st be it, rightGoing into the fissure, I was met with a stench of death, mingled with blood and earth. It was so strong that I had to cover my nose."Oh my—what's this!" Meng Shu exclaimed in surprise....The first time I saw Zhuqi's red coffin, and it was a small one. A coffin this small wouldn't even fit a normal person, would it
The mine owner's daughter is a high school student, this coffin can't fit her either.
Two planks were stuck onto the ropes binding the coffin, and four burly men were carrying it. The mine owner's wife was directing them: "Take advantage of this bright sunshine, hurry up and carry it out! I'll shout one two three, and you all lift it together!"
She was shouting and gesticulating wildly, chanting slogans. As a result, the four burly men had just lifted the coffin when *bang bang bang*, the ropes binding it broke in three!
The coffin "thud!" with a sound slammed to the ground, making the four men stumble!
Those four men shouted as they scrambled to their feet: "No more, no more! This funeral is too spooky! It must be haunted! We're not doing this anymore, no amount of money will make us!"
Several people rushed out in a hurry. We dodged to the side, letting them pass. We heard the four men shouting: "Who knows what they did! They've been sent away several times already! Their daughter must have been beaten to death! These two are so cruel! They even drove their own daughter to death!"
I glanced at the mine owner beside me, his head bowed in despair as he sighed tearfully.
"Both of you, I really didn't abuse my daughter! In our small county town, good things don't leave the house, but bad news travels for miles. Because she became pregnant, we just didn't let her go out, but I really didn't abuse her..."
"This... That's just scolding her for being clueless! At such a young age, she messes around with people and ends up neglecting her studies! This... Parents scolding their child a few times is considered abuse My daughter also has a small mind and ended up committing suicide..."
“I don’t know who got her pregnant from beginning to end! She keeps her mouth shut, no matter how much I ask her, she won’t say a word! We are helpless, besides scolding her, we really don't know what to do. We can’t beat her up either with such a big belly…”
The mine owner sat on the ground, shaking his head and sighing constantly. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.
His wife couldn't stand it anymore. She pointed at the coffin in the yard and yelled, "You ungrateful wretch! You were raised for so many years, and you got pregnant without telling us a word! What do you think of your parents! We've held a funeral for you, and you still refuse to leave! Do you want to kill our whole family! You shameless little wretch! You hang yourself after being scolded a few times! Don't you know that I almost died giving birth to you! Little beast ahhhh, why don't you cherish your life!"
My brother watched his wife cry and scold him, even pounding the coffin, silently twitching the corner of his mouth.
When a person is dead, what's the use of feeling sorry or blaming them When they were alive, they didn't know how to mind their words. Now that they are dead, you keep hitting the coffin and scolding them. Is this way of scolding meant to show your love
These two must be heartbroken as well, after all, they raised their child for so many years.
“Two… You two, look at this matter… Our customs here are to carry the coffin up the mountain. It’s fine to bury in a small place secretly, as long as the grave is simple… But my daughter refuses to go! This coffin rope has broken several times already! What should we do If we wait any longer, it will stink…”
The mine owner was so anxious that he was about to pull his hair out.
My brother held the Five Emperor coins and lightly tapped on the coffin, asking, "Girl, when someone dies, their soul should return to the underworld. Is there anything you still yearn for If you have any last words, just dream about them and tell your family. Showing yourself like this in broad daylight won't make things easier for your family."
"I thought my brother was going to give me advice, but then he said, 'Think about it. If your family is ruined because of you, and your dad's business goes bankrupt, who will burn paper money, clothes, iPhones, iPads, and even help you ace the college entrance exam for you during festivals It would be miserable in the afterlife without money or possessions. Listen to me, just go along with it. I'll have your parents burn some paper figures of handsome men to serve you...' "
The mine owner was dumbfounded. He estimated that this was the first time in his life he had seen such an unreliable wizard!
I secretly tugged on my brother's sleeve: "At least recite a passage from 'Crossing the Ferry to the Underworld' or 'The Golden Bridge' or something! People won't believe you when they see you like this!"
My brother let out a derisive laugh, his voice loud: "Believe it or not, if you don't believe it, just wait for your family to be ruined."
The mine owner's wife heard this, slumped to the ground and burst into tears, wailing and moaning about how unfair it all was.
Such nouveau riche wives, who lack much culture, are still fundamentally feudal and conservative at heart. They frequently unleash verbal abuse. Just think about how the eldest daughter must have been scolded at home.
Regardless of whether one is a monk, priest or layman, they all pay great attention to "speech".
In the Three Refuges and Five Precepts of Buddhism and Taoism, there is a rule called "not lying".
Some words spoken become karmic hindrances. Judging by the expressions of these two, it's estimated that no matter how they scolded their daughter before, they still harbored resentment, so many curses and karmic hindrances came out of their mouths.
They also have a second daughter in middle school and a younger son in elementary school. At this time, the second daughter ran over to support her mother to rest.
His second daughter stole a glance at us, looking like she had something to say but held back.
My older brother gave me a knowing glance and said, “Xiao Qiao, set up a magic circle for me. I’m going to charm my way into getting some information from those young ladies.”
I stared speechless at the vermilion lacquered coffin and asked, "What's with this spirit summoning altar Why not just ask her directly tonight See what other wishes she has to fulfill, then send her off. We don't even use altars for sending souls or binding spirits."
"Stupid, the construction site is for living people to see Let them know we're working! Otherwise you can force it yourself, do you want to" My brother whispered.
Of course not, I'm diligently accumulating virtue now.
So I pretended to be serious, and asked the mine owner to bring a small table in front of the coffin and start setting up the altar.
The more rural an area, the more likely people are to believe in things like spirit mediums and ritual altars. In fact, not all rituals require elaborate altar setups. For example, the Shenjiajiang ritual uses a hollow triangular talisman as its altar, which is both convenient and efficient.
Though local customs vary, this coffin...
"What kind of customs are you people practicing here How do you use lacquered coffins for burials" I asked, puzzled.
The mine owner looked uneasy. He stammered, “Old folks here say that a coffin painted with cinnabar can ward off evil spirits... prevent the corpse from decomposing... and you have to bind the person inside with an ink stick so they don't jump out and harm the neighbors...”
My face stiffened. What kind of folk custom is this It sounds so unsettling.
"Young girl... uh, no no, Master, you see my daughter's condition, is she really being haunted by a vengeful spirit"
"...I think she just didn't want to leave, probably had unfinished business. If she was going to haunt and seek revenge, you wouldn't be standing here talking to me." I waved my hand at him.
The setting sun paints the sky with hues of orange and red as night descends.
I dozed off in the car for a while, until a pair of cool hands woke me up.
"Coming to such a place... you don't find it tiring" Jiang Qiyun said in a low voice.
He runs to my side every day, doesn't he He's not tired of it either.
"Is it not finished yet" he asked.
I rubbed my eyes: "No, we have to wait until midnight. We need to call the soul—"en in such a remote location, and they even dig up human heads."This should be an ancient battlefield. The air of killing hasn't dissipated for hundreds of years. There is a water source underground,...