Guardian of the Night

Chapter 1
In the middle of the night, a cat, a black cat, flashed across the roof silently, stopped, looked back, suddenly seemed to be afraid of something, its pupils constricted, and hurried away, disappearing in the darkness.Suddenly, a shrill meow sounded, and after that, the night was still so quiet.

"Look, these people who deserve a thousand knives, don't know how these cats have offended them, it's like this, hey!" Lao Wu sighed as he looked at the black cat on the ground whose stomach was bitten to pieces and half of its head was missing. .Then, he took a pair of tongs, clamped the cat's body, and threw it in the garbage dump.

Old Wu is a gatekeeper in this small town.Oh, the doorman who stands at midnight at the door of the room where the coffin is laid, whenever there is a funeral. When he was about 10 years old, his parents died. He was helpless and was brought up by the original gatekeeper.In his twenties, the old gatekeeper died suddenly, and Old Wu took over the job naturally.Now, in the early days of the Republic of China, slogans against superstition sounded, but business became more and more sluggish.

Old Wu has been in this business for more than ten years. Although the slogan of anti-superstition sounds, the income is not bad. Generally, the gatekeeper for three days can earn 2000 yuan.Although people may not die every day, Lao Wu will have a job and income if he dies.That is, to earn dead money.It is consuming Yin virtue.However, people are already in their 30s, and they still don't have a date. There is only one reason, who would want to live with him in this line of work!However, that's okay, Lao Wu is also happy with his place, and lives alone.Recently, he also took in an apprentice, twelve or thirteen years old, called Ye Ye.An orphan with a smart name, but he is very dull, he can even be said to be a fool.He didn't understand anything, he wasn't afraid of anything, and he did it all. That's why Lao Wu took his children home with him.That's right, there's something new in the house.There are successors.

On this day, Lao Wu still got up early and sincerely worshiped Guanyin and Lord Buddha.Old Wu said that although it is useless to worship them in this line of work, one must find a spiritual sustenance.

Old Wu took three sticks of incense from the counter, and after lighting them, he bowed three times and handed the incense to his apprentice Ye Ye to put it on the altar.Then humming a little song, stepped out of the altar.Ye Ye, after plugging in the incense handed by his master, Lao Wu, he also burned the incense just like Old Wu, and then plugged it in too.After plugging it in, Ye Ye suddenly grinned and smiled.In the dark incense room, Ye Ye lowered his head, his snow-white teeth were exposed, a bloodthirsty gleam appeared in his dull eyes, and he laughed "hehe. Hehe." from his throat.Ye Ye, who looked a bit naive and silly at first, now looks so terrifying.He just stood there, smiling all the time...

"Ye Zi, come out, there is business!" At this moment, Old Wu's voice sounded at the right time.Ye Ye walked out as usual with dull eyes and expression.

In the living room, apart from Old Wu He, there was another person, in his forties, who was quite fat, with a Mediterranean sea on his head, and a general's belly, looking like a nouveau riche.

"Old Wu, my father died this morning, so you come to watch tonight. It's easy to talk about wages!" the man said
"When did you die?" Old Wu said lightly.
"It's less than 1 o'clock in the morning, so it's today?"

"Fifty, no second price." Old Wu still said lightly, then watched the apprentice who walked in from the door and pointed to the teacup, signaling the apprentice to pour tea for the guests.

"Hey, Wu Ming, you're too much! If someone dies in someone else's house and asks you to guard the door, you just take a few oceans. Last month, when the widowed man died, you just take one. You're a bachelor. I I think it doesn't matter. I ask you to guard the door, and you will charge me [-]. Even if my father died and left me a lot of money, it is not spent like this." The man heard the old Wu report Price, suddenly excited.

"Old Jiang, you also know that it is not easy for me to do this job. Jiang Yinde, my master died in his fifties, and his death was inexplicable. Besides, Lao Wu, the whole town knows about your family situation. How did you treat you? We all know about the old man, it doesn’t matter, but the difficulty lies in the time of death. The master said that no matter how many people die, there will be resentment. It depends on the secular life they lived before death, and it also depends on death Your father died at Zishi, and Zishi is the hour of dawn, and the grievances in life cannot be dissipated. I don’t know what will happen if I open your door. You said that Widow Qiu’s man died. Accepting one is only because her man died at noon, and the resentment of those who died at noon was directly dissipated by the sun. In addition, the Widow Qiu’s family took good care of me, so I was reluctant to accept the money. Since, If you can’t bear the money, please find another house. But if something happens, don’t say that I, Old Wu, didn’t remind me, it will destroy my brand for several generations.” Old Wu said with proof with.

"This... this... well, well, well, there is only your family around here, so you can come over tonight, as usual, wine and roast chicken? I'll go get someone to prepare it. Please. " Lao Jiang seemed to be frightened, and after finishing speaking tremblingly, he got up and prepared to leave.

"Wait, Lao Jiang, you've seen it too. Now I'm not alone. There's also my apprentice. This kid has been with me for so long. I should let him see it so that he can take over my mantle in the future. Wine Just prepare two servings with the rooster!" Old Wu said a little greedily.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave it to you for these three days. Oh, this is a part of the deposit. I'll keep it for now. After three days, I'll settle it all for you." After Lao Jiang finished speaking, he put down a purse embroidered with the inscription "Dian". just left.

After Lao Jiang left.Old Wu picked up the purse on the table, opened it, and there were about ten old people's heads in it.Old Wu went to take out the money inside, tapped the palm of his hand and said: "This old Jiang, he really believed what was written in the book handed down by his master. If there was any accident, I would have died! Hahahaha... Ye Zi, Go clean up the guys, and start working at night, so you have to act more decently. Is there something I have told you many times?" After finishing speaking, he took the money and went out humming a tune.

As soon as Lao Jiang stepped out of the room, Ye Ye stopped the teacups he was sorting in his hands, lowered his head, looked at the direction where Lao Wu was leaving, and laughed, his eyes were still bloodthirsty, and his throat said "hehe, Hey" sound......
The night is still dark and silent.In the mourning hall of Lao Jiang’s house, only Lao Jiang, his wife, children, and guests have already returned home in the middle of the night. The custom here is that if someone dies in his family, he cannot spend the night there. Otherwise, it will be bad luck! And the vigil , Only the immediate family members of the deceased are filial.And in the middle of the night, after the night watchmen go to sleep, it is time for the gatekeepers.The gatekeeper will watch the night on behalf of the family members, and keep the corpse, and the eternal lamp below will not go out.However, they can't stay at the place where their relatives are offering sacrifices, they can only stay at the door.Therefore, it is called the gatekeeper.

After Lao Jiang's family went to rest in the inner hall, Lao Wu and his apprentice sat at the door and ate the wine and roast chicken prepared by Lao Jiang.

"Ye Zi, why don't you eat? How can you work if you don't eat? You'll have to wait until midnight!" Seeing Ye Ye not eating anything, Old Wu said earnestly
"Master, I have something to eat, I eat my own, hehe." Ye Ye still smirked like that.

Old Wu didn't speak any more, but looked at Ye Ye quietly.He was lonely, and since the death of the old gatekeeper, he had no relatives.Although he usually treats Ye Ye as his own son, he treats him as his own son in his heart. What a relief to be in his 30s and still single.

Old Wu sighed, picked up the shochu on the table and took a sip, grabbed a quick roasted chicken leg, and took a bite.Then he narrowed his eyes contentedly.

"Ye Zi, go and see if the ever-burning lamp is still on, and pick the wick by the way, don't let it go out, you know how to do it, the master usually teaches you a lot." Old Wu half-closed his eyes and told Ye Ye to do things .

Ye Ye walked into the mourning hall, the flickering candles were flickering, and the burning incense filled the air wantonly.Ye Ye bent down and picked the lamp wick that was almost submerged in lamp oil.Suddenly, I looked up and seemed to see something, but I was not sure. I looked carefully, and it turned out that it was just an illusion caused by the smoke from the diffuse incense.

Ye Ye looked at the food on the altar table, pursed his lips, and swallowed.I wanted to reach for it, but suddenly remembered that the master said that the food on the wooden table should not be eaten.Enduring it, he suddenly remembered something, took out a black thing from the small treasure bag tied around his waist, and was about to bite it, when Old Wu said outside: "Yezi, don't be old!" Staying inside is unlucky and boring, come out as soon as you finish your work."

Hearing Old Wu's sudden words, Ye Yexin was frightened, and the things in his hand were thrown onto the corpse covered by the white cloth on the wooden board. Ye Ye smiled foolishly, and went up to get the things and put them into the treasure bag , went out.But he didn't realize that the fingers of the dead body on the wooden board moved slightly!

"Come to Ye Zi, eat a piece of chicken drumstick."

Old Wu took the chicken legs to Ye Ye, but Ye Ye shook his head and refused, then took out the black lump from his treasure bag and said, "Master, master, I will eat this, it is delicious."

Old Wu didn't pay attention to see what it was, but said to himself in surprise: Hey?Why is there a sudden breeze?

After finishing speaking, Old Wu shook the things in Ye Ye's hands again, and suddenly all the hairs on his body stood up, and he ran madly towards the mourning hall.

"Ah, is this true?" Old Wu ran into the mourning hall, saw the dead body of Old Jiang's father who had been placed on the wooden plank, and slowly sat up, propping up the white cloth.Slowly, as the sitting angle became higher and higher, the white cloth slid down.Old Jiang's father's skinny face appeared, his eyes were cloudy white, his mouth was half open, and his throat made a hoarse voice.

Old Wu was frightened all of a sudden, stood there and forgot what to do, stared blankly at the corpse from sitting up to standing up, then grabbed a burning red candle and put it directly into his mouth, biting sparingly .At this moment, Ye Ye walked in suddenly. Seeing this scene, he was not afraid, and suddenly said loudly in surprise: "He got up, he got up, oh oh oh!"

His cheers attracted the veteran father who was biting the red candle and the food on the altar table.Old Jiang's father raised his head, and rushed over, knocked over the altar, and rushed towards Old Wu who was still in a daze.

Ye Ye, still not afraid, ran to Old Wu and shouted for joy.But Lao Jiang's father who rushed over seemed to ignore Ye Ye's existence, and directly knocked Ye Ye into the air. Ye Ye just hit the corner of the overturned altar and married him, and the corner of his head began to bleed.

After all, Old Wu was also a gatekeeper for many years. Seeing this situation, he suddenly came to his senses and started to run away. When he arrived at the door, he accidentally tripped over the threshold and knocked over the roast chicken and wine on the table at the door.Also sprained my foot.Behind him, Lao Jiang's father had already rushed over and grabbed Lao Wu's neck. Lao Wu was instantly suffocated by a huge force. This is not the strength a thin old man should have.Lao Wu grabbed it in a panic, and suddenly grabbed the chicken head of the roast chicken scattered on the ground, and stuffed it into Lao Jiang's father's half-open mouth.Lao Jiang's father stopped all movements in an instant, but his hands were still tightly wrapped around Lao Wu's neck like a steel ring. Ye Ye waved in the direction where he fainted, as if hoping that Ye Ye could stand up and break away from the tight hand.

However, Ye Ye was still in a coma and did not stand up.But Old Wu lowered his waving hands heavily.

(End of this chapter)