Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

"We just tidied up this room. Look at what's missing and tell me." Wei Yiwen opened the door, the air was filled with the smell of wood, the furniture was antique, and she looked like a woman. The child's boudoir. "Where did my grandfather live?" Wei Yiwen's complexion changed slightly, and he forced a smile and said: "Grandpa and uncle have left Wei's house for almost a hundred years, and our house has been rebuilt several times, so it has long since changed beyond recognition. However, there are a few old things in the warehouse, which should be There are grandfathers and uncles left behind, you rest first, I will look for them."

She closed the door, Bai Xiaozhou put down her bag, opened the window, and outside was the bamboo forest, the bamboo leaves fluttered in the wind, the depths of the forest were dark and dark, occasionally there was a sound in the grass, as if something could emerge at any time Come. Grandpa, is this the home you grew up in?You also played in this bamboo forest, why did you never mention it? There was a "creaking" sound of the door shaft turning behind her. She turned her head and saw Wei Yiwen coming in empty-handed. I’ve gone. I’ll take you to the Purple Guiniangniang Temple first.”

"Now?" Bai Xiaozhou was a little surprised, she didn't even drink her saliva, Wei Yiwen hurriedly took her to the temple, what's the matter? "Don't think too much, Xiaozhou, I'm taking you to see my third aunt." Wei Yiwen explained, "Our third aunt is a temple congratulatory person in the temple, so you should call her sister. She is very busy because of the temple fair." I can't go away, and I want to see you sooner, so I told me to take you there, and let you see our temple fair. My grandfather liked temple fairs very much, and he often went to Niangniang Temple to play."

Bai Xiaozhou always felt that something was wrong, but he didn't ask too much. People firmly believe that one can become immortal through doing good deeds. In the long history, countless historical figures have become gods and have been built temples to worship.Almost every county has a large number of local gods, and people believe in these local gods even more than those famous gods. The Zigui Temple was very lively. The villagers bowed piously in front of the statue and burned very high incense. The smell of burning inferior spices was disgusting. Bai Xiaozhou was so smoked that he burst into tears as soon as he entered.

Inside the smoky shrine sat a statue of a god, also wearing that eerie mask on his face, which made him look like a clown.Bai Xiaozhou asked Wei Yiwen in a low voice: "Why is your empress wearing a mask?" "The empress is very shy, and she doesn't want others to see her appearance." Wei Yiwen said, "Come with me, and I will take you to see the third aunt." The two passed through a narrow corridor. There was a door at the end of the corridor. A red curtain was hung on the door. A middle-aged woman opened the curtain and came out with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Third aunt, I brought a small boat." Wei Yiwen said outside the curtain. "Come in." The voice was hoarse and low, like a spoon grinding in a saucepan.Wei Yiwen raised the curtain to let Bai Xiaozhou in. The light in the room was very dim, there was only one big table, and an old woman wearing a mask was sitting behind the table.The old woman took off the mask, her face was like dry bark, full of wrinkles and age spots, her eyes were white and dark, but they shone sharply when looking at people. "You are sister Xiaozhou." The third aunt smiled, her smile was uglier than crying, "We have been looking for you for a long time."

This sentence sounds not warm at all, but a little weird.Bai Xiaozhou comforted himself, maybe it was just because the old man was not good at expressing. "Third...Third sister." According to her seniority, she should call this old woman who lost her teeth, "Sister, have you met my grandpa?" "He has been away from home for nearly a hundred years and has never returned. I have only heard his story. He is the son of my grandfather's cousin. Both his parents died when he was young, and he was brought up by my family. My grandparents said that he was a A lovely child." The third aunt said, "However, he seems to have yin and yang eyes and can see things that others cannot see, so the children in the village don't like to play with him."

"When did he leave the village?" "When he was about fourteen years old, he was a young man. Young people in that era liked to go outside." Before the words finished, a young woman came in and said in a crying voice: "Grandma Wei, last time The medicine you gave me doesn't work, and I'm still not pregnant." The third aunt said with some embarrassment: "Wenwen, take Xiaozhou to look around." Bai Xiaozhou picked up the curtain to go out, and heard the woman crying and muttering: "If there was a 'Sorceress of Burning Noodles', I would have been pregnant by now."

"What is Third Aunt doing?" Bai Xiaozhou asked.Wei Yiwen said: "She is a well-known witch in our area, and the villagers like to come and ask about their marriage prospects." "What is the sorceress of burning noodles?" Wei Yiwen's face changed slightly, and she forced a smile: "This is a tradition in our village, and it disappeared later." There seemed to be commotion at the altar, and Wei Yiwen said, "I'll go over and have a look, don't wander around." The Niangniang Temple is not big, Bai Xiaozhou sat on a stone bench in the yard and waited for her.There was a jujube tree planted next to it, and the leaves were falling down. She was so bored that she picked up the leaves and played with them, only to find that the words were engraved on the stone bench, with immature and crooked strokes.

Tianlei and Xiaojuan will always be together. She heard her heart beating like thunder, and the leaf in her hand fell to her feet. Tianlei, Tianlei, is that Wei Tianlei?Is it her grandfather? "Who are you?" The sudden crisp female voice startled her, Bai Xiaozhou raised his head and saw a little girl wearing a purple GUI mask.The girl pushed the mask to the top of her head, revealing a tender and delicate face. It turned out to be the girl who played the role of the purple concubine in the parade just now.Bai Xiaozhou breathed a sigh of relief: "Hi, my name is Bai Xiaozhou."

"You are with the Wei family, are you also from the Wei family?" The girl pouted, "I don't like the Wei family, and I won't play with you." After saying that, Bai Xiaozhou quickly called her to stop : "I just came from another place, can you tell me the story of Empress Zi Gui?" Hearing that she came from another place, the girl stopped, turned her head to look her up and down, and said, "This story is not good." "Don't be offended, I think it's strange for Empress Zi Gui to wear that mask, so I want to know the reason." Bai Xiaozhou was a little embarrassed, saying that the gods of others were very strange, which was originally a very rude thing .Fortunately, the girl was not angry. She was about to speak when she heard footsteps coming from the corridor, so she said mysteriously: "Well, at twelve o'clock tonight, you wait for me in the bamboo forest behind Wei's house. I'll tell you the legend of Empress Zigui. Remember, don't tell others, or you won't see me." After that, she ran away like a bird, Wei Yiwen's head was full Khan ran over and complained: "Some people say that the incense candles sold in our temple are expensive. Really, this is still expensive? If there was a goddess of burning noodles in the past, no one would dare to talk so nonsense." After finishing speaking, he realized that Bai Xiaozhou was looking at him strangely, and he quickly smiled and said, "Are you hungry? Let's go home and eat. Tiantian made a big table of delicious treats for you." The dinner was indeed very sumptuous. It was all farm food, pollution-free and delicious. Bai Xiaozhou had a big appetite and ate a lot.In order to entertain her, Wei Yifan also took out home-brewed osmanthus wine. The wine is good wine, and the scent of osmanthus fills the room as soon as it is opened.Bai Xiaozhou drank a lot, and was a little drunk after eating, was helped back to the room by Wei Yiwen, and fell asleep. She began to dream, and in the dream was the bamboo forest. A little boy was walking through the bamboo forest with a white lantern, and the wind danced his fine hair, like a dream. When she woke up from the dream, the clock just struck twelve o'clock. She suddenly remembered the promise she had made with that girl, and hurriedly opened the window and jumped out. The forest was huge, and the fragrance of bamboo leaves was strong. She looked up at the new moon hanging on the treetops, and felt as if she had come to the world in Liaozhai.I don't know if I will meet a fox fairy or something?Are fox fairies as beautiful and full of temptation as recorded in ancient books? There were hurried footsteps behind her, she thought it was the girl coming, she turned her head happily, but saw a white shadow passing by in the forest. No, there really are fox fairies? No, it seems to be a person, a person in white clothes, looking from the back is a man, but with very long hair.It looks... It seems a bit like the man she saw in the van. Then, it can't be a ghost, can it? She gathered herself together and comforted herself, what's so scary about ghosts, she wasn't even afraid of them when they were alive, so she was afraid of them dying? She followed, and the white shadow disappeared in a flash in the forest.She looked around, and finally her eyes fell on a rhododendron bush, which was rustling, as if something was hidden.She walked over cautiously, trying to push away the bushes, but she didn't notice that a figure had come quietly behind her. "What are u doing?" Bai Xiaozhou was startled, turned her head in a hurry, and saw Xia Ling's cold and pale face, she didn't know if it was an illusion, at that moment she felt that this woman hated her, Xia Ling's eyes were full of ice, wishing she could Pierce all these ice balls into her flesh. "I, I can't sleep, come out and walk around." Xia Ling's face softened slightly, showing a smile: "It's late at night, don't run around, it's very dangerous, what if you encounter a snake?" Bai Xiaozhou repeatedly agreed, and followed her back.When the two walked away, the rhododendron bush moved slightly, and a snow-white mass came out. It was a fox, the whole body was snow-white, the moonlight shone on it, the fur was smooth and shiny, and the brown-red eyes were like two jewels, shining brightly in the night. Sending Xia Ling away, Bai Xiaozhou closed the door, feeling a little unhappy, she was discovered after only a few minutes out, could it be that someone from the Wei family was watching her? She carefully recalled what happened that day, the eyes of the women in the Wei family flickered, their faces were strange, and they spoke vaguely, as if they were hiding something.Why did they go to such lengths to find her?Is it really just because of brotherhood? Or is there some ulterior secret? She kept the window open all night, but the little girl never showed up. Early the next morning, she got up yawning, picked up the washbasin on the shelf, and was about to go out to wash her face, but she saw a blank piece of paper lying on the window sill, pressed by stones, which was not very conspicuous.She was startled, could it be that girl left behind?She picked it up in a hurry, and there was only one line of small words on the paper: do not drink alcohol. No heads up, no signature. Could this be the sweet-scented osmanthus wine I drank last night?Why can't you drink it?Is there anything in the wine? "Xiaozhou, are you up? Come and have breakfast." Wei Yiwen urged outside the door, and she quickly crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into her pocket.After hastily washing up, I entered the table, and there was a jar of sweet-scented osmanthus wine on the table.Wei Yiwen patted Kaifeng mud, poured her a bowl, and let her drink enthusiastically. How can anyone drink early in the morning?She declined: "I have a bad stomach, and drinking in the morning will make my stomach sick." "This is medicinal wine. It can warm the stomach. It is the best cure for stomach problems." Wei Yiwen said with a smile, "Come, come, at least take a sip." The more enthusiastic she was, the more Bai Xiaozhou didn't dare to drink. He took it and put it to his mouth. He covered his mouth and retched before he could drink it: "I'm sorry...I...my stomach feels so bad, I smell wine...just... ..." The four women exchanged glances, came over and handed water and patted the back: "Since you can't drink, you don't need to drink it. I will take you to the doctor after dinner and get some medicine. Maybe you have a cold. " Bai Xiaozhou breathed a sigh of relief, pretending to be sick is her specialty. The streets are still crowded with people, lanterns are hung on the trees beside the road, the parade is mighty, and the gongs and drums are shaking the sky.Bai Xiaozhou stood on tiptoe and looked up at the girl in the sedan chair. This girl must know something, and she must find a chance to see her again. She saw a familiar figure in the crowd, and she was startled suddenly. She pushed through the crowd and ran towards that person. When she got there, the person disappeared.She looked around, did she see it wrong?How did that person come here? "Sister." Someone was pulling her skirt, she lowered her head, and saw a five or six-year-old child holding a puppet, looking at her innocently, "Sister, are you 'Sorceress of Burning Noodles'?" Bai Xiaozhou was stunned for a moment: "Of course not, what is the Goddess of Burning Noodles?" "My mother said, you are the new sorceress." Bai Xiaozhou squatted down and showed him a gentle smile: "Little brother, tell me what is 'Shaomian Mistress', and I'll buy you a lollipop, okay?" The little boy's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay, okay, but I won't tell you until you buy it first." Today's kids are really smart.Bai Xiaozhou bought him a bunch of candied haws, and he licked it and said, "The Goddess of Burning Noodles, that's..." "Er Gouzi, you are running around again." A peasant woman hurried over, "What if you get lost? Come, come home with me!" "Uh, wait..." Before Bai Xiaozhou finished speaking, the little boy was dragged away. She gritted her teeth and thought, what a waste of a bunch of candied haws. Only at this time did she realize that she was separated from Wei Yiwen, God helped me.She wandered around until noon, when the parade went back to the temple for dinner, and dozens of tables were opened.She squeezed into the temple among the crowd, stole a dress she wore during the parade, put on the mask, and sat down beside the girl who played the role of the purple concubine. "Why didn't you come last night?" She picked up the bowl and asked in a low voice while cooking rice.The girl didn't respond, she lightly touched her with her elbow, the girl pushed the mask to the top of her head impatiently, turned her face and said, "What was last night?" Bai Xiaozhou was stunned. "Who are you?" she asked. The girl looked at her strangely: "I am who I am, crazy." "Is it the purple concubine you played?" "certainly." "It's been you these days?" "There has always been only one person who can play the role of Empress Zigui." The girl was a little annoyed and stopped answering her.Bai Xiaozhou felt chills all over his body. If she played the role of Empress Zigui, who was the little girl wearing the Zigui mask yesterday? "Xiaozhou, why did you come here?" Wei Yiwen ran over sweating profusely, "Let me find it easier." "There are too many people on the street, and they got separated. I have been looking for you for a long time." Bai Xiaozhou recovered from the shock, and Wei Yiwen snatched the bowl angrily, glaring at her and said: "From now on, you are not allowed to drink casually again." Walk around!" Bai Xiaozhou was feeling annoyed, seeing her getting angry with him, he couldn't help being furious: "I don't know the way here, why don't you take me with you and lose me, how dare you get angry with me? Forget it, I I'm not angry with you, I'll go back to the city." "Wait." Wei Yiwen quickly pulled her back and put on a smiling face, "Xiaozhou, don't be angry, am I worried about you? Come, come, I'll take you to dinner." Bai Xiaozhou was dragged home by her, the lunch was still rich, this time there was no wine, the four women kept adding vegetables to her bowl, when she picked up the bowl, she smelled a strong smell of wine . Did they pour wine into the dishes?Bai Xiaozhou gritted her teeth and ate some food, excused that she had no appetite, hurried back to her room, and vomited out what she had just eaten. The smell of stomach acid mixed with food stimulated her taste buds, and she scolded the Wei family in her heart. Four women a hundred times. This village was too weird, but she couldn't escape, and her intuition told her that it all had something to do with grandpa. Grandpa, what happened to you back then? This night, Bai Xiaozhou slept very lightly. In a daze, she seemed to see the little girl walking towards her. Her steps were light, her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and her eyes hidden behind the mask were silent and sad. "Who are you?" Bai Xiaozhou wanted to ask, but his throat seemed to be stuck by something, and he couldn't make a sound. After a long silence, the little girl slowly pushed the mask to the top of her head, and just when Xiao Zhou was about to see her face clearly, she suddenly woke up. What a weird dream.She couldn't sleep anymore, her throat was so dry that it was about to burn, she got out of bed to look for water to drink, but saw a figure in the bamboo forest, walking silently towards the depths of the bamboo forest. Is that the man in white?No, she wasn't wearing white, and besides, she looked like a woman. Xia Ling? What was she doing in the bamboo forest in the middle of the night?Is there any secret hidden deep in the bamboo forest? Bai Xiaozhou took out a black skirt and put it on, and went out through the window lightly, following her from a distance.After walking for about ten minutes, the bamboo forest came to an end, and behind it was a dense forest. The tall trees were like a barrier, covering a low brick house.Xia Ling looked around, took out the key, and opened the door. Bai Xiaozhou walked lightly, and came to the window. The window was sealed from the inside, and she couldn't see anything, but she could hear a low sobbing sound, like a woman crying under her throat. Xia Ling is crying?Why is she crying?what's in the house The moon rose from the treetops to the middle of the sky, and the cold moonlight shrouded the entire forest, making it remote and desolate.Xia Ling pushed open the door, her eyes were red, and she walked away under the moonlight. There was a big lock hanging on the door, Bai Xiaozhou looked around to make sure there was no one around, took off the hairpin on his head, and inserted it into the lock.Following Teacher Long, she didn't learn any other skills, but she learned the lockpicking skill very well.She often said that even if 051 is closed in the future, they can open a company to unlock people's locks. Click, the lock is unlocked, and the door shaft may be due to frequent oiling, but there is no sound at all.The door opened quietly, the moonlight forced the darkness inside the house back an inch, and a stale smell permeated the air.She walked in and took out her phone as a flashlight.The moment she lifted the phone up, her pupils suddenly dilated, and a scream came to her mouth, and she quickly covered it with her hand. That's a person, no, that's a life-size stone sculpture. The house is full of stone sculptures. Strange, what is the Wei family hiding a bunch of stone sculptures for?She looked over one by one, and the more she looked, the more numb her scalp became. These stone carvings were so resembling, all adult men, every detail was carved vividly, even every eyelash was carved clearly.Their expressions were all painful, some seemed to be cursing, some seemed to be crying, and some seemed to be begging for mercy.She stopped in front of the last statue, whose face seemed familiar. By the way, Wei Yiwen, it looks like Wei Yiwen. There are still traces of tears on its chest.Bai Xiaozhou suddenly remembered that Wei Yiwen had an older brother, and Xia Ling was her brother's wife. Could it be...