Ghost Story of Liaozhai

Old man Zhang, born in Henan, originally from Shandong.During the chaos in Shandong at the end of Ming Dynasty, Zhang's wife was plundered by Qing soldiers, and her life and death are unknown.The old man Zhang lived in Henan, married another wife, and gave birth to a son, Zhang Na. Not long after, his wife died, and he continued to marry Niu, and gave birth to a son, Zhang Cheng.

Niu had a fierce personality and disliked Zhang Na very much. He treated him like an animal, gave him leftovers, made him wear rags and shoes, and only gave him a straw mat to sleep at night.

Every day, Niu ordered Zhang Na to go up the mountain to cut firewood, limited to one load of firewood. If he cut one less firewood, he would be punished with fists and kicks, whipped with rattan, and abused in every way, which was horrible.In secret, he fed his own son Zhang Cheng with luxurious clothes and fine food, and let him enter a teacher's school to study.

A few years later, Zhang Cheng grew up with a kind and filial personality. He often persuaded his mother not to embarrass his elder brother, but Niu refused to listen.One day Zhang Na went up to the mountain to cut firewood, and suddenly there was a strong wind and rain, so he had to hide under the boulders to avoid the rain.When Niu saw that he hadn't completed the task, he was furious and refused to give him food.Zhang Na was so hungry that he lay down on the wooden board to sleep.

When Zhang Cheng came back from the teacher's school, he saw his elder brother looked tired, and asked, "Are you sick?" Zhang Na sighed, "I'm not sick, but I'm just too hungry." Zhang Cheng asked the reason, and Zhang Na told the truth.

Hearing this, Zhang Cheng was unhappy, and after a while he took a few sesame seed cakes back to the house. Zhang Na asked, "Where did you get the sesame seed cakes?" Zhang Cheng said, "I stole some flour from home, and I asked the neighbor's aunt to bake it for you. Eat it quickly." .”

Zhang Na nodded, finished eating the biscuits in two or three bites, and said: "You can't do this again in the future. If you let mother know, you will be punished. Besides, you only eat one meal a day, and you won't die of starvation." Zhang Cheng said: "Brother Weak body, how can I have the strength to chop wood? Mother is too much."

After dinner the next day, Zhang Cheng sneaked up the mountain and came to the place where his brother was chopping firewood. Zhang Na asked in surprise, "Why are you here?" Zhang Cheng said, "Come and help you chop firewood." " Zhang Cheng said: "My own idea." Zhang Na shook his head and said: "Don't say you don't know how to chop firewood at all, even if you know how to chop, I can't let you do this kind of rough work. Go back quickly."

Zhang Cheng refused to listen, and broke off the branches one by one with his hands and feet, saying in his mouth: "The branches are so hard, you must remember to bring an ax tomorrow." It was heartache and pity, and he said angrily: "Go home! If you don't leave, I will kill myself with an axe." Zhang Cheng had no choice but to turn back.Zhang Na was halfway there, and when he returned home in the evening, he said to his husband, "My younger brother is young, please take care of him. Don't let him run around. There are many tigers and wolves in the mountains."

The husband said, "Zhang Cheng went out privately at noon, and I beat him already."

Zhang Na went back and said to his younger brother, "If you don't listen to your elder brother, you will be beaten." Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head, "There is no such thing."

The next day, Zhang Cheng went up the mountain again with an axe. Zhang Na said angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to come? Why are you disobedient?" Zhang Cheng smiled and said nothing, just chopped the branches with the ax one by one, sweating profusely He didn't rest, and when he finished chopping a bundle of firewood, he went back silently.

The old gentleman asked: "Why did you sneak out to fool around again?"

Zhang Chengcheng said, "The student did not fool around, but went to the mountains to help his brother chop firewood."

Hearing this, the old man's expression was immediately kind, and he said with a smile, "Good boy, you're really sensible." From then on, Zhang Cheng was no longer prohibited from going up the mountain.

One day, Zhang Cheng brothers and several woodcutters were chopping firewood in the mountains, when suddenly a fierce tiger ran up, bit Zhang Cheng, and fled away.Regardless of the danger, Zhang Na chased after him, and hit the tiger's leg with an axe. The tiger ran away in pain and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

The life and death of his younger brother was uncertain, Zhang Na was so anxious that he burst into tears, and all the woodcutters comforted him in every possible way. Zhang Na cried, "Although my younger brother was born by his stepmother, he died for me. How can I live alone?" He mutilated himself with an iron ax The neck, penetrating into the flesh, was bleeding profusely, and passed out.

The woodcutters were terrified, and hurriedly tore off their clothes to wrap the wound, and carried Zhang Na home to ask for help, but Niu scolded angrily: "Zhang Na, you killed my son, and you want to shirk responsibility by cutting a knife in the neck? "

Zhang Na woke up with a moan, and said, "Mother, don't worry. If my brother dies, I will pay for my life. I will never be greedy for life." The woodcutters persuaded him, and Niu's anger subsided a little.Several big men worked together to help Zhang Na to the bed to recuperate. Zhang Na couldn't sleep because of the pain from the wound, and worried about his brother's safety, so he could only cry day and night.

Worried about his son's injury, the old man Zhang secretly took some porridge for Zhang Na to eat. When Niu found out, he scolded him loudly. Zhang Na refused to eat and drink, and died three days later.

In the village there was a sorcerer named Zoufang, who was wandering around. The ghost of Zhang Na was wandering around. When he met the sorcerer on his way, he asked, "Master, have you seen my brother?" The sorcerer shook his head and said, "Follow me."

When the two came to a capital city, they saw a man in a white shirt coming out of the city. The wizard stepped forward and asked, "Ghost fairy, have you seen Zhang Cheng?"

The man in the soap shirt took out a certificate and flipped through it, saying: "There are more than a hundred ghosts of men and women, and Zhang Cheng is not among them."

The wizard asked, "Will it be on other documents?"

Zaoshan said humanely: "This road is under my control, there will be no mistakes."

Zhang Na didn't believe it, so he dragged the wizard into the city to search. He saw new ghosts and old ghosts gathering in the city, walking around, and some of them knew him.

Suddenly all the ghosts shouted in unison, "The Bodhisattva is here."

I saw a multicolored lotus platform floating in the air, with the light blooming, and the Guanyin master sitting on it, with a dignified appearance.

The sorcerer whispered to Zhang Na: "Your good fortune is not shallow. The Bodhisattva only comes to Yinsi once in several decades. He blesses and eliminates disasters and eradicates afflictions. You just caught up with him." While talking, he pulled Zhang Na to his knees. At that time, all the ghosts also knelt down, worshiped, and clapped their hands together to chant the sound of compassion and salvation, which resounded through the wilderness.

The Bodhisattva sprinkled nectar with willow branches, as thin as dust, and the light of Er'er disappeared, and the Bodhisattva disappeared.

Zhang Na only felt cool and comfortable in his neck, and when he touched it with his hand, the knife wound healed and the pain was no longer there.The wizard sent him back to his hometown, saying goodbye to each other.

Zhang Na had been dead for two days, when he suddenly woke up and opened his eyes, he told the story, insisting that "my brother is still alive." Niu didn't believe it, and scolded: "Now that things are going on, you still want to make up rumors?"

Zhang Na didn't dare to argue with his mother. He knelt down and bid farewell to his father, saying: "My child is about to travel all over China. Even if I go through the clouds and enter the sea, I still have to find my brother. I won't see my brother for a day, and I won't go back to my hometown for a day. Please Parents, take care of yourself, and just pretend you don't have a son like me." After finishing speaking, he strode out the door.

Zhang Na went out to find his younger brother, traveled across the state and government, and soon ran out of money, so he had to beg all the way. A year later, he came to Jinling. At this moment, he looks haggard and dilapidated.

This day, when I went to the street to visit Zhang Cheng for news, suddenly there was a sound of horseshoes, and more than ten iron horses galloped towards me.On one of the white horses sat an officer, about forty years old, with a mighty appearance; on the other was a small yellow horse, on which sat a young man with flowing eyes, staring at him frequently.

Zhang Na thought to himself, "This must be a rich man, I don't want to provoke him." He lowered his head and remained still.

The boy rode up to the front, jumped off the ground, surprised and happy, and shouted: "Brother, don't you recognize me?"

Zhang Na raised his head and stared. The boy in front of him turned out to be Zhang Cheng. Overjoyed, he held his younger brother's palm tightly and cried bitterly.Zhang Cheng also wept sadly, and asked: "Brother, why are you so down and down?" Zhang Na smiled and said: "For more than a year, I have traveled all over the three mountains and five mountains, looking for my brother everywhere, God opened my eyes, today ri It's really great to meet you and my brother again."

Zhang Cheng walked up to the officer, said a few words in a low voice, the officer nodded, and ordered his subordinates to spare an empty horse for Zhang Na to ride on, and the group galloped quickly to an official residence.

The officer asked Zhang Na to sit down in the hall, the servant brought tea, Zhang Na took a sip, and couldn't wait to ask about his brother's escape.

Zhang Cheng said one by one.

It turned out that he was carried away by a tiger that day, and he was thrown on the side of the road at some point, and fell asleep in the grass all night. It happened that Zhang Biejia passed by and saved his life.The two chatted, Zhang Cheng learned that he was far away from his hometown, so he stomped his feet anxiously.Zhang Biejia said: "The humble house is not far away. If you don't mind my little brother, you can go back with me. Let's take care of your injuries first." Zhang Cheng nodded, and followed Biejia to Jinling in desperation. get well.Zhang Biejia had no children of his own, and kindly adopted Zhang Cheng as his adoptive son. The father and son passed by the street just now, but they met their elder brother when they didn't want to.

After Zhang Na patiently listened to the story, he suddenly fell to the ground and couldn't stop thanking Zhang Biejia. The elder brother changed, and the three of them sat drinking together.

Zhang Biejia asked: "How many people does your family have in Henan?" Zhang Ne said: "No. My father is from Shandong and came to Henan." Zhang Biejia said: "I am also from Shandong. Where is your hometown? place?"

Zhang Nadao: "I heard from my father that it seems to be in Dongchang Mansion."

Zhang Biejia exclaimed, "That's my fellow countryman. Why are you living in Henan?"

Zhang Nadao: "At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing soldiers entered the country and took away their ex-mother. His father suffered a military disaster and his family went bankrupt. He fled and came to Henan to do some small business to make a living. Later, he married his mother and settled down in Henan."

Zhang Biejia asked: "What's the name of the ancestor?"

Zhang Ne said: "My grandfather's name is Zhang Bingzhi."

Hearing the words, Zhang Biejia stared angrily, bowed his head and meditated silently, then suddenly left in a hurry and walked into the inner room.

Not long after, Mrs. Tai came out to meet the guests and asked Zhang Na, "Son, are you really Zhang Bingzhi's grandson?" Zhang Na nodded and said, "That's right."

Tai Madam burst into tears, pointed at Zhang Na and said to Bie Jia, "He is your brother." Zhang Na scratched his head and asked, "Tai Madam's words are mysterious, I don't quite understand."

The old lady said: "Son, I am your ex-mother who was taken away. I lived with your father for three years and was captured by the Qing soldiers. At that time, I was pregnant and married Heigushan as my wife. , gave birth to your elder brother half a year later. Another half year later, Heigushan died, your elder brother inherited the title, and now he has been dismissed. Your elder brother often misses his biological father, and sent people to Shandong to search several times, but to no avail. Who would have thought that he had already moved to Henan?"

Then he said to Zhang Biejia: "It's absurd for you to make up your own mind and recognize your younger brother as your son. Be careful."

Zhang Biejia said: "I asked about Zhang Cheng's background, but he didn't say that he was from Shandong, probably because he was too young to remember."

A family reunion, the three brothers are in order of age, don't drive 41 years old, it is the eldest brother, Zhang Na is 21 years old, it is the second brother, Zhang Cheng is 16 years old, that is the third brother.

Zhang Biejia suddenly had two younger brothers. He couldn't help but be overjoyed, sitting and lying on the same table, never leaving him.In private, she discussed with her mother about returning to her hometown, and Mrs. Tai was worried that her ex-husband would not be compatible.Zhang Biejia said: "If you can be compatible, you will live together, if you can't, you will be separated, but father and son recognize each other as a matter of course, how can there be no father's son in the world?"

So they sold the house, packed their bags, and the mother and son set off to return home. They came to Henan in a few days, and the Zhang Ne brothers went to report to their father first.

The old father left Zhang Na, and soon after Niu died of illness, he lived alone and was inseparable from each other.Seeing Zhang Na suddenly, he was so happy that he was in a trance, and seeing Zhang Cheng again, he wept with joy, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Zhang Na told Ming's father: The eldest brother, mother and son have also returned.

Hearing the words, the old man Zhang stood there stunned, hearing the good news several times in a day, he was really at a loss.After a while, Mrs. Tai and Bie Jia arrived, accompanied by countless maids and servants, and the inside and outside were full.

Zhang Cheng couldn't see his mother's whereabouts, so he asked quickly. When he learned that Niu was dead, he was so sad that he passed out from crying, and he woke up after a long time.

In the days that followed, Zhang Biejia invested in the construction of the pavilion, asked his husband to teach his two younger brothers knowledge, and ran the family business. After several years, the population flourished, the house was full of cattle and horses, and it seemed like a wealthy family.