Mr. Grasshopper?
What it is?
This was the first time I heard this name. I couldn't help but feel moved. I picked up the statue and looked at it carefully.
Not to mention, the head of the statue really looks a bit like a grasshopper...
I was quite shocked. There are still people worshiping grasshoppers in this world?
Cheng Guiyi's mother looked at the statue in my hand with absent-minded eyes, laughed strangely, and suddenly snatched the statue away.
She smiled strangely, looked at the statue in her hand, and suddenly sang a song.
"Grasshopper essence, grasshopper essence, grasshoppers are originally born from the soil. They only live eight months in their life, and they can be beaten by a frost."
"The cricket was frightened when I heard it, so I went to see my nephew. The crow flew to announce the funeral, the toad hurriedly came to watch, three hedgehogs came to dig at the grave, and six spiders pulled at the tomb."
"Insects kowtow to pay their respects, fireflies come to light lanterns, flies buzz and recite sutras, and a group of grasshoppers come to keep watch."
"The cicada's eyes were swollen from crying, the rabbit's eyes were scarlet from crying, the scorpion was busy picking up vegetables, and two centipedes sat on the head of the coffin."
"Four green snakes served as dragon poles, and eight praying mantises carried the spirit. The funeral was carried to a hill, where a group of mosquitoes cried."
"Grasshopper, grasshopper, go ahead and leave the crops, who will take care of them? Just keep your mouth shut from now on. You can't eat the greens and cucumbers..."
Listening to this song is inexplicably creepy.
After singing, she giggled, then sat aside holding the statue, still humming.
Obviously, the big grasshopper fairy must have had sex with her last night.
The man's expression changed drastically, sweat broke out on his forehead, and he looked at me in horror.
"What...what's going on? Is the person our family worships really a grasshopper?"
"I don't know if it's Master Grasshopper, but I think that when Grandpa Cheng Guiyi passed away, he asked you to enshrine this. There should have been something to explain."
"What...what are you talking about?"
"He should warn you not to eat grasshoppers again. Your retribution today is all caused by eating too many grasshoppers."
"This...he did have something to say at that time, but he died before he could say it."
"So, you don't know what's going on. You have kept this grasshopper at home for so long and you are eating grasshoppers in front of him. It's strange that he doesn't deal with you."
"Is it really because of eating grasshoppers? How can such a small thing come to seek revenge? I...I always thought it was because our family worshiped some evil god."
He looked at me in disbelief, his eyes full of horror.
I looked at the statue and said: "To be precise, this is indeed not a righteous god, but your family ate too many grasshoppers, which is karma. Otherwise, you can't be so cruel. Your son won't eat them at all." Even the grasshoppers have not been spared."
When he heard me mention Cheng Guiyi, he quickly said: "My son... By the way, where is my son? Has anything really happened to him?"
I didn't answer directly, but asked him: "If your son was still alive and willing to go home, would you treat him the same as before?"
He shook his head vigorously: "No, absolutely not. I will give up two things in the future, one is alcohol, and the other is grasshoppers. As long as my son comes back, I will provide for him to study well, and the family will live a good life..."
Seeing that his attitude was good, I nodded: "That's good. In that case, your son might come back, but it also depends on his mood. Now, let's talk about this big grasshopper fairy first. "
When he heard that Cheng Guiyi was really not dead, he was overjoyed and looked at me expectantly.
I came to Cheng Guiyi's mother, looked at her and said, "Now that you have done all the trouble, tell me, what do they do so that you are willing to resolve the grudge?"
Her singing voice gradually stopped, she raised her head and looked at us with malicious eyes.
Then, in the same high-pitched voice as last night, he spoke.
"To resolve the grudges, huh, that's easy to do. As long as their family takes one life, I will let them go."
Cheng Guiyi's father was very responsible at this time and was not timid at all.
"One life... it's easy to handle. As long as you let our family go, I'll pay for it with my life. I've eaten the most grasshoppers, so I'll pay for it!"
"Huh, if you want to pay for your life, it won't be that easy. You have eaten so many grasshoppers, and you have to experience the taste of a frying pan!"
This big grasshopper fairy is quite arrogant and unyielding.
When I saw this situation, I said to him calmly: "Don't open your mouth or shut up and you will risk your life. Apart from eating grasshoppers, what else does their family have to do to make you hold such a grudge? Why don't you tell them all?" .”
He said bitterly: "Yes, their family has done a lot of immoral things. If it was just for food and drink, I wouldn't be so angry..."
So the great grasshopper fairy began to tell, and it was eighty years ago when he started talking.
He said that at that time, the Cheng family had land and money in the local area. They were considered large landowners and hired many tenants and many servants.
In times of war, natural disasters occur everywhere. For farmers, the most terrifying famines are undoubtedly droughts and locust plagues.
Let’s not mention the drought, let’s just talk about the locust plague.
There is a saying that when locusts cross the border, not even a blade of grass grows. The crops that farmers have worked hard to grow for a year can be eaten up by locusts in an instant, leaving no harvest.
In ancient times, people believed that this was a disaster sent by God, and they were in awe of locusts. They regarded locusts as gods. They did not dare to hunt and kill them, and there was nothing they could do. They could only pray for God's protection and set up sacrifices to worship the locust god.
Locusts are commonly known as grasshoppers among the people, so the locust god is also called the grasshopper god or Lord Grasshopper.
When there was a locust plague, the Cheng family man had an idea. He asked the tenants to make large nets and catch grasshoppers in the fields. After catching them, they threw them into boiling water and scalded them to death.
Then remove the wings and intestines, wash them and put them in the oil pan. They are fried until crispy and taste particularly delicious.
Over time, the surrounding villagers followed suit and began to catch, fry, and eat grasshoppers.
For a time, eating grasshoppers became a trend, and many different ways of eating them emerged. Some people even soaked live grasshoppers in wine and used them as medicine.
There is a saying that after drinking live grasshoppers, there is a secretion in their mouths that is the most nourishing.
It can calm convulsions, treat tetanus, relieve coughs, treat asthma, expel wind and dampness, activate meridians and tendons, activate blood circulation and disperse blood stasis, etc.
A few years later, when Cheng Guiyi's grandfather was seven or eight years old, he often took other children out to catch grasshoppers.
But they catch grasshoppers not for eating, but just for fun.
After they caught the grasshopper, they tore off the two thighs and wings of the grasshopper alive, and then used a thin string to string all the grasshoppers together for fun.
When you've had enough fun, light a fire and burn all the grasshoppers to death.
Another way to play is to tear off the thighs and wings of the grasshopper, find a large pot, light the fire underneath, throw the grasshopper in, and stir-fry with a broken shovel.
In fact, they don't eat either, just to cause harm, which is almost equal to killing.
Over time, this behavior angered the Grasshopper God.
