There is a spacious hall in front of the main hall. Several uncles are sitting on round straw stools, holding iron tile-shaped paper chisels, placing a stack of paper money on a round tree stump, and hitting the paper with wooden hammers.
Use a chisel to make paper money, and then seal the paper money.
The old man with gray beard and hair was sitting at a small square table writing blessing packages. The basket next to him was already full of blessing packages.
The aunt came over with two bamboo chairs and greeted with a smile: "Uncle, Lin Lan, sit down."
"Okay." Lin Lan smiled and handed the paper money and candy to her aunt.
When the grandfather saw the old lady coming, he put down his pen and said with a smile: "My brothers and sisters are here!"
The old lady smiled and nodded: "Brother, you don't have to worry about me if you are busy."
"Master!" Lin Lan shouted.
The grandfather looked at Lin Lan: "Are you from the youngest family? You look different from before."
The old lady smiled and said: "It's different. Now I am diligent and not lazy anymore. I look energetic now."
The old man with shining eyes glanced at Lin Lan and nodded: "Let's live a good life when we are here."
Lin Lan's heart skipped a beat and she said respectfully, "Yes, Master."
After coming out of the grandfather's house, the old lady told Lin Lan to take Xiaodouzi with her and not to visit places with mountain tombs during the day before July 14th.
Don't linger at the intersection when you go out at night. If you see someone burning paper money, go around somewhere else...
Lin Lan nodded in agreement.
After returning home, Lin Yuezhen gestured to Lin Lan: "Xiaolan, I want to go back to Shilian in two days and buy paper money to burn blessing paper for my parents."
"Okay!" Lin Lan responded and went into the house and took 20 yuan to her. "Sister, take it and use it."
Lin Yuezhen hurriedly took out the money Lin Lan usually gave her, saying that she still had enough money to go home.
Lin Lan took her hand and put the money in her hand: "Sister, take it and go back to buy some meat and vegetables to worship."
Lin Yuezhen nodded excitedly.
On the first day of July, Lin Yuezhen went back to Shilian to burn blessing paper.
Lin Lan went to the Taiye's house, and saw that the Taiye put the written blessing packages and loose paper money on the Eight Immortals table in the center of the hall dedicated to blessing packages, ordered the fragrant wax paper money, and presented the meat, candies, and fruits sent by each family.
On this day, before burning the blessing paper, the grandpa gave the fruits and sweets offered to the children to eat, saying that the ancestors would bless the children to be free from illness and pain, and to grow up healthily.
After everyone kowtowed and knelt down, the grandfather and his uncles stacked the blessing packages together vertically, lit a few pieces of loose money with incense candles, put them under the blessing packages, and added little by little, the fire was blazing,
The incense candles and blessing papers floated up with the flames, and the fluffy gray-white confetti that had burned to ashes but still shone with red light floated to the sky above the courtyard in the breeze.
Dandan asked in a low voice: "Grandma, when will the ancestors come to get the money? Can we see it?"
The uncle who was burning the blessing paper on the side pointed to the shimmering confetti and said, "Dandan, you see the ancestors have come to collect the blessing paper."
A half-year-old child looked at him: "Grandpa, why can't we see?"
An uncle next to him said: "Gangba, go and pick up a tile, put it on your head and hide it in the corner of the door. Then you can see the ancestors sitting in sedans, riding horses, and carrying burdens coming to collect money."
"Ah!" Several children turned to look at the main door at the same time, and after a moment they shook their heads in unison: "We don't dare to go."
Lin Lan remembered that she had heard from her elders before, and they had asked them out of curiosity at that time, but no one dared to find tiles and hide them in the corner of the door to verify the authenticity. This sentence was passed down from generation to generation.
After burning the blessing papers for relatives and ancestors, they begin to burn a few envelopes for the ghosts who have no descendants to worship, and also for the little ghosts who are said to carry sedans and carts for their ancestors.
After the blessing paper was burned, Lin Lan, her mother-in-law, and her aunt put the blessing paper into a basket, carried it to the ditch, poured it into the ditch, and carried it away with the water.
Back at Grandpa's house, the men sat in front of the main room, drank and had fistfights, the women ate, drank, and made dragon gate formations, and the children played hide-and-seek in the yard, laughing and joking.
It was getting late when he came out of the grandfather's house, so Yang Dingbang helped the old lady walk back.
Xiaodouzi and Dandan followed the old lady hand in hand, chattering and discussing where to hide next time so that they would not be easily discovered.
The rice stalks were bent down by the heavy ears of rice, and the rice fields have turned into a golden ocean.
The Dong chicken kept shouting "Gudong! Gudong!" in the middle of the rice field.
Listening to this familiar cry, Lin Lan remembered that when she was a child, she always wanted to catch a donkey chicken and see what this clucking guy looked like.
After half of July, the brigade will start harvesting rice.
The old lady said cheerfully: "God has blessed us with food this year, and the ears of grain in the fields are very full."
Lin Lan nodded: "The brigade informed me that we will start working tomorrow, and the third sister even bought work points from Brother He."
The old lady smiled and said: "Liying did the right thing. She worked hard in the farming industry for less than two cents a day, and she earned it casually."
"that is!"
Lin Lan looked up at the sky and felt that the moon tonight had a strange reddish coldness.
When she walked to the back door of the old lady's house, Lin Lan looked up again and saw the moon disappearing behind a doorpost-shaped cloud, as if she was peering into the world.
When they arrived at the door of the old lady's house, the old lady said to Yang Dingbang: "Send your sister-in-law and Douzi back."
"Okay!" Yang Dingbang picked up Xiaodouzi and carried the mother and son to the bridge. When he saw them opening the door and entering the yard, he turned and walked back.
Lin Lan went home and wrapped some paper money for the original owner. She took Xiaodouzi to the yard and burned the blessing paper to her, hoping that her soul could rest in peace in heaven.
Xiaodouzi looked at her in confusion: "Mom, we just burned the blessing paper at Grandpa's house!"
Lin Lan thought for a moment and said: "One of my mother's sisters fell ill and passed away a few days ago. From now on, we will have to give her a fever."
Xiaodouzi nodded: "I understand."
After the blessing paper was burned, they put it into a dustpan and poured it into the drain outside, calling back the rhubarb lying at the door. The mother and son closed the door, washed and went to sleep.
Lin Lan was lying on the bed, listening to Xiaodouzi's sound of sleeping soundly. She felt uneasy for some reason and couldn't fall asleep for a long time as she tossed and turned.
I finally fell asleep, and in my daze I seemed to hear a scream of "ouch" from the rhubarb, and the sound disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Lin Lan immediately sat up and listened attentively, but heard no movement. Just when he was about to call Dahuang, there seemed to be gentle footsteps, slowly walking up the eaves of the stairs.
Lin Lan's heart was beating loudly, she clenched her fists, her body was covered with sweat, her palms were all wet, and she listened attentively again, but there was no movement again.
Take a deep breath, get out of bed, put on your shoes gently, take out the dagger under the pillow and put it into your pajamas pocket, pick up the wooden stick on the bedside, walk to the window and gently open the curtains
In one corner, looking through the cold moonlight, there was nothing in the yard.
I looked sideways and couldn't see the side of the stove door. Just when I wanted to change the direction to see if there was anyone in front of the stove door, I heard a subtle sound coming from the stove door, like a rat gnawing at wood.
"There really is a thief!"
Lin Lan's heart was beating violently. For a few seconds, she felt that her whole body had lost all strength. Her legs were so weak that she almost fell to the ground.
He quickly propped himself up on the cabinet, took two deep breaths, and clenched his fists to cheer himself up.
Lin Lan, you can't be afraid. If you are afraid, you will be doomed. And Xiaodouzi... What happened to Dahuang? Was he beaten to death by the thieves or poisoned? Who is it? Is it Liu Jinbao?