Chapter 9 Chapter Eight: The Wedding Before the Tomb Raider

That day, after walking out of the temple, Cyclops was beaming with joy, and couldn't help humming the Qin opera while walking on the road.The voice is high-pitched and clear, like a bamboo pole reaching to the clouds.One-eyed sang until the veins on his neck were exposed, and he was fascinated.In the Northwest, all men can sing Qin Opera, they sing it when they suffer, and they sing it when they are happy. One Eye, who loves Qin Opera, also told me about the history of Qin Opera. The legend of this ancient drama originated from Su Wu's shepherd in the Western Han Dynasty.Su Wu, an envoy of the Han Dynasty, was exiled by the Xiongnu Shanyu on the vast grassland, and could not return to the Han Dynasty until the ram gave birth.The desperate Su Wu lived like a year, his heart burning like fire.The sky is high and the ground is wide, the wind is long and the moon is cold, the geese are singing, and the grass is luxuriant. Standing between the sky and the earth, the lonely and sad Su Wu can only rely on shouting to express the sadness in his heart.Since then, Qin opera has flourished from here, spread throughout the northwest, stretching for thousands of years, and is the most popular in ancient and modern times.

There are many stories about Qin Opera, and there are many legends related to Qin Opera.And the most legendary is Dong Fuxiang. Dong Fuxiang, a native of Qingyang, Gansu Province, was unwilling to be oppressed by corrupt officials in his early years. He staged an uprising with tens of thousands of followers.Every time there is a confrontation with the Qing army, tens of thousands of people will shout Qin opera, the sound is like thunder and lightning, and the sky will collapse, and the Qing army will be defeated in a row.Later, Zuo Zongtang went to the northwest to suppress the rebellion. Dong Fuxiang was arrested and taken to the execution ground.Zuo Zongtang ordered to be beheaded, Dong Fuxiang did not change his face, and sang the aria from "Zhan Dan Tong" in Qin Opera: "Xiong Xin is a strange man..." Zuo Zongtang was inspired, feeling that this is a general, and he left his seat for He untied and gave wine to suppress the shock.Later, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded, Cixi was in trouble and fled westward, and Dong Fuxiang defended the capital, winning consecutive battles.Dong Fuxiang retired to his hometown in his later years and still entertained himself with Qin Opera.

The stories of Su Wu and Dong Fuxiang are widely circulated in Northwest China. That afternoon, we took a walking tractor to a village more than twenty miles away from the town.This village is very small, with only seven or eight households in total.Uncle Caiwa's house is in this village.This village is as remote and closed as Uncle Gousheng's village, as dilapidated and poor.The difference is that this village is at the foot of the mountain, while Uncle Gousheng's village is on the mountain, separated by dozens of miles. Uncle Caiwa has a wife, and his wife is a hunchback.When we were talking together, his wife didn't say a word, and the expression on her face was as indifferent as ever.From the moment we entered the room, she kept putting the soles of the shoes on the edge of the kang, and she didn't even look at us, as if we didn't exist at all.Uncle Caiwa had a boy who didn't graduate from junior high school, so he followed the young people in the village to the south to work. He didn't come back for three years, and he didn't call. He didn't know whether he was alive or dead.

I stayed at Uncle Caiwa's house until dusk, when a van drove up from nowhere.The driver was a stocky young man in his 20s, with small eyes, a big nose, and a big mouth. Two lumps of flesh on his face were red with cold, and there were chilblains on the back of his knuckles. One-eyed said, "Let's go." Uncle Gousheng said, "Let's go." We got into the van. Uncle Caiwa's woman remained silent and did not leave the room.I think Uncle Caiwa's woman might be Guazi, and people here call the mentally ill "Guazi". The van drove into the crevice of the mountain along the rugged mountain road.The two lights in front of the car were like two sharp swords, splitting the dense darkness.This van is full of horsepower, and the rumbling sound is unusually thick, like a tank.Even though there was a steep slope in front of it, the speed of the van did not weaken at all, like a leaping monster, it pressed the steep slope under its body.

I figured this van must have been modified.It looks like an ordinary van, but the internal structure has been completely changed. The van drove for an hour without stopping. I knew that these people were going to rob graves tonight, so I felt nervous and scared.I want to see the process of the tomb robbery with my own eyes, but I am afraid that they will really dig up cultural relics. At that time, should I report it?If I report it, Uncle Gousheng Caiwa will definitely go to jail, and I will be very painful; if I don’t report it, the underground cultural relics will be lost, and I will be condemned by my conscience.what should I do?

They were silent all the way, and I didn't say anything either.By the light of their cigarettes, I could see the solemn expressions on their faces. The van drove for another half an hour and came to a basin.We jumped out of the car and stood on the side of the road to pee.In front of you is a flat land that can't be seen, while in the distance are jagged mountains.The moonlight shone on the basin, and there was a layer of mist over the basin.On the side of the road, in the uncut cornfields, the blades slid and sounded. Some animal ran over. The van drove for another ten minutes, and a village appeared in front of us.The village is brightly lit and full of laughter.Through the headlights, you can see the figure of the child running on the village road.

The driver stopped the car, and he cursed: "Damn, why is the village still so lively at this time." One-eyed asked, "Is there any way around the village?" The driver said: "There is no more, there is only this road, and it must go through the village." They were silent and helpless. I found out later that what they were going to dig tonight was an ancient tomb not far from the village, and they didn't want to alarm anyone in the village.On winter nights, the village was quiet early, and people went to sleep on the kang.They originally wanted to pass through the village without anyone noticing, but they didn't expect that the village was very lively tonight.

It is rare for children in the mountains to see a car. When they saw a car parked at the entrance of the village, they happily ran over to watch.With the help of the bright headlights, I saw little faces flushed with excitement and joy. One-eyed left the passenger seat, jumped out of the car, leaned over, and asked an older child, "What's going on tonight? The village is so lively." The child said: "My brother Liangliang is getting married." "Oh," One Eye pondered for a while, and then asked, "Who are there in Brother Liangliang's family?"

The child said honestly: "My aunt, my brother Liangliang, and my sister Juanjuan." The sister Juanjuan mentioned by the child may be this Liangliang sister. Cyclops continued to ask with great interest: "Where's your brother Liangliang's father?" "I'm old, I've been old for several years." The child said.Northwesterners call death "old", and this appellation refers specifically to people to show respect for the dead. "Oh." One-eyed stood up straight. One-eyed got an idea, he got into the van, and said to the driver: "Go, drive to the village, you all don't talk, just follow my eyes."

The van drove to the door of the married family and stopped.When the villagers heard the sound of the car engine, they all ran out to watch the excitement.People who are located deep in the mountains rarely see cars. Whenever a car comes, they all come to watch, and the children are even more joyful and laughing.In fact, it is also very easy to find out which one to marry without asking.When people get married in the countryside, red couplets are pasted at the gate, and the lights are bright all night; when people die, white couplets are pasted.This is what is commonly referred to as weddings and funerals.On the third anniversary of the deceased, yellow couplets should be posted.

As soon as we got out of the van, an old man wearing reading glasses greeted us with a smile on his face, holding a pack of unpacked cigarettes in his hand, and handed them to us one by one.This is the "phase account".In the countryside, whenever there are weddings and funerals, there is always a man who makes overall arrangements. Such a person will definitely be a highly respected and eloquent person in the village.Parents who want to have trouble first invite the accountant, and then the accountant arranges who in the village will return the gift in the ceremony room, who will receive the guests, who will serve the dishes, who will be the cook, who will make the tea, and who will be the confidant... In the countryside, every family When you get married, everyone in a village will be busy. When my father was alive, people from far and near villages always asked him to be a cook when they got married.And my mother is still working as a "ceremony house" in her hometown.The task of the ceremony room is to take out some things from the bamboo basket that came to salute, and then put some things in the ceremony room back into the bamboo basket.After the guests have finished sitting (eating), they go home with their own bamboo baskets. The bamboo baskets are covered with a piece of cloth, red cloth for weddings and white cloth for funerals.People in the ceremony room, what should be taken out and what should not be taken out; what should be returned and what should not be returned; The southern cities went back to their hometowns in the northern countryside to visit relatives, and bought cigarettes and alcohol gifts for each relative. When we left, these relatives who are still living in poverty would put 100 yuan into the hands of their wives. We are determined not to go. If we visit relatives and ask for their money, we will feel uneasy.But relatives all persuaded us: "It's the first time for my wife to come to our house, so I can't go back empty-handed. Just accept it, this is a courtesy, and you can't break the etiquette in the countryside." The elders all called my wife "Baby".We had no choice but to accept the money, and the relatives were very happy. These ancient "rituals" only survive in the remote and simple northwest villages. Xianghu head led us into the yard. As soon as Cyclops walked into the yard, he shouted loudly: "Brother, brother, I'm here to see you." Everyone was stunned, not knowing who he was or who the elder brother he was talking about was. One-eyed asked: "Where is my brother? Why don't you see my brother?" He searched from house to house amid people's astonished eyes, and people followed him spontaneously, not knowing what he was going to do. This family should live relatively well, with a spacious yard, a house and a kiln.Mules and horses are tied to the head of the trough, and chickens are squatting in the nest.One-eyed walked into the cave, saw an enlarged black-and-white photo on the cabinet cover, and fell to his knees with a plop, tears streaming down his face.He cried: "Brother, I'm late, why don't you tell brother when you're gone?" Only then did people realize that the one-eyed man was looking for the deceased owner of the family.In the halls in northern rural areas, there are always photos of the deceased. The photos are usually black and white. Such photos have to be kept for three years.Therefore, as soon as Cyclopedia saw this enlarged black and white photo, coupled with the child's narration he had just heard at the entrance of the village, he pretended to be the deceased's former friend and brought us in. Xianghutou quickly raised his one-eyed eye and let us sit in the yard.Looking at the red couplets at the entrance of the kiln and the door with one eye, he pretended to be surprised and said, "My nephew is getting married today? Where is my nephew?" Xianghutou hurriedly called the bride and groom over.A new couple stood shyly in front of us in new clothes.One-eyed looked at the groom with kind eyes, and said in surprise: "Ah, my nephew has grown so tall. When I saw you at that time, he had just learned to walk, and now he is married. My brother is blessed." The groom accompanied him Smiling, looking very embarrassed.One-eyed said: "At that time your father took you, I saw you." The groom nodded quickly. One-eyed smoked the cigarette that was given to him by the relative's head, and said to the people sitting around: "At that time, I came to your town to do business, lost my capital, tired and hungry, and fell in the ditch. Here, my elder brother found out, sent me to the hospital, paid for the medicine, and saved me. I haven’t seen my elder brother in these years..." He suddenly seemed to remember something "Where is my sister-in-law? Sister--" A woman wearing new clothes walked into the circle, about 50 years old, also looked at the one-eyed shyly.One-eyed said: "Sister-in-law, did my brother tell you about me?" The woman shakes her head. One-eyed sighed and said: "Ah, my brother is really a good person. He has done such a great deed, but he doesn't tell anyone. What is Lei Feng, this is Lei Feng." The people next to him also sighed together. One-eyed asked again: "Where is the ceremony room?" Someone pointed to the outermost room.One-eyed walked over, took out 100 yuan, and handed it to the ceremony room.Everyone in the yard exclaimed.In my hometown, when it comes to weddings and funerals, I usually pay 5 yuan for "portal money", and there are also 2 yuan.And the one-eyed one shot is 100 yuan, which is shocking. 100 yuan, this is a very heavy "portal money", only special important relatives, or people who repay great kindness, will do this. Now, no one doubts Cyclops' identity anymore, and no one doubts the story that Cyclops just told. Now, those who stay in this yard are all people from this village. According to the custom in northern rural areas, on the day of the wedding, relatives of the bride's family gather at the bride's house early, and then come to the groom's house together when the groom picks up the bride, which has already reached noon of the day.Then, sit at the bridegroom's house. After the banquet, everyone goes back to each house, and the bride's parents also go back, leaving only the bride behind. After that, the bride is a member of this family.In the evening, every household in the village will send a man to sit at the bridegroom's house.Some families send adults who are the head of the family, and some families send children. The children indicate that they have grown up and should not be underestimated in the future.Sitting, this is a coming-of-age ceremony for rural children, which means that he will be on an equal footing with others in the future. I got my bar mitzvah when I was thirteen, and I got so drunk that night that I was somehow sent home.When a boy sits at the banquet, he must drink; if he does not drink, he cannot sit at a table with those grown men, which means that you are still a child. The men in the same village can only sit at the table at night, after the new guests have left. We sat at a table with people from our village.The table is a square table made of solid wood that looks very heavy, and two people can sit on one side; the stool is a long stool, and two people can sit on a stool.The table was covered and cleaned countless times with greasy oil, and it was soaked in vegetable oil into bright yellow; the stools were polished by countless big and small butts, revealing the inherent color of wood.The people sitting at the seats are old, young and young, and the young have all gone out to work. Here comes the end plate, which is the kind of wooden plate made of solid wood with eaves on all sides.There are bowls and dishes on the wooden tray, and there are dishes in the bowls and dishes.There is only one dish.The chef prepares one kind, and the one served on the plate is served.In order to show that they are old-fashioned, they spread their five fingers and put them on the bottom of the wooden plate, lifted the wooden plate with dishes and dishes high, and ran out of a small wind.The ones carrying the trays are all men, and the women don't have the strength to lift the wooden trays high above their heads. With eight cold dishes on the table, the banquet began.The children looked at the sliced ​​meat on the plate, swallowed their saliva, and did not dare to touch the chopsticks. They had to wait for the oldest man at the table to speak. The old man said: "Eat, eat." Point the chopsticks to the dish, first Take a bite, and the children can't wait to pick up the chopsticks. There are women standing beside the tables, one for each table, they are Zhike.They are responsible for the service of this table. If there is no wine, add more wine; if there is no steamed buns, serve steamed buns; That night, One Eye made a big splash.I believe that many years later, people in the village can still remember this "clear at a glance" person. As long as northern men drink at weddings and ceremonies, they must throw their fists.Boxing has become a way for men to compete in courage and openness, while weddings and funerals are a stage for men to show off their individuality. One-Eyed made a big splash this evening. The one-eyed voice is high-pitched, decisive, and almost invincible. Even if he loses a drink occasionally, he will shout "good wine" and then drink it up.After a few rounds, the table was full of men lying down at the bottom of the table.There was a man at the side table who was unconvinced and determined to win glory for the village. He was gearing up and eager to try. He stood up with one eye and stepped on the stool with one leg. His imposing manner was compelling and his eyes were shining.The two sides were fighting, and they were intimidating. Those who were serving the table, those who were onlookers, those who were about to come to make trouble in the bridal chamber, and even those who were helping the kitchen, all came to watch.Cyclops counts one against ten, and is invincible. After a few rounds, there is no one in the courtyard to fight. Looking around with one eye, his expression was bleak, like an invincible martial arts master, he was suddenly lonely and sad, with tears streaming down his face. Later I learned that one-eyed should not drink too much, as once he drank too much, his blood would surge and he would shed tears. One-Eyed stole the limelight that night, however, his limelight lay in his ability to punch.Three hundred and sixty lines, you can cheat if you do it. One-eyed's shame is that he has quick eyesight and quick hands, and he always punches half a beat slower than others. In order to cover up, when he calls out the drinking order, he will add a short "hey" before it. When he yells hey, Other people's drinking orders and gestures have already come out, he can see clearly, and then come first, and at the same time as the gestures are extended, he will also loudly shout his own drinking orders. The drinking order in the northern countryside has a characteristic.Every wine order is very auspicious, and they always put the number in front, "respect you with one heart, two people walk together, three feet do not move, four seasons get rich, five blessings live together, six or six are smooth, seven skills come together, eight big sedan chairs, Ninety-nine longevity, perfect." Such rules allow people like One Eye to take advantage of loopholes. Drinking and playing cards is the same, everyone has equal opportunities.If someone only wins but never loses, he must be playing tricks. That night, Uncle Gousheng, Uncle Caiwa, and the solid driver rarely drank. They had something on their minds, and they were going to dig the grave next. I also only drank a small amount of a few glasses.This wine from the northern countryside is very strong, hot and spicy in the mouth like fire.This is loose wine bought at the market, brewed from sorghum, and costs 2 yuan a scoop. It may also be the cheapest wine in the world.Low-quality wine has a spicy taste, while high-end wine has a thick taste. When the meal was about to end, I saw the driver go to the toilet, and when he came back, he looked very mysterious, and he was talking in the one-eyed ear.The one-eyed look suddenly became very serious, and then immediately pretended to be relaxed. I don't know what happened. One-eyed also went to the toilet, and a few minutes later, he came back with a calm expression on his face.He broke open the steamed bun and ate it with oily chili seeds.Tonight, he has been drinking and has no time to eat, and now he feels hungry. The moon is slanting westward, the banquet is over, the drunken people are gone, "every family returns home drunk", the goal of one-eyed has finally been achieved.He just wanted the people in this village to relax their vigilance, so that he could take the opportunity to rob the tomb. The van started, and we got in. Xianghutou, a couple of newcomers, and the blindly optimistic sister-in-law drove us all the way to the door.The van roared, and we passed through the village. The village road was deserted, and the lights of every house were turned off.