Chapter Nine: Bad Luck

As Chen Ling recognized Qin Qiumei, she recognized him in return. However, since Wang Laishun had introduced them, it would be rude for them not to exchange a word. Thus, Chen Ling offered a polite greeting.

"Director Qin, hello."

"Hello."

Qin Qiumei’s response was indifferent, and she said nothing more. This attitude was not merely due to catching Chen Ling wandering around half-naked earlier; it stemmed primarily from what she had heard about him from other villagers in Chenwangzhuang. The information left her with no shred of sympathy for the man. He was known to be lazy, gluttonous, and abusive to his wife—hardly a man at all. Having worked in the family planning office for some time, Qin Qiumei had encountered many families and despised such men above all else.

"Director Qin, don’t just stand there talking. Come inside and have a seat!" Wang Laishun urged.

The two followed Wang Laishun into the village committee office. Once they were seated, Wang Laishun poured two glasses of hot water. Naturally, the gesture was primarily for Qin Qiumei, with Chen Ling being an afterthought.

"Fugui, you’re here so early. What’s the matter?" Wang Laishun asked, thinking that the boy had surely come to regret his impulsive decision after fainting yesterday when he realized the farmland swap couldn't be reversed. He worried that Chen Ling had come to cause a scene. After all, Er Zhu was paying others a hundred yuan per mu per year to lease their land, which made the two hundred yuan subsidy for the swap seem significantly less lucrative. A one-time deal could never compare to a steady, long-term income—and that income stream wasn't even particularly small. Anyone with half a brain could see the difference, so it was no wonder this lazy boy had reacted so strongly upon hearing the news.

"Fifth Uncle, I came to see about the farmland swap. Can we get it processed now?"

As soon as these words left Chen Ling’s lips, a look of "I knew it" flickered across Wang Laishun's eyes. On the surface, however, he put on a troubled expression, his dark face twisting in dismay. "Fugui, it’s not that Fifth Uncle doesn’t want to help you, but the township has already stamped the documents. Once the township stamps it, it’s hard to change, and the county is keeping a close eye on things, too. Even if you were to tear my old bones apart, I couldn't put in a good word for you now!" He let out a long, heavy sigh, looking at Chen Ling with an expression of pure helplessness.

"Fifth Uncle, what are you saying? Did you misunderstand something?" Chen Ling asked, feigning confusion while inwardly laughing at the old man’s dramatics. "The loudspeaker just announced that those involved in the farmland swap should finish the paperwork this month. I’m just here to see if we can get it done quickly. Isn't it better to get it over with and have peace of mind?"

"What, what, what?"

"What did you say?" Wang Laishun’s eyes widened in shock. "Did I hear that right? You agree to the swap? And you want to finish it right now?"

"That’s right," Chen Ling said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Why wouldn't I agree? I already pressed my fingerprint on the papers, and as you said, the township has already stamped them. How could I possibly go back on it?"

His nonchalance left Wang Laishun stunned. He looked at Chen Ling with a strange expression, wondering if the boy’s brain had been damaged when he fainted yesterday. Qin Qiumei, standing nearby, felt the same; both of them stared at Chen Ling as if he were a complete fool.

"You... you don't regret it?" Wang Laishun asked, his voice wavering with uncertainty.

"Not at all! A real man keeps his word. Since I agreed to swap the land with Er Zhu’s family, how could I go back on it?" Chen Ling replied with absolute sincerity.

Er Zhu’s land was not only large but also remote, tucked away deep in the mountains in a very secluded spot. It was the perfect place to hide whatever he might tinker with using the Sun-Moon Grotto, fitting his plans perfectly.

Wang Laishun, however, was unimpressed. *A real man? You’re a blockhead, a complete idiot!* He frowned and asked, "Does Susu know about this?"

"Yes, I convinced her before I came. She doesn't object," Chen Ling said with a nod. He knew his young wife was still worried, but he would show her the results soon enough.

Wang Laishun didn't quite believe him and considered checking with Wang Susu, but since the township had already stamped the papers, there was nothing she could do about it anyway. Deciding that it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, he said, "You’re sure? Once it’s done, you can’t take it back."

Chen Ling nodded. "No regrets. Since it can be done, Fifth Uncle, please hurry and process it. Once it's finished, I plan to plow the land in the next couple of days."

*Well, he’s serious,* Wang Laishun thought, eyeing him with surprise. "Fine, I’ll do it for you. Come into this room and register." He thought to himself that the boy had barely ever stepped foot in a field, yet here he was talking about plowing. That plot of Er Zhu’s land was far beyond what a few passes with a plow could solve. He didn't know who had swindled the boy, but since he wouldn't listen to reason, he might as well let him be.

Twenty minutes later, after the paperwork for the land swap was finalized and settled, Chen Ling walked out of the village committee office. Outside the gate, he saw Qin Qiumei talking to the village’s head of women’s affairs. Nearby, several people were holding paint buckets and brushes, likely preparing to update the family planning propaganda slogans.

Chen Ling didn't linger. He walked past them and headed toward the outskirts of the village, intending to take a look at the barren land belonging to the Er Zhu family.

The plot had been cleared by Er Zhu’s father around 1980, during the years when the state encouraged land reclamation. Due to the terrain of Chenwangzhuang, however, clearing land was difficult, and few had actually done it. Those who had the grit to do so ended up with quite a bit of land—thirty to fifty mu per family was common.

*That father and son are certainly good at stirring things up,* Chen Ling mused. The father had cleared land only to abandon farming for a lime factory, and now the son was overpaying to lease land for greenhouses. They had spirit, certainly, but their luck was abysmal. One had run into a massive earthquake, and the other was about to run into a catastrophic flood. It seemed as though Heaven itself was against the pair.

While he found it amusing, he also felt they deserved it—neither of them were good people. Take this land swap: while the previous Chen Ling had been a bit dense, he had been goaded and swindled by Chen Er Zhu. Otherwise, why would he have been invited to a dance hall for no reason? It was clearly a malicious scheme. Knowing that the Chen family’s land was right next to the water pump station and close to the river bend—making it ideal for irrigation—Er Zhu had wanted it for himself.

Chen Ling didn't want to pursue it for now. With the flood coming in three or four months, Er Zhu would have his own troubles to deal with. It wasn't worth arguing with someone like that. With the Sun-Moon Grotto in his possession, Chen Ling had much more important things to do.

He reached the edge of the village. Before him stretched vast fields of wheat, with the deep blue mountains looming in the distance. A few children were running through the wheat fields, flying kites. The barren land he was headed to lay at the foot of the mountains to the northwest, separated from where he stood by several steep slopes and a fair distance. It was only nine in the morning, and he was in no rush. He walked slowly, savoring the pastoral scenery that had become so rare in his past life.

However, after crossing two large ridges, Chen Ling heard a sudden cry.

"Dead body! There’s a dead body in the pit!"

He looked toward the sound and saw the group of children who had been flying kites. Their faces were deathly pale, and they were scrambling toward the road, so terrified that they had abandoned their kites behind.