Just after the car entered the village, Ma Xiaocui told me that the witch Li was a horse spirit. Usually, no matter who came to her for fortune-telling, they had to stand at the door and slap themselves three times before entering. This rule was unshakable. No matter if you were an eight-year-old child or a white-haired old man in his seventies or eighties, you had to follow the rules when you got there.
I thought about the days when I depended on my grandfather. After my parents passed away, my grandfather ran around to support me. He never had a good day in his life. Even if he was involved in this dragon storm, it was because he wanted to prepare money for me to buy a house.
When I was young, I didn't understand what filial piety was. When I really understood it, I found that there was not much time left for us. There were thousands of thoughts in my mind. I am not a monk and cannot achieve the four elements of emptiness. So for more than 20 years, my grandfather has been my only concern.
After arriving at the village crossroads, I drove north for about five minutes and arrived at a small forest. I saw many bamboos planted at the door of Li Shenpo's house. Bamboos are afraid of severe cold and dryness. For these two reasons, the success rate is very low in the generally dry climate of Northeast China.
The green bamboos, the small house in the forest, and the black river water not far away really have a beautiful scenery like a paradise. Ma Xiaocui pointed to the bamboo forest path and said, "Brother, do you see it? There is a gong there. Slap yourself hard. When you hear the gong sound, you can go in. Otherwise, even if you go in, Li Shenpo will not see you."
She also told me that she had her nose bleed when she was treating her husband, and then the gong sounded. But she said that this witch Li was very capable. Not only could she resolve disasters and predict events, but she could also understand yin and yang, and let the living talk to their deceased ancestors. What was even more amazing was that she could not only travel through the underworld, but also that in the early years when medical care in the village was not well developed, this witch Li was also a midwife.
Most midwives in the past could understand something about yin and yang, because the birth canal is the "**" and the passage from the underworld to the human world, so midwives must understand it. If they don't understand it, it is easy to bring unnecessary sins upon themselves.
The old lady was almost 80 years old and had a strange temper. Ma Xiaocui also told me to be polite when I met witch Li, and said, "Don't be startled. What if the witch gets scared and uses magic to harm you?" "Don't worry." I was about to explain a few words, but I felt a little scared when I saw Ma Xiaocui staring at me. I felt like a wild cat seeing a live mouse. I turned around and ran straight to the bamboo forest. Ma Xiaocui called again: "Wait for me here for a while, I'll do something and pick you up for dinner at my house later."
After answering, I hurried to the gong in front of the bamboo forest. When I got closer, I found that there were two sections of withered bamboo blanks next to the gong. A poem was carved on it with a knife. On the left and right sides, it was written: "Fame and fortune are empty flowers and gulls on the water, and wine, sex, and money are like morning glory. It's easy to be free and easy in front of you, but after a long time, you will end up with a withered bone."
Looking at the gong again, reflected in the sunlight, you can see that there is an inconspicuous dividing line in the center of the gong surface, one on the left and one on the right, one yin and one yang. Moreover, "plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum" are called the Four Gentlemen by Chinese people. In Chinese tradition, bamboo is hollow, which symbolizes humility. The character is humble and self-sustaining. The characteristics of bamboo are that it would rather break than bend, and the bamboo joints must be exposed, and the bamboo tips are high, which is a metaphor for high moral character. Therefore, the energy source of the Tai Chi Bagua gong in front of me is the gentleman's righteousness. If it is replaced with other trees, there will be no such effect.
Let's look at the Feng Shui here. There is a hill (White Tiger Sand Hill) to the west of the cottage. The White Tiger lies prone with its head down, which is a good Feng Shui. However, the east side seems empty and helpless. Under the guidance of Feng Shui thought, in order to make up for the lack of weightlessness on the east side, green bamboos are planted to complete the Feng Shui treasure land, achieving the good Feng Shui of the Green Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right.
Moreover, the terrain where the cottage is built is lower than the other three places. From a distance, it looks like sitting on a round pot cover. According to the Feng Shui I gave, this place can be said to be a Black Tortoise with its head down, which is a good place to store wind and gather energy. The Heilongjiang River not far away branches into the bamboo forest, with bamboo as a mountain, storing wind and gathering water.
The most important point is the poem next to the Tai Chi gong. Anyone who slaps his mouth when asking for divination is slapping his own karma. If you have ever had your divination read, you may have encountered a master who said, "So-and-so, you are short of virtue, I cannot tell you." This refers to people who are old or young and always swear and spit shit.
I am a Taoist who changed my job halfway. I used to be a Feng Shui master and I also accumulated virtue and did good deeds. Except when I was very excited, I rarely cursed people. Moreover, seeing Tai Chi is like seeing the Three Pure Ones. So I stood in front of the Tai Chi gong, bowed and said, "Disciple Zhang Dabao, I have no karma. I beg the ancestor to sound the gong."
When I finished speaking, the bamboo hanging the gong and drum actually shook, and a crisp gong sounded. Then I saw the fence door in front of the hut opened by itself.
Then I walked a few steps quickly into the small yard. The scent of sandalwood filled the air, which played a role in calming the soul. There were flowers and plants in the yard, but no vegetables were planted. This is rarely seen in rural areas.
I knocked on the door and said, "Grandma Li, I'm Li Xiaozhang's grandson, my name is Zhang Dabao, can you let me in?"
I knocked a few more times and heard an old lady's voice from inside the house: "Come in."
I suppressed my excitement and opened the door. I saw that the room was very dark, and the windows around were covered with black cloth. Although it was strange for the master to tell fortunes, it had to be done in a dark place. This was the first time I had seen such a person. I saw a figure sitting on the kang not far away, and I bowed.
She is my elder. Even though I have some doubts in my heart, I didn't say it out loud. I couldn't wait to ask: "Grandma Li, I am the grandson of Li Xiaozhang. Can you tell me how my grandfather is doing? Is he seriously injured?"
Witch Li said hoarsely: "It's Dabao. I heard your grandfather talk about you and praised you for being smart." She coughed a few times and said: "My legs and feet are a little inconvenient. It's dark in this room and the lights are broken. Look for matches next to you. Light the candle in front of Grandma Hu's tablet."
I felt a little strange and didn't continue to ask about my grandfather. The witch Li in front of me seemed to have a serious illness, as if her lower body was paralyzed. I smelled it carefully and found that the sandalwood scent was to cover up the stench in the house.
There was a trace of doubt and sympathy in my heart. Witch Li was only a few years younger than my grandfather, but now she was left alone. So even if she lived in such a good Feng Shui residence, what's the use?
Sighing, he took out a lighter and saw the shrine less than one meter away from me. On it was written "Grandma Hu San, the seat of Hu Xiangu". The flickering candlelight illuminated the small house with a faint yellow light.
On the kang, I saw an old lady with skinny bones, messy hair and a dead face. Her pupils were a little white, as if she had lost her sight. She was barely breathing. I felt that she was always holding on.
Seeing her like this, I couldn't bear it and hurriedly said, "Grandma Li! What's wrong with you? I'll take you to the hospital."
"No, my old body can't hold on for much longer. The ghost came to take me away yesterday. I begged them to let me live one more day. A week ago, Grandma Hu San told me that the old immortal grandson was coming. I have to see my only relative in the world." She coughed a few times.
Relatives? I was a little confused. I have some relatives on my grandmother's side in Xinmin, but we broke up because of my grandfather's death and we have no contact anymore. I haven't heard of any relatives on my grandfather's side.
"What do you mean, Grandma Li?"
Witch Li sighed and said, "I am your grandmother's sister. You can call me Second Grandma. If I hadn't been in the Four Olds Campaign, I would have been your grandmother now."
This news shocked me. How could my grandfather have so many stories when he was young? My grandfather and I had chatted before. He only told me a few words about the journey to Guandong. I just knew that he had been doing feng shui for people in Shenyang. Later, he stopped doing it and repaired bicycles on the side of the road.
She grinned again and said, "Your grandfather came to Heilongjiang to perform when he was young. He happened to be building a road in the village. They dug up a dead head and my father was possessed by evil spirits. It was Li Xiaozhang who saved him."
I listened quietly to my second grandmother's story. It turned out that in that era, my grandfather was a Feng Shui master walking in the world. This also gave me a more intuitive understanding of my grandfather's past. It turned out that he traveled all over the country, whether it was deep into the forbidden land of death in Daxing'anling or to the ancient city in the clouds in Lop Nur. According to my second grandmother, my grandfather had only one thing in his life, that is, to find the Dragon King of Wei River and kill the evil dragon that harmed more than 400,000 people in the entire Shandong Province.
My second grandmother said that in that era when people all over the country were starving, my grandfather almost had to beg for food to find Heilongjiang. It happened to be the time when the village was building a road. A total of 36 coffins were buried at the entrance of the village. At that time, my second grandmother's father was the village brigade secretary. He fainted as soon as he led people down the pit. My grandfather saved more than 70 lives in the village.
After becoming a hero, my grandfather stayed in the village to recuperate. He also developed an inexplicable affection for my young and beautiful second grandmother. But at that time, my biological grandmother also liked my grandfather. Although the two sisters did not say it, they all knew it. Originally, the second grandmother and grandfather would be a natural match, but who knew that after just one year of living in the village, a wave of breaking the four olds swept across the country.
My grandfather was accused of feudal superstition and locked up in a cowshed by the Red Guards. He was tortured for several days in a row and was about to be beaten to death. It was my second grandmother who found a way to save my grandfather and finally hid him safely. However, he was later discovered by the leader of the Red Guards at that time. In order to get the job done, the other party arrested her and impersonated her. The shaman became a shaman and was taken to prison.
Second Grandma suffered a lot and knew that she might not live long, so she found a way to send a suicide note to someone else. In the letter, she also asked my grandfather to marry her sister. At that time, the storm of destroying the four olds in the countryside was too severe, so my grandfather finally took my grandmother to Shenyang. In the end, the two got married and my father was born. Second Grandma sighed: "It's all fate. I didn't know I could come back alive. I was stupid at that time. I just wanted the Red Guards not to harm your grandfather. As a result, I waited for him all my life. I didn't expect that the old man would leave silently again this time. Oh, no more talk." She waved her hands, and two tears seemed to flow from her gray eyes. After a pause, she said: "I will burn incense for Third Grandma Hu later. This Grandma Hu was the fox fairy after your grandfather was ordained. She listened to your grandfather and has been guarding me all the time. But I will leave soon, so let Grandma Hu bless you. And Grandma has been observing you these days. She said that you have a good character and are very suitable to be her disciple."