Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty-One

The cotton piles at home could not be sold for a while, which became a joke in Zhoujiazhai.Everyone said, if you don't grow the big cigarettes that make money, what a mess!Zhou Kewen couldn't hold back his face. He had been growing crops all his life, and he had never encountered such a useless thing.This is of course to blame the second child, who has no hair on his mouth, does not do things well, and young people are unreliable.However, I also blamed myself for being soft-hearted, not prudent, and credulous for my second child's advice.But the strange thing is that he followed the advice of the third child on the issue of what crops to plant next.Isn't the third child younger?

It is true that the third child is younger, but he is young and mature. In Zhou Kewen's eyes, this youngest son is not as bold as the eldest child, nor as reckless as the second child, and his personality is more like him.This year the eldest and second are not here, so Zhou Kewen can only discuss with the third, and the third will categorically say, grow food!This idea is very much in Zhou Kewen's mind.Zhou Kewen will never grow opium again, and he will never grow it again to make money. Now he is not afraid of bandits, but God's wrath, which is a disaster for people.As a farmer, it is still safe to grow food, food is the most important thing for the people, and there is no mistake at any time.

This year, Zhou Kewen's 400 mu of land was planted with wheat.Moisture conditions were good when planting, with heavy snow in winter and timely rain in spring, and a bumper harvest in the summer of the 17th year of the Republic of China.Zhou Kewen's family hoards, big and small, couldn't hold them all, and the rest were dragged to Zhou Liyan's burning workshop. The seventeenth year of the Republic of China was also a bumper year for opium.This year was the first year of the ban on smoking stipulated in the Nanjing National Government's "Amendments to the No-Smoking Regulations".With such a momentum, the villagers expected that the price of cigarettes would rise sharply, so they planted all the land to smoke.

Only Zhou Kewen grows grain as usual.When he led the long-term workers to plow and plant in the ground, the whole village in Zhoujiazhai went to the edge of the field to watch the excitement.They are all idlers, and the land where opium is planted can only be planted once a year. Now that the opium is harvested, they will not plant until September. They have almost half a year to enjoy leisure.Zhou Kewen asked them, you don't grow much food, people always have to eat.They laughed and said, if you have money, you are afraid that you won't be able to buy food, so what are you doing? Zhou Kewen was really worried.He said, if everyone grows opium, how can there be food to sell to you?Everyone laughed again, saying that there are always people who grow melons to grow food, so don't be afraid.Are these people implying that you are a melon?Zhou Kewen is indeed melon, and he will be melon to the end.He said, what if there is a natural disaster?Where can you buy food if there is no more food in the field?

These people laughed even more.They said, Uncle Xiucai, can you still control God if you control your family?Do you say that if you suffer from natural disasters, you will suffer from natural disasters?They don't believe it. If they don't believe it, God is not happy.Just like to confirm Zhou Kewen's prophecy, natural disasters really came. It has not rained since the corn was planted.With the remaining moisture from planting, the seedlings came out completely, but they grew so weak that they couldn't stand upright.Fortunately, most of Zhou Kewen's land can be irrigated.Seeing Zhou Kewen fighting the drought in a hurry, the people in Zhoujiazhai were all happy.They thought to themselves, you old man is looking forward to natural disasters, so let's disaster you first.They know that the drought is temporary. The loess is high and slopes are high. It is common for a month or two to not rain. During this period, we have no crops anyway. What does it matter to us whether there is a drought or not?Just relaxing.Autumn is the rainy season in Guanzhong, can it still not rain at that time?God is just like people, if you hold it in for a long time, you have to piss. As long as it rains, we just grow opium.

But their wishful thinking was wrong.God seems to want to teach them a lesson. This year, until the autumn harvest, there is no rain.Although Zhou Kewen tried his best to fight the drought, the corn yield was still 10-20% lower than in previous years.Therefore, he regretted that he had caused the drought by talking nonsense about natural and man-made disasters.Zhou Kewen's harvest was poor, but after all, the loss was not big.For other people in Zhoujiazhai, they are miserable.When it’s time to plant opium, there is no trace of moisture, and there is no way to plow. If you plant it hard, you will only be dead seedlings.Those who have water to irrigate the land are in a better situation, like Zhou Shuancheng, who barely planted the land, and the rest can only be left to fate.However, there are not many people in Zhoujiazhai with paddy fields, and Zhou Kewen has basically taken up such good land.

Others ran into trouble growing opium, and so did Zhou Kewen growing wheat.First of all, the emergence of seedlings is not uniform. Although the ground was watered when the seeds were planted, it could not be watered thoroughly. The water level of the Weihe River dropped, and the river water could no longer flow into the ground. , it is necessary to evenly distribute a little water for the subsequent irrigation.The wheat seedlings are still dry after emergence, the wheat seedlings are yellow in color, the tillers are insufficient, and the field ridges cannot be covered sparsely. In this way, the drought lasted until October, and people panicked, knowing that natural disasters were really coming.

People fleeing famine have already appeared on the roads and small roads outside the village, and their accents are all from Beishan.The land in that place is barren, and it cannot withstand the toss of God.The people in Zhoujiazhai were afraid, they knew that if the weather continued to dry out, they would have to follow in the footsteps of these people. What should I do if it's not raining?Everyone said this anxious question at the beginning, you asked me, I asked him, and finally asked the patriarch Zhou Kewen. What to do?Pray for rain!Zhou Kewen said. Praying for rain is a sacred thing, and I dare not be careless.Zhou Kewen asked Heichou to beat the gong along the village to announce that within ten days, no killing, no playing, no intercourse, no smoking opium, and violators would be beaten out of the village with clubs, and they would not be allowed to return to their hometowns!

Zhou Baogen became irritable when he heard that, he could tolerate meat and pussy, but how could he not smoke?To death!He said, I will smoke, and see if my uncle can bite me!Zhou Shuancheng said, my baby don't mess around, it's not because I'm afraid of your uncle, but because I'm afraid of the whole village.Praying for rain is a matter for the whole village, and it will cause public outrage.He hurriedly sent his son to the town to guard the tobacco house, not going back to the village for the time being. The Zhou family village immediately became solemn. Even the animals were very sensible. Dogs did not crawl on their crotches, chickens did not step on eggs, cats did not call spring, and magpies did not dare to fall when they flew across the village.

Praying for rain is offering sacrifices to the Dragon King.But there is only the Niangniang Temple in Zhoujiazhai, without the Dragon King Temple, naturally there would be no Dragon King.According to the rules left by the old life, I have to go to another village to borrow.But in the midst of a severe drought, the dragon kings in any village are very busy, so why are they willing to borrow money?I had no choice but to steal.Stealing the Dragon King can only be done by women, and there are also big girls who have not left the pavilion, a group of seven, called Seven Fairies.It is said that the dragon does the work, and the woman is the kun. Only when a woman approaches the Dragon King, the old man will not get angry and submit obediently. This is called the harmony of yin and yang.The bag containing the Dragon King is a woman's crotch trousers. When the Dragon King is covered with this thing, the old man will faint. It rains whenever someone prays for it.

Zhoujiazhai is going to steal the Dragon King from Liujiagou this time.Liujiagou is close, and the Dragon King is also alive.Stealing the Dragon King is a folk game, and the two parties have a tacit understanding that they will not regard it as real theft.But this kind of game also has rules, if a thief is caught by others, he will still suffer some hardships.Although he would not be beaten or scolded, playfulness and humiliation were unavoidable.Because the thief is a big girl, the other party loves tofu, and she can do it by kissing, touching breasts, and even pulling pants.To do this, a pungent woman must be the leader. Not only can she steal, but she can also restrain the other party.Zhou Kewen even sent a few people, but they were unwilling. Only then did he think of Yinwa, and felt a pang of regret.If Yingwa was here, he wouldn't be bothered.Zhou Kewen finally got angry. He said that if these girls don't go, they are not from Zhou's village, and they are not allowed to return to their parents' home after they get married.Those girls were afraid, so they became thieves tremblingly. Fortunately, the other party was unprepared, and they succeeded easily. The Dragon King stole it back, and the rain prayer officially began. The first is to set up an altar.On an auspicious day and a good day, the whole village gathers in front of the Niangniang Temple, waiting for the Dragon King to raise his account.Everyone wore wicker rings on their heads and bare feet without shoes. The men had bare backs and the women had bibs around their bellies. They stood solemnly, not daring to make any noise.Suddenly there was a sound of cannon, and the sound of gongs and drums. The stolen Dragon King was carried up by two strong men and placed on the altar. A painter repainted the Dragon King on the spot.The person in charge, Zhou Kewen, knelt down at the feet of Lord Dragon, and after prostrating three times and prostrating nine times, he began to read the sacrificial text.He shook his head, cadenced, and his voice was melodious but majestic: On the second day of October in the 17th year of the Republic of China, a hundred disciples from Zhoujiazhai, Guanzhong Road, Shaanxi Province, with incense, candles, wine and food, kowtowed in the Dragon Palace and Dragon Court: Seedlings grow well when they get rain and dew, and people eat five grains to survive.Unexpectedly, the drought and the witches were rampant. From the beginning of summer to the beginning of winter, as far away as May, there was no rain at all.The great building is like a furnace, the sun is like a fire, red flames are rising in all directions, and strong winds are blowing all over the world.All the grass is withered, the flowers are all withered, the springs in the wells are cut off, the water in Hanoi is exhausted, the farmers are weeping in the fields, and the elders are crying in the fields.Fuken Dragon King sent rain early to relieve the danger of being upside down, and gave the rain and dew a lot of grace to save the calamity.The three animals are equipped, it is a wish and a reward, and the gods are not far away, so come and enjoy!Enjoy! The people in Zhoujiazhai were dizzy and didn't know what scriptures Zhou Kewen was reading.Heichou muttered in a low voice, Uncle Xiucai was talking nonsense.Mao Wa whispered to him, is the Dragon King himself a ghost?Although the voices of these two people were quiet, they were still heard by Zhou Kewen. He rolled his eyes, and the two people were so scared that they quickly ducked down and hid behind their backs.Fortunately, at this time the master of ceremonies yelled, bow down!Everyone got down on the ground, touched the ground with their heads, and bowed to the Dragon King.Zhou Kewen incinerated the yellow form on which the sacrificial text was written, and raised the paper ashes into the air with both hands. Once he was busy with work, he couldn't care about Heichou and Maowa. After setting up the altar, it is time to meet the water.Lord Dragon sat on the Shenlouzi, carried by two strong young men, and set off from Zhoujiazhai to fetch water from Qinglongtan in Qinling Mountains.The Shenlou is the incense table dedicated to the Dragon King just now. Two wooden rafters were tied together to make a sedan chair, and Heichou and Maowa were carrying the sedan chair.As soon as they heard Zhou Kewen call their names, they knew that the patriarch was punishing them, and they secretly groaned.There are dozens of miles from Zhoujiazhai to Qinglongtan, and there are many mountain roads, and I can't wear shoes, so I have suffered a lot!But they didn't dare to disobey, praying for rain is a major event related to the lives of the whole village, everything must be obeyed by the master, and offenders will be severely punished. Shenlou clears the way in front, followed by the boy who protects the water, holding the holy bottle in his arms, which is used to hold holy water.The sacred bottle is the magic weapon of the Niangniang Temple, and the Niangniang is Guanyin Bodhisattva. She holds a bottle of nectar in her hand, and the Dragon King who fetches water borrows her first.Anyway, they are all gods, easy to discuss.Besides, the nectar of the empress is also life-saving, so the two of them came to the same goal by different routes.Behind the boy guarding the water was a team of escorts. They were led by Zhou Kewen. They were all barefooted and barebacked. While burning incense and paper, they shouted the formula of begging for water: "Dragon Lord—oh, rain down—lah!"It's raining heavily—oh, save the people—lah!The begging for water formula was led by Zhou Kewen, and everyone shouted in unison, the voice was high-pitched and sad, which made people feel sad. When they arrived at Qinglongtan, they sacrificed to the Dragon King again, got water from the pond, and the team returned the same way.After entering Zhoujiazhai, first go to the field to parade and give alms.Zhou Kewen took a thin willow stick, dipped holy water from the holy bottle, and sprinkled it on the dry and scorched land. Every time he sprinkled it, all the staff knelt down on the spot and shouted the formula of begging for water.When they arrived at Zhoujiazhai Street, every household set up an incense table at the door to welcome the Dragon King. When they walked to the door of someone's house, the family hurriedly burned incense and kowtowed.Lord Dragon received piety all the way, and finally returned to the square in front of the Niangniang Temple. Retrieve the holy water, and the following is three consecutive days of worship.Whether it will rain or not depends on these three days.After Zhou Kewen arranged the Dragon King and the holy water, he led the whole village to pay homage for the first round.After burning incense and kowtowing, Zhou Kewen coughed majestically, and then spoke. He said, if it doesn't rain, you can't blame the sky, it's God's punishment.Why does God punish people?Have people done something stupid?Some people do blind things in front of people, and some people do blind things behind people's backs. Whether you do it openly or secretly, God will see clearly. He is angry.People who do blind things today have to confess their sins to God and ask God for forgiveness. Only when God is happy will it rain for us. Zhou Kewen is very powerful, he is not only praying for rain, but also rectifying the rural wind.Usually speaking about these people, they may not be convinced, but now with the help of Tianwei, they dare not be dissatisfied.He not only wants them to speak orally, but also asks them to examine themselves from the bottom of their hearts.Zhou Kewen is proud of his idea. He has seen a lot of praying for rain in the history books of the past dynasties. After Zhou Kewen finished speaking, seeing that no one responded, he said sharply, are all the saints in our Zhou family village?Have you ever smoked?Playing for money?Not honoring their parents?Sneaky?If you don't say it, you're deliberately deceiving God, forcing a mouse to spoil a pot of soup, so that we can't pray for rain!Let me tell you, you are against the whole village, and you are killing the whole village, can everyone spare you?No one wants to get away with it. If you don't tell yourself, others will expose your old background. This is not to embarrass you, but to save the lives of the whole village!If anyone is exposed by others, everyone will spit on his face. These people are shameless! When Zhou Kewen said this, the emotions of the whole village were aroused. They shared the same hatred and shouted, those who do blind things, stand up! Zhou Shuancheng was startled. His brother listed smoking opium in the headlines, which was obviously aimed at Zhou Baogen, and the whole village counted his son as a heavy smoker.But he was secretly complacent, feeling that he had figured things out like a god, and he had told his son to hide in the smokehouse long ago. If the person involved was not there, he would pretend to be confused.Unexpectedly, his brother opened his mouth. Zhou Kewen said, to be righteous is to be righteous first, and to repent from my family first. My brother Zhou Shuancheng has something to say, and he wants to tell God about the opening of the smokehouse. Hey, old fox!Zhou Shuancheng was so angry that his teeth were itching, he even used his brother to sacrifice the flag, and he gained a good reputation for killing relatives righteously.Whoever is a family with you, we have already separated!Zhou Shuancheng wanted to jump up and question his brother.But after thinking about what his brother said, it makes sense. Although he and his brother have separated, they are the same mother and siblings, and they are the same litter of cubs.People in the village are accustomed to separating relatives and estrangements according to nests. The same nest is a family, regardless of whether you separate or not.Besides, even if he didn't recognize his brother, he couldn't deny the matter of opening the smokehouse. It was a lice on the bald man's head.Opening a smoking den is harmful to people. This is a truth that everyone understands. His brother pinched his acupuncture point and made him unable to move. If he denied it on the spot, it would probably arouse public outrage. Zhou Shuancheng had no choice but to walk out of the crowd, knelt down in front of the incense table, and told God the inside story of his own opium den, crying bitterly that he would close the opium den and stop harming others. Seeing Zhou Shuancheng acting like a fool, Zhou Kewen felt indescribably happy.There are many people who grow opium in Zhoujiazhai, but Zhou Shuancheng is the only one who opens a tobacco shop!It is said that growing opium is also a harmful thing, but after all, it is exchanged for money. As for whether the people who buy cigarettes smoke themselves or sell them, anyway, the opium grows out of sight and out of sight, so there is no harm in the moment.But opening a tobacco den is different. It is a blatant and immediate disaster, and many children from good families have been destroyed by these people.As the saying goes: a bamboo spear, kills a hero without blood; half a stick of light, burns down the countryside and family property without ashes!He once persuaded his brother, saying that it was a business that harmed people, so don't be ungrateful for profit.But his brother thinks that this is cutting off his fortune, and wants him to fail to catch up with him for the rest of his life, with bad intentions.He had always wanted to find an opportunity to teach him a lesson and make him repent, and today he finally achieved his goal.Man cannot tell lies before God, and if he fails to keep his vows to God, he will be struck with thunder! As soon as Zhou Shuancheng started, the others couldn't sit still.No one in the patriarch's family could escape, so who would dare to get away with it?Shanyan said that he played with money, Baisuo said that he broke other people's corn cobs, Heichou said that he secretly scolded his mother for being an old man...even stole a man's daughter-in-law, a father-in-law who picked up ashes, and a sister-in-law. The uncles all came out, and they all repented with snot and tears, and vowed to change their past mistakes. Zhou Kewen was extremely satisfied.Regardless of whether the prayer for rain was successful or not, that is a matter for heaven to manage. At least the goal of supervising the weathering has been achieved, which is his credit.Zhu Zi said that death from starvation is a small matter, but injustice is a major matter.The sages have seen that self-cultivation is more difficult than enduring hunger.But under Zhou Kewen's governance, such a difficult task was easily done. Before the hunger came, everyone in Zhoujiazhai could be Yao and Shun!Although he dare not say that he is more capable than the saint, at least he can be regarded as the favorite student of the saint. However, Zhou Kewen didn't feel complacent for long, and he was slapped in the face the next day.At the beginning of the sacrifice on the second day, Zhou Shuancheng took the lead in worshiping in front of the Dragon King and said, I am stupid, and I often read operas. Whenever there is a famine, the emperor on the operas will condemn himself and punish himself.Now that the Zhou family village is suffering from a drought, the patriarch cannot absolve himself of the blame. Today, please open your eyes wide and listen to Zhou Kewen, the patriarch of the Zhou family village, to repent and see if he is sincere. As soon as Zhou Shuancheng finished speaking, the eyes of the whole village were on Zhou Kewen.Zhou Kewen didn't expect this move, and was a little flustered at the moment. His brother is retaliation, it came so fast.However, after a little thought, he stabilized his position, knelt down in front of the statue, burned incense, and began to repent. Zhou Kewen said that when encountering disasters in ancient times, all saints and masters would reflect on themselves.According to historical records, Cheng Tang, the founding emperor of the Shang Dynasty, suffered a seven-year drought during his reign.He went to the mulberry forest alone and prayed: "If one person is guilty, it is not as good as ten thousand husbands. If ten thousand husbands are guilty, one person is guilty. There is no one person who is insensitive, so that God, ghosts and gods hurt the lives of the people." Emperor Kangxi encountered drought during his reign. According to historical records, he set up an altar in the palace to pray, knelt for three days and nights, ate only coarse rice and light rice without salt, and it rained heavily on the fourth day.Chengtang and Kangxi are both sages and masters. They issued their own edicts and punished themselves. It is not because they are really guilty, but because they love the people and suffer on behalf of the people. Zhou Kewen's remarks are citing scriptures, eloquently, and the purpose is to pave the way for himself and compare himself to a sage and enlightened lord.The sages and masters are innocent, and their repentance is done on behalf of the people. This is not only not a crime, but a merit.With this step, Zhou Kewen began to reflect on himself.He said that as the head of the clan, there were disobedient and unfilial people in the village, and he did not educate them well; there were lazy people in the village, but he did not supervise them; Li Li explained it clearly to them... As a parent, he didn't manage his family well, his brother opened a tobacco shop, his nephew smoked opium, his niece didn't return to his mother's house all the year round, and his son violated the family rules... After hearing Zhou Kewen's confession of guilt, the people of Zhou's village couldn't appreciate it for a while.You say he is reviewing his own shortcomings, but he is clearly blaming others.You said that he shifted the responsibility to others, but he obviously also mentioned his son. Zhou Shuancheng took another sap.He originally planned to make a fool of his brother, but he didn't expect his brother to beat around the bush and scold him.He is really convinced by this guy, he doesn't use dirty words when he swears, and he doesn't show off when he judges his merits. No one in Zhoujiazhai can do things so impeccably, even in front of God, he dares to do this! The third day is the dragon dance.In the two days before the sacrifice, the Dragon Lord had already enjoyed the sacrifices on the altar table. After he was full of wine and food, it was time for the old man to work. The dragon dance was to make the dragon fly and fetch water from the sky.The dragon was tied up overnight with straw, eyes inlaid with big red dates, and a beard pasted with corn tassels.The dragon is about three feet long and lifelike.During the dragon dance, you have to keep firing the guns. The fire is dazzling and the sound is ear-shattering. This is lightning and thunder.The leaves of cypress trees are also lit, and thick smoke is produced, forming the effect of billowing dark clouds.The dragon walks through the clouds of thunder and lightning, flips up and down, intertwined left and right, majestic and terrifying.Only in this way can the drought man be suppressed, and the Leigong mica, Fengbo Yushi, be driven to rain down. Dragon dance is hard work, especially for those who hold the head of the dragon.The dragon's head has big ups and downs, and there are many tricks. Those who dance it not only have to do a good job themselves, but also lead the dragon body to move forward in harmony, which is the soul of the dragon dance.In the past, in the dragon dance, of course Zhou Kewen was in charge of the dragon head.But today he went up to dance for a while, obviously feeling strenuous.After all, age is not forgiving, he is almost sixty, his arms are sore and his feet are messy, and the whole dragon is a little sluggish and can't lift his spirits.The people of Zhoujiazhai were a little anxious, how could such a dragon fetch rainwater?The people next to him discussed replacing Zhou Kewen and let Zhou Shuancheng play. After all, Zhou Shuancheng was younger than his brother.The brothers of the Zhou family are all top-notch dragon dance masters in the village, and they have been passed down by their father.When Zhou Niuwa was alive, he participated in the Xifu Dragon Dance Competition and won the first place in the county. The county lords even draped him in red. Of course Zhou Shuancheng was happy, but Zhou Kewen was unwilling.What is the threshold now?Pray for rain!If he used to play dragons for fun during festivals, it was just for fun, so he gave in, but not today.Praying for rain is a sacred thing. He is the head of the clan and the person in charge. Of course, he can only be in charge of the dragon head. This is not only related to his status in the Zhou family village, but also shows respect for the Dragon Lord. He is willing to die for these things. .The way he is trying his best now is just suitable for God to see. He is exhausted, so he should touch the Dragon Lord, right?Besides, he was worried about giving the leader to Zhou Shuancheng. He was not worried about his skills, but his character. How could the leader be a smoker?Isn't this blasphemy! But Zhou Shuancheng didn't think so, he felt that today's opportunity came, and he wanted to show his hand.This is not only to show your face, but also to rectify your name. You Zhou Kewen has repeatedly spoiled me, but in the end I became the leader and overshadowed you.Not everyone can be a leader, nor can anyone who wants to be a leader. It requires outstanding skills and high morals!Today is a god-sent opportunity. It is not that I, Zhou Shuancheng, want to replace you. It was suggested by the villagers. Zhou Shuancheng was eager to play, but Zhou Kewen just gritted his teeth and refused to change.No one else can do anything, he is the person in charge, he has the final say.Zhou Shuancheng frowned, thinking about it.He sneaked home in a hurry, found some crotons, soaked a crock of water and brought them to the dragon dance scene.Zhou Baogen is weak, and Zhou Shuancheng's house is almost a traditional Chinese medicine shop, where he can find all kinds of herbs.Zhou Shuancheng stuck next to the dancing faucet, called brother affectionately, and said to drink some water, it makes you tired.Zhou Kewen was sweating profusely, and his throat was so dry that it was smoking. Without thinking about it, he opened his mouth wide and asked Zhou Shuancheng to pour water on him.Zhou Kewen drank heartily, and his energy improved a lot.Zhou Shuancheng used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his brother's face. The water jug ​​in his other hand accidentally touched the dragon shelf, fell to the ground and broke with a clang. Most of the water in the jug was spilled, and others could drink it if they wanted to. no.Zhou Shuancheng delivered water and wiped his sweat. Zhou Kewen felt grateful for a moment. He couldn't move his hands, so he could only express his gratitude to his brother with his eyes.After all, he is a real brother, breaking the bones and connecting the tendons, even though he beat him a lot in the past two days, he didn't seem to mind. But Zhou Kewen didn't expect him to be tricked.Half an hour later, Zhou Kewen's stomach started beating drums, and his internal organs fell down. No matter how he lifted it up, he couldn't lift it up, and he might squirt out of his body at any time.Zhou Kewen hurriedly yelled for a replacement, not because he didn't want to die in the line of duty, but because he was afraid that the filth would collide with the gods. After this, Zhou Kewen didn't play again.He had diarrhea one after another, and finally he didn't even have the strength to lift his pants, so he could only watch Zhou Shuancheng show off his might on the court.He lamented that he was old, and hated his lack of stature, how could he be so mad at this pass.Zhou Kewen didn't expect that his brother would play tricks. The matter of praying for rain was too big, and no one dared to make fun of it.Zhou Kewen only thought that he was exhausted, and he kept blaming himself in his heart.He was worried that without him as the person in charge, would God feel slighted?God's will is unpredictable.Zhou Kewen was very anxious, he didn't know what the result of praying for rain would be. The result is disappointing! God does not favor Zhoujiazhai.The dragon dance continued until dark that day, and the starry sky blinked and laughed at the exhausted dragon dancers. Zhoujiazhai panicked.God doesn't care about us anymore, he's going to exterminate us!What should I do? Someone proposed to expose the Dragon King.This method is to pray evilly, to coerce the Dragon King, to expose the throne of the Dragon King to the sun, and to beat him with a whip until the old man can't stand it anymore, and he sends clouds to make it rain.Zhou Kewen said no, we can't do such a reckless thing, this is a break with God.We are farmers, relying on the sky to eat, and we can never offend the sky.Besides, the Dragon King borrowed someone else's Liujiagou, if you expose the Dragon King, beat the Dragon King, will he agree?Otherwise, the two villages will have to be beaten, and people may die! Then you can't watch people starve to death, the villagers said, you are the patriarch! Zhou Kewen knows that he has a great responsibility, but he is not God, and he can't control God.He was so anxious that his eyes were red and his tongue was sore, but he couldn't think of a way out. At this time, the old eighth came up with an idea to Zhou Kewen, offering boys and girls to the Dragon King, saying that this method was used in our village when Ding Wu was in a strange situation, and his father told him that it was very effective.Dingwu Qihuang is a matter of the early years of Guangxu.At that time, Zhou Kewen was still young and didn't remember anything. He only heard from the old man that many people died of starvation.But some people in the village knew that Lao Geda, who is now in his seventies, had gone through that incident. He said that he was very spiritual. In the morning, he offered up boys and girls, and it rained in the evening.Lao Geda was the only witness of the disaster, and his words gave the people of Zhoujiazhai hope of survival. Offer boys and girls!The people of Zhoujiazhai spoke in unison. Zhou Kewen also felt that this method was feasible. It was forceful in the middle of seeking, and hard in the middle of softness. It should be able to pray for rain. The question is where do virgins come from?Who is willing to take out their own children as sacrifices? People in the village are all talkative.Don't look at their passionate group, but when it comes to offering boys and girls, no one makes a sound.Everyone wants others to take out their children and enjoy the benefits for themselves. Other people's children are worthless, while their own dolls are treasures.This is where things froze. Zhou Kewen said, my grandson will be a virgin boy!He was first. When this word reached Chun'e's ears, she immediately fainted, and Zhou Liang rushed over to fight the old man desperately.Zhou Kewen knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't dare to fight, so he ran out of the house.The wife was chasing after him and scolded, you old bastard, you are so cruel!Zhou Kewen yelled at his wife and said, you indiscriminate person, can't you figure out what is a big thing and what is a small thing?We gave up a doll to save the life of a villager. This is a matter of sacrificing one's life for righteousness, and it will be recorded in history!Mrs. Zhou Liang said, aren't you afraid that your son will shoot you when he comes back?Zhou Kewen said, he dares?I am his father! When Zhou Liang saw that the old man was not eating, he sat down on the ground and cried loudly.She knew that the old man was a stubborn donkey, and he couldn't reverse what he had made. Mrs. Zhou Liang cried and made a fuss, and the whole village knew about it, and they admired Zhou Kewen's personality.Mingdetang's grandson is a baby bump, and Zhou Kewen loves him to the bottom of his heart.People in the village saw that Zhou Kewen and his grandson were always inseparable as long as they had free time.The almost two-year-old baby can already walk, but Zhou Kewen never lets his feet touch the ground, either in his arms or on his neck.If the baby pissed on him, he would yell with joy, boy piss, longevity medicine, you can only drink it, not pour it, and immediately suck a few mouthfuls of his grandson's calf, pursing his lips so sweetly.As long as his grandson is by his side, Zhou Kewen's face will always look like a chrysanthemum. At this time, when the villagers ask him to do something, he will happily agree no matter how difficult it is.This grandson is too cute, Bai Shengsheng, chubby, looks like he ran down from the New Year's picture of Guanyin giving his son, and his mouth is also sweet. Whoever Zhou Kewen asked him to call, he would call grandpa, grandma, uncle, and uncle in a childish voice. non-stop.Just such a precious lump, the lifeblood of the whole family, Zhou Kewen offered it as soon as he said it, where is such a good person?Where can such a patriarch be found? People often say that strong grass can be known by strong wind, and heroes can be seen by toughness. The people of Zhoujiazhai really saw Zhou Kewen at this pass.They worshiped Zhou Kewen as a Buddha, almost wanting to kneel down when they saw him.Not long ago, Zhou Kewen was so ashamed by his son that he even felt ashamed to see people. Now that he has turned over, his prestige is like the sun in the sky, shining bright red. There are virgin boys, and there should be virgin girls. Zhoujiazhai has a lot of female dolls.The parents of these girl dolls are ashamed and evasive at the same time.They accused each other and exposed each other, and they all felt that virgins should be left in other people's homes.This kind of melee is endless, and finally everyone came to a conclusion, to draw a frame, and whoever is framed counts as who!Families with female dolls agreed to do so, saying it was fair and reasonable. Zhou Kewen expected things to be like this.He said, this frame can only be determined by God, I can't decide, let's go to the Niangniang Temple and ask someone, he is a man of gods. Zhou Kewen called Shang Laoba and a few others to the Niangniang Temple to find Sun Daoren.Sun Daoren lived in the Niangniang Temple all the year round, not only exorcising demons and ghosts, but also curing diseases and saving lives, and doing divination.Zhou Kewen explained his purpose, and Sun Daoren pondered for a while and said, the boys and girls should be the same age, right?Zhou Kewen nodded and said, of course, this is a good match.However, Zhou Kewen asked Sun Daoren, what is the right age for this boy and girl?Sun Daoren stretched out his fingers and counted, but there was no result for a long time.Zhou Kewen said, Taoist priest, look, these boys and girls are dedicated to the Dragon King, so it is more appropriate to call them Dragon Son and Dragon Girl.Sun Daoren clapped his hands and said, those born in the year of the dragon are the sons and daughters of the dragon. They are the descendants of the Dragon King. If they are asked to ask for water, the Dragon King will definitely give him face! Those who belong to the dragon, Zhou Kewen said to the people who came together, you have all heard it.Everyone nodded. This year is the Year of the Dragon, and there are babies in the Zhoujiazhai who belong to the dragon. They are either half a year old or twelve years old. Of course, this does not include Zhou Kewen's grandson, who belongs to the tiger.Thanks to Zhou Liang, Chun'e also came back to life.Zhou Kewen said, who made you worry, what did I do so recklessly? Mingdetang was happy, but other people were crying loudly.This time the dragon is chosen by heaven, and no one can do anything about it.No one can complain about the selected ones, only the baby was born in the Year of the Dragon.The dragon is originally the most honorable, the son of the dragon, the grandson of the dragon, the most likely to become rich and powerful in the future, but now he is the most unlucky.They cried to the whole village, but the villagers refused to do it. They said, when your doll was not chosen, you also called for offering a boy and a girl. The two families came to Mingde Hall crying.Zhou Kewen said, why are you crying?As soon as the boys and girls were presented, it rained on the Dragon Lord, and nothing happened to the baby.Those who cry still cry, they don't believe it.Zhou Kewen himself is also guilty, how can he guarantee that the Dragon King is so soft-hearted?If that was the case, Zhou Liang wouldn't be in a hurry when his grandson donated it.But now he can only say this, this is to give the two families peace of mind, but also to give himself peace of mind. Seeing these people crying like tears, Zhou Liang and Chun'e were also very sad. They could understand the feelings of these people, and they themselves had lived like this a few days ago.Zhou Liang advised the old man to think of a way, and Chun'e also said, Dad, people's hearts are made of meat.Zhou Kewen sighed and said, how about it, would you like to contribute some money? When the two families heard this, they seemed to have received an amnesty order, and immediately stopped crying and said yes. Zhou Kewen asked, would you like to have a little more? They all said in unison, yes! Zhou Kewen asked them to go home to raise money, and he went to find boys and girls. Zhou Kewen came to Jiangzhang Town, where a large number of refugees gathered.They went south from the Beishan Mountains to the relatively affluent Guanzhong Plain to escape famine.Zhou Kewen walked from one end of the street to the other. Along the way, there were beggars, coolies, clothing and jewelry sellers, and of course there were also children and daughters. Those who sell children and daughters gather next to the mule and horse market, where they sell livestock, and here they sell people.Zhou Kewen came to the population market, looking at those people with straw in their heads one by one.They have adults and dolls, parents who sell their children, husbands who sell their wives, and some who sell themselves.Zhou Kewen didn't look at the adults, only at the dolls, and didn't ask about the price, only about the zodiac signs.He was lucky, and finally picked out a pair of dragon boys and girls, both twelve years old.He asked the price, and the other party said ten silver dollars. Zhou Kewen felt sad for a while, and the price was only worth three buckets of wheat.Without saying a word, he gave them twenty silver dollars each, and the two parents were stunned.They were waiting for the buyer to counter-offer, but they did not expect the other party to double the price.They thought they had encountered a living Bodhisattva, so they knelt down to Zhou Kewen with a plop.Zhou Kewen was so ashamed that he pulled the doll and walked out.Seeing the buyer's generosity, other sellers rushed to put the doll into Zhou Kewen's arms. Zhou Kewen resisted and ran to Zhou's village with the doll. The sacrifice was held on the second day after the doll was bought back. This was the last effort of the people of Zhoujiazhai.At the sacrificial site, the god of the Dragon King is enshrined first, and a horizontal bar like a swing frame is erected in front of the incense table. A large oil pan is set up under the horizontal bar, and the vegetable oil in the pan is boiled by the fierce fire.When the auspicious time arrived, there was a bang, and the people of Zhoujiazhai, led by Zhou Kewen, knelt down in front of the crossbar, burned incense and turned their watches, and kowtowed.The master of ceremonies shouted, Sacrifice!I saw two big men carrying two naked dolls to the oil pan, set them up, and hung them on the crossbar with ropes.Only now did the two dolls realize their dangerous situation, and they burst into tears together.The big man who kidnapped people asked, do you want to gag the mouths of these two dolls?Zhou Kewen said, don't, tell them to cry, the more sad they cry, God knows the more pitiful we are!这时孙道士走上前来，嘴里念念有词，手上比比画画，然后在吊娃娃的麻绳上拴上一截一拃长的火绳。一切准备停当，司仪宣布，宣颂祭文！ 主祭人当然是周克文，他在童男童女撕心裂肺的哭声中读完祭文。前面无非是陈述旱情，可后面的却不同于上次的祭文。吾辈诚心可鉴，特贡献童男童女一对，望苍天体恤民苦，怜悯性命，立时三刻，普降甘霖！ 这分明是以敬为逼，拿人质要挟龙王了。 祭文读罢，司仪高声宣布：哭祭！ 孙道士点燃了火绳，周家寨人放声哭吟：龙王爷哟下大雨啊——老天爷哟降甘霖啊——可怜可怜啊咱受苦人哟—— 周家寨人雄浑的哭声和童男童女尖厉的号叫组成悲怆的大合唱，神鬼有灵，理当动容。 火绳在咝咝燃烧，像毒蛇吐着芯子，火点离麻绳越来越近。童男童女的嗓子已经哭哑了，他们悬吊的身子也不再扭动了。油锅里的滚油不时迸出锅沿，溅在地上滋起一股白烟。 周家寨人今天才看到了周克文的另一面：心硬如铁。别看他平时弥勒佛似的，狠起来也够狠的，他眼睁睁地看着这两个娃娃下油锅啊。其实他们不了解周克文，他现在心里比谁都紧张，比谁都痛楚。他不忍心拿周家寨的娃娃去献祭，才迫不得已去买人。他没有想让这两个外乡娃娃下油锅，他抱着十二分的侥幸来做事，宁愿相信童男童女祈雨一定会成功。丁戊奇荒都灵验的，这次没有道理不灵验。只要老天爷可怜周家寨人，火绳烧断麻绳前一定下雨，那这两个娃娃就即时放生。 天空果然有云了，从西北角方向涌起了一股浓重的乌云，它们翻滚着朝这边扑来了。这是下暴雨的兆头啊，关中雨季的暴雨就是这么酝酿的。周家寨人哭声更高了，他们相信自己的诚心有了回报，龙王爷果然到这里领取童男童女了。 火绳已经烧到尽头，引燃了麻绳，麻绳的丝线一根根绷断，周克文的神经也在一根根绷断。要不要立即解下童男童女？雨现在还没有求下来，就差一点点了，万一此刻解下了祭品龙王爷会嫌你没诚意。可是要不解，这麻绳眼看就要烧断了！ 再坚持一会会儿！就坚持一会会儿…… 雨就要来了！ 嘎嘣一声脆响，麻绳断了，两个娃娃瞬间跌入油锅。 周克文眼睛一黑，晕了过去。 黑云是过路的，它们从周家寨人头顶上气势汹汹地冲过去，到东南方布阵去了。