We went around and collected dry wood and leaves, and started a fire by the river, waiting from the afternoon until nightfall. As soon as it got dark, we both stood up impatiently. It was too cold, especially in the barren mountains, and the wind was strong, freezing us. We hugged each other and roasted the fire, and we both felt like we were in an ice cave.
"Where is the grave soil?" Shen Bing asked, rubbing his hands.
"Hold the flashlight." I handed her the flashlight, took out the plastic bag containing the grave mound from my bag, untied the bag, and grabbed a handful of soil from it.
Shen Bing held a flashlight in his right hand, put his left hand in his pocket, and tucked his neck into his collar.
Fortunately, the river water has not frozen, but it is only a few degrees below zero now. I estimate that in a few days, the temperature will drop sharply and it will probably freeze. We came at the right time. I scattered the grave soil on the river surface, took out a fishing net I bought in Sanmenxia, and prepared to catch fish.
We watched the grave soil floating on the water, and as the river slowly moved forward, we followed it. But after more than ten minutes, there was nothing unusual. My buddy couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Damn it, he came all the way back in the middle of winter, and it would be a waste of effort.
"Is there too little soil in the grave so the fish can't smell it? Sprinkle some more." Shen Bing switched his left hand to hold the flashlight and put his right hand in his pocket to keep warm.
I simply poured all the grave soil in the plastic bag into the river, thinking that if it still didn't work, then there would be no hope. The grave soil spread out, covering a large area of the river, but it didn't float for long before slowly settling down. My heart also sank, wondering if the dead rat had played a trick on us just to eat roast chicken.
"Look, look, is that a fish?" Shen Bing cheered, stretched out his right hand from his pocket, pointed at the river and shouted.
I took a closer look, and it was not a fish, but something else. Under the flashlight, I could clearly see a fish about half a foot long, which was clearly visible under the water. It was opening its mouth and swallowing the grave soil that was settling down. We couldn't help but look at each other, and we knew it must be a fish of the dead!
The fish was not far from the river, and it was just within reach with the net. I was very experienced in catching fish. When I was a kid, I often fished in the river with Ermao and Wang Zijun, and we almost never failed. But the rebirth fish was different from ordinary fish. Shen Bing and I took great pains to catch it. This thing had intelligence and was as cunning as a monkey.
I slowly extended the scoop net over the fish, not rushing into the water, and waited until the fish swallowed the grave soil and gradually lost its defense. I suddenly sank my wrist, quickly entered the water with the scoop net, scooped the fish into the net bag, and quickly brought it back to the shore. Without my saying anything, Shen Bing reached out and grabbed the net bag together, firmly controlling the fish.
If we hadn't had the experience from last time, and if the fish wasn't after the grave of its previous life, we would have been 200 percent sure of not catching it, as the dead rat said before. We both grabbed the fish tail with great joy and took a look. Sure enough, there were blood-red spots on it, forming two small characters: "Fang Sheng"!
"Success!" Shen Bing was as happy as a little child. He stretched out his little hands that were as frozen as carrots and made a victory gesture.
I was also very happy. I had been freezing for most of the day, but it was not in vain. I took out the prepared basin and performed the magic trick on the spot to see where this person named Fang Sheng was now. The ash of the talisman formed a string of small black characters on the water surface in the basin: "Fang Sheng, born in the Gengchen year, was a native of Qingquan Village, Henan in his previous life, died young, and was born in Lanzhou, Gansu in this life." There was nothing after that. I didn't know how old this person was or what his profession was.
But then I thought, maybe he is still a child, so there is no occupation. But suddenly I was shocked, no, does not having a job mean that this person will not live to adulthood or will die young
"Fang..."
Just as Shen Bing opened her mouth to ask something, I quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Auntie, have you forgotten the lesson from the past? This name cannot be spoken out loud, otherwise we will be punished by God!"
Shen Bing's face turned pale with fright, and she nodded. After I took my hand away, she said to me, "Don't be so polite in the future. You always call me aunt, which makes me feel a little embarrassed."
I was so angry that I slapped her on the head. "Let's go back to the city. We really need to go to Gansu. It seems that we are no longer wise after the event. We have become regular employees before the event!"
"Bah, bah, bah, a blind cat catches a dead mouse!"
We put the fish back into the river and walked back to Sanmenxia. It was about 3:00 a.m. when we arrived in the city. We checked into the hotel and had a good sleep in the warm bed. The next morning, we took the train to Lanzhou.
I received a call from Lu Fei on the train. The four of them were originally going to the provincial capital to meet us, but when they heard that we went to Lanzhou, they wanted to follow us. I said forget it, you should just stay at home. This time we are not dealing with the Gate of Life and Death, but just luring that dead woman Ru Yu out of the underworld. It's not a big deal, it doesn't require so many people. It's almost the twelfth lunar month, everyone should prepare for the New Year. Who knows, this trip to Gansu will allow us to regain our freedom and go home for the New Year.
No matter how good a provincial capital or metropolis is, it is not as good as my own home. I really don’t want to spend the New Year away from home.
Lu Fei said, "Okay, let's prepare more New Year's goods. We will celebrate this New Year together." When he talked to me, he changed his name. Even Brother Xi didn't dare to mention it anymore. He called me "Xiami". That's because I was skinny since I was a kid, so Ermao and the others gave me that nickname!
Now Shen Bing no longer calls me a bumpkin, but "Xiao Xia Xia" instead. I feel that I lack masculinity and have too much femininity.
"Xiao Xia Xia, aren't Chen Gulong and one of your comrades in Gansu? Is that in Lanzhou?" Shen Bing asked me on the train.
I curled my lips and said, "Can you remove the extra shrimp at the back and replace it with a rice character?"
"It doesn't sound good, how about calling me Xiaomimi?"
"Forget it, just call me Xiao Xia Xia." I was completely defeated by her.
Lao Chu, one of our three musketeers back then, was in Lanzhou, and Chen Gulong went to join him some time ago. Maybe this guy didn't contact me to avoid sad things. I wonder if he is in a better mood now.
I called Chen Gulong, and he sounded in a good mood. He was having dinner with Lao Chuo. Lao Chuo is really big now, and he has several mines near Lanzhou. He started working with Lao Chuo after he went there. He was too busy during this period and didn't have time to call me.
Ah, this jerk Lao Chu actually opened several mines, I didn't realize that. When he was in the army, this guy always followed us around. Because he has a bad temper and always gets mad when something happens, he got the nickname Lao Chu!
His real name is Chang Youli. His father gave him a good name, Chang Youli. So this kid has two nicknames, Chang Youli and Laochu. Because Laochu is different and easy to pronounce, people just call him that. Few people call him Chang Youli anymore.