Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 4

Raw Pig Blood Feast 2 (Revised)

“Yo! Yo yo!” Loud pop music and folk tunes blared near the pig roasting pit. The massive sound came through the black speakers on the ground. The melody was cheerful, but interspersed with strange sound effects—like the low whispers of wind and rain—a thorn embedded in the light, happy rhythm, causing a vague sense of unease.

At first, only a leading uncle was dancing alone by the speakers. Gradually, more and more locals joined in, slowly forming a circle. They danced freely around the speakers, looking intoxicated, raising their hands and stomping their feet, kicking up dust from the ground. From a distance, it looked somewhat like a chaotic dance of demons.

“Xiao Chen, Xiao Wu, are you two joining this ‘A Ga’?” A familiar voice called out. It was Sister Cui Ping, whom they had met on the bus. She smiled, pulled a plastic stool from a stack behind the plastic canopy, and sat down beside the two of them.

Wu Zeng used his finger to push the edge of the plate, gently sliding the freshly served pig skin toward Sister Cui Ping. “The master just served it. Try some quickly.”

“Alright, alright.” Sister Cui Ping smiled and unwrapped a pair of disposable chopsticks. Today, she was still neatly dressed, her hair meticulously combed, with two gray hair clips specifically securing the stray hairs behind her ears.

“I want meat! I want meat!” The Little Grandson from the tour group was plump, his cheeks red from the sun’s burn. He was eager to play with the village children but was restrained by the adults. Feeling unhappy, his actions became somewhat venting. He kept repeating the same phrase, and his Grandpa and Grandma couldn’t control him, making him extremely noisy.

“Come, try this.” The Square-faced Uncle in the apron held a plate in each hand—one of raw pig blood mix and one of sausages. “The raw blood mix was just prepared, mixed with water-pickled vegetables that only finished curing these two days. The flavor is just right. The sausages were stuffed a few days ago, and they’re perfect to eat now. See which one you two are used to eating?”

“Uncle Cai!” A shout came from the crowd behind, likely from the busy preparation area.

“Coming, coming!” Cai Ming Yuan scanned the guests seated around the table, responding perfunctorily. He wiped his hands on his apron and smiled, greeting everyone, “Eat well and drink well, A Ga. The sausages are best hot.”

The steaming heat of the sausages carried a fragrance that swirled above the canopy. The sausages were tempting, oily, and savory; the raw pig blood mix was fresh raw pig blood mixed with finely chopped raw pork, seasoned with pickled vegetables and spices, forming a thick, viscous mass. The pungent aroma of the spices shot straight to the crown of the head.

Anyone with eyes knew what to choose.

“I want to eat sausage!” The Little Grandson’s sharp cry pierced the air again. Everyone exchanged glances. The locals scooped the raw pig blood mix into their mouths, while the outsiders tacitly picked up the sausages. Both sides looked at the other with inscrutable expressions, failing to understand each other.

The sausages must be a specialty of Mengle Village. Their aroma was like a baited hook, tempting people to pick up their chopsticks.

“We naturally have to try the local specialty.” Wu Zeng used one hand to press Chen Jin back into his seat. He used a subtle force that didn’t cause pain, yet Chen Jin couldn’t move at all.

Wu Zeng turned back, smiled, and gently shook his head at Chen Jin, a movement barely noticeable. Then, he used a spoon to scoop a serving of the raw pig blood mix into both their bowls. It was a bloody mess, gruesome to look at.

Chen Jin was confused. He had clearly said earlier that everything served later would be raw meat, but now they had served oily sausages. Why was Wu Zeng acting this way?

Seeing Wu Zeng bring the bowl to his own mouth, Chen Jin quickly tried to refuse: “I don’t want…”

“Exactly, I don’t want to eat sausage either! Let’s just try this.” Wu Zeng talked to himself, and without giving Chen Jin a chance to speak, he shoved a spoonful of the raw pig blood mix into Chen Jin’s mouth, blocking the refusal that hadn’t yet left his lips.

Chen Jin instinctively wanted to spit it out, but Wu Zeng held the iron spoon against his lips. Having no choice, he stiffly swallowed the raw meat in his mouth. He didn’t dare savor the taste; it slid straight down his esophagus.

As soon as the meat hit his stomach, a wave of fishiness instantly rose up, almost enveloping Chen Jin’s entire brain. But strangely, the fishiness quickly dissipated, leaving only the simple, fresh sweetness of raw pork and the pungency of the seasoning. It was surprisingly not bad.

“Good things should be tasted by my little brother first.” Perhaps feeling that the feeding action was inappropriate, Wu Zeng withdrew the spoon and soothingly rubbed Chen Jin’s face with his pinky finger.

Chen Jin didn’t know what trick Wu Zeng was playing, repeatedly taking liberties without his permission. An unnameable fire quietly ignited in his stomach. However, the fire didn’t burn away his rationality; it only made him frown deeply, his expression very unpleasant. He abruptly turned his head away, narrowly avoiding Wu Zeng’s finger.

Given Chen Jin’s current temperament and the many strangers around, he forced himself to swallow his anger.

Wu Zeng didn’t seem embarrassed. He smiled and rubbed his pinky finger with his thumb twice, then used the same spoon that had fed Chen Jin to stir the minced meat in his own bowl. His lowered eyelashes concealed the emotion in his eyes.

After stirring, Wu Zeng put a spoonful into his mouth. His lips instantly became blood-red, highlighting the contrast of red lips and white teeth, bright eyes and clear features. He chewed and savored it slowly, his expression even showing enjoyment. Then, his Adam’s apple moved casually, and the minced meat smoothly went down.

The outsiders at the table watched in a daze. The sight of the two of them consuming raw blood and meat actually made some people want to try it. The Grandpa from the tour group involuntarily reached out with his chopsticks, but his Grandma slapped them down halfway. She scolded, “Don’t you think about how old you are! Be careful of worms growing in your stomach!”

“I’m afraid I can’t enjoy this blessing.” Sister A Ping looked at the two of them with their bloodthirsty appearance, smiling somewhat awkwardly. “I’ll stick to the sausage.”

“You two guests are capable! Almost no outsiders dare to eat this raw pig blood mix. It’s rare to meet people with such taste!” Cai Ming Yuan had walked over at some point. His dark face creased into a smile, but there was no genuine amusement in his eyes.

“If you’re afraid of worms, drink a cup of our homemade wild ginseng wine. It’ll kill the worms, no need to worry.” Two small wine cups were immediately placed on the table. Li Chang Yue, who was helping out on site, poured two cups of the home-brewed liquor for them.

Chen Jin rarely had opportunities to drink on weekdays, so he instinctively wanted to refuse. However, the locals were passionately enthusiastic. The people sitting nearby immediately raised a cup. “We’ll toast! Cheers to the two young brothers, A Ga!”

Wu Zeng smiled, raised his cup to signal to everyone, and drank it in one gulp. He then bent down to pick up Chen Jin’s cup. “My little brother doesn’t…”

What does that have to do with you again?!

The unnameable fire finally burned away his rationality. Chen Jin seemed to lose control, snatching the wine cup faster than Wu Zeng. When he came back to his senses, only an empty cup remained in his hand.

“Good!” The locals cheered inexplicably.

The stimulation came slightly delayed. A few minutes later, Chen Jin began to feel a fire burning from his tongue to his stomach, even his heart felt hot. Eating so many stimulating things during one meal, his stomach also started churning: Am I really going to get worms now?

“Our sausages are also at their best flavor now. You should try them too! Cai Ming Yuan signaled the young helper to refill the meat and wine. “Everyone, eat more! Eat more!”

Chen Jin couldn’t eat anymore. He felt dizzy, his eyes opening and closing, his consciousness gradually fading. In the last second of his memory, he fell backward. All he saw were the rice bowls of the locals filled with raw pig blood mix. They seemed not to like the sausages.

Wu Zeng reached out and caught Chen Jin steadily in his arms.

“Thank you for everyone’s kindness. My little brother is tired, I need to take him back first.” Wu Zeng looked regretful. He then carried Chen Jin onto his back, intending to leave.

“We’ll have a chance next time, A Ga. We’ll be eating again the day after tomorrow.” Cai Ming Yuan didn’t say anything more, just smiled and bid them farewell, though there was no trace of a smile in his eyes.

A low, hoarse voice came again, “Since you have come, you must figure things out before you can leave.”

“What are you muttering about all day! Who are you?!” Chen Jin roared in the dark void. The hoarse voice made his heart feel cold.

“If you want to leave, you must investigate everything clearly.”

“Investigate what! What are you talking about!”

The next second, the voice came right next to his ear, “Go find that person and fulfill his wish.”

Chen Jin abruptly turned his head, only to find Wu Zeng’s face close by. “Wu Zeng, what are you sayi…”

Before he could finish, the figure opposite him suddenly shrank significantly, and the face changed to that of Sister Cui Ping. However, she was expressionless, mechanically repeating: “If you want to leave, you must investigate everything clearly…”

Chen Jin took two steps back, then ran toward the more distant void.

In the Guesthouse, Chen Jin turned over and buried his head in the quilt, trying to block out the sound. However, the narrow single bed couldn’t support such a large movement, causing half of Chen Jin’s body to hang precariously over the edge of the bed.

“Hey!” Wu Zeng quickly sprang up from the stool, knelt on one knee at the foot of the bed, and wrapped his long arm around Chen Jin, pulling him and the quilt back.

“Tsk—” Chen Jin, who was pulled back to the center of the bed, frowned deeply. When he opened his eyes, his gaze met Wu Zeng’s. The other man was propped up on one arm at the headboard, his fringe hanging down, and the arm wrapped around Chen Jin’s waist transmitted a chill.

Regardless of the reason, this distance felt overly intimate.

“Awake?” Wu Zeng opened his mouth with a light chuckle, his voice slightly hoarse from staying up late. “You’re not going to ask me what’s going on next, are you?”

Chen Jin vaguely remembered that after drinking the strong liquor, Wu Zeng had carried him back, and the other party had been forced to chat with him the whole way. Chen Jin now felt more regret than shame, so he naturally wouldn’t ask such a redundant question.

Drinking ruins everything!

The hands of the wall clock were pointing straight up, midnight 12 o’clock.

Chen Jin slowly broke free from Wu Zeng’s restraint. Forcibly waking up from his drunken stupor, his heart was pounding wildly. He said with a tired expression, “Thank you for bringing me back.”

What was there to fear about two grown men sharing a bed? It was his drunken loss of composure that made Chen Jin feel embarrassed.

Wu Zeng had been busy taking care of him all night, and now he only received an extremely cold thank you. But he didn’t say anything, just smiled good-naturedly and released the other person.

The layout of this room was clearly not his own. Chen Jin got straight out of bed. “I’ll go back now.”

“Your key is missing.” Wu Zeng sat back down on the chair, resting one hand on his knee, looking at Chen Jin leisurely. “The boss, Grandpa, should be asleep by now. You won’t be able to find anyone.”

Chen Jin reached into his pocket upon hearing this and indeed found no trace of the key.

“Don’t you need a shower? Let’s go.” Wu Zeng patted the white short-sleeved shirt on the table, signaling him to take it and change into it. It seemed to have been prepared long ago.

Waking up at night after drinking, his five senses were exceptionally sharp. Chen Jin’s nasal cavity was filled with the smell of fermented grains, his lips and teeth retained the fishiness of raw pork and the pungency of raw garlic, and his body was wrapped in a thick smell of charcoal smoke.

He definitely needed a shower. But Chen Jin hesitated. He had only been in the village for two days, first borrowing money, then getting drunk, and now needing to borrow clothes and lodging. With so many favors owed, would he be able to break free from this person in the coming days?

“Don’t hesitate, little brother~” Wu Zeng suddenly leaned in close, grabbing Chen Jin’s wrist and bringing it toward his hair. “Just now you were pulling my hair, saying it smelled, and insisted on taking a shower. See if I’m bald?”

Chen Jin looked over. Below the thick black hair was his high nose bridge, and his skin was so fine that not a single pore was visible. “I didn’t say that.”

They had eaten and played the same things, so their body odors were similar. With the two smelly men close together, the air density in the room seemed to increase. Chen Jin suddenly felt difficulty breathing, and his entire back started to heat up, but the approaching Wu Zeng was cool and brought a chill.

“Let’s go. Consider it compensation for me to take a shower.” Wu Zeng looked pitiful, and the word ‘compensation’ held a double meaning, holding Chen Jin hostage.

The moonlight was swallowed by dark clouds. A cool breeze blew in the thick darkness. The entire street was empty. The residents on both sides were asleep, and not a single house had a light on.

“It’s quite cold in the village at night.” Wu Zeng hugged his arms, subtly moving closer to Chen Jin. He lowered his head slightly, staring intently at him, not looking at the road, lost in thought.

Chen Jin’s head felt swollen. He clearly felt the other person’s gaze but didn’t want to waste words on him, replying perfunctorily with an: “Mm.”

The bathhouse was closed, completely dark.

Wu Zeng pulled the light switch cord but couldn’t turn on the light. “Looks like the power is off at night.”

“Put the money here. Get in and be quick.” Wu Zeng said, forcefully pushing Chen Jin into the cubicle, cutting off his thought of turning back.

The room was pitch black. Chen Jin could only rely on his memory from the daytime to grope his way forward. The short distance seemed incredibly long. He couldn’t see anything ahead, only hearing the sound of water dripping continuously from the leaking showerhead in the darkness, eerie and prolonged.

A cold wind carrying a stench blew from somewhere unknown. Goosebumps instantly covered Chen Jin’s arms. He unconsciously swallowed.

“It’s too dark, I’m a little scared…” Wu Zeng knocked twice on the door, pretending to open it. “How about together?”

“No!” Chen Jin was startled. As soon as the word left his mouth, his eyes seemed to suddenly adjust to the darkness. Looking up, the surroundings were no longer pitch black; he could vaguely make out some things.

“Alright.” Along with the sound of Wu Zeng entering the room, the surroundings quieted down again.

Before he could take off his clothes, a “gulu gulu” sound suddenly came from outside, like the strange noise of heavy wheels rolling over gravel, followed by the creaking of wooden boards.

Chen Jin could faintly hear voices outside, but they were suppressed, making the details unclear.

Probably worried about being discovered sneaking in for a shower, Chen Jin held his breath and didn’t move much. The Wu Zeng beside him also tacitly remained silent.

Only when the sounds outside disappeared did Chen Jin grope around, take off his clothes, and reach out to turn the rusty water valve knob. The next second, hot water gushed out—Comfort!