My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 2

The encroaching dark clouds on the horizon gradually dimmed the warm sun, bringing a slight chill that alleviated some of the summer heat.

The woman raised her hand, holding a phone, to her forehead and glanced up at the sky. Seeing the sun hidden behind the thick clouds, she pursed her lips, making her expression appear even colder.

She lowered her hand and turned her gaze to the bustling crowd not far away.

The area was cordoned off with caution tape, marking the entrance to a tomb that had been under archaeological excavation for two years. All the burial artifacts had already been excavated, and today marked the final day of work. The surrounding staff were unusually relaxed.

Si Wan walked over, lifted the caution tape slightly, and ducked under it, bending slightly as she entered.

Tall and slender, she wore a camel-colored ankle-length trench coat and had her hair tied back in a low ponytail, giving her an efficient and composed appearance. Her expression was aloof, with a hint of sharpness, though the gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose tempered that edge, making her seem even more unapproachable.

Those nearby noticed her arrival and immediately stopped their idle chatter, addressing her with a mix of respect and admiration.

“Professor Si, you’re here.”

Si Wan gave a brief nod and walked over to the makeshift tent. Picking up a prepared notebook from the table, she lowered her gaze and meticulously reviewed its contents.

She had already examined every item pictured in the notebook, and now she was simply checking for any oversights.

Her browsing paused at a page showing a bamboo scroll that had dried and curled due to moisture loss. She adjusted her glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold gleam, and then spoke slowly, addressing the person beside her.

“How is the restoration of this content coming along?”

Her voice was pleasant but carried a chill, along with an undeniable air of authority.

Song Yan, one of Si Wan’s students, replied earnestly, “Professor Si, the master craftsman is working as quickly as possible. He said it will take at least two more days.”

Upon hearing this, Si Wan reined in the coldness in her eyes and nodded, her tone calm.

“Good, but we still need to expedite it. Every fragment of text here relates to the rise and fall of a dynasty.”

Si Wan was usually a woman of few words, only speaking more when it concerned her field of expertise.

It was in moments like these that her icy demeanor would soften slightly, as if this were her natural domain.

“Understood, Professor Si.” Song Yan replied.

Professor Si closed the notebook and looked up at the sky again, narrowing her eyes as she said, “It’s about to rain. Let’s head back quickly.”

No sooner had she spoken than she felt a damp chill on the back of her hand, a drop of crystalline water landing on her skin, making it appear even paler.

The rain had caught them off guard, with no warning from the weather forecast on their phones.

A low rumble rolled through the dark clouds, and a stark flash of light flickered in Si Wan’s eyes. A sharp, eerie sensation drew closer, and the light before her grew increasingly blinding. Her body felt as if it were no longer under her control, frozen in place.

A deafening roar seemed to echo in her ears, and before she could react, her vision blurred into obscurity.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone rushing toward her, their expression frantic. After the ringing in her ears subsided, she became aware of a cacophony of noises around her, all blending together. Si Wan could only faintly make out one sentence:

“Professor Si, watch out!”

Si Wan opened her mouth to say something but found she had no strength left.

Thunder rumbled again from somewhere, and in an instant, Si Wan felt a searing, explosive pain in her ears. Then, a blinding white light erupted before her eyes, and her already blurry vision faded into darkness. She knew nothing of what happened afterward.

…

Night had fallen over the village. In the distance, the chirping of cicadas rose and fell, mingling with the idle chatter of elderly neighbors enjoying the cool evening air.

“Ah, this weather is unbearably hot.” complained an elderly woman fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. Encouraged by the murmurs of agreement around her, she rolled her eyes and spoke again.

“I heard your granddaughter is back for summer vacation.”

Beside her sat Granny Liu, her hair almost entirely gray but her demeanor still lively and healthy. Glancing toward the lit window of her house, Granny Liu replied with a touch of pride,

“She’s back, and she brought a lot of local specialties with her. I told her not to waste her money, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Liu Yaoyao wasn’t her biological granddaughter. Granny Liu had found her twenty years ago while harvesting wheat, a baby, still in swaddling clothes, so weak from hunger that her cries were barely audible. It was this faint sound that had led Granny Liu to her.

At the time, Granny Liu was already advanced in years, and her family had urged her to abandon the child. But she insisted on keeping Liu Yaoyao, raising her on her pension and meager savings, scrimping and saving to put her through college.

Now, Liu Yaoyao had proven her worth. Rumor had it she had secured a stable, government-provided job, an “iron rice bowl”, and most of those who had once claimed that girls couldn’t amount to anything had since fallen silent.

Liu Fang waited for Granny Liu to finish speaking, then leaned in with a smile and said,

“Didn’t she mention before who her teacher was? I saw her on TV yesterday, she looked like such an impressive figure.”

Granny Liu paused what she was doing and asked, puzzled,

“Which one are you talking about?”

Remembering what her own family member had asked her to do, Liu Fang quickly pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times to turn it on, and opened the app she usually used for watching videos. After scrolling for a while, since she watched so many videos, she finally found what she was looking for.

“Ah, here it is!”

Liu Fang handed the phone, still playing the video, to Granny Liu and pointed at the person on the screen.

“This is her. The name and everything match up.”

Given the high rate of duplicate names in the country, Liu Fang couldn’t be entirely sure. But while Liu Yaoyao might not have described her teacher’s appearance to others, she would definitely have told Granny Liu, who had raised her.

In the video, the woman wasn’t looking directly at the camera, and the footage was somewhat chaotic. Yet, her striking presence made her stand out even on the small screen.

Granny Liu studied the screen, furrowing her brow.

“This person does look familiar. I feel like I’ve seen her before.”

Hearing this, a flash of excitement crossed Liu Fang’s eyes. She paused the video so Granny Liu could get a clearer look and urged,

“Think carefully, where have you seen her?”

In her eagerness, she didn’t even bother to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Granny Liu’s frown deepened as she took the phone and examined it closely. After a moment of contemplation, she said…

“I think I saw it on Nannan’s phone, but I’m not too sure. Wait, I’ll call her over to take a look.”

Liu Fang was naturally eager and urged Granny Liu to quickly summon Liu Yaoyao.

Granny Liu called out “Nannan” toward the house, and after a moment, a girl with delicate and clean features emerged from inside.

As soon as Liu Yaoyao appeared, Liu Fang stood up and grabbed her arm, saying, “Hurry and help your grandmother see if the person in this video is your very impressive teacher.”

Liu Yaoyao, caught off guard by the sudden grip, had no time to say anything before being dragged over. The pain in her arm made her frown, and she cried out, “Auntie, you’re hurting me.”

Hearing Liu Yaoyao’s cry of pain, Granny Liu immediately set down her phone in distress, picked up her cane, and stood up, scolding, “Why are you using so much force? You’re hurting her.”

Seeing Granny Liu’s stern expression, Liu Fang realized she had been too hasty and quickly released her grip, apologizing, “Sorry, Yaoyao. Auntie was just too anxious.”

Liu Yaoyao rubbed her arm, eyed Liu Fang suspiciously, and then broke out in goosebumps, frowning as she said, “Auntie, why are you acting so strange today?”

Liu Fang laughed awkwardly and replied, “Oh, what are you talking about, child?”

In this village where most residents shared the surname Liu, everyone was more or less related. However, even though Granny Liu had two sons, they remained silent when she proposed raising Liu Yaoyao. As a result, Liu Yaoyao was not particularly well-liked in the village before she got into university.

Liu Fang’s unusual behavior aroused Liu Yaoyao’s suspicion, but just then, the paused video on the phone accidentally resumed playing, and the sound drew Liu Yaoyao’s attention.

Liu Yaoyao took the phone, glanced at the person in the video, and after a moment of thought, lowered her gaze and said, “Auntie, are you looking for Professor Si?”

Liu Fang waved her hand dismissively and denied it, “No, no, I just wanted to see who your teacher is. So, is she impressive? Is she good at identifying antiques?”

Liu Yaoyao handed the phone back to Liu Fang and spoke with a hint of seriousness, “Auntie, you can’t say it like that. Archaeology is a noble profession. As the youngest professor in this field, Professor Si naturally knows a great deal.”

“Oh, so she is impressive then.” Liu Fang chimed in.

Unable to deny this, Liu Yaoyao nodded and said, “Yes.”

Seeing her nod, a flicker of something passed through Liu Fang’s eyes, and she asked anxiously, “Then, have you learned any of her skills? Can you identify antiques?”

Instead of answering, Liu Yaoyao found it odd and countered, “Auntie, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Seeing that Liu Yaoyao wasn’t answering, Liu Fang grew impatient and said, “Your uncle has been helping others build houses recently, right?”

Liu Yaoyao shook her head. She had just returned and wasn’t aware of such matters. “I’m not sure.”

Liu Fang leaned closer to Liu Yaoyao and spoke mysteriously, “Let me tell you, but you have to keep it a secret. Your uncle dug up a treasure.”

Hearing this, Liu Yaoyao seemed to realize something and followed up, “What kind of treasure?”

“It’s jade, white jade. It looks really valuable. You have to help us see how much it’s worth.”

Liu Yaoyao’s heart sank at these words, her frown deepening as she spoke in a grave tone.

“Did you dig it out from the ground?”

“Exactly!” Liu Fang replied quickly.

Hearing Liu Fang’s words, Liu Yaoyao’s heart sank even further. She reached out and grabbed Liu Fang’s arm, her voice rising slightly as she spoke.

“Take me there to see it now!”

Liu Fang cried out in pain but, knowing that Liu Yaoyao had agreed to help, paid it no mind and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll take you there now. Your second uncle is probably still digging with the others.”

Liu Yaoyao grew anxious and was about to follow when she remembered that Granny Liu was still in the yard. She said, “Grandma, you should go back and rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Granny Liu was a bit worried and cautioned, “It just rained, and the path is slippery. Be careful where you step.”

“I know, I’ll be back soon.” Liu Yaoyao replied.

With that, she urged Liu Fang to take her there.

Not long ago, a heavy rain had fallen, and with it being the hottest days of summer, the air carried the earthy scent and oppressive humidity, which was far from pleasant.

When Liu Yaoyao arrived, she saw several large lights illuminating a half-dug foundation pit. Inside, a few men, stripped to the waist, were grunting as they dug something out.

On the ground lay some unearthed objects, covered in mud. Occasionally, the gleam of a blade reflected in the light sent shivers down their spines.

The wind, which had been warm just moments before, now felt chillingly cold, making people shiver uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Liu Yaoyao didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward anxiously, shouting to stop their actions.

“Stop! You’re destroying cultural relics!”

Hearing her voice, the men finally paused their work. Startled by her sudden appearance and her frantic jump into the pit, they stared in surprise.

“What are you doing?!” Liu Fang exclaimed, patting her chest in fright.

Liu Yaoyao lost her footing and fell but gritted her teeth against the pain, stood up, and walked over, her voice grave.

“Second Uncle, you might have dug into a tomb.”

Hearing this, the men showed no surprise. Instead, they burst into laughter, their eyes gleaming with greed as they looked at the objects on the ground.

Liu Er’gou picked up a long spear from the ground but, finding it too heavy to lift, could only chuckle. He wiped the mud off it with his clothes, revealing its sharp edge, and said, “We know. It’s an ancient general’s tomb. That’s why we asked you here, to appraise these treasures for us.”

…