Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

"hold head high?"

I looked at Cui Hao in confusion.

What do you mean?

Isn’t the person taking pictures of me from behind Cui Hao?

He winked at me vigorously, signaling me to look behind me.

I turned around and found an old man standing behind me.

The old man's silver hair was combed meticulously. Although his clothes were washed white and patched, they were smooth and neat on his body, obviously ironed.

The way he dresses shows that the old man is a very particular person.

In the past, he was at least a young man from a wealthy family, and he was the kind who had seen the world.

A local rich family can't raise such a sophisticated young man.

And I can feel the scholarly air from the old man.

I guess he had attended a foreign school before, or even studied abroad.

"Hello, old sir." I said respectfully.

The old man nodded with a smile: "If you want to see it, just go in and take a look openly. Don't be sneaky at the door. It will easily cause misunderstandings."

"That's what you said."

The reason I was looking inside at the door was that I didn't want to meet Lao Li.

After all, they had clearly shown their hostility on the way here.

Meeting face to face at this time will only deepen the hostility.

But what the old man said was not wrong.

Standing at the door and looking inside is too sneaky, and it would be troublesome if people misunderstood you.

"Come in, I'll show you around."

The old man put his hands behind his back and walked into the yard first.

Cui Hao came over and whispered, "Brother, do you want to go in?"

"Of course."

The two of us followed the old man into the yard.

The yard is not big, and there are some stone sculptures scattered around.

There are stone carvings of various shapes.

There are not only stone statues in front of tombs, but also horse posts and stone lions squatting at the doors of wealthy homes.

Each piece is exquisitely crafted, and most of them are from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

It seems that the middle-aged man was not lying. These were all purchased from the surrounding villages.

When Old Li saw us come in, a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

But his eyelids quickly drooped, hiding his fierce look.

The middle-aged man trotted over to the old man and said respectfully, "Bishop, what brings you here?"

The title of bishop made me stunned for a moment.

When Professor Zhang was teaching me about foreign history before, he mentioned bishops, saying that bishops were a special title for religious sects such as the Catholic Church.

Usually the highest leader of a diocese is appointed bishop by the Pope.

If the old man in front of me is really a bishop, then his status and position in the past must have been extraordinary.

Old Li and Cui Hao both looked calm.

Apparently, he didn't realize what the bishop meant.

I stepped forward excitedly and asked, "Old man, are you a Catholic bishop?"

The old man was quite surprised and asked, "Do you know Catholicism?"

"When I was studying with Professor Zhang of Northwestern University, he told me about the development of religion in Europe, so I know a little about Catholicism."

Old Li's expression changed.

Maybe it was because I mentioned Northwestern University and Professor Zhang that made him feel that I was no longer an ordinary kid.

The old man said with relief: "The Spirit of the Lord is like the sun, shining on you forever."

"Since you know about Catholicism, we should have a good chat."

The old man seemed very happy that someone knew about Catholicism.

He took me for a stroll in the yard and introduced his life and the demolished Catholic church.

Old Li was taken out of the yard by the middle-aged man.

The old man's name was Li Boyu. He entered the Gaoling Tongyuanfang Catholic Church at the age of 12.

He graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University at the age of 30 and returned to Shaanxi to spread Catholicism. He also built schools and hospitals to promote the development of local cultural and health undertakings.

As for the Catholic Church in Weiqi Village, it can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Kangxi.

At that time, the wealthy families in the village were persuaded to be baptized into Catholicism.

After returning to the village, he spread the teachings and led his clansmen and villagers to convert to Christianity, and then built a Catholic church in the village.

The church was damaged by an earthquake in 1920.

In 1928, foreign priest Odins came here and built a new Catholic church on the original site.

They also spent money to purchase stone sculptures from the surrounding area and placed them in front of the church.

"Father Odins, why did you buy these stone sculptures? They should be carving statues of the Vatican." I asked in confusion.

"He said these are precious oriental art, and we should adapt to local customs and learn to appreciate the beauty of the East."

"For example, this stone sheep was once placed outside the Jiang Family Temple in Zhitun Village. It was a stone statue in front of the tomb of the Jiang family's ancestor."

"No one took this thing seriously back then. The stone was severely weathered by the wind, sun and rain."

"Father Odins spent a silver dollar to buy it. Placing it in the church is a form of protection..."

I’m not sure whether it will be protected or not, but I have made a mental note of the Jiang Family Temple in Zhitun Village.

The location of the tomb should be correct this time.

After chatting for a while, Li Boyu felt a little tired and waved goodbye to me.

After sending him out of the yard, I was about to leave with Cui Hao when Lao Li appeared from the side.

Just now when Li Boyu and I were chatting, he was taken out of the yard by the middle-aged man, so he didn't get to hear what we were talking about.

So he hid nearby and waited for me, intending to get some information out of me.

"Little brother, you are really capable!"

"I underestimated you before. Please forgive me and my two disciples for being disrespectful to you."

Old Li clasped his fists and bowed, a completely gangster-like gesture.

But he can also be said to be flexible.

Such flexible people are often more terrifying.

Because such people can sacrifice themselves for the sake of profit, and can also disregard family and friendship for the sake of profit.

They only see profit.

Can sell everything for greater benefit.

After Lao Li apologized, he took out a cigarette and handed it to me.

With a smile on his face, he said, "I just realized that you are a cultured person and even know a university professor."

"I, Old Li, admire educated people. Come and smoke. I'll light one for you."

In just two sentences, you can see that Lao Li has a good skill in praising people.

Just pick out the things that make people proud.

I felt relieved when I heard that, but I still remained wary of him.

"Hey, I'm not really a scholar. I just happened to learn a little bit."

"Humility! Scholars are humble."

"It's almost noon. I'd like to treat you two to a meal. Can we have a good chat over the table?"

I smiled and shook my head: "I'm sorry, I'm a little afraid of your two apprentices. They speak so harshly."

Old Li's face turned red instantly.

Before, he deliberately allowed his disciples to mock us and demonstrate to us.

But I didn't expect that after just half a day, he was asking to get information from me.

The change happened too fast.

"My two disciples are just idiots. They are not very careful with their words, but they are actually not bad people at heart."

"Well, I'll make them apologize later, and apologize to you sincerely!"

"If an apology doesn't work, I'll just beat them all up!"

Old Li was really anxious.

If they can't get any information out of me, they won't be able to own this tomb.

I am willing to be humble and subservient now.

Cui Hao leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Brother, why don't we go have a meal?"

I knew he wanted to see the two strong guys apologize so that he could vent his anger.

Actually, I also want to vent my anger.

So he smiled and nodded: "Okay, first ask them to come over and apologize."

"If your apology isn't sincere, I won't eat this meal."