Yellow River Craftsman

Chapter 24

The first fishing boat carried a drum band of about ten people, with red ribbons wrapped around their waists, happily beating gongs, drums and suona.At first we thought it was a family sending off fleet, but when we saw the second fishing boat, we were all stunned.

There was a black wooden coffin in the center of the second fishing boat. What was even more strange was that there was a big red flower hanging on top of the coffin, and big red happy characters were pasted on both sides of the coffin.Four strong men guarded around the coffin, lighting a string of firecrackers from time to time.An old man with a goatee stood at the bow, singing an unknown eulogy in a strange tone.

There were also seven or eight people on the third fishing boat, and besides that, there were a lot of dowry items, including dressing tables, wardrobes, etc., all of which were pasted with the Chinese characters "Happy" in red, and there were several large wine jars filled with white wine and Roast chicken, goose, etc.

This weird fleet made our scalps tingle. The big red happy characters are in stark contrast to the cold black wooden coffins. We don't know whether it is a funeral or a funeral. If it is a funeral, why are there still coffins on board? ?If it was a funeral, how could it be so festive?
Just when we were puzzled, Grandpa told us that this is the famous "send ghost relatives" on the Yellow River Ancient Road.

Send ghost relatives?What is sending ghost relatives?
Seeing our puzzled faces, grandpa explained to us: "On the ancient Yellow River road, there has been a custom of sending ghosts to relatives for a long time. If a girl from a family unfortunately dies in the Yellow River, people think it is the King of the Yellow River. They fell in love with their own girl. So people will put the girl's body into a coffin, and then organize a fleet to send the relatives, and sail the boat happily all the way to the river where the girl died. Then, they will put the coffin together with the dowry Let the dead girl marry the king of the Yellow River as a bride, so as to keep the whole family safe!"

We were stunned for a while, but we didn't expect that there are such weird customs on the ancient Yellow River. This really opened our eyes.For such a custom, we all feel a little absurd and unreasonable.

Gu Meidi frowned and said, "What age is this, and such a strange custom still exists?"

Professor Ye said: "Every place has its own unique customs and folk culture. The world is so big, and there are still many strange things we don't know about! When it comes to sending ghost relatives, I can't help but think of the past few years. The 'ghost marriage' seen in Shanxi is equally creepy and unbelievable!"

As the name suggests, ghost marriage means remarriage after death.Where a man and a woman die unmarried, or a man and woman who have been engaged die before they are married, the parents or relatives and friends of the two families will hold a wedding ceremony, so that the deceased will be married in the underworld, and the house and ikea will be suitable. Or "relocation and burial", after Tang and Song Dynasties it was generally called ghost marriage.

Professor Ye said: "The ghost marriage on the Yellow River is to marry a girl to the king of the Yellow River. This is an ancient sacrifice. But the ghost marriage I saw is a living person marrying a dead person, which is even worse than sending ghost relatives." It was weird and terrifying. At that time, we went to a rural area in SX province to investigate. The local ideology and culture were very backward, and the feudal superstition was very strong. On the second day of the investigation, we ran into a ghost marriage.

The ghost marriage was held by an old man surnamed Lian. Even the old man was 67 years old. Due to his poor family, he had no wife for decades.Later, I heard that a bachelor is also single after death, so even the old man actually used the more than 1 yuan he had saved so hard to buy a dowry under the advice of a matchmaker, and married a woman who had died for more than three years.

On the day of the wedding, the old man Lian wore a new red dress and turned on the candles in the bridal chamber.It was almost noon, drums and music outside the village were beating together, and the sound of crying was loud, and a group of people dressed in linen and filial piety came around a coffin.Even the relatives of the old man put on mourning clothes and joined the mourning team.When the coffin slowly entered the ancestral grave of the Lian family along the edge of the village and was buried in the newly dug tomb, a group of people took off their filial piety and went back to the old man Lian's house for a wedding drink, talking and laughing all the way.Even the old man has changed from a bachelor to a widower, and he has no money or money. I really don't know whether it is joy or sorrow? "

Rumble!
Suddenly there was a muffled thunder in the sky. We looked up at the sky, only to see a thick and heavy cloud floating from nowhere, covering the setting sun and casting a gray shadow on the river.

Grandpa said: "This June day is really changing. It seems that a storm is coming soon. We have to find a place to shelter from the rain!"

Before Grandpa finished speaking, a red lightning suddenly pierced the dark clouds, split into countless branches in the air, and fell into the Yellow River, startling countless ghosts and ghosts in an instant. The bottom looks very strange.

I suddenly became a little nervous because I remembered the story my grandpa told me before I set off.It was also such a bright day at that time, but the sky suddenly changed, and the iron-headed dragon king appeared on the ancient Yellow River road.Looking at the sky now, there shouldn't be any monsters about to appear, right?

Gu Meidi saw the strange expression on my face, she seemed to be able to read my mind, and immediately comforted me: "Don't worry, nothing will happen!"

A hint of worry appeared on Professor Ye's face: "There has been no rain on the ancient Yellow River Road for several days. This storm may be a bit violent!"

woo-woo-

The cold wind shuttled between the valleys, making a strange whistling sound, like the call of a demon.

At this time, the sparkling river water became turbulent and turbid.

Our tin boat swings on the river like a swing, which makes people feel like vomiting.

Rumble!
The rolling thunder exploded again, amidst the thunder, Gu Meidi pointed at the distant sky and screamed loudly: "Look, everyone!"

On the nine-day sky, black clouds tangle with each other and roll, like a black dragon with teeth and claws, and like a winding black python, swallowing the setting sun at the junction of water and sky. Indescribably weird beauty.

When we were dumbfounded, Professor Ye suddenly pointed to the mountain wall on the left and said, "Look, there is a cave over there, we can drive the boat in to shelter from the rain!"

The fleet that sent the ghost relatives apparently also found the cave, and they stopped their flags and increased their horsepower to sail to the cave that could shelter from the wind and rain.Obviously, this storm will be very violent, and it will be very dangerous for ships to stay on the ancient Yellow River trail.

Grandpa hurriedly rounded the rudder, turned the boat around, and rushed towards the cave below the mountain wall.

A wave hit the side of the ship sideways, and the tin boat shook violently.We held onto the side of the boat tightly, looking pale at the tumbling water of the Yellow River, our hearts beating non-stop.

Before entering the cave, pea-sized raindrops fell, like a dense rain of bullets, crackling on the hull of the ship, as if trying to smash the iron boat out of thousands of holes.

The entrance of the cave is neither too big nor too small, just big enough for a small boat to enter.The rushing water of the Yellow River poured into the cave, forming a backflow vortex here, requiring the helmsman to have superb sailing skills, otherwise the ship would easily crash into the mountain wall, causing the ship to be destroyed.The three fishing boats that were sending ghost relatives slowly entered the cave one after another. Grandpa carefully drove the tin boat and followed closely behind.

Our ship had just entered the cave when a huge wave hit the mountain wall and made a loud noise, which scared us into a cold sweat.If this wave hits the tin boat, then we are really in danger.

The inside of the cave was pitch black, and it was like another strange world, blocking all the storms from the outside.The cave was unusually quiet, save for the low rumble of the ship's engine.

The three fishing boats in front turned on their searchlights one after another, and Grandpa also turned on the searchlights on the tin boat.Four high-brightness searchlights illuminate the surrounding scene like daytime.We stepped out of the cabin one after another and began to look at the environment in the cave.

To our great surprise, the cave was many times larger than we had imagined. Our four ships could circle around in the cave at will without worrying about colliding with each other.

Inside the cave is a large water pool, with misty water vapor floating above the water pool, which makes people feel chilly.There is no sunlight here all year round, and the temperature is very low, but in a short while, the hull is covered with a layer of crystal clear frost, as if wearing a transparent ice armor.

I sneezed loudly, sniffed and said, "It's so cold in here!"

Gu Meidi stroked his arm and said, "Yes, it feels like falling into a hole in the ice!"

Due to the long-term erosion of water vapor, the stones on the walls of the cave have become black and shiny, and many rock surfaces are covered with moss, and everywhere is wet.There are many stalactites hanging upside down on the top of the cave, some are like upside-down swords, some are like upside-down monkeys, and some are like round flat peaches.Moist water vapor dripped continuously along the stalactites, pattering and falling on the water surface, as if playing strange music.Ripples rippled in circles, like lotus flowers blooming one after another on the water.

We followed the fishing boat in front of us and drove forward slowly. No one spoke, and the silence in the cave made people feel creepy.

I exhaled while rubbing my hands, and the breath I exhaled turned into frost on the glass window.

Grandpa took out a bottle of Laobaigan from the cockpit, took a big gulp, and handed it to me: "Come on, drink some, too, to warm up your body, don't let the cold damage your bones!"

I took Lao Baigan and drank a big sip, probably because I drank it too fast, the acrid taste of the wine made my tears flow, but it warmed up a lot from the bottom of my heart.

Gu Meidi and Professor Ye also took a sip one after another, and the one-jin bottle of Lao Baigan was passed around in the hands of the four of us, and it finally bottomed out.

I hiccupped, looked up and looked outside the cabin, and saw that our ship had gone nearly [-] meters into the cave.A dark cave appeared again not far ahead, but this cave was several times larger than the one outside, and even a thousand-ton freighter could easily enter it.

(End of this chapter)