Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 18 Rat Killing (4)
Yao Waquan was right when he thought about it, all the officials of the Nationalist government had already left, and the city was actually controlled by Japanese soldiers. , Catch that tomorrow, and shoot "anti-Japanese elements" every day, disturbing the city of Xiulin and making people panic.Even if you tell them about it, they won't bother you.Thinking of this, Yao Waquan couldn't help but frowned, and said, "Master, I don't think this person surnamed Zhu is kind and hard to dismiss. We have no money to compensate him, and we can't duel with him. Why don't you come for him?" A 36 plan is the best way to go. First go out of the city to Ouchi, I have a younger brother who lives there, you go to his house to take refuge."

Ma Shiqi shook his head, sighed and said: "Can the monk walk to the temple? Zhu Dapeng will come to listen to the letter tomorrow. What if he finds out that he ran away without fighting for his teacher and blames you and Wansu? You know how to work hard, you brat, I'm afraid you are not his opponent. Besides, what if he is provoked and he will not stop doing nothing and burn down our house? Then he will pat his butt and leave After all, who do we go to ask for a house?"

Yao Waquan became anxious and shouted: "We can't afford to pay, we can't fight and we can't fight, we can't hide, so what should we do? Are we really helpless and can only sit and wait for death?"

"Sit and wait? If the teacher really dies right away, it will save trouble. Once it's over, no matter how powerful his surname Zhu is, he can't be defeated by me, right?" Ma Shiqi looked sad, smiled bitterly, and held his hands Holding the letter of claim and challenge in my hand, I was really flustered for a while, I was helpless, and I didn't know what to do.

Just when his master and apprentice were sighing and frowning, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs, drums, suona and mournful sounds from the street. A group of people dressed in linen and filial piety, singing and crying, carried a black coffin, scattered all over the sky. Paper money, walking along the street.People on both sides of the street had just opened their doors, and when they saw someone attending a funeral, they called it bad luck and hurriedly closed the doors.

Ma Shiqi also felt that it was very unlucky, and was about to turn around and close the door, when Yao Waquan suddenly slapped his palm and said, "Yes, Master, we have a way to deal with that Zhu Dapeng."

Ma Shiqi was stunned for a moment, looked at him and asked, "What way?"

Yao Waquan said: "Didn't you say that as long as you are dead, the surname Zhu will not come to make things difficult for us?"

Ma Shiqi turned pale with anger, and said, "Do you really want me to die?"

Yao Waquan hurriedly said, "I mean fake death, not real death."

Ma Shiqi was stunned and asked, "Fake death?"

Yao Waquan said: "Yes, it's a fake death. Let's buy a coffin and put it at home. When the surname Zhu comes, you lie down in the coffin and I tell him that you had a heartache in the middle of the night last night. I went there before I had time to invite a doctor. As the saying goes, if a person’s capital crime is eliminated, everyone is dead. Let’s see how he still seeks compensation from you, and how can he challenge you to a duel? If you are interested, you will leave naturally. As soon as he leaves Xiulin City, and you jump out of the coffin, wouldn't it mean that you will be resurrected from the dead?"

Ma Shiqi raised his brows slightly, nodded and said, "My good boy, you have a good idea. The ghost soldiers have been making a lot of noise these days, and our rat show is getting less and less watched. As a teacher, I just took advantage of This opportunity lies in the coffin and rests for two days. But..."

Yao Waquan asked, "But what?"

Ma Shiqi hesitated and said: "He Zhu Dapeng came to look for me, and I happened to die of a sudden illness. It was a coincidence. If Zhu Dapeng became suspicious and wanted to open the coffin for an autopsy, what should I do?"

Yao Waquan said: "This is easy to handle. You hide in the coffin, stuff a stinking dead chicken under the buttocks, then scoop up some maggots from the toilet, wash them with water, and put them near the corner of the mouth. If he Open the coffin, smell the stench, and see that there are maggots on the corpse, so I won't let him believe it. Then I will nail the coffin to death with big iron nails in front of him..."

Ma Shiqi stared at him and said, "Nail the coffin to death?"

Yao Waquan smiled and said: "Master, don't worry, I will put two big iron nails under the coffin lid in advance, the coffin lid seems to be firmly nailed, but in fact there is still a long gap, which cannot hold you to death. After he's gone, I'll pry open the coffin and let you out."

Ma Shiqi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's not too bad."

Yao Waquan suddenly thought of something and said, "But there is one thing, Master, you must remember it."

Ma Shiqi asked, "Which one?"

Yao Waquan glanced into the room, but did not see Ma Wansu's shadow, then lowered his voice and said: "This oboe will be sung by both master and apprentice, please don't tell Wanmei in advance."

Ma Shiqi said: "Why? If I don't tell her, she will think that her father and I are really dead, so won't she cry?"

Yao Waquan said: "That's right, that's what we want. Who dares to suspect that you are faking your death when she cries so loudly? If she knew in advance that you were faking your death and showed your flaws in front of Zhu Dapeng, then all our efforts will be wasted. I couldn't eat and walked away."

Ma Shiqi was already in a state of desperation at this time, and he could only nod his head in agreement after hearing what he said, no matter what, let's talk after we get through the catastrophe in front of us.

According to the plan agreed upon by the two masters and apprentices, in the middle of the night, Ma Shiqi suffered a heart attack and "died suddenly" in his room.Before he "died", he took a cold bath with well water, and because his daughter held her breath when she came, so when Ma Wansu saw that her father was not breathing and his body was cold, she panicked and immediately believed it was true and rushed to the hospital. The father's "corpse" burst into tears.Hearing her crying, Ma Shiqi, who was lying on the bed pretending to be dead, was secretly relieved. No matter what, he finally tricked his daughter.

The next thing was much easier. Yao Waquan immediately went outside the door and burned the "falling air paper". He went to Yanji Shoucai Shop on Yipu Street overnight to buy a cypress coffin. The "corpse" was placed in the coffin, and the lid of the coffin was slanted and empty. After dawn, Taoist priests were invited to beat gongs, drums, and suona, and the dojo was established lively.

Ma Shiqi let his apprentice do the work outside, and lay in the coffin by himself, and fell asleep soundly.When he woke up, he saw the dim yellow sunlight slantingly shining on the wall outside the coffin through the gap of the uncovered coffin lid, and it was estimated that it was already evening.Just as he was about to turn over in the coffin and stretch his muscles and bones, he suddenly heard a loud shout from outside the gate: "Hey, quickly ask Master Ma Shiqima to come out and see me." who is it?Ma Shiqi was originally a timid person, when he heard his enemy approach him, he couldn't help shivering, lay straight in the coffin and dared not move again.Perhaps because of Zhu Dapeng's imposing manner, the Taoist priests also stopped beating gongs and chanting scriptures, and the originally bustling mourning hall suddenly became quiet.

"Zhu Dapeng, what are you shouting about? Didn't you see that we are holding a funeral for my master?" It was Yao Waquan's voice.

Ma Shiqi was lying in the coffin, listening to the noise outside.Zhu Dapeng seemed taken aback, and said, "What, are you doing the funeral for your master? Your master... What's wrong with Master Ma?"

"My master suffered from a heartache last night, and before he could see a doctor, he just... passed away..."

"I don't believe it. How can there be such a coincidence in the world. I, Zhu Dapeng, was about to settle accounts with him, and he died? I want to open the coffin for an autopsy to see if it is really him lying in the coffin."

"Who are you? What do you want to do?" This was Ma Wansu's crying voice.She didn't know about the feud between her father and Zhu Dapeng, let alone Zhu Dapeng. Seeing that someone broke into her father's mourning hall and opened the coffin for an autopsy, which made her father's death restless, she was both surprised and angry, and opened her arms. , to stop the opponent.

When the two sides were confronting each other, they suddenly heard a sound of "choking", which seemed to be the sound of drawing a knife out of its sheath.Sure enough, the voice with Shandong accent said: "I said to open the coffin for autopsy, and I will open the coffin for autopsy. Whoever dares to stop it, don't blame me for being ruthless." When the murder weapon was released, Yao Waquan and Ma Wansu were frightened With a big jump, he dared not speak again.

There was a sound of footsteps, walking towards the coffin in the corner.Knowing that the other party's coffin was coming for an autopsy, Ma Shiqi hurriedly took out the maggots wrapped in lotus leaves that Yao Waquan had prepared for him, sprinkled them on his face, closed his eyes, and held his breath.As soon as he was ready, he heard a "crash" of the coffin lid and was pushed halfway away.Ma Shiqi was in a daze, feeling the light dim in front of him, knowing that Zhu Dapeng had stood in front of him, he couldn't stop his heart beating wildly, lying there like a zombie, not daring to move.

At this time, the dead chicken that Yao Waquan stuffed into the coffin and put under his buttocks worked, and Zhu Dapeng covered his nostrils and said in a low voice: "Oh, it's really Master Ma! Master Ma, it's inevitable that you left It's too urgent, we still have a debt to settle."

Yao Waquan rushed forward and said, "If you dare to touch my master's body, I will fight you."

Zhu Dapeng said: "Oh, forget it, the death debt is gone...the corpse smells bad, why don't you hurry up and seal the coffin for the funeral?"

Yao Waquan snorted, and said, "When should the coffin be sealed and when should the funeral be carried out? , nailed an iron nail in each of the four corners of the coffin lid, and then hammered nails on all sides to nail the coffin lid to death.Of course, according to the original agreement, when nailing the coffin lid, he unknowingly placed two large iron nails at the junction of the coffin lid and the coffin wall near the wall, so that it looks as if the coffin lid is firmly nailed Yes, but in fact there is still a crack, allowing some air to enter.

Ma Shiqi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that seeing is believing, and Zhu Dapeng should believe it now.Unexpectedly, Zhu Dapeng walked around in the mourning hall, but before leaving, he said this sentence: "After thinking about it, I still think this is too weird and coincidental. No, I have to see Master Ma buried in the grave with my own eyes." , so I can believe it. I won’t go anywhere these two days, but I’ll just stay at your door, and I want to see how you mourn Master Ma.” Ma Shiqi could not help crying secretly after hearing this.

There was a moment of silence in the mourning hall, and under Yao Waquan's instruction, the Taoist priests beat the gongs and drums and recited scriptures again.

Not long after, Ma Shiqi saw through the gap that the lamps had been lit outside, and was feeling agitated when he suddenly saw a note slipped into the gap of the coffin.His heart moved, he caught it hastily, leaned under the ray of light that penetrated through the gap, and could vaguely discern the handwriting of apprentice Yao Waquan on it:
Zhu Dapeng sat outside the gate.I will give you a funeral tomorrow, and I will find a way to leave a vent hole for you on the grave when filling the soil.Once the plague god is gone, disciple will dig you out overnight...

Ma Shiqi pinched the note and thought, this is the end of the matter, and this is the only way to go.Fortunately, Yao Waquan stuffed a few dry steamed buns and a pot of water under his body at the beginning, so it shouldn't be difficult to last until tomorrow night.Thinking of it this way, I was relieved a lot. Listening to the lullaby-like chanting outside, I gradually fell asleep again...

4
Ma Wansu invited Mr. Yin and Yang to read Fengshui for her father, and chose the graveyard in a dense forest on the hillside of Xiulin Mountain.The time for the funeral was chosen at noon the next day, because at this time the weather was the hottest and Japanese soldiers seldom came out for activities, and going on the road at this time could also save some unnecessary troubles.

At noon the next day, as soon as the time came, Yao Waquan smashed the "mourning basin" used to burn the paper money. After the enlightenment, the eight pre-hired bearers took their positions, lifted the coffin, and walked out slowly. the door.There is a saying that master and apprentice are like father and son. Yao Waquan is dressed as a dutiful son. He wears a paper-pasted filial hat about one foot high on his head, holds a small bamboo stick wrapped in paper, and wears white cloth shoes; White cloth towel and white shoes on the feet.The two supported the coffin all the way and sang funeral songs. In front of them was a Taoist priest blowing suona to clear the way, followed by some funeral neighbors. A group of people went to Xiulin Mountain.

According to the old customs of Xiulin, when burying the dead, two bamboo sticks should be inserted in the cemetery. If there are no bamboo sticks, bamboo poles can be used instead.On the evening of the seventh day after the burial, that is, the night of the first seven days, the filial son bundles rice straws around the grave and burns it, which is called "round grave".

So when Ma Shiqi's coffin was put into the grave and just covered with a thin layer of soil, Yao Waquan immediately took out dozens of bamboo poles and inserted two rows along the two sides of the coffin. After getting it through, these bamboo poles were inserted into the gap of the coffin lid he reserved for his master, just enough for Ma Shiqi to breathe in the coffin.

Let's say that Ma Shiqi was lying in the coffin, feeling the darkness in front of his eyes, not even a little light came in through the gap, and the air was getting more and more stuffy, it seemed that it was becoming difficult to take a breath.He knew he had "laid in the ground".After a while, I heard the suona sound outside gradually receding, and knew that the mourners had already left.I thought in my heart, the fake death has become a real burial, Zhu Dapeng should believe it now, right?As long as the plague god left, he would have escaped a catastrophe.

He turned over in the coffin, guessing that it should be in the afternoon, and it was still early before the time agreed with Yao Waquan to dig him out of the coffin, so he had to lie down again and wait patiently.As soon as the person calmed down, he felt a little hungry. Fortunately, there were still two cold steamed buns left in the coffin. Anyway, the coffin could be opened tonight, so he ate the two steamed buns with a half pot of cold water .Then, smelling the stench of the dead chicken again, he fell into a drowsy sleep.

He didn't know how long he had been in a coma, and in a daze, he vaguely heard a shrill owl screaming from outside, he couldn't help shivering, and woke up suddenly.He knew that owls generally only came out at night, and since there were owls hooting outside, it meant that it was already dark and it was night.If there is no accident, Yao Waquan will soon dig up the grave with an iron pick to rescue him.Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a long breath, fumbled to pick up the water bottle, drank some water to moisten his lips, then leaned his head against the wall of the coffin, half-sitting and half-lying on his body, quietly listening to what was happening outside. Voice, wholeheartedly waiting for his apprentice to come to his rescue.

The coffin was so dark that he couldn't see his fingers. The dead chicken he hid under his buttocks had long since rotted and was full of maggots. A steamed bun was spit out.He had to put his nose close to the gap in the coffin lid, open his mouth wide, and took a few breaths in succession.

While waiting, he secretly counted the time in his heart, reckoning that more than two hours had passed, it should be midnight outside, and the time agreed with Yao Waquan to dig the grave had already passed.Listening carefully, except for the occasional owl's hooting, there is no sound at all.He couldn't help frowning: What the hell is this boy Waquan doing? Does he really want to bury my old man alive here?Or did something happen to Zhu Dapeng that made him unable to get away from coming to rescue me?Suspicious clouds burst into my heart, and I waited patiently for an hour, and suddenly felt that the hooting of owls outside could not be heard, and what came faintly was a chirping bird call—it was already dawn.

Ma Shiqi's heart sank suddenly, and he already felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.At this point, the only thing he can do is to wait patiently until his good apprentice comes with an iron pick to dig up his grave, pry open his coffin, and rescue him as a master.

(End of this chapter)