26. Ghost market

Nowadays, everyone is in advance of the ghost market, which generally refers to the market where people spontaneously gather and organize to buy and sell antique things. It's very interesting to say, and if you're interested, you can go to Baidu, because it has nothing to do with the story, so I won't go into details. The ghost market in my story today is a real ghost market.

The person who told me this story was a friend of mine whose ancestors were in business. The protagonist of the story is his great-grandfather. At that time, doing business was much harder than it is now, and some merchants were not returning home for years or even years. Let's call his great-grandfather "this merchant".

At that time, the transportation was not developed, and there were no logistics companies for trafficking goods, and they were basically carried by people and horses. The same is true of the merchant, who travels north and south with his goods. It happened when he was about forty years old, and he once passed through a large mountain with goods. The businessman's business was not small, and he was accompanied by a distant nephew, Xiao Maozi, and a few fellows. Because it was late, I stayed in a small mountain village. He had traveled many times to traffick goods on this road, so he was very familiar with it, and he was not too worried about what would happen.

There was no entertainment in the village, and most of the villagers slept as soon as it got dark. The merchant had eaten, packed a bag of cigarettes, and was smoking as he thought about things. I heard Xiao Maozi outside the door shouting to him: "Uncle! You haven't slept yet! There's a market in front of me that I want to visit. Uncle, are you going? The businessman was carefully pondering the business matters, and he didn't listen carefully to what Xiao Maozi said, so he casually shouted: "I'm not going, you can go by yourself, don't be too late, you have to get up early tomorrow to hurry." Outside the door, Xiao Maozi answered and left. It was such an oversight that gave away Xiao Maozi's life.

The merchant thought about things, finished smoking and drank a pot of hot tea, and felt that it was time to sleep, only to remember what Xiao Maozi said just now. He looked at his pocket watch, and it was nine o'clock in the night. Is Xiao Maozi back? This little hairy man is young and strong, usually very obedient, and very loyal to the merchants, but his brain is a little dull. Of course, it's either stupid, or it's a beat slower than the average person. The merchant took him as a servant and bodyguard for himself. According to his usual habits, this kid will greet him no matter he goes out or comes back, but today it's all here, why hasn't there been any movement.

The merchant got up in his clothes, walked to the house where the men lived, and when he saw that several of the men were asleep, he woke them up and asked them that Xiao Maozi had indeed not returned. Calculating the time, the boy had been out for an hour, and the merchant began to worry. A fellow told him that an hour ago, Xiao Maozi came to them and asked them, saying that there was a market in the mountains, and he was going to go shopping, and asked us if we were going, and we were all tired and didn't want to move, so we didn't go. Xiao Maozi was quite angry, so he went out by himself. The merchant carefully recalled the situation just now, and indeed, Xiao Maozi said to go to the market. Wait a minute! What bazaars to visit? This is a remote village in the mountains, there are no fifty families in total, there are dozens of miles of mountain roads before and after, there are no people, how can there be any market here!

He thought about it for a while, and thought that it would be better to ask the people of the village about the situation first, so he woke up the owner of the house where they were staying. The owner is an old couple, and they are already asleep at this time. The merchant apologized and asked them if there was a market nearby, explaining that his nephew was missing. After listening to his words, the old man told him with great certainty that there was absolutely no market in this vicinity, and the people of this village had to go to the town more than a hundred miles away to catch the market. Now the businessman and the guys are stunned. Especially the businessman, he broke out in a cold sweat, in the middle of the night, where did Xiao Maozi go alone?

Although he was in a hurry, after all, this businessman had been in business for 20 years, and as the saying goes, "it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read 10,000 books". In the past 20 years, he has traveled all over the country, and he has seen a lot of knowledge, and his rich social experience and sufficient experience in the rivers and lakes are very comparable. He thanked the old couple and walked out of the village with a few men.

It was surrounded by a dark mountain. The merchant looked around and was about to speak. One of the fellows cried out, "Look, there is light." The merchant looked in the direction of the man's finger, and sure enough, a vague light could be seen halfway up the mountainside, and it was a large area, and it seemed that there was indeed a market. The merchant breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that maybe Xiao Maozi was in the bazaar. But he was cautious again. The old couple said just now that there is no market nearby, what is going on? Although he was in a hurry to find someone, he didn't mess up.

"Don't go over!" Suddenly, an old voice came from behind them. Everyone looked back and saw that it was the owner of their stay, the old man. At some point, he followed. The old man walked over slowly, looked up at a blurred light in the distance, and said slowly to the merchant, "How many times have you been here and there, and you have stayed at my house every time." I don't treat you as an outsider. I know you're in a hurry, but you can't go to that place. Otherwise, you won't be able to save people, and even you yourself may not be able to come back. The merchant did not speak, but looked at the old man quietly. A guy was anxious: "Uncle, isn't that a bazaar?" We're just looking for someone, how can we not come back? ”

The old man glanced at him: "Young man, there are so many strange things in this world, and there are still many things you don't know!" It's not a bazaar. That's a ghost city! This last sentence was deliberately accentuated by his tone, and a deep voice roared out of his hoarse throat, drifting into everyone's ears with the cold wind. Those who heard it couldn't help but shiver. The old man glanced into the distance again, then turned around and went back to the village.

"Old man stays!" When the merchant saw that the old man was leaving, he hurriedly stopped him. He stepped forward respectfully, bowed to the old man, and then said, "Old man, it is my nephew who is lost, and the child is not sensible, please give me some guidance on how to save him." I can't thank you enough. "Saying another one. The old man turned around: "You are serious. I wouldn't care if I could save people, it's just that this ghost market is extremely dangerous. There's nothing I can do. ”

"What then?" The guys are also in a hurry.

"Whether it is life or death, it can only depend on his creation!" The old man shook his head, didn't stop, and went back to his home.

The merchant pondered for a moment, then walked resolutely towards the marketplace on the mountainside. Two daring men followed. The merchant waved his hand: "Go back!" "Master!" The two men screamed.

The merchant didn't reply: "I brought Xiao Maozi out, and his father and mother entrusted him to me, so I have to be responsible for him!" To live is to see people, and to die is to see corpses. If it's so unclear, I'm sorry for my father. You wait for me all night, and if you don't come back tomorrow morning, you will go home with your goods. ”

Hearing my friend talk about this, I couldn't help but secretly praise "Good man!" ”。 Bai Juyi wrote in "Pipa Xing" that "businessmen value profit and ignore parting, and Fuliang buys tea in the month before last", satirizing businessmen who value profit and ignore righteousness. The author is quite unimpressed. Looking at the people of the world, who does not seek profit? To be as affectionate and courageous as this businessman, even if he is profit-seeking, there is nothing wrong with it.

"But, you're in charge...... It's too dangerous. A guy said.

"Don't be afraid, I've been walking the rivers and lakes for 20 years. The bandits and beasts have all been fighting, and they are afraid that they will not succeed. As he spoke, he pulled out a box gun from his waist and shook it at the guys, "Besides, we still have guns." As the saying goes, 'Immortals can't hide from the smoke'! ”

There is no trace of people in the mountains where the moon and stars are scarce. By the light of the moon, the merchant strode along the mountain road. A businessman like him, who goes out all year round, will punch and kick him a few times. One is to strengthen the muscles and bones, and the other is to defend oneself against the enemy. Friends have watched the TV series "Qiao's Courtyard", which was broadcast on CCTV a few years ago. The protagonist in it, Qiao Zhiyong, is the top master of Xingyi Boxing. Although this businessman is not a master, three or five ordinary strong men can't help him, let alone walk a few steps like this. Soon he approached the ghost market on the mountainside. (To be continued...... ）