Chapter 14 Don't Reach Out When Taking Photos

Jiangcun Residential Area.

Before reaching the entrance, the crackling sounds of firecrackers had already reached my ears.

Ningtai County was a small county, and although one could ride an electric scooter from the city center to the foot of Siningshan, as soon as you crossed the Tai River, it was considered the countryside, where city bans were useless.

The propaganda slogan at the entrance of the residential area was still "Return straw to the field, fertilize the land," and many of the nearby green spaces had also been turned into vegetable plots. From a more humane perspective, everyone was still trying to maintain their original way of life as much as possible.

In the first few years after the demolition, there were old men who drove their sons' newly bought Land Cruisers to farm, only to come back and curse that Japanese cars just weren't up to par. In recent years, more land was taken away, and everyone's attitude gradually became more placid, and their car purchases shifted from Land Cruisers to Cayennes and then to Continentals, gradually blending into the mainstream.

"Yuanzi is back." Outside the small grocery store at the entrance of the neighborhood, a group of about a dozen idlers who were too lazy even to play mahjong, saw Jiang Yuan from afar and asked loudly, "Who did you guys dissect today? Where did someone die?"

Jiang Yuan slowed down and answered placidly, "No dissections today."

"Then what do you do all day long?"

"If there's no dissection, there's nothing much to do, I can do whatever I want." Doing fingerprinting was his, Jiang Yuan's, own choice and couldn't be counted as part of a forensic doctor's job.

The loafers and the aunties at the entrance of the grocery store praised unanimously, "See, that's why they say being a civil servant is good. You look at those working for government agencies, they can make money without doing anything all day. How can that compare to a worker's life? Take those renting the apartment above me, a bunch of young people, all coming back only after it gets dark, young couples going out early and coming back late together, they come home so tired their faces are black with exhaustion."

"The youngsters renting my place are the same, some even ride bikes, but not as fast as me."

"That's right, you've got to be an official. Look at those bureaucrats from the demolition office, strutting around like they own the place. When they were tearing down the eastern part, my tree was clearly ten centimeters thick, but they insisted it was nine and underpaid me a good amount!"

"My son just didn't study hard enough. I had no choice but to find him a temporary bank job. At first, two boxes were not enough, and he had to keep taking deposits, claiming it was business for savings accounts. Once deposited, it would be 500,000 or 800,000. Our house was stuffed with oil gifts from the bank, couldn't even use all of it. By the way, if any of you brothers want to fry something, come over to my place for some oil."

"No need, no need, it's the same everywhere, stuffed with oil."

Listening to these conversations, both foreign and familiar, Jiang Yuan felt as if he had returned to the village. He had been boarding at school since junior high, and by the time he finished college and returned, he had completely missed the days when the Jiang Village people moved from poverty to wealth, and then from rich to extravagantly rich.

He smiled politely, passing by the grocery store slowly, going past another group of aunties occupying the square and a group of young and middle-aged people at the courier station, until he reached his own building.

Across from his home, in the public hall, a lively funeral ceremony was being orderly conducted.

Bald monks, long-haired Taoists, and short-haired priests each occupied a corner, showing off their skills. Jiangcun Residential Area had been affluent for more than a decade, with many pious believers, so it had long become a battleground for various factions. It wasn't just that Uncle Seventeen died an unnatural death requiring extra payments for the crossing of spirits; even when a cat died in the village, there would be people ready to hold an elaborate funeral service.

Jiang Yuan's father, Jiang Fuzhen, was as usual helping out in the kitchen, his cooking of beef and mutton was unparalleled in the village. Once such an image was established in the village, one couldn't avoid actively participating in weddings and funerals.

Jiang Yuan was also used to these activities. After parking his electric scooter, he found a place to wash his hands and face and then willingly went to help in the kitchen.

He was in charge of slicing potatoes and shredding radishes all year round.

"Busy today?" Jiang Fuzhen skimmed the scum off the beef and came over to ask.

Jiang Yuan had just put down the knife and was shaking off his hands, "Not too busy, I did some other things."

"You didn't cut up any bodies today, right?" Jiang Fuzhen asked again, and Mrs. Hua by his side also looked over.

"I didn't. I've been at the unit for so long, I've only seen a body once," Jiang Yuan gave a detailed explanation.

Mrs. Hua couldn't help but pat her chest, reassured, then she changed her expression, trying to hide her embarrassment, and wailed, "Uncle Seventeen... Oh, thinking of Uncle Seventeen, my heart feels so heavy. It hasn't been long since the good days, sigh..."

Jiang Yuan waited calmly for her to finish crying, then asked his father, "Uncle Seventeen and Aunt Seventeen are both gone, who's hosting the memorial?"

"Your Uncle Five is in charge. The gift money went to expenses, it's for Uncle Seventeen's kid's education fund, it's Jiang Le, you remember him, don't you?" Jiang Fuzhen said, stirring the beef pot as he spoke.

Mrs. Hua suggested, "Jiang Yuan, remember, take some photos later. Your younger generation are all out there studying. Some of us don't see each other more than a few times a year. Take the chance to snap a few pictures when you can, get a good look, at least get familiar with each other's faces."

Jiang Yuan responded and once he finished chopping the vegetables, he heard someone calling for a photo session.

As soon as Jiang Yuan left the kitchen, he saw a dozen young people, cheerfully standing under a tree, striking poses.

The photographer that had been hired reminded them, "Let's stand a bit to the right. The left side might catch the monks in the frame."

"If we catch them, just Photoshop them out," a girl said as she posed.

The photographer, amiable as ever, explained, "The monks' shaved heads tend to reflect light. We can Photoshop out the bald heads, but the reflection makes everyone's face look bigger."

The girl quickly moved out of the shade and upon seeing Jiang Yuan, waved eagerly, "Cousin Six, come to the center. Did you just get off work?"

"Yes," Jiang Yuan approached.

"Let me take a picture with my brother first." As Cousin A spoke, she made a scissors gesture in front of her face and pulled Jiang Yuan, chanting, "Let's do it together."

"Let's flip our hands," Jiang Yuan made a scissors gesture too but turned the nail side toward the camera, explaining, "You can extract fingerprints from photos, so this gesture is quite dangerous."

Being obedient, Cousin A flipped her fingers and then bragged to a few non-Jiang classmates who had come to play, "My brother is a forensic doctor. He performed the autopsy on Uncle Seventeen."

"Forensic doctor... forensic doctors are really quite handsome," a few of the non-Jiang classmates gathered together, snickering with giggles.

A girl who had been taking a selfie while doing a peace sign paused, looked at Jiang Yuan, and boldly said, "Forensic Brother, look at the picture I just took. You said fingerprints can be extracted from photos, but even if they are extracted, others can't use them, right?"

"Generally speaking, that's true, but fingerprints are with you for life. Who knows..." Jiang Yuan decided to make it sound more serious, and said, "Someone could potentially use your fingerprints to unlock your phone."

The girl's thoughts shifted, and she was instantly alarmed, hastily adding, "But I have posted so many photos to my social media."

"Photos that have been beautified are fine," Jiang Yuan reassured her easily.

...