When Xie Lingya came back from the city government, he saw that the atmosphere seemed a little wrong. Xiao Liang and Zhang Daoting didn't say a word, and the expression on his face was a little nervous and embarrassed. At first glance, Shi Changxuan on the side was about the same as usual, but after careful identification, it seemed to be even colder.
"...What's the matter?" Xie Lingya wanted to call them out, but he couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Daoting was also very confused. He just mentioned Xie Lingya, and he kept talking about why Brother Xie hadn't come back. Suddenly, he found that Daochang Shi stopped talking, and it was terribly cold.
Zhang Daoting felt that he had something to do with Senior Brother Xie, so he kept looking at Xie Lingya.
Xie Lingya was given a few more glances, and then he laughed a little: "Is it my fault that I came back late? Shi Changxuan has made an appointment with others, hey, I didn't know the line was so long, I apologize, my It's my fault."
But Shi Changxuan still didn't speak. Now Zhang Daoting and Xiao Liang were even more embarrassed. Zhang Daoting still felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell for a while, and Xie Lingya was also a little uneasy.
After a long while, Shi Changxuan said blankly, "...It's not your fault, it's my fault."
Shi Changxuan didn't know if they heard it, but his own voice was very tight, and it took a lot of energy to say the second half of the sentence.
Yes, how could this matter be Xie Lingya's fault? It was clearly his fault.
"What's wrong? Is the time wrong? Are you still going now?" Xie Lingya asked. He found that Shi Changxuan seemed to be staring at him, and it was a very subtle look.
"...Let's go." Shi Changxuan lowered his eyes and said two words lightly. He has no position to blame others, or even to reveal his own feelings.
"Okay, I'll get a backpack." Xie Lingya said and entered the room. His room with Shi Changxuan.
After making a mistake, can you make things right
Shang Lushen: "You really..."
Shi Changxuan: "Shut up."
Shang Lushen didn't dare to speak.
…
Xie Lingya felt that Shi Changxuan was in a bad mood. He didn't talk much at first, but now he is more serious. They were on a bus, and Chang Shi sat alone after hanging up.
Xie Lingya originally thought that it might be to take care of a small amount and let them sit together, but later he tried to chat with Shi Changxuan, and Shi Changxuan also looked indifferent. Not long ago, Xie Lingya also told Shi Changxuan that now the smiles have become more numerous, how come back to the original shape at once.
So suddenly, is there something wrong at home? Seeing that he closed his eyes and rested, Xie Lingya didn't want to say more, so he had to let him be quiet.
Shi Changxuan really didn't want to say more, and didn't want to see Xie Lingya more, he was afraid that he would reveal his emotions.
The bus took more than three hours to reach the neighboring city, and then it took a shuttle bus to go to the county seat, that is, Subaru County.
In Subaru County, the ethos of "Anjiatang offering sacrifices to ancestors" is very strong. The Jiatang is the house where the ancestors are placed, and it can also refer to the ancestors' gods. Therefore, many people say "worship the family hall", which is actually worshiping the ancestors.
There are many villages in Subaru County where families live in groups, as well as the Zongjiatang, which is the ancestral hall of the whole village.
Shi Changxuan contacted and visited a very old village, Fengping Village. Most of the people in the village are surnamed Pang, which can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. There are many old buildings in the village, and the ancestral hall still maintains the style of a hundred years ago. .
Shi Changxuan contacted the village director after getting off the bus. After getting off the bus, a middle-aged man in his forties was waiting for them at the station. He came up and shook hands with Shi Changxuan, "Student Shi, hello."
"Director Pang." Shi Changxuan also said hello, listening to their two names, Director Pang didn't seem to know that Shi Changxuan was a Taoist priest.
"These two are your classmates, right?" Director Pang heard Shi Changxuan say that there were two more people temporarily. He thought it was his classmates and said, "Let's go, go home. By the way, because of ancestor worship, there are many people in the village. Everyone is back, and the place is tight, so the three of you may have to squeeze in one room."
"Well. Excuse me." There is no hotel next to Fengtou Village, so the accommodation can only be like this. Fortunately, none of the three of them are picky people.
Director Pang took them to his house. His house was also very old, and there were four mottled characters on the lintel: Rise and lose capital.
Xiaoli raised his head, "Xie... Brother Xie, what kind of idiom is this?"
He didn't dare to call the teacher, and Director Pang misunderstood later. I walked all the way just now, and I saw some old houses with characters on the lintels, but they were all about cultivating people, quiet and far-reaching.
Xie Lingya glanced at it, "This is an idiom, very old and difficult, but with your education, you should be able to understand it."
With a guilty conscience, Xiaoliang said, "I don't know much about ancient Chinese." I suffered from lack of culture, so I went to high school. Now reading ancient classics is a lot of work, so I have to look it up.
Xie Lingya: "Idiot, nothing is proletarian nothing, capital is capital's capital!"
Small amount: "… "
Director Pang laughed beside him, "I didn't realize it for a while. This word was changed by my grandfather decades ago."
A small amount of scratching his head, embarrassedly said: "Yes..."
Xie Lingya took a peek at it, Shi Changxuan still didn't laugh, how could he know that Shi Changxuan would not be able to laugh at the funniest joke he saw now.
Director Pang's family has a son and a daughter. He got married early, and both children went to college. This time, he was called back to participate in the corpse ritual. But when they arrived at Director Pang's house, his children went out to play.
At Director Pang's house, he sat down and explained to Shi Changxuan and the three the origins of corpse sacrifices in Subaru County, "This custom has been suppressed in the past, as you all know. But this custom is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so it soon recovered. Now, not to mention superstition, this, this one has also applied for intangible cultural heritage.
"In the entire Subaru County, there are more than a dozen teacher and public classes, and they are the ones who preside over Nuo ghosts, not only ancestor worship, but also some activities such as worshiping gods and praying for blessings. They are also here."
Shi Changxuan took notes beside him. He also brought a camera, and he wanted to take pictures when the time came.
The corpse sacrifice is an ancient name, and the rituals that have been passed down can be called the corpse sacrifice, whichever is right. The local form of Subaru County is called Nuo Guitou, the core of which is to use witches as "corpses" for the sacrifice of future generations.
"I have an uncle who can make grimace and shells, so I have been in contact with these people since I was a child, and I know the rules better." Director Pang lit a cigarette and recalled, "Our sacrificial day requires divination in advance. The time and scale of the event can only be determined, and the master classes I know are very traditional, using tortoise shells for divination. Then three days before the ancestor worship, these master teachers will fast and meditate at home.
"When we were young, there was a teacher who lived at the head of our village. People often asked him to do things. Every time we passed by his door, we didn't dare to disturb him loudly. That teacher was really mysterious. Jue invited the ancestors of his family to enjoy the sacrifice. When he invited the great-grandfather of the main family, the teacher and a team of people said that for some reason, the old man would not come.
"This teacher put some incense and asked the host, is there something wrong with your great-grandfather's leg? He has inconvenient legs and feet, so he can't come unless he uses a carriage to ask for it. Sure enough, the great-grandfather of the host broke his leg and left He was disabled and died early. Even the main family only heard about it from his grandfather when he was a child. Then they changed their spells and sent a carriage to invite the old man."
In all fairness, Director Pang's eloquence is very good. He doesn't know how many times he has told this story, and it's vivid. When revealing the answer, his tone was extraordinarily suspenseful.
It's a pity that the response was not very satisfactory. Shi Changxuan took notes indifferently. Xie Lingya and Xiao Liang were expressionless at first, but it took a while for them to react.
Director Pang was a little depressed, but he quickly figured it out, "Hey, you are studying this, you must have heard more and more mysterious things."
Everyone laughed without saying a word.
"By the way, do you want to watch the fast?" Director Pang said, "I have said hello to my teacher. Today, I can go to the teacher's house to take a picture. His house is in the next village, and it takes ten minutes to drive there."
Director Pang drove them and took them to the home of the teacher in the next village.
The head teacher's wife received them and said, "He is reading a book. Come and have a look at the door."
Xie Lingya put on a small gesture, made a silent gesture to him, and then nodded.
A few people walked to the door of the study. This house is also an old-fashioned building. The roof is high and the windows are opened high. The inside of the house is not very bright.
This place is said to be a study, rather it is a place where Shigong specializes in "cultivation". There are seven or eight wooden masks hanging on the wall. Shigong sits at the table and reads a yellowed book. Hearing someone coming, he raised his head and glanced, because Director Pang had greeted him in advance, and he was not surprised, just nodded and continued to read his book.
Shi Changxuan just nodded and took a few pictures quietly. In the car just now, Director Pang explained to them the precautions during fasting, so there is no need to ask the master himself.
Xie Lingya's eyes lingered on those wooden masks. The facial features, skin and hair were painted with paint on these wooden ghost heads, and the corners of the mouth were slightly raised, symbolizing the kind and kind ancestors.
There are also some more dignified expressions, probably ghost heads representing gods.
Probably because of the aesthetic style, no matter which kind, the blush on the cheeks is particularly heavy, and with a layer of varnish, it looks like the face is shiny.
After Shi Changxuan finished taking the photo, they left the room and said in small quantities, "If I look at the mask alone, I feel like I'm singing, but when I put it in that house, it feels very mysterious."
"Psychological effect." Xie Lingya said, Master Shi can ask God, but the mask is not always attached to the soul.
…
Returning to Director Pang's house in Fengping Village, Xie Lingya found that there were three more young people in the house, two males and one female. One of them looked a lot like Director Pang and should be his children. The other young man was holding a selfie stick. , there is a mobile phone above it, and it is circling in the yard.
As soon as Director Pang saw it, he greeted, "Er Hei, what circle are you turning around, it's like a dog biting its tail."
"Uncle Seven!" The young man almost jumped up, "Don't call me Erhei!"
Director Pang was delighted, "Why, the people in the city want to save face, and Er Hei is not allowed to call. Isn't this what your grandma gave you?"
Director Pang's son said, "Dad, two... Brother Jie is broadcasting live!"
"Really?" Director Pang leaned over and looked at the screen of Pang Jie's phone, the rows of small characters on the top almost filled the screen, "Hey, you seem to be asking you to take pictures of them. "
He looked back at Shi Changxuan and his party. Yes, the screen said to let the camera face them.
Pang Jie: "..."
"Today's live broadcast is here first, and tomorrow we will broadcast the village feudal superstition activities." Pang Jie said, and simply closed the live broadcast room.
When Director Pang heard this, he immediately stared at him, "What did you just say?"
"Isn't it going to open the main family hall tomorrow to worship? I'm going to live broadcast it." Pang Jie said carelessly, "Netizens seem to be quite interested in this kind of superstition."
Director Pang said displeasedly, "Naughty, ancestor worship is a big deal."
"Then how can they take pictures? I've heard that they are also here to take pictures of Nuo ghosts." Pang Jie looked at Shi Changxuan and the others, "My surname is Pang."
"They are doing academic research, and they have already said hello to Master Shi and have done divination." Director Pang had always been very gentle before, but this time he was very tough, "Anyway, it is not allowed, if you have any opinions, ask your father to come and see you. I."
"Tsk, forget it, I'll go back first." Pang Jie said, and wandered out.
Director Pang took another look, feeling helpless, and said to the three of them, "His grandfather and my dad are cousins. He moved to the city when he was a child, and only when he comes back during the New Year's holiday, the young people in our village still treat the family with the same attitude. Very respectful."
He just introduced to Shi Changxuan before that the family attaches great importance to ancestor worship activities, and will come back from other places on purpose. This is a negative example.
Shi Changxuan nodded. In fact, there is no good explanation. In this era, the popularity of the subaru county is only a few cases. Most Chinese people no longer make offerings at home, and even fewer and fewer tomb-sweepers during the Qingming Festival. Many people may visit once every few years.
Then they wandered around the village again, chatting with some old people.
The house opened the next day, and the three of them ate at Director Pang's house in the evening. There was no entertainment, and they slept earlier. Director Pang's house packed a room for them. There was only one bed in the room, but it was a big one, an old-fashioned wooden bed, and it was enough for three people to squeeze together.
A small amount sleeps on the innermost side, Xie Lingya sleeps in the middle, and Shi Changxuan sleeps on the outer side.
"Good night." Xie Lingya turned around and said.
Shi Changxuan stood up and turned off the light, and then fell asleep with his back to Xie Lingya.
Xie Lingya: "??"
After everyone slept together for so long, it was the first time that Shi Changxuan slept with his back to him. Not to mention, Xie Lingya has developed so many new habits, including back-to-back with Shi Changxuan, the back of Shi Changxuan's head is too unfamiliar to him.
But Xie Lingya thought about it, it's not good to let Shi Changxuan turn around, it's too weird. So, Xie Lingya fell asleep with a trace of confusion.
On the contrary, Shi Changxuan, who had his back to Xie Lingya, could hardly sleep all night. During the day, he avoided Xie Lingya's sight intentionally or unintentionally. The line of sight was avoided, but the image in his heart was still so clear.
He clearly knew that he was wrong and should be corrected. If Shi Changxuan's self-control is not strong, he will not be able to cultivate Taoism to this point, but...
The next day, Xie Lingya got up early in the morning. Seeing that Shi Changxuan was still sleeping, he thought that this is rare. I woke up earlier than Shi Changxuan today. Hey, why is this Shi Changxuan's eyes a little blue under his eyes
Xie Lingya quietly touched Shang Lushen and asked, "Little cute, what's wrong with your master?"
Shi Changxuan told Shang Lushen to shut up yesterday, Shang Lushen was cowardly, and he regretted it. At this time, when Xie Lingya asked, he shyly said, "It's overturned."
Rollover? Xie Lingya immediately understood, wow, did the Taoist technique fail, and he couldn't accept it mentally. Shi Changxuan had a lot of self-esteem at first glance, maybe he was the kind of person who wrote one wrong question and practiced a hundred questions when he was a child.
No wonder, no wonder I was in such a bad mood, and I didn't want to see Xie Lingya - whoever failed, I didn't want to see Sponge Jing.
Xie Lingya sighed: "If he wants to drive, anyone will roll over, and I will roll over too."
Shang Lu Shen: "Hee hee."
It was a series of coincidences and feelings that could not be restrained, and they collided with each other and had a series of car accidents. Shi Changxuan was paralyzed by the fall. It was really sad for those who heard it, and tears for those who heard it.
Xie Lingya heard its weird laughter: "??"
Later, when Shi Changxuan woke up, Xie Lingya felt that he took good care of him, and even cut an apple for him.
Shi Changxuan was stunned for a while while holding the apple. He just had some other thoughts in his heart, and saw Xie Lingya pick up a grapefruit and hand it to a small amount, "Come on, the weather is dry, eat more fruit."
Shi Changxuan: "..."
…
When it was time for the sacrifice, Shi Changxuan and his party followed Director Pang to the main house. At this time, a lot of people had gathered, and the people from the teacher's class had arrived early and were preparing in the house. This was not allowed to be photographed.
The ancestral hall has been set up, and fresh and clean offerings are placed on the table.
There are about seven or eight people in a teacher's class. After the ceremony, each has a job, some sing, and some wear a mask.
There are three pairs of ancestors in total, the ancestors, the great ancestors and the great ancestors.
The two masters wore masks of a man and a woman, and were also wearing special ancient robes, sitting on two high stools.
Xie Lingya whispered, "Why so high."
"Since the pre-Qin period, the 'corpse' in sacrifices has been 'superior'." Shi Changxuan said without turning his head, they stood aside to take pictures.
The people of Fengping Village obeyed the arrangement of the master and worshipped below.
After the ancestor is the emperor, the two people sit on it, and the masks are another pair.
After the worship, the ancestors had to enjoy the sacrifices, put the sacrifices in front of them, and let them eat a big meal. The other villagers just watched, and when the ancestors finished eating, they could go and share some of the leftovers.
Xie Lingya glanced at the people next to him inadvertently, and saw Pang Jie, whom he had seen yesterday, he also came to the scene, without a selfie stick, but an extra strap around his neck, attached to a mobile phone case, to hold his mobile phone. .
Xie Lingya frowned slightly. Generally speaking, only when you go out to play will you deliberately hang your phone case, so as not to lose your phone, it always looks weird to hang it like this every day.
It was mainly because Director Pang told Pang Jie yesterday that he was not allowed to live broadcast, so Xie Lingya had doubts.
Pang Jie didn't pay attention to Xie Lingya's eyes either. He stood in the first two rows and stuck his head out to see the ceremony ahead.
The "great grandmother" of the main family picked up a plate of chicken and smelled it under her nose, as if she was very coveted. The people below also laughed, but the laughter was very kind, and many master guilds deliberately said some humorous words, which made the atmosphere more like a family.
"Grandma" tore off the chicken thigh with one hand and put it under the mask to eat.
A few people said "Huh" in their hearts, "Grandma" was very gentle in previous years, how did you get started this year, is it because of a new teacher, or is "Grandma" not doing well next time
And the great grandfather is also very exaggerated, and a whole piece is stuffed into the mouth under the mask.
Don't talk about them, the other teachers in the next class also looked surprised, but they were confused and didn't say anything for a while.
Xie Lingya and the others thought that the customs here were like this, and they also muttered that the food was so original.
At this moment, the "grandmother" suddenly stopped and waved to the next one, "Pang Jie, come here."
Pang Jie was stunned, "Call me?"
"Grandma" nodded, "Come here."
Is this part of the ceremony
But this is all presided over by the master. Could it be that Pang Jie's family put extra money and asked for the blessing of his ancestors
Pang Jie wanted to ask his father, but he couldn't find anyone, and he hadn't come back from the toilet. He walked forward in a confused way, and fiddled with the phone hanging on his chest. The "grandmother" took a bite out of the meat, and then opened the meat, only to see several pieces of melon seed shells on the plate.
"Grandma" raised her arm and slapped Pang Jie's face with a slap, "You unfilial descendant, you actually spit out the skin of melon seeds into the sacrifice!"
Everyone was in an uproar, everything was like life and death. At this time, the masters were like real ancestors. The sacrifices given to them must be fresh and clean. How dare this Pang Jie spit out the skin of the melon seeds
Pang Jie's mother, who is not from Fengping Village, screamed and ran over, "What are you doing, my little Jie hasn't touched it, how could she spit out the skin of the melon seeds, and it's not your turn to fight!"
"Mother Pang Jie, that's not what you said, worshiping the family hall is a big deal! How can you disrespect your ancestors!"
There were also people who objected, and even felt that it was a good fight, and what was the matter with spitting out the skin of the melon seeds.
"Nonsense, are you paying for someone to beat your family?" Pang Jie's mother turned around and scolded, grabbed the "grandmother" by the collar, and dragged him off the high stool.
"Grandma" lowered her head and said, "He didn't vomit today, but secretly vomited in the early morning. He slipped in."
Pang Jie looked at him in astonishment. He did come secretly and took a photo. He was knocking melon seeds at the time, and he didn't notice that he dropped a few slices on the plate, but he clearly remembered that there was no one at that time.
It's enough to know that he vomited, and also know what time it was, and where the hell was this person watching at that time.
There are people who are playing a smooth game below. It is one thing to play well, but it is true that the master is invited to worship the ancestors. The worship of the ancestors is to hope that the ancestors will bless the children and grandchildren. How can I want to see such a scene.
From this point of view, the teacher should not beat people, and the language education is similar. Maybe he was too angry after eating the melon seed skin, so he had to make some mud.
"Forget it, it's enough for the teacher to educate him. Let's continue eating and change the dishes."
"Why just forget it?" "Grandma" whispered, slowly raising her head.
Pang Jie only saw the ghost head mask facing him. Because of the posture and angle, he was the only one who could see clearly:
Originally, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and he had a kind masked expression on his face. At this time, his mouth was wide and he was smiling happily, but he was very rigid because of the sameness. His dark eyes exuded a strange look, and the varnish on his face was shiny. The group's festive blush also added a touch of weirdness...
Pang Jie's howl resounded in the house for a while: "Ah—"
At the same time, the screen of his mobile phone is also full of barrages:
"Ah, so scary!"
"Fuck, this mask just wasn't this expression-"
"I'm fucking scared to pee!"
"Mom's anchor must have arranged a hype, a trick, but it also scared me to death!"
The next moment, the screen "clicked" and shattered.