The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 1241 - 1209: Another Opportunity for Development

Xiao Liuzi thought for a moment, found his brother’s words made sense, and nodded, "Yeah, Brother Xiao Wu, you’re right, we’re just laborers, we never killed anyone..."

"Once we get out, if those people ask us why we’re coming out so late, just say we were digging in the very back and didn’t manage to run out with everyone else." Brother Xiao Wu instructed while they walked.

When they got to the western exit, Brother Xiao Wu didn’t dare to rush out immediately, but rather shouted loudly, "I surrender, I turn myself in... cough cough cough..."

After speaking, he first threw out tools like shovels and axes from inside to show he wasn’t armed.

"Hands up and surrender for a lenient treatment," said Platoon Leader Liu. "Come out quickly."

"We’re coming out, please don’t shoot," Brother Xiao Wu said, and the two men came out of the hole.

Seeing this, Platoon Leader Liu asked, "Is there anyone else inside?"

"It’s all smoke in there, no one’s left," Brother Xiao Wu said. "We were digging at the far end, that’s why we came out last. Please be lenient, we didn’t want to raid tombs, we were forced by the Lu Family..."

"Whether you were forced or not, we’ll know after an investigation. Take them back first," Platoon Leader Liu said, "Come on, I’ll take you in to check if there is anyone else left."

Although they said there was no one else, they still couldn’t leave without checking.

After searching, they found that there was indeed no one left in the tunnel, but they were also amazed at how capable the tomb robbers were. The tunnel inside actually stretched two to three hundred meters, and they even found some detonators, all of which were confiscated.

The shopkeeper was isolated and detained, and as soon as it was daylight, he was directly taken to the detention center in the county for interrogation, fearing that arresting so many people at once might cause panic.

Liu Jianjun and Wang Zhiliang personally came to pay a visit to Old Master Huo, Old Master Tang, and Old Man Qi to report on the situation.

"Well done, to ensure no one slips through the net. You should still leave some people here to assist the local police in maintaining order in the scenic area, after all, there are several tens to hundreds of tourists coming here every day," Old Master Huo instructed.

Platoon Leader Liu nodded and said, "Yes."

The bosses had already given the orders; they could not leave Qijia Village until these prominent figures had left. It was absolutely necessary to ensure their safety.

The tomb robbers were taken away, and before noon, Hou Daliang personally led a team over.

Because they received information that those were tomb robbers, and they were caught right in the act of digging.

Just a day before, those who were still debating whether to come for a survey all shut up.

The tomb robbers already paid a visit, so what’s the point of arguing? Get on with the excavation quickly.

Not only did the archaeology department send people over, they also reported to the higher-ups in the archaeology department, who immediately sent a team of more than thirty archaeologists.

Director Hou brought so many people, to which Cui Heng couldn’t bother to pay any attention.

However, Director Hou being an official had thick skin and didn’t care about Cui Heng’s attitude at all, constantly trying to build rapport.

"Professor Cui, thank you for this time. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have discovered such a big project," Hou Daliang said. "Once it’s confirmed, I’ll credit you with the first merit."

Cui Heng smiled and said, "I can’t take the credit for it. I’m just curious about whose tomb this is. By the way, let me get to work, I want a high salary and good benefits."

"That goes without saying," Hou Daliang laughed. "We’ll be counting on you for more guidance in the future, Professor Cui."

It was only when all these archaeologists arrived that Secretary Qi found out about the big incident in the village.

Initially, he was a bit scared, but then he suddenly had a great idea.

So, Village Chief Qi went to Third Grandma Qi’s house to discuss his idea with a few of the elders.

"Elders, you all are knowledgeable. We’ve run into some trouble here, so I would like to ask for some advice from you," Village Chief Qi smiled, being courteous first.

"Dazhu, if you have something to say, just say it. We’ll definitely help if we can," Old Master Tang said with a smile, "No need to be formal with us."

"That’s right, Dazhu, you’re always sensible. Go ahead, let’s see if we can help," Old Man Qi said, thinking that his nephew might be planning to use this event to seek benefits for Qijia Village.

Qi Dazhu smiled and said, "Actually, it’s not just for me, it’s for our Qijia Village. Now we’re a tourist area, we have the Divine Dragon Temple, the Peach Orchard, and so on. However, our cultural heritage isn’t deep enough. But here we’ve uncovered two large tombs before, and with this one, it makes the third. I’m thinking instead of sending the excavated items to the city museum, why not near here, right on the original site? Once the items are unearthed, we could build a museum here to display them. Wouldn’t it be great to let more people learn about them?"

The elders heard this and nodded, "Building an attraction at the original site seems problematic, doesn’t it? That would disturb the peace of the deceased, wouldn’t it?"

Old Man Qi frowned and said, "Even if we don’t build an attraction at the original site, everything inside, including the coffins, would be removed."

"Yes, we could preserve it and try to restore its original appearance. As for the owner of the tomb, we should leave them in the burial site, undisturbed. We would only open up other areas," Qi Dazhu said, "Compared to being moved elsewhere, staying on the original site might be better for the tomb owner. At the same time, given that this is a tourist area and is the original site, it would definitely become a major attraction here."

Since the discovery had been made, it was impossible not to proceed with the excavation.

"Indeed, it’s a good idea," they all nodded.

He Tiantian served tea to the elders and, hearing their conversation, she smiled and said, "Uncle Qi, your idea is good, and it shouldn’t be hard to fight for this project. The key is you must find an expert to consult whether this is beneficial for Qijia Village. We must not only look at the money but also consider the cultural legacy and any potential taboos."

Old Man Qi nodded and said, "That’s right, Tiantian is right. Cui Heng at the Divine Dragon Temple knows about archaeology and understands some occult techniques. Go and ask him. If he says it’s okay, we’ll fight for it with you. If he says it’s bad for Qijia Village, we’ll fill it up and plant trees."

"But what about the museum?" Village Chief Qi asked, a little regretful, worried that Cui Heng might say the place isn’t suitable for an attraction.

"Uncle Qi, you’re worrying too much!" He Tiantian laughed, "If it’s not possible, we can build a museum down the mountain, which would still be an attraction," He Tiantian said, "Then make the exhibits interesting and detailed, that would also be nice."

"That’s true," Village Chief Qi said, "Then I’ll go ask Professor Cui now."

Village Chief Qi left in a rush.

Old Master Huo watched Village Chief Qi’s back and chuckled, "This Dazhu, serving as the village secretary is a bit of an overkill for him."