and angrily chopping down on the tree’s sturdy trunk.
"Kachak! Kachak! Kachak!"
In a routine display of venting, the not-so-sharp blade in Dazhuang’s brute-driven hands bit into the tree’s bark as if it were a cutting machine.
Monts later, a thick, 30-centiter piece of paulownia bark fell off in response.
Picking up the bark, Dazhuang used the Scythe to make the necessary adjustnts. Only after polishing it into a vertical wooden plaque did he return to the original spot with satisfaction.
Biting off the cap of the marker pen he took from his pocket, Dazhuang, with his unappealing crooked handwriting, carefully wrote a row of large characters on the surface of the polished wooden board:
"Xiao i’s Tomb!"
"Child! This place might seem a bit desolate now, but uncle promises you that co next spring, it will surely be lush with green trees and filled with birdsong and floral fragrance! If there’s a chance, uncle will definitely co see you! Don’t worry, go peacefully! Forget the past hardships and suffering, let it all drift away with the wind! Rest assured, as long as uncle’s alive, those who have wronged you will pay the price!"
After speaking, Dazhuang bowed three tis with tearful eyes.
"OK! It’s done! Big brother Wei, can we leave now?"
"You! Co over here..."
"Huh?"
"Co over!!"
"Uh, I also have to... alright, alright!" With a reluctant shuffle, Zhao Huilong walked to Xiao i’s grave: "You want to bow and pray, right? No problem, I’ll do it!"
"So, um... uh, Xiao i, yes Xiao i! Go peacefully... uh, go. I, um..." Flippantly, Zhao Huilong’s tone was full of disdain and frivolity. And just as he prepared to perfunctorily bow, Dazhuang suddenly swung the soldier’s shovel in his hands towards Zhao Huilong’s legs.
"Ah!" A pig-like cry of agony burst from Zhao Huilong’s throat as the electric shock-like pain instantly forced him to his knees.
"Damn it! Dazhuang, are you crazy? What the hell does this an?" The intense pain made Zhao Huilong extrely annoyed, and his initially soft deanor suddenly turned hard.
But anger requires strength; without power, it only adds to one’s humiliation and pain.
Moreover, Zhao Huilong was facing Dazhuang, who had suppressed his emotions for a long ti. The latter’s pent-up anger was hundreds, thousands, even millions of tis stronger!
Without any more words, Dazhuang kicked Zhao Huilong in the back, causing him to imdiately lay flat on the ground in pain.
With his face hitting the ground like a dog eating dirt, Zhao Huilong tasted the mud amidst his discomfort.
Despite this, he remained conscious and regained his composure, pleading, "Big, big brother, calm down, can’t we sit down and talk? I haven’t done anything to wrong you, why..."
"Smack!" Another foot fell, and Zhao Huilong scread in pain.
"Ouch~ Big, big brother! What’s..."
"Smack!"
"Wait a mont..."
"Smack!"
This continued for roughly dozens of stomps until Zhao Huilong finally uttered sothing that slightly satisfied Dazhuang: "I was wrong!"
Grabbing Zhao Huilong’s hair, Dazhuang pulled him close, fiercely asking, "Tell , what exactly were you wrong about?"
"I... I shouldn’t have acted as a spy for Dai Sha, I...I deserve to die! I promise I’ll never do it again! Please, have rcy and let go!"
Slightly stunned, Zhao Huilong’s confession was sowhat unexpected to Dazhuang.
However, he soon snapped out of it, as this was not the answer he wanted.
"What else?"
"What else?"
Preparing to push down again, Zhao Huilong, seeing Dazhuang’s bulging muscles, hurriedly added in shock, "And, and I shouldn’t have betrayed my friends for fa! I shouldn’t have danced with Dai Sha! I shouldn’t have forsaken brotherly bonds for personal gain, shouldn’t have..."
"Enough!" Dazhuang interrupted Zhao Huilong’s confession, dragging his head to Xiao i’s tombstone, roaring word by word, "Do you know your biggest cri? It’s your disrespect to this girl!"
"You called her a slut with every breath! Did you consider her feelings? Did you think about her dignity? How do you feel now being beaten, cursed, and stepped over by ? If your sister got raped, could you still laugh? I really want to ask you, weren’t you born from a woman?"
Chastised into silence, Zhao Huilong’s trembling chest shook visibly, much like a threshing machine. He glanced at the raging Dazhuang with fear, then audaciously pleaded, "Brother Wei, it...it’s my mistake! All my fault! I was muddled before! Rest assured, I’ll change for the better. Promise to beco a new person and never make the sa mistakes again!"
"Really?" Dazhuang slowly loosened his taut arms, and as Zhao Huilong thought Dazhuang would "give him a break" this ti, his next words struck like a thunderbolt on a clear day... (to be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it with recomndations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.)
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