Chapter 4 Chapter 2 Santu River

With 49% uneasiness, Zhao Yunhan and I went to Yangmahe early in the morning of the third day. Earlier, I contacted Chenjing University through my second uncle Yexuan, and I also confirmed that there was indeed a female student named Zhao Yunhan in the third year of the Folklore Department.In the photo faxed to me by the school, I saw another person. In the photo, Zhao Yunhan has short hair, wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and there is a huge beauty mole on her right cheek that is 0.001 millimeters away from her position. To be honest, although she is not horrific in appearance, it is also horrific enough.No matter how stupid people are, they can judge that Zhao Yunhan who appeared in front of me and Zhao Yunhan, who is a junior in the Department of Folklore, are two people at all!

In the car, I handed that photo to a beautiful woman who was driving, she just glanced at it, smiled indifferently and said, "Xiao Ye, it's your fault, you actually went to investigate people." "Explain. "I spit out two words lightly from my mouth. She pouted: "I went to Korea recently, and after running back, I became like this!" Fainted!She thought she was lying to a ghost!If modern plastic surgery could turn people from dinosaurs into peerless beauties, Korea would have been overcrowded long ago. I don't bother to expose her anymore, since this guy doesn't want to tell the truth, I don't mind adding a little more darkness to her mysterious shadow, as long as I spend more time with her, huh, one day I will figure it out .

The car was driving on the expressway, and the scenery outside the car window was continuously blurred. Soon after, a white river with a width of more than ten meters appeared.The torrent kept hitting the river bed, making a harsh sound of "popping". "Xiao Ye, look at that stele." Zhao Yunhan suddenly stopped the car, pointing to the stone stele not far away. I raised my head, and my vision was immediately filled with the ancient figure of the stele. This stele has been standing here for hundreds of years, and it is covered with dark green moss, but the words on it are still clear.Three huge characters are engraved on the entire tablet: "Santuchuan".

interesting!I got out of the car with a curious mind and came to the stone tablet. Hundreds of thousands of years of wind and rain, it seems that the inscriptions on the stele have not been completely peeled off.The entire stele is carved from a large bluestone produced on the nearby Yangma Mountain.It can be seen that the carving is very fine, and it should have come from the hands of famous masters at that time, but the author's name cannot be found after searching the entire stele. The entire height of the stele is about two meters, and there is a strange creature under the stele. I squatted down, and then I saw clearly that the monster had a long fish body, and its upper body was in the shape of a human.Its sharp teeth aside, its strong body is covered with blue scales, it holds a grotesque spear in its left hand, and a shield with a human face in its right hand, which looks very hideous and terrifying.

Depending on the situation, this thing should be a kind of water monster.Could it be Yasha? I frowned and touched the monster's head with my hand, then shook my head. No, although it does look like Yasha, it is definitely not Yasha.I have never seen this kind of monster in any books. Seeing my puzzled face, Zhao Yunhan on the side explained softly, "This is the Golden Baby." "Golden Baby?" I looked back at her in surprise, "So, this Santu River is also a river of Yangma River. A tributary?" According to literature, the Yangma River Basin covers a total of 100 kilometers, and then it is divided into four tributaries near Yangma Village, and finally flows into the Yangtze River.

Zhao Yun nodded appreciatively, and asked, "Aye, do you know what Santuchuan is?" , the earliest and most clear spread is in the Han Dynasty. It is said that it is the river under the Naihe Bridge. Every dead person must cross the Santu River if they want to enter the city of death. "It is said that before the Han Dynasty, there was no Naihe Bridge on the Santu River. After a person died, there was only one way for ghosts to enter the city of death. Judgment. If you committed a heinous crime during your lifetime, your boat will be destroyed, and you will die, watching the boat slowly sinking into the river, and you will be dragged into the 18th level of hell. Only after the Han Dynasty did the Naihe Bridge talk..." My words stopped abruptly here, and I hurriedly looked at the stele again.Why is this tributary river named Santuchuan?Why is the statue of the golden baby being suppressed by Santuchuan?What does this mean?

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yunhan pulled my arm vigorously, signaling to go back to the car.I left reluctantly, and before I left, I did not forget to take photos of the strange stele in all directions with a digital camera. The car continued to drive forward.Nothing noteworthy happened along the way, and after a few hours, I arrived at the destination, Yangma Village, smoothly. Speaking of Yangma Village, I have also heard about this place.It is said that many places here still retain the architectural style of the late Qing Dynasty, as well as many inexplicable customs. For example, people in Yangma Village are most afraid of chickens flying into the house in the morning, thinking that chickens flying into the house will cause fire.Moreover, residents who encounter a fire should avoid burning pots within three days, that is, they cannot cook at home, so as to avoid another disaster.

They are taboo to break ground in the courtyard at noon, so as not to offend the altar god.People who died outside should not be carried into the house, so as not to be stained with evil spirits. In addition, pregnant women should not pick the fruit. It is said that they will suffer from dystocia in the second year after picking.Women who have not given birth for forty days are not allowed to enter other people's houses, and they are not allowed to look at dead people, so as not to defile other people's houses and rot the corpses. Avoid pouring water or sweeping the ground on the first day of the first lunar month to avoid loss of wealth.Do not sit under the eaves when picking up a baby to avoid being caught and taken away.Baby's clothes should avoid night dew and avoid evil spirits.When building a house, choose the direction and avoid aiming at other people's nave, so as not to hinder other people's feng shui.After the sows give birth, outsiders should avoid seeing them, so as not to take away the milk.

The most depressing thing is that when six people are eating at the same table, it is taboo to sit single and pair to form a tortoise seat.It is said that it will offend the golden baby and make its own children be taken by the water ghost as a scapegoat. Although my memory is a little fuzzy, and I don't remember things clearly before the age of five and a half, but I still know some things. For example, this is where my father hid in the backcountry when he was running away from his creditors. After putting our luggage in the only dilapidated hotel in the village, Zhao Yunhan and I went for a stroll in the village.

"What do you think about the fact that drowned children have been pretending to be alive in the past thirteen years?" Zhao Yunhan asked obviously bored. I shook my head, "You didn't even provide me with much basic information, how could I have any opinion." Zhao Yun smiled wryly: "I only know a little bit, and I told you everything. However, since the matter is It started thirteen years ago, something should have happened thirteen years ago, or some factors changed by the Yangma River at that time." I snorted: "Everyone knows this truth , but there are so many people who have been investigating for so many years, but in the end nothing was found, so I wonder why you, beautiful woman Zhao Yunhan, are so interested? Could there be some kind of ulterior purpose in it?" Zhao Yunhan held my arm tightly, "I do have a purpose. Because people are curious! Could it be that you came here because of some ulterior purpose?" I was at a loss for words.To be honest, I still don't know why I came here. Although there is a strong sense of uneasiness in my heart, what is even more intense is a throbbing in my brain.

The feeling that made me have to come, although it contained curiosity, but the emotional color was far more than simple curiosity. Alas, as the saying goes, a woman's heart is a needle in the bottom of the sea. After all, I am afraid that I am more complicated than a woman's heart. It is so complicated that I am increasingly unable to understand my own thoughts. "Aye." Zhao Yunhan thought for a while and said, "Thirteen years ago, didn't your family happen to be in Yangma Village? Do you remember what happened at that time?" I glared at her , and then laughed loudly, "So that's the case, no wonder you took so much trouble to lure me to this ghost place, so that's the idea! But I'm sorry, I can't remember anything before the age of five and a half Already!" Zhao Yunhan's expression didn't change at all, "Your family never mentioned it?" "Never." I frowned, "I don't bother to ask. Some things, it might be bad to know. "Actually, to be honest, with my blazing curiosity, I would tolerate a period of my life with a blank memory and ignore it. It is really a miracle. However, I have never asked, and it is inexplicable." I don't really want to ask. Perhaps I subconsciously thought that what happened at that time should not be a good thing. Although I'm bold, I'm not bold enough to be mean.Now that the brain has taken self-protection measures, why go to the bottom of it? Isn’t that asking for trouble?Sometimes it is not easy to deceive yourself and others! Zhao Yunhan also wisely did not make a fuss about this matter, but lowered her crescent-like brows slightly, as if in thought. "There are many strange places in this small village. Some houses are small brick-and-wood one-story houses with blue tiles, and bamboo-wood structure thatched houses. There is not a single building, which is difficult to find in the whole of China. Those No matter how poor the place is, at least two or three floors of government buildings will be built. It’s so strange! Is it a taboo to build a building?” “Didn’t you learn folk customs? You should be very clear about the customs and habits here.” I looked at the surrounding scenery nonchalantly, this kind of pastoral scenery is hard for people born in the city to see. Not far away, a group of children were playing games. I looked over inadvertently, and I didn't pay much attention at first, but after a while, I became more and more frightened, and pulled Zhao Yunhan who was beside me vigorously, and pointed to the group of children. She looked at it suspiciously, and didn't see why for a while, and couldn't help asking: "Is there any problem there?" "Of course there is a problem!" Move away. The game consisted of six people, each of whom was surrounded by many pebbles that can be seen everywhere along the river.The children formed a circle and piled up stones layer by layer. The first to collapse entered the circle and danced a strange dance. "This game is indeed a bit novel, but I really can't see anything." Zhao Yunhan was very puzzled. "Look carefully, look at the posture of the dancing child." I whispered, "If I remember correctly, it should be a simple variation of 'Tiao Duan Gong'." "Tiao Duan Gong?" Zhao Yun There was a trace of surprise on Han's face, "How is that possible! They are just children. And the regular Tiaoduangong disappeared in various places as early as more than a hundred years ago!" The so-called Tiaoduangong used to be in the territory before the Republic of China Popular in the countryside.It is said that in case of natural disasters or man-made disasters or family members who have been ill for a long time, they think that there are ghosts, and they often ask Duan Gong to drive away ghosts and disasters. Tiaoduangong is also known as Tiaoshen, Tiaolangjun, Qingtan, Chuanlord and so on. Beforehand, the master explained to Duan Gong the reason for the dance, and told Duan Gong the horoscope of his birthday, and then Duan Gong calculated the date of the dance.When the time comes, the host will prepare joss sticks, paper money, and the "cutter head" of the rooster, and invite Duan Gong to dance with the gods to collect the ghosts. The collected ghosts (that is, burnt paper money ash or talisman ash) are stored in clay pots, sealed with red paper, and handed over to the owner to bury or throw away at the designated place.There are also "hair man" made of straw and affixed with spells. After finishing the ritual, they are burned with fire, which means that the ghost has been taken in. Jumping Duangong is also often interspersed with activities such as climbing knife ladders, jumping into fire pits, and piercing the chest with the head of a share, which means that Duangong has a god attached to him.Duan Gong also serves as a variety of rituals such as "Bao Bao Talisman", "Passing the Pass", and "Celebrating the Altar". However, there are not too many gimmicks in the formal Tiaoduangong, but the importance of posture. At that time, most of the formal Duangong dancers were young and beautiful virgins, who were strictly trained in various dance postures for different purposes since childhood.And it is said that each posture has a different use, and it must not be confused, otherwise it will be counterproductive. In a very old document collected by my second uncle Yexuan, I once saw the various dancing postures of Duangong dancers sketched by the predecessors. Because I think the sister on it is very beautiful, I still remember it vividly. The dance played by the children in front of me is one of the dances called "Luo Yinhun", and the source is very authentic. After recalling a little bit, I said again: "This dance is called 'Luo Yinhun'. It is a kind of exorcism, and its specific use is to drive away water ghosts." Zhao Yunhan thought for a while, and then nodded: "It's not surprising, If there is a long history in a village with a big river, most of them will be afraid of water ghosts because people often drown. It is also common for children to have this kind of dance in their games. I am afraid it was taught by adults in the past, and then passed down from generation to generation. .” “It should be.” I felt the same way. Not far away, the children playing games clapped their hands and sang loudly when the children in the middle danced wrongly: "Golden baby, golden baby, golden essence and water ghosts can't be bullied. You people don't like grass, water ghosts and water ghosts run away!" Come here." When I heard that, I laughed.It seems that there are countless legends about the golden baby in the Yangma River Valley, and they have even been incorporated into nursery rhymes, but it is not known whether the so-called golden baby is actually a water ghost.If not, what exactly is it? The short distance of more than one hundred kilometers is the same golden baby, but the image shown is completely different. The most upstream golden doll looks like a child who cannot be identified as male or female, wearing a red bellyband. From the middle reaches to Yangma Village, the appearance of the golden baby is just a pile of tower-like stones, not like a person, not even a monster or a creature. And downstream to the four tributaries of the Yangma River, the golden baby has become a monster like a yaksha, which is really puzzling. Shaking his head vigorously, seeing that the sun had already climbed far above his head, he realized that he had actually forgotten to eat lunch.Looking at his phone, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, so he dragged Zhao Yunhan to the only small restaurant in the village for dinner. To be honest, the taste of those meals was really not very good, and the food was not very clean, so that the beautiful woman on the other side frowned.I ate quietly, thinking about something while eating. If you say that you have lived here, thirteen years is a long time, but it is not enough to change the dynasty.The person I knew at that time should still be alive! And those children who have played together, when they grow up, do they still remember themselves as a passer-by who rushed in in their lives and left in a hurry after more than a year? At least, I completely forgot about it, and even completely forgot about the experience at that time. Saying you don't care is definitely deceiving yourself.I hesitated in my heart, maybe if I had the opportunity, should I visit the people I should know here, and fill in the gap in my memory? I started to feel irritable again, feeling very uncomfortable. I raised my head and asked Zhao Yunhan, "Aren't you studying folklore? What was the last paper written?" Folk Culture Research and Reflection." I laughed secretly.Sure enough, as I investigated, this Zhao Yunhan really has a heart, even if he just fabricated a fake identity to attract my attention, he was so seriously prepared. "Aye, do you know? The so-called folklore study is the living culture of the people. As a living culture, the folk culture connects the past, present and even the future of the local people. In every region, people live in a given In the cultural environment, we practice the long-standing way of life, accept the values ​​that our ancestors abide by, and recreate the traditional way of life under specific living conditions, and interpret the traditional world outlook and values ​​in the modern era. " She said very seriously, "And I am very interested in the worldviews and values ​​of various places, and the legends of gods, gods and monsters that have been reproduced." I agree with this point, after all, why am I not very curious?Then he said: "That's right, people always live in the folk culture that has continued from history to the present. "You folklorists generally believe that folklore is a hybrid of history and modernity. All aspects of human life in real life are the objects of concern for folk culture research, and they all constitute folklorists. Moreover, folk culture has a profound traditional origin. If we want to study it, we must find out the factors of re-creation from the living culture of the people, and we must also remove the factors of re-creation of the people on the surface, and look for folk culture. The reason for the historical development and its motivations that have continued to this day.” As I spoke, I thought of the legend of the golden baby again, “It’s just that the golden baby around here has so many unbelievable stories in a short 100-kilometer river basin. And many of them are illogical legends, which are rare." "It's not that there is no connection at all." Zhao Yunhan said, biting her chopsticks lightly. I thought about it and nodded: "Yes, there is indeed a connection. All legends are inseparable from Yangma River, and the local people's belief in it, whether it is fear or worship, will worship it on the 12th day of the sixth lunar month every year. .Thinking about it, it's really interesting." Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a noise coming from outside.I stretched out my head to look, and was stunned.