Although during the previous inspection, I found that there were more than just horns on the dragon's head and there were some snails that were lying on their backs but retracted into their shells. When Hu Zongren said this, I subconsciously looked up and saw Teacher Zhao and his family.
The reaction was the same. Teacher Zhao stared at the faucet for a long time, and then stammered and asked Hu Zongren, "Do you mean those snails are my ancestors?" Hu Zongren didn't speak, just nodded while cooking. I told Zhao
Teacher, these snails are not your ancestors. I just say that the reason why these snails came out of the graves, climbed so far to your house, and then climbed up the faucet along the wall is because of your ancestors. As for what they are.
Why, we don't know yet, but I can prove it to you.
After saying that, I stood up and looked closely against the wall. There were a few snails crawling up the wall, leaving a trace of glue where they crawled. I took out the compass and asked Mr. Zhao and his brothers to
Look closer. I told you that the current north-south orientation of the compass has been corrected by me. Your door faces due east, which means that when the sun comes out every morning, the first ray of sunlight can shine directly in.
The main room of your house. And your faucet happens to be facing the door, which means that when the sun shines in, it can "open" the dragon's eyes. This is a very auspicious thing. But take a closer look. After I finish
He brought the compass close to the water marks where the snails crawled, and the compass pointer began to swing slightly from side to side, as if someone was disturbing it with a piece of iron nearby. This reaction was not very strong, but its degree was enough to prove that
This is an abnormal reaction.
Then I placed the compass near the snail. The compass needle rotated a little more strongly, but it was only a little stronger than the one on the water mark. I told Mr. Zhao and the two brothers that the reaction here, whether in intensity or amplitude, was the same as that of the snail.
The snails we saw in front of your ancestor's grave were exactly the same, and the reaction was the same as the reaction in your ancestor's grave, so this means that these snails in Longtou Mountain came from your ancestor's grave. As for why good snails are...
There is such a soul reaction in living creatures. Do I need to explain it clearly? Teacher Zhao and others seemed to understand, so I did not continue to explain. If it was too clear, then why would people come to me?
What about people like Hu Zongren?
Then Mr. Zhao and I sat back down in our seats. Hu Zongren had already added another bowl of rice. While eating, he told us, you should eat quickly. After eating, I hope you can tell us what you have done.
Everything you know about your ancestors.
After lunch, the two daughters-in-law of Teacher Zhao’s house took away the food, dishes, and chopsticks, leaving only the pair that had been prepared for the ancestors. The four of us sat on three sides of the table, leaving a blank side.
Hu Zongren said to Teacher Zhao, you said that you have never seen your grandfather since you were children. How much do you know from your father? Because considering that a person who has been dead for decades suddenly comes back, it is nothing more than just
In both cases, either he didn't leave cleanly at the beginning, or he encountered something that forced him to return to the world. Teacher Zhao said that he didn't know much about the situation, but he only remembered that he had very little knowledge since he was a child.
I heard my parents talking about my grandfather. His father was also a master of dragon dance, so when he was twelve years old, he started to grow taller. When his father saw that he was tall enough, he began to teach him the essentials of dragon dance. After all, what can I say?
They were from an aristocratic family. My younger brother was still young at the time, so my mother took care of him.
Teacher Zhao said that he remembered that he was tired from practicing once, so he lazily ran to the back mountain to climb a tree. As a result, he fell asleep in the tree and broke a hand. Fortunately, it was not far from home.
There were still people living nearby. After the villagers sent him home, his father quickly found a bruiser in the village to set the bones. When his father asked him why he secretly climbed the tree, Teacher Zhao said to his father.
, because practicing Qigong is too hard, climbing trees is more fun.
Teacher Zhao said that when he was a child, he would say whatever he thought of, and if people of that era lied to their elders, it would be regarded as a disobedient thing. When his father heard what his son said, he sighed.
Sitting by his bedside, she told him that this is a skill passed down from our family. No matter how much you don't like it, you must continue to practice it. Good work comes from hard work and waste from play. Our family only has a few pieces of land.
Farming, I have been a farmer all my life. People go to higher places. Your father and I have not been able to go out, but I also hope that you can go out. Firstly, you can make a good living. Secondly, it can also help our Tongliang Dragon Dance.
The unique skills are passed down.
Teacher Zhao told us that because he was still a child, he could not deeply understand the expectations in his father's words. So he asked his father without hesitation, why couldn't you go out? My father may not have thought that he would.
So he asked, so he answered him, "You have seen the situation of our family. Your father earned a lot of money from dragon dancing in the first half of his life, but why are we still so poor? Because all his money was used to pay off debts. He also
When asked why he wanted to repay the debt, his father told him that he wanted to repay the debt owed by Mr. Zhao's grandfather. So that was the first time that he learned so carefully about his grandfather's past from his father.
Teacher Zhao's grandfather was also a child of a poor family when he was a child. Because of the relationship in the old society and the Sichuan area, at that time, if the poor did not work long-term for the landlords, the only way to survive was two ways, one
It is to join the army and fight with this army commander and that division commander and warlord for a share of the military rations. Or it is to dominate the mountain and become the king, become a bandit, rob the rich and give to the poor. Although this can temporarily provide food and clothing, it often fails.
He was wiped out by the local coalition army. In the eyes of the common people, this person only had half a life. In other words, he had a skill, such as breaking rocks, working as a carpenter, or knowing manual work. Teacher Zhao's grandfather was originally
A long-term worker of a landlord's family ran away from the landlord's house when he was a teenager and never went back. At first he joined a drama troupe, and later he was introduced to a teacher to learn the most authentic Tongliang dragon dance.
Teacher Zhao said that Sichuan was relatively peaceful at that time. Except for warlords and bandits who often fought and fought, and occasionally came to the villages to capture strong men and send them to the army, in most cases the battlefields were in the suburbs and generally did not harm the common people. At that time,
Tongliang County has only a few criss-crossed old streets, but there are many people living there. There are merchants from other places and locals doing small business here. Whenever a house opens a business or gets married, a dragon dance troupe will be invited.
Come and have a lively celebration with dragon and lion dances. Every year during the Chinese New Year, the county magistrate would pay them to come and celebrate. So at that time, the dragon dance team was a busy place, and everyone wanted to join in and make a living.
Teacher Zhao's grandfather was considered to be a very talented person. He learned all the master's skills at a young age, and sometimes his dragon dance was even more beautiful than the master's. This made his master very happy, so he has been teaching him for a long time.
As the successor, when the master passed away, Teacher Zhao's grandfather naturally took over the dragon dance team from him. Teacher Zhao said that his father was born in 1940, and his grandfather was still dancing when he was born, and because of many years of
After returning to his hometown with all his savings, he built a big yard by himself. My grandfather had a generous nature and liked to make friends in the world. He originally did not choose to work as a robe brother in the mountains in his early years, but now he has become a very famous sponsor because of his close contacts with friends on the road.
, can be regarded as a Qingshuipao brother.
I know this. Brother Pao is divided into two types: clear water and muddy water. The former is usually a person who does not contribute money, or has a strategy, and can provide protection, while the latter is a person who charges with a sword and a spear. Teacher Zhao pointed
We were told outside the door that there used to be a big yard there, which was our family’s ancestral home. At that time, Mr. Zhao’s grandfather was richer than the landowner he worked for, so he bought almost the entire village and the land on the mountain.
, he invited fellow villagers to help farm the land, and he became a big local landowner. As he got older, dragon dancing became very difficult, and he also formed several teams, so he didn’t have to do it himself. So more
Time was spent teaching Mr. Zhao’s father the dragon dance skills at home.
When he said this, Teacher Zhao suddenly sighed and said, but the good times did not last long. Shortly after liberation, Tongliang also followed the national trend and carried out land reform. The family's land was returned to the villagers overnight. Grandpa was very angry about this.
After a long time, I really couldn’t figure it out, so I started smoking opium. At that time, there were still many opium dens in Sichuan, but because of opium, the family was ruined. Teacher Zhao smiled wryly, spread his hands and said, "Look.
, these are the only things left in our family now, and they were all bought with the money left by my grandfather.
Teacher Zhao went on to say that his father had also been dancing dragon dance for decades, but with the changes in policies, the business was getting worse year by year because everyone was no longer interested. When he was a teenager, he also followed his father's team.
I performed in many places in Chongqing and Sichuan, but the income was very meager. Later, the country banned fireworks, which made the already boring dragon dance even more meaningless, so it is basically difficult to see it now.
, unless a wealthy person wants to be arty, he would invite a team to dance, but now that the team has dispersed, all the people he can invite are half-full people. I am afraid that the real dragon dance will never be seen again.
Hu Zongren asked Teacher Zhao, what did you do after you left the team? Teacher Zhao smiled and said, what else can you do, and you are uneducated. You originally thought you could make a living by dancing with the dragon, but you can't do it now, so
I can only work here and there, and there are quite a few jobs in the county. I can work as a decorator, and can still do simple tasks such as cutting wood and sawing boards. My wife just works at home, raising chickens, ducks, and children.
The tuition for school is also high. At first I heard that compulsory education is tuition-free. Who knew that when all the miscellaneous expenses are added together, we might as well have to pay tuition. Teacher Zhao said that even so, he must let his children go to school and pass on the inheritance.
No more, studying seemed to be the only option.
When I was about to tell Teacher Zhao that Hu Zongren and I didn’t study much, Hu Zongren suddenly said, your ancestor was unfortunate in his later years, which may be one of the reasons why he stayed. In this case, his descendants are still alive.
, and he is the legitimate son and grandson, then I will perform a ritual ceremony in front of the grave in the name of you two brothers and your two children, hoping that the ancestors can rest in peace, keep what should be left, and dissipate what should be dissipated.
Teacher Zhao asked a little embarrassedly, can you two really do it? Hu Zongren nodded and said with a smile, we are different from the goddesses in your village, we don't play tricks.