Youyou Sanshengyue

The spring morning came earlier than the winter, and there was the sound of "creaking and creaking" machine guns under the old thatched hut. Mother Lin heard the soft and soft calls of swallow chicks under the eaves, and stopped her work to observe the situation in the bird's nest. .Because she was fat and short, she stepped on a small wooden stool and looked into the bird's nest with her slightly protruding belly.The three fledgling swallows opened their big black eyes and looked curiously at the white-haired kind old man who suddenly appeared.

"Yo, mother, don't stand on the stool, or you may fall off." Coincidentally, Lin Wenfang came back from the outside and quickly helped her off the stool.Mother Lin smiled and shook her hand to indicate that she was fine: "You go out early and come back late all day these days. Mother asked Ming You about it, and he said that you rarely go to the academy to substitute for a class."

Lin Wenfang saw that Lin's mother didn't mean to blame, and she looked very happy, so he knew that Mingyou had decided to tell her about himself and He Xiaohe.Mother Lin took the gold bracelet from her hand and handed it to him with a smile: "Our family has no money. This bracelet is the only valuable thing in the Lin family. It is a treasure passed down from generation to generation by the daughter-in-law of the Lin family. If you are sincere, give this to He girl."

Although Lin Wenfang was embarrassed, he still took the bracelet happily: "Thank you mother, Xiao He is really a very nice girl, you will definitely like it."

"Since you said that, mother will take care of your concerns early, and marry Miss He back earlier, so mother can hold her grandson." Mother Lin got up and dug out the box from under the bed: "Mother, get ready first, In a few days, I will help you go to the He family to propose marriage. Although our family is poor, mother will not let you lose your head. There will be a lot of jewelry, betrothal gifts, and mother will let you get married in a glorious manner."

The Lin family was happily looking for things to propose marriage, but the He family outside the village was in a different situation.For some reason, a kind of malaria suddenly became popular in the small town outside the village, which was extremely contagious. The patients ranged from cold and fever to severe abscesses all over their bodies, and would die of the disease soon.The town was panicked for a while.Unfortunately, Father He also contracted this disease, lying unconscious in bed all day, occasionally opening his eyes but coughing continuously.Mother He brought tea and medicine with red eyes, and told He Xiaohe: "Stop going out for crazy fun these few days, and take care of your father. Now that the pillar of our family has fallen, how can I, an old woman, do it."

He Xiaohe nodded sensibly. Indeed, these days she spent time with Lin Wenfang every day, and she was the last to know that her father had contracted malaria. She was worried that Lin Wenfang would be implicated, and secretly decided to see Lin Wenfang less recently.Just as she was feeling sad, she heard Father He coughing violently again. She hurried to the bed with the spittoon in her hands, only to see Father He retching continuously until he spit out a mouthful of blood before stretching his neck and falling down again, scaring the whole family to cry. Crying and fussing, Mother He passed out directly due to sadness and fright.He Xiaohe panicked all of a sudden, and hurried to ask for a doctor.The originally bustling bazaar has also become deserted, and everyone is afraid of contracting malaria and stays behind closed doors.Along the way, she discovered that her family was not the only one suffering from malaria. Every clinic was full of people who came to see a doctor and ask for a doctor. After finally getting a doctor, the doctor just told her after taking the pulse: "You Father is doomed, so let's prepare for the funeral as soon as possible. The coffins in the town are very popular recently, and if you don't buy them sooner, you won't be able to buy them."

When Mother He heard this, she cried and cursed immediately, and pushed the doctor out: "Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? My old man is obviously still angry. Why are you cursing him to death! You can't cure the patient by yourself. What kind of doctor are you!"

"I said that if you can't save it, you can't save it. Even if you invite the imperial physician from the palace, he will still die."

He Xiaohe cried and grabbed the doctor's sleeve to beg for mercy: "Please help my father, we are willing to try any method!"

The doctor shook his head helplessly: "Anyway, I can't do anything, but you can ask a Taoist woman named Gu De. She is proficient in the art of witchcraft. It is rumored that she can exorcise evil spirits and bring back the dead. Many people ask her to do it. I don't know True or false, it’s just hearsay, but you can try it.”

Sometimes people are the most stubborn when they are reluctant to let go of their precious things, even if there is still a chance of life, they will go through fire and water, so He Xiaohe decided to take a gamble. He sold his jewelry and took some of his family savings, turning it into a lot. The money went to find Taoist Gu De.

She learned from passers-by that Gude Daopo lived in an abandoned temple in the countryside. When she arrived, it was already dark, and she saw bright lights in the windows of the temple from a distance. The man knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing to a pale-haired old woman, still muttering: "The Taoist woman has supernatural powers, boundless magic power, exorcising demons and evil spirits, and leaving diseases away..." The old woman was dressed in fine silk and satin. Sitting cross-legged on the dusty and dirty offering table, she was dressed strangely, her gray hair was long and loose, her neck was wrapped with a bandage and a few circles of dark red agate beads, and she held a fist-sized The copper bell shook like a cramp.What made people even more uncomfortable was her appearance, which looked hideous and terrifying against the dim yellow candlelight, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to twist and twitch like a growling mouth full of resentment.

In order to see it more clearly, He Xiaohe squeezed into the crowd and looked inside, and did not forget to ask the onlookers: "What is that old woman doing?" The crowd gathered more and more: "She is the ancient Taoist woman, but It’s amazing, it can bring back to life the people with only one breath left. Look, she’s going to do it soon...” Just as she was talking, two strong men carried a skinny patient to the old lady , and then two or three people who looked like the family members of the patient knelt down in front of her, crying and begging: "I beg Taoist mother-in-law to save him."

Gu De Taoist woman's eyes slowly opened from the drooping yellow skin, and she looked at the patient and family members with delicate eyes, then closed her eyes immediately, and squeezed out a trembling voice from her throat: "Save this life!" Helping the world is the duty of an old man, so bring it." As she spoke, she stretched out her dry and rough fingers like firewood from her long sleeves, and the patient's family members immediately put the prepared money into her skeleton-like hands with trepidation.

After entering the main scene, everyone waited with bated breath, and stretched their necks to see how Gu De Daopo did it.I saw her walk to a scarlet table, set up candles, bronze mirrors and paper money, and then began to shake the bell in her hand faster and faster. The Taoist woman chanted the incantation with words, which made people feel horrified.Then the Taoist woman circled around the patient a few times, chanting mantras and throwing paper money at the same time.Not long ago, the patient who had closed his eyes tightly and pale face immediately opened his eyes. What is even more surprising is that the patient got up and walked a few steps by himself. Seeing this, the relatives immediately surrounded him and expressed their gratitude to Gu De. The Taoist woman kowtowed her head in gratitude.The onlookers were also sincerely convinced, admiring the boundless magic power of Gu De Dao Po, who descended from the gods.

He Xiaohe couldn't hold back any longer and rushed forward, knelt down in front of Gu De Daopo: "Please save my father too, he is going to die." Shake ready to leave.He Xiaohe hastily took out all the money and handed it to her: "Just ask for as much money as you want, as long as you can save my father." Then Daoist Gu De's eyes slowly opened from the sallow skin again, and her gaze swept over He Xiaohe's face : "Good girl, I miss you with filial piety, take me to your house tomorrow to have a look."

On this day, Mingyou and Xuanyue met Lin's mother at the market, so Lin's mother told Mingyou of the idea of ​​proposing marriage. Mingyou and Xuanyue also felt that the couple should be brought together as soon as possible, so they helped Lin's mother choose some gifts , the three of them worked hard all day, and they made the dowry presentable.Of course, they didn't know the situation outside Tianling Village at all at this time. Because the whole Tianling Village was isolated from the outside world, it was a blessing in disguise that malaria did not spread.

After a whole day of tossing, Mother Lin prepared four or five boxes just for the dowry.She planned to bring some small gifts to discuss with the He family tomorrow, and immediately choose a good and auspicious day to visit and get married.Due to folk marriage customs, a man and a woman must match each other in order to get married, so she also asked Ming You to take Lin Wenfang and He Xiaohe's horoscopes to the temple for a count.

Ming You happily went to the only local temple.Although there are indeed supernatural creatures such as demons, spirits and beasts, he doesn't believe in horoscope divination, and this is the first time he has come to this temple.The temple is not big, but it is quietly located behind the woods, and the vermilion paint on the building has peeled off into mottled traces of time.There were very few monks in the courtyard, and when Ming You entered, he saw only two young monks cleaning the courtyard, and the incense was not very prosperous.

"Trouble both of you, I want to propose a marriage lottery for a friend. I have a look at the birth date. I don't know where I can ask for a lottery in the temple?"

The little monk saw that the visitor was polite and handsome, so he personally brought Ming You to the front hall.It happened that an old monk passed by the hall, he noticed Ming You at first sight, then stopped and stared at him for a long time.

"The old monk is the abbot of our department, but the benefactor is here to ask for a lottery?" The old monk took the initiative to talk to Ming You.Ming You also bowed politely, "I don't know what advice the abbot has?" Then the old monk took Lin Wenfang and He Xiaohe's birth horoscope, frowned and pondered for a while, sighed, and took a pen to write a signed note and handed it to Ming You , and exhorted: "God's will is man-made, don't force it."

When Ming You came back, her expression was serious, she didn't look like something good happened, Lin's mother couldn't help but asked tremblingly, "How did it turn out? What did the sign say?"

Ming You Cancan smiled wryly, and didn't mean to show the lottery to Mother Lin, but instead asked, "Auntie, which do you think is more important, the destiny or the relationship between the two?" Mother Lin frowned nervously. Baba's lips were clutched at the corner of her clothes, and she decided to call Lin Wenfang over, leaving the choice to her beloved son.

Ming You handed the obtained signature to Lin Wenfang, and saw that "Down the Sign" was written on the front, followed by a signature named "Lin Kuhebai": "Don't look at the remnants of the forest, the east is adjacent to the lotus. No one will be hurt when you lose. A few lives will cost you thousands of years, and your heart will be filled with sorrow and sorrow."

After Lin Wenfang read the signed letter, his lips were pale with anger, trembling weakly like a frightened white rabbit, "absurd, it's a bunch of nonsense, what's 'Lin Kuhe is defeated', what's 'sorrowful', monks and Taoists said How can you believe nonsense!" He crumpled the signed paper and threw it on the ground, "Xiao He and I are in love with each other, and the two families have no grudges, why is it wrong?" He said, grabbing Ming You's sleeve I want to go to the temple to ask for an explanation.Mother Lin sighed: "Forget it, forget it, since Fang'er doesn't mind, I, a mother, have nothing to say, I'll go to He's house tomorrow to say hello."

Ming You was worried about what would happen, and worried that Lin's mother was too old to travel, so she said, "Why don't I help Brother Wen Fang make a kiss."

"How can I do that? Although you are Fang'er's best friend, since ancient times, the elders should do the kissing, don't break the rules." Mother Lin muttered as she went back to her room to pack her things, "I'll trouble Young Master Qinglu to accompany you." Wait for the good news at my family's Fang'er."

Early the next morning, Mother Lin sneaked out of the village with some gold and silver jewelry, escorted by Ming You and Lin Wenfang.Lin Wenfang watched his mother's slightly hunched back gradually disappear in the mist, and felt inexplicably heartbroken. He turned his face and looked at Ming You with a guilty conscience: "Suddenly felt that my mother seemed to be leaving..."

"Isn't that right, I'm already gone, I'll bring you a beautiful wife." Ming You patted him on the shoulder comfortingly: "Don't worry, it's fine."

The He family obviously didn't know about it at all. He Xiaohe went to invite Gu De Taoist woman to stay all night, which made He's mother very worried. In addition, He's father was seriously ill, and she couldn't sleep well all night, and her two shriveled eyes Like red dates withered in the sun, turning around is frightening.Mother He leaned against the door and stared at the light red morning glow in the sky, throwing brown rice and husks mechanically in her hands, and the family's reed chickens clucked around the lonely old woman's feet to peck rice.

However, what Mother He welcomed was not her own daughter Xiao He, but Mother Lin.She saw the gray-haired but well-dressed old woman walking towards her, and the two smiled politely.After Lin's mother explained her intentions, He's mother was very surprised. To be honest, the current family situation made her not bothered to take care of her daughter's marriage, but she still invited Lin's mother into the house to talk.Just at this time, He Xiaohe brought Gu De Taoist woman back, and as soon as she entered the door, she shouted happily: "Mother, my father is saved." Go up and serve tea and water, and invite Taoist Gu De to sit down.

Daoist Gu De swaggered into the room with a bell in her hand, and sat down beside Mother Lin first.She accidentally caught a glimpse of a yellow note at her feet, so she picked it up and saw that there was a person named "Lin Wenfang" written on it. "People from Tianling Village".

Daoist Gu De smiled darkly and handed the note to Mother Lin: "Is this what you lost?"

"Yes, I was still looking for it just now," Mother Lin took the note, "I'm here today to say goodbye to my son, how can I do without my birth date."

"Is it done? This girl is beautiful and filial. Whoever marries is a blessing." Gu De Daopo said.

Mother Lin was even happier when she heard this: "You came here just as I was about to say it. I haven't shown my son's birth date yet. My business is not urgent. It's important that you see a doctor first."

At this time, Mother He and He Xiaohe were also preparing things for the ceremony in the back room, and asked Taoist Gu De to do it in the past.The nearby residents heard that the He family had invited Daoist Gu De, and before they had time to put down their hoes, they rushed over from the field and crowded into the house to see what happened.

So Gu De Taoist repeated her old tricks, shaking the bell left and right, and recited some spells that others could not understand.She wanted to cheat some money and go back, but unexpectedly, more and more people gathered to watch the fun, blocking the door. Seeing that the patient on the bed didn't improve at all, instead, he vomited blood in one mouthful and almost died from panting. , The He family on the side was anxious.

"Is this Taoist woman real or fake? No matter what you do, it won't work?"

"Didn't you say you can bring the dead back to life?"

……

Doubts came one after another, and Daoist Gu De nervously wiped off the cold sweat on her forehead, and said in a trembling and sharp voice: "There is an evil star in the He family, and the evil spirit is soaring to the sky. If this person is not cured, the disease will not be cured!"

Everyone looked around in surprise when they heard this, and then saw the Taoist woman pointing her finger like a death god to the old woman sitting behind the crowd: "She is from Tianling Village, and she brought the evil spirit to the He family."

The teacup in Mother Lin's hand fell to the ground, and she stared blankly at the people in front of her: "I'm from Tianling Village...but I'm here to say goodbye to my son? Is there any trouble..."

Everyone discussed in horror.

"What! That old lady is from Tianling Village!"

"It belongs to the Fairy Village!"

"Isn't Tianling Village the village cursed by goblins?"

He Xiaohe was also stunned. She recalled that after she and Lin Wenfang became friends, her father fell ill for no reason, and whenever she asked about where she lived, Lin Wenfang always evasively said that he was from Tianling Village!Mother He was even more angry. She slapped He Xiaohe on the face and scolded angrily: "I said why you have been out of your mind recently. It turned out that you were seduced by the goblin in Tianling Village! Look, you have attracted the evil spirit!" You can kill your father..."

"What do you do to beat the child well? What kind of fairy is not a fairy? Do you think I look like a fairy?" Lin's mother hurried forward to help He Xiaohe, but He Xiaohe ran away crying, and He's mother pushed her to the ground with one hand: " Don't touch my daughter with your dirty hands." At this time, everyone was also scared and held the hoes tightly in their hands, surrounded Lin's mother, and a few strong men took the advice of the mother-in-law to get a pot of black dog blood. It rained head-on on Mother Lin.Lin Mu, who was drenched in dog blood, ran around like crazy, and the bright red blood covered Lin Mu's body with a strong smell.She was dyed black and red, with blood dripping from the ends of her hair and fingers, like a witch who had killed countless people.Everyone didn't dare to stop them and kept chasing her to beat her. Mother Lin ran away howling, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes, mixed with the dog blood on her face, looking dirty and terrifying, on the contrary, it made people believe that she was a goblin .As for Gu De Dao Po, she had already taken advantage of the chaos and secretly left the land of right and wrong with money.

"Why! Why! I'm a human... why are the people in Tianling Village not human! My Fanger... It's useless to be a mother..." Mother Lin screamed and begged people to let her go, But she didn't dare to stop, and behind her was a group of people with sickles and hoes chasing aggressively, as if the cruel reality was killing the last conscience of human beings.She can't stop, she wants to see her son.But her legs had already lost strength and could no longer be controlled, so the old woman covered in blood finally fell down, and her forehead hit the stone heavily, and the warm and bright red blood quickly covered the stone, staining the stone. The broken land under people's feet was red, it was blood different from dog's blood, it was a person's blood.

The world is full of ignorance, which makes people fearful and stupid.There is no lack of greed in the world, and the sickle of greed will eventually cut off all good feelings.Superstition, fear, money, desire... more and more people get entangled in it and regard it as real life. Instead, they think that the small mountain village like a peach garden is an illusory and terrifying existence like a fairy.

dog blood.human blood.

The surviving, glamorous and brilliant big people, stepping on the bodies of small people who love and hate love and hate, go to a higher level of peak, such as the ancient Taoist woman, such as more people...

People dumped Lin Mu's body and hung it on the ancient tree at the entrance of Tianling Village. Together with the sealed charms, they swayed gently in the wind, indicating that there was a shattering of truth, goodness and beauty, and it expanded ugly and mournful.Mother Lin's gray hair and wrinkles were submerged in a chaotic blood, beating the vicissitudes of the earth "tick tock".

silence.lament.All things remain silent.

This is the spring when all things are revived and thriving, but a forest has withered ahead of time.

Lin's mother's body was carried back by Ming You, because Lin Wenfang fainted the moment he saw his mother's body.Before he had time to call out "Mother" urgently, before he had time to touch the cold corpse, all the despair came too hastily, and no one would have thought of the old woman who was still full of energy in the morning and clamored to bring her daughter-in-law In a blink of an eye, it was so decadent.

He Xiaohe stood silently on the other side of the dividing line that day, and saw Lin Wenfang's eyes on her turn from hot to cold, and from cold to dark again.The person who once vowed to love her with his life, the foolish and jealous scholar, and the man who sang love songs and released paper kites at the door of her house completely left her life the moment he fell down.

How fragile love is, it is not worth mentioning in front of life; how fragile life is, it is not worth mentioning in front of reality.

Like humans, plants have life and feelings.They live together in warmth and die together in coldness.The forest is withered, and the lotus is not long in bloom.