On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Cuihua said to her husband: "Why don't I go home this year? It's a peaceful time anyway, so there will be no mistakes on the way. Besides, I haven't been home for four years, and I don't know what is going on at home." "What a sight, I really miss her so much."
Although Yang Tianjin was a little worried when his wife said this, he had no better solution at the moment, so he had to prepare some gifts for his wife and some gold and silver for her to take with her, and then sent his wife out of the village. Because Yang Tianjin had to go to the county government office at Dianmao, he hurried to the county government office after sending his wife to the ferry before dawn.
It was the twelfth lunar month of winter, and there was a heavy fog on the river. Zhou Cuihua was standing at the ferry shivering from the cold. I don’t know how long it took, but a passenger ship came swaying from the river. I saw ice hanging on the awning and flagpole of the passenger ship. From a distance, it looked like a white ship, which was a bit weird.
Just when Zhou Cuihua was in a trance, an old man came to her at some point. The old man had a white beard and said in a hoarse voice: "Little lady, do you want to take a boat?" Zhou Cuihua had never traveled far, so she quickly said: "I am going to Xiangyi County, has your boat passed by?" The old man said: "Our boat passed by the Sitong Town ferry, and you were on the Sitong Town ferry. Get off the boat at Tongzhen and walk three miles south along the official road, which is Xiangyi County. "
Zhou Cuihua knew that there was a ferry at Sitong Town in the north of Xiangyi County, and asked the old man how much the ferry fare was. When she heard that it only cost two copper coins, she was overjoyed and got on the boat excitedly. The passenger ship sailed leisurely towards the center of the river. After Zhou Cuihua got on the boat, she found that there were already many passengers on the boat, but perhaps because the weather was too cold, the passengers were sitting on their chairs like ice sculptures, motionless.
Sitting next to Zhou Cuihua was a middle-aged man in his fifties. When she turned around to look at the man, she found that the man was pale and staring at her intently. Zhou Cuihua was so frightened that she did not dare to look anymore. She covered her face with a hat and huddled in a corner of the cabin. Perhaps it was because Zhou Cuihua got up too early, she leaned on the corner of the cabin and fell asleep without knowing it.
Zhou Cuihua didn't know how long she had been sleeping. Suddenly she felt the ship's hull shake violently, and Zhou Cuihua woke up from her sleep. When she woke up, she saw an extremely terrifying scene. The river fog was still filled, but all the people on the boat were missing. What was even weirder was that the boat actually moved on the river by itself.
Only then did Zhou Cuihua realize that she was on a ghost ship ! She suddenly felt a warm current rushing down her trouser legs. Yes, Zhou Cuihua peed her pants in fear! Strangely, when the urine flowed onto the deck, the ship stopped moving. Zhou Cuihua couldn't care less at this time, jumped off the boat with the package and ran towards the shore.
Fortunately, the boat was not far from the shore and the water was not too deep. Zhou Cuihua rolled and crawled to the shore. After walking a short distance from the shore, the sun rose and the fog gradually dissipated. Only then did Zhou Cuihua see clearly that she had already reached the outside of Xiangyi County. Zhou Cuihua hurried back to her home. Father Zhou and Mother Zhou recognized that her daughter had returned, and they were overjoyed at that time.
Zhou Cuihua's father saw that his daughter was soaked all over, and asked in confusion: "Why is my daughter so embarrassed when she comes back?"
Zhou Cuihua said with lingering fear: "To tell you the truth, my daughter actually got on a ghost ship today. If she hadn't been so scared that she wet her pants, I might not have been able to escape."
While Zhou Cuihua was telling the story, a man walked in from outside the door. The man shouted as he walked: "Brother Bingzhang, are you at home? "
When Zhou Cuihua saw the man entering the door, she turned pale with fright and shouted: "Ghost! A ghost is coming to your door! "It turned out that the man was not someone else. He was the man next to Zhou Cuihua when she was on the boat!
When Zhou Cuihua's father saw the person coming, he hurried forward to greet him warmly and said, "Brother Li Xian, where are you from? We haven't seen each other for a long time. Anyway, let's have a drink together today. "
Zhou Cuihua's father's name is Zhou Bingzhang. Zhou Cuihua is very confused. How does this ghost know her father? Why does her father call this ghost Li Xiandi?
At this moment, Zhou Bingzhang called Zhou Cuihua to him and said: "Cuihua, this is the Li Fang I often mentioned to you. Uncle Li, when I was doing business in Hangzhou, if you, Uncle Li, hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have the family business I have today. "
The man quickly said: "Brother Bingzhang made his fortune because of your loyalty and benevolence. At that time, I only tried my best.
The man pointed at Zhou Cuihua and said, "When I was on the boat today, I saw that this girl looks a bit similar to you, but I didn't dare to recognize her." When they were approaching the ferry at Sitong Town, the boat ran aground unexpectedly. The boatman and all the passengers went into the water to push the boat. Because the girl fell asleep, he did not wake her up. As a result, when everyone was pushing the boat, the girl ran away. The boatman complained for a long time, but in the end it was me who paid the boat fare in advance.
When Zhou Cuihua heard what had happened, she was so angry that she hid in the house and refused to come out.
Zhou Bingzhang finally understood the whole story after hearing this, and said to the man: "My daughter has rarely gone out since she was a child and has never seen much of the world. When she came back just now, she told me that she was on a ghost ship. Do you think it's ridiculous?" "The two of them were joking.
After a while, Zhou Bingzhang said: "Did Brother Xian come to Xiangyi County specifically to see me? If you make a special trip to see me, you can stay with me for a while, and then I will take you around to visit the places of interest. How are you doing at home? Why didn't you bring it with you?
The man said: "Thanks to my brother, everything in the family is safe. I am going to Bianliang City to do business. I thought I would pass through Xiangyi County, so I came to see my brother." I saw that there is one more important thing to do, brother. When you left Hangzhou, you left me five hundred taels of silver to make a living. I have not returned it to you after many years, and I feel guilty in my heart. Today, I return the money to my brother, which also settles a worry on my mind. "
As he said that, the man took out five hundred taels of silver from the package and put it on the table.
Zhou Bingzhang said quickly: "You and I are brothers, so why bother keeping trivial things in mind? You can take the money back and buy some supplements for your aunt. It is my honor to honor her.
The man insisted on keeping the silver and said, "Your money didn't come from the strong wind. These five hundred taels of silver are not a small amount. I know your temperament, so I won't give you any interest." As the saying goes, if you borrow something, you must repay it. It is not difficult to borrow again. If you don't accept the money, I will be in trouble in the future. How can I open my mouth to you again? "
Zhou Bingzhang saw that the man was speaking sincerely, and it would be too pretentious to refuse any more, so he said: "Since my dear brother said this, I will accept it for the time being. If my dear brother is of any use, just write a letter, and I will definitely help you with all my resources.
The man chatted for a while, and then he was about to stand up and leave. Zhou Bingzhang said angrily: "Brother Xian, you came to my brother's house and left without even eating?" The man said: "My business in Bianliang City is in a hurry, and the boatmen on the river are still waiting for me. I can't lose my credibility." When the deal with me in Bianliang City is concluded, I will meet my brother to have a drink and talk when I come back."
Zhou Bingzhang knew that the man was a man of integrity, so he had to send him to the ferry and let him go to Bianliang to do business.
Zhou Cuihua lived in her natal family for ten years After many days of busy work in the yamen, the county magistrate gave him a few days off. Yang Tianjin came to Zhou's house to visit relatives. The couple stayed for a few more days before returning to Chenliu County together. The journey was smooth and no strange things happened.
Half a year later, Zhou Bingzhang went to Hangzhou for business, and he made a special trip to visit Li Fang's home. But when he arrived at the door of Li Fang's house, he saw an elegiac couplet on the door of Li Fang's house. He couldn't help but be surprised. Could it be that Li Fang's old mother had ascended to heaven?
When Zhou Bingzhang walked into the courtyard, he happened to be seen by Li Fang's wife Ding. Zhou Bingzhang and Li Fang had done business together before, and Ding recognized Zhou Bingzhang at a glance. Seeing Mrs. Ding wearing plain clothes and a filial piety cloth on her head, Zhou Bingzhang quickly asked: "Brother and sister, what is this?"
Ding burst into tears and said, "Brother Zhou, Li Fang is dead!" "
After hearing this, Zhou Bingzhang's eyes darkened and he almost fainted. He tremblingly said: "My brother is in his prime, how can you say that he is gone? "Ding said with tears: "On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month last year, he purchased a batch of firecrackers to sell during the Spring Festival. As a result, due to improper transportation, an explosion occurred on the way, and Li Fang was killed on the spot. "
Zhou Bingzhang was suddenly shocked. If Li Fang died on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month last year, then the Li Fang he saw on the second day of the Lunar New Year this year was his ghost! Counting it all, the second day of the Lunar New Year happened to be Li Fang's first seven days! That day he said he was going to Bianliang City by boat, but in fact it should be a boat to the underworld! It seems that the boat his daughter took that day was indeed If the ghost ship were an ordinary ship, it would not be able to reach Xiangyi County in less than an hour!
Zhou Bingzhang was heartbroken. Even after Li Fang died, he still remembered his kindness. How admirable that Zhou Bingzhang went to Li Fang's grave and paid tribute to Ding's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. After leaving a lot of money, he rushed back to his hometown in Xiangyi County. After Zhou Bingzhang returned home, he found the package of silver that Li Fang had returned to him. When he opened it, he found that it was full of burnt paper ashes.
Since then, Zhou Bingzhang would burn paper for Li Fang every Qingming Festival to bless this good brother to live a prosperous life under Jiuquan.
[Solemn statement]
This story is a folk tale, purely a literary creation. The plot and characters are all fictitious. It is intended to enrich readers’ spare time life. Please do not fall in love with feudal superstition.
