The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 581: This wooden box refuses to give me the gem? - Well, what is your wish?
Shen Le took a deep breath.

Then, he straightened his clothes, solemnized his expression, put down the two shoulders he was holding, and placed them on the left and right, even pressing their heads down to prevent the blue light in their eyes from rising;
After doing all this, he bowed his head towards the deepest part of the room, where a painting was hung in the center with flowers and fruits offered below, which was out of place among the thangkas in the room.

Behind him, the thangka painter Langga Zhaxi and two young men from the Special Affairs Bureau stood solemnly with their heads bowed.

The room was silent; the only sounds were the ticking of the clock and the whistling of the wind off the hill outside the door.

There was silence for about five or six seconds, until the sound of children's laughter came closer and closer, Shen Le took a long breath and said softly:

"You also have a portrait of him?"

This room is filled with thangkas of various sizes, bright and solemn. There is the image of Sakyamuni that Shen Le recognizes at a glance, as well as images of certain Vajra and certain Taras that he cannot quite recognize.

However, the painting placed in the center has no cinnabar, no lapis lazuli, and no precious minerals, pearls or gems. It is just an ordinary paper print.

His face is solemn and dignified, yet gentle and kind, just as it is recognized by all Chinese people.

Portrait of the Chairman.

"Yes." Langga Tashi answered without hesitation. He paused, took two steps forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Le:

"Here, everyone remembers his kindness."

Shen Le was silent. When he was young, there was also a portrait of Chairman Mao in the middle of the main hall. Every time he came back from outside, his grandfather would ask him to stand in front of the portrait before leaving.

I have also seen people at weddings and funerals where the host was reluctant to accept gifts, so they asked the guests to bow to the portrait, and the host would respond to the greetings from the side...

Such customs are becoming less and less common nowadays. Firstly, times have changed, and secondly, there is basically no such thing as a "main room" in current house structures.

However, when Shen Le followed his mentor to the countryside, he often saw portraits of the Chairman in the main rooms of some farmers' homes.

Some are still covered with cigarette smoke, some are covered with dust and cobwebs, and some remain long after the owner has left, curled and peeling, or mostly damaged.

No matter what, its existence represents the people's love and respect.

Shen Le bowed his head again to show his respect, then moved his shoulder to another direction, being careful not to let the green light touch the portrait.

As he moved, he realized that the green light was not pointing to the portrait itself, but to a box placed neatly below the portrait...

The box was dull in color, having been exposed to countless years of smoke and fire, and had accumulated countless grease and dirt. Against the backdrop of a plate of fruit and two bouquets of flowers, the surface was almost invisible.

Shen Le silently trained his eyes, and then he felt that everything in front of him was bright and clear. He looked at the box carefully, and saw that under the black surface, there were occasional lines, which should be wood grain;

The lines on the box are tangled, and there are many bumps where the lines loop, and the color is also very dull.

They looked like gemstones of various colors, but the quality was not very good and they had not been cut finely, so the luster was not bright. They were similar to the gemstones Shen Le saw on street stalls, which were used to fool tourists.

Looking more closely, one can see a pair of white elephants carved on the box, with their long trunks raised, spraying water onto a lotus in the middle.

The petals of the lotus, even though covered with thick oil, showed a hint of lightness, as if they were carved from coral, tourmaline, or some similar gemstone;

There are two white elephants, one on the left and one on the right, each with a turquoise inlaid on its eye, which is exactly where the green light falls.

"You...want this box?"

Perhaps Shen Le's gaze was too pointed, Langga Zhaxi took a few steps forward and held up the wooden box with both hands. He walked towards Shen Le, one step, two steps, and with each step, the angle of his shoulders shifted a little;
When he stood in front of Shen Le, his two shoulders had changed from standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Le to being tilted at a 45-degree angle, staring at the white elephant with burning eyes.

The two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau looked at each other, then quietly stepped forward, ready to take action.

It wasn't to grab the box or to control Langga Tashi. It was mainly because he was worried that he would see the strangeness of the two shoulders and scream and faint...

It would be such a pity if such a young man, who can paint with peace of mind and is willing to tutor local children, fainted or fell and got injured!
Fortunately, Langga Zhaxi did not intend to faint. He carefully observed the two shoulder swallows, his face changed slightly, but he just held the box a little tighter.

Holding the box tightly, it was like holding a talisman, and from now on nothing would hurt you, and you wouldn't have to be afraid of anything:
"This box is an old item in the family... If you only want the turquoise, can you give me some time to remove just the turquoise?"

Shen Le was silent. It wasn't him who wanted it, it was the two shoulder swallows who wanted it... Were they sure they only wanted the turquoise? And not the other things in the box?
"Wait a minute, let me confirm..."

He took a step forward, then another step forward, holding the two lions in his arms. The two lions trembled at the same time, looking very anxious.

Shen Le put his shoulder to the front of the box. The two lions roared and leaned over at the same time, trying their best to stick each missing eye onto a turquoise...

"It should be just turquoise." Shen Le breathed a sigh of relief. The next moment, his face changed slightly, and he desperately grabbed the two shoulders and dragged them back:

"Come back! Come back! I haven't negotiated with the owner yet! I haven't paid yet! I'll make eyes for you after I get these two turquoise stones!!!"

This time, not only the two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau, but also Langga Tashi who was standing in front, and even the child who secretly poked his head in at the door, saw the two shoulders roaring and struggling violently:
"Teacher, what are you looking at? A little lion? Can I touch it?"

"That's not allowed." Langga Tashi had just recovered from his dizziness and quickly pushed the child out the door:
"I want to tell everyone that the teacher has to entertain guests, so you can read your books first. Here is a test paper, everyone can do it by yourselves..."

Shen Le silently apologized to the children in his heart, then quickly put the two shoulders into the box, stuffed it into the suitcase, zipped it up, and locked it.

When Langga Tashi came back, he had already taken out a vernier caliper, and then his phone, and clicked on the payment interface:

"As you have just seen, I wanted to find the lost eyes of these two shoulder swallows. I walked a long way before I found you. If it is convenient for you, can you transfer it to us?"

"Of course." Langga Zhaxi smiled calmly. He calmly picked up the box and placed it in front of Shen Le, then turned to get the tools:
"It's everyone's duty to be generous to guests who have come from afar - besides, I've said before that if you're interested, I'll sell it to you at the market price!"

He found a plain wooden box, filled it with red velvet, and padded the sides. Then he turned back, opened the lid, and carefully took out something:

When the lid of the box was opened, a brilliant light appeared. Gold, silver, red, blue, and other colors shone brightly. From the size of a cup mouth to the size of a finger, all kinds of badges filled half of the box.

Langga Tashi explained softly:

"These were all worn by my family members and relatives... Now that the old people have passed away and no one wears them anymore, we have kept them well..."

He would not let anyone touch them, but picked them up one by one and placed them on the velvet pad, one layer, one layer of padding, and another layer.

After taking the three layers of badges, he picked up a red cloth bag and carefully placed it in a plain wooden box, closed the lid, and placed it in front of the portrait. After a pause, he picked up a small chisel and gently pried at the eyes of the white elephant:
The first time he chiseled, it slipped. The second time he chiseled, it slipped again. The third time he chiseled, if Shen Le hadn't grabbed his hand in time, the chisel would have slipped and stabbed directly into his leg:

"Oh, this... I'm sorry, my carpentry skills are a bit rusty, I haven't done it for a long time... otherwise..."

Are you coming?
He looked at Shen Le helplessly. Shen Le's face was solemn. He took the wooden box and stroked it gently:
"It's not that your craftsmanship is rusty, it's this box that refuses to give us the things... What wish has it not fulfilled? What was in the box before?"

"How do you know?"*3
Langga Zhaxi and the two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau asked at the same time. Shen Le shook his head slightly:
How did he say?
He said that he felt a force of resistance on the box, and another force that was connected to the red cloth bag he had taken out earlier and refused to separate?

"Well, you take the box and walk a few steps outside." Shen Le simply turned around and handed the box to the local boy.

The local boy held the box in both hands and took one step, two steps, three steps. The further he walked, the heavier the wooden box in his hand became. The further he walked, the more it felt like a heavy force was wrapped around him, dragging him back:

"Really... this box can't be taken out." He walked back in surprise, and his steps became lighter and faster.

Everyone tried it one by one, and the guy from the mainland who came to help even took one step less than him, and he was already too sunk to bear it;

Langga Zhaxi performed the best, being able to walk all the way to the door with the box in his arms, but he also clearly felt resistance. He hurried back and looked at Shen Le helplessly:

"This one……"

It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, it’s that I can’t handle this thing!
"So, what is in here? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Shen Le pointed to the plain wooden box. Langga Tashi thought for a moment, opened the box, and respectfully took out the red cloth bag with both hands, and placed it in front of the portrait again.

Shen Le and his companions walked forward and stood in a circle behind him, watching him open the cloth bag bit by bit, revealing...

A half-broken pencil, a pitted stick, a rotten teacup, and... a military cap that was worn out at the top.

On the top of the military cap, half of it was clearly rusted, but the remaining red five-star was still visible, shining brightly in everyone's eyes.

"This is what my grandfather gave me." Langga Tashi whispered. He stroked the half red five-pointed star on his military cap, his voice full of nostalgia:
"My great grandfather...at that time, he led Jinzhu Mami on the journey and delivered food...

My great grandfather said that they had a very hard life back then, with ice and snow everywhere, climbing over the highest mountains, mountains that even the best hunters didn’t dare to climb…”

Shen Le closed his eyes slightly. Behind him, two young men from the Special Affairs Bureau rustled, straightened their bodies, and bowed their heads respectfully.

“So, these things are…”

"It's Jinzhu Mami's. In addition to the first group, many people came in later, fighting bandits and fighting for a long time... They went to the most remote places, the most dangerous places, some fell into the ice cracks, some fell on the road, and some died while sitting there... This is..."

Is it a relic of a martyr? Shen Le's breathing became heavier. He asked softly:

"Have you found the remains of the martyrs?"

“Not when my great grandfather gave it to my grandfather.” Langga Tashi answered with certainty:

"When Grandpa gave it to me, there was none either."

As for what happened later, he didn't know. He was just an ordinary citizen with limited abilities. Moreover, the names of the martyrs were not left in these relics...

That probably means it has not been found. Objects have spirits, if they have been found, if they have been buried, if relatives have come to burn incense, probably the wooden box would not be so obsessed with it and would not want them to touch it.

Behind Shen Le, two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau had already taken out their phones and started searching quickly. Not long after, the one from the mainland stepped forward, poked Shen Le, and showed him his phone:

Sure enough, there was no tomb. In 24 years, the tombs of unknown martyrs were excavated. After detailed identification and comparison, the identities of the martyrs were confirmed and their relatives were found.

The news said that there should be some unknown martyrs' graves scattered everywhere, and their identities have not been confirmed...

"I understand. Do you want to find him back? Leave this task to me!"

Shen Le bowed confidently to the military cap. He put on gloves and a mask, held up the military cap, and observed carefully:

There was no other writing on the top, nor on the lining. The inside brim…where the hair meets the hat…had a quilt of linen sewn on to cover a few holes.

Among the sweat and oil stains on the linen, there are a few small words written in pen, which are still clearly visible:
"The Greatness of Life"

"The glory of death"

Shen Le held the military cap and closed his eyes. He did not try to take it apart, but instead used his mental power to penetrate inside, trying to see if there were any more words on the lining.

I carefully traced the longitude and latitude lines one by one, but I still had no choice but to stop:

No.

Nothing at all.

A hat is just a hat. There is no name or date on it, no map, nothing at all…

"Shall I look at something else?"

He looked at Langga Zhaxi inquiringly. Langga Zhaxi nodded and stepped back, allowing Shen Le to calmly retrieve the items. A pencil, a short half, less than half the length of a finger, with no other marks;
The teacup, even the writing on the surface was rotten;
That handle... Shen Le took it in his hand and looked at it from left to right. For a moment, he couldn't tell what it was made of, let alone what it was used for...

"This is the whip handle used by herdsmen." Langga Tashi seemed to see his confusion and pointed out:
"In the middle is a wooden stick with a rope wrapped around it, tightly to prevent it from slipping. The inside is wrapped in sheepskin, and the outside is probably a rope made of yak hair?"

Like this?

Shen Le held the short stick and swung it back and forth in the air twice, simulating the feeling of cracking a whip.

Turning it over and looking carefully, one end of the stick is smooth and flat, while the other end is tilted and rough, with signs of breakage on the edge. It might have been used to block the knife, with most of it cut off and the remaining part broken off?
Then he infiltrated his spiritual power to observe the inside of the stick and the leather rope on the surface. There was no writing on the surface of the stick or the sheepskin, only cuts.

The cuts were strong and deep, passing through the gaps in the rope and going directly into the inside of the stick. The cuts were almost parallel, and it looked like they were not made hastily to block the attack, but were intentional by the person who left the marks.

What are these cuts used to record?
date?

terrain?

still is……

Shen Le tried to figure it out silently, but still couldn't find a clue. He sighed helplessly, wrapped all the items in red cloth, put them in a box inlaid with turquoise, and held the box in his arms:
"Let me try another method... Can you guys step back a little and not disturb me?"

The two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau immediately pulled Langga Zhaxi back. As long as Langga Zhaxi was in the room and could see Shen Le and the box in his hand, he would not resist and stood obediently in the corner.

Shen Le looked around, dragged a cushion over and placed it in front of the portrait, then held the box and bowed deeply:
"I know you are an atheist... You probably don't have a spirit in heaven... But if there is a one in ten thousand chance, please bless me..."

Please bless me to not be disturbed, bless me to successfully establish a connection with these relics, bless me to follow the resonance of the relics... and find the existence I am looking for...

He sat down on the futon, closed his eyes, and calmed his breath. The room was filled with the gentle aroma of fruit, the strong smell of mineral pigments, and the strong Tibetan aroma from next door, condensing into a unique and reassuring atmosphere;

Surrounded by this aura, tiny dots of light lit up in the meditation world:

First, it was swallowed by his shoulder in the box, blazing fiercely, pulsating, and impatient;
Then came the two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau and the instruments they carried, emitting a bright and steady light;

The light on Langga Tashi is much fainter, but together with the thangkas in the room, it forms another aura that cannot be ignored;

Then, there was the wooden box in Shen Le's arms...

This wooden box itself has a strange power. The white elephants on both sides are pure, holy and tolerant, able to nourish the breath inside without hurting or disturbing it.

The lotus in the middle of the white elephant, with its pink petals and amber lotus head, shines particularly clearly in the world of meditation.

Shen Le could even "see" that the lotus pods were gently holding up the relics, with the petals wrapped around them to prevent their light from disappearing;

The white elephant continuously sprayed clean water, nourishing the lotus, and also nourishing those items through the lotus...

"Thank you... Thank you for everything... Now that I'm here, leave it to me, let me communicate with them... Please help me find your partners, find your master..."

Shen Le silently chanted in his heart. The heat in his palm continued to flow into the wooden box, and also flowed into the relics inside through the wooden box.

Gradually, half of the whip handle lit up bit by bit in his meditation, and the marks on the whip handle glowed and flickered:
Shen Le seemed to see a pair of hands, one holding the whip handle, the other holding the short knife, carving hard. Every time he carved, he sighed and whispered a name.

The marks engraved on it... are they... those of the sacrificed soldiers... Due to limited conditions, they cannot take them away, so they are recorded in this way, engraved on the whip handle, and also engraved in their hearts?
"So, where is the other half? Where is it? Can you resonate with it? Can you point it out to me?"

Shen Le repeated it over and over in his heart. The half whip handle did not give any response, but became brighter and brighter, and soon the brightness exceeded that of the shoulder swallow beside him.

After a moment, the half red star also lit up, trembling softly and jumping continuously:

In Shen Le's perception, it rotated in one direction by itself, turning the missing half to the west, slightly north.

Soon, the whip handle also began to rotate, and the missing piece pointed in the same direction of the red five-pointed star.

"I know... I know, it's in that direction." Shen Le nodded gently and provided more strength:

"Come on, tell me, how far is it? In which direction is the thing you are looking for?"

In the meditation world, a star lit up in a very distant place. Shen Le took a deep breath and quickly communicated with the copper piece:
"Give me a map! Please, give me a map! Let me see where it is..."

The map came out very quickly. Shen Le almost used his mental power to touch and count inch by inch on it, but after a long time, he still had no clue:
The huge Kunlun Mountains are a high, cold, remote and uninhabited area with no rivers, only a few lakes, and peaks stacked one on top of the other.

If you make a mistake in counting, you have to start all over again, and you have to walk a lot of unnecessary roads in the Gobi Desert on the plateau...

"us……"

Shen Le opened his eyes and turned to the two guys from the Special Affairs Bureau. He smiled awkwardly and it was ugly:

"It may take a detour of thousands of kilometers... Can I trouble you two for a while longer?"

"Obligated!"

The local guy answered without hesitation. The guy from the mainland who came to support stepped forward and added calmly:
"You are not even in the system yet, yet you are busy with these things. Isn't it our duty to do this? - Give us a day to organize our equipment, and then we can set off!"

In one day, he changed cars, refueled, and added highland equipment. The next day, Shen Le held the turquoise wooden box and headed towards the endless snow-capped peaks at the southern foot of Kunlun Mountain.

After running along the national highway for two days and circling around the area for seven or eight times, Shen Le finally stopped on a deserted desert that looked featureless and covered with camel thorns:

"This is it. The earth told me that there should be remains buried underneath... Do you want to notify the higher-ups? It would be better if professionals can take charge of the next task..."

In his hand, the turquoise wooden box kept shaking, and the whip handle jumped up and down, fell down and jumped up again, hitting the lid of the box and making it crackle.

(End of this chapter)