Anecdote of the Yellow River

Chapter 15 Iron-headed Dragon King (1)
Two days later, we returned to Hezi Village.

Seeing us coming back, grandpa looked very surprised and asked me if something happened.

I told my grandfather what happened in Xi'an, and then straight to the point explained the purpose of coming back this time. I want my grandfather to take the boat and take us along the river to find the source of the turtle coffin.According to our speculation, the tortoise coffin was probably washed down from the upper reaches of the river when it rained heavily. If we can find the source of the tortoise coffin, there is hope to solve all the mysteries.

I originally thought that grandpa would readily agree to our request, but I didn't expect grandpa to refuse to leave the boat after listening to it.

Seeing Grandpa's resolute attitude, I wondered, "Grandpa, why didn't you take us out of the boat?"

Grandpa smoked the dry cigarette silently, and said coldly, "No reason!"

I casually said, "Then I'll get out of the boat myself!"

"How dare you!" Grandpa slammed the bong, exposing the blue veins on his forehead, "If you dare to make up your own mind, don't recognize me as a grandpa!"

It's rare for me to see Grandpa get angry like this, and he didn't dare to say anything more, so he left the room silently.

Gu Meidi said in surprise: "Why do I feel like Grandpa has changed, he looks so scary!"

I said, "I don't know. Grandpa has always disliked me touching the boat. Last time, he didn't scold me because you suggested going on a boat."

Gu Meidi said: "Since Grandpa insists so much, don't tell him to go out on the boat, why don't we go out by ourselves?"

I shook my head, "No! Absolutely no! Boating on the Yellow River is a very dangerous thing. In addition to the turbulent torrent, there are many hidden dangers lurking below the Yellow River. If something strange happens, there is no old man. Accompanied by the helmsman, it is difficult for us to cope."

Gu Meidi said: "It's true, if you encounter weird things like ghost ships again, you still need an experienced old helmsman like Grandpa to solve them. After all, he has walked on the Yellow River for so many years and has accumulated so much experience. , I have seen a lot of evil things, and we will not be confused with him."

Professor Ye comforted me and said, "Tuobagu, don't be discouraged. Your grandfather may have his own considerations. I'll talk to him. Maybe he will change his mind."

Half an hour later, Professor Ye came back. I asked him how the situation was. Professor Ye smiled slightly, "Your grandfather promised to take us out of the boat!"

"Really?" I was overjoyed, "Professor Ye, how did you negotiate with my grandfather? Wasn't his attitude very tough just now?"

Professor Ye said: "I just told him that you are in big trouble now, and the killer will probably come to your door in a short time. If you can't solve this matter in time, both your life and your grandson's life will be in danger. Instead of just waiting to die , why not take the initiative to find out the truth of the matter! Your grandfather also felt that the situation was serious after hearing what I said, so he decided to take us out of the boat to find out the whole story of this matter himself."

I gave Professor Ye a thumbs up, "Excellent! I didn't expect this threat theory to convince the tough grandpa so easily!"

Professor Ye sighed: "I'm not talking about threats, I'm stating the facts! Don't you realize the seriousness of the matter? Fat Toutuo just bought the ancient corpse of a Western Xia warrior and was killed. Explain that the purpose of the killer is to kill everyone who is related to the ancient corpse of a Xixia warrior, so it will be a matter of time before the killer finds you."

Hearing what Professor Ye said, I also feel that the matter is a bit serious, and it is not as simple as we imagined.It seems that this trip is not only a journey of exploration of historical civilization, but also a journey of saving one's own life.

"By the way!" Professor Ye said, "Tuoba Gu, your grandfather asked you to go to the old house. He said he will wait for you in the old house and has something to tell you."

I asked Professor Ye and Gu Meidi to rest in the new house, and then walked towards the old house alone.

The light in the old house was a bit dim. Grandpa was sitting on the kang, with a small square table in front of him. A small oil lamp was lit on the square table.There was a plate of peanuts and two side dishes on the table, and a bottle of Lao Bai Gan beside it.

I called "Grandpa", then took off my shoes and climbed onto the kang, and sat down opposite Grandpa.

The scene in front of me reminds me of my childhood, when my grandfather often sat on the kang with a few peanuts and a bottle of Lao Bai Gan, drinking wine while telling me vividly about the strange things on the ancient Yellow River road.After so many years, my grandfather's temples have been stained with hoarfrost, and I have grown from a child curled up in bed listening to stories to a brave and fearless young man.I suddenly remembered a line of lyrics - "The years are peeling off the wall, and I saw my childhood", and I felt very sad and nostalgic.

Grandpa put a small wine cup in front of me, unscrewed Laobaigan, and poured me a glass with a splash. The strong aroma of the wine immediately permeated the room.

"Grandpa, what can you do for me?" I asked.

Grandpa raised the wine cup, touched it with me, took a big gulp, then picked up two peanuts and threw them into his mouth, biting them loudly, then he sighed and said, "You know why Grandpa always Are you not allowed to go out of the ship without authorization?"

I shook my head. To be honest, this is something I have been struggling with.When I was a child, I saw children rowing out to play, and I was very envious.I dare not go out with them on a boat, for fear of being punished by my grandfather when I go back, so most of the time I can only look at them enviously by the river.Only once or twice, I secretly followed the children out of the boat and happily played in the Yellow River.

Grandpa sighed heavily again, "I won't let you out of the boat because of your father."

"My dad?" I looked at Grandpa suspiciously.

Grandpa said: "After your father had an accident on the boat, I swore to protect you well. For your safety, grandpa never let you go on the boat."

Hearing what my grandfather said, I suddenly understood that my father's death must have caused great mental stimulation and psychological shadow to my grandfather.Grandpa did this to protect me so that I can grow up in peace.

Grandpa said: "According to the precepts of our ancestors, we Yellow River corpse hunters should have been passed down from generation to generation, but after your father's accident, I decided to violate the ancestor's precepts and no longer pass on the work of Yellow River corpse hunters. The ancestors scolded me under the underworld, and I will do the same. I have lost my son, and I can no longer lose my grandson. I want you to be healthy, safe, and grow up like an ordinary child, so I have always asked you to study hard until you are admitted to university, stay away from Hezi Village, and never touch the work of the Yellow River Corpse Collector." Speaking of this, there were tears in Grandpa's eyes.

I can empathize with my grandfather's feelings. It takes so much courage and such a sad thing for him to ruin the business that has been passed down from generation to generation in his own hands!On the one hand, it is the craftsmanship handed down from generation to generation, and on the other hand, it is the safe growth of future generations. Between the two, the grandfather gave up the craftsmanship of his ancestors and chose the growth of future generations with difficulty. What a deep love this is ah!

Grandpa raised his neck and drank the old Baigan in the wine cup, "I hope you can understand Grandpa's good intentions, don't bear grudges against Grandpa, let alone think that Grandpa is greedy for life and afraid of death. It doesn't matter if Grandpa loses his old life, but I can't Let you put yourself in danger. If you have never walked on the ancient Yellow River road, you have no idea how many deadly crises lurk in the ancient Yellow River road that has bred Chinese civilization for 5000 years!"

I looked at Grandpa with tears in my eyes, and drank Lao Baigan in the wine cup in one gulp, "Grandpa, I understand!"

Grandpa poured another two cups of Laobaigan, and said solemnly: "Actually, the reason I called you here is to tell you the story of your father!"

"My father's story?" I immediately straightened my back and pricked up my ears.For years, I've wanted to hear stories about my dad, but Grandpa kept it secret and never revealed anything to me.So after so many years, I only know that my father was killed in an accident on the Yellow River Ancient Road, but I don't know what happened.Now that grandpa finally mentioned this matter, I naturally have to listen attentively.

Grandpa took a sip of Laobaigan and began his narration while eating peanuts:

"Back then, your father was only in his early twenties. He married your mother for more than a year, and then gave birth to you. In order to provide a better life for you and your mother, and to take care of the family, your father was busy on the Yellow River every day. Hard."

"One day, he received a big deal. A mine owner in Shanxi was hacked and killed by his enemies and dumped his body in the Yellow River. Our Tuoba family is a well-known Yellow River corpse collector on the ancient Yellow River road, so the family of the mine owner found us. , promised us a large sum of money, asked us to help find and salvage the body of the mine boss, and also paid a large deposit in advance."

"This is an important task. I don't worry about your father doing it alone. In order to complete this matter faster and better, I decided to accompany your father on the boat. After properly handling the housework, our father and I immediately started this Salvage mission."

"The corpse-hunting boats handed down from the ancestors are all small boats with black awnings, which is particular about them. The awnings are black, and black represents death. When the undead in the water see the black awning boat, they know that this boat is here to take the undead home. , naturally it will not embarrass the boat. Because most of the time, the corpse hunters go out alone, so the corpse boat is not big, and can only accommodate two or three people. In order to complete this task faster, we deliberately A power motor is installed at the stern, which saves a lot of time."

"Corpse hunters are also very particular about going out of the boat. Before we set off, we prepared a big red rooster. We cut off the chicken's head on the bow and splashed the chicken blood on the bow, which means to eliminate disasters and bless peace. Then we put the chicken The head is placed on the bow, and a bowl of snow-white glutinous rice is placed in front of it, and three sticks of incense are inserted in the bowl."

"At this time, a strange thing happened that worried me. One of the incense sticks broke in the middle of burning. According to the traditional saying, the broken incense means that the teacher is unlucky, which made our trip difficult. cast a lingering shadow."

"Actually, I also tried to persuade your father not to go out on the boat, but your father is more stubborn than me, not to mention that it is indeed a big deal, and your father is reluctant to give up easily. At that time, your father refuted me, saying that his own fate It is in our own hands, we cannot blindly believe in those feudal superstitions, how can a piece of incense determine our fate? Maybe that piece of incense was broken by the river wind?"

"I heard what your father said was reasonable, and his attitude was very firm, so I didn't say anything more. I regret this matter very much until now. The legacy of the ancestors naturally has their reasons. It's a pity that we I didn't obey the father's last instruction, which led to the bitter fruit in the future! Alas! If I had dragged your father desperately, maybe your father would not have died!"

Grandpa's tone was full of deep regret and self-blame, he swallowed a big mouthful of Lao Baigan, his eyes were red.It seems that after so many years, Grandpa still hasn't gotten over the trauma and shadow brought about by this incident.

I comforted: "Grandpa, you don't have to blame yourself. In fact, you can't blame you for this incident. We are just ordinary mortals, and none of us can predict the future. I am not a fatalist, but some things in this world are really predestined." Yes, if God wants to take a person's life, no one can stop it. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'The King of Hades wants you to die on the third watch, but he won't keep you until the fifth watch'?"

Grandpa put down the wine cup heavily, sniffed, and continued: "After the incense burnt, we put the chicken head in a bowl filled with glutinous rice, and sank into the Yellow River together. After performing these sacrificial ceremonies, we started Ma Da, officially set foot on the Yellow River ancient road."

"We drove up the river in a corpse-hunting boat. During that time, the weather was relatively dry and there was no heavy rain, so the water flow was naturally relatively slow. According to our past experience, the body of the mine owner should still be in the river in Shanxi. part."

"The weather was not bad when we set off the boat. The sun pierced through the clouds like a sharp arrow and fell on the water, reflecting a little bit of gold. Can you imagine what a beautiful picture it was? Walking through the waves, your father was full of fighting spirit, standing on the bow of the boat with a face full of joy, facing the river wind, with his hands on his hips, he said to me: "Father, you see, God is blessing us. How can we be unlucky in such a good weather?" ?'”

"For those who walk on the ancient Yellow River trail, the sun is of course the best weather to go out on a boat. Looking at such a good weather, the haze in my heart has dissipated little by little. I think maybe I worry too much , so I quickly put the idea of ​​a bad start behind me."

"However, in response to the old proverb, 'unpredictable things happen in the sky, people have good fortune and misfortune'. Not long after we sailed out of the Sanmenxia River, the sky changed very quickly. The originally sunny sky suddenly turned dark and gloomy. The gloom of the Yellow River shrouded the ancient road of the Yellow River. The river wind was blowing, and the originally calm river surface became rough. Wave after wave of black water rushed towards our awning boat, and the awning boat was like a sea of ​​endless The fallen leaves of help, ups and downs in the rolling waves, may capsize at any time."

(End of this chapter)