When business is open, everything seems to go smoothly.
Although there is no money in the pockets, the numbers on the books are rising steadily.
Even if they sell magic talismans during the day, few people come to chase them away.
Today, I sent another client to settle down at the foot of Feilai Mountain. It was already midnight when I returned to Fuguifang.
Huangwei and the other ghosts went to the Didian to rest, while Li Changan wandered into the Salesian Home.
He wanted to make talismans at night, and he had a lot of inspiration. It was not convenient to live with other ghosts, so he rented a leaky and abandoned side room in the Salesian Home, repaired it a little, and moved in there, so that he could take care of the little girl nearby.
and the body of a monk. However, firstly because Li Changan was a ghost, and secondly because he was afraid of causing gossip among the neighbors, He Wumei declared to the public that Li Changan was the house god who invited him into the house, so the side room became a shrine and no one, especially children, was allowed to come and go at will.
.
The adults in the family knew it was an excuse and usually just pretended.
But the children believed it.
From time to time, he would always place some small tributes in front of Li Changan's door.
One of his daily pleasures is to see what gadgets the children have brought after a long day's work.
Tonight.
The most conspicuous thing on the stone steps is a wreath of sorrel and aster; there should be a few bird eggs next to it, which have been eaten by greedy people, leaving only a few eggshells; on the edge of the eggshell is a bulging sac.
money bag...
Huh?
The Taoist priest picked up the money bag and weighed it in his hands.
There was a swishing sound.
When I opened it, I estimated that there were a hundred or ten copper coins.
Also included is a note.
He unfolded it, glanced at it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it back into the bag, and then tapped the wall three times with his fingers.
A pair of bright round eyes lit up on the dark eaves.
Tan Qiu'er jumped down to the ground, squatted with his tail folded, combed the egg liquid on his beard with his paws, and meowed at Li Changan.
The Taoist priest shook the money bag in his hand and pointed at the eggshell on the ground.
The cat meowed reluctantly, then stood up slowly, raised the tip of its tail to signal the Taoist priest to follow, and led him, one cat and one ghost, into the children's wing through the half-open window.
He Wumei didn't find a job tonight, and the children also went to bed early. There were snorings one after another on the big bunk. They were not sleeping well, some kicked off the quilt, and some were drooling while hugging other people's feet.
, some are hanging precariously from the eaves of the bed.
Li Changan helped them arrange things neatly, and finally he and Tan Qiu'er stopped in front of a little boy.
This kid is about eleven or twelve years old. He is considered an older child in the Salesian Home. In three or four years, he will be able to go out and fend for himself.
At this time, his eyes were closed tightly, and he seemed to be asleep, but the Taoist priest leaned over and listened carefully, but he could hear his breathing that was deliberately slowed down.
Ah.
The little baby wants to trick the ghost.
The half-grown boy's name is He Qiu. Eight years ago, He Wumei picked it up from the mud ditch on the roadside. At that time, he didn't know how to speak, let alone ask about his age, place of origin, parents, etc., so he entered the Ci
Kindergarten, with the surname of He Wumei. Because he was born lean and lean, his eyes were constantly turning when he looked left and right, and he looked like a little loach from the inside out. Therefore, he was given the nickname and no one called him.
, they all call him He Niluo.
It was he who placed the money bag in front of the Taoist priest's door.
I was worried about why there was suddenly no movement.
A sudden shock hit my forehead.
Unable to help it, I just vomited out a cry of pain:
"well……"
When the back collar is tightened, it looks like it is flying in the clouds.
Open your eyes again.
The cry of pain turned into a scream.
"……Yo?"
The night breeze is cool, and the branches and leaves of the old ginkgo trees in the yard poke into the fluffy moon and sway slightly.
"Little Loach."
The sound was accompanied by the familiar sound of the money bag falling into my arms.
Turn your head.
The short-haired Taoist priest and the cat squatted side by side on the stone steps in front of the court. The cat raised its tail and the Taoist priest clasped his hands.
"Tell me honestly, what did you do?"...
There is a popular game among the urchins in Qiantang that is played behind the backs of adults - offering sacrifices to gods.
The most recent one was held three days ago at Fuguifang.
The god worshiped is called the "Ten Coin God".
This god is very generous, and he is willing to listen to all wishes and appeals as long as the believer gives ten cents.
The name of the god is like a joke, the priesthood is more like a joke, and of course, the worship ceremony is also like a joke.
Except for a few jars of wine and a few plates of meat as tributes, the altar was made of stone, the idols were made of straw, the sacred tablets were made of mud, the banners and banners were made of banana leaves, and the paper money was cut from leaves.
Due to the lack of incense and candles, fearing that the atmosphere was not mysterious enough, he used piles of weeds to cover the dark fire and make smoke. The smoke was so thick that the "believers" wiped their eyes from the eyes.
That's true.
He Niluo was still wearing a cassock—a floral skirt that some gangster had stolen from home, and a miter on his head—with bird feathers stuck all over his head, baring his teeth and claws, jumping up and down in the smoke, and guiding tenaciously.
Twenty or so friends in the venue completed a series of steps such as clearing the altar, inviting gods, offering gifts, and praying.
During the movement, bird feathers flew around on his head, and he felt like a featherless chicken that had flown into the stove hole. It was unlucky and funny. But what was there to complain about? He was both a wizard and the leader of a society (an organization dedicated to worshiping gods).
The group he formed is called a club, and its leader is called a club leader). These tricks were apparently created by him himself.
Fortunately, the ceremony finally came to the last part - sending off the gods.
He chose a place where the smoke could not reach and lay down.
While looking at the pork head meat on the altar, I was thinking about which piece was the fattest, so that I could scoop it into my own bowl when the meat was distributed later.
While singing the final farewell words:
"The Ten Coin God goes to heaven, the Ten Coin God goes to the earth, and the Ten Coin God returns to his throne."
Later, the children chanted along in a blur:
"The god of ten coins goes to heaven, the god of ten coins goes to the earth, the god of ten coins..."
At this time.
A fat guy suddenly changed his words and shouted:
"The Ten Coin God loves to fart!"
He raised his buttocks and puffed out the air.
Then he laughed and rushed to the "altar" with a few boys, and stretched out his claws towards the pig head meat.
He Niluo was stunned for a moment and jumped up and down in anger.
"You can't eat it. I haven't given away Master Ten Coins yet. What a shame!"
But the children had long been impatient. When they saw someone taking the lead, they all swarmed up laughing and grabbing the food and wine offered to the gods.
He Niluo had no choice but to worry. He might not even be able to lick the plate anymore, so he pulled off the obstructive miter and joined in.
As for the Ten Money God.
The urchins who were eating, drinking and playing had tilted the altar, the statue fell over, and two eyeballs pointed out by pebbles rolled out. The dark eye sockets looked at the children who were laughing wildly.
No one cares.
I don’t know when, but a faint mist quietly rose up in the field.
Qiantang is always foggy.
River fog rises in the morning, and sea fog comes in at dusk.
Not surprising.
The strange thing is that after a few sips of wine, the children gradually found that their eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of water vapor, making it difficult to see distance or distance clearly.
It's like stepping into a pond of cotton, and your feet always sink into the ground, making you unable to stand firmly.
There are also earthen walls, thatched roofs, companions, clouds and the sun, incense candles and statues of gods. Everything in the sky and the earth begins to circle around itself. They sing or sigh, and they noisily speak incomprehensible words.
And what's even stranger is.
Bowl after bowl of wine in the bucket was endless.
One plate after another of the pork heads on the altar is endless.
The fat boy suddenly laughed foolishly.
"I understand, Master Shiqian has appeared!"
The friends cheered together.
"Apparition!"
As a result, he opened up his appetite even more, drinking a lot of wine and eating meat.
Am I drunk?
He Niluo asked himself blankly.
No.
How could he be drunk if he didn't drink at all?
So, are they all drunk?
No.
Doesn’t he know the quality of the wine? It’s not just wine mixed with water, it’s just water mixed with wine! How can you get drunk after eating something like this?!
But if I wasn't drunk.
They were all crawling on the edge of the ditch, drinking sewage and eating mud, making sounds with their mouths, as if they were enjoying some fine wine, a delicacy in the world.
"Huh? The loach didn't eat it."
Two playmates who usually got along well raised their heads from the edge of the ditch.
"Come for a drink."
One scooped up a bowl of sewage, with moss and insect eggs floating in the water.
"Come and eat meat."
One of them grabbed a handful of black mud, and half of the earthworms struggled to escape between his fingers.
They spoke in unison.
"You're welcome, don't be shy."
They caught He Niliu and poured "wine and meat" into his mouth.
Until the sewage choked his throat and earthworms squirmed in his mouth and tongue, He Niluo finally woke up from the huge shock and stupor. He screamed and pushed his playmate away, cried, vomited, and rolled away.