Ghost Story of Liaozhai

A certain fisherman, surnamed Xu, lived in the north of Linchuan County. He was fond of drinking. Every time he went fishing at night, he would bring a jug of wine with him.Because of the silence in the middle of the night, drinking alone was boring, so he spilled wine on the ground, invited the water ghosts in the river to get drunk together, and said in his mouth, "Brother ghost, please drink." It is like this every night, and it is normal.Perhaps Xu Yufu was kind-hearted and moved the ghosts and gods. Every time he went out to fish, he returned with a full load, while his colleagues got nothing.

That night, Xu Yufu was drinking by the river as usual. When his eyes were dim, a white-clothed young man suddenly appeared in front of him, wandering around, rubbing his hands and smacking his tongue, looking at the jug, and said with a smile: "Good wine."

Xu Yufu was generous and hospitable, and he nodded his head to greet the young man, "From the tone of my friend, I must be a fellow. If you don't mind, please come over and have a drink, how about it?"

The young man readily agreed, sat down next to the fisherman, took the jug, gulped down the wine, and praised: "The knives for ten cents a pot are strong and punchy, good wine." Xu Yufu smiled and smiled. Er, "My friend is indeed a man of knowledge."

The two of them came and went, chatted about wine, and occasionally talked about some anecdotes. The young man spoke elegantly, unlike ordinary people.After a while, the pot of wine ran out, Xu Yufu stood up and said, "It's getting late, it's time to get down to business." He reached out and picked up the fishing net, went to the river to fish, and cast the net seven or eight times in a row, again and again. In vain, I didn't even see a single fish shadow, I couldn't help but feel very annoyed.

The young man said: "The fish are all downstream, let me drive them away for you." After speaking, he floated away.

Not long after, the young man returned leisurely, pointed at the river, and said, "The fish are here." The fisherman followed the young man's gestures, and saw the river was churning, and countless big and small fish gathered, marching against the current, densely packed together, I don't know how many hundreds or thousands of them there are.

The fisherman was overjoyed, and hurriedly let go of the fishing net. When the net went down, the net was heavy, and he caught four or five big fish, each of which was more than two feet long and weighed no less than ten catties.

The fisherman smiled happily, and personally selected the biggest and longest fish to give to the young man to thank him for driving the fish. The young man shook his head and said, "What's the point of such a trivial matter? I have been rewarded with fine wine many times. I can't think of it." If you don’t mind, I’ll help you fish every day from now on.”

The fisherman said: "You and I met for the first time. We only drank once. Why do you say so many times?" The young man just smiled and didn't explain.

The fisherman was even more puzzled, and said again: "If you dare to ask your friend's name, can you tell me?"

The young man said: "My surname is Wang, and I am the sixth eldest in my family. Call me Wang Liulang." After saying this, he cupped his hands and said goodbye.

At dusk the next day, the fisherman went to the small shop and bought a pot full of wine. As soon as it got dark, he went to meet the boy by the river.The young man had been waiting for a long time, and the two exchanged greetings when they met. Immediately, you had a sip, and I had a sip, and started fighting for wine.After drinking, the young man went downstream to catch fish as usual, and this continued for half a year, every day.

On this day, the young man suddenly took the fisherman's hand, said sadly, "Brother, since we met, we have been like brothers and sisters, but unfortunately, we have to say goodbye."

The fisherman was taken aback and asked, "What's going on?"

The young man said: "This is the end of the matter, I don't dare to lie to my elder brother anymore. To be honest, my younger brother is not a human being, but a water ghost. Because of his alcoholism, he passed by the river when he was drunk a few years ago, and accidentally fell into the water and drowned." Die. After I became a ghost, brother Meng often offered wine and water as sacrifices, and he was grateful in his heart, so he secretly helped him fish. Do you remember that you used to catch fish every night, and that was all thanks to my younger brother. Now I am full of sins, Someone will be my substitute, and I will be reincarnated soon. It is very sad to say goodbye to Yiyi."

The fisherman has been with the young man for a long time, and they are very close to each other. Although he heard that he claimed to be a ghost, he was not very afraid. He sighed, poured a glass of wine, and persuaded: "Liu Lang, don't be sad, and drink this wine to the full. Brother Your karma is complete, this is a happy event, you should celebrate it, how can you cry?"

The young man comforted the fisherman, turned his sorrow into joy, and said, "Brother taught me the lesson. Come, let's drink. If you have wine today, you will be drunk today. If you are not drunk, you will not return."

The two exchanged glasses, and the fisherman got drunk and asked, "Liulang, who will be your substitute?"

The young man said: "Brother, you can come to the river to watch tomorrow. At noon, a woman crossed the river and drowned. That is my substitute." While speaking, the rooster sang, and it was already dawn. The young man sighed, turned and left.

At noon the next day, the fisherman came to the river on time. Sure enough, a woman with a baby in her arms fell into the river by the river.Before the woman died, she tried her best to throw the baby to the bank, saving the child's life.But I couldn't be spared, I was ups and downs in the water, and I was about to die.

The child lost its mother and was crying on the shore. Seeing this, the fisherman couldn't bear it, and wanted to go into the water to rescue the woman, but then he remembered the boy's words and hesitated, "If I save the woman, how can Liulang be reincarnated without a substitute?" Reincarnation?" For a moment, he was in a state of confusion and annoyed.

Just as she was restless, the woman was completely numb, and at some point, she had climbed from the river to the bank, bent over to pick up the child, and went away.

Seeing that the woman was safe and sound, the fisherman wondered, "Liu Lang's words are not true, and the woman is not dead. Could it be that he is lying to me?"

That night, the fisherman went to the river to look for Wang Liulang to find out what happened. The young man came as promised and said, "Brother, we are together again today. From now on, you and I will never be separated."

The fisherman asked why, and the young man said: "The woman during the day is indeed a substitute for my younger brother, but I saw her holding a baby in her arms, and I really couldn't bear to hurt two lives for me alone."

Suddenly, the fisherman smiled and said, "The woman fell into the water, did you save her?"

The boy nodded and admitted: "I think it's because I have not finished my fate with my elder brother."

The fisherman said: "Liulang, you are kind-hearted. Believe me, good people will be rewarded. Come on, let's have a drink for your kindness." The two looked at each other and smiled, drinking hard alcohol.

A few days later, the boy came to say goodbye again, and the fisherman said happily, "Liulang, have you found a substitute again?"

The young man shook his head and smiled and said: "No, my benevolence and compassion moved the Emperor of Heaven a few days ago, and the Emperor made a decree: grant me the land of Wu Town, Zhaoyuan County, and I will take office immediately. If you don't forget your old friend, you can come to Wu Town Take a look, don't refuse because of the distance."

The fisherman said: "Liulang, you are promoted to a god. Congratulations. It's just that humans and gods have different paths. How can I find you?"

The young man said: "Don't worry, just come to Wu Town." He reminded him again and again, and bid farewell.

The fisherman returned home, packed his luggage, and confessed to his wife, "I'm going on a long trip to visit an old friend."

The wife asked "Where are you going? Who is your friend?"

The fisherman said: "Wu Town, Zhaoyuan County. My friend is none other than the land Wang Liulang of Wu Town."

The wife laughed and said, "Wu Town is a hundred miles away, and I have seen quite a few land lords in the temple. They are nothing more than clay puppet sculptures. How can I talk to him?"

The fisherman said: "You don't need to worry about this." After speaking, he strode out and went far away in a blink of an eye.

The fisherman traveled starry night, and soon came to Wu Town, Zhaoyuan County, where he worked as a top pick in a hotel, and asked the owner, "Shopkeeper, is there a temple of earth nearby?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed immediately upon hearing the words, he was both surprised and happy, and said with a smile: "Could it be that the guest officer's surname is Xu?"

The fisherman nodded: "Of course. How do you know?"

The shopkeeper didn't answer, but asked again, "Is the guest officer a citizen of Linchuan County?"

The fisherman said: "Yes, you know again?"

The shopkeeper smiled and turned around to go out. After a while, he led many men and women into the house. The fisherman was full of doubts and opened his eyes to look around. He saw husbands holding their babies and women peeping through the door. A human wall was formed inside and outside the hotel, crowding the hotel It's leaking.He hurriedly asked the store owner, "What's going on?"

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "Guests, don't be afraid. We and the common people are entrusted by the Landlord to come here to clean up Mr. Xu's dust."

The fisherman said: "The Lord of the Land? But my brother Liulang?"

The shopkeeper said: "Of course. Guest officer, please come with me. The justice of the land is waiting for you in the temple." He said and led the way.

The fisherman came to the Earth Temple, faced the statue in the temple, knelt down and prayed, "My dear brother, since we parted, Riri misses you. This time I came here by appointment, I have received your hospitality, and I can't repay you. I specially prepared a pot of thin wine and chatted with each other. .If you don't dislike it, drink it like an old drink by the river." After speaking, he burned the paper money and poured the wine on the ground.

In a few moments, a whirlwind suddenly rose from the flat ground, and it lasted for a long time.That night, in the fisherman's dream, he saw a young boy arrive in a well-groomed dress. He thanked him and said, "Brother, I'm tired of you coming to see me from afar, and my younger brother burst into tears. It's just that I am the god of the land, and there is a difference between man and god. Although I am close at hand, it is inconvenient for me to be with you." Let’s meet. The folks in Wu Town are simple and honest, so you can stay here for a few more days. The common people here are favored by me, if they give you a gift, just accept it. If you want to leave, I’ll come back to see you off.”

The fisherman agreed one by one, and now he lives leisurely in Wu Town, watched the scenery for a few days, said goodbye to all the people, and returned to his hometown.Before leaving, all the people rushed to pay their respects. Packs of gold, silver and local specialties were packed, and they dragged their children and daughters to the entrance of the village.

As soon as he left the village, a whirlwind blew up in the air. Wang Liulang came to see him off in person, and the whirlwind accompanied him for dozens of miles.The fisherman was moved and said: "Liulang cherishes it, and it is necessary to say goodbye after sending you thousands of miles away. My brother has a kind heart and will definitely benefit everyone. See you and me again."

When Xuanfeng heard the words, he was reluctant to part, and it took a long time before he dispersed.