After all, the end of the year in the old calendar resembles the end of the year the most. Not to mention the villages and towns, even the sky shows the appearance of the approaching New Year.From time to time there was a flash of light among the gray and white heavy evening clouds, followed by a blunt sound, which was the firecrackers sending off the stove; the explosions nearby were even more intense, the deafening sound had not ceased, and the air was already filled with faint gunpowder fragrant.I am returning to my hometown Luzhen on this night.Although it is my hometown, I don't have a home anymore, so I have to temporarily live in Master Lu Si's house.He is my family, a generation older than me, should be called "Fourth Uncle", and he is an old supervising student who lectures on Confucianism.He hasn't changed much from before, just a little older, but he still doesn't have a beard. When we meet, we greet each other.But I know that this is not an excuse to scold me: because he is still scolding Kang Youwei.However, the conversation was never speculative, so I was left alone in the study before long.

I got up very late the next day. After lunch, I went out to see some family members and friends; the same thing happened on the third day.They haven't changed much, they are just getting older, but they are all busy at home, preparing for "blessings".This is the year-end ceremony in Lu Town, where we pay our respects, welcome the God of Fortune, and pray for good luck in the coming year.Killing chickens, slaughtering geese, buying pork, and washing them carefully, the women's arms were soaked red in the water, and some even wore twisted silk silver bracelets.After cooking, put some chopsticks in this kind of things in a haphazard manner, which can be called "blessing ceremony". On the fifth watch, they are displayed, and incense candles are lit, and the gods of good fortune are respectfully invited to enjoy, but only men are worshiped. The end is naturally still setting off firecrackers.It’s like this every year, every family—as long as you can afford blessings and firecrackers—it’s the same this year.The sky was getting darker, and it started snowing in the afternoon, the snowflakes were as big as plum blossoms, flying all over the sky, mixed with smoke and busy look, making Luzhen a mess.When I returned to my fourth uncle's study room, the corrugated boards were already white, and the room was lit up brightly, clearly showing Zhu Tuo's big "Shou" character on the wall, written by the ancestor Chen Tuan, while The old couplets have fallen off, loosely rolled up and placed on the long table, and the one on the other side is still there. The saying is "reasonable and peaceful".Bored, I went to the desk under the window to look, only to see a pile of "Kangxi Dictionary", a "Jin Si Lu Ji Zhu" and a "Si Shu Lin".In any case, I am determined to leave tomorrow.

Besides, until yesterday when I met Mrs. Xianglin, I couldn't live comfortably.It was afternoon, I went to the east end of the town to visit a friend, and when I came out, I met her by the river; and seeing her staring eyes, I knew that she was coming towards me.Among the people I saw in Lu Town this time, no one has changed more than hers: the gray hair five years ago is now completely white, and she will not look like a person in her forties; her face is thin and thin. Alas, the color is yellow with black, and the previous sad expression has been eliminated, as if she was carved in wood; only the eyeballs round occasionally, which can still indicate that she is a living thing.She held a bamboo basket in one hand.There was a broken bowl inside, which was empty; in one hand, she was holding a bamboo pole longer than her, and the lower end was cracked: she was clearly a beggar.

I stood still and prepared for her to ask for money. "Are you back?" she asked first. "yes." "That's just right. You're literate, you're a traveler, and you've seen a lot. I'm about to ask you something—" Her dull eyes suddenly lit up. I never expected her to say such a thing, and stood there in amazement. "That is—" she took two steps closer, lowered her voice, and said in a very secretive manner, "after a person dies, does he have a soul?" I was terrified, seeing her staring at me, felt like a thorn on my back, more panic than when I encountered an unforeseen impromptu exam at school and the teacher was standing beside me. Much more.I have never cared about the existence of a soul; but at this moment, how should I answer her?In a very short period of hesitation, I thought, people here believe in ghosts as usual, "But she was puzzled, or rather hope: hope that there is something, and hope that there is no ..., why do people add the hopeless people Anxiety, for her sake, it's better to say there is.

"Perhaps there is—I think," I said hesitatingly. "So there's hell, too?" "Ah! Hell?" I was very surprised, so I had to hesitate, "Hell? — Logically, there should be. — But it's not necessarily,... who cares about such things...." "So, the members of the dead family can meet each other?" "Ah, ah, shall we meet or not?..." At this time, I knew that I was still a complete fool, and I couldn't stop asking three questions without any hesitation or any plan. I immediately became timid and wanted to turn over everything. From the previous words, "That is,... Actually, I can't tell... Actually, I can't tell whether there are souls or not."

Taking advantage of her not asking any more questions, I took a step and walked back to my fourth uncle's house, feeling very uneasy.I thought to myself, I am afraid that this answer may be dangerous to her.She probably felt lonely because of other people's blessings, but could it mean something else? ——Or had some premonition?If there are other intentions, and other things happen because of it, then I should really bear some responsibility for my answer....But then I laughed to myself, thinking that occasional things don't have any deep meaning at all, and I just want to scrutinize them carefully. It's no wonder that educators say that they are crazy; The overall situation of the answer, if anything happens, doesn't matter to me anymore.

"Unclear" is a very useful sentence.A brave young man who doesn't know anything, often dares to solve problems for others and choose a doctor. If the result is not good, he will probably become a grievance.At this moment, I feel the need for this sentence even more, even if I talk to a beggar woman, it is absolutely indispensable. But I always felt uneasy, and after a night, I still remembered it from time to time, as if I had some ominous foreboding feeling. In the gloomy snowy day, in the boring study, the uneasiness became more intense.Why don't you go and go to the city tomorrow.Fuxinglou's pier shark's fin, one yuan a large plate, cheap and good quality, now do not know the price increase?Although the friends who traveled together in the past have dispersed, shark fin is a must, even if it is only me...In any case, I am determined to go tomorrow.

Because I often hope that things will not be as expected, and things that I think have not turned out to be as expected, but often turn out to be exactly as expected, I am afraid that this is the same.Sure enough, a special situation began.In the evening, I heard some people talking together in the inner room, as if they were talking about something, but after a while, the talking stopped, and only the fourth uncle walked away and said loudly: "Neither sooner nor later, but at this time—this shows that he is a fallacious species!" I was surprised at first, and then very disturbed, as if the words had something to do with me.Try to look outside the door, no one is there.I managed to stay until their day laborer came to make tea before dinner, and I got a chance to inquire about the news.

"Who was fourth master angry with just now?" I asked. "Aren't you Heyang Mrs. Lin?" the laborer said briefly. "Sister Xianglin? What's the matter?" I hurriedly asked again. "old." "Dead?" My heart tightened suddenly, almost jumping up, and my face probably changed color, but he never raised his head, so he didn't notice it at all.I calmed myself down and asked: "When did you die?" "When?—last night, or today.—I can't tell." "How did you die?" "How did he die?——Isn't he dead of poverty?" He replied indifferently, still without looking up at me, and went out.

However, my panic was only a temporary thing. Afterwards, I felt that what was to come was over, and I didn't need to rely on my own "unexplainable" and his so-called "poor" relief, and my heart gradually relaxed; But occasionally, it seems a little guilty.The dinner was set out, and the fourth uncle seemed to accompany him.I also want to inquire about Mrs. Xianglin, but I know that even though he has read "Ghosts and Gods, Two Qi Zhiliang Nengye", there are still many taboos. When blessings are approaching, you must never mention death and disease Yes, if I have to, I should use an alternative adage, but unfortunately I don't know it, so I wanted to ask it many times, but finally stopped.From his stern expression, I suddenly suspected that he thought that I was neither too early nor too late, and that I wanted to disturb him at this time, which was also a fallacy, so I immediately told him that I would leave Luzhen tomorrow, go into the city, and relax as soon as possible. broke his heart.He is not very reserved.This pretended to be bored and finished a meal.

In winter, the days are short and snowy again, and the night has already enveloped the whole town.People are in a hurry under the lights, but there is silence outside the window.The snowflakes fell on the thick snow mattress, which seemed to be rustling, which made people feel even more silent.Sitting alone under the yellow light of the oil lamp, I thought, this bored Mrs. Xianglin, who was abandoned in the dust pile by people, is an old and tired plaything, and she still exposed her body in the dust before. From the point of view of people who live an interesting life, I am afraid that they are surprised why she still exists, and now she has finally been cleaned up by impermanence.Whether there are souls or not, I don't know; but in this world, those who are bored don't live, even if those who hate seeing don't see, it's not bad for others or for oneself.I listened quietly to the sound of rustling snowflakes outside the window, and while thinking, I gradually became more comfortable. However, the fragments of her half-life deeds that have been seen and heard before have also been connected into one piece. She is not from Lu Town.One year at the beginning of winter, when my uncle's family wanted to change their maidservant, Mrs. Wei brought her in. Her hair was tied with a white rope, she wore a black skirt, a blue jacket, and a moon-white vest. She was about twenty-six or seventeen, with a complexion Blue and yellow, but the cheeks are still red.Mrs. Wei called her Mrs. Xianglin, and said that she was a neighbor of her mother's family, who died as the head of the family, so she came out to work.The fourth uncle frowned, and the fourth aunt already knew what he meant, that he hated her for being a widow.But she still looks upright, her hands and feet are strong, and she just obeys the limit without saying a word, very like a hardworking person, so he left her behind regardless of Fourth Uncle's frown.During the trial period, she worked all day long, and she seemed to be bored when she was idle, but she was as strong as a man, so it was a foregone conclusion on the third day, with a monthly salary of 500 renminbi. Everyone called her Mrs. Xianglin; I didn't ask her what her last name was, but the middle-aged man was from the Wei family, so since she was said to be a neighbor, she probably had the surname Wei.She is not very talkative, and she only answers when people ask, and she doesn't answer much.It wasn't until more than ten days later that I gradually learned that there was a strict mother-in-law and a younger uncle in her family, who was more than ten years old and could collect firewood; she lost her husband in spring; he also collected firewood for a living, ten years younger than her : That's all you know. The days passed quickly, but her workmanship was relentless, no matter the food, she spared no effort.People said that Master Lu Si hired female workers in his family, and they were actually more diligent than hardworking men.At the end of the year, sweeping the dust, cleaning the floor, slaughtering chickens, geese, and cooking blessings all night were all done by one person, and there were no part-time jobs.However, she was satisfied, a smile gradually appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her face became white and fat. Just after the new year, when she came back from digging rice by the river, she suddenly turned pale, and said that she saw a few men wandering on the other side from a distance just now, they looked like her husband's cousin, and they were probably looking for her.The fourth aunt was very surprised and asked for details, but she didn't say anything.As soon as Fourth Uncle knew, he frowned and said: "It's not good. I'm afraid she escaped." It is true that she escaped, and it was not long before this supposition was confirmed. About ten days later, when everyone gradually forgot what happened before, Mrs. Wei suddenly brought in a woman in her thirties, who she said was Mrs. Xianglin's mother-in-law.Although the woman looked like a native of the mountains, she socialized very calmly and was able to speak well. After exchanging pleasantries, she made amends, saying that she had come to send her daughter-in-law home because of the busy business in the beginning of spring, and there were only the old and the young at home. Not enough. "Since her mother-in-law wants her to go back, what can she say?" said the fourth uncle. So the wages were calculated, and there were a total of 1,750 cash, which she kept at the master's house, and even a single penny was useless, so she handed it all over to her mother-in-law.The woman took her clothes again, thanked her, and went out.It was already noon. "Ah, where's the rice? Isn't Mrs. Xianglin going to wash the rice?..." After a while, the fourth aunt cried out in surprise.She was probably a little hungry, so she remembered lunch. So everyone split up to look for the basket.She went to the kitchen first, then to the front of the hall, and then to the bedroom, but there was no sign of picking up the basket.The fourth uncle walked out the door, but he didn't see it. He didn't see it until he reached the river, only to see Ping Ping put on the bank, and there was a vegetable next to it. Those who saw it reported that a white-covered boat had moored in the river in the morning.When Mrs. Xianglin came out to wash the rice, just as she was about to kneel down, two men jumped out of the boat, who seemed to be from the mountains. One hugged her and the other helped her, and she was dragged into the boat.Mrs. Wang Lin also cried a few times, but there was no more sound after that, probably blocked by something.Then two women came up, one didn't know each other, and the other was Wei Poyu.In the spy cabin, it wasn't very clear, she seemed to be lying on the deck tied up. "Damn it! But..." said the fourth uncle. On this day, the fourth aunt cooked lunch by herself; their son A Niu lit the fire. After lunch, Mrs. Wei came again. "Damn it!" Fourth Uncle said. "What do you mean? Thanks to you, you will come to see us again." The fourth aunt was washing the dishes, and said angrily as soon as we met, "You recommended her by yourself, and then robbed her together. There was a lot of trouble, everyone. What does it look like? Are you kidding our family?" "Ah, ah, I was really fooled. This time, I specifically made it clear for this reason. She came to ask me to recommend a place, and I could have guessed that she was hiding it from her mother-in-law. I'm sorry, fourth master, fourth Ma'am, I always get dizzy and careless, and I'm sorry for my customers. Fortunately, the family has always been magnanimous and refuses to argue with villains. This time I will definitely recommend a good one to avenge my crime..." "However..." Fourth Uncle said. So the case of Mrs. Xianglin came to an end, and soon it was forgotten. Only the fourth sister-in-law, because most of the female workers hired later were either lazy or greedy, or greedy and lazy, which was not satisfactory, so she also mentioned Mrs. Xianglin.At these times, she often said to herself, "She doesn't know what to do now?" meaning she hoped she would come again.But by the time of Xinzheng in the second year, she was in despair. As the new year was about to end, Mrs. Wei came to pay New Year's greetings, she was already drunk, and she said that she came late because she went back to her mother's house in Weijiashan and stayed for a few days.During their question and answer, they naturally talked about Mrs. Xianglin. "Her?" Wei Ruo's mother-in-law said happily, "It's good luck now. When her mother-in-law came to arrest her and go back, she had already promised her to the sixth trader in Hejiaao, so she didn't want to go home after returning home." After a few days, it was packed in a sedan chair and carried away." "Ah, such a mother-in-law!..." said the fourth aunt in amazement. "Ah, my wife! If you are the wife of a rich family, what is it for us mountain people and small families? She has a brother-in-law, and she has to marry a wife. If you don't marry her, then you have the money to do it. A dowry gift? His mother-in-law is a shrewd and capable woman, and she has a lot of plans, so she married her to Lishan. If she promised it to the villagers, the dowry would not be much; only few women are willing to marry into the deep mountains and wild valleys, so she just married her. I got 80,000. Now the second son's wife is also married, and the dowry cost 50. After deducting the wedding expenses, there are more than 10,000 left. Scary, look, what a good plan it is..." "Xianglin's sister-in-law is willing to obey?..." "It doesn't matter whether you insist on it or not.—Anyone who makes a fuss will always make a fuss. Just tie it up with a rope, stuff it in a sedan chair, carry it to the man's house, put a flower crown on it, worship the hall, and close the door, and it's over. But Mrs. Xianglin was really out of the ordinary. I heard that there was a lot of trouble at that time. Everyone said that she was different because she worked in a scholar's house. Madam, we have seen a lot: people who turn back get married, and some cry , There are also those who say they are looking for death and life, some who are carried to the man’s house, and there are people who can’t pray for heaven and earth, and some who even smashed the flowers and candles. Sister-in-law Lin is unusual. They said that she just howled and cursed all the way. Already completely dumb. When the sedan chair was pulled out, two men and her brother-in-law held her down vigorously, but she still couldn’t worship. If they were not careful, they let go, oh, Amitabha, and she bumped her head against the corner of the incense table , there was a big hole on her head, and the blood was flowing. I used two handfuls of incense ash and wrapped it in two pieces of red cloth, but it still couldn't stop the bleeding. Until she and the man were imprisoned in the new house with all hands and feet, she still scolded, Ah, this is really..." She shook her head, lowered her eyes, and stopped talking. "What happened next?" The fourth maid asked. "I heard that I didn't get up the next day." She raised her eyes and said. "and after?" "Later?——Woke up. She gave birth to a child by the end of the year, a boy, and he will be two years old in the new year. During the few days I was at my mother's house, some people went to Hejiaao and came back to say that they saw their mother and son, mother She is also fat, and her son is also fat; there is no mother-in-law at the top, and all the man has is strength and can work; the house is her own.—Alas, she is really lucky." From then on, the fourth aunt never mentioned Mrs. Xianglin again. But one autumn, about two New Years after receiving the news of Mrs. Xianglin's good fortune, she actually stood in front of my fourth uncle's house again.There is a round water chestnut-shaped basket on the table, and a small bedding under the eaves.She still had a white rope tied around her head, a black skirt, a blue skirt, and a moon-white vest. Her face was blue and yellow, but the blood had disappeared from her cheeks, and there were some tear stains on the corners of her eyes, and her eyes were not as energetic as before.And it was still Mrs. Wei leading the way, showing a compassionate look, Xu Xu said to the fourth aunt: "...This is really unpredictable. Her man is a solid man. Who knew that he would be ruined by typhoid fever at a young age? He was already cured, but after eating a bowl of cold rice, he relapsed. Fortunately, someone Son; she can do it again, she can collect firewood, pick tea and raise silkworms, and she can still guard it. Who knows that the child will be taken by the wolf again? Spring is almost over, and the wolf is coming to the village. Who would have expected it? Now she has only one naked body left. The uncle came to take over the house and chased her away. She really had nowhere to go, so she had to beg the old master. Fortunately, she has nothing to worry about now, and the wife's family is sadly about to change, so I'll bring her here.—I think it's better to know the way than a novice..." "I'm so stupid, really," Mrs. Xianglin continued, raising her dull eyes. "I only know that when it snows, wild beasts will come to the village when they have nothing to eat in the valley; Mao sat on the threshold and peeled beans. He was very obedient, and he listened to every word I said; he went out. I was chopping firewood behind the house, digging out rice, the rice was in the pot, and I wanted to steam beans. My name is Amao, no Yes, I went out to look, and saw that the beans were scattered all over the place, and our Amao was gone. He didn’t go to other houses to play; I asked around, and sure enough, there was nothing. I was in a hurry, and the people went out to look for it. For a long time, I searched and searched to find a small shoe of his on the thorn wood. Everyone said, it's too bad, I'm afraid I've been caught by a wolf. Go in again; The five viscera in the basket have been eaten up, and I still hold the little basket tightly in my hand..." She continued to sob, unable to speak a sentence. Fourth Aunt was still hesitant at first, but after hearing her own words, the circles of her eyes turned red.After thinking about it, she taught her to take the round basket and bedding to the servant's room.Mrs. Wei let out a sigh as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Mrs. Xianglin looked more relaxed than when she first came here, and she laid down her bedding tamely without waiting for guidance.From then on, she worked as a female worker in Lu Town again. Everyone still calls her Mrs. Xianglin. This time, however, her situation changed drastically.Two or three days after starting work, the masters felt that her hands and feet were not as flexible as before, her memory was much worse, and there was no smile on her corpse-like face all day long. Fourth Aunt's tone was quite dissatisfied.When she first arrived, although the fourth uncle frowned as usual, he didn't have much objection in view of the difficulty of hiring female workers. He just warned the fourth aunt secretly that although such people seem pitiful, they are corrupt It's okay to use her to help, but she doesn't need to touch her hands during the sacrifice, and I have to cook all the meals by myself, otherwise, the ancestors will not eat if they are not clean. The most important event in the fourth uncle's house is the sacrifice, which was the busiest time for Xianglin's sister-in-law before, but this time she is free.The table was placed in the center of the hall, and the table curtain was tied. She still remembered to distribute the wine glasses and chopsticks as usual. "Xianglin's sister-in-law, just let it go! I'll set it up." The fourth aunt said hurriedly. She retracted her hand embarrassingly, and went to get the candlestick again. "Sister Xianglin, leave it alone! I'll get it." Fourth Aunt said hurriedly again. She turned around a few times, and finally had nothing to do, so she walked away in doubt.All she could do that day was sit by the stove and light a fire. People in the town still called her Mrs. Xianglin, but the tone was very different from before; they still talked to her, but their smiles were cold.She ignored those things, just kept her eyes straight, and told everyone her own story that she never forgot day and night: "I'm so stupid, really," she said, "I only know that the snow is a wild animal that has no food in the mountains and will come to the village; I didn't know there would be spring too. I opened the door early in the morning, I took a basket of beans in a small basket and asked our Amao to sit on the threshold and peel the beans. He was a very obedient boy, and he listened to my every word; he went out. I was chopping firewood and washing rice behind the house. The rice was in the pot, and I was going to steam the beans. My name is Amao! There was no answer. I went out and saw the beans were scattered all over the ground, and our Amao was gone. I have been everywhere, but there is no one. I am anxious, Yang People searched for it. Until the second half of the day, several people searched in the valley and saw one of his little shoes hanging on the thorn wood. Everyone said that it was over, and they were afraid of being caught by wolves; they went in again; sure enough, he was lying on the ground In the grass nest, all the internal organs in his stomach have been emptied, but it is a pity that he is still holding that little basket tightly in his hand..." Then she shed tears and sobbed. This story is quite effective. When the men hear this, they often hold back their smiles and walk away bored; but the women not only seem to forgive her, but immediately change their contemptuous expressions on their faces, and shed a lot of tears to accompany her.Some old women did not hear her words on the street, so they came here specially to hear her tragic story.When she talked about sobbing, they all shed the tears that stopped at the corners of their eyes, sighed, and went away satisfied, while commenting one after another. She just told people her tragic story repeatedly, which often attracted three or five people to listen to her.But soon, everyone became familiar with it, and even the most compassionate old ladies who recited the Buddha's name no longer had a trace of tears in their eyes.Later, people in the whole town could almost recite her words, and when they heard it, they got tired and had a headache. "I'm so stupid, really," she began. "Yes, you came to the village only because you knew that the snow beasts had nothing to eat in the mountains." They immediately interrupted her and walked away. She stood there in a daze with her mouth open, looked at them straight in the eyes, and then left, as if she felt bored too.But she still had delusions, hoping to draw out the story of her Amao from other things, such as the little basket, the beans, and other people's children.Whenever she saw a child of two or three years old, she would say: "Alas, if our Amao is still here, he will be this big..." The child was startled when he saw her eyes, and held his mother by the skirt to urge her to leave.So she was the only one left, and finally left bored. Later, everyone knew her temper. Whenever there was a child in front of them, they would ask her first with a half-smile, saying: "Sister Xianglin, if your Amao is still here, wouldn't she be this old?" She may not know that her sorrow has been chewed and appreciated by everyone for many days, and it has already become dross, which is only worthy of disgust and spurn; but from people's smiles, it seems that it is cold and sharp, and there is no need for her to speak.She just glanced at them without answering a word. Luzhen always celebrates the New Year, and it becomes popular after the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.Fourth Uncle's family had to hire a male part-time worker this time, but they were still too busy, so they asked Mama Liu to help her kill chickens and geese.Aside from lighting the fire, Mrs. Xianglin had nothing else to do, but she just sat and watched Mama Liu wash the dishes.A little bit of snow came down. "Ah, ah, I'm so stupid," Xianglin's sister-in-law looked at the sky, sighed, and said like a soliloquy. "Sister Xianglin, you're here again." Mama Liu said impatiently, looking at her face. "Let me ask you: Isn't the scar on your forehead the result of the crash?" "Yeah." She answered with a smile. "Let me ask you: How did you follow through then?" "Me?...", "You. I think: it's always your choice, otherwise..." "Ah, you don't know how strong he is." "I don't believe it. I don't believe that you have such great strength. You really won't be able to hold him back. You must have agreed to it yourself later, and it was said that he had great strength." "Ah, you... you should try it yourself." She smiled. Liu Ma's wrinkled face also laughed, making her shrunk like a walnut. Her small dry eyes looked at Sister Xianglin's forehead, and then fixed her eyes again.Mrs. Xianglin seemed very embarrassed, she immediately suppressed her smile, turned her eyes, and looked at Xuehua herself. "Sister-in-law Xianglin, you're really not worth it." Mama Liu said secretly. "Just try again, or just beat him to death. Now, you have lived with your second man for less than two years, and you have fallen into a serious crime. You think, you will go to the underworld, then Two dead ghost men still want to fight, who should you give to? King Yan Luo had to saw you open and give them to them. I think, this is really..." A look of terror appeared on her face, which was unknown in the mountain village. "I think, you might as well get there as soon as possible. You go to the Earth Temple and donate a threshold as your substitute, which can be stepped on by thousands of people and stepped on by tens of thousands of people. You can atone for the crimes of this life, so that you don't have to die and suffer." She didn't answer anything at the time, but she was probably very depressed. When she woke up the next morning, there were big black circles around her eyes.After breakfast, she went to the Earth Temple at the west end of the town to ask for donations. Miaozhu insisted on not allowing it at first, but she reluctantly agreed until she was so anxious that she burst into tears.The price is twelve thousand dollars.She has not talked to people for a long time, because the story of Amao has long been disliked by everyone; but since talking with Liu Ma, it seems that it has spread again, and many people have a new interest and come to tease her again .As for the topic, it was naturally a new one, focusing on the scar on her forehead. "Xianglin's sister-in-law, let me ask you: why did you agree then?" said one. "Oh, it's a pity, I bumped into this for nothing." One looked at her scar and agreed. From their smiles and tone of voice, she also knew that they were laughing at her, so she always stared and didn't say a word, and then didn't even look back.She kept her lips tightly closed all day long, with the scar on her head that everyone considered a shameful mark, and she silently ran around, sweeping the floor, washing vegetables, and washing rice.After nearly a year, she took the accumulated wages from her fourth aunt, exchanged it for twelve yuan, and asked for leave to go to the west end of the town.But before the end of the meal, she came back, with a very relaxed look and bright eyes, and said happily to her fourth aunt that she had already donated the threshold to the Earth Temple. During the winter solstice, during the ancestor worship season, she worked even harder. She watched the fourth aunt put up the sacrifices and carried the table to the center of the hall with Ah Niu, so she calmly went to get the wine glass and chopsticks. "Leave it alone, Mrs. Xianglin!" Fourth Aunt hurriedly said loudly. She withdrew her hands as if she had been scorched, her face turned gray and black at the same time, and she didn't go to fetch the candlestick anymore, just stood there absentmindedly.She didn't go away until fourth uncle taught her to go away when he was offering incense.This time she changed a lot. On the second day, not only her eyes were sunken, but her spirit was even worse.She was also very timid, not only afraid of dark nights, but also of dark shadows, even if she saw someone, even if he was her own master, she would always feel alarmed, just like a mouse walking around out of its hole in daylight;In less than half a year, my hair also turned gray, and my memory was particularly bad, to the extent that I often forgot to wash the rice. "What happened to Mrs. Xianglin? It's better not to keep her then." The fourth aunt sometimes said this to her face, as if to warn her. However, she is always like this, and there is no hope of becoming wiser.So they wanted to send her away and teach her to go back to Mrs. Wei's place.But when I was still in Luzhen, I just said this; looking at the current situation, it can be seen that it was finally implemented later.But did she become a beggar right away from her fourth uncle's house, or did she go to Mrs. Wei's house first and then become a beggar?Then I don't know. I was awakened by the extremely loud sound of firecrackers because I was nearby, saw the yellow lights as big as beans, and then heard the crackling firecrackers. It was the fourth uncle's family who were "blessing"; I knew it was the fifth watch. almost time.I was in a trance, and vaguely heard the continuous sound of distant firecrackers, which seemed to form a dense cloud of noise in the sky, sandwiched with whirling snowflakes, enveloping the whole town.I am also lazy and comfortable in this noisy embrace, the doubts from the day to the first night, all the blessings of the air are swept away, I only feel that the saints of heaven and earth have enjoyed the offerings and cigarettes, and they are all drunk in the air Staggering, ready to give infinite happiness to the people of Lu Town. February 7, 1924 (Oriental Miscellany, Vol. 21, No. 6, originally published on March 25, 1924)