On a midsummer night, I walked with the cow madman, one big and one small, in the dense mountain forest.

Although the cicadas are chirping, although the wildflowers are blooming, although the stars are full of stars, although the moonlight is bright, where can I still be in the mood to enjoy the scenery when I am already hungry, and complain aggrievedly: "Fish, where are the fish? What about sweet and sour fish heads? It's better to say than to sing! I see you like a sweet and sour fish head! ”

"Hey, hey, hey! ——”

This bull madman began to pretend to be crazy and stupid again, smirking and just not talking.

As I was walking, I suddenly noticed something unusual, as if I was going the wrong way.

"Why don't you know what to call here?" I stopped and asked the cow maniac.

The cow madman didn't seem to hear it, and walked forward with his head down.

Suddenly, a white figure flashed past a large back tree to my left.

"Who? Who's there? ”

It was a kid after all, I screamed, and ran up to the cow maniac and slapped him.

I only heard a "snap", and the cow madman actually fell to the ground head-on.

Could it be that he was so hungry that he didn't even have the strength to stand?

I hesitated and pulled him.

But this pull almost made me lose my soul.

Where is there still the figure of a cow madman, covered with a paper figure painted red and green under his tattered clothes!

Paper Man!

It's something that only comes when the dead mourn! How did it end up here?

"Cow Maniac—Cow Maniac—"

No one responded, only echoes!

"Old cow - old cow - "

"Grandpa Cow - Grandpa Cow-"

Still no response.

I knew that he had some ability, and pleaded with a crying voice: "Grandpa Niu, don't joke with me, I'm afraid, where are you hiding?" ”

But no matter how much I shouted, no one answered, but startled a flock of nocturnal birds in the trees, quacking and flying away.

He's not kidding me! It's really gone! How could a big living person suddenly disappear in front of his eyes?

Could it be that he was captured by a ghost......

I didn't dare to think about it, and kept telling myself in my head, run quickly, run forward, run as hard as I wanted.

Maybe it was because he didn't eat, or maybe it was because he was too scared, and his two legs, which were as soft as boiled noodles, not only couldn't walk, but he also lost his strength and sat on the ground with his butt slumped.

There is no point in crying anymore.

I had only one thought in my head, and that was to run home and into my grandmother's arms.

At that moment, I had long forgotten that my grandmother had died.

So, I struggled to my feet again, stumbling forward.

I don't know how long I ran, I was out of breath, I was tired and sweaty, my clothes were soaked and sticky on my body, the night wind blew, it was cold and biting, and my upper and lower teeth were fighting.

When did the weather get so cold in July?

I couldn't run, panting sharply against a big tree.

Suddenly, there was a bright light ahead......

I was afraid that I had seen it wrong, so I rubbed my eyes vigorously, and when I looked again, a group of people swayed towards me.

These people were men and women, mostly old people, each carrying a white lantern in his hand, emitting a miserable light, and dressed strangely, all dressed in a buttoned Tang costume, and wearing a melon skin hat on his head.

They walked as if they didn't look at the road, they were straight, their eyes were always fixed on the front, there was not a sound under their feet, not even the lantern in their hands, it didn't shake at all.

I was so frightened that I hid behind a tree and didn't dare to move at this strange scene.

Why are these people dressed so familiarly?

Finally, I remembered that when my grandmother was buried, she wore such clothes, this is a shroud!

They are not people! They're all ghosts!

I shuddered involuntarily, my whole body stood on end, and a creepy feeling filled every pore.

At this time, an old man who walked in front seemed to have spotted me, stared in my direction for a moment, and said in a gloomy voice: "There is a living person who seems to be able to see us." ”

As soon as the old man said this, they all stopped, looked at me as if they were rare, and slowly approached me.

By the bright moonlight, I finally saw their appearances clearly, without exception, their faces were pale, as white as paper, their eyes were blue, their lips were blood-red, and they were terrified against the backdrop of white paper lanterns.

When did I see such a battle, I was directly frightened, my feet were weak, I fell to the ground, and slowly closed my eyes.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a big hand suddenly stretched out from behind me, and an anxious voice sounded in my ears: "Changsheng, wake up, Changsheng......"

It's a cow madman, this old boy is finally here, where did he run just now......

I struggled to open my eyes, and was about to ask him where he had just run, but I burst into tears with a "wow", and the fright I had just received turned into tears the moment I saw the cow madman.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, come home with me."

The cow man patted me on the head, pulled me up, and took me by the hand and walked along the way I had come to the village.

"Huh? What about those people? Where did it go? I asked, twitching.

Hearing me say this, the cow madman froze, turned my body over, and stared at me and asked, "People? Who? Do you see people? ”

"It's people who carry lanterns and wear shrouds!"

The cow maniac's face suddenly changed greatly, it was even more difficult to look at, his brows were twisted into Sichuan characters, and it took a long time before he said: "It seems that I have to meet those old friends, and I really miss them." ”

After tossing and turning like this for half the night, it was almost dawn when I returned to the broken temple.

The madman saw that I was confused, and let me sleep, while he himself found a shovel and dug it in the open space in front of the offering table.

I slept until noon when I woke up hungry.

Looking at the big pit he dug in the ruined temple that was seven feet long, three feet wide, and three feet deep, I asked curiously, "What are you digging such a big pit?" ”

"I'm going through the underworld, and I'm going to meet those old friends in the underworld, and I want them to help me with something." This time, he didn't hide it from me.

As he spoke, he took the spirit tablet and the incense burner from the offering table and placed them on the north side of the pit, and then took a long stick of incense and lit it and inserted it into the incense burner, and then said to me again: "Wake me up when the incense is about to go out." ”

Then he lay down in the pit.

Looking at my puzzled face, he said, "If there is anything you want to ask, I'll talk about it when I come back." ”

After speaking, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, and after a while, he lost his breath.

The incense was very long and patient, and it lasted for more than half an hour, and when it was almost over, I hurriedly called out the cow madman.

He didn't even look at me, grabbed another stick of incense and lit it, and then lay down in the pit again.

And so on, I tossed it seven times.

When he woke up for the last time, he spurted out a large mouthful of blood, his face was pale, and his brow was furrowed as if he could wring out water.