Updated: 2012-07-09

The mother sat upright and said, "I have known this for a long time. The fortune teller told me that I am destined to have two sons by my side in my life, but not long after you were born, your father went there. I originally wanted to remarry, but you are so young that I can't bear to let you suffer. I'm already very content with having you, a son by my side in my life."

I forced a smile and said, "Mom, you have suffered,"

The mother said, "What is the point of suffering for the sake of the child?"

I asked unwillingly: "Mom, I still want to know."

My mother looked at me and sighed and said, "Then I will tell you how your brother died. That is the last thing I regret in my life. Including eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddha's name, it only started after your brother died. Just count it, it has been 27 years."

Back then, it was a big group. Your father and I got married not long after we met, and after marriage, we had your brother. When your brother was 9 years old, your father and I went back to your grandfather's hometown. At that time, there was a very famous old Huangxian in the village, and the villagers were all worshipped in the ancestral hall. Your father asked me to take your brother to pay homage to him no matter what your father said.

I didn't think anything at that time, but when I went there, I was stopped by the old man who looked at the ancestral hall. He told me that your brother was not allowed to go in. I thought it was strange at the time, so I argued a few words. The old man said that your brother was destined to die prematurely and would not be reincarnated after death. Because I am the fate of Gemini, I must have two sons, one Yin and one Yang.

I was young and very angry at that time. So I had a fight with the old man. After I came back, I blamed your father for once. No one took that incident seriously. Who would have thought that when I was more than a month or ten years old, your brother suddenly twitched all over and could not find any problems when he went to the hospital.

Your father and I were helpless. At that time, Grandma Geng, the old neighbor, told me to ask me to find someone to see if I was fascinated by something evil. You know, your grandfather was lost when he was broken. I was disgusted with that thing from the bottom of my heart, and for nothing else, I just hated your grandfather for such a career. Then I hated myself for not being able to save my father. Many people had survived like me, and there were also the kind of people who broke their parents' hands and followed the Red Guards to promote the separation of family relations. There were too many cruel things. They had a deep impact on our generation.

I handed over the cup of water I poured for my mother and let her moisten her throat. She took a sip of water and continued to tell.

Grandma Geng found a photo-seeing Tiezui for her. She still remembers that he was dressed as a Taoist priest and lived in the Temple of Wealth for many years. You probably don’t know that the Temple of Wealth has been demolished for many years. The Tiezui surname is Zhang, known as Zhang Tiezui, and Zhang Banxian. When he saw your brother, he said that his life would not last long.

At that time, the doctor didn't say that your brother would die, but he just had to be hospitalized for a while. Zhang Tiezui cursed your brother to die. I didn't even have the strength to curse at that time, so I hugged your brother and turned around and left. At that time, Grandma Geng took me with me. Grandma Geng grabbed me and said, asking me to hear what Zhang Tiezui said to see if there is a way to save your brother.

The thing I regret most in my life is that I didn’t listen to Zhang Tiezui’s words. I held your brother coldly and sat in front of Zhang Tiezui and heard him say that your brother was not destined to die, but that we had paid back what we owe him in the previous life. He said that he saved my life in the previous life, so I paid him back once in this life. But your brother was a villain in the previous life, and God did not allow him to continue being a human being. Zhang Tiezui said that if you want your brother to live safely, the best way is to ask the Bodhisattva. If you invite a Bodhisattva back and bless your brother to celebrate his 10th birthday, you can do it. Then you asked me to take a few pieces of yellow paper and kneel in front of the stove pit and nag it carefully. As for what you say, whatever I want. If you invite a Bodhisattva for a week, you will immediately ask a protecting immortal.

Speaking of this, my mother cried! I could clearly feel the feeling of regret in my mother.

But my mother's story was not over. She continued: After I brought your brother back, I did not invite the Bodhisattva, nor did I invite the immortals of the family. As a result, a month passed, and it was gone on his 10th birthday. I was stunned at that time, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had fallen. If it weren't for your father, I thought I would have died too. If it weren't for your father's food or drink, it would have been all your father to feed me rice soup little by little and drag me back. I regretted it to death! If I could be less stubborn, your brother might still be alive now.

After your brother dies, I will go to the Temple of Wealth to find Zhang Tiezui.

Zhang Tiezui told me that your brother hadn't left because I'm a Gemini life, so he would always be by my side. It would be better for me to invite a Bodhisattva immediately and ask your brother's birth date and horoscope. Zhang Tiezui cut his fingers open, mixed with my fingers, and wrote a talisman, so that I could hide it after I went home. Every year, worship it on the day your brother died.

I still didn't take this matter seriously, but within a few days, something happened to our house. It wasn't that the power supply caught fire, and I said that it was not cooked with steaming rice in the pot. What made me even more frightened was that I worked in the factory several times, and I had problems for no reason and almost had a production accident. Then I remembered Zhang Tiezui's advice. It was also from that time that I started eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddha's name, and hid your brother's birth date. Every year on his death day, I secretly worshiped him once.

Later, I secretly ran to Zhang Tiezui and asked to understand. Your brother was reincarnated as a debt collector. He didn't want to go back when he came to the world, so he pestered me. Because I didn't ruin his life, he let him die at the age of 10, and held a grudge. Zhang Tiezui used his blood, my blood, and mixed cinnabar to circle your brother's soul. As long as there is a Bodhisattva at home to suppress him, there will be no problem.

Later, you were there, but within a few years, your father left. Zhang Tiezui died long before you were born. Grandma Geng also disappeared early. But this matter has always been a stone in my heart. I harmed your brother and your father. If your father hadn't been thinking about your brother, he wouldn't have left so early.

Seeing that my mother said so much, I hugged her with great distress. Then I said, "Mom, I will be fine in the future."

My mother smiled and said, "Yes, you have grown up. My life's mission is over halfway. When you get married and have children, I will take care of you two."

I smiled and said, "Not so fast, I don't know who my wife is."

My mother said, "Your college classmate Wen Yi is pretty. She is also a classmate. She takes care of you so much when she was in school."

I said, "Mom, don't worry about this. Live well, sooner or later, you will have a day when you hold your grandson."

After a few more words of peace, I left my mother's room and went back to my own room.

When I went in, Ye Yi was already lying on my bed and fell asleep.
Chapter completed!