The Witch of Xiangxi

Chapter 3
After staying in Diaojiaolou for more than two hours, grandpa came back and said to take Xia Xiangxi to dinner and let her continue training here tomorrow.

Xia Xiangxi was a little confused when he heard his grandfather mention the word training. He didn't know what training meant.It will be later when she fully understands.

Following grandpa out of the stilted building, it was already pitch black outside. Compared with the dark stilted building before, the darkness of the night sky at this time made Xia Xiangxi feel much brighter.She carefully supported her grandfather and walked forward together.

The wind in the mountains at night was a bit cold, Xia Xiangxi shivered a bit, and cuddled tightly to his grandfather.Grandpa asked Xia Xiangxi, "Is it cold?"

Xia Xiangxi shook his head and said that he was not cold, "Because Grandpa is here, I am not afraid of the sky falling, how can it be cold?"

Grandpa smiled and said, "Ni'er is sweet-talked, and always makes grandpa happy!" After speaking, he rubbed Xia Xiangxi's head with his rough hands, which made Xia Xiangxi feel a kind of habitual happiness.

While talking, they had already walked outside the door of a family. When they pushed open the wooden door that squeaked when it moved, the lights in the yard immediately poured over.

This family is the main purpose of grandfather bringing Xia Xiangxi here.It's just that they came here by accident, the old man that grandpa wanted to see had gone out.It is said that I went to visit relatives and friends, that is, I just left the door yesterday, and I don’t know if I will stay outside for a few days before returning.On the contrary, the son of the family knew that his grandfather was an old friend of his father, so he warmly invited him to live in their home.

Originally, the aunt Ma Po with the centipede birthmark had already arranged a place for Grandpa to live in, but because the Ma Po Ma Ma was a widow and had no children at home, and the most important thing for the Han nationality was reputation, Grandpa felt that it was inappropriate to live in the Ma Po’s house. He also promised the old man's son to live here.As for the relationship between that mother-in-law and grandpa, grandpa didn't say.

While waiting for his grandfather's old friend to come back, his grandfather asked Xia Xiangxi to stay in that stilted building during the day.As for where the old man went wandering, Xia Xiangxi didn't know.

Xia Xiangxi has been wondering why her grandfather locked her in the dark room, and why this beautiful stilted building has to be so dark?If you like to live in dark places, why build a house?Just find a cave to live in, wouldn't that save trouble and money?In addition, where did the old pagoda tree box of grandpa go?Xia Xiangxi was full of questions and wanted to ask grandpa.

I stayed in Miao Village for more than a month, and my grandfather's old friend still hasn't come back.Xia Xiangxi practiced in that stilted building to walk freely in the house, and she knows exactly where and what is placed.Like a blind person who has finally adapted to a life without eyes.At the same time, she found that her ears were much better.Many times, she is also used to listening carefully to the surrounding environment with her ears.

Or Miao Village here has beautiful mountains and rivers, and the air is also good. Grandpa is full of energy every day, and his body seems to be recovering to health.But Xia Xiangxi knew that these were all illusions, no matter how tenacious his vitality was, it would not last a year or two.

Always staying like this in the stilted building, Xia Xiangxi complained a little. She didn't know why grandpa trained her like this?She would rather spend more time with her grandfather, fearing that his health would suddenly collapse, but she would not be able to see him for the last time.However, she was also unwilling to go against her grandfather's wishes, so she was conflicted between two states of mind.

I lived in the home of my grandfather's friend surnamed Ma. At first, the family treated Xia Xiangxi and my grandfather very well.It's just that after a long time, Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma suddenly quarreled while they were eating, and the quarrel started.

As the saying goes, a mule is frightened by a horse, and Xia Xiangxi has been here for so long, and she already knows some Miao language. Listening to the old couple quarreling, although she didn't understand the whole sentence, she still understood when they mentioned the word money.Xia Xiangxi immediately understood that when they were eating and drinking for free, it would always be annoying, so she quickly took out a wad of cash and handed it to the old couple, only then did she see their smiles.

They laughed, and Xia Xiangxi looked at the thinned wallet, thinking of going outside the mountain quickly, going to the bank to get some money, and buying some medicine for grandpa by the way.

I talked to my grandfather, and my grandfather told Xia Xiangxi to be careful on the road and go back early.Xia Xiangxi agreed and left Ma Bo's house.After leaving the Miao Village, when crossing the river, four or five people happened to have just landed, and when they saw Xia Xiangxi, they came over to ask for directions.

Xia Xiangxi saw that these people were all wearing camouflage uniforms. She didn't have any idea about the types of troops, so she couldn't tell what kind of soldiers these people were.

A burly soldier came to ask her the way, and she answered it patiently.The soldier said thank you, and then went back to his companions.Xia Xiangxi also followed her gaze and saw that one of these soldiers was quite good-looking, and she was also smiling at her at this moment. Xia Xiangxi was startled by that face, not because he was so good-looking No, but this face reminded her of the Miao man who smiled at her with a harpoon on the raft when she first came here, on the bank of the Tuojiang River.In such a fright, she almost fell into the water, making her covered in cold sweat.

When she stabilized her mind and looked back at those soldiers, they were already far away.The boss of the boat was calling her to get on the boat, and Xia Xiangxi hurried to take the boat to the town on the other side of the river.

The road was not that close, and when Xia Xiangxi came back, it was already dark.But the moon in the sky was big and round, as if it was illuminated by a street lamp, Xia Xiangxi walked briskly.

When she walked under the old locust tree outside the village, she heard a voice in the grass beside the road, which startled her at first, but then she saw a young Miao man under the moonlight.His face was pale, as if he had put on a mask, which was quite scary.Those eyes were black and bright, looking like black gemstones under the moonlight.Apart from his ugly face, this is still a very handsome young man.

He seemed to be injured. When he saw someone approaching, he grabbed Xia Xiangxi's wrist with both hands as if grabbing a life-saving straw.That hand was icy cold. The moment Xia Xiangxi was caught, it felt like an ice cube was applied to her wrist. She was so scared that she shivered instantly, and the cool wind whizzed through her back.Without even thinking about it, she rushed to get rid of those hands, but they grabbed her tightly, and she was still talking intermittently, begging Xia Xiangxi to save him.

Xia Xiangxi was not so scared when he heard that this man spoke standard Mandarin.It's human or ghost, at least there is no language barrier, and they can communicate!

Xia Xiangxi's voice trembled a little uncontrollably, and asked the man, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The man couldn't say anything else, so he kept repeating "Help me, I want... to go home..."

When things are extreme, they will be reversed. If you are afraid to the end, there is nothing to be afraid of!Xia Xiangxi wondered if this person was bitten by a snake or something, and fell here injured, and that's why his hands are so cold?You must know that although it is already April, the night in the mountains is also cold!She was not so scared anymore, and she wanted to carry the injured man back to the village, but her strength was too weak to do it.

So he comforted this person with words, saying that she went back to the village to find someone to carry him.Hearing what Xia Xiangxi said, the man withdrew his hand all of a sudden, and struggled vigorously, as if he wanted to get up from the ground.

"Don't move, I'll call for someone to come and carry you!" Xia Xiangxi said to the man, and hurried to the village.She went to call grandpa, and grandpa invited Uncle Ma to call two strong young men, and together they ran to the old locust tree outside the village.

It took half an hour to go back and forth like this, but Xia Xiangxi found that the injured man in the grass had disappeared.She didn't give up, and looked around for tens of meters, but she didn't see that person.

Grandpa let Uncle Ma and the others go back first.He stood under the old locust tree, staring at the shadow of the old locust tree, his sharp eyes were like an arrow ready to go.

"Grandpa..." It's strange that Xia Xiangxi wanted to tell Grandpa about this, the injured person couldn't move at all, how could he disappear now?
Grandpa waved his hand at Xia Xiangxi, signaling her not to speak.He squatted down slowly, and sat on the edge of the shadow of the old locust tree, then untied the tobacco rod from his waist, put the tobacco pot into the cigarette pouch, scooped out the shredded tobacco, and then lit the cigarette in the pot with a lighter. cut tobacco.Strange to say, the lighter is blue when it is lit, and when it is placed in front of the smoke pot, the flame is very strong, but the shredded tobacco cannot be lit.

"What's the matter, you won't let my old man's son smoke pot cigarettes! Then how can I help you!" Grandpa said to the shadow of the locust tree in a calm manner.Xia Xiangxi's hair stood on end, and her heart trembled completely.After thinking about the situation before and after, she felt that she really encountered a ghost.

But with grandpa around, even if Xia Xiangxi was scared to death, Hun'er could stay.

Grandpa still said to himself: "Come on, young man, we are destined to be together. If you believe me, old man, let's have a smoke together!" I passed it in the shadow of the old locust tree, and when I lit the cigarette with the lighter, the flame returned to its normal color, and the shredded tobacco was also lit.

Xia Xiangxi looked at the cigarette rod, which was still held by his grandfather, but the cigarette holder was in the shadow of the old locust tree, as if someone was smoking. The shredded tobacco in the cigarette pot was red and dark It was flashing, and then the smoke drifted away from the cigarette holder, as if someone was really smoking Grandpa's pipe.

Xia Xiangxi's legs were a little weak, but she did not dare to sit down, for fear that she would not be able to get up again if she sat on the ground.Grandpa was still talking to himself non-stop over there, and began to ask who lived where, how old he was, and how he got here like a commonplace.Then I stopped asking, and just nodded after a while.

Grandpa talking to ghosts?
(End of this chapter)