It was a night of light rain and sleet. The cold wind howled through the doors and windows, pushing waves of cold air into the warm house. The wooden windows that had aged a lot were torn by the strong wind. The heartbreaking screams were like thousands of snow wolves squatting o

This is a true story that happened in Yongzhou, Hunan, a place where "wild snakes are found".

It was a night of light rain and sleet. The cold wind howled through the doors and windows, pushing waves of cold air into the warm house. The wooden windows that had aged a lot were blown by the strong wind. The heart-rending scream felt like there were thousands of snow wolves squatting outside the house, and they seemed to want to devour me in this cold night. I stuffed old newspapers into the visible gaps, and the tearing sounds gradually became less and quieter.

It was already the afternoon of the second day of the cold night when I received a telegram from my mother. The line on the telegram read, "My aunt has passed away, please come home soon."

My aunt is my mother's biological sister, named Juanzi. One year later, Juanzi was born. At the moment Juanzi was born, her grandfather died unexpectedly beside the fire pit at home. The pot of water had burned to the point of giving out white smoke. Grandpa died peacefully, without any pain. My mother said that when my grandmother was in pain, my grandfather would chop wood and boil water while humming the flower drum tune. By that time, the dark web of death had already been thrown towards him.

After Juanzi landed, her mother hurried to the stove to fetch water to bathe her newly born sister. She saw her grandfather holding his knees and quietly facing the stove, as if he had fallen asleep and entered a dream. While gushing into the water, my mother said, "Master, my mother has given birth, and she is not a baby. It seems that no one will take over your Huagu tune." When my mother was talking, she saw grandpa's body tilted to the side, and his whole body fell into the dust. The mother who was rushing into the water was so frightened that she ran away like a duck mother-in-law, crying and shouting, "My father is gone, my father is gone..."

When the mother was so frightened and ran out of the stove crying, in fact, grandma's house had already been The main room was crowded with women watching the excitement, and they were all chattering. Seeing their mother's frightened look, they knew something was wrong. They boldly walked into the kitchen room to test their grandfather's breathing with their hands, then shook their heads and shed tears.

On the third day after Juanzi was born, three dynasties were supposed to be held according to local custom. However, due to the death of her grandfather, the three dynasties were changed to mourning. After the grandmother gave birth to Juanzi, she learned that her grandfather had left her. She fainted for three days without eating a grain of rice, so Juanzi was fed by her mother. My mother held me in one hand and Juanzi in the other. The strange thing was that Juanzi and I were spiritually connected. When Juanzi screamed with hunger, I also screamed with hunger. So, mother put the two little ones who were not full in the first place. The nipples were stuffed into our little mouths that kept screaming.

The first time Juanzi was beaten by her grandmother was on the fourth day after her grandfather’s funeral. At noon that day, my mother unexpectedly heard my grandmother sighing. She hurriedly walked to the bed. My grandmother opened her eyes and said feebly, "Where is your father?" Where is your father? He said while trying to get up. The mother said sadly that it was a very beautiful walk up the mountain. His brothers before his death sang a flower drum opera for him for three days and three nights, and made a dojo. After crossing the Naihe Bridge , he left with a smile on his lips. . Grandma just kept crying, and mother said, Mom, there is no resurrection after death. If you get windeye from crying during confinement, your future life will be unfavorable. Grandma stopped crying and asked her mother angrily, where is your sister? Are you drinking your milk? Bring it to me and take a look.

Mother nodded and handed the sleeping Juanzi from the bamboo belt box to grandma. Grandma took it and slapped Juanzi in the face. The mother was so frightened that she quickly grabbed the rice and said, Mom, this is so big. Man, can you do it? Trouble. After saying that, he lifted up his clothes, took out his white breasts and put them into Juanzi's mouth. Juanzi cried for the first time and did not drink her mother's milk. Her mother's milk could not soothe Juanzi's sharp cries.

I am three months older than Juanzi. When I was six years old, I entered school, and Juanzi went to her grandmother's house to herd cattle and hunt pig grass. Grandma was so cruel that when they were fighting, she would force Juanzi to step on the heavy and heavy tractor. Juanzi couldn't step on it, so she had to pick up the bucket with both hands. Often her father would see him passing by and rush over to help. When the time comes, Juanzi will show a shy smile.

Juanzi’s rose flower withered when she was eleven years old. That year, Juanzi was betrothed to another family by her grandmother.

In the season when peach blossoms are in bloom again, grandma said to her mother that the little girl can marry her mother-in-law. After hearing this, Juanzi's face turned as red as a ripe peach, her head was raised, and her big, beautiful eyes looked at her toes and then at me.

I nestled in my grandma’s arms and said loudly, Grandma, I want Juanzi to be my mother-in-law and give birth to a baby. Grandma's face was livid, she stood up from the chair with a fierce gaze, and slapped Juanzi on the face. A trace of red instantly flowed from the corner of Juanzi's mouth. Grandma pointed at the tip of her fair and high nose and cursed, bitch, vixen , if you want to molest whoever you want, if I don’t stop you, if you dare to molest your juniors, I’ll beat you to death! After saying that, another slap came. Juanzi's hands trembled and she covered her face, her beautiful eyes full of crystal tears. I was afraid of Juanzi's cry, and even more afraid of grandma's skinny hands, so I took Juanzi away and ran away alone. Maybe, I should run deep into the white clouds.

Juanzi often avoids me intentionally, which makes me always feel guilty. With a willow-like figure and big black eyes, she never dared to mention Juanzi’s name in front of her grandmother.

Haitanghua, who sings Huagu tune, wants to accept Juanzi as her goddaughter. Grandma's face looks very stiff, and she doesn't say yes or no. She has always treated Hai Changhua coldly.

After Juanzi followed Hai Changhua, she could hear Juanzi making noises every day at dawn, so the village began to be lively, with roosters crowing, dogs barking, and the smoke from the cooking pots lazily twisting. The slender broken shadow walked into the mountains.

In the morning and evening at the entrance of the village, you can always see Haizhanghua taking Juanzi somersaults and practicing tricks on the field. With each move, Juanzi becomes more and more beautiful and beautiful.

was snatched, and a stage was set up for a play in the village. Hai Changhua took Juanzi to perform an excerpt of "Bathing in the Pond" as Begonia Flower Tall, playing the role of clown Fan Xiliang , and Juanzi played Meng Jiangnu in Xiaodan. Many people were intoxicated by Juanzi's performance as Meng Jiangnu undressing and taking a bath by the pond. Juanzi made a gesture of taking off her clothes while singing: "Take off the blue shirt on the upper body, and take off the eight-piece skirt on the lower body, take off the knee pants and bind the feet, and take off the red embroidered shoes on the feet, take off all the clothes, and jump down with both feet. "In the Lotus Pond..." Juanzi sang and acted well, and fascinated many men to death. The applause was endless. Many young people crowded in front of the stage, and a temporary stage that was not reliable began to shake. Juanzi's movements, swaying and swaying, were so lifelike that the young man's nose was bleeding.

Grandma didn’t come to see it, but my mother quietly went home after watching half of it. My mother told my grandmother that when she saw Juanzi taking off her clothes, she blushed as if she had been bitten by a snake. The next day, grandma asked her mother to bring Juanzi back from Haitanghua's house. This time, grandma unexpectedly did not beat her, but the door was often locked. After watching Juanzi's performance that night, the feeling of Juanzi and Yingying Xiaozui kept popping up in my head. I also understood why those men who were older than me always liked to squat on the street corner and cast their eyes on my grandma's house. . Fifteen-year-old Juanzi is like a hibiscus emerging from the water.

In spring, peach blossoms are red and pears are white. The peach blossoms, which are redder than fire, reflect the faces of naughty boys and beautiful girls. Several bouquets of peach blossoms and pear blossoms are woven into a beautiful big garland and hung around Juanzi's neck. Juanzi sings I made a couplet: " Tongzi blooms and the seeds grow, dates bloom and produce honey, Tongzi blooms and bears one, beans bloom and bear two," I asked Juanzi innocently, what is a pair?

Wouldn’t a man and a woman become a couple? Juanzi said shyly.

Can you and I become a couple? I blushed and looked at Juanzi. Juanzi didn't answer, she hugged my neck like crazy and kissed my furry lips passionately with her red lips.

I heard her mountain-like gasping and the sound of a little rabbit pounding in her heart. Her whole body was trembling, trembling very badly, and her lips were like flames, as if they could dry my lips. .

I want to be your mother-in-law, I want to be your mother-in-law. Juanzi took my mouth and said. Kiss me quickly, kiss me quickly! I am your person, your mother-in-law, and I will give birth to a lot of babies for you.

Not far away, a figure walked into the peach forest. Juanzi pushed me away suddenly and quickly disappeared into the drifting peach blossoms.

In front of a new grave, I used tears to accompany my longing for Juanzi. In my longing, there is sweetness, but also pain and helplessness.

Under the kerosene lamp, the mother said sadly that the day Juanzi got married, the wedding was very lively. When Juanzi walked out wearing bridal makeup, the crowd was excited, many men were intoxicated, and the bearers picked up a Xieshan The sedan chair was swinging leisurely on the field ridges and mountain roads with extra effort. They said that after carrying the sedan chair for most of their lives, only Juanzi was the most beautiful bride. After paying homage to the Heaven and Earth Hall, the couple entered the bridal chamber, watching the excitement and unwilling to leave. When Juanzi and the groom blew out the lamps when the rooster crowed, the sky was already slightly brighter, and a ray of snow-white sunlight appeared like When a sharp sharp blade came in slantedly, the groom saw that there was no red color on the white cloth. His hands and feet went numb immediately, and then he yelled and blamed his parents, saying that the person who made the marriage contract for him at home turned out to be a rag. The woman forcibly dragged Juanzi naked from the bed and pushed her out of the door without giving her a fig leaf. Juanzi couldn't bear the insult, so she threw herself into the lotus pond in front of her door and drowned.

The news reached my grandmother, who sighed and said to her mother, it was all that shameless Haitang Hua who harmed your own sister. After saying that, a teardrop fell on the ground, and I saw paper money flying all over the mountains and fields, and the flower drum tune sounded all over the mountains and fields: " Hold the sweat towel in your hand and move it a few times. The cold water is so cool on the upper body, and the upper body is washed clean. The lower body is washed as white as silver..." Many people are familiar with this singing tune. Begonia Hua, who sings Huagu tunes, stands on the opposite hillside. Behind her, the people carrying the coffin vaguely saw Juanzi walking around with a folding fan in her right hand amidst the suona sounds of "A Branch of Flower". She appeared with the fan as a curtain, opened the fan, and danced with the flowers.

Someone shouted "There is a ghost", and the coffin bearers swarmed and scared away. A lonely white coffin stayed among the withered Setaria . Later, someone said that when the coffin was parked on the mountain, someone saw Begonia flower prying open the coffin forest and carrying Juanzi away.

For the first time in my life, I saw my weak mother saying angrily, "Juanzi is dead. If I knew who made Juanzi suffer this evil, I must chop him to death!"

When my mother said that, her tears wet the warmth of the fire pit, and a kind of coldness hit me all over. I remembered that in the year when Juanzi sang with Haitanghua, Haitanghua took Juanzi to practice martial arts in the peach forest. Juanzi was standing on a peach tree practicing her splitting moves. Suddenly, her feet slipped and she fell from the tree. At that time, I saw Juanzi's thin gauze pants stained with blood red. I told my mother, and she was so horrified that she covered my mouth to stop me from talking. Many years have passed, but I never expected that a small accident would lead to a tragedy that Juanzi could not wash away.

Grandma was lying on the bed, skinny and skinny, her eyes slightly closed. I lifted up the gauze curtain, sat on the edge of her bed and called her. Grandma sighed heavily and said, "Xixiazai, do you still want Juanzi to be your mother-in-law?" Do you still want Juanzi to give birth to a lot of babies for you? Grandma spoke very smoothly, without any blame or contempt, only a muddy tear, emitting a little light of humanity in the deeply sunken eye socket. According to the mother, my grandmother was the daughter of a rich man, and she loved her grandfather who herded cattle at her house. Grandpa has never read a book, but he sings Huagu tune very well. The two of them go back and forth, and they have a secret love affair. When the rich man found out, he wanted to put grandpa in a pig cage sinking pond. When night fell, grandma hurriedly ran out and let grandpa go privately, letting grandpa run with her from north to south. This south was said by the ancients to be the southern barbarian. The place is Yongzhou, Hunan.

My mother has always wondered why my grandma left a good young lady alone during those years when she had no food or water, but eloped with her grandfather to Yongzhou to live an unstable life? This is a mystery, and this mystery allowed me to find the most reasonable answer in Juanzi.

stayed with Juanzi's grave for three days. As soon as he walked into the office door, he received an urgent telegram from his mother: Grandma passed away, please come home soon!

Text/Xiaoxiang Yijian

Compilation/Country people in the city