Introduction to diversity

The prodigal musician should be regarded as the strangest profession among the people in China.

A funeral musician who chose this industry to earn more money encountered countless strange things in the process of accepting his job: a body was introduced thousands of miles away, but the female body in the coffin mysteriously evaporated and became a nobody in the coffin; Strange villa, strange peach blossom array, every baby boy's feet are gone. Who put a baby spell on it? Some people choose another day to die in order to benefit future generations after death, just to die in the time of catastrophe; The captain with green hair stinks, and he can't sleep without going into the coffin!

Gloomy places, strange atmosphere, strange events happen one after another ... It turns out that local anecdotes are breathtaking and bizarre!

introduce

My grandfather was a funeral musician.

He has been dealing with various folk musical instruments all his life-erhu, tambourine, suona ... and he is proficient in everything. Apart from these outdated folk instruments, there are only dead people in his life. This is his job, and he can't refuse it. What he needs to do every day is to play the music well and send those guys who close their eyes and kick around to heaven early.

For a long time, this kind of work has been regarded as inferior-after all, it is not glamorous to eat the food of the dead and earn the money of the dead. But in their time, it was lucky to have a full meal, and no one would care whether the food was for the dead or the living. Most of the partners around my grandfather entered the business in this way, but when grandpa took this step, he was a little different from them.

1936, grandpa is thirteen years old. It is said that wars were brewing everywhere outside at that time, but in Chongqing, which was separated by Qianshan Mountain, there seemed to be no ominous omen, and people's lives were still anodyne.

It was a summer, and the weather was extremely hot. Before dawn, the hot air had enveloped the whole ravine, and people were "steamed" out of their sleep.

Early in the morning, grandpa and great-grandfather went to the nearby ravine to dig coal. Grandpa's family was very poor at that time. If he doesn't go to work in the landlord's house, all his income will depend on the cinder mined in that small ravine a few kilometers away except the barren land. Every morning, grandpa and great-grandfather get up before dawn and set out with food prepared by great-grandmother. If you are lucky, you can mine half a laundry list of cinders a day, which is basically enough for a family to eat porridge for one day. However, mining alone can't do the work. After the coal cinder is collected, grandpa and his great-grandfather will carry the coal cinder to the county to sell.

Speaking of which, grandpa told me a strange thing about selling coal:

One morning, at about three o'clock, grandpa was pulled out of bed by his great-grandfather. Great-grandfather gave his grandfather half a cinder, and the father and son walked along the stone road to the county seat by the bright moonlight.

From the county seat to my hometown, the asphalt road has been connected now, and it takes more than an hour to drive. I think it will take at least four hours to walk at that time.

Grandpa said that the moonlight was particularly bright that day, shining on the mountain road, just like during the day. Grandpa followed his great-grandfather on the winding slate. Because grandpa has been in bed for a long time, his great-grandfather has been scolding him in front. Grandpa is very stubborn, and the more his great-grandfather scolds, the more unconvinced he becomes. When my great-grandfather stopped to catch his breath, he just kept going.

Grandpa cursed in his heart as he walked. At that time, most of the poor people were uneducated, and teenagers didn't know any taboos and kept talking about their great-grandfather's mother. But just as he walked 100 meters, a strange sight suddenly appeared in front of him. At that moment, he felt that his eyes could not be opened at all, and the white light in his sight stung his eyes like a needle.

Just when Grandpa thought his eyes would pop open, the light suddenly became weak. Grandpa slowly opened his eyes and saw a slate shining silver in the moonlight less than three meters from his feet. Grandpa was shocked. He stared at the silver slate.

Is that silver? Grandpa's mind is like a flower. He bent down to touch the slate, but it suddenly turned into a rabbit and came alive!

Grandpa let out a cry of fear and sat down on the cold slate. Great-grandfather stepped forward and saw that he had been assassinated. Great-grandfather also found rabbits. Great-grandfather is very experienced. He put his hand over his panting mouth and put his middle finger on his mouth to signal him not to make any noise.

The rabbit on the other side looked straight at the two people who had been waiting for a while. Great-grandfather crouched down slowly and reached for it. Unexpectedly, grandpa came to his senses and shouted, "What a fat rabbit, I'm going to eat you!" " "

The rabbit was startled by grandpa's sudden cry, took a step back and grinned at the two men. Just when they were speechless, it turned around and jumped into the ravine and disappeared.

Because of this, my great-grandfather scolded my grandfather many times. According to legend, this rabbit is silverware dropped from the Heavenly Palace. If we can catch it, we won't have to worry about food and clothing in the future. But this great opportunity was ruined by grandpa.

Grandpa recalled this incident and laughed heartily.

Anyway, grandpa followed his great-grandfather out for coal mining as usual that day. At noon, my great-grandmother came to the mine and called my great-grandfather and grandfather home, saying that one of my great-grandfather's girlfriends had gone home.

After his great-grandfather learned his name, he put away his hoe and shovel and took his grandfather home without saying anything. It was the first time my grandfather saw this man that day. At that time, he didn't know that this man was the master he admired very much later, and he didn't know that it was this man who took him on an extraordinary road.

The first chapter is the master

My hometown was in Jiangjin, Chongqing, which was subordinate to Sichuan Province at that time and was the smallest county. The house in my hometown is an old-fashioned structure, which smells a bit like Beijing quadrangles. There is a big hall in the middle, and there are several bedrooms on the left and right, all made of mud tiles.

That day, my grandfather came home with a hoe and shovel. He just walked into the yard from the pond opposite the main hall and saw three people sitting in the middle of the main hall. There were two middle-aged men sitting in the middle, with a small cup in their hands and a beard on their faces, in their early forties. And next to them, there is a little boy sitting on the ground, and grandpa knows him very well. He grew up wearing open-backed pants with his grandfather and was the youngest son of the Zhang family. Because he is very naughty, people of all ages in this area know him, and everyone can't figure out his name, so they call him Zhang Qi.

As soon as my great-grandfather entered the room, he exchanged pleasantries with two middle-aged men, which was nothing more than some gossips about being caring and attentive. Grandpa learned their names from their conversation. The taller one is Yu, and the taller one is Li, your big apprentice.

Grandpa greeted the two elders under the instructions of his great-grandfather, and then dragged Zhang Qi out of the room. It is rare to have a free day, and of course they have to have a good time.

Walking to the small pond in front of the house, Zhang Qi suddenly stopped and said mysteriously, "Do you know those two adults in your family?"

"I don't know." Grandpa shook his head. "They seem to know my dad very well."

"They are very powerful!" Zhang Qi seems to have something to say.

Grandpa knew that Zhang Qi was an expert in nonsense and didn't care what he said. He said, "Of course, my dad is so good."

"Fuck you, your dad is just a slap in the face. A slap can swell your face. " Zhang Qi pointed to a small bruise on Grandpa's face and laughed.

Grandpa seems to have been poked by him, realizing that this is really a shameful thing, so he changed the subject and asked, "Then tell me, how did they do it?"

"Do you know the pond opposite Li Jiawan?" Zhang Qi asked in a low voice.

Grandpa nodded. Li Jiawan is not far from home. Grandpa had been there twice before being dragged to work by his great-grandfather. The owner of that pond is Li Huai En, a famous landlord in this area. There are all kinds of fish in the pond, which are fat and big.

"Today, I went there to play with your third child. I saw no one in the Li family, and the dog at home didn't know where to go. We caught a carp in the pond and roasted it in the bamboo forest below. " Zhang Qi still has some unfinished business, snapping his mouth.

Grandpa was infected by his appearance, and his stomach growled.

"As a result, the third boy seems to have not eaten a full meal for several days. The fish is not ripe yet, so he eats too fast and the fishbone gets stuck. " Zhang Qi said, "I gave him a spoonful of water, but no matter how I poured it, the fishbone just couldn't get down. I was worried at that time. As you know, your old man likes the third child. If I secretly give him fish and let him get stuck, I will definitely be killed by him. "

Grandpa looked around and was surprised. The naughty old three disappeared today, and I didn't see him when I entered the house just now.

"Later, I went home and took a piece of steamed bread and gave it to him in half. That's Lao Tzu's meal. " Zhang is very unwilling to Qi Mingxian. "I told him not to chew it and swallow it. As a result, he got a bulging eye, steamed bread went down, and the fishbone was still stuck in his throat. At that time, the blood came out, and the third child cried with fear. As a result, at this time, two adults came up from under the bamboo forest and saw the third child crying. They didn't know it was your doll until they asked, so they quickly carried him into the door. I didn't say much to your mother at that time, so I asked her to bring out a bowl of water. That Cohen took out a piece of paper from his bag, put his fingers together and read a strange sentence. Uh-huh, the paper burned, and it burned almost. Most of the ashes fell into the bowl. That Cohen picked up the bowl of water and narrowed his eyes for a while. After reading it, he handed the bowl of water to your mother and asked her to feed the old three to drink. I think, at that time, the third child must have been scared silly. According to your mother's instructions, he poured the water in the bowl into his stomach in three bites, damn it, it was all ash! " Zhang Qi said, a face of surprise.

"What's the result?" Grandpa urged.

"Oh, this is the strange place. Old three poured the bowl of water into his stomach, and it didn't take long, it was fine! "

Looking at Zhang's worship expression, grandpa's stubborn temper began to attack again. He said, "What's the matter? Maybe the water you gave Lao San and the steamed bread you ate before have crushed the fishbone almost. That bowl of water is just like that, not so magical! "

Say that finish, grandpa started to run towards the house.

※※※

Grandpa bypassed the first room and pushed the door into the bedroom. Third master is still lying on that rubber bed, with half his head hanging on the edge of the bed. He seems to have fallen asleep.

At this moment, my great-grandmother came in and set up a ladder to get the bacon hanging on the beam. That piece of bacon was bought by my great-grandfather after spending a long time together, saying that it was only eaten during the Chinese New Year. Every day grandpa and grandpa stand under the beam and drool at it. Therefore, grandpa saw this scene and immediately stopped his great-grandmother: "Don't take it, it's for the New Year!" " "

Great-grandmother is famous for her good temper. She put down the ladder and said to her grandfather, "Boss, those two guests outside are distinguished guests at home. They know many things in the world. They came all the way and helped me so much. They took the fishbone out of the third child's throat. Without their help, they would have been beaten by the thief doctors in the village. " We should thank others. "

Grandpa got angry when he heard this, pouting and saying, "That won't do. We will have no meat to eat in the New Year. I think those two people just came to eat and drink together, which is not honest at all. "

"How do you talk? ! "Great-grandmother seldom loses her temper. Seeing that grandpa was scared, she immediately softened her tone. "Let's have dinner together tonight, just as the New Year."

Grandpa knows that his mother loves him, and that kind of love is rarely said, but it can be hidden in an action or a look, and only those who understand can understand it. Grandpa stepped aside and began to scold the two beards in the hall.

At the end of dinner in the evening, Zhang Qi came down from the big slope. He said he smelled meat and ran down at once. To tell the truth, Zhang Qi lives on the top of a big earth slope, which is at least a few hundred meters away from Grandpa's house, so until now, Grandpa didn't think clearly how Zhang Qi smelled meat.

Grandpa San woke up and remembered what happened during the day. He had to say that Zhang Qi was stuck and wouldn't let him go to the table. Young as Third Master is, he knows that if a person eats too much, he will eat a lot less. Great-grandmother saw his thoughts and persuaded Third Master to invite Zhang Qi to sit down. Great-grandmother said, "Third, you can't finish that much, or mother will give her share to Zhang Qi."

As soon as this was said, my great-grandmother never ate a piece of meat again. Grandpa saw it in his eyes and was anxious. He gave half the meat to his great-grandmother. The two adults on the side even praised Grandpa for being sensible, which made my great-grandmother smile.

Great-grandfather said, "I don't know anything. I have the same temper as a donkey!" " "

"Khufu, you are wrong. The soil is getting worse every year this year. It is not easy to eat two meals a day. Look at the bacon in this family. You don't have to ask to know that it has been hung up for many days. I wonder how long they will eat. In this case, he can still think of his mother. If it was placed decades ago, I am afraid it would be difficult for us to do it when we were young. " When the tall man named Yu spoke, his eyes never left his grandfather.

Great-grandfather's eyes lit up: "Master Yu, do you really value him?"

I took a sip of citrus wine and narrowed my eyes. Obviously, he recognized the meaning of his great-grandfather's words: "I have a heart, but I don't know if you are interested."

Great-grandfather turned to his grandfather and shouted, "kowtow to him soon!" "

Grandpa listened inexplicably and hasn't said a word to this man yet. So grandpa said, "no, I don't even know what he does!" " "

"Do you knock?"

Great-grandfather stood up and raised his hand to slap in the face, but was stopped by his hand. He said, "Apprentice" is about your feelings and my wishes. If you slap it, it won't work. Let me make it clear to him, hehe. "

It turns out that Yu is a famous "tramp" in this area. "Walking in the Jianghu" is another name for this line of people. To put it bluntly, people are dead. I have a special funeral band, in which about seven or eight people are playing and singing. I generally don't participate in it. His job is to make the dead feel at ease and the living avoid disaster. On the other hand, Li Wei, Yu's great disciple, sometimes held some ceremonies instead, but all he could do was a normal death ceremony. If the deceased has grievances or the cause of death is unknown, I have to do it myself. This time, they came because the daughter-in-law of the Li Jiawan landlord died in a foreign land and wanted to come and preside over the funeral.

When Yu said this, a gust of wind blew in and blew out the faint light in the room. Great-grandmother was a little scared and quickly lit the oil lamp.

"I don't believe it. When people die, they rot in the mud. What's the point? " Grandpa said.

I smiled and said, "In fact, this world is nothing more than the boundary of Yin and Yang. The living bask in the sun, weave and farm every day, and live by eating. People die in the shade of trees, become invisible, keep company with the night, and even walk silently. "

Grandpa looked at Guang Cai and said nothing.

"You still don't believe it?" Yu Guangcai asked, then took out a compass from his bag, read the pointer clearly by the light, and whispered, "To tell you the truth, there is something in the underworld in this yard."

"You mean, there are ... dirty things in this yard?" Great-grandfather asked, the last three words dragged on for fear of offending anyone.

I still smile and look normal. He said, "Little brother, you still don't believe me, do you? Very simple, we can give it a try. "

Grandpa cocked his head and said, "Well, just try. If there is, I will give you all my meat. "

"good!" Yu's voice is particularly bright and clear. After that, he turned to Li Wei and said, "You go and prepare things for your future brother to open his eyes."

Li Wei went out.

※※※

About ten minutes later, Li Wei pushed the door and came in. I don't know where he went in such a short time, and his face was dirty. Three yes saw his one eye, could not help laughing out loud, revealing two missing front teeth.

Li Wei ignored it, leaned down, leaned over to Yu's ear and said, "Get ready."

Immediately, a smile appeared on Yu's face. He said, "Little brother, shall we start now?"

Grandpa is actually guilty, but although he has been poor all his life, he is more stubborn than anyone else. After he snorted, he slammed the door behind him and stepped out of the high threshold.

Walking into the courtyard dam, grandpa saw clearly what was in the courtyard dam by moonlight. There was a small stool in the middle, and a circle of lime was scattered around it, which just circled the small stool. There was a dark mark on the white lime. Less than two steps in front of the stool, there are actually three tiles, one on each side, and the middle head cover rises to form a house. Li Wei must have made a face of dust for these three tiles before.

Grandpa doesn't know what this is for. He thinks this thing can also let me see that thing.

At this moment, Yu stepped forward and patted his grandfather on the shoulder: "Young man, you will sit on that small stool with your hands flat in front of your knees. The straighter you sit, the better. Then close your eyes. Then don't move, let alone open your eyes, no matter what sound you hear. If you hear someone talking to you, you will answer him with your eyes closed. It's almost time, I'll open the door and call you. "

Grandpa answered coldly, stepped into the circle surrounded by lime without saying anything, and then sat on a small stool.

My great-grandmother was still a little uneasy and turned to ask Yu, "Master Yu, will there be such a problem?"

"Don't worry, as long as he does as I say, he will be fine." I said, and told the others to come in.

Zhang Qi walked at the end, looking curious. He only hopes that the person sitting on the stool is himself. He just walked away for two steps, then turned around and bowed his head and said to his grandfather, "Remember to tell me how you feel when you come back later."

Grandpa didn't answer Zhang Qi who gloated, and waved him aside again and again.

When Zhang Qi entered the room, Grandpa only heard a "creak" behind him and the door closed. The faint light was forcibly blocked by the heavy wooden door. Grandpa took a deep breath, turned around and closed his eyes slowly.

It was a summer night, and it began to get cold at night. It turns out that the yard is located in a low-lying place. As long as there is cool wind pouring in, it will keep spinning in this ditch and rustling the dense bamboo forests nearby.

After sitting on that stool for almost five minutes, grandpa never opened his eyes or moved, but there was nothing around him except the wind and the cries of some small animals. He thought, I must be playing with myself, thinking that I would be scared if I sat on the empty courtyard dam with my eyes closed for a while. This is simply underestimating me!

Grandpa laughed in his heart and suddenly felt sleepy in his head. And at that moment, he heard a rustling footsteps, getting closer and closer from the bamboo forest in front of the house, which sounded very light. Walking along the path covered with bamboo leaves. Next to the small puddle in front of the house, the footsteps suddenly disappeared.

Grandpa didn't feel the footsteps, and the owner was leaving. The other person is just standing in the corner of the puddle, maybe staring at himself.

After a pause for a few seconds, footsteps came to grandpa. Grandpa's eyes were closed, his heart was beating violently, and he could not help swallowing saliva to relieve it, but obviously, this method did not play a fundamental role. Footsteps floated in front of grandpa and stopped.

"Who are you?" Grandpa asked, remembering Yu's words without opening his eyes.

The owner of footsteps seemed to hear grandpa's question and sat down in front of him. Immediately, a feminine female voice came from grandpa's ear: "God, my little daughter didn't know this was your hill. I'm sorry."

Landlord? Grandpa was confused by her words. Is the earth temple built with tiles in front of the stool? Think like this, grandpa's confidence is enough at once.

Grandpa smiled, and his voice became more powerful: "I mean, who are you?"

Hearing this, the female voice became a little nervous: "My youngest daughter, surnamed Li, lived in a city not far ahead. This time she died in a foreign land and walked for seven days before she got home. Please ask the land god to borrow a note to pass by. "

"It's no big deal to pass by, but you're not here to worship this god. What are your plans? " Grandpa asked, during this time, he wanted to open his eyes and see the lonely soul in front of him, but it was a dangerous game. If he is not careful, he will be in big trouble. Therefore, he had to close his eyes and do what Yu meant firmly.

"To tell you the truth, I lived not far before I died, and I don't remember a temple here. Someone must have invited you to Zhenshan. My daughter's death is a little strange. I came back this time to understand this matter, and I want to meet my son. " The female voice choked.

"Since you don't know, I won't pursue your fault. If you have something, please hurry back and remember not to make trouble. " Grandpa casually found a bunch of lyrics in his mind and finished it with a little childishness. Then he drilled another question. He asked, "Do you remember how you died?"

"Oooo ..." Her cry seemed far away, like coming from a deep well. "I only remember that Shao Hua and I went to Tianjin that day, saying that we wanted to see one of his friends. After dinner that day, we went back to the hotel together and I slept until midnight. I woke up in a daze. The room was dark and I couldn't see. But I was about to get up when a hand covered my nose and mouth.

Grandpa's hair stood on end at this. He said: "There seems to be a grievance. I'll let you leave here for a while. You go. "

Grandpa said that she didn't make any noise. Grandpa only heard her get up, just took two steps and stopped.

What's wrong now? Why not go? Grandpa is at a loss.

At this time, he heard the female voice yelling, "You are not the landlord. Who are you?" ? ! "

As soon as the words sound just fell, grandpa felt that she stepped forward quickly and a cold hand grabbed his neck. Grandpa gasped desperately, but the gas in his stomach got stuck on his neck and he sobbed a few times with difficulty.

Gradually, he felt more and more empty. ...

※※※

At the moment, branches and leaves are surging in the bamboo forest outside the yard, as if all the plants in the whole mountain are alive. Grandpa thought, it's all over anyway. Better keep your eyes open and see what's going on. He forced his eyes to narrow out a crack, and his eyes were blank. There was a creak behind him, and a dazzling light covered the whole yard. Just then, the breath in grandpa's chest came from his neck, and the hand that grabbed his neck disappeared.

Grandpa coughed violently, and when he calmed down a little, great-grandfather and others had stood in front of him.

"Junzhi, are you okay?" Great-grandmother rushed forward with a worried face and took grandpa into her arms.

Grandpa was almost strangled by his great-grandmother and finally broke free from her arms. He gasped and said, "I finally escaped from the female ghost, and now you come again!" " "

"What are you talking about? Your mother cares about you! " Great grandfather's words always carry weight, so he has to shut up.

"Just now ... you didn't open your eyes?" I squeezed out of the crowd and looked around. Then he smiled again. "It seems to be a woman."

Grandpa was very interested and asked, "How do you know it's a woman? It is obviously a man! "

"What's the difficulty?" As he spoke, I squatted down, pointed to the circle of lime beside grandpa's stool and said, "Look at this lime."

Grandpa and the others crouched down and looked through the light in the room and saw two four-inch footprints on the lime. A few people saw it and stared.

Grandpa was scared at the thought of a female ghost standing on this lime circle just now and reaching out to pinch herself. He turned his head and looked around. I'm afraid the ghost didn't go far, but she still hid in a corner of the yard and squinted at them. Maybe he is gnashing his teeth at the moment and wants to skin grandpa.

Grandpa shivered and looked back.

"What interesting thing happened to you just now?" The person who questioned this time was Li Wei.

In contrast, grandpa is not disgusted with him. He said, "Nothing, but she recognized me as the landlord, and then she suddenly saw me out of nowhere."

"This should not be." I looked around again and found nothing wrong. For a long time, he frowned and muttered "Don't ..."

At Li Weiyu Li Wei said, and nodded at him. Immediately, Li Wei turned and asked, "Did you say anything to her?"

"Yes!" Grandpa suddenly became excited. "Don't tell me, it's really fun."

One side of Zhang Qi swallowed saliva, only hate myself for not having experienced this kind of fun game with grandpa. He hurriedly asked, "have you seen what she looks like? Are you embarrassed? "

Grandpa listened and patted Zhang Qi on the head: "Good shovel! I didn't blink from beginning to end! "

Yu and Li Wei didn't laugh. I took a deep breath and asked, "Did she say her last name?"

"Yes, she said she was the wife of the Li family and died in other places. She came back this time to find out the cause of her death and see her children. "

Grandpa's words say that finish, Yu and Li Wei's face changed. The two men looked at each other and only heard Yu mutter, "It turned out to be a wrongful death. It seems that it is really not that simple. "

"Are there any questions? Master Yu? " Great grandfather asked.

Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "Yesterday, your kindness sent a page to me, saying that my daughter-in-law died in a foreign land and her body would be sent home tomorrow. I had other things to do at that time, but this valet said I couldn't have this funeral. I didn't think so much at that time. Now it seems that this matter is really not simple. "

"With Master Yu here, I believe that things that are troublesome will be solved." Great-grandfather compared Guang Cai to confidence. "You see, this child in our family ..."

I laughed. He turned to his grandfather and said, "How about going to the Li family tomorrow? Are you interested? "

Grandpa looked at Yu and said, "Go! But I'm only interested in that female ghost, not you. "

Grandpa said this, and a group of people laughed. The moonlight was really bright that night. When grandpa turned around, he could see the change in Yu's face. He looked at the direction of the Li family in the valley, his left eyelid jumped slightly, and his face was worried.