Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 180 - 54 Prepare your tombstone for you (seeking monthly tickets!)_2

Chapter 180: Chapter 54 Prepare your tombstone for you (seeking monthly tickets!)_2

And so, Yan Fei was surrounded by more children and old folks. Like witnessing a grand spectacle, the children were thronging with excitement, the elders were trembling with anticipation. They had heard tales of figures like Xiangyu, capable of lifting cauldrons, Jin Wushu, who could lift iron dragons, Li Yuanba who dared to curse the heavens. Today, they felt as if the heavens had gifted them a sight before their death - a living legend in flesh and blood!

The residential areas were somewhat wider, but the path was slower to traverse than the narrow one before. There were water channels everywhere, both visible and concealed, demanding caution. Some people had laid bricks near their doorsteps. Yan Fei paid no heed. He trod onwards, the bricks crunching under his feet. When he moved on, fragments of the bricks marked his passage.

Normally, if someone crushed the bricks near a household entrance, the owner might express displeasure, perhaps even voice a few words of complaint. But this time, people merely gazed at the brick fragments, the imprints of his feet, in stunned silence.

"Make way! Don’t touch it, children, stay away, don’t block the path..." Heizi was still managing crowd control. His shouting attracted even more spectators.

Yan Fei was unfazed by the attention. Xu Xiaoyan initially intended to follow quietly behind him once he crossed the bridge, but seeing how many people were watching him, she felt shy. She was afraid people would laugh if they knew her relationship with Yan Fei.

But, looking at his deep footprints on the road, and the crushed pieces of bricks, something stirred in her heart. Before she knew it, she was rushing forward.

Her older sister tried to pull her back but failed, merely managing a startled exclamation.

Yan Fei saw the girl rushing towards him. Turning his sweat-drenched face towards her, he gave a smile. "What’s the matter? Why are you coming forward? There are so many people watching. Aren’t you embarrassed?"

She wanted to return his smile, but seeing the sweat dripping down his chin, she found herself unable to. She fumbled for a handkerchief in her pocket and began to wipe his face. "Are you tired? Let me wipe your sweat..."

Yan Fei paused for a moment, allowing her to finish wiping his face. He didn’t question her any further, merely smiled and said, "I’m fine, not tired."

This touching moment was etched deeply into the minds of the onlookers. Long afterward, people cited it admiringly, especially the elders. Narrating it seemed to rejuvenate them, and each time they finished their tale, they would smack their thighs or the table, adding, "This right here is a man, moved to great lengths for the sake of a beauty!"

"We’re almost there, almost there, over here, this is the place, over here, this house..." Heizi called out in the lead.

An old man, previously engrossed in the spectacle, found himself startled when he saw Heizi leading the crowd to his house. Unconsciously, he looked behind him. Seeing no one there, he approached Heizi with a flurry. "What’s going on here? You’re Heizi, right? You need to tell me what’s happening!"

"Don’t ask me, I don’t know either. You should be asking Granny Dazui from your house. Where is she? Why isn’t she coming out?" Heizi replied dismissively, then calling to Yan Fei while eyeing the terrain.

His eyes brightened as he spotted a suitable spot. He swiftly dug up the place. While digging, he shouted, "It’s perfect here. Wait a minute, Xiao Fei, let me dig a little deeper, so the rock doesn’t tip over when you put it in."

Some households in the village, either out of laziness or in an attempt to save money, didn’t fix their drainages. They just had trenches dug around their houses. Heizi spotted one such trench. It was conveniently placed and easy to dig. He made a large pit with only a few shovel strikes. The location was ideal too, right across the path from Granny Dazui’s front door. It ensured that as long as their door was not closed, people could see it from their courtyard.

The old man still wanted to ask what was going on, even tried to explain that Granny Dazui had gone out in the morning, that they could talk properly, etc. But nobody paid any attention to him.

Given Granny Dazui’s reputation, one could predict what her husband would be like. Either he was the same sort as her or he was the kind who couldn’t control his wife.

Moreover, this old man was the latter, always a bit of a milquetoast. This didn’t mean he was unhygienic; rather, he usually had a low profile in front of others, timid and spineless. He didn’t dare to disrupt the digging, only stood by and explained.

Being a pushover doesn’t necessarily make one a bad person. Heizi was just annoyed at this old man because he was hiding Granny Dazui when they arrived – which was why this old man had glanced to his side the moment he saw Heizi leading the way.

It was clear that Granny Dazui had seen them coming and hidden herself indoors. She was probably watching it all from a crack in the door right now!

At this moment, Heizi didn’t bother to expose the old man. He quickly dug a hole and then hurriedly stood aside, shouting to the side, "Stay back, stay back, don’t touch it..."

There was no need for him to shout. The few young men he knew were helping, driving away those naughty children who wanted to get close. As for the older ones, they were cunningly seasoned with age. Granny Dazui probably didn’t have good relations with her neighbours usually. Anyway, they were just watching the hustle and bustle, none of them came to join.

Yan Fei told the girl next to him to wait. He took a step with each footprint and slowly walked to the ditch dug by Heizi. After making a slight adjustment to his position, he took a deep breath and aimed the slab at the dug hole.

He squatted down and twisted his body. His shoulders shook following the motion, and both arms suddenly became tense. The large bluestone slab made a brief sound of air hissing in the open, followed by a bang, and it fell steadily into the ditch.

Everyone around felt the ground shake a bit.

Heizi was the quickest to react. He ran up and said, "Hold it now, I’ll fill in some dirt..."

As he spoke, he quickly shoveled dirt from around to fill it in. Those few young men also helped, finding broken bricks and stones from around and putting them at the base of the slab.

They filled in a bit, and Yan Fei stepped on it a few times. It didn’t take long before they set it right.

He tried pushing the large slab again. It was stable, it probably wouldn’t fall unless someone tried to dig underneath or several people tried to push it. Yan Fei became relieved.

When he saw his hands relaxed, Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly came up and used the handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

The handkerchief, which was not much larger than the palm of her hand, had been soaked in sweat and was dirtied. The girl didn’t mind, she kept wiping.

When she finished wiping, Yan Fei straightened his body and glanced at the murmuring crowd.

In that glance, there was complete silence.

Seeing that it became quiet around, he then began to speak, "My name is Yan Fei, and this is my wife."

Then, he reached out his hand and pulled over the girl who turned red at his words. Ignoring the girl’s hesitation, he continued, "Someone is trying to arrange a match for my wife, wanting to find a rich man. They didn’t mean me."

Most of the people immediately showed understanding, and a low murmur of discussion erupted.

Yan Fei did not care about the crowd’s discussions. He continued to talk louder, "I, Yan Fei, am not the richest man in Sancha River, but I am definitely the strongest! If anyone disagrees, or anyone is aiming for my wife!"

With that, he paused, turned around and landed a punch on the newly erected bluestone. After a thunderous bang, the stone slab shook in response, as if verifying his words. The crowd felt like the punch had hit their own hearts, and watched him with stiff faces and tight lips.

He seemed to use all his strength and roared: "This is the tombstone I, Yan Fei, have prepared for you!"

His powerful voice echoed all around. As each echo faded, a deathly silence remained.

The girl by his side was stunned. Suddenly she covered her mouth. Her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and joy as she watched him. Tears welled up and streamed down her face.