Painting the Soul (short story) Zhang Baotong

Ding Shaoguang and Xie Guangrui walked back while talking. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info In fact, on the road, almost Xie Guangrui was talking, and Ding Shaoguang was just listening. Moreover, Xie Guangrui also told him about the origin of the Dai Songkran Festival. He said that a long time ago, there was a fierce demon king with strong magic, invulnerable, not afraid of fire and water, and all day long, domineering and doing evil. He oppressed and plundered the people, and did all kinds of evil. He already had six beautiful wives, but if any of them had beautiful daughters, he would take them as wives.

Once, he saw a princess in the world named Dou Zongbu, who was more beautiful than all his six wives, so he snatched her again and made her his seventh wife. One day in June of the year, the world is celebrating the New Year, and the demon king celebrates the New Year for his newlywed wife, drinking and having fun in the palace. After three rounds of drinking, the guests were all drunk. Xuan Zongbu took the opportunity to praise the demon king and said, "My noble king, your magic power is boundless, your virtue is noble, with your prestige, you can completely conquer heaven, hell and the world, you should be the master of these three worlds." When the demon king heard his wife's praise, he was very proud, and said to his wife, "Of course, because no one knows my weakness." The demon king whispered to the Zongbu, I am most afraid that someone will use my hair to strangle my neck, so that I will be separated.

Listening to this, she continued to pour wine for the demon king until the banquet was dispersed and the guests dispersed, and she helped the drunk demon king to bed. When the demon king was asleep, she pulled out one of the demon king's hair, and before the demon king woke up, she strangled the demon king's neck. The Demon King's head immediately fell to the ground, but the blood flowing from his head turned into a raging fire, which would soon spread to the human world. The dumpling cloth hurriedly picked up the head of the demon king. Because the head of the demon king does not rest on the ground, the flames of the earth are extinguished. But as soon as you put the demon king's head on the ground, the earth will continue to burn. So, the six wives of the Demon King also rushed to help. They took turns holding the head of the demon king so that the fire would not continue to burn.

The dumpling cloth returned to the world, but it was covered in bloodstains, and people poured water on her in order to wash away the blood stains on her body. Later, in order to commemorate her, people poured water on each other every year during the New Year, washed off the dirt on their bodies with clean water, and ushered in an auspicious New Year.

Listening to Xie Guangrui talking about all kinds of new and interesting things, Ding Shaoguang admired Xie Guangrui so much. I think he is really well-informed, he knows all kinds of strange things and stories, and he can also speak the local dialect vividly. So, he asked Xie Guangrui, "How do you know everything, and not long after you came here, you learned to speak the local dialect?"

Xie Guangrui said, "Don't forget, my girlfriend is a local. ”

Of course, Ding Shaoguang knew that as soon as he came to the cottage, he fell in love with the female teacher in the mountain village named Yurong in Jingtai Primary School. That Yurong is a beautiful girl who is famous in the commune. Ding Shaoguang said, "Yurong is indeed a good girl, but if you look for a Dai girl in the countryside, will your parents agree?" because he thought that after all, they were just decentralizing their labor here, and they would have to return to the school in Kunming one day. At that time, people who love each other are separated from each other, and it will be very inconvenient to see each other.

Xie Guangrui said, "Where is the loess not buried in people? Where are the women not the same? Besides, I don't know when this decentralization will end, maybe I will live here for the rest of my life." ”

Ding Shaoguang said in a persuasive tone, "Don't be so pessimistic, the school just asked us to decentralize and reform, maybe we will go back to school one day." ”

Xie Guangrui shook his head and said, "One of my father's former colleagues was sent down in 1958, but he is still on the farm. If my dad hadn't been sick, he wouldn't have been on the farm. What do you think my fate will change?"

Ding Shaoguang let out a long sigh, because his fate was almost the same as his, and even inferior to him. Because although his father was also an official of the Kuomintang in the past, after all, he followed Long Yun to the city, but his parents ran to Taiwan. This situation is actually very serious.

They came to Jingtai Mountain Cottage Primary School. The primary school is not big, like a farm compound. There are only five houses in total, and three of the larger ones are classrooms, which are made of several wooden planks five or six meters long and one foot wide as desks, and adobe is used next to them to build 50-centimeter-high platforms as stools. There are also two large windows in each classroom. However, the windows have no glass and are ventilated on all sides. There is a hut on each side of the classroom, one is Xie Guangrui's office and dormitory, and the other end of the room is the office and dormitory of another teacher, Yurong. In fact, this room is not only an office and dormitory, but also a stove and other daily necessities. However, they set up the stove in front of the door, a small tent built haphazardly from old bricks and wooden boards.

As soon as he entered the school, Xie Guangrui shouted towards the hut over there, "Yurong, a guest is here." ”

Soon, I saw a neatly dressed and handsome girl come out of the room over there, and when she saw Ding Shaoguang, she owed a debt, smiled at him, and said, "Coming?"

Looking at the graceful appearance of Miss Yurong, Ding Shaoguang couldn't help but think: A man doesn't need much, as long as he can have a house and a beloved woman, it is enough, and he can live happily with affection and love. He smiled at the girl and said, "Have you been busy lately?"

The girl said, "Not busy." ”

Xie Guangrui threw a live chicken to the ground and said to Yurong, "Burn this chicken, Shaoguang and I want to drink some wine." ”

Ding Shaoguang also bought some bamboo shoots and handed them to Yurong to let her cook together.

So, the two of them went into the house. The cottage is about thirteen or fourteen square meters, with a large square table in the middle and a bench on each side. Inside the room was a single cot with a mosquito net. There is a red wooden box next to the bed.

The two sat across from the square table and began to talk. Yurong came in from outside with two cups of tea, put the tea on the table, and began to work in the small kitchen in front of the door.

It didn't take long for the fragrant sauerkraut chicken and sauerkraut fried bamboo shoots to be served on the table. Xie Guangrui took out three small bowls and filled them with wine, so the three of them began to drink and eat.

Because the Dai people often eat glutinous rice, in order to facilitate digestion, they have to eat sauerkraut every meal. And the sauerkraut roasted chicken and fried bamboo shoots made by Yu Rong are indeed very delicious.

Everyone clinked glasses, drank wine, and talked more. Xie Guangrui introduced to Yurong and said, "Shaoguang is a highly talented student of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, and his paintings are very good. In particular, his fine brushwork is even better. I'm not boasting about Shaoguang, he will definitely become a great painter in the future. ”

Yurong said, "I've seen his paintings. It's good to draw. As she spoke, she put a chicken leg in Ding Shaoguang's bowl and asked him, "But, Shaoguang, when are you going to draw a picture for me?"

Ding Shaoguang said, "Yurong is a well-known beauty in the commune, and she is Brother Xie's girlfriend. Let me think about it and draw you a good picture. ”

Xie Guangrui said, "I don't want you to paint a portrait of me, but you have to paint a picture for me, and when you become famous and become a great painter one day, you can make a commemoration." As he spoke, he also picked up a big chicken leg and put it in Ding Shaoguang's bowl.

Ding Shaoguang immediately pushed the chicken leg that Xie Guangrui had brought and said, "I really can't eat it, I have already eaten most of the chicken in the market just now." ”

Listening to his words, the two people next to him looked at him with strange eyes. Xie Guangrui asked, "Have you ever eaten chicken at the market?"

Ding Shaoguang said, "Yes, what's wrong?"

Xie Guangrui looked at Yurong again, and when he saw that Yurong also showed a surprised look, he asked Ding Shaoguang again, "Whose chicken are you eating?"

Ding Shaoguang said, "It's a beautiful girl." Didn't you see her too? ”

Xie Guangrui said, "I saw you with a girl, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Well, let me tell you, the girl's chicken is not something to be eaten. If you eat someone's chicken, you agree to someone's marriage contract. ”

Ding Shaoguang smiled and said, "What are you kidding, you want to scare me? ”

But Yurong was very serious and said, "It's not a joke, our Dai girl is the one who uses the yellow stewed chicken to meet each other." Didn't she ask for your money?"

Ding Shaoguang said, "I want to give her money, but she doesn't want it." ”

Yurong said, "Did you go to the grove behind the market together?"

Ding Shaoguang said, "She wanted me to go to the grove with her, but I happened to meet Brother Xie." ”

Yurong said, "Then you are equivalent to making a marriage contract with someone else." Do you know her name?"

Ding Shaoguang shook his head and said, "I don't know, but we met a few days ago, and she seems to live near our village." ”

Yu Rong smiled and said, "Our Dai cottage is going to have another foreign son-in-law." (To be continued.) )