Li Changan has been inexplicably busy recently.
After "watching the funeral", I didn't even have time to sell the talismans.
On the one hand, it is Yinhe Wumei.
The story of "extracting souls and exchanging hearts" was leaked out, and rumors were passed on, and it was inexplicably revealed that she could heal ghosts.
The dead people came to seek medical treatment.
Firstly, He Wumei is soft-hearted; secondly, she really likes to practice medicine, but due to the guild, it is difficult to get the chance; thirdly, the Salesian Hospital is indeed poor and needs money. So when faced with the ghost's pleading, she always couldn't bear to refuse. Li Changan knew that Qian Tang was full of ghosts, dragons, snakes, and mud and sand, so he had to keep an eye on it.
He Wumei often whispered in private.
Nine times out of ten, the diseases of these dead people, not to mention that even Dr. Lu couldn’t cure them, were all left over from long-term hard work. They were diseases of poverty! There is no law to rule it, it can only be raised. The only thing she could do was to make some drinks (drinks with medicinal herbs) for them to alleviate the pain a little.
People were very satisfied without wanting to die and praised He Wumei for her superb medical skills.
In fact, when I think about it, living people seek medical treatment in order to live a healthier and longer life, while dead people seek medical treatment in order to make the reincarnation process more comfortable and smooth, and they are not seeking a radical cure in the first place.
Therefore, He Wumei's reputation became more and more popular among ghosts, and she even got the title of "Ghost Doctor Lady", which was simply inexplicable.
On the other hand, it is because of the "Ten Money God".
Living in an environment like Qiantang, how could a mortal not believe in ghosts and gods? Therefore, every time a new god appears who is able to do things and is willing to stand out, it is like the new makeup on the brows of the girls in the Wazi Gou Bar, which always creates some trends.
Li Changan ignored it at first, but Huangwei persuaded him that it was better to be a god than a ghost in Qiantang, which he quite agreed with.
However, he forgot one thing: Chinese people have a problem with worshiping gods.
As long as it works, and with the principles of "it's time to come" and "it doesn't cost anything to give it a try", I dare to worship any god and make any wish!
Some people seek good fortune in gambling and windfall from heaven.
Some pray for old trees to bloom and find a good match again.
There are even those seeking children.
are you crazy!
for example:
Midnight.
A deserted fork in the street.
The woman came hesitantly with a lantern.
Thick night fog lingers, obscuring what is seen in all directions. People seem to be caught in some kind of turbid current, and have the illusion of being swept into an unknown space.
She came to the fork.
Incense candles were lit and ten copper coins were presented in a formal manner.
Then a piece of yellow paper was lit.
He bowed respectfully and murmured:
"The God of Ten Money."
"The God of Ten Money."
…
I don't know how long it took, but her expression suddenly fell into a trance.
I could faintly see a luxurious carriage approaching in the fog.
The ruts turned and the horses hoofed up, but strangely there was no sound at all, and not even a trace of mist disturbed them.
She understood that the God of Ten Coins had come upon the call.
"Xu Chen, a believing girl, was lonely all her life and had an only son. She went to sea last year to survive, but she never came back. The sea is dangerous, so she doesn't dare to seek a safe return. She only hopes to find her child's body and soul..."
In the carriage, Li Changan put his palm on his forehead.
Another trip in vain! Where can I find corpses and souls in the vast sea?
"If my wish can come true, I will use all my wealth to repay God."
As she spoke, she took out a silver nugget from her sleeve and placed it in front of the incense candle.
One, two, three, four...
Li Changan: "The envoy will come tomorrow."
…………
The next day.
Li Changan pulled on Huang Tail.
He is evil-minded and a local snake, so he just happens to be a dog-headed military advisor for Li Changan, a "grass-headed god".
"The woman's husband's surname was Xu, and she was the second daughter of the family. The neighbors called her Xu Erniang. Her husband died more than ten years ago, leaving an only son. Her husband was originally an experienced helmsman, and he had a friend who he often hung out with. The man named Song Wanping also made a living at sea, but he was just a sailor.
After Xu Er's death, Song Wanping was considered friendly and often helped his friends' widows.
Last year, Song Wanping had enough qualifications to serve as captain of a seagoing ship called "Osmanthus". It happened that Xu Erniang's son had grown up, and the poor family had no way out, so they followed Song Wanping on the ship.
This year, the sweet-scented osmanthus failed to return. Later, a ship on the same route came back. It was said that there was a big storm near the channel, and a dragon was even seen sucking water. Everyone concluded that the people on the boat had gone to see the Dragon King. But a month ago, people came back, but only Song Wanping was there. "
"Xu Erniang suspects that Song Wanping killed her child?"
"I don't know." Huang Wei scratched the stray hairs behind his ears, "But no matter dead or alive, the only one who might know where that kid is is Song Wanping."
"Here." He pursed his lips toward the street corner, "Here he comes."
A group of people came round the street corner, led by a man riding a donkey. He looked very wealthy in silk and silk, and he greeted the surrounding people with a loud voice.
The most conspicuous thing about the procession at the back is the five large lanterns, which are tied with colored paper and silk cloth into the shapes of pagodas, lotuses, buildings and boats.
This is a local custom called returning lanterns, which comes from the tide god believed by the Qiantang people.
As the saying goes, whenever a ship encounters wind and waves at sea, as long as you pray sincerely, the tide god will give you a ship's light to guide the way. As long as you follow the ship's light and sail, no matter how big the waves are, you will be safe. But the rescued boatman must remember that if the Tide God gives you a lamp, you must return one. Otherwise, the next time someone prays, the Tide God will have no lamp to give.
The sea is dangerous, so no matter whether there is a storm or not, and whether the ship owner is given a ship's lantern or not, the ship owner will send a lantern to the tide god after returning to pray for maritime safety.
But ordinary ship lanterns are no more than the size of a sea bowl, but the five of Song Wanping's are as big as a carriage. They are really very flamboyant and extravagant.
"Not only did the man escape with his life, it is said that he also made a fortune. A widower is planning to get a bride."
Huangwei was all eating, squeaking, and winking at Li Changan.
"A few days ago, wasn't there an old lady asking for marriage? How about the Taoist Master holding a red string for them?"
Li Changan just regarded this guy as a bitch and asked him to follow the team to the Chao Temple.
…………
The Chao Temple is not a large temple with connected courtyards and buildings like those in Sixty-Four Square.
Only one room and one courtyard.
There is only one god worshiped - Chao Shen - he sits on the altar, holding a boat lantern in his hand, but his face is covered by a red cloth, and his honor is not seen.
Li Changan did not enter the door, but only poked his head outside the hospital.
Seeing that Song Wanping had finished worshiping, the temple congratulatory chanted the Taiping Wenshu. It happened that a salty sea breeze came from the sea, blowing the candle smoke and swaying, and the believers in the courtyard fell down one after another, calling for the spirit to appear.
The Taoist priest was unmoved, as the wind was just wind, but he saw that the sea breeze lifted the red cloth, revealing that the head of the statue had no face.
He remembered passing by the City God's Temple by chance and was surprised that the City God in the temple was also faceless.
"Are the gods in Qian Tang so shameless?"
Huang Wei next to him was startled and quickly pulled the Taoist priest away.
"Taoist priest, don't talk nonsense, you're scared to death! The City God has no face because no one takes up the position of City God. But the Tide God is different. The Tide God is the God of the Sea, and the ocean tides are constantly changing, so the Tide God has no face."
"Oh? What is the name of Chao Shen?"
"The tides are ever-changing, so the tide god has no name."
"Without a name or face, aren't they just like the City God?"
Huang Wei was speechless. Fortunately, at this time, Song Wanping walked out of the temple gate. The two ghosts ignored the argument and hurriedly caught up with him.
"Is that Song Wanping ahead?"
The man turned around after hearing this. He was a rough old sailor. The lead powder smeared on his face could not cover the scratches left by the wind and waves.
Song Wanping looked over cautiously.
"You two have never met before."
"We are here because of Xu Erniang."
…………
"My sister-in-law is really weird. While others only want their children to be safe, she is determined to collect her son's body!"
Knowing the two ghosts' intentions, Song Wanping lowered his guard and invited them into a roadside wine shop.
Li Changan thought for a moment: "You mean, Xu Erniang's son is still alive?"
"Of course alive!"
Song Wanping slammed the table, then moved closer, looked around, and lowered his voice.
"He also asked me to bring some silver nuggets to his family."
After saying that, the store brought wine and food, and he invited the two ghosts to eat and drink together, and then said:
"I don't blame her either. My sister-in-law has always been very stubborn! I told her a lot, but she always didn't believe me. From the government to the ship owner, from the monks and Taoists in the temple to the sage in the street, she searched everywhere. There’s no reason why. Now, I’ve found you again.”
He shook his head helplessly.
"Forget it, just tell the story I'm waiting for again."
…
"The sea water gradually gets lower after crossing Penghu, and then goes south, passing through Yizhou and reaching the stone ponds of thousands of miles. The sea is as low as a cliff valley, which is called 'Luoji'. What is 'Luoji'? Scholars say: water falls and never returns. also.
This year, when we were returning from Sri Lanka, we were passing through thousands of miles of stone ponds. Suddenly, we encountered a strong wind that blew into the stream, and the ship was caught and drifted. Regardless of raising the sail or rowing the oars, no matter how hard they tried, they could not free the ship. We can only follow the sea current down day by day, and gradually see the sea surface as high as a cliff. Everyone thinks that there is no way to survive, and they drink all day long and wait to die. "
One day, there was a sudden earthquake on the ship. Everyone fell down and the ship stopped. When I got out of the cabin, I saw that the ship was stranded on a deserted beach. The sand and gravel on the shore were full of red gold. In the surrounding sea, I could see waves gathering like mountains on all sides, but it was an isolated island.
The colleagues did not dare to be careless, so they organized people to go ashore to explore and found many shipwrecks stranded along the coast. Spices, silk, porcelain, colored glaze, gold, silver, and precious jade were scattered all over the ground without anyone picking them up.
Further inland, there are many kiwi fruit trees. The fruits are plump and sweet. The overripe fruits fall among the fallen leaves, and the wine produced can be drank directly. There are many birds and beasts in the forest. They are all stupid and do not shy away from strangers. They are fat and delicious.
Continuing forward, I saw a splendid palace city in the distance. There were many native people living around the city. Their clothes were similar to those in the Central Plains, but their words were like the chirping of birds. When I got closer, I saw that they were not reflected in the sun. It turned out that they were all ghosts. !
We were scared to death, but they did not harm us, but instead tried their best to entertain us warmly. We had nowhere to go, so we settled down temporarily and even married a ghost woman.
As time went by, I gradually became able to understand the ghost language, and then I realized that most of them were from the Central Plains. Like me, they had strayed into the desert and left their bodies here. The fruit trees, birds and beasts on the island are the result of the human souls being impatient with the local climate, losing their energy, and unable to maintain physical changes.
As for the reason for "Luoji", it is because the local area is located in the eye of the sea, and the tide rises and falls from there. Even the palace city was left behind by the Dragon King of the East China Sea.
Then ask how to return to the motherland.
The elder among the ghosts said that they have lived here for a long time and have some knowledge of the nature of the sea. Luoji has been flat for thirty years, and sometimes there is a countercurrent. Now is the time. If we repair the boat and ride on the current, we may be able to escape from the eye of the sea and return to the middle land.
The crew members either missed the island's wealth and kindness, or were afraid of the uncertain future and refused to leave. I am the only one who cares about my parents' graves and is willing to risk my life to sail. They took out gold and silver to see me off, and some ghosts who were originally from Qiantang also came to ask me to send news to their families.
Then Ru Yan took a boat and drifted with the current. The ship climbed the waves like flying, and returned to the sea of Qiantang in just one day and night. "
…………
"We went to inquire again."
"After Song Wanping returned to Qiantang, he spent money like water, and most of the money he used was silver coins commonly used by large merchants, which is consistent with the story."
"He also visited several families whose children were missing at sea, and the stories they told about their appearance and life were accurate."
"So although his story is mysterious, it is also well-founded."
After investigating, the two ghosts returned to Xu Erniang's home - a shabby and narrow thatched shed with the kitchen, dining room and bedroom all crowded together.
Just as Song Wanping said, Xu Erniang has a very stubborn temperament. Even if she gets a lot of money, she refuses to use it to improve her life. She still lives here, struggling to pursue the truth she believes.
So when faced with the Taoist priest's doubts, she wrung her hands and said just one sentence.
"He's lying."
Li Changan was helpless: "My sister-in-law thinks that Song Wanping is lying. Is there any evidence? Could it be that your son once entrusted you with a dream?"
"He's lying!"
Well, there is no evidence, it’s just conjecture.
Li Changan has already considered whether to give up this business.
"Taoist Master."
Huang Wei suddenly spoke.
"Song Wanping is indeed lying."
