Records of Strange People and Strange Events in the Old Mansion

Chapter 24 Chen

When Chouyu said "Dragon and Tiger Fight", Zhu Badger's heart was no longer calm. Zhao Kuangyin and Hu Yanzan on the stage of the old house's ancestral hall appeared in her mind. Zhao Kuangyin's red and Hu Yanzan's black were imprinted on her young mind. The mark of fear has been lingering.

The local drama "Dragon and Tiger Fight" tells the story of the rebellion of General Liu Jun of Bailong Pass in Hedong during the Qiande period of the Northern Song Dynasty. Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty personally led the expedition. Marshal Ouyang Fang and Liu Jun faked a fight and really attracted the enemy, but the pioneer officer Hu Yanshouting saw through it. Ouyang Fang made a counterattack, falsely accusing Huyan Shouting of rebelling and killing him, and joined forces with Liu Jun to trap Zhao Kuangyin in Hedong. Seven years later, Huyanzan, the mute son of Huyanshouting, received instructions from a god, took out the mute bones, taught him martial arts, and sent troops to attack Bailong Pass. Hu Yanzan slashed Liu Jun with his sword, went straight to the imperial camp, and sought revenge from Zhao Kuangyin. During the battle, he found that the opponent appeared in the shape of a dragon and a tiger, and finally reconciled. Zhao Kuangyin beheaded Ouyang Fang, and Hu Yanzan avenged his father.

The local operas around Lvbubuo Village have high-pitched and exciting singing, rough and simple costumes, and bold and free performances. In "Dragon and Tiger Fight", Zhao Kuangyin has a red face, red robe, and red trousers, and is shockingly red; Hu Yanzan has black face, black clothes, and Black boots, all black, so black that it's scary.

When Zhu Badger was five years old, she watched "Dragon and Tiger Fight" on the stage of the ancestral hall of her old house for the first time. In addition to the loud voices of Zhao Kuangyin and Hu Yanzan that made her ears ring, it was the red and black colors. She was so frightened that she kept crawling into Mayaksha's arms. Ma Yasha asked her to go home and sleep, but she was reluctant to leave the stage. From time to time, her little head in Ma Yasha's arms raised her head and glanced at Zhao Kuangyin and Hu Yanzan, who were dazzlingly red and shiny black on the stage, acting as soldiers. Holding aloft an eye-catching tiger with a white forehead and a raptor with teeth and claws, Xiao Zhu Badger burst into tears with a cry of "Wow". The cry drowned out the backstage band that was beating the gongs, drums, cymbals loudly, making the climax of the scene even more intense. It was interrupted for several minutes.

From then on, whenever Zhu Badger passed by the stage of the ancestral hall of her old house, the red color of Zhao Kuangyin's dragon and the black color of Hu Yanzan's tiger would always appear in her mind. "Dragon-Tiger Fight" was deeply engraved in her memory.

Today I have to go to the old house ancestral hall stage to have a look. I haven't been there for a long time. I wonder if those people have cleaned up the debris on the ancestral hall stage?

The stage of the ancestral hall of the old house is located in the backyard, diagonally opposite Mr. Zhu’s house and directly opposite the ancestral tablets. Because the stage is part of the ancestral hall, women were not allowed to enter the ancestral hall except for performances in the past. Therefore, Zhu Badger seldom went in when he grew up. When he was a child, he often climbed in through the transom of the ancestral hall to play with his friends, and acted decently on the stage. Miss Xiucai.

The stage is in the style of a single eaves resting on the top of a mountain. The top ridge is decorated with two dragons playing with beads. The vertical ridges and the ridges are respectively sculptures of the characters "Princess Two Sheep Chasing Di Qing" and "Two Immortals in Harmony", which are lifelike. The four stone pillars at the front and back of the stage are each engraved with a couplet. The two stone pillars in the front are engraved with: "Bounce the water and then the moon, half into the river wind and half into the clouds"; the two stone pillars at the back are engraved with: "Red sleeves turn in the wind, the robin dances, and the purple flute plays. The moon and the phoenix sing."

Mr. Zhu said that there was no stage when the old house was first built. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Zhu family in Lvbui Village ushered in its heyday. Grandpa Zhu Badger’s grandfather spent 800 taels of silver to build an ancestral hall and a stage in the open space in the backyard of the old house.

"You said the backyard of the old house was originally an open space?" Zhu Badger wanted to invite Mr. Zhu to go into the ancestral hall and see the stage together.

Mr. Zhu shook his folding fan, squinted his eyes, shook his head, and responded to Zhu Badger slowly: "My ancestors did not have a surname. Fortunately, your great-great-grandfather's grandfather valued him and took care of the ancestral hall."

"You didn't answer the question." Zhu Badger was most afraid that Mr. Zhu would squint his eyes and shake his head, so that he could talk to himself for an hour.

Mr. Zhu suddenly stood up and faced Zhu Badger, clasping his fists and bowing: "I hope the fairy will forgive me for failing to protect the ancestral hall."

"Why are you being pedantic? Come on, let's go see the stage." Zhu Badger turned around.

Mr. Zhu took a few steps to stop Zhu Badger: "Fairy, don't be impatient. Come back at twilight tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Chenshi? Why don't we wait until tomorrow's Yinshi is over?" Zhu Badger frowned.

Mr. Zhu laughed and said, "Sure enough, fairies are extremely intelligent, beyond the reach of old men."

"Come on, please tell me what will happen tomorrow?" Zhu Badger sat back in his chair.

Mr. Zhu turned around, bent down and whispered to Zhu Badger: "Everything will come when it is supposed to come. Things that can be predicted are nothing."

"Do you mean it's a good thing?" Zhu Badger wanted to trick Mr. Zhu.

Mr. Zhu snickered: "What do you think about whether it is good or bad? There is no way to bring blessings and misfortunes. People can only bring them to themselves. The rewards of good and evil follow them like a shadow. The difference between good and evil is only a thought." "Blessings are hidden by disasters, and disasters are here. Fortune depends on it, I understand that, but the key is that I am worried about the fight between dragon and tiger." Zhu Badger said straightforwardly.

Mr. Zhu frowned, thought for a moment and asked Badger Zhu: "Why did you think of a dragon-tiger fight?"

"Didn't you think of that?" Zhu Badger stood up.

Mr. Zhu replied in a low voice: "Fairy, I still say what I said, everything will come when it is supposed to come, and it doesn't matter if it can be predicted."

"My visit was in vain, goodbye." Zhu Badger angrily walked out of Mr. Zhu's house.

Mr. Zhu did not chase Zhu Badger, but stood there shaking his head and sighing: "This man can't be too smart."

"There is nothing in the world, and mediocre people disturb themselves. I am just a mediocre person. You are smart, so just wait for Zhu Hu to settle the score with you." Zhu Badger turned around and shouted at Mr. Zhu.

Mr. Zhu fell down on his chair, his face turned ashen, and stared blankly at Badger Zhu walking out of the door.

Badger Zhu didn't want to and couldn't say that to Mr. Zhu, but he was too self-righteous and made things mysterious. "Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing." If you don't understand such a simple truth, how can you still call him the most knowledgeable gentleman in the village?
What is going on between Mr. Zhu and the cross-eyed woman? Zhu Badger doesn't know, but there is no wind without fire, and gossipy women can spread the news throughout the village if they have some basis for their gossip.

Zhu Hu is not a good person, neither is his father, nor is his grandfather, nor is he himself. Even though Zhu Hu is short, since ancient times, "dwarfs are too evil-minded and ugly people can do mischief." Zhu Hu will hear those rumors sooner or later, and he will definitely not give up. Instead of waiting for Zhu Hu to come looking for trouble, it is better to remind Mr. Zhu as soon as possible. , and make countermeasures.

Zhu Badger has always believed that this [Yin] tiger is not just the eye-catching white forehead tiger charm of the flat-mouthed woman. This Zhu Hu's [tiger] must be careful, especially now that there is an inexplicable increase in that woman around him.

I have to figure out the origin of that woman. Only by knowing myself and my enemy can I be victorious in every battle. But how can we find out the true face of that woman? Looking for a cross-eyed woman? Useless. Maybe outsiders know more about the cross-eyed woman, because she has to hold back even her stinky shit in front of Zhu Hu.

Hey, why did this one-armed and stiletto-legged guy suddenly come to my door and ask me about the demolition? Wasn't that demolition notice just posted? There must be something fishy here. Could it be related to what the woman said yesterday? Maybe they went to Zhu Hu's house and met that woman.

Humph, no matter what kind of tricks you are playing? I am the Badger Eight Immortals, no, I am the Nine Immortals. As the Nine Immortals, I am not afraid of anyone!
Zhu Badger was thinking as he walked, and with a "boom", his head hit a dark door hard before he came back to his senses.

"Why did I still come to the ancestral hall?" Zhu Badger rubbed his sore forehead and couldn't help but glance at the stage inside through the crack in the door.

"Whoosh", a black shadow flashed from the middle of the stage to the back of the stage. Zhu Badger didn't care to rub his forehead anymore, he put his head against the door and stared intently at the stage.

"Bang", the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground came. Zhu Badger's body shook, and her head pushed forward desperately. She subconsciously just wanted to see and hear more clearly, but unexpectedly the door opened by itself, and she fell heavily into the ancestral hall. .

"Why is the door of the ancestral hall unlocked?" Zhu Badger fell to the ground and his first reaction was that there was a thief!
"Come quickly!" Zhu Badger wanted to shout, but he didn't know why? My voice just couldn't make a sound, just like I was dreaming at night. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't make a sound, and another black shadow flashed across the stage...

(End of this chapter)