Raising Ghosts Records

Chapter 8

I also had other messy dreams. I fell asleep from the morning until noon the next day, and my whole body was sore after waking up.When I went to the house of Goddess Zhang, she didn't blame me for not offering incense to her immortals for two days.

After staying at Mistress Zhang's house for less than 10 minutes, she went back to Sangu's house to feed the two pigs, and then went to herd cattle at Uncle Xuefei's house, and did not come back until evening.

On the third day, Goddess Zhang went to collect the locust tree cards for gathering souls before dawn, but she didn't ask me to go with her.When I went to her house to offer incense to the immortal, she just came back. I don’t know how she, a middle-aged and elderly woman, fished it out of the river. It was thrown so far that day, and she also fished back the bronze knife.

Goddess Zhang put the pagoda tree tablet into a pottery jar and sealed it with a red cloth.She told me that the water ghost was indeed a little girl who had been dead for seven or eight years and was deliberately thrown into the river and drowned alive.There is a lot of resentment, if it is not able to attach the fish body, it will not hurt so many people.The water ghost can only linger in the place where it was drowned, because it has a fish body, so it can swim to other places to harm people.

I asked her what she was going to do with the water ghost.

Goddess Zhang said that this water ghost has harmed so many people, absorbed so much soul essence, and has been able to transform into many things, to the point where it is difficult to distinguish between true and false.It's not weaker than a fox fairy, it's a pity and a lot of effort to send it to reincarnation, I don't know if I'm lucky enough to raise it into a Fuwa.If it can be raised as a Fuwa, it will be a great blessing to it and me, and it is hard to find in a hundred years.

Goddess Zhang said to find a day to ask her fairy how to raise this water ghost, and then make plans at that time.

Another month has passed in a hurry, the end of October 1990.One day Sangu called me into her room and gave me 100 yuan. The 1990 yuan in 100 is at least equivalent to the purchasing power of 800 yuan now.

I asked Sangu why she suddenly gave me so much money.She said that she was going to remarry on the [-]th, and the house would be returned to the concubine's uncle's house, as well as the fields and land.

After she left, I had no place to live. She had already agreed with Witch Zhang to let me live in Witch Zhang's house.Those two pigs are about to be killed, so with this little money, I can buy me some new clothes to wear and some delicious food to eat.

I can't tell if I'm happy or not. The third aunt is still young, so I'd better remarry now, and I can't be a widow like this.Sister Xuefei is still young, so she needs a father even more, even if she is not close, as long as he is good.But I can't bear to miss Sangu and Concubine Xue. I don't know when I will see them again after they leave.

On the day of the third aunt's remarriage, the family invited the uncles and relatives of the same clan in the village to eat, that's all.On the same day, she was taken to Majiang Town, Zhaoping, and Sister Xuefei had to wait until she finished her studies this semester.

And that room was vacant, sister Concubine Xue lived and boarded at her uncle's house, and I stayed at the house of Goddess Zhang.

One day in early November, before I got up, a visitor came to Mrs. Zhang's house.This guest has an extraordinary temperament, wearing white clothes and white trousers, he is an old man in his 50s.The old man walked into the room, looked around, and finally fixed his eyes on the altar for several seconds.

Goddess Zhang came out of the kitchen and saw a person standing in the hall, she didn't know her, so she asked the old man who he was looking for.

The old man smiled and said, "You must be Sister Zhang! I heard from a relative that your fairy is very spiritual. I came from the county. Something happened at home. I want someone to go and have a look."

Upon hearing this, Goddess Zhang greeted him to sit down and let him speak slowly, washed her hands and poured a bowl of hot tea.

The old man took a sip of tea politely, put down the bowl and talked about the reason why he came to find Goddess Zhang.

It turned out that the old man's wife passed away last month due to a failed head operation, but the old man said that he would dream about his dead wife almost every night.In my dream, I always heard her say that she didn't want to leave, she was reluctant to part with herself, and hoped that the old man could go with her.Every time the old man wakes up, he is extremely tired and weak, which frightens him, and he has been called several times to see it, but it doesn't work.I'm afraid that if this torment continues, maybe it won't be long before I really go with her.I heard from a relative that Goddess Zhang is more spiritual, so I came to see her, hoping to send his wife away.

The old man said helplessly, Goddess Zhang was silent for a moment after hearing this, and asked the old man about his wife's situation before her death.I was sleeping in the room, and they were talking outside. The old man talked with Mistress Zhang for more than half an hour.

In the end, the old man was very generous, saying that he would send a red envelope of 800 yuan if he could send his wife away.You don't need to think about it to know that Goddess Zhang will definitely accept it. You must know that the red envelopes for ghosts are usually more than ten and 20 yuan, and those from a good family are only five or sixty yuan. The 60 yuan red envelope is equivalent to the money for killing three pigs and selling them. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Goddess Zhang is not a high-ranking person, and she doesn't treat money like dirt. There are very few people like that in reality.She is just an ordinary rural woman, it would be a lie if she is not tempted by so much money, so she agreed wholeheartedly.He also asked me to get up and cook for dinner, but the old man refused again and again, saying that he should leave quickly and have dinner at his house!So Goddess Zhang woke me up, tidied up, put the food into a yellow cloth bag, and went out with the old man, and I followed behind.

The old man is indeed rich, and he came here by driving a jeep. At that time, being able to drive a jeep was at least equivalent to driving a Mercedes-Benz S-Class today.This is the first time for me to ride in such a good car. I have only taken a minivan with my uncle to visit the grave before.

The old man started the car and drove very fast along the way, without saying a word to us.I just looked at the scenery along the way, and within half an hour, I entered Guiping County.

In 1990, Guiping had not been withdrawn from the county and established as a city, and there were barely three streets, equivalent to a small town today.I have never been to Guiping before, and the most prosperous place I have seen is the market in the town. I even thought Hunan was a village.

After entering Guiping, the car arrived at the old man's house within a few minutes, which was a small three-story western-style building.The old man got out of the car and opened the door, and invited us in. I was amazed as soon as I entered the living room.Compared with the mud brick house of Goddess Zhang, this house is completely different.Especially the comparison of the furniture, the black sofa is big and soft, and it is completely different from the wooden chairs made by Mistress Zhang and the third aunt.There are also giant paintings on the wall, electric lights, fans, fruits on the table, blankets on the floor, and a TV.

That was the first time I saw a TV set and an electric light. Now that I think about it, I am really moved. Great changes have been made in the past 20 years.Sitting down with Goddess Zhang, I couldn't help looking around, like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, everything is so fresh.

The old man poured us a cup of tea and went into the room.

I picked up an apple and took a bite. I was bragging to Goddess Zhang when a tall middle-aged man who looked like a butcher suddenly came out of the room.

I was stunned by this sudden change, which I had never seen before.At this moment, the old man also came out of the room, and I smashed the apple I bit into his head, and then fled to the door.

The old man tilted his head to avoid the apple that was falling on him, rushed over and quickly stretched out his hand to pull me back, throwing me back on the sofa, and let the butcher also tie me up.Goddess Zhang was also shocked. Although she played tricks on gods and ghosts, she was still a rural woman. She had never seen such a battle before.

After the butcher tied us up, he walked into a room with me in his left hand and Goddess Zhang in his hand, and put us in a big iron cage.As soon as the lock was locked, we were instantly stunned, not knowing what was going on.

After we were put in the cage, the old man and the butcher closed the door and never appeared again.We yelled and no one came to rescue us, so we were locked up for three days.

On the third day, Goddess Zhang and I were so hungry that we could only breathe, and we were so thirsty that we could drink several barrels of water.When the door opened in the afternoon, it was the old man who came, still wearing white clothes and trousers, and brought us food and water.Not long after Goddess Zhang and I wolfed down our food, we became dizzy and vomited it all up again. We were hungry for too long and couldn’t eat, so we got better after drinking a little water.

The old man narrowed his eyes and asked if we knew why we were locked up.

Goddess Zhang asked the old man weakly, didn't she say that she asked me to send your wife off?Why did they lock us up suddenly? This is a crime!And I squatted in the corner of the cage, afraid to speak.

The old man rubbed his forehead with his hand, and asked Goddess Zhang angrily if she had killed a big fish in the Xunjiang (our name is Xijiang) a few days ago, and even dispelled its soul.

Once we heard the old man say this, we probably understood that the fish demon was raised by this old man, and Goddess Zhang guessed right that day.It turned out that it was a scam that the old man approached us. How did he know that we killed him?

The old man told us that he is a ghost breeder, he has been raising this fish for seven years, and we killed it just like that, wasting his hard work for so many years, I will also kill you and refine you into ghosts with no aim.

We are not high-minded people. When we heard the old man say this, we immediately begged the old man to let us go and do whatever we wanted.As for why the old man raises ghosts, how many people have been harmed by the water ghost and fish demon, how can we dare to ask and say.

And Goddess Zhang hurriedly told the old man that she only killed the fish body, and she imprisoned the water ghost in a pagoda wood card, so you couldn't perceive it, and thought it was dispelled, and you can return it if you want.

The old man's eyes lit up when he heard that the water ghost was still there, and then he said let's hand over the pagoda tree card as soon as possible, and do one more thing for him, then it can be written off.

Goddess Zhang promised again and again, saying that she would give it back to you right away. Whatever you say, I will definitely do it.

The old man nodded, and said to take back the pagoda wood card first, and then speak slowly after what you are asked to do.As soon as he finished speaking, the old man opened the cage door and pulled me out to another room. He caught a finger-thick leech from a small greasy bottle and stuffed it directly into my throat.

(End of this chapter)