There is a white bone spirit in the village

Chapter 5

Yang Jingxuan went back to his ancestral house in the north of his village, got off his horse and pushed open the door. He saw that the yellow muddy water from the rain a few days ago was still accumulated in the mud of the courtyard. The pine grass grew almost half a person's height, and even the tiles were pushed to the side. Compared with the last time I came back, it was even more dilapidated.I thought that since I returned this time, I would have to adjust it anyway.

This three-entry house used to stand on both sides of the village with Yang Taigong's house on the north and south, so it is the most conspicuous.Although he doesn't live here very much now, after all, he was left by his ancestors, so it's not good to let the ruins continue like this.

Yang Jingxuan led the old horse to the stable at the back, and saw several big holes in the thatched roof of the stable, beams of sunlight leaked from east to west.It's sunny, if it rains, it's water that's leaking down.Tie the reins to the posts of the horse shed, and go out with the pick basket. I want to pick some mud to fill up the ground in the front yard first, and then repair the horse shed.As soon as he went out, he ran into Zhaodi, a girl from Yang Taigong's family, running panting, her bare feet covered with mud, and she seemed a little scared when she saw him, she shrank her neck and whispered: "Master, my grandpa heard that you were back, and called me Please go over, the grandfather said something happened."

The villagers knew that he was invited by the county magistrate to be the head arrester, in charge of arresting murderers and suppressing robbers in the county.From then on, when I saw him, no one would call him by his name, so I must respectfully address him as my lord or my lord.He corrected it several times in the past, but seeing that he still didn't change it, he gave up.Hearing Taigong Yang's request, he must have something to do, and I happened to have something to look for, so I nodded and passed.Arriving at the meeting hall of Taigong Yang's house - that is, the open room of the upper room, seeing that not only Taigong Yang was there, but also several other elders in the clan and Yang Baitian were there, he was slightly startled, and guessed why he was called here.

"Dahe, you are here, sit down quickly."

Grandpa Yang looked very happy when he saw Yang Jingxuan, and greeted him to sit down. Yang Baitian, who was standing by the side, nodded and bowed with a smile on his face.

Dahe is his nickname.Children in the countryside usually have no names after they are born, and they all bark with stones, hammers and donkeys on a leash, thinking that it is easy to feed.For those families who can get by, when the child reaches the age of seven or eight, he will ask his husband to give him a name and record it in the genealogy, which is convenient for his ancestors.His nickname, Jingxuan, was given to him when he entered school at the age of seven.Nowadays, the nickname of Dahe is only dared to be called by senior elders in the village.

After Yang Jingxuan took his seat, he exchanged some greetings, and Taigong Yang said to Yang Baitian: "Dahe is here too. Hurry up and talk about your business, and make up your mind when it's settled." After speaking, he leaned on his cane with both hands, closed his eyes and rested his mind.

Yang Baitian groaned, moved to Yang Jingxuan, and was about to speak when he suddenly felt that he was too close, afraid that he would dislike him, so he hurriedly moved back a little without showing any signs.

Yang Baitian was more than one round older than Yang Jingxuan, and was of the same generation, so it was not for nothing that he was so cautious in front of him.Speaking of Yang Jingxuan, he can be regarded as a talkative person in this village.

I don't know which generation it started from. At that time, the world was in chaos and the people were struggling to survive, and it was a year of catastrophe. Even the thing of eating a baby became common.A group of people who had left their homes gradually got together on the road.There are too many people, so naturally there must be a master.This Yang Jingxuan's ancestor grandfather was outstanding in ability, he was elected as the leader, and led everyone to find a place to stay.It is said that one day two households were missing. When the grandfather took people to find them, he saw two pots of boiling water on the ground. The water in them was gurgling and emitting white smoke. The man was holding a sharp knife, and the woman was holding the baby desperately. .The grandfather went up without saying a word, took out a knife and untied his trouser belt, cut off two bloody strips of meat from his thigh, threw one left and one right into the pot, and said to the two men with blood red eyes : "You put me in the lead because you believed in me. Now that I am incompetent, I have let your two families eat each other's children. The lives of these two children are kept. If you two can't stand it in the future, tell me, I will Just cut the meat for you to eat!" The frightened man threw away the knife and cried bitterly on the spot, and the grandfather also stunned everyone because of this feat, and he has been dead set ever since.After untold hardships, they finally moved here with a group of people and settled down to reclaim the land.Since then, there has been an unshakable rule handed down that the patriarch must come from the eldest grandson of Yang's family, and this item was recorded on the first page of the family rules.It has been passed down for countless generations, and when Yang Jingxuan's grandfather became the patriarch, only Yang Jingxuan's father was the one who finally raised him.However, when he was middle-aged, he went to the city and was instigated into the bad habit of gambling. At first, he just secretly moved the incense burner and ashtray at home to sell it. Later, he secretly went out to sell the land deed without telling Yang Jingxuan's grandfather. When the old man found out , Most of the 14 acres of paddy fields in the family were pawned off, and he was so angry on the spot that he let go within a few days.With no one watching, he became even more unscrupulous. Within a year, Yang Jingxuan's mother also left 12-year-old Yang Jingxuan and [-]-year-old daughter Lanzhi, and died of illness.In the second year, Yang Jingxuan's father got drunk in a tavern in the county town, and accidentally fell into the river and drowned on the way back.At this time, the Yang family had been defeated to the point that there was only one house and two acres of paddy fields left, and it was Yang Jingxuan's mother who secretly hid the title deed.

When something like this happened, the choice of the patriarch of the ancestral hall became more delicate.Half of the villagers felt that although Yang Jingxuan's father was an idiot, the merits of his ancestors were there, and the laws of his ancestors should not be revoked, and he should follow the old law. For the past few years, a few old people in the clan will support him. After getting married, he will still be the patriarch.Others felt that since such incidents happened in his family, it could be seen that his morality was corrupted, and Yang Jingxuan was too young to see his future conduct, and they clamored to elect another person with high morals and prestige to be the patriarch to benefit the local villagers and push him forward. Taigong Yang came out.Opponents spread behind their backs that Taigong Yang was stingy and far inferior to Yang Jingxuan's grandfather, so naturally they did not let go.So the position of patriarch was vacant for a few years, during which time the matter of the ancestral hall was decided by Yang Taigong and several elders in the clan.Gradually, Taigong Yang's reputation gradually increased, and in the end, the people on both sides became more and more noisy, and even fought.

This was seven or eight years ago.When the villagers arrived at the corner, they encountered the matter of conscription by the imperial court.At that time, Yang Jingxuan had already grown up to the top of the sky, and one day he stood up suddenly, gathered all the people in the village to the ancestral hall, and announced that he would take a place for conscription, the position of patriarch, and because Yang Taigong was highly respected, he respectfully invited him to take office, and burned incense to worship his ancestors First.

This decision stunned the villagers on the spot. Grandpa Yang repeatedly rejected it. Seeing Yang Jingxuan's resolute attitude, he finally had to reluctantly agree, but announced on the spot that he had no intention of invading the position of patriarch. When Yang Jingxuan returns, he will definitely give up his seat.So the election of the patriarch, which had been in dispute for several years, was finally settled.Yang Jingxuan gave the last two acres of paddy fields and all his belongings to his sister as a dowry, and married her to the youngest son of Mr. Ding who was enlightened by him dozens of miles away. He closed the door of the house and went to He went to the north to fight, and only came back two years ago, carrying the relics of the other nine people who went out with him, and led a horse that was too old to teeth.Back then, I went out in dusty coarse clothes, and it is still the same now.The only change is the current Yang Jingxuan, who is so silent and serious that people dare not laugh in front of him.

During the five years when Yang Jingxuan went to fight in the north, the villagers don't know exactly what happened.Some bold and curious people came up to ask, but he just smiled and didn't say a word.The more this happened, the more curious the villagers became.Gradually, people in the village spread rumors behind their backs, probably because he had killed too many people, and he had an indelible evil spirit attached to him, which made him what he is now.Some loyal people from the old patriarch stood up at this time and mentioned the promise that Yang Taigong made before the ancestors in the ancestral hall.

Taigong Yang has been the head of the clan in recent years, but he has not been very convincing to the public. Since someone reminded him, some people naturally agreed.Although Taigong Yang was embarrassed by not mentioning this to his face, he could not help muttering behind his back.There were too many people muttering, so it naturally spread to Taigong Yang's ears. The old man didn't sleep well for several days and nights, and he was very sad.

In fact, from the first day Yang Jingxuan returned to Taohua Village, Grandpa Yang began to lose sleep at night.He originally thought that his nephew and grandson would never return, so he would take the coveted position of patriarch. When he died, his son would inherit it, and then his grandson and great-grandson would inherit it from generation to generation.I didn't expect him to come back in a good way now. Although it seems that he didn't make a name for himself, but his ancestors have been the patriarch for hundreds of years, and the residual prestige accumulated among the clan is gone?If he spoke to himself at this moment, should he give up the position of patriarch, or should he hold on to it?

I can't blame him for having such thoughts.Taigong Yang was born with an almost fanatical love for the fields.In his opinion, the smell of livestock dung exuded from the dark and fertile soil in the fields is far more fragrant than the bacon fried in an iron pan during the Chinese New Year.When I pinch the mud and feel it squeeze out from between my fingers, I can't even compare to a woman's fleshy breast.When Grandpa Yang Jingxuan was still in charge of the clan, he relied on the accumulation of generations and his own shrewd calculations, and the farm and house were no worse than his family.Now his family is in decline, and the paddy fields that his father took over back then were all bought by him secretly.Seeing that the large stretches finally returned to his own field, he wished he could lie down and roll around a few times.It’s just that I’m afraid that the villagers will say that I’m not kind, so I kept it a secret and let the tenants cultivate it quietly. I plan to make it public after a few years, when the villagers gradually forget about the original patriarch’s family, and wait to see the villagers’ surprise. And envious expression.Now that the clan power does not belong to him, it is simply unacceptable.But I let go of my words in front of the whole clan back then, and Yang Jingxuan actually came back... Taigong Yang regretted so much that he wanted to slap himself.Even his daughter-in-law, Tian Shi, secretly complained to her man that her father-in-law was old-fashioned: "You said father, why did you say that so hard in the past? It's good now. My singing legs are cramped and I can't get off the stage." It's already..." Before he finished speaking, he was slapped by the man who was also annoyed but had nowhere to vent his anger, so he covered his face aggrievedly and began to whimper.

Just when Taigong Yang's family got angry and had a toothache, things took a turn for the better.Yang Jingxuan was recruited by the newly appointed county magistrate to be a head arrester in the yamen.This new county magistrate is named Li Guanlan. It is rumored that before he became the county magistrate in Qinghe County, he was said to have been a senior official like an old prime minister in the court, but he probably offended the emperor one day, and Longyan was furious. , was dispatched to this place one hundred and eight thousand miles away from the imperial city.As for the specifics, ordinary ordinary people don't know so much, but it's just adding fuel to the rumors.Anyway, later, Yang Jingxuan didn't mention the patriarch's matter to Taigong Yang at all, but took a knife wrapped tightly in cloth, rode the old fish-eating horse that the villagers had watched for a long time, and took office. .

After Yang Jingxuan left, Grandpa Yang breathed a sigh of relief.Unexpectedly, the good times didn't last long. Half a year later, another incident happened, which brought Taigong Yang's heart to his throat again.

The thing is like this, since ancient times, the Pingchuan Mountains have cultivated a sturdy folk custom in this area.In the past few years, the imperial court has been fighting all the time, and God is not beautiful. For several years, it was either drought or flood. In addition, the previous county magistrate only cared about land grabbing, so thieves ran rampant. If there is any resistance, white knives go in and red knives go out. The methods are shockingly cruel. As for snatching a woman from a good family, it is even more commonplace to go away with a howl of laughter after winning, which makes people resentful and everyone is in danger.Now that County Magistrate Li has taken office, he has enlisted Yang Jingxuan to arrest the robbers.In just a few months, the most tyrannical leader of the bandits, who is known as ghosts and sorrows, was caught.When Gui Jianchou was tied up and taken to the execution ground in the downtown area, he was still extremely rampant. He said that whoever dared to kill him, his sons all over the world would definitely revenge with blood. The executioner was frightened and dared not do it.Yang Jingxuan raised a knife and beheaded him and a group of his men in the downtown area to make an example. The bandits in the territory dispersed after hearing the news.

Yang Jingxuan's reputation was greatly shaken, and he was familiar with Li County Magistrate. Those in Taohua Village who were originally dissatisfied with Yang Taigong naturally couldn't help it. The promise he made back then.Yang Taigong's old face turned red immediately, and he was speechless.

Unexpectedly, things turned around again.When Yang Jingxuan heard about this, he went back to the village and declined again in front of everyone, saying that the county government was busy with affairs, and that the patriarch had a heavy responsibility, which was related to the well-being of the people of the clan. appropriate.Some people were still not reconciled, they flipped through the front page of the family rules of the development of the Yellow River, and took out the first article to suppress it. Seeing that the two parties were about to quarrel again, someone finally proposed a compromise. You must discuss with Yang Jingxuan.

Taigong Yang really didn't want to let go of the position of patriarch. Seeing such a compromise, although he didn't want to, he could only reluctantly accept it first. Opportunity has abolished this family rule; Yang Jingxuan has no interest in the position of patriarch, but sees that if he should not step down, the clansmen will not let go, and during the six months since returning to his hometown, he also vaguely sensed that Taigong Yang is the patriarch. Not very authentic, at least a little unclear about the public land of the ancestral hall, which caused dissatisfaction among the clan.Although I don't know how to intervene in everything, I only added myself, I think he will restrain himself in the future, and finally nodded.This was the scene just now.

Yang Baitian looked at Yang Jingxuan who was sitting opposite him, and said with an apologetic smile: "Brother Jingxuan, my grandpa and I have talked about this a long time ago, and the grandpa didn't say anything bad, just waiting for you to come back and talk to you. In fact, it’s not a big deal, it’s just about the missing elder brother’s family. You know about his family’s situation. Now there are only my eldest nephew and Nengwu left, and Nengwu’s eyes are broken again. Don’t talk about him these days. Myself, even when I saw it, I felt heartbroken. As for my niece, if she is a responsible person, she is willing to live a good life and grow Neng Wuba, I have nothing to say about being an uncle, and I still need to help you, right? But that niece and daughter-in-law, she is just a smug thing, relying on her face, first she got involved with the son of Widow Stone's family, and just half a month ago, she actually got involved with her son. Huang Erpi made such a fuss, oh my god, the people in the village say everything behind their backs, maybe there will be another moth in the future, and I will lose the face of my lost brother and sister-in-law , You said, how can I rest assured that my only nephew will follow her, maybe someday it will be a disaster..."

Yang Jingxuan looked at Yang Baitian's distilled nose wings which opened and closed with his mouth, and the scene at the village entrance at noon appeared in his mind involuntarily.When the woman was climbing up the stream bank, because of her posture, the wet clothes wrapped around her body showed her slender waist and round buttocks without any concealment, which was shocking. Showing such an expression to himself, that kind of direct gaze without any shyness... At that moment, he felt an unprecedented humiliation, the kind of humiliation of being stripped naked in public and allowing others to look at him unscrupulously, and in the end, even Seeing her clenching her fist at a horse as a threat, this behavior is not only ridiculous, it is simply unimaginable, and it is definitely not something a proper woman can do.

Yang Jingxuan frowned, trying his best to dispel the shame and incompatibility brought to him by the appearance of the woman in his mind and this memory.

(End of this chapter)