A boy is eight or nine years old, an age when even dogs are annoyed.
Chen Shi is already eleven years old, and is past the age when dogs get annoyed. However, he is naughty and mischievous, and has become a tyrant in Huangpo Village. Dogs and chickens are restless wherever he goes. Even ducks that pass by him have to lay duck eggs before they can move away. It can be said that people hate dogs.
This morning, after Chen Shi had breakfast, he put down his bowls and chopsticks and ran out happily, shouting: "Grandpa, I'm going out to play!"
Grandpa was tall, wearing a black robe embroidered with large peonies, standing in the main room. In front of the altar table, he lowered his head and responded in a loud voice: "Don't run too far, don't go to the river, come back early at noon..."
"I know!"
Chen Shi ran away without a trace before his grandfather finished speaking.
In front of the altar table, Grandpa was still facing the altar table, chewing slowly, and after a long while, he rolled his Adam's apple with difficulty and swallowed the food. Immediately, he put the candle in his mouth into his mouth, bit it in one bite, and chewed it leisurely.
There are two candlesticks on the altar table, one is an incense burner, and the candle on the other candlestick has been eaten until only the candle tears at the bottom of the candlestick are left, while the incense burner is steaming with smoke and is about to be burned out.
Grandpa put down the half-eaten candle, took out a few sticks of incense, lit it, inserted it into the incense burner, took a deep breath of smoke, and showed an intoxicated look.
And behind the incense burner, there is a black spiritual tablet.
What is written on the spirit tablet is my grandfather's name.
Zude Deliufang, the spiritual position of Chen Yindu, the Chen family.
"When you are full, you will not eat people."
Chen Shi beat Grandma Yuzhu's dog until it howled until the big black dog surrendered. He also took three or four dogs from the village to fight with the dogs from the neighboring village. After returning from the victory, he climbed up the tree to build a bird's nest. His head was pecked all over by the mother bird, and he almost fell off the tree.
A moment later, the young man picked up a dead snake and threatened Erni at the east end of the village to cry for her father and mother. Not long after, he came to the melon field of the old lady Wuzhu to steal melons. The angry old lady Wuzhu chased her for three miles before she was able to get away.
This is Chen Shi’s unpretentious morning.
At noon, Chen Shi came to the Yudai River outside the village. Although he was so hot and sweating, he still resisted the urge to go into the water.
The sound of play came from the river. Three boys about his age were having a water fight in the middle of the river, and they were very happy.
They were three water ghosts who drowned the year before last, so Chen Shi did not dare to go into the river to play.
The last time he jumped into the river to play in the water, he was dragged into the deep water by these three guys. One hugged his feet, one hugged his waist, and one choked his neck. They almost drowned him.
Grandpa jumped into the river and beat the three water ghosts severely before rescuing them.
"Chen Shi, come and play together!" A child waved to him.
The other two children had innocent smiles on their faces and waved to him: "Let's play together! A water fight is fun when four people have it!"
The older children laughed and said, "Don't be afraid, it's not deep at all, it's only up to our waists!"
"Come down quickly! What's the point of playing alone?"
...
Chen Shi ignored them and turned around to come under an old willow tree in Huanggangpo.
The three children were still standing in the middle of the river, but there was no sound of playing, no smiles on their faces, and they slowly sank into the river.
"You bad guy from the old Chen family, you will be drowned sooner or later and become your scapegoat!" a child cursed angrily.
The river water gradually covered their lips, noses, eyes, and tops of their heads, and finally the three children disappeared.
A pair of feet slowly hung down from the willow tree, dangling in front of Chen Shi.
A scholar was hanging on a willow tree. When he saw Chen Shi looking up, he stuck out his scarlet tongue at him, which was about a foot long.
Chen Shi didn't pay attention. The scholar had been hanging for a longer time. His body had long since decayed, and only his soul was still hanging here.
He came behind the willow tree, put a piece of watermelon in front of the stone tablet under the tree root, and kowtowed to the stone tablet: "Godmother, I came to see you again, and brought you a piece of watermelon. It's so sweet." So he took him to the crooked neck willow tree and asked him to worship the stone tablet and become his godmother.
During the New Year and festivals, Chen Shi needs to come to worship his godmother and offer offerings and incense.
This is often the case in rural customs.
Country people worship their godmothers. Some godmothers are ancient trees, some are stones of unknown origin, some are temple gates in the mountains, and some are unknown tattered stone statues on hills. They just pray for peace and protection from external evil.
Grandpa once said that this stone tablet was of ancient origin, must have supernatural powers, and could protect Chen Shi, so he made Chen Shi his godmother.
It's just that in the past two years, Chen Shi knelt down to worship his godmother, but he didn't feel anything supernatural.
The stone tablet is old, and a few writings can be faintly seen, including the words "grandma" and "only".
There are other words that are buried in the soil, and the stone tablet is entangled with the roots of old trees and cannot be dug out.
Chen Shi paid obeisance to his godmother and said to himself: "Godmother, my grandpa is getting weirder and weirder. He always turns his back to me. I haven't seen his face for a few days. He is also eating on his back, and I don't know what he is eating... Several chickens in my house died yesterday morning. They were not bitten by weasels. Weasels did not dare to come to my house to steal chickens..."
The stone tablet did not respond to him.
But whether it was due to dazzling eyes, Chen Shi seemed to see the writing on the stone tablet. There was a faint light flowing for a moment, but then disappeared.
The young man didn't take it seriously, took out a few sticks of incense, lit them, and stuck them in the soil in front of the stone tablet.
When the scholar hanged from the tree saw him, he kicked his legs anxiously.
ttle
Chen Shi took out a stick of incense, lit it and inserted it at the scholar's feet. The scholar hanging on the tree smelled the incense and looked intoxicated.
Chen Shi stretched out comfortably and lay lazily under the tree, with his hands behind his head. He was not afraid of the scholar hanging from the tree and the water ghost in the river. I don't know when he started to see these "people" that others couldn't see, and he had long been accustomed to it.
"Grandpa has almost made lunch, but recently, the food he cooked has become less and less delicious. The chicken he cooked yesterday was still raw, and it was bloody when served. Godmother, I always feel that something is wrong with grandpa recently, as if he wants to eat me."
Chen Shi held a grass stalk in his mouth, his eyes were dazed, and he had a maturity that was different from his age. He whispered, "Last night, grandpa made me medicine again and asked me to soak it in the medicine jar, but the fire was too high and the water boiled. I think he wanted to cook me..."
After a while, the scholar ghost hanging on the tree finished inhaling a stick of incense, relaxed, and said, "I'm fine. Xiao Shi, you can ask now."
—Xiao Shi was Chen Shi's nickname, and some people in the village called him Xiao Cheng, although it was often sarcastic.
Chen Shi let go of his worries, took out a volume of ancient books, and while reading, he asked: "I still don't understand this passage. The Master said: Whoever created the figurines has no descendants? How should we interpret it?"
Huangpo Village is located in a remote area with no private schools, and the Chen family is very poor. Chen Shi has no place to study, but fortunately the person who was hanged from the tree was a scholar. So Chen Shi dug out some ancient books from home, and when he had something to do, he went to the willow tree and asked the scholar for advice.
After the scholar-ghost had inhaled the incense, he would answer his questions. Therefore, even though Chen Shi was in his teens, he had already read poetry and books.
"This sentence means, Master said, the first person who offended me has been beaten to death by me."
Scholar Ghost explained, "Master wants to tell We must eradicate everything we do, especially those who offend us."
Chen Shi nodded in confusion, read it word for word, and asked: "What should we do if we make peace with it?"
"Since the enemy is here, don't leave and bury him here."
"Then the sentence on the river said: The dead are like a man, and he does not give up day and night. How should we interpret it?"
"The master stood by the river and said: A truly powerful person should stand by the river like me, watching the enemy's corpse drift downstream regardless of day or night. Master is too harsh. The enemy's corpses were all over the river. "
We, the scholars, must learn more from Master." After Chen Shi asked all the questions that he didn't understand, the scholar-ghost responded eloquently, which made the young man admire him very much. He raised his head and said, "When I grow up, I will be like Master and convince people with virtue! By the way, Zhu Xiucai, you are so talented and knowledgeable, why are you hanged here?"
The scholar ghost sighed and choked up: "Today, the court is dominated by traitors and villains control the literary fortunes. I am full of economics but I failed to pass the exam ten times. I have insulted the saint's learning and I am ashamed to see my family. I simply hang myself here. It's all over."
As soon as he said this, the sound of wheels suddenly came.
Chen Shi closed the book, stood up and looked around, and saw several horses on the country road, surrounded by an exquisite and gorgeous carriage, driving towards this direction.
Sitting immediately was a muscular man, wearing a red flying fish suit. He was very capable, his eyes were like a torch, and he glanced this way.
"Sir, there is a child!" One of the men sat on a horse and bowed to the person in the car.
ded by the child?? The child is well, the child is well. »
A female voice came from the car and said with a smile, "The child is simple, has no scheming, is easy to handle, and will not cause trouble. Fang He, go ask the child."
"Yes!"
A man in a flying fish suit dismounted and quickly came to Chen Shi. He took out a piece of broken silver the size of a finger. With a kind smile on his face, he said gently: "Little boy, this piece of silver will buy you some candies. Brother, please give me this piece of silver." Let me ask you something, have you ever seen some children when you were playing in this village? They are the kind of children who look very strange, like... a group of porcelain dolls! r/> Zhu Xiucai was hanging on the tree and said vigilantly: "Xiao Shi, don't pay attention to him! This person is the Jin Yiwei in the city, a powerful eagle dog, with evil intentions. Jin Yiwei's money is called life money. If you take his money, be careful to lose your life!"
Although it is still the Ming Dynasty, the imperial power is sluggish and local dignitaries have emerged. The Jinyiwei are no longer the royal bodyguards, but have become the bodyguards maintained by the families of the nobles, and they mostly work for the nobles.
Chen Shi stared at the broken silver in the hand of the man in the flying fish suit. He wanted it very much, but he shook his head and said, "My grandfather said you can't take things from strangers."
The man in the flying fish suit became more kind and smiled: "My name is Fang He. We didn't know each other just now. We were strangers. But now that you know my name, don't we know each other and are not strangers anymore? This is the reward I give you. Isn't it considered a stranger's thing?"
Chen Shi nodded happily and caught the broken piece of silver.
Fang He smiled: "Since we are friends, can you tell me, have you ever seen those children who look like porcelain dolls?"
Chen Shi nodded: "Are the children you are talking about less than a foot tall and appearing in groups?"
Fang He showed joy, nodded hurriedly, turned around, and his voice was trembling: "Sir, , that thing is really here..."
Before he could finish his words, suddenly a figure flashed past in the carriage. Chen Shi felt a smell of fragrance coming to his face, and saw a dignified and beautiful woman in purple clothes appearing under the tree.
The other men in flying fish uniforms dismounted hurriedly, hurried to the foot of the tree, and surrounded Chen Shi and the woman in purple.
The woman in purple has a beautiful appearance and snow-white skin. She wears a flying fish suit on her upper body and a horse-faced skirt on her lower body, which is also purple. Her face is a little excited, but she pretends to be calm and smiles slightly: "Little brother, have you seen those porcelain dolls? Where are they?"
Chen Shi did not answer, looking at the purple-clothed woman's shoulder with a strange expression.
The woman in purple was slightly startled, and looked over her shoulder, but found nothing wrong.
"Little brother, I'm asking you a question!" A man in a flying fish suit took a step forward and shouted, showing his majesty.
Chen Shi looked away. The reason why he looked at the woman's shoulders was because the scholar's feet happened to be resting on the woman's shoulders at this moment.
The place where the woman stood was exactly where the scholar hanged himself.
The woman in purple glanced at the man who spoke, her face darkened: "How outrageous!"
The man in the flying fish suit hurriedly retreated.
The woman in purple looked cheerful and said: "Little brother, we are from Xinxiang, we are not bad people..."
Chen Shi raised his head, met the woman's gaze, and said with a sweet smile: "Eldest sister is so beautiful, even more beautiful than Zhu Youcai!"
The woman in purple was very happy when she heard this: "This child can talk, I can do it later. Leave him intact. But the name Zhu Youcai doesn’t sound like a woman’s name. It’s a pity that the country bumpkin’s name is crude.”