Chapter 40 Third Uncle

My head jerked back to look for the origin of the voice and found an unruly brat, clutching a plastic toy rifle in his arms, running towards us. My third aunt was chasing after him from behind, gasping for breath. "I'm breathless just by chasing this rascal!" She managed through her infrequent pants. Seeing us, she came to us and greeted us. "You have graduated, have you, Shiyan?" She asked. "I have. In fact, the three of us here have started our own paranormal investigative firm. We specialized in looking into supernatural incidents and some counseling too. But we have hit a snag; hence we're here today. I heard that Third Uncle knows a man who commands certain authority even over deities and immortals. There were rumors that he could even move mountains and shift the oceans!" My third uncle guffawed hilariously. "What is this you're talking about? From where do I find somebody with such powers!" The boy scurried over and leaped into the arms of Third Uncle. His eyes were unabashedly set upon the fruit basket we had brought there. I tore opened the wrappings of the fruit basket and asked him which of the fruits he was interested in. Feeling encouraged, he stooped down and began holding every fruit and looked interestedly at them as my third aunt scowled with exasperation. "Look at this rascal!" She reached for the fruit basket, muttering, "Let's see what fruits you bring us, and you impudent rascal, have you no manners?" She held the basket in her hand and moved indoors with the little boy trotting after her. Third Uncle nipped at his tea as he shifted in his seat, his interest aroused by our mention of the "powerful man he once knew". "Now that you have reminded me of him... we met long ago when I was sent to the countryside during the government's Down to the Countryside Movement that time! I was such a young fool then! A proud young man, fresh and ambitious, eager to serve the Party and country! I answered the Party's call for educated young men which they wanted to send for agricultural re-education! It was important that we continually seek progress, as I was once taught; hence I filled in a form to take part! It was a huge affair that we were sent off in trains with great fanfare as if we were triumphant soldiers going to war! But little did we, the prideful and eager young men, know that great trials and sufferings awaited us at the farming villages! Oh the hot and steaming wheaten pastries which had scorched my throat when I ate them! There were no tools and machines that we could use to harvest the wheat; so we have to reap the crops with our bare hands! Under the sweltering heat of the sun, bare-backed young men pulled and yanked at the already-ripened crops as our backs and muscles screamed with pain at the sore and weariness we felt! Some of the young men were already crying out loud with agony as we worked the fields. But at least, sometime later, we were delivered from our pain, with the timely appearance of that powerful man!"