That night, my grandfather put me to sleep. Yes, since my dad came back to town, I don't sleep in the room with caterpillars on the plastic sheeting. Grandpa's house is next to the hall, although it is also an earthen wall, but the wall is painted with white ash, and the ceiling on the roof is also sealed to death, so that no insects will fall, and grandpa's mahogany frame bed is pulled with mosquito nets.

At about four o'clock in the morning, I first heard the barking of a big yellow dog, and then heard Granny Song shouting outside the chaimen: "Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou." ”

Grandpa sat up and responded, "What's the matter?" ”

"The old man of the Ma Er family passed away, and he asked me to ask Mr. Zhou to take a trip."

"Okay, you go first, I'll come when I'm dressed."

Grandpa turned on the electric light and got out of bed to get dressed, and I got out of bed to get dressed. Grandpa said, "Miao, you are at home, grandpa will come back at dawn to bring you over." ”

It's not because I'm afraid to be at home, I just want to follow my grandfather over to have a look, so I begged, "Grandpa, take me there!" Take me there! ”

Grandpa leaned down and asked solemnly, "Are you afraid of the dead?" ”

I shook my head solemnly and replied, "I'm not afraid." ”

Grandpa took out a Hetian Jade Guanyin pendant from the copper box at the head of the bed, this pendant was left by the grandmother, and later the grandfather gave it to the grandmother, and the grandmother took off the pendant and left it in the copper box before being arrested by the Revolutionary Committee. This pendant is smooth and white, and only the Bodhisattva has a small spot on the center of his eyebrows, which is exactly in the position of Baihao. Grandpa untied the red rope from the pendant, found a black rope from the copper box and threaded it on, then tied the pendant around my neck, and instructed: "Miao, from now on, this piece of jade will be handed over to you for safekeeping." In the future, you will give it to the most important person in the second half of your life, and pass it on from generation to generation. ”

I stroked the jade on my chest and nodded earnestly, though I wasn't sure who the most important person for the rest of my life was.

Grandpa went to the kitchen again, counted seven grains of rice in the rice bowl, and put them in my shirt pocket. Although I don't understand what he meant, I know that my grandfather must have a reason for doing this.

Push open the wood door, and the moonlight is like a wash at this time. The moon in the sky was as big as a silver platter, and everything near it was dressed in silver, as if it had strayed into a silver world. The country roads are silver, the ponds are silver, the treetops are silver, and the houses are silver, but the distant mountains are hidden in the ink, so that we who walk on the road will not see their countenance. The night wind was not strong, the village was surprisingly quiet, the frogs had already slept quietly, only the crickets that were not willing to be lonely chirped once or twice, and no one answered, so they also went to sleep. Grandpa dragged me to the other end of the village, his palms so large that he enveloped my entire fist. Along the way, I looked around and felt that the village at night was more interesting than during the day.

But I don't know what day it is. Today is the Midyear Festival, which is commonly known as the Ghost Festival, and it is the time when the hundred ghosts rise at night. That's why my grandfather asked me to wear Jade Guanyin and enlarge rice in my pocket, which is used to drive away evil spirits and avoid ghosts.

Ma Er's family lives in the col of Ziyang Mountain in the south of the village, not next to the village. Ziyang Mountain is named because the mountain resembles two frolicking lambs, Ziyang. Shayang Village just blocks the playful lambs and prevents the lambs from getting lost, hence the name Shayang. My grandfather and I walked to the foot of Ziyang Mountain, turned over a dirt bag, and saw a single family not far away with lights on. At this time, my grandfather leaned over and said to me: "Miao, don't run around blindly after you go in, don't talk nonsense, the dead are big, remember." ”

I snorted. Even if my grandfather doesn't remind me, I don't dare to mess around. Aunt Liu said that after death, there are dead souls, and if you are disrespectful to the dead, you will be entangled by the dead souls and ask for your life. And what Dad said is that everyone wants to be decent after death, and it is also appropriate to take the initiative to avoid the coffin, after all, there is no need for the living to get along with the dead.

Ma Er's father was in his forties before he begged a widow with a child, and the widow ran away with her child after giving birth to Ma Er. The old man had no relatives in the village, and in those years, every family in the village was poor, and the old man relied on begging for rice soup from door to door to raise Ma Er.

Ma Er's father swallowed his breath at one o'clock in the morning, and only Ma Er's mother-in-law Song, who was slightly related to his ancestors, was waiting next to him, and Ma's second daughter-in-law was afraid that the yin qi would rush the child's samadhi true fire, so she led the unweaned child to avoid in the side room. After burning the gas paper, Ma Er bathed his father and changed into a shroud, moved his father to the coffin of the main house, lit a lantern, burned some paper figures in the muddy prison basin, and erected a paper 'Wangxiang Terrace' in front of the door.

Legend has it that after death, people have to walk a road called Huangquan Road, cross a river called Lechuan River, and there is a bridge called Nai He Bridge. There is an earthen platform called Wangxiangtai after walking across the Naihe Bridge, there is an old woman named Meng Po selling Meng Po soup on the side of Wangxiang Terrace, and there is a stone called Sansheng Stone by the Lechuan River. Meng Po Tang makes the deceased forget everything in the world, and the Sansheng Stone records the past and present lives of the deceased. Walked across the Nai He Bridge, took the last look at the world on the Wangxiang Terrace, drank Meng Po soup, and this life was over. The paper-tied 'lookout platform' is designed to allow the deceased to find the direction of home at a glance.

Granny Song first went to the neighboring village to find Wu Keyin, who presided over the funeral, and then went back to the village to run for the obituary.

When my grandfather and I arrived at Ma Er's house, Wu Keyin had already taken the people from the funeral team to Ma Er's house.

Wu Keyin's real name is Wu Jianjun, and he worshipped my grandfather as a teacher to learn feng shui in his early years. After his grandfather changed careers, Wu Jianjun set up his own portal and organized the idle people in various villages to form a funeral team. Dealing with dead people all year round, Wu Jianjun was worried that he would lose his longevity, so he changed his name to Wu Keyin.

Because the people in the village came to mourn after the rooster crowed, the funeral team had nothing to do, and more than 20 people squatted in the drying field in front of the door to smoke. Wu Keyin saw that the master was coming, so he hurriedly got up and handed over a cigarette, and waved his hand to the wind and percussion music class. These improvised grass platform teams, where they have received professional training, suona, sheng, cymbals, gongs, and bells are all ringing chaotically, and they can't hear the slightest bit of rhythm, I don't know whether they are for the deceased, or to welcome us.

Entering the mourning hall, the black lacquered coffin is placed on two stools, the lid of the coffin is not covered, the coffin is lit with an everlasting lamp, and the square table in front of the coffin is placed with the offering fruit and the statue. The portrait shows an old man with gray hair and markings on his face. Rural people work in the fields all year round, and they can't tell their real age. Ma Er, as the mourner, held a mourning stick, draped in linen, and stood on the left side of the coffin. After the grandfather finished kneeling, Ma Er helped the grandfather to get up. I also bowed to the statue three times like my grandfather, and my grandfather asked me to wait outside in the drying field.

Ma Er's house is not big, and the three earthen houses are located in the south, north and west of the drying field, which are the kitchen, the side house and the main house, and a straw shed behind the kitchen is stacked with farm tools. There was only a threshold between the drying field and the main house, and the sky was still dark, and there was only moonlight reflecting the light shining from the door on the drying field, and I stood on the drying field and looked into the main house.

Ma Er looked at Wu Keyin and asked his grandfather quietly: "Mr. Zhou, you know more than those people, when do you see the coffin?" ”

Grandpa looked at the old man Ma lying in the coffin and asked Ma Er, "Do you have any relatives in your family who want to come to see your father for the last time?" ”

Ma Er shook his head.

Grandpa looked at his watch and pinched his fingers to calculate, and said, "When it is time, rush the chicken, Lingzun is not a chicken, you can cover the coffin." Then he beckoned the eight people who were in Kandashan in the drying field to come into the house and carry the coffin lid.

The coffin is generally carried by eight people in rural areas, commonly known as the 'Eight Immortals'. The eight Wu Keyin was looking for were all in their early twenties, and two of them were dyed with yellow hair. The eight people looked at the team leader Wu Keyin's absence, and it was difficult to act rashly, but they also knew that their grandfather was Wu Keyin's master, and he should be their master according to his seniority. Since the master spoke, just do it.

Before the coffin was covered, the grandfather asked Ma Er to correct his father's body, and then the fake Taoist priest and the fake monk who did not go to the Dharma to read a message of condolences to the deceased himself, before letting the eight people close the coffin lid. When nailing the seventh coffin nail, the grandfather asked Ma Er to find a red thread, tied one end to the nail for Ma Er to pull with his hands, and reminded the person who hammered the nail that the nail could only be knocked lightly. It means 'to leave behind' and is said to enable future generations to prosper.

When Wu Keyin came back from the thatched house, he saw that the coffins had been nailed, and he didn't say anything if he was unhappy, so he asked Ma Er with a sad face: "Mourner, how many days are you going to be buried?" ”

Ma Er frowned and said, "Mr. Wu, can you be buried today?" ”

Wu Keyin immediately retorted: "No, no. The funerals are three, five, and seven days, and the Dafu family has to do a water and land dojo for 7749 days. How can there be a burial on the same day, in such a hurry, are you not afraid of the ancestors' blame? ”

At this time, the grandfather on the side interrupted Wu Keyin and said: "It's okay to be buried on the same day, today is the middle of July, the door of the underworld is open, choose today, and the soul of the dead can also take some detours." I just took a look, and at noon, the evil star was in the north, far away from the south, and it could be buried in the ground. The coffin will be raised at eleven o'clock, and it should be able to be buried before one o'clock at noon, just remember not to arrive after one o'clock. When the time comes, the day and the time clash with each other, and everything is not appropriate. If it were set today, then the funeral would have to be simple. ”

Ma Er grinned self-deprecatingly and said: "Isn't the funeral just for the living to see, and I, Ma Er, don't go to earn those faces, as long as the old man walks on the road, even if the people in the village say that I am not filial, I will admit it." ”

Wu Keyin originally wanted to take the opportunity to make a fortune from the dead, but he never wanted to be stirred up by his master, and his face turned red for a while and said: "Since the master is your old man out of the mountain, the apprentice will listen to the orders." ”

Grandpa didn't pay attention to the ugly expression on Wu Keyin's face, looked at the people who were talking and laughing in the field, and said, "You found these people, and you are naturally the one who presided over the funeral." But remember, do not be disrespectful to the dead, who do what you do. Yin and Yang have their own Taoism, and those who are Taoist are also mindful. Old Man Ma has suffered all his life, and the funeral can be simple, but it needs to be attentive. ”

Ma Er saw that the atmosphere was not right, and hurriedly sent everyone a turn of 'Hongta Mountain'. Wu Keyin was educated by his grandfather in public, and he didn't have some prestige, because he was afraid that the team would not be easy to bring in the future, so he yelled at the people he brought: "If you heard what my master said, give me snacks." One by one, they are lazy and lazy, worried about breaking Yangshou. ”

When my grandfather saw me squatting on the edge of the drying field and playing with the dirt on the ground with a wooden stick, he pointed to the side room and asked Ma Er, "Is your daughter-in-law taking the child in that house?" Is it inconvenient for my little grandson to come into the house for a while? ”

Ma Eryi patted his head and said, "Look at my braincase, I'm busy and dizzy, I'll take him over." "Hurry over and pull me to the side room.

Pushing open the door, Ma Er's daughter-in-law was sitting on the edge of the bed and breastfeeding the child, after I entered the house, Ma Er quickly withdrew from the door and closed the door. The breastfeeding woman was the same aunt who made me step on the threshing machine that day, and the aunt smiled when she saw me and beckoned me to sit next to her. There was a stool opposite my aunt, and I walked to the stool and sat down, and when I saw the little baby in my aunt's arms sucking milk, I shyly looked to the rest of the house. The house is about 20 square meters, the white ash on the walls is newly painted, the furnishings in the house are also new, and the mirror of the three-door wardrobe is still pasted with the word "happy".

My aunt asked me, "How old are you?" ”

I turned my face and saw the baby nursing, so I looked down at my toes and replied, "Seven years old, I'm going to elementary school this year." ”

The little baby fell asleep sweetly when it was full, and the aunt tightened the quilt and put the little baby on the bed. Then he got up and went to the low cabinet and got a small bowl with blue porcelain and gold rimmed. My aunt turned her back and squeezed half a bowl of breast milk, turned around and handed it to me, saying, "Drink!" ”

Taking the small bowl and looking at the milky liquid in the bowl, I couldn't help but wonder if this thing could be drunk. Then I thought that little babies could do it, and I shouldn't have any problems. So I took a sip of the bowl, there was a hint of saltiness and a hint of sweetness, which was mixed with a faint fishy smell, and the taste was not good.

My aunt looked at my frowning and said with a smile, "It's okay, your mother also gave you this drink when you were a child." ”

I drank the rest of the breast milk in the bowl and returned the bowl to my aunt, saying, "Thank you, Auntie." But how come I don't remember drinking it as a kid? ”

The aunt took the bowl, poured some cold water from the kettle, shook it at the bottom of the bowl, drank the water from the bottom of the bowl, and asked, "Can anyone remember what they looked like when they were feeding?" ”

I said in my heart, this question is worth thinking about, and I will ask Yiqing when I go back and see if she remembers.

Looking at this aunt closely, she really looks like Aunt Liu. I don't know where Aunt Liu is at this time, she should have her own children. For a moment, I really mistook the aunt in front of me for my Aunt Liu.

Then my aunt and I talked about something inconsequential, but she didn't mention the funeral outside, as if the house was another world.

The day dawned, and the mourners from the village came one after another, and the music and voices of people outside were endless. The little baby on the bed was woken up by the sound and began to cry. The aunt put the baby in the bassinet and hummed a nursery rhyme as she shook it. But the little baby still cried incessantly, as if to compare the sound outside. I walked up to the bassinet and grimaced at the baby, and miraculously the crying stopped abruptly, and giggles came from inside the bassinet. It seems that I still have a talent for coaxing children, so I made a few more grimaces in different tricks, and the baby smiled even more happily.

I don't know how long later, I heard the sound of the mud basin breaking outside, followed by the sound of firecrackers and drums. Out of curiosity, I ran to the window and lifted the curtain to look out. Wu Keyin and his funeral team opened the way in front, holding the statue of Ma second, with a long white cloth tied on his head, and the other end of the white cloth was on the head of the coffin, eight people carried the coffin, and the grandfather and a group of villagers followed closely and marched towards Ziyang Mountain together.

When the funeral procession went away, my aunt saw that the baby in the bassinet was asleep, so she pushed open the door and led me to the kitchen. My aunt warmed up the food that my grandfather had left for us on the stove and took me back to the side room after eating.

The funeral procession returned at about one o'clock in the afternoon. When I got back, my grandfather had to prepare the afternoon meal, so he let me stay in the side room. Due to waking up early, after the temperature rises at noon, I am sleepy. My aunt put me to bed while she gently rocked the bassinet in front of the bassinet.

In the afternoon, after dinner, it was still dark, and my grandfather took me home.

As soon as I got home, my grandfather went to the closet and found a piece of clothes that my father wore when I was a child and asked me to change them, and he took my changed clothes to the well and washed them, and then hung them on the clothes pole and spread them under the clothes with wormwood leaves.

After another week, my dad came to pick me up and take me back to the city. Grandpa sent us to the entrance of the village, and after walking some distance, I turned around and found that my grandfather was smiling, and in my memory, it was the only time I saw him smile so brightly.