Chapter 24: The Locust Niangniang Festival

Every year on the sixth day of the seventh month, on the eve of the wheat harvest, Gaolifang Town will gather the townspeople to carry out a sacred festival.

But this festival does not worship the city god, does not worship the land, worships the locust lady who comes and goes like a cloud every year.

Speaking of locust Niangniang, we have to mention the terrifying ethnic group of locust Niangniang - locusts.

I don't know when it began, maybe it was the former Qing Dynasty, maybe it was earlier, there was a large group of locusts on the boundary of Gaolifang.

In the early years, a county magistrate surnamed Kang once organized a large-scale hunting operation, not only the entire population of the town was dispatched, but also a large number of chickens and ducks were purchased outside.

But that year, the locusts came most ferociously. According to the legend of the old people, when the locusts struck that year, it was densely covered with the sky and the sun, and the green as far as the eye could see was swallowed up in just a few moments.

Later, the locusts were so anxious that none of the insects, animals, domestic animals, and people that were moving outside could escape the compound eyes of the locusts, and all of them died in the mouths of the locusts.

Even the county order that organized the extermination of locusts was finally gnawed into dry bones in the county office, and it is said that the dry bones were covered with tooth marks.

Later, the villagers were forced to have no choice, not only sacrificed the wives and daughters of the county order, but also sacrificed a pair of boys and girls in each village and village, which calmed the anger of the locust mother.

Later, when the locust lady was satisfied, she retreated back with the locust swarm.

Later, there was such a tradition in the town, and every sixth day of the seventh month, a locust maiden festival was held.

There is also a difference in this festival, which is usually a small festival in the year, and only a few cows, horses and livestock are needed.

However, every great festival once every ten years is not just cattle, horses, and livestock, but must have boys and girls.

And this year, it is the time of the 10th year of the festival.

Unfortunately, this year's quota for boys and girls happened to fall on Mujiaji.

Ma Lin has been obsessed with cultivation these days, and he doesn't know anything about the outside world.

But today, the village chief knocked on the door of Ma Lin's house.

"Is Linzi at home?" Early in the morning, Ma Lin was still eating breakfast when he heard someone shouting outside.

Ma Lin reluctantly put down the chopsticks in his hand and went out to check.

"Isn't this the second master! What the wind has blown you, sit in the house quickly! Ma Lin came out and saw that it was the village's chief Mu Lao-er, who was politely invited into the house.

"The house won't enter, and I'll inform you of something." Mu Lao-second-rate leaned on the door angrily.

"Second master, let's go into the house and talk about it!" Ma Lin politely let it again.

Because Ma Zhang's family was a horse fairy before, and now Ma Lin is a horse fairy again, so Mu Lao-Er is still more polite: "Linzi, you really don't need to enter the house, I'll notify you of something, and I'll leave after the notice." ”

Ma Lin saw that Mu Lao-Er really didn't mean to enter the house, and he was no longer polite: "What's the matter, Second Master, I'll let you run early in the morning!" ”

"Today is the Locust Niangniang Festival, which will be held in the town at noon, so you have to be there! I still have to inform the other family, so I'll go first! After Mu Lao-er finished speaking, he didn't stop, turned around and went to the next one.

Ma Lin took a few steps out, then turned around and came back, still muttering in his mouth: "Locust Niangniang Ceremony." ”

……

Before noon, Ma Lin took Chang Ran to the altar outside Gaolifang Town, these immortals, Chang Ran was dressed in the most ordinary clothes, so he didn't hide himself, so he swaggered and followed Ma Lin.

"Run, where is this locust girl?" Ma Lin and Chang Ran gathered in the crowd, looking left and right a little boredly.

Chang Ran ran thought for a while, and shook his head: "I know that there is no such number one person in the famous immortal family, and besides, there are no locusts in our Northeast Realm. ”

"In that case, I'm afraid this locust lady is not a good way to come!" Ma Lin's face was a little uneasy.

Chang Ran ran didn't answer Ma Lin directly: "Don't you know after a while, I don't know if you ask me." ”

At noon, the festival was held on time, and the town's security commander and the three elders presided over the festival.

First, the commander of the security ordered the militia to carry up the six animal sacrifices, and then piled aside a large number of sacks full of grain.

After the sacrifice was placed, the three elders politely pushed each other, and the oldest one came to the stage to read the sacrifice, and then the three of them worked together and lit three high incense plants with thick arms.

After lighting the incense, the three elders stepped back from the stage, standing at the front of the crowd on crutches.

"Kneel" At this time, the security captain with a big belly shouted.

The crowd suddenly knelt down like a wave of wheat under the wind, starting from the three elders.

Ma Lin and Chang Ran naturally did not kneel, but standing too abruptly in the crowd, they crouched down, which was not so conspicuous.

As everyone knelt down, the temperature of the air, which was still a little scorching, began to drop gradually.

Ma Lin tightened his clothes and looked left and right with some uneasiness.

I found that Chang Ran was thinking about something with a confused face.

Ma Lin gently touched Chang Ran with his arm: "Run, do you feel a little cold?" ”

Chang Ran ran looked up at Ma Lin and nodded. Then he looked around again, looked at Ma Lin's eyes and said, "Ma Lin, something may be wrong, I seem to smell the smell of demons!" ”

It was the first time Ma Lin heard this statement, and repeated again with doubts: "Demon? ”

Chang Ran nodded solemnly: "I'm not sure either, but I feel like it!" ”

As he spoke, a large dark cloud suddenly floated in the western sky, and the dark cloud swept over at a very fast speed.

Chang Ran ran stared at the many dark clouds with a solemn face, Ma Lin glanced at the dark clouds a few times, and felt that there was nothing special, so he cast his eyes elsewhere.

As soon as his eyes swept to the altar, Ma Lin snorted lightly, and ran away with his arm: "I have been to the Locust Niangniang Festival a few times in previous years, but I didn't see that I wanted to bring children up!" ”

When he heard this, he also glanced at the stage: "Those two seem to be the twins of our village, Li Laosan's family!" ”

When Ma Lin heard this, he leaned forward a little and looked at it carefully: "It seems to be true!" ”

At this time, I only heard a third elder standing at the front, praying loudly: "Locust Niangniang, the sacrifices of the ten-year festival have been prepared, please enjoy it to the fullest, bless me with good weather and abundant harvest in my Gaoli room!" ”

After the three elders finished speaking, the thousands of villagers kneeling below shouted in unison: "Locust Niangniang, the sacrifices of the ten-year festival have been prepared, please enjoy it to the fullest, bless my Gaoli room with smooth wind and rain, and abundant grains!" ”

At first, the voices of the people were not too loud, but after shouting a few times, the voice seemed to be as loud as reaching into the sky.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the west drifted at a speed visible to the naked eye as if the fast-forward button had been pressed.

After a few breaths, Ma Lin was shocked to find that it was a dark cloud, it was a large locust! The locust colony could not see the edge at all on the left and right, and it covered the sky and the sun.

Ma Lin found that as the locusts approached, the louder the kneeling villagers shouted.

After dozens of breaths, Ma Lin only felt that it was dark above his head, but it was those locusts who came to the top of everyone's heads, as if time was traveling, and they traveled from noon to evening at once.

Ma Lin vaguely saw that there was a huge locust like a calf in the middle of the locusts, surrounded by dozens of locusts the size of goats.