Chapter 9 first quarter

Twilight began to cover Zhangjia Village, and at this time, there would be a gray mist outside the village.I heard from the old people in the village that this is because Zhangjia Village used to be an ancient battlefield where countless soldiers died in battle. After these soldiers died, no one buried them, and the bones were left to be devoured by wild beasts.The soldiers all felt wronged, and their grievances gathered together in the evening, forming a thick fog.These evil fogs will make people who go out at night disoriented and unable to find their way home.Therefore, the villagers of Zhangjia Village stayed in the village obediently at dusk and would never leave the village again, for they were afraid of being stalked by ghosts.

Lin Ling knew that this was just stupid superstition, because Zhangjia Village was next to a hill with a gentle slope, and the entire city of T was in a relatively humid climate, and the hill was blown by constant mountain winds all year round. Coupled with the dense forests, the temperature drops rapidly in the evening, and the moist air around Hongfu County meets the cold air on the hillside in the evening, which will naturally cause fog, which is a typical phenomenon of uphill fog. But Zhangjia Village is like an isolated world, and the villagers are still more willing to believe that this strange fog is caused by evil spirits.The dilapidated and rustic village was camouflaged by this mist with a layer of mystery, which made people feel very uncomfortable and at the same time exciting.

At the west end of the village, someone built a simple mourning hall with white canvas, and there were some strangely dressed people sitting outside the mourning hall.These people wore Taoist uniforms, but did not wear Taoist crowns, and their hair was short and flat-headed. They held Yu, Xiao, flute and other national musical instruments in their hands, playing crappy "music".These musics are not dirges, but various modern folk songs and popular songs. First "Little Poplar", then "Camel Bell", "Tricycle", "Tracker's Love"... These songs are far from the solemn atmosphere of the scene.Some children scurried among these strangely dressed Taoist priests, as if they were watching a strange animal performance.

There are eighteen screens on both sides of the mourning hall, nine on the left and right sides.On the screen are the scenes of the eighteen hells, with the upper nine hells on the left and the lower nine hells on the right.The picture depicts that people who commit evil in the world will be punished accordingly in the eighteen levels of hell after death. There are many crimes in hell, such as sowing dissension, embezzlement, lasciviousness, theft, and even cutting corners and child abduction, all of which have corresponding punishments.Many villagers stopped by these screens to watch, as if they were interested in visiting cultural relics in a museum. In fact, they were all looking for punishment corresponding to the "crimes" they committed in the world.

Lin Ling deliberately walked to the screen and looked at each picture carefully. The pictures basically had no painting skill at all and were quite rough, but the text under these pictures was written very clearly. Lin Ling stopped in front of the thirteenth level of hell. According to written records, this level of hell is called Blood Pool Hell, and the punishment is for those who did not honor their parents and beat the elderly during their lifetime.The painting shows that these people were thrown into a pool of blood after death. But this picture is very strange, because other pictures are cruel punishments such as sledgehammer hitting the heart, knives and oil pot, burning body and so on, but what is the blood pool?What kind of torture will those who are punished like this suffer?There is no text on the painting to give a corresponding explanation.

Lin Ling was a little startled when she saw the painting in front of her, but she didn't want to ask others about it, for fear of attracting the attention of these villagers. Fortunately, no one would pay attention to the behavior of a stranger at such a noisy funeral, but Lin Ling kept watching the surrounding environment and people. On the front of the mourning hall, there is a coffin, which is dark red with oil, giving it a solemn feeling.There is a confession in front of the coffin, on which three sticks of incense are lit, and a puff of green smoke "swings straight up" with the red light on the incense head.Another simple tent was set up outside the mourning hall, with a few tables inside. Outside the tent was a huge stove. Next to the stove were cut dishes and various condiments, and a cook was standing beside the stove. ——At this time he was rolling a large spoon, cooking for the people who came to mourn.

Outside the mourning hall, the villagers sat on chairs in twos and threes chatting, and the topic was of course related to this funeral. "I really didn't expect that kid Sun Shao could still have a conscience to hold such a grand funeral for Teacher Liu." "Have a conscience! Have you seen anyone else yet? Isn't everyone busy." "Hey, Mr. Liu is such a good person. He married Sun Shao. It's really unfair in this life. Men are afraid of entering the wrong profession, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man!" "Do you think that person will come?"

"Who?" "Gao Fengjun! That big tall guy who came to our village with Mr. Liu to jump in the queue!" "Why did you remember him coming!" "You don't know, do you! He came here back then!" "I know about this! I want to take Teacher Liu away, but Teacher Liu won't go." "Do you know why Teacher Liu didn't leave?" "You and Sun Shao both have sons, why are you leaving? Do you leave the children alone?" "If you say you are stupid, you are really stupid!" "Stupid, why are you so stupid!"

"Look at Teacher Liu's son, who is so white and clean, how does he look like Sun Shao?" "Hey! Old Zhangtou, you can't talk nonsense! Come back and let Sun Shao hear it, be careful that he beats you with a sap!" "What are you afraid of when you hear it? Isn't that what all the women in the village say!" "But it's really strange. At that time, Teacher Liu seemed to be on good terms with Gao Fengjun, but then he suddenly married Sun Shao! And Gao Fengjun also went back to the city mysteriously!" "Anyway, there's something going on here, and it's not a good thing."

Lin Ling was listening to the gossip of the two villagers, trying to figure out what the villagers meant. They seemed to be suspicious—Sun Qiming was not Sun Shao's son, but Liu Yanfang's old lover Gao Fengjun's. Lin Ling was thinking that if this was the case, Liu Yanfang might not be looking for her son Sun Qiming at all when she went to T City, but Gao Fengjun.If this were the case, there would be two suspects who stabbed Liu Yanfang but who might be protected by Liu Yanfang in turn: her own son Sun Qiming and her old lover Gao Fengjun. Lin Ling really wanted to call Hu Yuyan, but she quickly gave up the idea, because she was not sure that Gao Fengjun was in T City at this time, and even if she was, she went to inform the police to investigate a People are obviously arbitrary, so Lin Ling decided to continue listening.

But how did she know that a very lively event had begun. "Look, Sun Shao has come out!" The two men who were chatting just now stopped suddenly. Lin Ling followed the gazes of the two villagers towards the entrance of the alley, and saw a man wearing a black long-sleeved jacket approaching. This man's nose and eyes were fairly straight, but a red wine-stained nose added to the attention of those who were watching him. A bit of disgust.His face was ashen, his spirit was extremely poor, and he also felt shaky when he walked. "This guy went drinking again last night, it seems that he just woke up now!" "Don't worry about it, just watch the excitement. By the way, isn't Teacher Liu's son back?" "I didn't see it, that little bastard also seems to be a heartless one, he's a bit like Sun Shao!" "Oh, Teacher Liu is really pitiful, and there is no one who can dress her in mourning." While the villagers were discussing, Sun Shao staggered into the mourning hall, sat in front of the coffin, and looked at the surrounding villagers with a pair of dull eyes. The villagers stopped discussing and looked at Sun Shao with a strange look. This kind of look is not sympathy, but it is not anger, it is more like people are stimulated by a strange atmosphere. "What are you all doing here?" Sun Shao finally spoke, with a complaining tone in his words. Everyone didn't answer. At this time, the "music" of the fake Taoist priests beside him also stopped, and the awkward atmosphere seemed that this trivial matter was really superfluous. "Stay here if you have something to do, and get out if you have nothing to do! I'm already frustrated enough, don't add trouble to me!" Sun Shao said to the villagers in front of him in a hoarse voice. He didn't know if he was targeting everyone or targeting someone. "Sun Shao, don't be silly, everyone is here today to see off Teacher Liu! It's not because of you!" The person who spoke was an old man in his sixties, standing on the right side of the mourning hall, closest to Sun Shao. Sun Shao looked at the old man with disdain on his face, "Old branch secretary, you are considered an old man in the village! I don't care about you! If you don't have anything to do, just stand here." The two villagers who were gossiping just now hurried over, trying to persuade the old party secretary not to get angry. "Sun Shao, look at you. Teacher Liu is gone. You didn't even show any signs of sadness, and you still drink like this. Husband and wife for a day, don't you even understand this?" The old branch secretary looked Furious, he ignored the villagers' dissuasion at all. "You guys don't do this kind of stuff, now you're all pretending to be a bodhisattva and being a good person. Don't think I don't know how you talk about our family in private. Don't you come here today just to see my family's excitement?" "Stop farting, you bastard! Your wife is dead, and the neighbors in the street, everyone come to worship, is there any impoliteness?" "Huh! Excuse me? Don't you just want to have a big pot meal? Did you bring any money with you? Everyone should bring some money with them!" "Okay, Sun Shao, you are planning a funeral for your daughter-in-law, and you have been thinking about the share money for a long time. I know that I will give you the share money, and you will use it to gamble again! So, no one will give you the share money today. I'm afraid your old lady won't be able to wait for you to give her a pension, and none of us will follow this offer today, but we will all pay for your old lady's coffin!" The old branch secretary was so angry that the flesh on his face twitched! "It sounds good. Whether my old lady dies or not is none of your business. You are not her sons. Of course I pay for my old lady's coffin. Let me tell you, I have plenty of money!" "You are such a bear, no wonder even your son doesn't recognize you!" Seeing Sun Shao's arrogance, the old branch secretary was so angry that he poked him in the pain without showing mercy. "My son? How can I have a son? He doesn't even go home when he goes to school, and he doesn't even call me daddy when he sees me. Don't think I don't know, that little bastard is the bastard of that stinky bitch in our family and that Gao Fengjun!" "Sun Shao, you still have to be ashamed! Your daughter-in-law worked hard at home to take care of you and your old mother, but in the end she died, and you still want to spoil her like this!" The old branch secretary couldn't bear it anymore. "Old branch secretary, you are an old man, I will give you some points. This is a light word, if one day I am unhappy, I will go to the city to find that Gao Fengjun, and I must explain everything to him clearly. "Sun Shao's voice became louder and louder. "You don't need to look for it, I'm here!" Suddenly, a loud voice passed through the crowd and reached the ears of Sun Shao and the old branch secretary. This voice made all the villagers turn their heads. Lin Ling, who was in the crowd, was also shocked by the voice. Although she was far away, she could already feel an imposing aura from the voice. I saw a tall man with prominent facial bones walking out of the crowd.He was wearing a dark brown suit and tie. Although the wrinkles on his face and the white hair on his head had disappeared, he could vaguely see the handsome and extraordinary face of his youth. Even now, his Appearance will also be labeled as a successful person, and it will even arouse some girls' reverie. Seeing this man, Sun Shao and the old branch secretary exclaimed at the same time: "Gao Fengjun, is it you?!" Gao Fengjun walked in front of the two, looking at each other with six eyes, while Lin Ling carefully observed the scene in front of him, unable to see why for a moment.However, she quickly scanned the entrance of the village, and there was a car parked at an unknown time, the car had not turned off, and its high beams were extremely bright. The headlights were so dazzling that people couldn't see the car's trademark and license plate number clearly from the front, but it should be a high-end car, and it must have been driven by Gao Fengjun, and it was during the time when Sun Shao was arguing with the old party secretary. here. The old branch secretary who had quarreled with Sun Shao just now suddenly stood in Sun Shao's camp, and he began to question Gao Fengjun: "What are you doing here?" "I'll see off Yanfang!" Gao Fengjun's words were simple and clear. "Send off Yanfang? What did you do long ago?" The village secretary obviously had something to say. "Old branch secretary, since her men don't care about the funeral, it's okay for me to take care of it!" Gao Fengjun said with an irresistible momentum. "Your surname is Gao, you don't need to take care of our family's affairs!" Sun Shao seemed more excited than before. Gao Fengjun turned his head and looked at Sun Shao, "Yanfang died so inexplicably, but a bastard like you is still alive, God has no eyes!" "Damn, who are you scolding?" "I'm scolding you, I can't scold others!" Gao Fengjun was obviously trying to provoke Sun Shao. Sun Shao was so angry that Gao Fengjun's face turned red, and the wine seemed to wake up all of a sudden, he clenched his fists, and suddenly swung at Gao Fengjun. Gao Fengjun took Sun Shao's fist with one palm, and firmly held Sun Shao's wrist with the other hand, "Fighting? You were not a thing back then, and you are still stubborn!" Gao Fengjun said One kick easily knocked the aggressive Sun Shao to the ground. These moves were clean and neat, and it didn't look like Gao Fengjun was getting old at all, and the villagers next to him exclaimed. Sun Shao didn't play tricks, he got up immediately, pointed at Gao Fengjun's nose and cursed, "Fuck you! Gao Fengjun! You Ximenqing, you stole someone's wife and beat someone, you boy wait!" Gao Fengjun stood still, allowing Sun Shao to curse at him. Sun Shao saw that there was no one around to help him, so he backed away while cursing, and went back from the alley where he came just now, but his scolding continued. Seeing this scene, the villagers didn't dare to take care of it. They could only listen to Sun Shao's scolding voice getting farther and farther away, not knowing which direction he was heading. Gao Fengjun calmed down when he heard Sun Shao walking away, and then sat down on the seat where Sun Shao was sitting just now. "Old branch secretary, is Yanfang's body returned, or her ashes?" "Ash! He died in the city. There is no other way but to be cremated. The whole body cannot be left behind." The old branch secretary seemed to have lost the courage to question Gao Fengjun just now. Gao Fengjun nodded, then moved the stool to one side, and sat on it without saying a word. When the village party secretary saw Gao Fengjun's behavior, he couldn't say anything more. At this time, the master chef came to call the branch secretary, "The meal is ready, do you want to serve?" "Dinner? What a fart for this meal! Who the hell is still in the mood to eat! Make trouble! Throw it all away!" The master didn't dare to say anything to the village party secretary who was angry, but he also knew that the food should not be thrown away. All he could do at this time was to turn off the fire of the stove first. "Mr. Liu has taught many children in our village. Since she left, no one dressed her in mourning, and let all the children in the village come and bow to her one by one. It is a little kindness from everyone. .” The words of the village party secretary seemed to be addressed to Gao Fengjun.Gao Fengjun didn't respond, just sat beside him like a stone statue. The children were all together soon, and there were more than 50 children, almost every family had them.They all wore sackcloth filial piety clothes and filial piety hats—this was prepared in advance by the old branch secretary. Lin Ling thought it was a very simple project, each child kowtowed, and it probably wouldn't take long. But when the children started to kowtow, Lin Ling realized that her idea was completely wrong, because Zhangjiacun's kowtow was too particular. The children first take two steps forward to kowtow, then take a step back to kowtow, then take two steps forward to kowtow, then take a step back to kowtow, until they reach the coffin, the distance is 20 meters about. Although kowtowing like this is time-consuming and boring, every child in the village has completed this "task" devoutly, without any sign of laziness. The children kowtowed from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., not only the children were sleepy, but also the adults beside them lost the energy they had just now and kept yawning. After the kowtow was over, the villagers gradually dispersed, leaving only a few idle men with good deeds, who stayed in front of the mourning hall and refused to leave, hoping for something else to happen. Of course Lin Ling was also one of the few people who didn't leave. She kept thinking about what Sun Shao had been doing for the past three hours.Could it be that he really just wanted to make his mouth cheap in front of Gao Fengjun, and then become a coward?Everything is still unknown. Lin Ling felt a little sore in her legs, so she found a chair in an unremarkable corner of the mourning hall and sat down. The owner of the noodle shop had already introduced her to his home, and Lin Ling could go to his home to rest at any time. But she didn't feel sleepy at all right now, and she still wanted to see what actions Gao Fengjun, the village party secretary, and that Sun Shao would do. At this time, the village party secretary was already sitting in the mourning hall, sitting opposite Gao Fengjun, without saying a word. Lin Ling watched the two men sitting opposite each other, confronting each other in silence.Just when Lin Ling's patience to wait and see was about to run out, the situation suddenly changed. Gao Fengjun stood up slowly, turned around, and looked at the coffin.The old branch secretary also stood up and put his hands on Gao Fengjun's shoulders, "You'd better go, I've already sent you off, you can't come back to life after death!" These words seemed to suddenly poke at Gao Fengjun's pain, he suddenly lay on Liu Yanfang's coffin, without any warning, a man's heartfelt cry resounded in the sky above Zhangjia Village.