Chapter 28: Grave‑digging Style Anti‑corruption

Kicking widows' doors, digging up graves of extinct families—such behavior was despised by everyone in ancient times.

Unless one has lost all conscience, no one would normally do such a wicked deed. Without a doubt, in the eyes of the filial son Cheng Dao, Lin Dongfan is the leading figure in the realm of wickedness.

Wanting to stop but unable to.

Seeing his mother's grave being dug up, Cheng Dao seemed to see her dying with unresolved resentment, a blue‑black face. He knelt before the grave, snot and tears streaming, weeping so movingly it could stir heaven.

But Lin Dongfan felt no guilt at all; digging up the Cheng family ancestral grave, he was dead serious.

Lin Dongfan, together with Tang Fei and Zhang Xiaoguang, dug for over half an hour, and finally the coffin boards in the pit were exposed.

It was a pitch‑black coffin.

Under the moonlight, this gloomy, eerie grave‑digging atmosphere looked quite frightening.

Jian Sining instinctively closed her eyes, nervously apologizing to the deceased in her heart: "If there's any resentment, don't blame us—we didn't mean to offend; we're just doing our job…"

She originally dared not look directly at that black coffin.

Unable to resist curiosity's urging, she furtively opened a slit of her eyes, full of anticipation for Lin Dongfan and the others' next move, wanting to see the coffin's true contents.

Lin Dongfan personally jumped into the pit and brushed off the dirt on the coffin.

Then he found a suitable fulcrum.

He inserted the long threaded steel pry bar into the seam of the coffin lid and heaved hard.

The coffin, as if asleep in the pit, seemed to be startled; the heavy lid emitted a "squeak," shifting upward but not fully opening.

Cheng Dao knelt before the grave, wailing loudly: "Mom! It's my unfilialness that has troubled you even in death, making your rest uneasy! If you have any spirit, hurry and squeak—scare these bastards……"

"Squeak!!!"

The coffin really did make a sound, startling the timid Jian Sining badly.

But she quickly realized it wasn't a sound from the corpse inside, but the natural noise made when the lid was pried.

"Director Cheng, as a party cadre you should believe in truth, not ghosts and gods; your party spirit needs improvement."

Saying that, Lin Dongfan inserted the pry bar into the other end of the coffin.

He summoned Tang Xia and Zhang Xiaoguang; the three exerted force together, and with a bang the heavy lid was pried over, sliding to the other side of the coffin.

Upon seeing what was inside the coffin, everyone was instantly stunned.

Each face turned ashen.

All they saw was no imagined gold, just a skeleton soaked in sludge, which frightened Jian Sining into turning away, unable to bear looking.

"Well, we're screwed now—handle it as you see fit."

Zhang Xiaoguang gave Lin Dongfan a disappointed glance, thinking, "This is your so‑called 100% guarantee to find evidence? I told you to reconsider, but you wouldn't listen—now let's see how you get out of this."

"Lin Dongfan!!!"

Cheng Dao, who had been sobbing with snot and tears, now held back his crying.

He stared at Lin Dongfan, righteous and confident.

"You searched my home, dug up my family's ancestral grave! Now the facts are before you—there's nothing! If you don't kneel today and apologize to my mother, I won't let this rest! You…"

"Shut up!"

Lin Dongfan coldly cut off Cheng Dao's roar, his gaze never leaving the pit.

Looking inside, aside from a skeleton, there really was nothing else.

Truly unbelievable!

Where are the gold bars?

Could that intention have vanished into thin air?

This isn't scientific, it's damn unscientific—could it be…

As he thought, Lin Dongfan's brows knit slightly; ten thousand grass‑mud horses galloped through his mind, and he really wanted to backhand slap Cheng Dao into the pit and bury him alive on the spot.

Lin Dongfan jumped into the pit and personally closed the coffin.

Then he summoned Tang Xia and Zhang Xiaoguang: "Get to work, first fill the pit." The three huffed and puffed, laboring another half hour or so; in the deep winter they still worked up a foul sweat.

After resetting the tombstone,

Lin Dongfan composed himself, leading Tang Xia and Zhang Xiaoguang in three deep bows before the grave: "Madam, we are truly sorry for disturbing you today; please rest in peace."

After the bows, Lin Dongfan lit three cigarettes as a substitute for incense.

Cheng Dao furiously roared: "After digging up my mother's ancestral grave, you think a casual apology makes it as if nothing happened? This isn't that simple! Today you…"

"Where is your father's grave?"

That light question not only cut off Cheng Dao's roar,

but also left Cheng Dao choking up inside, staring with wide eyes, unable to speak. If looks could kill, Lin Dongfan would certainly drop dead on the spot.

Too bad looks can't kill.

Lin Dongfan smiled faintly: "Hurry up and lead the way—by then it'll be daylight; do you really want the whole village to come watch your joke? Us digging up your family's grave in the middle of the night is already giving you plenty of face."

"Too much!" Cheng Dao's neck bulged with veins: "Surname Lin! Do you intend to dig up the graves of my ancestors eighteen generations over before you're satisfied? I want to see your leader!"

"If you won't lead, fine—we'll find it ourselves."

Cheng Dao's angry protests couldn't suppress Lin Dongfan's will.

Lin Dongfan took off the headlamp he was wearing and held it in his hand to shine around.

In this wild mountainous area, there are still quite a few graves.

Lin Dongfan raised the lantern, carefully inspecting the tombstones of those graves. Tang Xia and Zhang Xiaoguang followed suit, splitting up to search for Cheng Dao's father's grave.

Soon after.

Not far off came Tang Xia's shout: "Captain, over here!" Everyone rushed over and took a close look—the tombstone really bore the name of the filial son Cheng Dao.

This grave is also extremely special.

Around it the other graves are overgrown with weeds, but this one has been kept clean and tidy, like a freshly buried new mound with not a blade of grass on it.

Bring him over.

Lin Dongfan shouted at Jian Sining.

Go.

Jian Sining shoved Cheng Dao, pushing and urging, to the front of his late father Cheng Yaozu's grave; seeing the tombstone, Cheng Dao grew so nervous his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed on the ground.

Lin Dongfan teased with a smile: "Chief Cheng, your dad's been dead over ten years. This grave looks like it was just dug up."

I often come here to pay respects and sweep the tomb; I just weeded and repaired the ditch not long ago!

Cheng Dao suddenly lunged forward in a rush, shoved Lin Dongfan aside, then spread his arms to shield the tombstone: "Surname Lin! You just dug up my mother's grave, and now you want to dig up my father's! Aren't you afraid of heavenly thunder? Today, unless I die, I will not retreat half a step!"

"You've swept the grave clean of any grass—you really are a filial son," Lin Dongfan chuckled.

Cheng Dao's face flushed red with anger: "That night I dreamed my father said the house was leaking! So I came over and tidied the grave—what's strange about that? Is it illegal?!"

"It's not illegal, but I suspect you're talking nonsense." Lin Dongfan lit a cigarette unhurriedly.

Cheng Dao glared, warning Lin Dongfan:

"Surname Lin, don't go too far! When I returned to my hometown to repair the grave, the villagers saw it! If you don't believe me, go ask Cheng Lao Si in the village—he saw me fixing the grave with his own eyes that day."

"I believe you're a filial son, but the grave still needs to be dug." Lin Dongfan flicked ash from his cigarette: "Please move aside and cooperate with our investigation."

"Fine, I'll cooperate with you!"

Cheng Dao seized the engineering shovel from Tang Xia's hand while he was off guard.

He then used the engineering shovel as a weapon.

Like a warrior guarding a pass, he defended the grave, shouting: "You scoundrels devoid of conscience, lacking morals and bottom line! Today, if you dare move my family's ancestral grave, just try!"