When I was a child, I read "Xiao Erhei's Marriage", and I felt that the most vivid character in it was the Three Fairies. San Xiangu set up an incense table in her home, and people came to her to burn incense, pray for wealth, and seek medical advice.
I was not deeply involved in the world at that time, and I had received materialist ideological education since I was a child. I always thought that Sanxiangu was a special case and a fictional character that had no connection with me. When I grew up and entered society, I realized that goddesses like Sanxiangu were not exclusive to remote areas. Even today, when technology is highly developed, it is not uncommon in the surrounding rural areas where I live. This is a mysterious profession that has been passed down for thousands of years, which once made me feel incredible. It wasn't until one day that I was surprised to learn that one of my second sisters-in-law had also become an immortal. After I had the opportunity to peek into the life of a village goddess, I discovered that the so-called goddesses also eat the fireworks of the world, just like us ordinary people.
01
My second sister-in-law’s house is not far from mine. We are neighbors who hear the sounds of chickens and dogs, and look up and down without looking up. However, I have never asked her about sensitive topics such as how she “attained enlightenment.” I have heard some information about her from other people. That year, the second sister-in-law had a quarrel with a woman in the village. The two were at odds with each other. After a big quarrel, the second sister-in-law became ill. Later, after receiving some advice, the second sister-in-law went to an old lady in a neighboring village to "exorcise evil spirits". She miraculously recovered after returning home. The second sister-in-law went to thank the old lady sincerely. Not long after, the old lady passed away. It is said that before she died, she passed on a spell to her second sister-in-law, who asked her to cast spells on earth on behalf of the fairy in heaven.
The third fairy in "Xiao Erhei's Marriage" is an old lady who likes to dress up and pretend to be young. "The shoes still have to be embroidered and the trouser legs still have to be trimmed." The second sister-in-law wears ordinary rural women's clothes on weekdays. She blends in with the crowd and is inconspicuous at all. There is nothing special about her. The second sister-in-law danced square dances with everyone, and during the Spring Festival she pretended to be a little daughter-in-law and ran landboats. However, she was not like the goddesses in people's impressions of "dancing the gods", nor did she pretend to be crazy or be good. The general process of "treating people" was to ask the seekers to burn incense, kowtow and kneel down, and then she would guide the visitors on behalf of the fairy and solve problems.
■ "River God" stills
The second sister-in-law is approachable, and it is okay to joke with her, but in moderation. There was a family in the village who dug a well more than ten meters deep but no water came out. They spent a lot of money in vain. The head of the household invited my second sister-in-law to find out the reason. The second sister-in-law walked around his yard and said that he had chosen the wrong location to dig the well. The second sister-in-law said, "You drilled the well to the dragon's tail, how can there be water?" The head of the household refused to accept it, and said, "The dragon's tail is closer to the place where you pee, so there should be more water?" The second sister-in-law thought that his words were taboo and blasphemous, so she was furious: "If you talk nonsense again, I will tear your mouth apart!"
The second sister-in-law "treats" people, and after the patient recovers, she has to come to "vote" the patient. The day to do so is fixed, on the first or fifteenth day of each month in the lunar calendar. Often when I am sitting at my computer desk, bored and drowsy, I am suddenly awakened by the sound of "cracking" firecrackers. I was shocked, knowing that this was another person coming to the second sister-in-law's house to fulfill their wishes. When those who wish to fulfill their wishes arrive, they will first set off firecrackers. This unshakable ritual not only expresses gratitude, but also serves as a way to tell the world about the efficaciousness of "God". Just then a burst of firecrackers was heard, and another burst of firecrackers exploded again. The sounds of "cracking" kept coming and going, and people from the second sister-in-law's family kept coming and going to fulfill their wishes.
At the beginning, people who went to the second sister-in-law’s house to fulfill their vows mostly brought meat, candies, food, etc. as thank-you gifts, and a piece of red cloth was required as standard. I don’t know what it means to give red cloth. Of course, this is the custom of God’s family. Pork is perishable and there was too much to deal with, so the second brother had to buy a horizontal freezer for storage. Although the red cloth is indestructible, too much is useless.The second sister-in-law was straightforward and told the people who came to make their vows that from now on, God does not want meat, food, red cloth or other things, and they can just give money when worshiping God. People obeyed God's will, but while giving money, they still brought many physical gifts.
The second sister-in-law also wants to worship the god above her and find a leader for herself, but she doesn’t know who to worship. Others went to the Yaowang Mountain Temple Fair in Tongchuan, or to commemorate the birth of Sun Simiao on April 28, but she followed him year after year. Maybe she felt that she and Sun Simiao were both "medical doctors" and should respect Yaowang as the ancestor. But this disease is not that disease, and this "doctor" is not that doctor. At that time, I didn’t know the identity of the Queen Mother and Fairy that my second sister-in-law claimed to be, but I just felt that her respect for Sun Simiao was a bit nondescript. I said to the second sister-in-law, "Did you make the mistake of going to Yaowang Mountain to burn incense?" The second sister-in-law asked, "Then where do you think I should go?" This stopped me in my tracks. I had never thought about this question, and I really couldn't answer it, so I had to deal with her and said: "There is an Eight Immortals Temple in Xi'an. It makes more sense to go there than to Yaowang Mountain." The second sister-in-law then begged me to take her to the Eight Immortals Temple. I had neither the time nor the inclination, so I had to tell her to wait until I was free. A few days later, I met my second sister-in-law on the road. She said to me: "I have been to the Eight Immortals Temple, and there was nothing in it!" Nothing? So what do you want?
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02
Within a few years, the second sister-in-law became a well-known master.
In the last year of the last century, I served as a tax accountant for a factory. This is a rural enterprise, and the factory office is the accounting office. People come and go in the office area, and there are always people idle. A middle-aged man who had worked in a state-owned enterprise but had been laid off to start his own business wondered what was waiting for our factory director. He talked rhetorically with the factory buyer in the office all afternoon, but the factory director never showed up. Seeing that lunch time has arrived, I plan to close the door and chase away the guests. The middle-aged man wanted to leave but was reluctant to leave, so he turned around and asked me: "I heard that there is a doctor in the north of your village. How do I get to her house?" The doctor? I didn't understand what he meant, so I pointed to the buyer in our factory and said, "His brother is a famous rural doctor." I didn't know why, but the buyer had already seen it clearly and knew it well. He said, "That's not what Manager Wang said. The person he is looking for is Hou Xiashan."
The book "Xiao Erhei's Marriage" said: "There are two gods in Liujia'ao, and everyone in the nearby villages knows it. One is Er Zhuge in the front village, and the other is the Sanxian Gu in the back village." Coincidentally, there are also two gods in our village, one is my second sister-in-law, and the other is Hou Xiashan. Hou Xiashan is also a female "god". Our village is big and her home is far away. I am not familiar with this woman. I have never seen the famous eyebrow drama " Liang Qiuyan ", so I thought this was her real name earlier. Later I learned that Hou Xiashan is a nickname, the name of the character in the play. This nickname is very vivid, and it is suitable for this rural woman.
Hou Xiashan debuted early, and my second sister-in-law had not yet "become a fairy" at that time. But my second sister-in-law came to the limelight later, and now no one around me knows that there was such a "god man" as Hou Xiashan.
■ "River God" stills
When the buyer heard that Manager Wang wanted to find Hou Xiashan, he curled his lips and said: "Hou Xiashan is not working, so if you want to find him, ask his second sister-in-law, the accountant." "His second sister-in-law?" Manager Wang looked back at me and asked, "Can your second sister-in-law do it?" The buyer said, "Hou Xiashan can do it." To compare with his second sister-in-law, it’s Wu Dalang versus Li Kui . It’s far behind! "
I rode my bicycle home for lunch. Manager Wang followed me on his motorcycle to find his second sister-in-law, but she happened to be absent. Manager Wang came to my house. I boiled water and made tea, and asked Manager Wang what he wanted from my second sister-in-law. He said that things have not been going well recently, and he even lost a few business deals.
There were few words to say. Manager Wang, who had been eloquent in the factory office just now, had no more to say at this moment. He felt uneasy and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He simply got up and wanted to go to the second sister-in-law's house to visit again. I didn't need to accompany him this time. After waiting for a while, he didn't come back, and I found out that he had already connected with my second sister-in-law.
After waiting for more than an hour, Manager Wang waved his hands, walked in listlessly, and sat down on the sofa. I asked him: "See you?" He said: "Yes." I asked: "What's the matter with you?" Manager Wang said: "She said my family is crazy." What? Is the house god in chaos? What does this mean? I have never heard of this phrase. Manager Wang said: "She said that I move all the time and disturb the family." "Have you ever moved?" Manager Wang said dejectedly: "I have moved several times in the past few years." It seems that the second sister-in-law was right for him. I can't comfort Manager Wang, but I am a layman and I am more concerned about another topic. I asked him: "Have you given money?" Manager Wang became serious and said bluntly: "Of course I did, what if I didn't?" Although I often joked with my second sister-in-law, I was not a member of the circle after all, so I wanted to find out the market situation and asked: "How much did you give?" Manager Wang said: "I gave you 50 yuan, what do you think?" I said: "A lot, a lot!" More than 20 years ago, 50 yuan was also a considerable amount.
After seeing off Manager Wang, he happened to meet his second sister-in-law when he came back. Because I just found out a little bit about her, I planned to make a joke with her again and pretend to be a good person. I said to the second sister-in-law: "The manager Wang who came today was originally going to find Hou Xiashan. I felt that the fertilizer water could not flow into the fields of outsiders, so I persuaded him to come and see you. I brought this business to you. If you have such a good thing, you will give me a commission!" The second sister-in-law Nono promised repeatedly: "Commission! No problem!" After chatting, I laughed and left, not caring in my heart.
When I went home the next day, I saw a piece of meat and two cans on the table. The wife said that the second sister-in-law brought it. I was wondering why the second sister-in-law gave me these things for no reason. My wife said, "Didn't you say you wanted a commission yesterday? The second sister-in-law cashed in immediately." Hey, I just said it casually, but the second sister-in-law took it seriously. What kind of thing is this? Could it be that I was really being trusted? However, since then, there has never been anything like Manager Wang who fell into my hands and led me to the second sister-in-law's house. The second sister-in-law's reputation is growing day by day and everyone knows it. People who want to find her don't need to give advice and go straight to the second sister-in-law's house.
03
In the summer, the eldest sister who has lived in Beijing for a long time returned to her hometown to visit relatives. The eldest sister is busy with work. She used to take the opportunity to go to Xi'an for business trips and came back a few times. The stay was very short. Now that she is retired and older, it is not easy to come back once. She plans to stay longer.
My eldest sister was seventy-three that year, which was her birth year. Local custom: The animal year is a hurdle, and it is "contrary to Tai Sui". Both adults and children must wear a red belt in the animal year, commonly known as "red tie". It is said that only in this way can good luck and evil be avoided, and misfortunes can be avoided. An important point is: you cannot buy this red belt yourself, it must be given by relatives and friends. I never believed this rhetoric, but I couldn't stand the repeated reminders from everyone. When my eldest sister celebrated her birthday at home, I followed everyone's suggestions and planned to give her such a gift. But I was not prepared in advance. I remembered that my second sister-in-law’s house had a lot of red cloth, so I asked my child to go to her house and ask for a piece of it to make a belt for the occasion.
I only wanted one piece, three feet was enough, but the child came back with a roll, which was more than a dozen pieces. The eldest sister was surprised, why were there so many red cloths in the younger sister’s house? I told some of the "miraculous things" that my second sister-in-law had done in recent years. My eldest sister thought it was a joke and suggested, "Let's go to her house in the evening and break this trick." The second sister-in-law and the eldest sister were not familiar with each other, but they greeted her attentively. They hit it off immediately and were extremely affectionate.Seeing that they couldn't get to the point, I went straight to the point and explained the reason for my sister's visit: "Sister-in-law wants you to take a look." The second sister-in-law was self-aware, and she said: "Don't tease me, I know you don't believe it." But in order to cooperate with the eldest sister, I have to believe it tonight. I said, "I really want you to take a look." The second sister-in-law said, "We are family members, so you can do whatever you want me to do for you. But if you want to see a doctor, it has nothing to do with me. It is a matter of God's family."
God is not interested in family ties. As soon as she heard that she wanted to "see a doctor," the second sister-in-law immediately distanced herself from the relationship. I didn’t understand the rules here, so I asked, “What should I do?” The second sister-in-law said, “If you want God to see you, you have to ask God and make offerings to God.” This logic is impeccable: if you give something, you are really looking to God, and if you don’t give something, it’s just a joke. For gods, they also follow the principle of not letting go of eagles if they don't see rabbits, and don't hang strings if they don't see devils. But the eldest sister was dressed neatly, but she didn't bring any money with her. Because of the hot weather, I only wore an undershirt on my upper body, but I felt that there was a dollar in my pocket. I remembered the 50-dollar note that Manager Wang had given me, so I asked my second sister-in-law, "How much do you want to donate?" The second sister-in-law said, "One yuan is a lot, but a hundred yuan is not much." I said, "I happened to only bring one yuan, I wonder if it will work?" I thought, if it is not enough, I will go home and get it. The second sister-in-law said: "Just show me and prove that you are really looking for God." I gave the one yuan to the eldest sister, and the second sister-in-law took her to her "God House".
The "Holy Room" is a specially set aside room in the main room. It is closed on weekdays and no outsiders are allowed to enter. However, I later went in to see the "Holy Room" of the second sister-in-law. There is an incense table on the front and a donation box next to it. There are portraits of fairies hanging on the wall behind the incense table. From top to bottom, rows and rows of banners with words such as "Wonderful Hands of Rejuvenation" and "Boundless Immortal Techniques" are hung on the surrounding walls. At first glance, it is quite shocking.
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The two of them were chattering in the divine house. My second brother and I had a casual chat outside, and finally waited for them to come out. It was already late at night, so my eldest sister and I said goodbye and went home. When I got out of the house, I asked the eldest sister: "What do you think?" The eldest sister was originally going to break the spell, but she was a little convinced at this time and said: "This god still has some skills." I said: "How can you see it?" The eldest sister said that after entering the god's house and worshiping the fairy, she told some difficult illnesses and pains of hers, the second sister-in-law concluded that she had a mole on her left shoulder. As he was talking, he wiped the eldest sister's collar of clothes to check, and found that there was indeed something there. The eldest sister said: "I'm not at home all year round. How did she know about this special mark? In fact, I don't even know that I have a mole on my shoulder."
Can you tell if there is a mole on your shoulder? Although I don't understand the secret, I think this is a children's trick. But the second sister-in-law took advantage of this and probably also accurately described some of the eldest sister's other symptoms. In short, all the eldest sister's serious illnesses were related to this unlucky mole. The eldest sister was somewhat dubious about what she said in such a hazy manner. The eldest sister had a pain in her legs because of her old age. The second sister-in-law gave her a roll of yellow paper and asked her to burn it facing the east when the rooster crows after returning to Beijing, saying that this would relieve her pain. The eldest sister actually took the yellow form paper with her when she returned to Beijing. I didn't ask whether it was burned or not. Her leg pain came and went intermittently, and she had probably used all the prescriptions of physical therapy and chemotherapy.
04
had some work to do at home, such as decoration, so he hired two craftsmen, Lao Sun and Xiao Zhou (pseudonym), both from the same village. One day, Xiao Zhou was late, and he said regretfully: "I dug a tree at home, and I wasted some time." The price of living is calculated by the square meter, and it has nothing to do with me whether I come early or come late. But Lao Sun was a little unhappy: "When can the tree be dug? Does it have to be dug early in the morning?" Xiao Zhou said: "It is an old tree that is decades old. It has some spiritual karma, so it cannot be dug casually. It was asked to be looked at by someone, so it must be dug early in the morning.""
A few years ago, Xiao Zhou's aunt and father passed away one after another. For Xiao Zhou's grandma, losing a daughter and a son in old age, and losing two relatives in a row was heartbreaking and unbearable. She thought a lot about what evil was in the family, so she invited someone to come Look, the person invited was my second sister-in-law. Xiao Zhou said that as soon as my second sister-in-law entered the door, she looked behind the door and said, "There is a tree here. Why did it get dug up?" Just cut it down. According to the second sister-in-law, Xiao Zhou's family had troubles one after another, and the disease was caused by the dug tree. This tree was about to become a fruitful tree, but something unexpected happened to it. It could not get rid of its resentment, so it took revenge on Xiao Zhou's family. Xiao Zhou's grandma was convinced of this statement, because the second sister-in-law had never been to her house, how did she know there was a tree there? This time for some reason, an old jujube tree in the yard had to be dug up. Xiao Zhou's grandma said that this tree was older than herself and people were not allowed to do it without permission. They had to find someone to look at it before digging it up.
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Xiao Zhou said: In order to dig this jujube tree, he invited my second sister-in-law, but the second sister-in-law refused. Over the years, the second sister-in-law no longer bothers to deal with such trivial matters. She is getting older and rarely makes "visit visits". Of course, there are exceptions, and there are also people who drive to pick up the second sister-in-law and go to far away places, but trivial chores like digging trees are not the problem for the second sister-in-law. Won't go. Xiao Zhou wanted to dig up a tree, so he had to ask another new god - "White Lotus". White Lotus is a nickname given by people in reverse. She was originally a sloppy woman with rough skin and dark face, but she was also "possessed by a spirit" at some point. According to Xiao Zhou, Bai Lianhua told him that if he wanted to cut down the tree, he had to do it before dawn. According to the "god"'s arrangement, he cooked four dishes, boiled a pot of wine, and invited Bai Lianhua over before dawn. The great god is drunk After eating, I took a stack of yellow paper and went to the jujube tree to burn it and pray, saying that the spirit of the jujube tree had been sent away and was looking for support in another land and would not come back to cause trouble. It was already daylight. After paying Bai Lianhua 100 yuan for her hard work, Xiao Zhou struck while the iron was hot and dug up the tree in one go.
In total, it has been more than thirty years since the second sister-in-law became a god. It is impossible to count how many times he has performed Falun Dafa per year and how many people he has treated for "diseases". But she is the "little god" of the indigenous people, and she is not suddenly rich. She just lives a more comfortable life. The second sister-in-law's son, Xiaolin (pseudonym), left his family many years ago and makes a living by farming and doing odd jobs. The income is not high, and the family of three has a hard time living. Someone gave his son Xiaolin an idea and said: "Instead of working hard and not making much money, it is better to learn Taoism from your mother. But if you learn a skill and travel from village to village to treat people, you can make money easily. "Xiao Lin was also tempted. He followed the good example and actually went to beg his mother to learn the magic of treating patients. The second sister-in-law didn't want her son to engage in this profession, so she refused and said: "What are you learning? It's a lie! "Xiao Lin was sincere and did not shy away from telling the truth to everyone what the second sister-in-law said. But even though the second sister-in-law herself said that she was a liar, the people who came to her for "medical treatment" still came true. The more the second sister-in-law said that she was lying, the more people believed that she was true.
Not long ago, I met a middle school physics teacher who I know well. The couple came to invite my second sister-in-law. It turns out that this teacher, like me, doesn’t believe in the teachings of gods and goddesses. They have a son. He was terminally ill and was declared dead by the hospital. When he was taken home, he was already in water. He was in a hurry and sought medical treatment. At this time, he hoped that the goddess would be able to save his life, so he came to see his second sister-in-law with a glimmer of hope. It is said that after the second sister-in-law saw her, her condition became milder and improved. Of course, half a month later, he still passed away. From this point of view, when asking the goddess to "see a doctor", some people are paying an IQ tax, while others are helplessly seeking some spiritual compensation or comfort.
author | Qililan | Shaanxi people
