Monster Hunting High School

When it comes to the Chinese New Year, people's first impression is often of the busy and lively days around the New Year. But if the New Year must be limited to a certain point in time, then it has to be New Year’s Eve, that is, New Year’s Eve.

In addition to the customary New Year's Eve dinner and Spring Festival Gala, sacrifices are also an indispensable custom on this day.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Zheng Qing was pulled out of bed by his father. Although the winter sun appears late, it is still bright outside at this time.

After getting dressed and opening the door, Zheng Qing sniffed and sneezed. Because from the living room to the balcony, the house was filled with a faint, lingering smoke.

Zheng Qing is very familiar with this smell.

Growing up, on every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, as well as during Chinese New Year and festivals, a few incense sticks would be burned in the incense burners under the statues and tablets of gods at home to feed the gods. According to the rules, take one post in the morning before meals, one post at noon, and one post in the evening before meals. The person who offered the incense used to be Zheng Qing's grandfather, but now that his grandfather is older, his father is in charge. And Zheng Qing, even as an adult, can only kowtow in front of the statues and cannot offer incense at will.

After offering incense and having breakfast, the men will start posting Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese characters "Fu".

As usual, Zheng Qing was responsible for collecting the torn old Spring Festival couplets, Chinese characters "Fu", pine and cypress branches, etc. and putting them into a large garbage bag, while his father was still responsible for posting them. It only took about an hour to post.

At this time in the past, his father would go downstairs to clean the car, and then put Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters on the car. Zheng Qing would stay with his grandfather in the study for a while. The old man would sit on the recliner and read newspapers and books, while Zheng Qing would sit at the desk. Practice talismans.

But today, my father was not in a hurry to go downstairs.

"Now that you don't stay at home for more than a few days a year, you should tidy up the talisman and other things you left at home if you can... If you are not at home, we can't move around." After saying that, my father said After a pause, he changed his words: "If you think those things are useful, just keep them there. It won't be a problem."

What the father was talking about were some talisman and paper instruments that Zheng Qing left at home.

For example, he hung a mahogany sword on the bookcase in his bedroom. It was a street stall item given to him by Deng Xiaoxian when he went to calligraphy collection. Although it was not a valuable item, it was the most powerful thing in deterring ghosts and evil spirits. Another example is that he The yellow paper charms posted on the window edges, door lintels and other places are also of the type to dispel evil and meditate. He also quietly tampered with several incense burners at home. Under normal circumstances, there is nothing abnormal when lighting incense, but if If there is something dirty in the house, the incense sticks lit in the incense burner will burst into flames to remind family members.

Because Zheng Qing has been a student with Mr. Wu since he was a child, and in the eyes of his family, Mr. Wu is a very capable person. So the things he tinkered with at home were not dealt with by his always rigid grandfather.

Over time, it gradually became a custom to burn incense and worship gods during festivals. It was still in accordance with the customs of the elderly. However, no one touched the talismans posted by Zheng Qing outside the windows and doors.

It's like the place where the Jinghe River and the Weihe River meet. They have different colors, but they reach the same destination by different routes.

After listening to his father's words, Zheng Qing comforted him and said, "It doesn't matter if you move. It's not like you came back from the temple to worship, so there's not that much emphasis on it. But just because I'm not at home, you can just hang those talismans there... Look back I’ll get something new.”

Professor Zheng did not speak when the father and son were talking. He just wore reading glasses and sat by the window reading the newspaper.

After Zheng Qing's father came downstairs, Professor Zheng looked at his grandson.

"Isn't your university required to join the party? Real party members are materialistic and cannot engage in these weird things." As he said, he took off his reading glasses and looked at Zheng Qing sharply: "Remember what I told you Let’s follow Mr. Yangming’s teachings.”

Zheng Qing nodded obediently.

The Mr. Yangming my grandfather was talking about was Wang Yangming, the great thinker of the Ming Dynasty. Now that the old man mentioned Wang Yangming's teachings, he naturally reminded Zheng Qing to unite knowledge and action, and not to be inconsistent with words and deeds. He talked about materialism, but in his heart he prayed to God and worshiped Buddha.

Zheng Qing secretly cursed, if grandpa knew that Yang Mingzi was a famous wizard in the wizarding world and was still alive and kicking around the new world, he would definitely change his mind. Of course, he would not talk too much to grandpa about this kind of thing. Tongue.

Although he couldn't tell the truth, it didn't mean that Zheng Qing had no way to defend himself.

"You forgot, I studied in a foreign university." He explained to the old man with a smile: "Foreign countries do not pay attention to the domestic system... They believe in idealism."

Professor Zheng was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.

"Oh," he nodded, then shook his head, and put up his reading glasses again: "I really don't know what your parents think, letting you run so far away to go to school... When you go to school outside, you must be careful and steady. Thoughts should be based on facts and should not be corrupted by claptrap and messy ideas.”

Zheng Qing rolled his eyes in his heart, but on the surface he nodded obediently.

"There are also those things that are weird and confusing," Professor Zheng added: "Forget it if you learned it from Mr. Wu. He is a real person and knowledgeable... Don't learn from other wild things outside. ”

Zheng Qing knew that the strange power and chaos that his grandfather criticized were not deliberately aimed at anything, but he still felt vaguely like he had been shot. He simply made an excuse, left the study, and went to the kitchen to look for the cat.

There are no pets at home, just like when I was young.

The cat Zheng Qing was looking for was the tabby cat from Sanyou Bookstore, the tabby cat he called Brother Huang.

Because Mr. Wu went out and no one was looking after him in the store, when Zheng Qing went to the bookstore to clean up, Professor Zheng specifically told him that if he saw a yellow fox, he could take it home and help Mr. Wu take care of it for a while.

Zheng Qing felt that there was no doubt whether Brother Huang needed anyone to take care of him, and he very much suspected that the tabby cat would rather stay in the bookstore, eat dried fish and watch cat and mouse cartoons than follow him home. Amidst the noise of a group of people, I was dazzled by the Spring Festival Gala on the TV.

But it was beyond his expectation.

When Zheng Qing left the bookstore, Huanghuali turned off his small TV and followed him back leisurely.

"Don't talk at home," the young wizard whispered to the yellow fox on the way home, "My grandpa has a bad heart. If you scare him, you will be fully responsible."

The yellow raccoon glanced at him and said nothing.

"Also, if you want to eat dried fish or beef slices, tell me quietly. If there are people around who are inconvenient to talk, just touch me with your paws a few times and signal with your eyes." Zheng Qing was still a little worried and added in a long-winded way. : "Never open the refrigerator or locked cabinets by yourself... Oh, when you touch me with your paws, remember to only use the pads, not your actual paws."

The yellow raccoon snorted loudly, still disdaining to pay attention to the young man next to him.