Chapter 4: Stolen Meat Scent
Chen Jin stomped his feet a few times, shook off his hand and fished out a box of official halls from his pocket, we both lit one each and stood to the corner to observe the enemy situation over there. Chen Jin said: "Lao San, when do you think these old ladies will leave? It's so cold and snowy tonight, are they going to stay up all night and fight hard?"
"Wait a little longer, the young young daughters-in-law are afraid of gossip, so they all come late, waiting for no one to make offerings, these old ladies should leave." I smoked a mouthful of cigarettes, suddenly thought of something, stunned for a moment, choking me coughing, scolded: "Damn, do not these old ladies with us a mind, waiting for no one they will be offering meat and fruits divided up, then we are not waiting for nothing?"
"No way?" Chen Jin thought for a moment and said, looking over there, "These are the faithful followers of the Old Grandmother's Temple, so it's not like they're going to steal the leader's food before the Old Grandmother's birthday is over."
I thought about it, so I chatted with Chen Jin, "Jinzi, what kind of goddess do you think this grandmother is? Look at those few old ladies all day pious look, this how to say is also considered to believe in good it, but their weekdays in the village how a little bit of good things do not do it?"
This is not me in the wrongful accusation of those old lady, these old people can be Ding Ding's main, in the village in addition to my second uncle, basically no one dares to mess with, that scolding kung fu can be said to be pure perfection to the peak of the extreme, the home on the death of a chicken, she can surround the village scolded on the day, absolutely difficult main.
Chen Jin despised a glance at me, said: "Yinle you a pig brain, think about it, they are a few of this grandmother's disciples, can not be powerful? As the saying goes, if you are cheap, you are invincible, if you are a human being to the extent that they are, well, you will soon become a god."
I threw my thumb up, "Reasonable, high, really high."
"Where where, excuse me." Chen Jin hemmed and hawed.
After waiting for about half an hour or so, seeing that there were only goers in the temple and no more comers, Chen Jin and I got pumped up and just waited for a few old ladies to leave.
After a while, a few old ladies replaced a few candles, lit a handful of incense, and after devoutly kowtowing a few heads, they left with hobbling feet through the snow.
"Comrades, charge!"
I roared with my throat pressed down and quickly rushed towards the old granny's temple, Chen Jin followed closely behind me, saying as he ran, "Victory belongs to us after all."
The two of us drilled into the temple one after the other, feeling like two bandits.
The temple itself is only a house so big, inside the molded three clay statues, and set up a few chairs, a table, a large incense burner, so the temple inside the space seems even more narrow. Seven or eight candles were lit around the temple, a bowl of braised pork, two bowls of boiled pork, a big bowl of apples and pears were placed on the table, and a lot of thick and thin incense was inserted into the incense burner, making the temple smoky. Three statues in the middle of the larger is the famous grandmother, wearing the ancient kind of clothes, the appearance is still considered decent, kind eyes. But the two maids on both sides are not very good looking, how to say? It is like …… the kind of paper tie for the dead to burn the maid, small face miserable white, lips blood red blood red. Although the room was lit with a few large candles, but the light was still dim under the smoke, so the three human statues looked even more unusually mysterious and bizarre.
"Yinle, how can we take this? Three bowls of meat and two bowls of fruit, we're both missing a hand." Chen Jin rubbed his hands together with a thieving light in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth were dripping with harlotry.
I thought about it, reached out from the side of the maid statue to pull down a piece of cloth, probably too hard it, the statue shook violently, swirling a piece of dust, I hastily blocked with my body in front of the table, do not let the dust fall into the bowl. After waiting for a while to take that cloth to the outside to shake, back to the temple, spread the cloth to the offering table, the two plates of fruit directly poured on top of the cloth to pocket up, the three bowls of meat and then poured into the large bowl of fruit, making a large bowl. I said: "Jinzi, you carry the bowl, I carry the fruit, this is not done."
Chen Jin cheerfully picked up the bowl and went out, I carried the cloth pocket just intended to go out, I felt as if a cold wind blew, the candle flame in the room shook, the light was darkened a lot, for no reason I felt a coolness in my back. I was stunned for a moment, turned around and looked around, as if there was nothing moving, but the light in the temple was much darker, the three statues looked a little blurry, Chen Jin shouted outside the door, "Yinle, what are you doing? Go ah."
"Hey, wait a while." I replied, looked at the table on the two thick red candles, hehehe smile, poof blow out, hand carrying two candles and walked out, vaguely feel some strange sounds coming from behind, I did not take it seriously.
At this time the street has accumulated a layer of thick snow, the two of us walking up, feet stepping on the snow creaking, behind us has been like someone to follow.
Chen Jin is in a good mood, holding a bowl while walking to both hands on the hot air, but also licked a piece of meat in the mouth chewing, humming out of the Oriental Red tune.
When we walked to the front street, Chen Jin suddenly stopped and said, "Yinle, how do I feel that someone is staring at us?"
My heart trembled, it would have been freezing cold, my body suddenly cold pumped a bit, looked around, boldly said: "Nonsense, where there are people so late ah, hurry up, they are waiting for us." Finished, I also do not wait for Chen Jin, footsteps accelerate toward Yao Jing home.
"Grandma, can't it be that the one in the granny's temple is following us?" Chen Jin cursed in his mouth, full of disdain to follow me, "I said Yinle, you walk so fast to do, the road is slippery."
My heart speculation uneasy, Chen Jin just cursed so a sentence, really let my heart have so a trace of fear, but after all, two people as a companion, I'm not afraid to the extent of the legs to run away, so also slowed down the pace. The dog days of Chen Jin was born with a lot of guts, while walking and laughing, "Our brothers and sisters can be regarded as blessed, this can be all offerings, for us to eat, hey."
"Okay, less grinning two sentences, pay attention to the road, don't fall and turn the bowl." I complained.
"Don t worry, I Chen Jin ……"
Chen Jin's words did not finish, the flat ground suddenly started a whirlwind, scraping snowflakes in all directions, a blur in front of me, a wave of coldness from the inside bubbling up so that I can not help but shiver.
"Ai ai, heck." Chen Jin's body swayed a few times, fortunately did not fall, stood steadily, "Fuck me, almost capsized the boat."
The wind blew past, then did not blow again, fluttering snowflakes are still rustling landing, I said, "Gold, just now this wind is a bit evil ah."
"Evil? How come I didn't feel it, Yinle, are you kid scared?" Chen Jin stood in front of me with his bowl and brought his face towards me.
"Bah, I'm scaring you, when have I ever been scared?" I braced my face and walked forward with my head held high.
Chen Jin shouted from behind, "Slow down, wait for me, I'm still carrying a big bowl here."
This way down, I always feel that the back has been a cool whoosh, anyway, the heart is not a taste, wait until the Yao Jing home, a few of them are waiting, Chang Yunliang really carry to the three bottles of wine. Once you see Chen Jin and I returned full, the brothers were happy to cheer up, immediately surrounded to help pick up. A pot on the stove, add water and salt, cut a cabbage, dried chili twisted and crushed sprinkled in, a big bowl of meat to the inside of a pour, cover the lid of the pot, in a short while the pot will be gurgling and gurgling up, a burst of flavor from the lid of the seam squeezed out, induced a few of us young people straight drool.
Liu Bin said, "Yinle, why did you even take two big candles?"
"Oh yeah yeah, I'd forgotten if you didn't tell me." I hurriedly picked up the candles from the grain jar next to me and lit them, "I've been hitting the rabbits with the grass, so I just brought them along, won't the house be brighter?"
I took the candles and dripped a few drops of wax oil on the big table next to me, then pressed the bottom of the candles onto it, and the two candles stood firmly on the table, and the room was suddenly much brighter. Satisfied, I twisted my head to look at them and said, "How is it? Is it bright enough? I was worried that the light would be too dim, and what if a few of you eat up the meat and the dog snatches the hot feces, and if you accidentally stuff it up your nose, you'll choke to death."
"Bullshit, it's because you're afraid you won't be able to grab it yourself, right? Haha." Chang Yunliang said with dissatisfaction right next to him.
Everyone joked for a while, estimating that the cabbage stew was almost done, and the meat flavor should be eaten through, so they took two bricks and put them on the small square table, and brought the pot down from the stove and put it on top of the bricks. Yao Jing set up the wine cups, Chang Yunliang opened the bottle of wine, one by one full, everyone began to eat and drink.
"If you ask me, it's still other people Yinle who has the idea, why didn't we think of it, this is such good meat, fragrant!" Chen Jin chewed the meat in his mouth and muttered indistinctly. ‘That's right, that's right…’ Several people chimed in.
"Come on, drink! I can tell you, after eating this meat, no one can sell me back! Those few old ladies can be some iron mouth, let them know will not be my family roof to curse collapse!" As I spoke, my hands were not idle for a moment, with my left hand pouring wine into my mouth, and my right hand chopsticks holding a piece of meat in my mouth and chewing on it.
Immediately, everyone swore that they would not say anything, and ate it themselves, who knows what kind of trouble the old ladies will make when they find out about this?
Cabbage stew meat in a short while went down half, wine also drank two and a half bottles. Seven or eight young people alcohol on the brain, that mouth can not hold, began to blindly talk about blowing up, small to sesame and garlic, big to become a rich man in the future, a party hegemon ……
Drinking soundly at the time, I do not know where to scrape a cloudy wind, the temperature of the room suddenly dropped a lot, we a few drunken delinquents can not help but hit a shiver.
Look around, the candlelight shook, proving that just now did scrape a wind, the room suddenly quiet, only the candle burning occasionally bring out a few splitting sound.
Everyone froze, drink in the mouth of wine do not dare to swallow, chewing meat open mouth do not dare to close.
I drink the most wine, at first the uneasiness in my heart has long disappeared, couldn't help but curse: "Damn, who opened the door?"
"I didn't move the place!"
"I didn't move either!"
"Liu Bin, you just went to the restroom and came back without closing it, right?" Yao Jing timidly asked.
"Bullshit, I didn't go to the restroom at all."
Several people looked at each other, each face only saw fear and apprehension, their hearts were even more in a state of confusion.
"Squeak!" A sound to us a few people's eyes led over, Chen Jin full of enjoyment half squinting eyes, holding the wine glass on the mouth has not been taken down, smashed a few lips, opened his mouth and said: "Stewed meat on the wine, the more you drink, the more you have! Beautiful!"
Pouncing, Yao Jing fell down from the stool, scaring everyone by rubbing them all up, staring at him dumbfounded. Looking at each other for a few moments, it seems like nothing happened, right?
"Yinle, you say we eat this meat today, won't get into anything unclean, right?" Yao Jing rubbed his ass and stood up and said with a suppressed voice.
I gave a disdainful cut and said, "Look at you, don't worry, I stole the meat, I can't invite you!"
A few of them looked down and thought about it, even if they messed with something, it was my sin, I'm not afraid, what are they afraid of? Thinking this way, they were also a little bit relieved.
Strange things happened again, another gust of wind blew, three candles at the same time fluttering sound, extinguished! The room was suddenly dark, only the fire in the stove was still jumping around.
"There's a ghost!" Liu Bin shouted out in terror.
Chen Jin cursed brokenly, "Shout a ball! Scare the shit out of you."
I used the light from the stove fire to touch down the candle from the big table and light it on the stove, then lit the other two candles as well.
A few of them did not speak, quietly, frightened, uneasy staring at me and Chen Jin, the two of us in the brotherhood of the most courageous, in the middle of the night, really something, we have to count on me and Chen Jin to give everyone the courage.
I carry a bottle of wine in my hand to the door to close the door, and then swaying body in the buddies around a circle, mouth chattering: "are afraid? Hey I wonder, when eating meat, they are like dogs grabbing hot shit, a bit of wind to come in are scared into this kind of behavior! Let me take a look, has anyone peed their pants?"
"Yes, yes, let me check." Chen Jin deliberately bent over and lowered his head to pretend to carefully check if anyone had wet his pants.
At this time suddenly the door creaked open ……
The candles in the room seemed to sense the cold wind intrusion, shaking up in unison, making the light in the room gloomy and uncertain. Yao Jing home that broken door is really, too loose, like the shaft there rubbed oil general, a little bit of wind can blow open, I complained: "Yao Jing, your home this door is not a repair, this is too loose."
Yao Jing did not speak, a few people stared straight at the door open the slit, Chen Jin surprised said: "Hey, really fucking strange ah, this winter even have long insects."
I took a look at it, a green snake even poked in half a body from outside the door, a thumb thick and thin, the mouth also spit a forked core rapidly stretching, a pair of small eyes in the candle flame under the reflection of the bright crystal. Seems to feel my gaze, the snake head moved, staring at me, my back a burst of tingling coolness. At this time the candles in the room suddenly went out again, Chen Jin cursed, "Fuck, it's really not as good as electric light."
As the saying goes, wine strengthens the hero's guts, I was just stared at by the snake fiercely in the heart also hairy, but the wine energy, the fire came up, cursed and said: "Quickly, point on the wax, I want to get a snake gall tonight on the wine, make up for the body."
Between words, Chen Jin has lit the candle, I step toward the door, the snake is probably by my body emitting a murderous aura to scare, may also be that I think I am not good, body twisted, but also retreated out. It is a retreat, I have more energy in my heart, grandmother, just scared me, but also want to run? I handily carried a rolling pin from the doorway and rushed out, shouting, "Chen Jin, Ya hurry out to help me block, whack it to death we eat long worm meat."
"Hey, coming." Chen Jin rushed out carrying a small stool.
The snake in the yard on the snow crawling fast, I waved the staff smashed several times froze and did not hit, Chen Jin a stool smashed over, also did not hit, the green snake drilled into the cracks of the pig pen disappeared, leaving only the yard on the snow after the snake crawled through the curves.
Chen Jin and I in front of the pigsty inside and outside to check for a while, only a few pigs in the pigsty grunted dissatisfied that we disturbed their sleep. The two of us had no choice but to go back inside with our heads hanging down.
"Where are the long worms?" Yao Jing asked.
"Ran away." Chen Jin put down his stool, "It's a pity, it's rare to come across a long worm in the middle of winter."
Liu Bin said from the side, "I say brothers, don't you think it's strange? Just now the candles in the house went out twice, that wind is also a bit evil, could it be that we are inviting the spirits of the grandmother's temple?"
"Fart." I scolded and said, "Okay, the wine is almost dry, the meat is finished, go home."
Yao Jing said bitterly, "Who's going to stay and keep me company? There's still some wine and meat left."
"I'll stay, otherwise Yao Jing would still be scared here by himself, haha." Guo Chao smilingly volunteered.
Chen Jin scornfully said, "You're too scared to walk at night, and you're still talking about accompanying Yao Jing."
"That's it, less bullshit, let's go, any later my father does not leave the door open for me." I am too lazy to nag with them again, the wine is on the head, some dizzy, thinking to hurry back to sleep.
So we left Yao Jing's house together.
Walked to the street, the guys separated, I and Liu Bin just all the way, the two families live before and after the two deep alleys. Along the way Liu Bin is very close to me, almost embrace me, I know this kid is timid, but also did not take it seriously. Waiting to go to the Liu Bin home that alleyway, Liu Bin said: "Yinle, you are bold, standing in the alleyway to give me the courage to wait for me to home before you go, okay?"
At that time the rural areas are really poor conditions, even the street are no streetlights, not to mention the alleys, especially our back streets of the alleys, narrow and deep, and the alley is also planted on the side of a row of large trees, but the eerie can not be, I drank a high, the courage is more than the previous big, drunkenly said: "Chengcheng, you run back in a hurry, I'm in a hurry to go back to sleep it, dizzy! I'm dizzy."
"Good, I run back." Liu Bin said gratefully, then shouted: "Mother–"
This mother has been shouting and running to the door of the house, Liu Bin's voice only stopped, I heard the sound of their door opening from the alley, which dragged the pace back home.