Ghost Fire listened to his grandfather quietly, and seemed to be hesitating, not knowing whether to believe what his grandfather said. But their flames were not as strong as they had been, and they seemed to have softened their attitudes.

Grandpa said, "This partner of yours has hurt the horse butcher several times, and it is only natural that we should take revenge on him." But after we finish it, the horse butcher will still treat it well. It was the first son of the horse butcher, and it was his fault that the horse butcher did not come to see it again after burying it, and the horse butcher will often come to see it in the future. The horse butcher hurriedly nodded in agreement with his grandfather's words.

The ghost fire was slowly extinguished. There was only a faint moonlight left around again. The people who had been squatting and didn't dare to move just now all stood up and moved their muscles and bones, and they all praised what Grandpa just said was really convincing, no, it was to convince the ghost.

The grandfather asked the horse butcher, "Where is your first son buried?" The horse butcher smiled sheepishly and pointed to a grave that had been flooded with grass.

Grandpa instructed everyone to dig up the small grave and bring out a small wooden box. The wooden box was opened, and there was nothing inside. I was surprised and asked, "Why are there no corpses?" Grandpa said, "That's what I just killed." ”

Everyone wanted to put the little boy with a broken head in the wooden box, but the grandfather stopped him: "You can't use this anymore, bury him head down and foot in the sky." The horse butcher asked, "Bury upside down?" Is it okay not to put it in a coffin? ”

Grandpa said, "Only then will he not come to hurt you." The horse butcher asked, "Why do you want to?" ”

Grandpa said, "If you want to ask me why, I don't know." ”

Grandpa's words are true. I heard my mother say that when my grandfather was younger, he liked to read a broken old book. I don't know where my grandfather got the book, and my mother also found the broken old book to study when he wasn't paying attention, but I still don't know what kind of book it is. Because the book does not have a cover, the words inside are very messy and messy, like a calculation book for elementary school students. Later, I asked my grandfather if he had the book, and he said yes. I happily begged him for something to learn how to catch ghosts myself. Grandpa went to the closet for a long time and finally found a book to read. When I looked at it, it turned out to be "Zhou Yi", and I suspected that my grandfather lied to me. Grandpa said for sure that this is it. So far, I still don't know if grandpa lied to me. Later, when I was catching ghosts many times, I didn't understand his behavior, and he always said, "I don't know why this is the case, that's what the ancient books say." ”

I really can't do anything about such a weird grandfather.

As he had instructed, they laid the boy headfirst down in the pit and covered him with a hoe tied with a strip of red cloth. The wind became cold, and the cold air penetrated the clothes, and the cold pressed against the skin.

I was shivering with cold and wanted to get back into the warm bed. I asked my grandfather, "That's pretty much it, let's go back quickly." ”

Grandpa said, "That's all there is to it tonight, but it's not over yet." This ghost is very angry, and has killed several sons of the horse butcher, and this time it will not let it go easily. ”

My hair stood on end, and I thought to myself, I shouldn't have followed my grandfather here tonight to catch ghosts. What if it remembers what I look like and comes to me for revenge at night? It's okay to be next to grandpa, what if it comes to me when grandpa is not there? Thinking like this, I was even more scared, and looked at my grandfather for help and said, "What should I do then?" How's it over? ”

Grandpa said, "Come to the ghosts, be hard and soft, appease them, and let them know how powerful we are." Let it have no resentment, and dare not invade again. ”

Everyone finished everything that grandpa had explained, wiped their sweat, and looked at grandpa with inquiring eyes. Grandpa waved his calloused hand and said, "That's all there is to it tonight." Let's go back to sleep. The demon blood on the body must be washed before the sun comes out, otherwise everything will be unlucky. Don't use water when washing, wash it with chicken blood first, and then wipe it clean with rice wine. Do you hear that? ”

Everyone nodded. The horse butcher asked, "Is it okay to wash it in pig blood?" ”

Grandpa scolded angrily: "You stingy ghost! You know that you are greedy for cheap. The son refused to put two sticks of incense on his grave, nor did he put two fruits on his grave. said that you want to use chicken blood, and you can't exchange human blood! ”

The horse butcher smiled awkwardly, rubbing his hands and not daring to reply.

Everyone told the horse butcher as a joke, packed up their things and walked back together. The surroundings were silent, I didn't dare to walk beside it, I desperately squeezed into the middle of the people, and I didn't even have the courage to look back at the ghost nest. Grandpa didn't say a word. The other men spoke loudly, pretending that they were not afraid, but in fact, they were more afraid than anyone else, saying some inconsequential words, and no one said or listened carefully. The scene surrounded by ghost fire just now is still hanging in my heart.

I saw my grandfather pinching his fingers and muttering slurred words. I was about to ask, but he suddenly turned his head and said to me, "Liang Zai, you can come here with me again tomorrow." ”

When I heard this, I quickly shook my head, but asked curiously, "What are you doing?" ”

Grandpa said, "I've got to do something important." Although its head was broken and buried upside down, I will come tomorrow to do some ritual and crucify it just in case. ”

When the horse butcher and a few others heard this, they eagerly asked, "We don't have to do anything else, do we?" ”

Grandpa said, "Just wash away the demon blood." Leave the rest to me. But the horse butcher ......"

The horse butcher hurriedly replied: "What is the matter?" As long as you tell me to, I'll do it right away. ”

Grandpa said, "Yes, there is something, but it is not done immediately." So Grandpa gave this and such an explanation to the horse butcher, and asked him to do this. The horse butcher nodded incessantly. Others also felt justified when they heard it.

Coming back along the way, the owl in the distance was still calling. The moon was obscured by a cloud, but the moonlight peeked through the edge of the cloud. Everyone dispersed, and only my grandfather and I walked home in a faint shadow. I kept talking to my grandfather for fear of quieting down. As soon as I quieted down, I felt that something was following me.